A few years ago Jrb’s dad left the majority of our collection of DVD’s on a plane.  We have a winner!!! Tammy Mckean ~ you have won the 8 DVD’s.  Congrats!  Please email beth with your mailing address and we’ll send the DVD’s out!  thanks!!

Apparently, it was very hectic getting off the plane and he panicked leaving the DVD’s, a sippy cup and Mr Moose behind.  Since then, I have been hesitant to buy more DVD’s because they are expensive.  So instead, I have opted  to visit the library or our local FAMILY VIDEO store who kindly loan out Kids DVD’s for free.  That is until recently…As a creature of habit  (like his mom) my 4 year old son likes to watch the same thing over and over and over again ~ making borrowing videos a bummer since we can only renew each title only once.

Well the folks at Cookie Jar Entertainment have made things a little easier with BRAND NEW DVD’s starting at $4.99!  Cookie Jar is the company behind various children’s entertainment brands including  Busytown Mysteries, Mona the Vampire, and Calliou. The company was kind enough to send me a few of these reasonably priced DVD’s to review.  So far, I am having trouble getting beyond Busytown Mysteries, because my little one loves watching it so much.  (However, I plan on taking a peek at Nanoboy ~ the world’s smallest superhero! After JRB goes to bed.)  Jrb’s Dad previewed  Super Duper Sumos and really liked it although he said it had a lot of “butt” jokes making it suitable for him, but not our 4 y/o son!  To find out more about the newly released Cookie Jar titles visit Crazy Ape (which sells the DVD’s for $4.99).  Click here to visit the site.

NOW HERE”S THE FUN PART…In honor of this terrific deal, we are going to have a GIVEAWAY!!!! We will send 8 DVD’s to ONE lucky winner.  Just leave us a comment and  tell us your favorite movie to watch with your kids and you will be automatically entered. We will choose one winner at random.  Contest ends on  August 4 at 11:59 PM.  Good Luck!  Shoestrings and Peace, Beth and Jenna

FYI here are the DVD’s you will win:

1. Wimzie’s House
2. Super Duper Sumos
3. Mona the Vampire
4. Horseland
5. Busytown Mysteries
6. Busy World of Richard Scarey
7. Nanoboy
8. World of Quest

Hi everyone, I have been away to SF and the Catskills and have much to discuss… #1:  I “Heart” Radio Disney.  I am a Disney fan in general having fallen in love with the theme park when I was 18 and decided my life’s ambition was to live in Cinderella’s castle.  Over the years, I have been fortunate to have worked with different  facets of the company including interviewing the creative folks at Disney FamilyFun, developing activity books for Disney Publishing and working with DJ Shal on her Public Affairs show, “Let’s Chat” for Radio Disney (in San Francisco / Bay Area).  So when I was in the Bay area last month, I visited the show along with my dear friends Liz & Cindy and their adorable boys who joined us on the show.  It was the highlight of my trip (besides having a chance to spend a ton of time with Jackson).  Thanks DJ Shal for making the day so special.

#2 My fire alarm works!  Today I did my regular segment on You & Me this Morning on WCIU TV in Chicago.  We made T-shirt totes and s’more truffles among other things.  Here’s a link to the segment:  Click Here to Watch the Segment! Eventually I mastered the art of making caramels but trust me, there was a lot of practice before that happened.  As you can see from the above picture, it took a few tries, a few pounds of burnt sugar, a room full of smoke and a melted plastic spoon.  RIP dear spoon.

#3 Park A Day Challenge:  A neighbor who reads the Pioneer Press recently sent me an email about her Park a Day Challenge.  The challenge is sponsored by the non-profit group, KaBOOM!  Which is dedicated to “creating great playspaces through the participation and leadership of communities.”  How can you not love that mission?

Here’s a link to Liza’s post which details her park adventures!   Click here to read!

#4 I am now a double blogger!  That’s right, a year ago I had no idea what “Twitter” was, thought “Facebook” was a video game and thought blogging was something that happened in the mountains of Minnesota!  (Of course there are NO mountains in Minnesota, so it only seems fitting that they would “blog” there!)  Anyway, I am thrilled and honored to share my new blog with all of you.  Its home is the You & Me this Morning on WCIU website.  You & Me this Morning is a morning TV  show that is near and dear to my heart since it is super fun, informative and a certain “shoestring mommy” appears on it every other week.    Here’s a link to the website and my TV page ~ Check it out and if you can, share it with your friends.  Click Here to Read and Watch!

Thanks for Reading!  Shoestrings and Peace, Beth

Today I was working on my show notes for tomorrow’s radio show.  Jenna is in China and our regular guest co-host Cynthia is in Myrtle Beach, so I am flying solo!  While getting everything together I found 2 clips I absolutely love and wanted to share…

The first clip is from my kitchen inspiration and friend of the show,  Mandy Heaston, author of  the blog www.gourmetmomonthego.com.    She was in Savannah last week as a finalist for the REAL WOMEN of PHILADELPHIA bake-off hosted by Paula Deen.  How did she do?  Check out her video here .

The second is from tomorrow’s guest Karen Walrond whose blog, www.Chookooloonks.com is a must read for folks who love to sit back and reflect on the joys and wonders of life!  She is also a gifted photographer and has a new book coming out this fall called, “The Beauty of Different.” LOVE the title, right?  Here’s the trailer for the book, its one of those feel good, I will celebrate my own uniqueness trailers that, well, you’ll see if you click here.

Shoestrings and Peace, bEtH

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems every song I listen to these days has a familiar theme;  Don’t Blink! ~ These crazy days with little ones running around will soon be over and you will miss them.  I try to think about it on days like today when we are rushing out the door only to discover my car keys were “hidden” and Jrb forgot where he hid them or when he wants to play Go Fish for the 14,000th time or when he tells me he no longer likes apples and almonds and foods that start with “A,” preferring to be a “P” kid instead which means I am to give him pizza, pretzels and popcorn!  (Nice try!).  So I am trying to bottle up these days by planning lots of family fun nights and adventures and making sure we have plenty of time together.

Sound familiar?  I figure if we can’t stop time, we might as well have fun in the process.  The link below will bring you to an article I recently wrote for  Edmontons Child Magazine (page 28).  It is all about fun summertime activities to do with your kids. If you have other ideas please share them below.  I am always on the lookout for fun ideas.   www.edmontonschild.com.  Now I’m off to buy some Pasta, Potatoes and Pineapple.

Shoestrings and Peace, Beth