Arthur Christmas Giftbag Giveaway Holiday Family Animated Comedy Movie Fun, Ends 12/23

Movie Review & Giveaway

Entry details below

Since Thanksgiving weekend Arthur Christmas -- the 3D CG-animated family comedy presented by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation in theaters nationwide and produced by Aardman -- has been spreading holiday cheer to kids, parents, and even adults without children. That's because in this version of the legend of Santa Claus you'll see the semi-retired fat jolly guy in red like never before: Going high tech, no longer delivering presents via the old-fashioned chimneys of Christmases past. I don't want to spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it yet, so suffice it to say that Santa is more of a figurehead nowadays with a huge family of other Santas that actually get the job done, including Arthur who is Santa's youngest son.

Leave a Comment on Post to Enter, Contest details below
iPhone Photo by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

This is the first Sony film collaboration with Aardman, the award-winning animation company previously only known for stop-motion films like Chicken Run and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Voices in Arthur Christmas are performed by James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, and Ashley Jensen and the movie was directed by Sarah Smith. Rated PG, the soundtrack features the song Santa Claus is Comin' to Town by teen heart throb singer Justin Bieber from his new album Under the Mistletoe.

With such a hilarious release in theaters right now, it's hard to believe that this is not the only holiday themed entertainment being offered by Sony Pictures Animation this season. Earlier this month Sony released its The Smurfs Limited Edition 3-disc Holiday Blu-Ray & DVD set that includes The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol, a special mini yuletide movie, as well a first-ever two screen interactive option called Smurf-O-Vision that allows viewers to watch the Blu-Ray version and interact with The Smurfs simultaneously on a second device such as an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch.

Thanks to the motion picture brand, I am excited to be hosting another Mommy Blog Expert - Sony Pictures Animation holiday giveaway. This time you have a chance at winning of some official Arthur Christmas movie merchandise direct from the studio. Read on for details and enter to win now by leaving a comment below as Christmas is just around the corner. No doubt, lots of Arthur Christmas fans would love to win this fun, festive holiday package so please share this with your friends and family too.

Arthur Christmas  
Gift Bag
Holiday GIVEAWAY

Ends 12/23/11 
 

One winner receives all Arthur Christmas logo merchandise

• Tall 15" Felt Embroidered Hat
• 10-Page Activity Book
• Sticker Sheet from the Movie
• Colorful Bookmark
• Christmas Button
• Candy Cane Pen 
• Gift Bag

HOW TO ENTER

 

Just leave a comment(s) below this post!  Contest ends December 23, 2011 at 12 midnite PST and is open to legal residents of the U.S. only. Winner will be selected at random from all entries and will be notified via email.

Required (Mandatory) Entry

Simply leave a comment below this blogpost saying why you want to win this prize.  Don't forget to include your email address, Facebook and/or Twitter contact info in the comment section so the winner can be contacted.

Optional Extra Entries

Earn extra entries to win for doing one or more of the easy options listed below.  Just be sure to return to MommyBlogExpert (MBE) to leave an additional comment after each individual extra action you do to confirm so we can record all your additional chances to win.

1.  Follow MBE on Twitter

2. Like MBE on Facebook

3. Subscribe to MommyBlogExpert

4. Follow Arthur Christmas on Twitter

5. Like Arthur Christmas on Facebook

Super ***Bonus Entries***
You can earn even MORE chances to win each time you TWEET the message below, up to 3 times each day.  Don't forget to return to leave a comment on this post with the direct link right after every Tweet you do so you'll receive an entry for each of your RTs.

Tweet:

Festive Christmas Holiday @ArthurChristmas Giftbag GIVEAWAY http://tinyurl.com/c4cvgv6 @SonyPictures #xmas #movie #kids Pls RT 

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Including The Smurfs DVD

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FTC Disclosure:  Sony Pictures Animation and Arthur Christmas have provided the prizes for this giveaway. MommyBlogExpert did not receive any payment or other compensation associated with this post. Sony Pictures is providing the prize and shipping for this giveaway.    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.

5 Ways How to Teach A Child To Shop for Holiday Gifts for Family & Friends

Parenting

As moms and dads it's natural for many of us to want to give gifts to our children at the holidays and we derive great joy from doing so. But, as frugal parenting expert Ashley Grimaldo wisely points out, there's an even bigger thrill that comes when our children are on the giving end, getting that same excitement and sense of fulfillment watching others open gifts that they chose or gave.  For sure, learning how to select and give gifts isn't something most of are born with and there's a high likelihood that just about any child would benefit from a parent's help and guidance to learn the ropes.

Store Shelves Overwhelm us all, especially kids

iPhone Photo by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

Here's some of Grimaldo's tips for helping children with holiday gift shopping

1. Prepare your child for the experience.
Dragging a kid through Toys 'R Us without buying him something is like parading a starving man through the buffet line and telling him not to eat. So, the first step is to talk to your child before you go to the store, then when you actually go shopping together, remind your the child of the reason for going to the store for this particular trip.

2. Shop sales and use coupons.
Children learn frugal shopping by example both in-store and online. Start now -- even within the context of gift shopping -- by giving your child the opportunity to help you find and take advantage of deals and coupons. Don't forget to visit sites like CouponSherpa for coupon codes for Target and other stores where you will be shopping together. And, by all means, teach kids about shopping securely and safely, especially online.

3. Brainstorm ways to personalize the gift.
This can be a simple as drawing a picture inside a blank holiday card and have you write down what they'd like to say in the card. You might also suggest that older kids make handmade wrapping paper with a paper bag, magazine cutouts, stickers and stamps. Also talk about matching gifts to people like not giving sugar cookies to Grandma because she's a diabetic. The lesson being taught here is gift giving is a great time to really think about what others would appreciate rather than what you'd like to give the recipient.

4. Consider homemade presents.
Working together with your child, come up with some DIY present ideas they can craft mostly without your help using whatever fine motor skills they've developed. Once you gather the materials necessary for them to make these independently, encourage them to work alone but also let them know that if they need your help they can always ask for it.

5. Take advantage of Free Shipping Day on Friday, December 16.
Many companies will be offering free shipping for those who buy online on December 16. Here's where you can turn online shopping into a math lesson, comparing prices in newspaper inserts to those online.

What did you learn about gift giving from your own parents when you were a child? And if you have children of your own what have you taught about the art of shopping for presents for family and friends? Do you have any advice you can share as a comment below this post?

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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.

Professor Wormbog Mercer Mayer Kids Book

Book

Mercer Mayer Review and Giveaway

Since 1966, award-winning author Mercer Mayer has been writing and illustrating fantastical children’s picture books and has personally penned more than 300 titles to date. For 2011 his book Professor Wormbog in Search for the Zipperump-a-Zoo -- which was originally published in 1976 -- was reintroduced and is currently available in hard cover as well as e-Book formats. This particular title is the same original classic story that launched Mayer's renowned Little Monster Series that has sold millions of copies. 

MBE partnered with FastPencil, Post contains affiliate links

Like his other titles, Professor Wormbog was born out of the author's personal experiences growing up in Arkansas. As always, Mayer's animal characters in this book are as monster ugly as they are approachable and charming.  In fact with his illustrative style, it's no surprise that this story and many others he's written -- such as the Little Critter series -- are widely regarded as classics for three generations and counting.  Not only are Mayer's books lots of fun to read, each has valuable life lessons that help children who read them to develop socialization and language skills within a creative story-telling context.

If you are not already familiar with this author's work, you can exprience the writer/illustrator's true wit first hand in the YouTube below. Running approximately 9 minutes, Mercer Mayer reads Professor Wormbog in Search for the Zipperump-a-Zoo -- in the character of the Professor's brother Reginald Wormbog. Come to think of it, this is so cute and lively, you'll likely want your child to watch this with you.

Professor Wormbog in Search for the Zipperump-a-Zoo, Copyright 1976 and 2011 by Mercer Mayer, is published by Fast Pencil Premiere. Available on Amazon for $16.95 in color illustrated 8x10" hard cover; also $4.99 as a PDF or EPUB download.

Mercer Mayer's

Professor Wormbog in Search for the Zipperump-a-Zoo 
Book Giveaway

ENDS 1/10/12

WIN A Hard Copy

HOW TO ENTER

Just leave a comment(s) below this post, Contest ends January 10, 2012 at 12 midnite PST and is open to legal residents of the U.S. only. Winner will be selected at random from all entries and will be notified via email.

Required (Mandatory) Entry

Simply leave a comment below this blogpost saying why you want to win this prize. Don't forget to include your email address, Facebook and/or Twitter contact info in the comment section so the winner can be contacted.

Optional Extra Entries

Earn extra entries to win for doing one or more of the easy options listed below. Just be sure to return to MommyBlogExpert (MBE) to leave an additional comment after each individual extra action you do to confirm so we can record all your additional chances to win.

1. Follow @mommyblogexpert on Twitter

2. Like @mommyblogexpert on Facebook

3. Follow author @mercermayer on Twitter

4. Follow publisher @fastpencil on Twitter

Super ***Bonus Entries***

You can earn even MORE chances to win each time you TWEET the message below, up to 3 times each day. Don't forget to return to leave a comment on this post with the direct link right after every Tweet you do so you'll receive an entry for each of your RTs.

Tweet:

Professor Wormbog Zipperump-a-Zoo by Mercer Mayer Review & Classic Book #Giveaway http://tinyurl.com/7agr62c #kids #books RT 2 #WIN

LOTS More 

Family-Friendly Giveaways!

Currently Being Hosted by Mommy Blog Expert

ENTER Them All HERE

Mommy Blog Expert is an Amazon Affiliate and we receive a small bit of compensation, at no extra cost to you, when you make a purchase by clicking on our links.

FTC Disclosure: The publisher provided the book to me to facilitate this review and also is providing the prize and shipping for this giveaway.  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.