Urban Mama

Movie Monday: Family DVD Giveaway

I think anyone who stops by my blog knows I love movies. And usually when I'm giving away a movie it's from my personal stash of DVDs, but this time I've got some straight-from-the-studio giveaway to share with those of you who love movies, and love watching them with your kids.

 
A Shine of Rainbows starring Aidan Quinn (one of my favorite "I Love That Guy" actors) and Connie Nielsen (whom if you haven't seen since Gladiator, you should definitely see in the amazing Swedish drama Brothers).

Here's a synopsis:

An orphaned boy named Tomás is adopted by Maire O’Donnell (Connie Nielsen; Gladiator) to live on a whimsical Irish isle filled with new friends, secret caves and a lost baby pup seal stranded on the coast. But when Maire’s reluctant husband Alec (Aidan Quinn; Legends of the Fall, Unknown) refuses to accept Tomás as his own son, the boy drifts down a fateful path of adventure and self-discovery, illuminating how rainbows can shine around — and within — us all.

To enter, just comment with the name of your favorite fictional orphan, and if you can guess/know who my favorite fictional orphan is, that will count as TWO entries. I have two copies to give away, so your odds are pretty good (especially if you know my taste in plucky orphan archetypes).

 

I'll pick the winners via Random.org on St. Patrick's Day (hey, it's an Irish movie!), so just make sure you enter by 9AM on March 17th.

 

 

The Best Gift I Ever Gave: Mami's Final Birthday

SWAGG is a free mobile app (download here) that lets you shop smarter using your mobile phone. Buy, send or swap SWAGG GIFTS and organize your old school plastic gift cards.

For every download of the app between now and Dec. 31, 2010, SWAGG will donate $1 to Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) , up to $125,000.

Clever Girls Collective and SWAGG are sending a pair of movie fans to the Sundance Film Festival! Download the SWAGG app and then visit the Ultimate SWAGG Getaway Sweepstakes site to enter to win a trip for two to the Sundance Film Festival. Entry deadline is January 3, 2011, 11:59pm, PST.

My mother, whom I always, without exception, called Mami, turned 67 just 10 days before she died in fall of 2008. For her birthday, which my three siblings and I knew, deep down in that part of our hearts we knew would soon be crushed with grief, that it was going to be her last birthday. That's not something most people can possibly (or should ever) know -- about themselves or the people they love -- but when you are in the end stages of metastatic cancer, it's not difficult to guess that if your next birthday is probably it. We knew it, and she knew it too.

The baby and I went down to Florida for her birthday, as did my older brother Louis and his family, to join Jorge, Diana and their families for the birthday celebration. My good friend Audrey silk-screened T-shirts that said "Team Abuela" for all eight grandchildren, with my eldest niece's saying 1 on the back and so on, in birth order, stopping with Baby J, who was 8.

I could say that seeing the shirts on the grandkids or simply having all four of us together one final time was the birthday gift, but we even had a physical present for her as well. We ordered a custom photo blanket made up of photos of all eight grandchildren. She was always cold, so the blanket served a double purpose of warming her body and keeping the grandbabies close to her, both physically and figuratively. It was, quite frankly, the perfect present. I'm not sure whe I'll ever give another gift with so much meaning.

As I was helping Mami back into her bedroom later that evening (she slept as many hours a day as an infant at this point), she said to me, in Spanish, "What a beautiful blanket. It's such a shame I won't get to enjoy it very long. At the time, I wasn't quite ready to hear her acceptance of her imminent death, so I just replied in my normal, rambly way about how she needed it, because she was cold, and now she could see their photos all the time, especially the five kids who didn't live in Florida (like mine).

But now that more than two years have passed, I know that our gift to her giving her a chance to realize that the four of us would be okay. We were all grown, married, parents. We were all unconditionally devoted to her and each other. She had raised us right and had experienced the joy and privilege of witnessing our weddings and births. She knew she could let go of the pain, because we would go on loving her, loving each other, loving those beautiful grandchildren she adored.

Because of my commitment to Stand Up to Cancer, I hope you'll download the app, because SWAGG has partnered with SU2C to donate $1 for every download of the app between now and Dec. 31, 2010. Your FREE download will directly provide a $1 donation to SU2C (up to $125,000). For more about SU2C, visit http://www.standup2cancer.org/

 

 

Learn more about the coolest new app that revolutionizes the whole shopping, gifting, and gift card-organizing experience and Download the SWAGG app to your iPhone or Droid. I was selected for this sponsorship by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity.

Mini Christmas Gift Guides

Several of my amazing friends have posted awesome holiday gift guides, and while I don't have the time to execute anything quite so extraordinary, I am starting a mini gift guide a day for one week, starting this afternoon. Most will have giveaways, but some will just be my picks for fun last-minute gifts for the family. Today's is "My Kids' Favorite Apps," and I will personally gift one of them to a reader. Stay tuned!

Wii Game Review: Just Dance Kids + Giveaway

Ubisoft's latest additions to the Just Dance family are Just Dance 2 and Just Dance Kids, and I was sent a copy of each to review, so I hosted a House Party to invite some friends over to try out the games. Sadly, I'm either A) painfully unpopular or B) have horrible luck in planning open house parties that coincide with everything from birthday parties and early company holiday parties to pre-Thanksgiving family vacations. I'm gonna go with B, just so I can face tomorrow. So only two families showed up, and of the two, only one family -- the Stimey crew -- even tried out the games.

The kids game was fun to watch, but having seen a dozen 5-to-9-year-old girls play it last week during my daughter's sixth birthday party, it's pretty clear to me that girls have more fun playing it than boys, who would apparently prefer to wrestle in the corner. A notable exception is Stimey's middle son Jack, who was happy to join in the jumping, sliding and shimmying. Unlike the girls at the Schmoopette's birthday party, who had to be physically removed from my basement to go upstairs for cupcakes, the Stimey boys and my three kids were ready to stop after just a few songs. 

The problem, I think, is that even though Ubisoft separated the songs by age-group, the mere presence of the Alphabet Song and Yo Gabba Gabba selections will instantly lower the appeal for tweens, who may overlook the fact that there are plenty of pop songs (over 40 titles are in the game) available for them too. The young girls at my duaghter's party, however, just had to dance, and they didn't care if the song was babyish or Madonna's "Holiday" or '70s throwbacks like "YMCA."

The boys enjoyed it but for a much shorter time. They were also much pickier about their song selections than the girls. I recommend playing it with your kids, so they don't feel self-conscious about the dance moves.

But don't take my word for it; here's what my kids had to say about Just Dance Kids:

 "It was fun, but if you're closer to being a teenager, some of the songs might seem a little babyish. There were a few songs for older kids, like Jackson Five song, 'Who Let the Dogs Out' and 'Kung Fu Fighting,' but then there's also 'ABC,' the Yo Gabba Gabba songs, and other songs for preschoolers. It's OK, but sometimes you have to do moves that are a little embarrassing. Most of the songs are for younger kids, so I would recommend it to younger kids who love music and don't mind dancing in front of people. Someone who's like 4, 5 or 6." -- The Schmoop, who turns nine in February

"I think it's fun. The grown-up one is kind of hard for kids. I liked playing with my friends on my birthday. Only four people can play, so you have to take turns if you're having a birthday party. You have to follow the person on the screen and dance like she or he is dancing. Sometimes it's hard for some kids to follow along." -- The Schmoopette, who's newly six

Giveaway time: To enter to win your very own Just Dance Kids for Wii (a $29.99 value), leave a comment with your family's favorite song to boogie down to together. Entries close at 11:59PM Nov. 29th. I'll contact the winner on November 30th. Good luck, friends!

 

Honesty clause: While Ubisoft provided a free review copy of the game, the opinions I've expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest viewpoint. Ubisoft, Clever Girls Collective and I promote Blog With Integrity.

Are You Worthy? Win Tickets to Baltimore Harry Potter Screening

I'm a fairly big Harry Potter fan. It's a fairly recent phenomenon -- I read all seven books in August, 2009, and ever since I've become a pretty avid fangirl (it helps that my nearly 9-year-old son is also rather obsessed with the books). I'm also, as most of you know, a part-time movie critic for my lovely editors at Common Sense Media, so I get to see the movie early -- Monday night, in fact.

Well... thanks to the folks at Liquid Soul Media, I was able to Summon 25 tickets (plus each person gets to bring a guest!) to the Tuesday night screening of Deathly Hallows Part 1 in the Baltimore area. This is the movie of the holiday season, so to score one of these select tickets, I need you to prove you're a true Harry Potter fan.

So leave me a post telling me a) what scene(s) you're MOST looking forward to in DH1 b) your favorite character(s) from the series and c) which actor is most like the character you envisioned when you read the books. Didn't read the books? Tell me which of the Harry Potter movies is your favorite and why.

**To enter, comment by 11:59PM this Sunday night. I will email the super-secret code to RSVP by 10AM Monday morning. The screening is at 6:30PM Nov. 16th in the Baltimore suburb of Owings Mills. Kids 13 & up welcome!

Giveaway: BitDefender Antivirus

This is a giveaway of 10 (!) BitDefender Antivirus software for PC or Mac and a chance to win a        package of yummy spa products. But first, let me start off with a story of why antivirus protection is important:

For all but one year that my family lived in our beloved apartment in Brooklyn we had at least two, sometimes three PCs in our home, all Dells. One day, my mother, who lived with us at the time, opened a random chain-mail all her 60-something-aged friends would send her on a regular basis. She didn't think anything of it and exited from her Yahoo! Mail.

When I got home that later that day, I logged on to find pornagraphic pop-ups on my desktop. Every time I tried to delete or uninstall them, I was unsuccessful. I was furious and thought my husband was looking at porn, but it didn't make much sense. If he was going to look at porn, why wouldn't he do it on his own laptop, which he used for lawschool and I rarely opened? It turned out to be malware that allowed Trojans to infect our desktop. Mami certainly wasn't frequenting porn sites, but her friend's email was actually a virus. We didn't have an up-to-date MacAffee account at the time, so it took a while to resolve the porn virus. At the end of the ordeal, we all had a big laugh about how my then-64-year-old Mami had unintentionally caused our XXX dilemma.

Fast forward to today. We've been a Mac-only family since 2007, but that doesn't mean we don't worry about viruses or internet safety. That Trojan story wouldn't be nearly as funny now that we have an a third-grade son and kindergarten daughter in the house. And that's why I downloaded BitDefender Antivirus for Mac -- *just to be sure*. I hadn't checked for viruses in ages and thought it was time to give my home computers the all-clear. It turned out that my computers were indeed virus-free, but BitDefender's thorough, easy-to-use scan gave me peace of mind that there aren't any hidden viruses lurking anywhere on my hard-drive.

Internet security is a must for everyone, but especially when you have media-savvy kids who like to use the computer (even if it's supervised). Even if you think your Mac is virus-proof (Psss --> It's isn't!), getting anti-virus protection is an affordable way to make sure that unlike me, you won't come home to find a bunch of pornographic pop-ups on your computer.

For those of you interested in discussing internet safety, come by and check out BitMoms.com, our free online community for parents dedicated to keeping their family safe online!

Giveaway rules: For a chance to win either BitDefender Total Security 2011 for PC ($79.95 retail) or BitDefender Antivirus for Mac ($39.95), just leave a comment by midnight this Sunday (Halloween!). I'll select the random winners on Monday morning.

To win the spa basket of Lemon Sugar Bit Moms-branded products, join BitMoms.com and then come back and leave a post here, telling me why you joined. Good luck, everyone!

  

I’m a BitMom Blog Network Member.  I received BitDefender software for review purposes and will receive a stipend to attend a blogging conference of my choice.

Giveaway Winners for Mel Brooks Collection & Dance on Broadway

The Random Number Generator seemed to favor women named Sarah.

The Mel Brooks DVD Collection goes to Sarah who can now watch "High Anxiety" 24/7, and the Dance on Broadway Wii game goes to Sarah T. who can now show her girls how to do jazz hands properly and how to dance to her favorite "Hairspray" songs. Congratulations to the two Sarahs! I just need you ladies to email me your mailing addresses, and I'll get to the post office posthaste.

Thanks to all of you who participated. I have more giveaways coming up but had to take an unexpected step back last week when six deadlines made it difficult for me to blog... or do much of anything, actually.

Movies I Love: Mel Brooks Collection Giveaway

When my husband and I were dating in college, we used to frequent this now-defunct video store in Morningside Heights called The Movie Place. It was the kind of old-fashioned video store that kept track of your rentals (two for the price of one) with pen on large index cards. They even used White Out to cross out your late charges once you turned in your late VHS tapes. And the owner schooled his staff, ala Quentin Tarantino before he became a writer/director. They knew everything!

Since we could get two tapes at a time, the then-boyfriend and I decided to do "auteur marathons" and watched as much of a director's filmography as we could before moving on to another director. We did Hitchcock, Allen, Almodovar, Spielberg (to name a few), and obviously, Mel Brooks. We laughed so, so hard.

When we were done with History of the World, Part I we naively believed the fake trailer for Part II was a real teaser. We walked back to The Movie Place to return Part I and ask for the sequel. God bless the manager, who didn't tease us at all. I could tell she was second-guessing herself, and after a few moments, she said, "Oh, that was a joke! There is no sequel!"We were soooooo embarrassed! So Mel Brooks comedies -- that movie in particular -- remind me of all those lovely evenings my husband and I spent watching classic movies together as a young couple. When we found out The Movie Place had closed its doors, we were sad, because it was a little part of our history together that no longer exists. But we'll always remember the video store that is partially responsible for our compatibility in movies.

To enter to win my extra copy of The Mel Brooks Collection (Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Silent Movie, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, To Be or Not to Be, History of the World, Part 1, The Twelve Chairs, High Anxiety), tell me your favorite Mel Brooks movie, or recall a movie you memorably saw with your significant other. Post by midnight on Saturday, Sept. 18th, and I'll announce the random winner on Monday, Sept. 20th.

Show Me Your Jazz Hands: "Dance on Broadway" on Wii

As I mentioned in my previous post, my birthday is this week, and what better way to celebrate than to give my readers some presents. All week I'm going to be giving away stuff, starting with the Wii game "Dance on Broadway."

My Wii is mostly used by my oldest son and occasionally his father who plays all those Lego games with him, but "Dance on Broadway" is exactly the kind of game that I can enjoy. The aim is to mirror the Broadway dancers on big numbers from shows like "Chicago," "Hairspray," "Dreamgirls," and "Hair." In my house, even my two-and-a-half-year-old got in on the action, using the remote to "copy" his brother and sister, both of whom, I'm embarrassed to add, did better than I did at first.

But the really embarrassing part is the my husband, who is also a huge Broadway fan, apparently can do friggin' jazz hands better than I can, because he kept outscoring me -- except for on "Fame," which had a particularly difficult combination he couldn't master. I took seven years of tap, and all of a sudden he can do the I think there was something up with my remote control, but whatever!

All bitterness aside, this is every Broadway fan's dream game, although I imagine my 14-year-old nephew would be horrified at the mere thought of playing this game. The best part is that you can sing as you dance, since the lyrics crawl across the top of the screen, so you can get your karaoke on while you try to beat play your family and friends. Just remember that if you're playing with your kids, they may ask you odd questions like who "Timothy Leary" is after dancing to "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In."

Professionally choreographed, this game is sure to make you laugh as you sing and dance to some of the best and catchiest showtunes (along with the ones I've mentioned, there's "All that Jazz," "Time Warp," "You Can't Stop the Beat," "Little Shop of Horrors," "We're in the Money" and more).

For a chance to win: Just leave a comment with your favorite Broadway showtune by midnight on Saturday, Sept. 18th, and I'll announce the random winner by Monday, Sept. 20th.

Honesty clause: I requested and was sent a review/giveaway copy from Ubisoft

And the Mabel's Labels Go To...

After a random number generator (in this case, the Schmoopette picking a number between 1 and 20) selected your comment's number, the winner of the Mabel's Labels Ultimate Back to School Combo is SueLaundry for Six. Congratulations, Sue. I'll email you the instructions on how to order your labels.

The rest of you should stay tuned, though, because I have another giveaway launching tomorrow! My only hint is **jazz hands**!