Fun Kids LazyTown DVD Review & Giveaway Plus Free Movie Theater Tickets, Ends 12/1

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Giveaway + Free Movie Tickets, details below review

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All images in this post provided by Kidtoon Films
 

Weekends in November -- both Saturdays and Sundays -- Kidtoon Films family matinees presents Welcome to Lazy Town on the big screen at select local Kidtoons theaters nationwide.

Welcome to LazyTown is a fun, high energy movie that will get your child up and off the couch. In this children's feature film the curious and adventurous main character Stephanie comes to live in LazyTown and encounters all kinds of zany townspeople when she arrives in town including Robbie Rotten, the laziest super-villain in the world. Fortunately for Stephanie, LazyTown is also under the protection and watchful eye of Sportacus, an athletic super hero who is always running, jumping and flying to the rescue to upset the evil Robbie's lazy schemes.

A sneak peek at this month's feature film ...

Free Kidtoons Movie Tickets
That's not all. Kidtoon Films is offering FREE Kidtoons movie theater tickets valid through 12/31/12 to all Mommy Blog Expert readers to celebrate another month's quality family entertainment theater program. Note: Limit of one ticket per family. 

Welcome to LazyTown Giveaway
Kidtoons is also providing a Welcome to LazyTown DVD to watch at home which will be awarded to one lucky Mommy Blog Expert reader -- see How to Enter below for a chance to win it for your child.
  
Don't delay. Enter this family-friendly giveaway and be sure to grab your free down loadable Kidtoon Films ticket (one per family) good through 2012 at the Kidtoons theater location nearest you. Plus download as many copies of the two complimentary fun coloring pages for your kids featuring this month's movie as you'd like at KidtoonFilms.com.

Welcome to LazyTown 
DVD
GIVEAWAY 

Ends 12/1/12

HOW TO ENTER

Just leave a comment(s) below this post. Contest ends December 1, 2012 at 12 midnite PST and is open to legal residents of the continental U.S. only. One winner will win the Welcome to LazyTown DVD 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. Follow MBE on Pinterest
4. Subscribe to MommyBlogExpert

5. Follow Kidtoons on Twitter

6. Like Kidtoons on Facebook
7. Follow Kidtoons on Pinterest

***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 to copy and paste:

Kids GIVEAWAY Welcome to LazyTown DVD + @KidtoonFilms Movie Theater Tix Ends 12/1 #free #movie http://tinyurl.com/bjqsbrj

Mommy Blog Expert is excited to be one of the few blogs to be hosting Kidtoons family friendly monthly movie giveaways in connection with screenings for children in selected theaters across the U.S.

Past Kidtoons movie giveaways on MBE include: Spookley Square Pumpkin, Care Bears: Share Bear Shines, Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas, Barbie A Fairy Secret, Little Engine That Could,  Strawberry Shortcake: Sky's the Limit, Olivia and the Great Outdoors, Thomas & Friends: Hero of the Rails, Babar and the Adventures of Badou: Swing Into Summer, Candy Land The Great Lollipop Adventure, Sid the Science Kid, Spookley Square Pumpkin 2011, Thomas & Friends Day of Diesels, Olivia Wintertime Cheer, Dino Dan, Barbie in a Mermaid Tale 2, The Gruffalo, Sid the Science Kid Backyard Camp Out, The Wiggles Big Birthday, The Gruffalo's Child, and Chuggington Traintastic.

Each Kidtoons giveaway is unique based on the monthly movie offering. But, they're always family friendly and wholesome for children, so don't miss out on entering the current giveaway as well as subscribing to MommyBlogExpert, so you'll be the first to know when next month's giveaway is announced.

About Kidtoon Films
Since 2004, Kidtoons, a division of Cinedigm Digital Cinema Group, has been bringing popular children's brands and entertainment to cineplexes throughout America. The animated family film distributor's focus is on creating a friendly, affordable and interactive co-viewing environment that parents and kids can enjoy as a family together monthly. Each month's big screen program is designed for kids 3-8 and their moms and dads and they're always fun, memorable and one-of-a-kind experiences.

More Family-Friendly 
Mommy Blog Expert Giveaways

ENTER Them All HERE

Thanks to Online-Sweepstakes.com for including this contest in their directory of current giveaways.

FTC Disclosure: Kidtoon Films is providing the prize and shipping for this giveaway and is offering free movie tickets to MBE readers.  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.

Racing Legend Kyle Busch Wins Toyota Dream Build Challenge, Earns 50K for his Foundation

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NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway I attended

I'm a mom who's a new fan of car racing. So I've been following the action since it began, having first posted about the Toyota Racing Dream Build Challenge back in early September. It's thrilling to finally be able to share that Toyota just announced the champion of this contest at the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Conference. This was a car modification challenge with the winner's choice of charity being the ultimate winner of a $50,000 check from Toyota.

Kyle Busch shows off his Rowdy Edition Camry at SEMA, Courtesy of Toyota

The build challenge was fun and engaging for car racing fans -- including newbies like me -- from the beginning with a string of video clips posted on Facebook to watch as the cars were being built. This contest involved four of the Toyota's popular vehicles: the Prius, Camry, Tundra and Sequoia and some of the greatest auto racing pro teams -- led by NASCAR Chase contenders Kyle Busch and Clint Bowyer and NHRA drivers Alexis Dejoria and Antron Brown -- going head to head to convert consumer car models into race-worthy vehicles.

Busch with $50K check from Toyota for Kyle Busch Foundation

Although all four tricked out cars built for the competition were amazing, Kyle Busch, one of the ten NASCAR drivers currently competing in the Chase and his non-profit Kyle Busch Foundation pulled out ahead of the competition snagging the most votes on Facebook for his Rowdy Edition Camry race car creation.  After winning this unique fundraiser, Kyle said that his wife blogger Samantha Busch will have a lot of shopping to do because she will be very busy buying loads of holiday gifts this year for some very deserving kids in need with the $50,000 donated to his foundation. 

As a mom myself who advocates for families participating in community service together I was so happy to hear that Kyle and Samantha's kids are also involved with the Foundation and will also be helping with this shopping spree for a cause.

Kyle and family are apparently on a roll lately, not only in car racing but in their commitment to community involvement. I wasn't on hand for Busch's win at SEMA this year. However I was fortunate to be there at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina when Kyle revealed that wife Samantha, was the winner of the Breast Friends t-shirt design contest fundraiser Toyota organized. 

Kyle reveals Samantha's winning Racing for Awareness design, Courtesy of Toyota

Kyle, Samantha and Family:
Thanks for inspiring families everywhere to do our own part to make the world a better place!

FTC Disclosure: I am a member of the Toyota Women Influencers Network TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of Toyota or any of its brands. 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.

Pumpkin Picture Books for Kids With a Message for Fall Halloween + Year Round Book Review

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Ask kids and adults who celebrate Halloween what symbol they most associate with this holiday and more likely than not one of the first things to come to mind will be -- you guessed it -- pumpkins. 

With so many children's titles out there already centered around the night when trick-or-treaters go out in search of candy and other spooky happenings, it's refreshing to find two unique stand-out illustrated books for youngsters ages four to eight years old. Two titles that are not only different from other fare available for the youth market today because the iconic pumpkin figures prominently in each of their plots but because they offer valuable life lesson messages via fun engaging and entertaining reads for kids, moms and dads to enjoy together throughout the year.

The Story of The Great Pumpkin Man Book

The Story of the Great Pumpkin Man by Dr. Kirk Rossiter and Sofia Rossiter is a book inspired by their own kids that I think preschool and early elementary school children will enjoy reading with moms, dads and caregivers both during Halloween as well as just about any other time of year. The tale is authored by an anesthesiologist which piqued my interest in reviewing this from the start because my own husband is also a doctor practicing the same medical specialty. After reading it I can assure you that there is nothing sedating about this cute story.

Dr. Rossiter and his wife Sofia have an interest in helping to shape early childhood attitudes about healthy active lifestyles and thankfully this book is their response to the fact that a staggering 17 percent of all kids ages 2 to 19 are now classified as obese. In The Story of the Great Pumpkin Man this knowledgeable and passionate couple addresses the issue head-on, offering a healthy spin on Halloween as seen through the eyes of 9 year-old narrator Kirk and his 3 year-old sister Elena. 

What will become of the huge haul of candy both kids collect trick-or-treating? In this book readers young and old will find out, along the way learning the importance about good health. A bit pricey at $21.99 for a 43-page kid's paperback with graphic novel cartoon style illustrations, but still a wise choice because of the fun way healthy habits are presented to children.

Pumpkin Soup Book & CD Set

Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper is a sweet children's storybook originally published in Great Britain by Doubleday Books. It's now available from MacMillan Young Listeners as a paperback and CD set for just $9.99. The accompanying CD features actress and voice over artist Kathleen McInerney reading the children's picture book which centers around three unlikely animal friends -- Cat, Duck and Squirrel -- who possess human characteristics and who encounter people-type challenges such as cooking pumpkin soup together. Hear an audio excerpt from the CD reading of this book.

In the beginning of the tale the trio gets along famously in the kitchen. But when a disagreement arises between the three and Duck disappears, an adventure unfolds. In the end, the group of close buddies learns the not only the value of true friendship but also the importance of team work, getting along and how to respect each other's special gifts and talents.

In addition to teaching important lessons about friendship and cooperative relationships, Pumpkin Soup is wonderfully illustrated. The charming pictures throughout the tale -- which I'd describe as a modern Beatrix Potter illustration style -- make each page beautiful, bringing the characters to life against a whimsical backdrop of forest scenes. Though this book doesn't reference any particular holiday directly, kids will certainly enjoy this throughout the Fall --- from Halloween to Thanksgiving -- or for that matter during the rest of the year. Winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal, Publisher's Weekly calls this title enchanting. I absolutely couldn't agree more. 

The Story of the Great Pumpkin Man, 2012, Paperback, $21.99
ISBN 9781469179896
by Dr. Kirk Rossiter and Sofia Rossiter
Available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble

Pumpkin Soup, 2005, Paperback & CD set, $9.99
ISBN 9781427207401
by Helen Cooper
Widely available online and in bookstores

FTC Disclosure: I received both books from the respective publishers to facilitate this review post but did not receive any other compensation.  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.