Star Wars Rise of Skywalker Movie Review + Giveaway

Movies

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Review, Giveaway

MBE partnered with LucasFilm for this post

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker -- the blockbuster sci-fi picture from Lucasfilm, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company -- is now available on Digital, and as of today is also offered for viewing at home on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. 

The film, directed by J. J. Abrams, stars Daisy Ridley returning as Rey, the strong female role model character she portrayed in the previous two episodes of the trilogy The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Other members of the cast include Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Naomi Ackie (Jannah), Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux), Richard E. Grant (General Pryde), Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata), Keri Russell (Zorii Bliss), Joonas Suotamo (Chewbacca), Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico), Ian McDiarmid (Emperor Palpatine) and Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian).

The home entertainment version of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the rivetting conclusion in the Skywalker saga, includes not only the epic movie. It also comes packed with more than two hours of extras: a feature-length making-of documentary and interviews with the cast and filmmakers who made this movie, and lots more.

Bonus Material (may vary by retailer) includes

• THE SKYWALKER LEGACY – A feature-length documentary that charts the making of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
• PASAANA PURSUIT: CREATING THE SPEEDER CHASE – A look behind the scenes at the making of the movie’s epic landspeeder chase 
• ALIENS IN THE DESERT – Insight into how the Pasaana desert scenes were created
• D-O: KEY TO THE PAST – Explore the ship connecting Rey to the mystery of her missing parents plus meet the galaxy’s newest, irresistible droid
• WARWICK & SON – Warwick Davis, who played Wicket in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, again wears the Ewok costume, joined by his son Harrison
• CAST OF CREATURES – Learn from the team who created the film's creatures about the puppetry, makeup, prosthetics and digital magic employed to bring the characters to life 

PLUS, a Digital Exclusive

THE MAESTRO’S FINALE – Featuring composer John Williams' reflections on his work for  scoring Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as well as his involvement with the Stars Wars music since the beginning

Giveaway

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

MBE Giveaway

on Instagram

Thanks to Lucasfilm, ONE (1) lucky MBE giveaway participant will win the new Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Blu-ray + Digital combo movie. To enter this Movie Giveaway Mommy Blog Expert is hosting, visit this MBE Instagram post. Contest is open to US residents only and qualifying winner will be selected at random. Hurry, this giveaway ends April 6, 2020 at 12 am PST/3 am EST. Lucasfilm is providing the prize and is responsible for delivery to winner.

Make this fun Rey-inspired 

Mini Backpack DIY Craft

About Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Learn more about the movie by visiting the official website, as well as following all the Star Wars news on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Free Kids Activity Educational Cooking Sets

Giveaway

25,000 Raddish Kids Activity Kits to Be Given Away

If you are one of the millions of parents suddenly homeschooling one or more of your children due to COVID19 pandemic school closures happening across the U.S., don't panic. Instead, keep reading to learn about a wonderful freebie we just learned about which will keep the kids engaged in wholesome, educational activities you and your child can do together at home. 

Get Your Free Kids Cooking Kit March 19th

Raddish Kids popular award-winning themed kids culinary subscription kit and cooking club for elementary and middle school students, is giving away 25,000 of their kids' educational and entertaining Swedish Eats cooking kits FREE starting Thursday, March 19, 2020 at Noon EST/9 am PST, while supplies last. To make this giveaway possible, all Raddish Kids is asking is for families to cover the $4 shipping cost/per kit.

FREE Raddish Kids
Swedish Eats Kit Includes

• Three laminated illustrated recipe guides for Swedish Meatballs, a Scandinavian Smorgasbord, and Nordic Cinnamon Rolls
• Kid-sized cooking tool
• Apron patch
• Fun learning activity

About Raddish Kids

Founded by Samantha Barnes, a working mom, Raddish Kids knows firsthand what it feels like to have her children unexpectedly home from school for what may end up being weeks or months. Barnes hopes that these free kits will help parents and kids cope with social distancing, by helping everyone to continue learning as well as to make the most of their time together as a family during this difficult time when children are separated from their friends and school classmates. 

In addition to these complimentary kits you can receive by mail, all parents are encouraged to check out Raddish Kids free online resource which includes recipes and enrichment activities like this cute, free downloadable printable Swedish Dala Horse Craft as well as a guide to creating your own at-home culinary camp. Learn more by visiting the official site as well as follow the brand on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram

Natl Geographic Kids Book Review + Giveaway

Books

MBE partnered with National Geographic Kids for this review & giveaway

I loved reading National Geographic as a kid since my Daddy had a subscription to this magazine in the 1960s. While this periodical wasn't (and still isn't) really geared for young children, I fondly remember looking forward to reading each issue cover to cover and learning so much. With National Geographic Kids (NGK), modern children growing up now are so lucky to have many more age-appropriate options to choose from. So today I'm stoked to share with you three of NGK's newest 2020 fun and educational hardcover kids titles for boys and girls from toddlers to tweens.

NGK does a fine job with their monthly dedicated children's magazine, of course. But this iconic publisher also offers an immense collection of quality, educational books on so many topics that will appeal to young readers. Among our recent faves are We Love Babies, 1,000 Facts About Dinosaurs, Fossils, and Prehistoric Life, and Turn It Up!: A Pitch-Perfect History of Music That Rocked the World.

We Love Babies 

by Jill Esbaum 

I've always been crazy about animals and love nature. Not only that, but I really enjoyed photographing mommy and baby animals together on our recent African safari family vacation, so the new picture book We Love Babies (Ages 2-5, National Geographic Kids, Hardcover, $17.99) is easily my favorite among this trio of recent NGK youth book releases. As a matter of fact, I used to love reading to my own four kids when they were preschoolers and can easily imagine them asking me to read this beautiful book again night after night. 

Echoing the cheer "We Love Babies, Yes We Do," turning each page, kids will be entertained and learn something new as the unique qualities of different baby wild animals are compared and contrasted. Bendy trunks of baby elephants, coats of lots of freckles (a young giraffe), forest families (lion cubs), and herds vs. penguins in single file, these are just a few of the vignettes parents and kids will discover together throughout this book. There's even an educational pictorial index at the end of We Love Babies reviewing each animal type featured with the proper name and baby animal name included, if there is one.

1,000 Facts About Dinosaurs, Fossils, and Prehistoric Life 

by Patricia Daniels

My husband, a successful anesthesiologist in private practice, was fascinated by the fact-filled and sophisticated, yet kid-friendly book 1,000 Facts About Dinosaurs, Fossils, and Prehistoric Life (Ages 8-12, National Geographic Kids, Hardcover, $14.99) as he thumbed through it.

"There is so much for both kids and their moms and dad to learn together here with lots of well-designed illustrations and infographics to go along with it, " Dr. Elspas says. "Paleontologists, for example, are still discovering many new and interesting things about dinosaurs, such as that the Tyrannosaurus. These giant carnivores were once thought not too long ago to be closely related to the lizard, but actually share common DNA instead with chickens since the T-Rex had feathers. Though this is a book geared toward the 8 to 12 age range, this has something different that appeals across the generations from younger kids to parents and grandparents, making it a good read for the whole family."

Turn It Up!: A Pitch-Perfect History of Music 

by Joel Levy

Here's another educational NGK book worth noting. Our own family and children are all quite musical -- some of us sing as well as all of us play multiple instruments ranging from violin, piano, flute, guitar, trumpet and clarinet to name just a few -- so Turn It Up!: A Pitch-Perfect History of Music That Rocked The World (Ages 8-12, National Geographic Kids, Hardcover, $19.99) is another book music-loving families like ours will want to add to your bookshelves.

This hardcover is a nice compendium of everything related to music from ancient and medieval instruments as music developed over time. It also covers great classical composers such as Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and many others, as well as delving into how orchestras, opera, Broadway musicals and bands evolved. Also covered are the beginnings of other important genres of music from Black Spirituals, Country, Jazz, and Big Band to the Blues, Gospel, Soul, Rock, Pop, Reggae, IndiPop, Boy and Girl Bands, Hip Hop, Rap, and so much more. You'll learn so much you didn't know before. Just naming who's who in the musical icon's photos in each section is lots of fun for budding and dedicated the musicophile, young or old.

Where to Buy

All these books are available direct from National Geographic Kids where you'll also find lots of fun free information. Plus, keep reading to learn about how you can win an amazing prize package that includes all three hardcover books featured in this review in our latest Mommy Blog Expert Giveaway. In addition to the NGK website, stay up to date on all the National Geographic Kids news by following the brand on Twitter and Facebook.

National Geographic Kids Giveaway

Nat Geo Kids

Hardcover Book Bundle

MBE Giveaway

on Instagram

Thanks to National Geographic Kids, we are giving away the featured 3-book prize package pictured (ARV $53) to the winner. To enter the sweepstakes Mommy Blog Expert is hosting, visit this MBE Instagram post. Contest open to US residents only and qualifying winner will be selected at random. Hurry, this giveaway ends  March 24, 2020 at 11:59 pm PST. National Geographic Kids is providing the prize and is responsible for delivery to winner.