Jake and the NeverLand Pirates Jake Saves Bucky

October 12, 2012 By

 

Jake and the Never Land pirates

“Aw, Coconuts!” I hear that a lot around my house, along with “Yo ho, let’s go!” since my boys love Jake and the NeverLand Pirates. When I told them I got Jake and the NeverLand Pirates Jake Saves Bucky they burst into excited chatter all at once. I heard all about Izzy and Cubby, Captain Hook, Sharky and Bones, and especially Jake and Peter Pan. Matthew told me how much he loves this episode but that it is a little scary when Jake and Peter Pan have to get past the fire-breathing dragon to save Bucky from the sneaky Captain Hook.

I love the fact that all three of the boys enjoy Jake and the NeverLand Pirates from Disney Junior. The stories teach about friendship and respect without being scary and without including violence or inappropriate language. Jake and the NeverLand Pirates Jake Saves Bucky is available on DVD and Digital Copy on October 16, 2012 and includes Jake Saves Bucky, Peter’s Musical Pipes/The Never Night Star, Captain Hook’s Hooks/Mr. Smee’s Pet, Race-Around Rock!/Captain Hook is Missing!, and Captain Hook’s Lagoon/Undersea Bucky! In addition there is a bonus feature of Pirate-oke “A Karaoke-like feature that allows viewers to sing along to a collection of the songs featured in the episodes.”

You can buy your own Jake and the NeverLand Pirates Jake Saves Bucky for $19.99 US, $24.99 Canada.

The show runs for approximately 135 minutes, which is great for those long rides in the car. I know we will be bringing our copy along on our next trip.

I was provided with a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review of the product.

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Wordless Wednesday – Blog Cabin

October 10, 2012 By

Wordless Wednesday I went to #Brandcation in Tennessee last week. Here is the view from our Blog Cabin.

Brandcation

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My Favorite Stevia Giveaway

October 9, 2012 By

 

Stevia

When we decided to remove all artificial sweeteners from our diet I had a hard time with drinks. I used to drink diet soda all the time, and for some reason I never used to enjoy plain water. I started adding lemons and limes to my water and I tried using sparkling water too in an attempt to make it more palatable. Then someone suggested I try vanilla Stevia. I got some and found that it was a sweet addition. I love using NuNaturals vanilla Stevia in my San Pellegrino and sometimes even add a dash of lime. It reminds me of an old fashioned cream soda without all the calories and it isn’t full of artificial junk.

Recently I started using NuNaturals orange Stevia in my water and that has fast become my favorite. I made the mistake of letting the boys try it once and have officially created NuNatruals Stevia monsters. Matthew loves the peppermint in his water and I suspect as the winter approaches he may really enjoy it in his homemade hot chocolate. Nico adores the orange and lemon, while Lorenzo seems to be hooked on the vanilla. At dinner we often hear little voices asking for vanilla water. We all love the fact that unlike many other Stevia products, NuNatruals Stevia is non-bitter and NuNaturals uses real essential Orange, Lemon and Peppermint.  I plan to use NuNaturals in my peppermint meringues this Christmas.

My mom is a diabetic and I have recently gotten her hooked on NuNaturals. After reading that Dr. Mercola feels Stevia is the near perfect sweetener, I suggested she try it to replace the artificial sweeteners she used in her tea and oatmeal. She loves it and doesn’t miss the other sweeteners one bit.

NuNaturals also has a new product called Tagatose. It is a sweetener safe for diabetics that is naturally occurring in milk, fruits and vegetables. It is lactose and gluten free, low calorie, low glycemic index and low in carbohydrates. One of the really amazing things about Tagatose is that it will “brown” and “carmelize” like sugar and helps retain moisture longer, making baked goods remain softer longer. NuNaturals PreSweet™ Tagatose is also a prebiotic ingredient, which means it feeds probiotics and helps promote good bacteria growth. I recently saw a recipe for a ginger and mint syrup made with Tagatose. I can’t wait to try this as I have previously made ginger syrups with regular sugar and although I love the taste I don’t love the calories that go along with it. Tagatose may be the answer to some nagging sugar problems, as I would love to make some delicious desserts that my mother could also partake of, without risking raising her blood sugar or exposing her to artificial sweeteners and chemicals.

NuNatruals has been generous and offered to give away four (4) sets of Lemon, Orange and Peppermint Stevia Liquids to Matthew’s Puzzle readers.  Simply enter using the RaffleCopter entry form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was provided with free samples of all of the items discussed in this article. All the opinions are mine or my family’s.

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A Funny Story about My Dog

October 8, 2012 By

A funny story:

Years ago, before I was married with kids, I wanted to get a dog. I searched high and low for the perfect dog, since I’m allergic to some breeds. I settled on a non-shedding breed such as a poodle, Maltese or Bichon Frise. I didn’t really expect to find one of the more exotic breeds at the pound but I did think I could find a poodle. I started calling local shelters to see if they had an non-shedders. I finally called this one pound about 40 minutes away and asked if they had any small non-shedding dogs like a poodle or even a Bichon Frise. To my surprise the man said “Yes, we have a Bichon right now.” I rushed up there and found the cutest little guy I had ever seen. I told him I wanted the dog and they put the order in. They had to have the vet check him over and then they would release him to me early the next week.

I was really excited and asked my dad to go with me to pick him up. We wrapped him in a towel just in case he had fleas and took him directly to Pet Smart for grooming. I filled out the paperwork as best I could and told them I had just rescued him from the shelter. Then I went home and anxiously awaited their call telling me he was ready. The call came and my parents and I went over to pick him up. When they brought out this dog I was amazed. He was beautiful, fluffy and white. Just a little angel. We proudly put his leash on him and headed out the door on that cool October evening. Note that it was evening in October so it was getting pretty dark early. For someone to really get a good look at us they had to be pretty close.

Right as we walked in the door my phone began to ring. It was Pet Smart telling me the police were there because I was a dog-napper and I had to return the dog immediately. Apparently the dog’s owner had seen us leave with his dog, but instead of telling us it wasn’t our dog he went in and called the police on us. I was rightly confused but we complied and brought the dog back. There was a very angry man standing outside Pet Smart. He was mumbling things under his breath and cursing at us. When we went inside we found out that this man was the actual owner of the lovely little dog they had give us, name Daisy. She had mistakenly been given to us because we  told them our dog was a Bichon when we came to pick him up and they just grabbed the wrong dog as there were 2 Bichons there that day. The man was furious and ranting, wanting to know “Don’t you even know your own damn dog?” Well, actually sir, no I don’t know my own damn dog as I just rescued him from an animal shelter and brought him directly to the store to be groomed! But are you such a coward that you couldn’t even stop us and ask us why we had your dog when you saw us leaving on that very dark October evening? What did you think we were a professional dog-napping gang and my 70 year old father was packing heat?

When we finally got everything straightened out and they brought my scruffy little muffin out I couldn’t have been happier. Not only did I have a great story to tell, but I also had the sweetest dog in the world. My co-workers, having heard the story, posted Wanted posters around our building with my picture on them, announcing to all that I was a known dog-napper and that I may be packing!

 

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