Thomas and Friends Movie Toy Giveaway

GIVEAWAY

Celebrating the Thomas and Friends Hero of the Rails movie, Mommy Blog Expert is pleased to be hosting an exclusive Thomas Tank Engine toy giveway for our national family following.

 

Enter Our MBE Exclusive Toy Giveaway - ENDS 7/1/11

The Thomas: Hero of the Rails movie is in Theaters Weekends this June

For the entire month of weekends in June it's Kidtoons' Thomas: Hero of the Rails showing in select theaters nationwide with reduced ticket prices at many locations.  In addition to our giveaway, everyone can download a Buy 1, Get 1 FREE Coupon at Kidtoons.com in honor of Father's Day.

Every month MommyBlogExpert has been thrilled to be among the chosen few blogs to host some really great family friendly monthly Kidtoons movie giveaways. These include Spookley Square Pumpkin, Care Bears: Share Bear Shines, Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas, Barbie Fairy Secret, Little Engine That Could, Strawberry Shortcake: Sky's the Limit, and Olivia and the Great Outdoors in conjunction with their monthly screenings just for children in theaters nationwide.

Kidtoons giveaways are different every month depending on the movie.  But, they're always fun and wholesome for children, so don't miss out on entering the current giveaway as well as subscribing to MommyBlogExpert.com so you will be among the first to know when next month's giveaway is announced.

Thomas: Hero of the Rails

GIVEAWAY CONTEST
Ends July 1, 2011

For this giveaway one lucky winner gets all these prizes in The Thomas Prize Pack

• 1 Thomas Train
• 1 Toby Train
• 1 Kidtoons Flashlight
• 1 Thomas Hero of the Rails Movie Poster

HOW TO ENTER

Leave one or more comments below this post.   Contest ends July 1, 2011 at 12 midnite PST and is open to legal residents of the U.S. only.

For the Required (Mandatory) Entry

Simply leave a comment below this blogpost with your email address, Facebook or Twitter contact info so we may contact the winner.   In the event that you are the lucky one, MommyBlogExpert will contact you for your shipping address. 

For Additional Chances to Win

Get extra entries for following MommyBlogExpert and/or Kidtoons on Twitter and/or Facebook and for subscribing to this blog.  Remember: Be sure to return to MommyBlogExpert to leave an additional comment after each individual action you do to confirm them so we can record all your extra chances to win.

EXTRA Chances to WIN Include 

Following @MommyBlogExpert (1 or 2 extra entries)

On Twitter

On Facebook
 

Following @KidtoonFilms (1 or 2 extra entries)

On Twitter

On Facebook  
 

In ADDITION to doing any or all of the extra entries above, you can earn one extra entry each time you Tweet the message exactly in the paragraph immediately below (limit 3 separate tweets for 3 extra entries per day). 

Thomas Hero of the Rails @KidtoonFilms #GIVEAWAY #kids #movie http://tinyurl.com/3la6sph #ThomasTankEngine #trains #toys RT 2 #WIN

Don't forget to return to leave a comment on this post with the direct link to right after every Tweet you do so you'll receive an entry for all your RTs.

About Kidtoon Films

Kidtoons mission is to showcase fun and affordable family-centric movies at participating theaters. Every month a different entertaining child's film is screened at well over 100 neighborhood theaters across the U.S.   So, be sure to check theater locations near you because more big screens where you can take your child to see this have been added recently .

This concept brings parents and children together to enjoy kid-friendly characters, cartoons, music videos and sing-a-longs as well as giveaways for the kid audience members like stickers, activity books or toys after every film.

Everyone can get a FREE movie pass to a Kidtoon Films showing in your neighborhood on your child's birthday.  Sign up your kid(s) for the Birthday Club here. See more information on the Kidtoons concept and find the theater location nearest you where this cute film is showing, as well as see the movie's trailer here.

FTC Disclosure: Kidtoon Films has provided the prizes for this giveaway.  However, MommyBlogExpert did not receive any payment or other compensation associated with this post. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

The True Meaning of Memorial Day in America

American Observance

Regular readers of this blog know I am a passionate supporter of our troops, both those who are fighting today and the many who've lost their lives in past wars and conflicts. 

Memorial Day always seems to awaken me to a sad reality of the changing times.  Nowadays, when you ask just about any one under the age of 40 what their thoughts are about the significance of this day, you'll likely hear some variation of one of these responses:

• It's a long holiday weekend off from work and school 
• It's a non-stop 3-day celebration of some of the best store sales
• It's the official beginning of BBQ season 

I consider myself one of the fortunate ones who would give a completely different sort of answer to this poignant question.  As a child growing up in the 60s I remember not only learning about the history of Memorial Day at school and what it was all about.  I also recall my father raising the American flag in front of our house each year as well as attending memorial services to remember those who had served and sacrificed their lives in past wars.  Finally, I recollect going to watch a patriotic parade that included men from our local VFW chapter marching by.

Back then when I was in grade school this day of memorial was always marked largely as a somber but uplifting occasion on May 30th.  It wasn't until 1971 when -- as dictated by a new U.S. law -- this Federal Holiday was permanently changed to the last Monday in May to create a three-day weekend.  To this day, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) still want to revert back to the original date.  I tend to agree with these groups in that creating three-day weekends out of convenience is likely the reason why the younger generation no longer really understands the meaning of Memorial Day.

History of the Day

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day.  It was first observed by Freedmen (freed enslaved Blacks from the South) in Charleston, South Carolina in 1865 in memory of fallen Union Civil War soldiers.  The first reference to "Memorial Day" was in 1882 and this gradually came to be the preferred name of the day.  However, the observance did not become widely known until the end of World War II and the U.S. government didn't officially change the name to Memorial Day until 1967.

How You Can Help Bring Back the Day's True Meaning

The best way, in my opinion, to recapture the day's original semblance is to teach our children how important it is to honor the brave men and women who have served our country in the past, as well as those men and women who are actively serving.  Also, we can't forget American military families as well as living veterans -- instead we need to support them and look to them for inspiration.


A few other ideas to take a more active role:

• You and your kids can send messages thanking military service people and their families here
  

• If your family is interested, you'll find lots of additional ways to get involved at JoiningForces.gov 

Feel free to share additional ways you know about that help remind us all about what Memorial Day in America is really all about.

FTC Disclosure:  MommyBlogExpert did not receive any payment or other compensation associated with this post.  See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one. 

Judy Moody Not Bummer Summer Behind Scenes

Movies

MBE partnered with the Judy Moody Movie for this post

MBE interviews stars of the film

Photo Above

Front: Megan McDonald, Parris Mosteller, Jordana Beatty 

Back: MommyBlogExpert's Daughters

Photo by MommyBlogExpert.com 

With so many popular book authors, celebrities, and high profile personalities making appearances and multiple stages operating simultaneously, the 2011 Los Angeles Festival of Books was definitely one activity I can check off my bucket list.  For sure, covering an event like this with my family in tow really makes me appreciate the fabulous benefits of working as a professional mommy blogger.

Truly the high point of that day was when my triplet daughters and I sat down for an exclusive interview with Megan McDonald, author of the popular and best-selling Judy Moody Book Series, and kid stars Jordana Beatty and Parris Mosteller.  Our talk zeroed in on Judy Moody and The Not Bummer Summer, the movie from Relativity Media and Smokewood Entertainment that's opening Friday, June 10th.

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer Movie

Image, Relativity Media & Smokewood Entertainment

This kids feature film, rated PG for mild rude humor and language, centers around bummed-out Judy who is left behind for the summer when all her friends go off to summer camp.  Now, with only buddy Frank and little brother Stink still around, all she has to look forward to is the most boring summer ever.  That is, until her fun-loving Aunt Opal makes an impromptu visit and the kids soon discover what they're really in for is the funnest summer of anyone in their crowd.

What a pleasure as a mom it was for me to finally meet Megan, Judy Moody's creator, who says the main character is modeled after herself.  For the last ten years, this youth author has been writing the wholesome Judy Moody series, enchanting an entire generation of girls with her prose, including my daughters.

  

Judy Moody props from the movie
Photo by MommyBlogExpert.com

"Sometimes I think I am Judy Moody," the author tells us with a giggle when we first meet. "I'm certainly moody like the character is and Judy's always speaking up for herself, just like I do.  I have messy hair and love collections of odd things like Judy does, too."

My girls are 13, BTW, just like Australian actress Jordana who plays the title role of Judy Moody, so the three of them connected almost instantaneously.  And, I hope Parris -- who performs the role of kid brother Stink Moody -- won't smack me for saying this, but my girls and I all thought you were absolutely Adorable with a capital A.

  

Jordana (Judy Moody) with Heather Graham (Aunt Pearl)

Image provided by Smokewood Entertainment

From talking to the two young actors, these talented kids certainly appear to be ideal for the characters they play on screen.  The sister-brother chemistry between them really showed through as we chatted.  That day, we didn't get to meet Heather Graham, who plays the wild and wacky fun-loving Aunt Pearl to these youngsters, but from the clips of the movie we've seen so far, this A-list actress seems to be well-cast for her character as well.

This is Jordana's first lead role in a motion picture.  Previously, she played the little girl in Superman Returns (2006) as well as acquiring some television credits.  An only child in real life, she's a regular teen girl who is also strikingly beautiful with her naturally curly red hair even without wearing any makeup.  During our interview she shares that having to cut her long locks was probably the single-most difficult thing she had to do for her role in the film.

Jordana Beatty

Photo by Tashi Palmer

"I really enjoyed working on this film," says the budding actress.  "I was far away from my home in Australia filming on locations around Southern California for three months.  But, this project was great fun to work on.  In fact, without this movie I probably would never have had the chance to learn to walk a tightrope -- which was my favorite scene to film -- or ride on the Goliath Roller Coaster at Magic Mountain."

Parris, who lives in a Southern California beach town, has the perfect spunk and wise-cracking attitude that any annoying little brother would be proud to own.  Though he's only 8 years old and does still act like a kid, he's also able to articulate at a level that goes way beyond his years.  Among his other acting credits are the Worst Week TV series and voice overs for a trio of Paramount Pictures projects: The Last Airbender, Fred Claus, and Into the Wild.  He has had several other roles on screen and in commercials, as well.

Parris Mosteller during our interview

Photo by MommyBlogExpert.com

This blond-headed fellow with a sparkling smile that disarms you, tells us that he is one of five boys (second to the oldest).  So, I'd say that his mom sure has her work cut out for her with five sons, right?  

I hope to be reviewing both the book based on the screenplay as well as to screen the movie Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer shortly.  So, watch for book and movie reviews soon as well as more posts on this topic in the coming weeks on MommyBlogExpert.

Meanwhile, please leave a comment.  What's your (or your child's) favorite Judy Moody book?  What do you think makes Judy so lovable among her target audience?

FTC Disclosure:  MommyBlogExpert did not receive any payment or other compensation associated with this post.  See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.