Borders - Fancy Nancy - Saturday at 11a

Borders is hosting a Fancy Nancy Event for National Poetry Month. Come to any Borders store at 11a on Saturday.

Princess and the Frog DVD

My daughter received this DVD for Easter and was determined to watch it tonight. I had told her she could watch it during dinner. My husband needed to run back up to work so we offered to take her out to dinner, but she refused so she could watch the movie.

She received the Princess and the Frog Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack.

We don't have a Blu-Ray player, so I cannot comment on the Blu-Ray portion of the DVD. My parents bought her this version in case we have a Blu-Ray in the future and for the convenience of the Digital Copy. With the sale they got at the Disney Store it was only a few dollars more than the regular DVD which did not have a digital copy.

We really appreciate having the Digital Copy that is compatible with iTunes. This means I can load it on her iPod for our trip to California. The Digital Copy is also compatible with Windows Media Player. Having a Digital Copy that plays on iTunes/iPod is by far the most useful format to us since we have iTunes on both our Macs and we have 3 iPod Touches in our house. Some movies (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs for example) have a digital copy that is only playable on a Playstation Portable which is of no use to us. Even Windows Media player files are of no use since we are a Mac family. The digital copy came on its own disc and after entering the code in the box, loaded on my computer in less than 10 minutes. I wish more movies would come with this option of paying a few extra dollars to get a digital copy of the movie. I cannot see paying full price for both a DVD and an iTunes copy of a movie, but would pay the few extra dollars.

My daughter is really enjoying the movie. She and I saw it in the theater and she was glad to show parts of it to Daddy. She loves frogs, so this is a favorite movie of hers. She told me the other day that Tiana is her favorite princess because she turns into a frog...followed by Ariel who is a mermaid.

Thomas & Friends Playdate - Toys R Us - Sat Apr 17

Toys R Us stores are hosting a Thomas & Friends Playdate on Saturday April 17th from 11a-1p. They'll have stories, games, coloring pages, trivia, and special offers.

Check out the invite on the Toys R Us Facebook Page for more information.

"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" - Going to a Baseball Games with Kids

Baseball season has recently started. I have fond memories of attending baseball games as a family from a young age. As we went on summer vacations, we would often try to see a baseball game in the city we were visiting. This is a tradition that we have continued with my 4 year old daughter. It can be a challenge to keep a young child entertained at a long sporting event.

I remember my first baseball game at Wrigley Field. It was before my sister was born, so I must have been 5.5 and my brother 2. The thing I remember most was it being windy and cold at the stadium despite being warm at home in the suburbs. Fortunately it was kid's jacket day so we at least had something to warm us.

We took my daughter to her first MLB game at 18 months at Comerica Park. Weather wise, her first game was the tropical opposite of my first game. It was in the 90s which is made worse when you are packed into a crowded stadium and trying to contain an 18 month old on your lap. We attended the game with our neighbors who have a son my daughter's age. We opted to just buy seats for the adults since the kids were not required to have their own seat. In hind sight, we should have bought one seat for the 2 kids to share. Even just to give us the extra elbow room.

Newer stadiums offer many more amenities and distractions from the game than older stadiums. Comerica Park in Detroit has a Tiger carousel and a baseball ferris wheel. Kids under 14 ride free on Sunday. AT&T Park in San Francisco offers a Coca-Cola slide, a mini ballpark for kids 3-7, and even a Build a Bear location. Even the newer stadiums without these attractions (Citizens Bank in Philadelphia, Citi Field in New York, Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore), offer wider promenades, a wider variety of food choices, and often a standing room or picnic bench viewing area offering an escape from your seats with a young child. I am sure that many other parks offer these features. These happen to be fields that I have been to in the last 7 years.

Have you been to another ball park that offers activities for kids?

Stay tuned for the next blog post - Keeping preschoolers entertained at a game.

Tax Day Deals

Several merchants are trying to make tax day less painful. Unfortunately, last month I changed my ISP & had to get change the email address that I give out to merchants. I do not yet have my new e-mail address on all of the mailing lists. I am sure I have received e-mails with more deals that I can no longer access.

Cinnabon is offering 2 free cupcake bites at any mall based location from 6p-8p.

Starbucks is offering free coffee if you bring in and use a reusable mug.

Office Depot is offering a free copy of your tax return (up to 25 single sided copies).

I have also found deals for Maggie Moo's, Taco Del Mar, and Chick-Fil-A but I do not have a location close to me. Subway is offering regional deals, but not where I live.

Do you know of other tax day deals? Comment here or reply to my Twitter account.