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Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion

family entertainment

Win It! Disney Blu-ray/DVD Combo Prize Pack

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Great news, Disney fans! I’ve got a very special giveaway just for you!

Enter to win this 2-pack of Disney Blu-ray/DVDs, including the hit movies Maleficent and Planes: Fire & Rescue, both available this week! (Release date: November 4, 2014)disneyprizepackThis holiday season, delight your family with two of Disney’s most popular films.

Planes: Fire & Rescue – When Dusty learns that his engine is damaged and he may never race again, he joins a forest fire and rescue unit to be trained as a firefighter.

Maleficent – A vengeful fairy is driven to curse an infant princess, only to discover that the child may be the one person who can restore peace to their troubled land.

Can’t wait to see if you’re the winner? Both movies are now available on DVD and Blu-ray. I have a feeling they’ll be under many trees this Christmas, including mine! (Shh… don’t tell the boys!) …

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Disney’s Frozen Will Melt Your Heart! #Giveaway

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Walt Disney Animation Studios presents a chilly twist on one of the most humorous and heartwarming stories ever told. Widely acclaimed as one of Disney’s best animated features of all time, Frozen will melt your heart.

Fearless optimist Anna sets off on an epic journey – teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff and his loyal reindeer Sven – to find her sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom.

Bring home Frozen on Blu-ray High Definition on March 18th, 2014 – featuring a blizzard of never-before-seen bonus extras with gorgeous animation, memorable characters and unforgettable music. It’s dazzling fun for the whole family!

“Oh, I don’t know why, but I’ve always loved the idea of summer, and sun, and all things hot.” << Me too Olaf! But for one lucky reader, I’ve got a Frozen Blu-ray Combo Pack up for grabs!

Simply fill the form below with your qualifying entries. Good luck, and remember: some people are worth melting for!…

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Ticket Giveaway: Dora the Explorer Live!

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“If there’s a place you gotta go (Dora the Explorer Live) I’m the one you need to know!”

Families across Canada can rejoice! Koba Entertainment is proud to bring audiences its newest theatrical production starring the adventurous little explorer, Dora! One of the most anticipated shows of the year, Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer Live! Search for the City of Lost Toys will sweep the nation this fall 2013.

Dora is embarking on her most important mission yet in Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer Live! Search for the City of Lost Toys. Dora has lost her teddy bear and the search is on to find him. With help from the audience, Boots, Map, Backpack, Diego and more, Dora uses her directional, counting, musical and language skills to successfully pass through the Number Pyramid and the Mixed-up Jungle to reach the City of Lost Toys. But watch out! You never know what that sneaky fox Swiper might be up to along the way!

Families will delight in this 70-minute live theatrical production that invites audiences to think, sing and play along. Dora is designed to teach kids to explore, communicate, overcome obstacles, solve puzzles and discover a diverse and exciting world – all while having a lot of fun!


Click here for a complete list of tour dates across Canada. Dora the Explorer Live!  Search for the City of Lost Toys plays nation-wide right up until December 18th. And, if you live in the Greater Toronto Area, you can win 1 of 3 Family Packs (4 tickets each) here!

Here’s what is up for grabs:

1 x Family Pack for the Dora show on Sunday, December 8 at 4 p.m. at Living Arts Centre in Mississauga
2 x Family Packs for the Dora show on Friday, November 29 at 3:30 p.m. at Sony Centre in Toronto 

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post telling us who’s the Dora fan in your life, and if selected, which show you’d like to attend. I’ll randomly draw for three winners on November 21st. Good luck, and for all those attending Canada-wide, enjoy the show!

A Royal Cameo: Belle Visits Sofia the First!

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Last December, while at Walt Disney World for the New Fantasyland media trip, we were treated to a very special sneak peek: the first episode of Sofia the First – a whole month before its official debut!

Okay, so the truth is, we weren’t invited to a fancy screening that was hush-hush or otherwise “exclusive”. The first episode was part of the in-room entertainment rotation, and let me tell you… it rotated. Like, 8 times per day. So by the end of the 5-day trip, I had a pretty decent understanding of Sofia the First.

And, I had a pretty good idea that the show would be a HIT.

Think about it. Here’s a lovably humble, kind and courteous little girl who becomes a princess after her mother marries King Roland II of the kingdom of Enchancia. She has the incredibly powerful magical Amulet of Avalor that grants her the ability to talk to and understand animals (huzzah!), but the amulet is coveted by the evil sorcerer Cedric who wants its great magical power so he can use it to take over the kingdom (boo!).

However, Sofia the First is about so much more than just entertainment for wee ones; the entire series focuses on character qualities such as kindness, generosity, loyalty, honesty and grace. And even though I have two little boys, the lessons taught by Princess Sofia are not lost on them; when I asked Ryder why he loves the show, he said – and I quote – “Sofia is nice. Sometimes, when a person does something wrong, she doesn’t make them feel bad about it. And she always helps if she can. I wish she was in my class. Can I go to her school?”

On Sunday, November 10th, Disney Junior will feature a very special new episode of Sofia the First with a guest appearance by Belle (from Beauty and the Beast)! This episode,called “The Amulet and the Anthem” will premiere at 11:30am ET on Sunday morning.

“Sofia’s magical amulet bestows a curse upon her after she becomes a bit too boastful about being chosen to sing the Enchancian Anthem at the Harvest Festival. Sofia gets a special visit from Princess Belle who offers her some advice.”

BONUS: If you’re looking for extra entries for Disney Junior’s Princesses & Heroes contest, you can snag 25 entries by catching the Bonus Code, which will appear during the special episode!

(Enter it right after the premiere by clicking here. In Disney Junior’s Princesses & Heroes contest, you and your family could travel to Toronto to experience Disney On Ice! The grand prize includes round trip flights for a family of up to 4, a two-night hotel stay for a family of up to 4, rinkside seats to Disney On Ice presents Princesses & Heroes, the opportunity to meet a star from the show, plus a special $1,000 shopping spree experience from The Disney Store!)

We’ll be tuning in on Sunday morning – I hope you will too!

I’m part of the Disney Junior Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group.
The opinions on this blog are my own. 

Seven Life Lessons from The Little Mermaid

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Regular readers of my blog will know that we waited for this one. Ten very, very long months, to be precise.

It all started last December at our media trip for the New Fantasyland, where Reid met Ariel, and promptly fell in love with her. His first crush – on a Princess, no less! And all of a sudden, he wanted everything to do with the world of The Little Mermaid. In fact, at the Art of Animation’s gift shop, my husband and I were both surprised when he walked straight to the Ariel figurine and pointed – “Her.”

And that’s when it happened. The colossally bad move on my husband’s part.

“We’ll buy you the movie when we get home!” he promised excitedly. “Then you can watch her all the time!”

I frantically made arm gestures at him, signalling to zip it, shut up, no, no, NO! There’s a little thing called the Disney Vault, and I happened to know that The Little Mermaid was securely locked inside. Translation: unless we were willing to shell out $200+ for a copy on eBay, there was no way Ariel was making it to our home. Sigh.

Until now. We waited patiently. Oh, how we waited! And on October 1st, The Little Mermaid splashed its way into homes for the first time ever on Blu-ray – for a limited time only. Now, viewers can experience Ariel’s adventures like never before with sparkling high definition picture and sound, and explore the making of this modern family classic with all-new bonus treasures.

Now I’m sure y’all know exactly what The Little Mermaid is all about, but for those newbies:

“Ariel (voiced by Jodi Benson), is a free-spirited mermaid, who is off on the adventure of a lifetime with her best friend, the adorable Flounder (voiced by Jason Marin), and the reggae-singing Caribbean crab Sebastian (voiced by Samuel E. Wright) at her side. But it will take all of her courage and determination to make her dreams come true—and save her father’s (voiced by Kenneth Mars) beloved kingdom from the sneaky sea witch Ursula (voiced by Pat Carroll).”

Since receiving The Little Mermaid Diamond Edition for review, we’ve watched the movie at least a dozen times (or more). For one, Reid is united with his lady love! It is an utter joy to see his eyes riveted to the screen, clapping along with all the songs or shielding his eyes at the scarier parts. Ryder, a boy’s boy, also loves the movie for its adventure, intrigue and of course, Ursula’s maniacal laugh :)…

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Hola Canada! Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer Live!

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*HOT TIP* You’ll want to visit my blog during the first week of November, when I’ll be giving away family packs of tickets to the Toronto and Mississauga shows! Let’s just say… “If there’s a place you gotta go (Dora the Explorer Live) I’m the one you need to know!”

Families across Canada can finally rejoice! Koba Entertainment is proud to bring audiences its newest theatrical production starring the adventurous little explorer, Dora! One of the most anticipated shows of the year, Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer Live! Search for the City of Lost Toys will sweep the nation this fall 2013.

Dora is embarking on her most important mission yet in Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer Live! Search for the City of Lost Toys. Dora has lost her teddy bear and the search is on to find him. With help from the audience, Boots, Map, Backpack, Diego and more, Dora uses her directional, counting, musical and language skills to successfully pass through the Number Pyramid and the Mixed-up Jungle to reach the City of Lost Toys. But watch out! You never know what that sneaky fox Swiper might be up to along the way!

Families will delight in this 70-minute live theatrical production that invites audiences to think, sing and play along. Dora is designed to teach kids to explore, communicate, overcome obstacles, solve puzzles and discover a diverse and exciting world – all while having a lot of fun!

Click here for a complete list of tour dates across Canada. Dora the Explorer Live! Search for the City of Lost Toys plays nation-wide right up until December 18th – what a perfect holiday gift for the Dora fans in your life!

And, if you live in the GTA, circle back during the first week of November, when I’ll have family packs of tickets up for grabs. In the meantime, ¡hasta luego!

Taking One for the Team: Toopy and Binoo and the Marshmallow Moon

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There are certain things that parents just do for their kids.

Take them to 6:00am hockey practice.
Cut their grapes in half until they start to complain about it.
Wipe bums. Enough said.

Also? Going about your daily life with Toopy and Binoo blaring in the background. I can’t quite understand the fascination, but both my boys ADORE the little team of rat and cat. Seriously! It’s their favourite TV show ever. However, if you’re in the vast minority of parents who have never heard of Toopy and Binoo, here’s a Coles Notes version of the television show:

“The series centers on an anthropomorphic rat named Toopy and his best friend, a silent plush cat named Binoo. Each episode follows their playful, nonsensical adventures created out of their imaginations. In each episode there are “Fabulous You” segments, featuring Toopy and Binoo as superheroes who help their friends when they have nothing to play with. The segments encourage viewing children (referred to in the show as “Fabulous You”) to participate in the adventures and use their imaginations. – Source

Ahem, well – watching Toopy and Binoo along with your little ones – and pretending to enjoy it – is the height of “doing things” for your kids. Of course, I’m going one step further… and taking one for the team, so to speak… as we have been extended the exciting opportunity to take the boys to see Toopy and Binoo and the Marshmallow Moon at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, a live theatrical production by Koba Entertainment.

Yes, the boys are going to FREAK OUT!

As much as I’m pretending to be the martyr here, the truth is, I know that the boys will simply light up with joy the second their favourite team takes the stage. And, I’ll enjoy every second of it.

Are your kids super fans of Toopy of Binoo too? Great news – due to popular demand, the Toopy and Binoo Tour has just added more shows across Ontario and Eastern Canada! Click here for a full schedule of dates and times.

Thinking of taking the kiddos? Here’s a snippet of what you’ll see at the show:

We can’t wait to tell the boys that they’ll have a chance to see their most beloved characters in real life. It’s going to be a blast! So tell me, will you be “taking one for the team” and taking your kids to see Toopy and Binoo?