Product Review -- Kalencom 2-in-1 Potette Plus Travel Potty/Training Seat

Last year when I was out in the middle of nowhere and my daughter informed me that she needed to go potty, I decided that as soon as we got home I was going to order a travel potty system, provided I didn't have to clean up a mess first.

Luckily Lilly was able to hold it for 20 minutes until we got home. Later on I went on Amazon to look up different travel potty systems and read all the reviews before I made my decision. After reading up on everything, I decided upon the Kalencom 2-in-1-Potette Plus travel potty seat. You can order it in four different colors: red, pink, blue, or green. Of course I got the pink since it is Lilly's favorite color.

I have had this system for a year and it is awesome! Not only can it be used as a travel potty, but you can also take it with you into a bathroom and use it as a potty seat--very convenient when you are at a restaurant! All you have to do is fold the legs out and it sits on top of any toilet seat--no more buying liners to keep in your diaper bag when there isn't one provided. After you are done with it you can just fold it up and put it in your diaper bag, backpack, or whatever you use to carry around your child's stuff :-) When you are using it as a travel potty seat, you put these disposable liners on it and they hook onto the bottom of the legs so they don't slide off. They also have some padding attached to the inside so that your child doesn't get splashed while going potty. Once they are done you can tie it up and throw it away or put it in the drawstring bag that comes with the system so you can hold it until you get some place to dispose of it. The refills for this system are inexpensive as well, which is very nice, and can also be purchased on Amazon.

If you are looking for a travel potty system, this is the only one you'll need!

Movie Review -- The Princess and the Frog

Today after we picked up our daughter from preschool we decided we needed a little family fun time. We told her we had a surprise for her and asked her, "Wasn't there some special new movie that you wanted to see?" She very excitedly replied, "The frog prince!!" We confirmed to her that we were going to see the Princess and the Frog. For all her excitement I was also excited--excited that she would be able to see a brand new princess movie.

I'm sure many of you have seen the previews for the Princess and the Frog, but I still don't want to give anything away. From the previews you can see this is a story about a girl that grows up with the big dream of someday owning her own restaurant in New Orleans. One night she is at a party dressed up as a princess when she meets the frog. This frog isn't just any frog; he is Prince Naveen, a man turned into a frog by an evil voodoo doctor. Both the girl and the prince grew up hearing the story of the Frog Prince, and Naveen convinces the girl to kiss him so that he'll turn back into a prince and he can reward her. Only unlike the classic fairy tale, when she kisses him the reverse actually happens and she herself is also turned into a frog.

The fun begins...

The two frogs end up in the bayou where they run into the jazz-loving alligator Louis and a very Creole-sounding firefly named Ray. Naveen and Tiana become friends with these two characters on their way to see Mama Odie, a very old woman of the bayou that supposedly can help them to become human again, or so they hope. You'll just have to go see it because I'm not giving anything away!

This is a very good movie as Disney goes back to its roots (so to speak) of making animated movies with more music interwoven into the storyline. There are many interesting characters in this movie and several of them sing songs that help explain the story. And with the jazz-era songs, who wouldn't love it? It certainly had our three year-old up and dancing in front of her seat!

Movie Review -- The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Now, I'm not one of these fanatic Twilight followers--I haven't chosen to side with Edward or Jacob, I haven't read the books, and I haven't joined any fan pages on Facebook, MySpace or Twitter. With that being said, I did go and see the newly hyped sequel to the first Twilight movie. My sister-in-law is a fan--she's read all the books and really wanted to go see it. So last night we went and watched it. I did have to laugh at some of the younger girls walking into the theater with their "Team Jacob" or "Team Edward" shirts on and how giggly they were. I guess I can't really laugh too much since I was jonesing to see Transformers when it first came out, but come on, that was an awesome series back in the day.

I did enjoy this movie for all of its hype. The previews were very intriguing and the movie definitely delivered. I loved how the storyline of Jacob unfolded from him being just a friend to Bella to him wanting to be more, and for him to be a werewolf and a foe of the Cullen clan of vampires. I don't really want to divulge too much about the movie for those of you that have yet to see it, but you will not be disappointed. The visual effects of the werewolf clan transforming from human to wolf are pretty impressive; and when Edward goes to confront the Volturi, we learn some very interesting things as well.

Now I'm not sure if there are going to be three of these movies or four, but nonetheless, I think this franchise is going to be very enjoyable to watch. There are some franchises from the past that, in my opinion, the second movie is not really that great--The Temple of Doom, Lethal Weapon 2, Die Hard 2, The Empire Strikes Back, and Revenge of the Sith, just to name a few.

I will say this: the ending of the movie has a definite cliffhanger and will definitely leave you waiting for the third installment that is due out next year.

Restaurant Review -- Panda Express

So today I had some errands to run and my mom decided to go with me and my daughter. It was getting to be lunchtime and my mom was hungry, but Lilly and I not so much. Nonetheless we decided to get something quick to eat. We had every intention of going to Quiznos, but when we got out of the truck a very yummy smell seemed to be coming out of the Panda Express that is just a few doors down. Since neither of us had ever been there, we decided to check it out.

We walk inside and the atmosphere is very nice--food smells good, everything looks clean, and the decorations are very appropriate. As my daughter would put it, "Look mommy, they have those same things from Kung Fu Panda!" meaning the paper lanterns. We grab a menu and sit down to check it out.

To me they didn't seem to really have a whole lot to choose from in the way of actual entrees. I wasn't expecting as many choices as an actual Chinese takeout restaurant, but I was expecting more than what I saw. I did like how they had a children's deal that offered smaller portions of the regular entrees, along with a side, a drink, and a cookie. My mother and I opted to share a meal since I wasn't really that hungry. We chose to try the Beijing Beef and my daughter got the String Bean Chicken Breast. Now according to the menu out Beijing Beef was supposed to be both sweet and spicy. To me, it wasn't sweet and it wasn't at all spicy. Now, I know I can handle a lot of heat--thanks to years of taste-testing hot sauce for my dad--but I didn't even detect a hint of heat. Many times when I order spicy food one of two things happens: 1) there is heat but no flavor, or 2) there is flavor and not enough heat. In this case, I didn't get either flavor or heat. The meat just tasted kind of blah...

Now I tried some of Lilly's green beans and they had good flavor, and as in many Asian dishes, the green beans were nice and crunchy. Lilly seemed to be very happy with her meal. I on the other hand, was less than impressed. I'm the kind of person that is willing to pay a little more for a better product, especially when it comes to food. I was so unimpressed I doubt I will be going back. I think I'll just stick with going to the awesome Chinese takeout place down the street from my house :-)

Movie Review -- Disney's A Christmas Carol

Last month when Toy Story & Toy Story 2 was released in 3D for a limited time, I decided to take Lilly to go see the double feature. She had never seen Toy Story 2 and she had never seen a movie in 3D--this way we could kill 2 birds with one stone. She really liked the movies and enjoyed the 3D aspect of it all. I was amazed at how much the technology has changed for 3D movies!

Since Lilly enjoyed the last 3D movie so much she said she wanted to go see A Christmas Carol when it came out. So today my mother and I decided to take her to see this new take on such a classic story. First of all let me just say the artistry was amazing! If you've seen The Polar Express you'll recognize some of the same features that Robert Zemeckis has incorporated, i.e. performance capture. In addition, Jim Carrey plays many roles as the main headliner of the movie, just as Tom Hanks did in The Polar Express. I loved how some parts of the movie look so real compared to a traditional animated movie. And of course since you can see it in 3D, parts of it really seem to come to life!

The only thing I have to warn potential viewers about is that some of the scenes may be too scary for small children, which they do advertise in the previews. Lilly is only three so a couple of parts with the ghosts of Christmas present and future were a little scary for her, so she covered her eyes for those parts :-)

Even if you decide not to see it in 3D you will still enjoy this movie immensely, but I definitely recommend seeing it in 3D to get the full effect of the movie that Disney has intended.

Movie Review -- Bedtime Stories

So I know this movie has been out for a while now, but I also know that my family wasn't the only one that hasn't seen it yet. So if you haven't seen this movie yet, this one is for you!

Many of Adam Sandler's movies aren't exactly child friendly, case in point, Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, and You Don't Mess With the Zohan. But I've noticed as in the case with many actors, that when they begin having children they want to make movies that their own children can actually go to the movies and see. Adam Sandler seems to have taken up on that idea and made the wonderful movie of Bedtime Stories. This past Saturday we decided to have a lazy family day. So in the afternoon we made a bowl of popcorn and piled up onto our nice new comfy reclining couch, and popped in the movie.

The premise of the movie is that Skeeter and his sister Wendy (played by Adam Sandler and Courtney Cox respectively) grew up in a small hotel owned and managed by their father whom would make up these wonderful bedtime stories when they were kids. Years later his sister has to go out of town and Skeeter must watch his niece and nephew, who inform them they need a bedtime story every night. So following in his father's footsteps he makes up his own bedtime stories, and the children add their own little tidbits as well. As can be seen from the previews, Skeeter's stories start coming to life.

The whole movie is so very family friendly and entertaining and it is really interesting to watch how everything plays out from Skeeter telling the stories and then what happens to him the next day. If you are looking for a family friendly movie that is appropriate for all ages and that everyone will love, Bedtime Stories is what you have been seeking.

Movie Review -- Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure

So I don't remember if I bought the first Tinkerbell movie for my daughter at Christmas of last year or for her birthday, but she loved it. As a result she then got a bunch of Tiny Tink toys in her Easter basket and it has just grown from there.

So after months of seeing little movie clips of the new Tinkerbell movie I went out and bought it for my daughter...she's been looking forward to seeing it. It was so cute! The premise of the movie is about Tinkerbell being given a big job, working hard on it, not wanting help, and then what happens as a result of her losing her temper. I think it is good for little kids to witness the cause and effect of losing one's temper. I know I can be short-tempered at times, but I don't want my daughter to be that way, so I try to instill the lessons of keeping your temper.

I like how this movie is not only a nice Disney movie but it teaches a valuable lesson--you lose your temper and you are going to have to deal with the results, no matter how good or bad they may be. Life is all about cause and effect and this movie about cute little fairies is a good teacher of just that.

Hope you and your children enjoy it as much as we did!

Movie Night -- Ponyo

Ponyo is a very cute movie about a little fish that meets a little boy and wishes to become a human girl. We took our daughter to see it when it came out and she loved it..."mommy this is my new favorite movie!"


Ponyo is another movie by Hayao Miyazaki with cute animation that reminds me of the kind of animated shows I watched when I was a kid. However, unlike his other critically acclaimed movie Spirited Away, this one is suitable for all ages. I thought that there were some scenes in Spirited Away that were a little too scary for children my daughter's age. But that is neither here nor there... :-) Ponyo is rated G so feel free to take little children to see it.


The story line of this movie is very cute in what the little girl and boy have to endure in order to keep their friendship alive. The animation is a throwback to animated movies from years ago (like 20 years ago!) so don't walk into the theater expecting to see the intricate detail of a Pixar movie.


I don't want to give away the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it, but it is a very cute movie that I think all ages will enjoy!

Movie Night -- G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

I do not give away anything in this "review" about the movie so do not be afraid to read it :-)

Ever since I saw the preview for this movie during the Super Bowl this year I have been geeking out and so excited to see GI Joe. And when I say geeking out I mean immediately looking up to see the release date of the movie and going online and watching any and all trailers about the movie.

I know that GI Joe was around back when my parents were kids, but they didn't have the cartoon show like we did when my husband and I were kids, and that was a cool show! All summer long I've been looking forward to seeing this movie and tonight my wait was finally over.

For those of you that grew up watching GI Joe on TV and playing with the action figures, you will not be disappointed. This movie is without a doubt awesome! The characters were well cast and the things they did in the movie (such as the action scenes with those amazing power suits) were just so cool to watch. I don't want to give anything away because I want you to be able to enjoy the movie as much as I did.

If there are any of you with young kids that are on the fence about whether or not you want to take them, as long as you don't mind some of the fighting sequences, I say go for it! Now I loved the Transformers movies, but one thing about the second Transformers movie that I thought they could have done without was some of the bad language. I think if you're making a movie that a younger audience is going to want to see as well, you can do without a lot of the language. With the GI Joe movie, you don't have to worry about any bad language. This is a great movie for the entire family to go see.

If you like action....if you have fond memories of GI Joe as a kid....if you're like my girlfriend and just want to see it because of the cute guy in the movie....go see it!!

GO JOE!