Preschool is Cool- ABCs with Elmo Review and Giveaway

***Please Note–This Giveaway Has ENDED. ***

Please see Winners page for winning entrant information.

In preparing for homeschool preschool, we are stocking up on a few Mommy Preschool Must Have DVD’s.

And because my kids are infatuated with one furry red monster, the first on the list of DVD’s is Sesame Street’s Preschool Is Cool- ABCs with Elmo.

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As the first DVD title in Sesame Street’s new series, Preschool is Cool, “ABCs with Elmo” is the perfect tool to help your little preschooler learn the alphabet in a fun and engaging way.

In “ABCs with Elmo,” Grover acts as the preschool teacher, Professor Grover, and Elmo is his helper for today’s alphabet lesson! But Before Professor Grover begins class, he instructs his students, with his classic Grover charm, to find one thing that begins with each letter of the alphabet. Featuring alphabet themed stories and songs, early literacy skills are reinforced while kids become familiar with letter-sound relationships. Kids and caregivers will find it as easy as ABC to join in the fun with their favorite furry friends in a real preschool.

“ABCs with Elmo” also features engaging extras such as the classic music video “African Alphabet” as well as a kid growth chart that allows children and caregivers to track their growth while learning their letters.

As you all know, we have a few monster fans in the house.  It started with Mister, but he has convinced Sister that Elmo is just about the coolest monster on the block.  “Momo” as Sister calls him, is too funny in this cute DVD that teaches kids all about the alphabet.

In Preschool is Cool- ABCs with Elmo, Professor Grover is very lovable indeed, as he often needs the help of Elmo in remembering which letter comes next.

This DVD is definitely a must have for anyone wanting to interject a little fun into learning this preschool fundamental!  It is fun, educational, and attention holding.  It may also result in surprising outbursts of song and dance.

Buy it… Preschool is Cool- ABCs with Elmo is available on Amazon.com.

Win It…

The marketing team for Preschool is Cool- ABCs with Elmo would like to give one lucky Lady V dZine reader their own copy of the DVD.

Mandatory Entry… Simply leave a comment telling me who the DVD would be for and who your favorite character is.

***Please note- this must be done before any bonus entries will count***

Bonus entries–

  • 1 entry-    Follow me on GFC—right side bar, comment with your user name.
  • 1 entry-    Like Lady V dZine on Facebook and comment back here with your screen name.
  • 1 entry-    Subscribe to Lady V dZine by RSS or email and comment back with the e-mail you signed up with (one each)
  • 1 entry-    Follow Lady V dZine on Twitter- comment with your user name
  • 1 entry-    Visit Sesame Street and comment back telling me something you learned.
  • 1 entry-    Like Elmo of Facebook and comment back here with your screen name. You are not required to post on their wall, but if you do, be sure to tell them I sent you.
  • 1 entry-    Like Sesame Street on Facebook and comment back here with your screen name. You are not required to post on their wall, but if you do, be sure to tell them I sent you.
  • 1 entry-    Follow Sesame Street on Twitter and comment back here with your twitter name.
  • 1 entry-    Tweet this contest using @ladyvdzine and @SESAMESTREET and linking back to this post- comment with your tweet status (up to 4x/day, at least 30 minutes apart)
    • May use “Enter to #win @SesameStreet Preschool is Cool- ABCs with Elmo from @ladyvdzine http://bit.ly/bViTux (9/10)
  • 1 entry-     For each current giveaway that you enter- comment with name of giveaway
  • 2 entries-  For each non-giveaway post that you leave a RELEVANT comment on- comment back with post title or link to post
  • 5 entries-  Blog this contest linking to this post- leave 5 comments here with a link to your post

The fine print…

Contest open to the US.  Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. CST on 09/10/2010.  Winner will be selected randomly.  Winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond with mailing address.  If no response is received from the winning entrant, a new winner will be selected.  Prize will be forfeited and donated to charity if not claimed by primary or alternate winners.

The marketing team for Preschool is Cool- ABCs with Elmo provided me a complimentary DVD to facilitate my honest review.  No other compensation was received.  Opinions expressed are 100% my own and are based on my own experience.  Your experience may differ.

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Win a Dollywood Vacation at My Sentiment ExactLee

Lee over at http://mysentimentexactlee.com/ is currently hosting a fabulous giveaway for a Dollywood Vacation.

Each day she is posting a new review of her 0wn vacation with chances for bonus entries.

All entry comments have to be left on the main giveaway post, but bonus entry options are listed on the Theme Park, Splash Country, and Dixie Stampede posts.  Additionally, you can earn extra entries for daily tweets.

I know I am taking advantage of all the bonus entry options!

Wouldn’t you love a Dollywood vacation, too?

And a good time was had by all

After dinner last night, we walked across the field behind our house to the school playground for a little evening fun.

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And a good time was had by all.

What do you do for fun in the evenings?

Parmesan Meatball Biscuits

For dinner tonight, I thought I would try one of the recipes in the 101 Things to Do with Meatballs cookbook that I received recently from Casa Di Bertacchi Meatballs.

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The recipe I chose was Parmesan Meatball Biscuits.  I chose it because it looked incredibly easy and sounded scrumptious.

Recipe: Parmesan Meatball Biscuits

  • 1 tube refrigerated layered biscuits (12 oz)
  • 10 frozen fully cooked meatballs (thawed)
  • 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Marinara sauce

As is usually the case, I made a few substitutions, using what I had on hand.  I used a roll of jumbo layer biscuits, so there were only 8 biscuits, instead of 10.  I also substituted jarred pizza sauce for the marinara sauce.

One at a time, I flattened the biscuits, placing a fully cooked, thawed meatball in the center.  I wrapped the biscuit around the meatball and pinched it together to form a seam.  I placed the seam side down in an 8×8 non-stick baking pan.

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In a bowl, I combined the parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.

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I placed a “pinch” of the dried cheese seasoning on the top of each biscuit.  Then I put the pan in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

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I served them with the pizza sauce for dipping.

Mmmmm mmmm good.

My husband commented several times that I could make this dish again.  LOL.

I just love how meatballs are great for an easy dinner or a simple party appetizer, don’t you?

Casa di Bertacchi meatballs are available at Sam’s club.

The cookbook 101 Things to Do with Meatballs is available on Amazon.com.

Disclosure- The marketing team for Casa di Bertacchi provided me with a complimentary copy of the aforementioned cookbook to facilitate my honest review.  No other compensation was received.  Opinions expressed are 100% my own and are based on my own experience.  Your experience may differ.

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Schleich Toy Animals Review

Ever since we discovered Mama Mirabelle’s Home Movies on PBS, Mister and Sister really like playing with animal toys.  We had a few in our toy box, but not very many.  Most of the toy animals that I have found have been age rated older than my kids, so I haven’t bought them.  Mister really wanted to get elephants and zebras, as those are two of the main characters on the show.

We have seen the Schleich animals at Target, and Mister always tries to throw a few in the shopping cart if we walk down that aisle!  Schleich products are all age graded for ages 3 and up (there are some small animals and smaller parts on other figurines that can pose a choking hazard for younger children), so we hadn’t purchased any yet.  Recently, I received an opportunity to review Schleich toys.  When I discussed the review opportunity with the rep, the only concern she had was the age of my children, as she reiterated the age rating.  Because we have older children (nieces, nephews, as well as children we babysit) in the house from time to time, I thought it would be fun to review the animals and give them something “older” to play with while here.

Schleich_logo-1024x251About Schleich…

“As a manufacturer of toys we carry a special responsibility towards parents and children. It is our aim to constantly live up to the image of a developer and supplier of top quality products with an educational aspect.

Our products are developed with the assistance of parents, teachers and children and are therefore especially designed for children´s hands.

The design of our products is as realistic and naturalistic as possible. This enables children to experience the large variety of nature – from domestic animals on a farm to wild animals in the jungle.
When deciding on licensing products such as comic figurines we pay careful attention to their character and the message they carry. Educational aspects play a more important part than possible sales potential.”

We received nine Schleich animals for review.

From the Farm Life Animals line…

mininannygoatHen, peckingFrisian MareDartmoor ponyHedgehog

From the Wild Life Animals line….

Giraffe, female, drinkingLion cub, lyingYoung lionIndian Elephant Calf

The Schleich animals are extremely realistic, owing to the hand painting of each animal.

I haven’t been able to snag any pictures of the older kids playing with the Schleich animals.  When I go get the camera, they either run and hide, or won’t let me take their picture… But let me assure you, these animals are a hit with all the kids!  Of course, my husband is the biggest kid ever.  So, he sat down to play with Mister with the animals so that I could post this review.  They both enjoyed them.

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Because of the age rating, these animals are for directly supervised play only for now.  Mister will be excited once his birthday comes in December, so he can re-appropriate them to his toy box.  We will be adding to the menagerie for his birthday.  We will likely get the African Elephant Female, the Cheetah Cub, the Zebra Foal, and some Chimpanzees to round out the “Mama Mirabelle” collection.  We may also get some cats and dogs.

Schleich also has a line of Dinosaurs & Replicasaurs and is introducing the Giganotosaurus next month, for all your little pre-historic lovers!

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Schleich Products Are Available on Amazon.com and at your local Target.

Disclosure- The marketing team for Schleich toys provided me with the aforementioned complimentary toys to facilitate my honest review.  No other compensation was received.  Opinions expressed are 100% my own and are based on my own experience.  Your experience may differ.

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