Disney's Tangled Contest Winners!

Here's something to be thankful for today...

We've picked the winners for our Disney Tangled contest!

First off, if Dane (hey, is that the Dane I'm thinking of?!) is reading, please please please send me your email so I can contact you! It's a rule that we have to have an email for each comment, so that we can get your shipping info for your prizes!

Okay, so the winners, picked by Random Integer Generator, were:

Here are your random numbers:

1 2 14

Timestamp: 2010-11-27 15:11:38 UTC

So, here are comments 1, 2 and 14: 
Dane said...I hope Mary Poppins counts. Cuz she was awesome.
Katrina said...hmm....that is a tough question...I guess if I could only choose one I really like Pocahontas 
 ykatrina at hotmail dot com


Jackie said...Belle is one of my favorites. Thanks for the giveaway! 
jackievillano at gmail dot com

Congratulations, Dane, Katrina and Jackie (again! Thanks for entering our contests)! 

I will be contacting you by email to get your shipping info for your prizes.

"It Gets Better" — Love, Pixar

Last Day to Enter our Tangled Giveaway (Psst...It's in Theaters Tomorrow!)

Reminder: Don't forget to enter our Tangled giveaway today!

We have low entries on this one so far, so your chances of winning are excellent with THREE Tangled gift packs to give away.

We'll be announcing our winner in conjunction with opening day of Tangled tomorrow, so today is your LAST CHANCE to enter!

Good luck!

New Tangled Clips!

Horsing Around


The Snuggly Duckling


Mother Gothel

Hey, remember there's only a week left in our Tangled giveaway! Enter today.

Cottonelle Flush Wipes: Get Fresh With a Friend!

So, this last week, the Engineer has been in China.

Yes, THAT China, the one way, way far away.

And while he is gone, the remodel on our kitchen started, so I had to clean everything out of the kitchen cabinets, AND I have what might be, according to my doctor, a torn or strained ligament in my hip. So I am SUPPOSED to be resting.

And the contractor is doing a WONDERFUL job so far (Hi, A!), but the house is overflowing with the boxes for the cabinets, and the kitchen appliances are in the dining room and the entryway.

And I can't even vent to the Engineer unless I do it on the computer, over Skype, because we think the phone charges would be absolutely outrageous overseas.

In case you are all wondering why I am regaling you with this list, it's because I am, unforgivably, late with this post. With all the hustle and bustle going on around here (did I mention the Rhino started JV soccer, too?), I lost track of my schedule. I should have posted this review yesterday!

Yikes.

So, now that you know what I am dealing with, can you bear with me?

Okay. Good.

Because I really do like Cottonelle Flushable Moist Wipes, and did even before this blog tour. I just got a little behind with my flushable wipes tour (oh, dear. "A little behind" might have been a poor choice of words there!).

Look, I know you don't want too much detail on WHY I like these personally (TMI), but I don't think I have to tell any of you that when it comes to the bathroom? You can't be TOO clean.

Which is why we keep wipes in both our bathroom and the kids' bathroom (hey, if we had bidets over here, I'd probably put one of those in the teens' bathroom, too).

Cottonelle (very important for us environmentally-conscious Moms) made these moist wipes flushable, and they don't tear or shred when you need them to be strong. They break up after you flush them, so they are sewer and septic tank safe.


But you don't have to take my word for it.

You can go to Cottonelle's website, www.GetFreshWithaFriend.com, and register to find out more about Cottonelle Flushable Moist Wipes. You can also check out their "Funny or Die" video while you're visiting the site, and download Cottonelle's "fresh rewards". You can even get $1.00 off!

The Cottonelle Flushable Moist Wipes, by the way, have a little hanger coming with the tub of wipes right now. I like the idea of a separate hanger for the wipes, right above (or below) the toilet paper roll where it's convenient.

And I think that, if you have little ones going through that difficult potty training time, these wipes will be a godsend for you while they are learning.

Again, when it comes to the bathroom, you can't be too clean, right? : )

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of the Cottonelle brand and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Sneak Peak Cars 2 Trailer!

Dunkin' Donuts Coffee Brings the Holidays Home

It's funny; I'm mostly a tea drinker myself, but even I can appreciate the aroma of fine, rich coffee. Tea just doesn't have that same inviting scent to draw you in like good coffee does. You just find yourself wanting to wrap your hands around a warm mug and snuggle up under the blankets during the cool winter months. It's the perfect drink for the holiday season.

And Dunkin' Donuts is well aware of just how much you all need your caffeine fix!

So, in addition to their existing coffee flavors (Hazelnut, Cinnamon Spice and French Vanilla), they've introduced three seasonal coffee varieties, available for a limited time only, and perfect for gift-giving. And you don't even have to venture out far to find them; they're available now at
at your local grocery store!

So, the Dunkin' Donuts' seasonal coffees come in three varieties: Vanilla Nut, Pumpkin Spice, and Mocha Mint. I served them recently to a test panel consisting of my husband (The Engineer), his brother and his Dad, all coffee drinkers.

Now, I need to pause here for an important Message for the Holidays!

Pro tip: The Engineer suggests that if you REALLY want a happy holiday? Turn your Dunkin' Donuts Vanilla Nut Coffee into an Irish coffe with some Bailey's Irish Creme. Oh, yeah. ;)

So, the Vanilla Nut was a big hit for both the Engineer and his bro. And it smelled *heavenly*!

And Dad chose to take the entire pack of Pumpkin Spice coffee *home with him*, which just goes to show Dunkin' Donuts is onto a good thing here.  (We didn't try the Mocha Mint yet, but that's just because we are saving it for the relatives in Tampa.)

Viv's Take: Coffee lovers will enjoy these seasonal offerings from Dunkin' Donuts during the cool Winter months. And they also make great (and affordable) holiday gifts!




Which reminds me: I also want to take a moment to acknowledge that, although you can purchase the Dunkin' Donuts seasonal coffee  flavors at your local grocery, you might want to head down to Dunkin' Donuts anyway because 1) Hey, Donuts; and 2) Many Dunkin' Donuts are running a promotion now where they will donate a pound of coffee to our troops every time you buy two pounds. And I think this kind of gesture is what the holidays are all about.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Smuckers and received necessary products to facilitate my review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Meet Rapunzel and Flynn Rider from Disney's Tangled, opening 11/24

I've been looking forward to Disney's Tangled ever since I learned that the Zachary Levi, the actor who plays Chuck (love that TV show!) will be starring in it (well, his voice anyway) alongside Mandy Moore's Rapunzel.  Here's the dirt on the lead characters from the movie, which opens 11/24.

RAPUNZEL may have lived her entire life locked inside a hidden tower, but Rapunzel is no damsel in distress. The girl with the 70 feet of golden hair is an energetic, inquisitive teenager who fills her days with art, books, and imagination.  Rapunzel is full of curiosity about the outside world, and she can’t help but feel that her true destiny lies outside of the lonely tower walls.  Rapunzel has always obeyed Mother Gothel by staying hidden away and keeping her magical hair a secret… but with her 18^th birthday just a day away, she is fed up with her sheltered life and ready for adventure.  When a charming thief seeks refuge in her tower, Rapunzel defies Gothel and seizes the opportunity to answer the call of the kingdom.  With the unwilling Flynn Rider along for the journey, Rapunzel leaves the tower for the first time, and begins a hilarious, hair-raising journey that will untangle many secrets along the way.

CHARACTER BIO:

The ultra-confident FLYNN RIDER is his own biggest fan, and he has long relied on his wit, charm and good looks to get out of even the stickiest situation – and Flynn’s life just happens to be full of sticky situations. Flynn is a thief looking for the one last, big score that will allow him to finally live the life he’s always dreamed of.  He's never been closer to having it all when he meets Rapunzel, an odd girl with ridiculously long hair.  Rapunzel seems to be the only girl in the world immune to Flynn’s moves, and for the first time ever he seems to have met his match.  An unlikely alliance with this girl from the tower sends Flynn on the adventure of a lifetime, and helps him realize that sometimes you don’t know what you want… until it hits you over the head… literally.

Awww...

Want more? Don't forget to enter our Tangled giveaway!

Review: Road Rippers

I have boys. Boys like vehicles. Especially loud vehicles.  And guys, in general, really get into gadgets, like R/C controlled cars.

If you could market an R/C car that explodes? Guys would be all over that.

Road Rippers are the next best thing. Styled after 1960s and '70s Muscle Cars, Road Rippers R/C Motor Muscle models like the 1967 Corvette Stingray, 1959 Dodge Dayton, 1971 Dodge Super Bee and 1970 GTO Judge not only come with controllers that incorporate the same design look as the cars themselves, each one comes with flashing lights and plays a song from the car's era (so, bright lights AND noise! Yes, guys will love these).

I received a bright red Road Ripper R/C Motor Muscle to review for this post. I loved the color, and so did my cat, who was startled when the car played, "Louie, Louie"!

I'll be honest, that particular song is not my favorite, and it first it kinda sounded funky (but not in the good way), because the demo mode was wearing down, which made the song play a bit slower than it should have. But that changed once I put in the batteries (these cares take a total of 7 batteries, 3 in the remote and 4 in the car itself). One of the cons of R/C cars is that some of them take special batteries and those can be expensive. This one just uses AAA batteries, yay!

The R/C controller looks cool and fits well in the hand. It has the same contours as the car itself, and the basic controls are easy to use.

The Road Rippers R/C Motor Muscles are also durable and hold up to rough play well (which is good news because you just know kids are going to run these into things and chase the cat with them!).

Road Rippers, by the way, even have their own show, with "Rippisodes" available on the net. You can watch them at www.mymotorisland.com, the Toy State YouTube Channel, and Facebook.

And hey! They've got a Twitter feed, too!

Viv's take: I'd opt for another car with a different song, and 7 batteries is a cost-sink, but the Road Rippers R/C Motor Muscle takes AAA's, which are easy to find and certainly cheaper than the special batteries other R/C cars  need to run. The Road Ripper holds up to lots of use and abuse, and your kids will love the bright colors, realistic styling and impressive speed of the R/C cars. Older guys will like the way the cars are modeled after actual classics (and yet still playable, rather than sitting on a stuffy old shelf collecting dust!). Recommended.


I received the Road Ripper R/C Motor Muscle as part of a blog tour run by Team Mom for the purposes of this review. No kitties were harmed for the purposes of this review. 

Kidz Bop Dance Party gets the whole family going

I recently had the opportunity to review Kidz Bop Dance Party for the Wii, and let me tell you, it will really get your kids moving!

And I say this with complete confidence, because it even had ME dancing, and that's a big deal.

Now, when I played this video game, I played it just the way your kids would--which means, of course, not bothering to read the directions or anything and just diving right in--and I was hooked from the beginning.

The dance beats are fast and catchy. All the music, like the Kidz Bop songs on their CDs, is appropriate for children, with family-friendly lyrics sung by kids (the game is geared towards kids ages 5-12 years old). I can imagine most kids will start singing along as they dance, too.

The game is easy to get going: you just choose a song and follow along. All you need is the Wii controller, no dance mat is required. The controls are easy, too, because the dancing avatar on your screen demonstrates them for you in time to the music, so you are just dancing right along with her.

I especially liked the way you can't just sit on the couch and move your wrist around to "dance" in this game.  I know that when you play the sports games, you can just flick your wrist to hit the virtual tennis ball or bowl. But with Kidz Bop, you need to actually turn your entire body around, wave your arms over your head, circle them, etc., to get credit for performing the moves, so you really can't just sit still and mimic the hand motions.

I kept going, dancing about a half an hour, because I wanted to finish all the "bronze" level songs and level up. I can definitely see kids being motivated by the ranking system, wanting to reach silver and gold levels. Once you have mastered all the songs in a level, you take a final test combining all the move in one dance to level up.

Your kids can earn rewards, like new dancing clothes, for their avatar when they level up. The higher the scores they earn, the more stuff they can get for their avatar, so they'll want to try each song again and again. To me, the repeat playability of the game makes it a good value for your money, as well as just the positive experience of getting your kids up off of the couch and moving.

And, as I said, *I* even enjoyed dancing to the music, and wanted to keep going! And what's nice about Kidz Bop is that two players can play at once, so this game would be great for an ACTUAL dance party. Set up some mood lighting, like a disco ball, serve some snacks, turn the speakers up and let the kids go crazy!

Kids Bop Dance Party lets your kids:

• Dance to 24 contemporary songs including "Paparazzi" and "Party in the USA," performed by kids for kids
• Get swept away in a variety of pop hits and timeless pop anthems with kid-friendly lyrics
• Enjoy five gameplay modes, including free play, challenge, dance off, shop and dress up
• Dance by yourself or team up with a friend to dance together or compete for the top score
• Receive encouragement to succeed without penalty for errors or missteps

Viv's take:  Kidz Bop will get your kids, and the rest of the family, up off the couch and exercising, with fun dance moves that earn them achievements and bonus items for their avatars. Highly recommended!


I received a complimentary copy of Kidz Bop Dance Party pack to facilitate this Dance Party review.

Disney Tangled Giveaway!

Disney's take on the classic fairytale, Rapunzel, comes out on November 24th, and Cool Moms Rule! has an incredible giveaway to commemorate the event.

The movie, entitled Tangled (just in case you live in a cave and haven't heard all the buzz) follows the antics of a newly-envisioned, feisty Rapunzel, who is not content to just sit around in a tower waiting to be rescued:

When the kingdom’s most wanted—and most charming—bandit Flynn Rider (voice of Zachary Levi) is taken hostage by Rapunzel (voice of Mandy Moore), a feisty teen with 70 feet of golden hair who’s looking for her ticket out of the tower where she’s been locked away for years, the unlikely duo sets off on a hilarious, hair-raising escapade filled with adventure, heart, humor and hair—lots of hair.

 I'm really looking forward to this one myself!

- Female fit Rapunzel t-shirt in Adult and Youth sizes (S, M, L, XL)

- General fit Flynn Rider t-shirt in Adult and Youth sizes (S, M, L, XL)

- General fit Pascal t-shirt in Adult and Youth sizes (S, M, L, XL)

- Silly Bandz – set of 4 characters (Rapunzel, Flynn, Pascal, Maximus)  

To enter to WIN a Tangled t-shirt featuring one of the three main characters and a slew of Silly Bandz, just leave a comment below this post with your favorite Disney heroine!  Contest runs through November 24th, the opening day of Tangled. Three winners will be chosen (one T-shirt and Silly Bandz set each)!

For additional entries:

• Follow CoolMomsRule! on Twitter
• Tweet about this giveaway and leave a link to the Tweet in the comments
• Blog about this giveaway and leave a link to the post in the comments

Good Luck!