Niagara Falls - Clifton Hill & Falls Avenue Resort- Tourist-Trap Kitsch

Before we visited Niagara Falls this summer, I had previously been in 1986 and one of the things that I remember was all of the touristy "kitsch" places. There is still plenty of kitsch to be found in Niagara Falls and much of it is centered on Clifton Hill. You will find Wax Museums, Horror Houses, Ripley's/Guinness museums, themed mini-golf, and of course shopping. The Falls Avenue Resort Complex includes hotels, a casino, dining, shopping, the Fallsview Indoor Waterpark, and attractions.

Clifton Hill runs from River Rd along the Niagara River (between the American Falls and Rainbow Bridge) past Falls Avenue to Victoria Avenue with the kitsch between Falls and Victoria Avenue.

The Falls Avenue Resort's 4D movies, Pink Panther Ride, and Adventure City have entrances on Clifton Hill as well as through the resort.

While in Niagara Falls, we decided to partake of some of the attractions.

Falls Avenue Resorts Activties

SWAT Ride at Adventure City

We started with the Falls Avenue Resorts attractions since they were included in our hotel package (mini-golf, bumper cars, SWAT ride, Pink Panther ride, and 4D movie). We played 9 holes of indoor glow miniature golf with a safari theme. They allowed us to use the golf and ride tickets interchangeably (the 4D movie was separate). My daughter was not tall enough for the bumper cars, so we headed for the SWAT ride. On the SWAT ride you drive through a city and use laser guns to shoot targets. My daughter loved this ride and we used our extra tickets for this ride to ride it several times while in Niagara Falls.

The Pink Panther balloon ride is located on the roof of Adventure City. There are 6-8 balloons arranged around the center pole that will each hold up to 4 people. The balloons ascend the pole and then rotate around it. While the Sheraton blocks your view, at certain angles you can see the falls (and Clifton Hill below). We boarded the Pink Panther as the fireworks* over the falls were starting. We were the only ones on the ride and there was no line, so the attendant kept us on the ride until the fireworks ended. It was definitely a unique view of the fireworks. If you are afraid of heights, definitely skip this ride. While you stay over the roof of the building, you are near the edge and looking all the way down onto Falls Avenue. Since the ride was included with our package, I am not sure how much it would cost to buy the tickets individually.

Our package also included a show at the Iwerks 4D movie theater. We were not sure what to expect, but knew that the movies were Happy Feet: The 4D Experience and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. I wasn't sure what to expect from a 4D movie. It is a 3D movie that you watch from a motion simulator chair. The chairs are in sets of 2 and move you in conjunction with the movie plus add special effects like sprays of water and puffs of air. The show included both movies (which were under 10 minutes each). My daughter loved the movies and the ride. They do offer a few stationary seats which my parents took advantage of since my mother does not like motion simulators.

The Falls Avenue Resort shopping is located at the opposite end of the Falls Avenue Resort from Clifton Hill. There is a Hershey's Chocolate World and Always Refreshing Soda Shop which features Coca-Cola products and merchandise.

Clifton Hill Area Attractions
When walking along Clifton Hill it is hard to miss the kitsch. There are the Guinness World Records Museum, Wax Museums, miniature golf, Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum, Haunted Attractions, and much more. The museums are pretty small and will take under an hour to explore.

One night, my parents suggested the Louis Tussaud Wax Museum. They had visited it in the late 90s with my siblings and enjoyed it. The Louis Tussaud Wax Museum is located on Victoria Avenue just east of Clifton Hill. Unfortunately, many of the wax statues were still from that era so my daughter did not recognize them. Even some of the newer statues were not people that she would identify with. She did get a little excited at the Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean, although she seemed a little apprehensive of the wax figures. Also, she did recognize a younger Harrison Ford from Star Wars and Indiana Jones. By far her favorite part was getting to walk the tightrope over the falls. It was nice that you can walk right up to the figures and touch them to pose with them. I definitely recommend waiting until kids are teenagers for the Louis Tussaud Wax Museum.

The Guinness World Records museum was more to my daughter's liking. She loves trivia and history, so this was right up her alley. There were a few exhibits that we steered her clear of (ie the most tattoos on a stripper). Even so we spent under an hour in the museum.

The one night we ate along Clifton Hill. We had a large, late lunch that day, so we weren't looking for a big meal (either in time or size). I would have loved to find a nicer counter-service place (ie Noodles & Co, Panera, Chipotle, etc). Instead, we found either fast food or table-service restaurants. Even when I tried asking the concierge, he had no idea what I was talking about steering me to a bar for counter service. We ended up getting counter service pizza at Pizza Pizza (comparable to Little Caesars) on Clifton Hill and eating outside listening to music.

Clifton Hill is definitely a great place to shop for souvenirs. Many of the shops have affordable t-shirts, sweatshirts, and other memorabilia. They also had plenty of "Canada" food items like maple syrup, maple cookies, etc.


*There are fireworks over the Falls on Friday, Sunday, and holiday nights in the summer. They also held them on Monday night while we were there since it was a Canadian holiday. We watched the Fireworks on Sunday, so were not making plans to see them on Monday.

Niagara Falls Attractions - Trip Review

As I mentioned earlier, we spent a few days in Niagara Falls, ON earlier this month. I had previously been to Niagara Falls in 1986. The main draw to Niagara Falls are the Falls themselves.

Niagara Falls with Maid of the Mist

Since we arrived from Toronto and were returning home to Michigan (by driving west through Ontario), we stayed on the Canadian side of the falls. The Canadian side is an absolute must-do since you have the best view of the falls from the Canadian side. On my first visit  we had not visited the American side even though we came through New York.

Niagara Falls has done a great job keeping the area immediately surrounding the parks un-commercialized. While there are modern amenities including bathrooms, concessions, and merchandise stores, they are limited to the Maid of the Mist Plaza and the Table Rock Welcome Center. The White Water Walk is even more rustic. There is a small gift shop that houses the elevators.

We purchased the Niagara Falls Adventure Pass from The Niagara Parks Commission. The Adventure Pass included a ride on Maid of the Mist, Journey Behind the Falls, Niagara's Fury, White Water Walk, and two days on the WeGo bus transportation system. The Adventure Pass is $46.95 ($68.05 value)for adults and $34.95 ($45.02 value) for children 6-12 (FREE for younger children).

Maid of the Mist* 

Ready to board Maid of the Mist

We started with the Maid of the Mist boat tour of the falls. When we purchased our Adventure Pass, we received timed tickets for Maid of the Mist. Since the day we were there was a Canadian Holiday (poor planning), the line was quite long but moved fairly well. The initial bottleneck was at the elevators to descend from the plaza level to the boat/river level. Then they took our picture (in front of a green screen) and we were handed our ponchos. When we arrived at the boat level, we were handed blue plastic rain ponchos (quite an improvement from the heavy black raincoats I remember from the 80s). I remember the old raincoats being heavy - and wet from previous users. These are disposable (recyclable) ponchos. I actually recommend saving these ponchos for use at Journey Behind the Falls and Niagara's Fury since the Maid of the Mist ponchos provided more coverage.

We definitely recommend doing the Maid of the Mist boat tour. They have been operating since 1846 and run boats from both the Canadian and American side of the river. The boat first travels past the American Falls before proceeding to the Horseshoe Falls and turning to return. The Maid of the Mist is a double decker boat. We rode on the top deck and we definitely got wet at different points. However, there were many points where I felt comfortable having my phone out to take pictures. Since it was warm, we wore shorts and sandals or flip-flops. However, our feet didn't get soaked, so you would probably not get soaked if you had on long pants in colder months.

Horseshoe Falls from Maid of the Mist

Journey Behind the Falls

Journey Behind the Falls starts in the building at Table Rock near the top of the Horseshoe Falls and descends 150'. There are two portals that look out behind the falls and an observation deck. When we saw the observation deck from the Maid of the Mist, I was surprised to see the people in ponchos because it didn't seem to be that close to the falls.

Journey Behind the Falls Observation Deck -
taken from Maid of the Mist

Boy was I wrong! Below, you can see my daughter huddled from the mist behind her. The mist was so bad that I could barely keep my phone out for a picture. 

Getting Soaked on the Upper Deck

This picture above was taken on the upper deck - the lower deck had even more spray, so I left my phone under my poncho and have no pictures. The mist was so heavy that we barely stayed on the platform. Unsurprisingly, the lower deck is closed in the winter months due to ice formation. 

You can also follow a tunnel behind the falls to two different cataracts that look out into the falls. As you walked down the hall there were lots of informational posters. My daughter loved learning about the falls. She was particularly fascinated by the daredevils who went over the Falls in barrels.

Looking out at the Falls

The tunnels were slippery, so be sure to walk carefully. Also, the disposable ponchos provided here were not as good as the Maid of the Mist ponchos. The sleeves were shorter, and had a larger under arm gap that did not keep your arms as dry. I recommend keeping your Maid of the Mist poncho and reusing it here.

Niagara's Fury
Niagara's Fury is also located in the Table Rock Welcome Center. We were pretty disappointed by Niagara's Fury. It started with an animated pre-show movie featuring woodland creatures learning how Niagara Falls was formed. Then, you are led into the main attraction, the creation of Niagara Falls with swirling winds, thunderstorms, rain, rumbling floor and surging water. Niagara's Fury uses the same poncho style as Journey Behind the Falls, so again I recommend the poncho from Maid of the Mist.

We do not recommend Niagara's Fury as a must see. The show seemed completely disjointed. The pre-show was geared towards younger children - many of whom were scared of the thunder and pounding water in the main attraction. You could definitely skip this and not miss much.

White Water Walk
Downriver from Niagara Falls is a Class 6 rapids. Class 6 rapids are considered un-navigable. White Water Walk is an observation board walk along side the rapids. It is located 4 km downriver from Table Rock Welcome Center. The WeGo bus will take you between the falls area and White Water Walk. One of the things that my daughter liked the best about White Water Walk is that it featured placards describing the various Niagara Falls daredevils - from those who traveled over the falls or through the rapids in barrels to tightrope walkers who walked across the gorge.

One warning is that there are no bathrooms on the trail. You need to go across the street from the gift shop to find a restroom.

Overall, I recommend doing the Adventure Pass. Even if you skip Niagara's Fury, you will save money over buying each of the other three attractions - plus you get the use of the bus transportation. Depending on where your hotel is located, WeGo can be very useful in transporting you from your hotel to the Falls area.

Update: 12/2/2013
* I just discovered that Maid of the Mist is no longer operating from Canada. They will still operate tours from the American side. Boat tours from Canada will be provided by Hornblower Niagara Cruises. Hornblower currently provides boat tour experiences for US National Parks at Alcatraz Island in San Francisco and the Statue of Liberty from both New York and New Jersey.

Youth Book Deals - Howl's Moving Castle & Magician's Elephant

Kindle books can be read on any Kindle device. There are Kindle reading apps for smart phones, tablets, and your computer. I have found that ebooks are great for my daughter while traveling since I just need to bring the reader and not a heavy stack of books.

Disclaimer: I am an Amazon Associate and am compensated for sales through Amazon links. I appreciate your support of my blog by shopping through my links. Prices are accurate at the time of publication. Amazon prices can and do change frequently, so please verify before purchase

Amazon's Gold Box Deal of the Day for Saturday, August 24 is 65 Kindle Books for $2.99 or less. There are several books for elementary and middle school children on the list. I already shared the deal on The Lightning Thief from the Percy Jackson series which is recommended for middle school readers. I found two books for late elementary readers (grades 3 & up) on the list.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones is being offered for $1.99. From the book description on Amazon:

Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there's far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.

I have heard of Howl's Moving Castle, but don't know much beyond that. Amazon recommends the book for children 8 and up at a third grade reading level or higher on . It is part of the Howl's Castle series of books. Through this deal it is $1.99.

The other book on the list is The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo for $0.99. Unlike Howl's Moving Castle, I had not previously heard of this book. Here is the book's description:

What if? Why not? Could it be? When a fortune teller's tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchenne knows the questions that he needs to ask: Does his sister still live? And if so, how can he find her? The fortune teller's mysterious answer (an elephant! An elephant will lead you there!) sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that you will hardly dare to believe it's true. With atmospheric illustrations by fine artist Yoko Tanaka, here is a dreamlike and captivating tale that could only be told by Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo. In this timeless fable, she evokes the largest of themes - hope and belonging, desire and compassion - with the lightness of a magician's touch.

Happy Reading!

Percy Jackson Book Deal - Today Only

Has your child seen Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters in theaters this summer? Or its predecessor Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief? Did you know that these movies are based on The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series of books by Rick Riordan.

Disclaimer: I am an Amazon Associate and am compensated for sales through Amazon links. I appreciate your support of my blog by shopping through my links. 

Amazon's Gold Box Deal of the Day for Saturday, August 24 is a sale with 65 popular Kindle books priced at $2.99 or less. The Lightning Thief, the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series is on the list. It is listed for $2.99 as part of this deal.

The book is recommended for ages 10 and over and is a 5th grade reading level. My daughter is not quite ready for these books, maybe by next summer. However, I am planning to buy the Kindle book because of the excellent price.

Kindle books can be read on any Kindle device. There are Kindle reading apps for smart phones, tablets, and your computer. I have found that ebooks are great for my daughter while traveling since I just need to bring the reader and not a heavy stack of books.

Shredded Mexican Chicken Recipe - Quick Freezer Meal

With Back to School around the corner, I am already starting to get the schedule for my daughter's activities. Very often our schedule means that we need meal options that can either be prepared in a hurry, or that we can clean up quickly after dinner.

One way that I manage our need for quick meals is with Shredded Mexican Chicken, a staple in our family's freezer. I make a large batch in the slow cooker and freeze the extras. Then, when we are short on time I can pull a container out and have quick quesadillas, wraps, tacos, nachos, etc. My daughter has also requested chicken quesadillas for lunch. I make the quesadilla in the morning and leave it in a Thermos.

I don't really use a recipe for the Mexican Shredded Chicken. I use the same basic ingredients each time, but sometimes make adjustments.

Today, I used:

Ingredients & Finished Product

• a family pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (~4 lbs) - frozen or thawed
• 2 cans of diced tomatoes (14.5 oz) - undrained
• 1 can of whole corn (15.25 oz) - drained
• 1 can of diced green chiles (4oz)
• ~3/4 c diced Vidalia onion
• 4 heaping tablespoons of McCormick taco seasoning - roughly 2 packets 
• ~2 cups Minute Rice Brown Rice - uncooked

In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients except for the rice and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Today, I forgot to prepare the dish until lunch time, so I cooked it for ~4.5 hours on high. When the chicken is done, it will shred easily with a wooden spoon. After shredding the chicken, I allowed it to cook for about another 30 minutes on low to allow the shredded chicken to absorb some of the excess liquid and seasoning (sometimes I skip this additional cooking step). Finally, I added about the rice and cooked on high for 30 minutes. The rice will absorb most of the remaining liquid.

Shredded Mexican Chicken -
Ready to Use

My family is not a fan of beans, so I did not add any beans. However, it would be easy to add beans to the recipe. You can also adjust the spice level for your family's preference.

Tonight we are using it to make quesadillas, my daughter's favorite. However, it is so versatile. We also eat it on soft tacos, nachos, or on a salad - sometimes we each eat it a different way.

Building a Quesadilla

Clean up from subsequent meals is relatively minimal - a pan used to heat the tortillas or quesadillas or a cookie sheet for nachos (actually I usually use a baking mat, or you could use foil).

From today's batch, we had dinner, I filled 6 plastic freezer containers (3c each), and put enough for another dinner into the refrigerator.

Leftovers Cooling Before
Freezing

Gymboree 40% off Deals - Today ONLY

From the time my daughter was 3 until 6.5, Gymboree was our go to store. While they still sell clothes in her size, I'm starting to find that some of the styles are a little young for her.

Disclaimer: I am a Gymboree Affiliate and am compensated for sales through Gymboree links. I appreciate your support of my blog by shopping through my links.

Today only Gymboree is running two great deals. They are offering Today Only at Gymboree.com - 40% Off School Styles For Boys! and Today Only at Gymboree.com - 40% Off New Regular Price Socks, Tights & Underwear!

If you are looking for girls clothes, they are also offering: Shop the Back to School Collection at Gymboree & Save 30%!

Personally, I love their tights for my daughter. Last year she was somewhat between the 5-7 size which were almost too small and the 8-10 size which was too big, so they didn't work well. This year however, the 8-10 should fit well. My daughter did pick out a nice Halloween themed outfit this week: The set is currently 30% off.

Cedar Point Ride Reviews

My daughter has loved rides from a young age starting with local fairs and then at amusement and theme parks for years - Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Sesame Place (Langhorne, PA), Knoebels (Elysburg, PA), Hershey Park (Hershey, PA), Dutch Wonderland (Lancaster, PA), and Universal Studios Orlando & Islands of Adventure.

Even though Cedar Point is only 2 hours from our home in Michigan, we were waiting until our daughter was tall enough for most of the roller coasters since it is the self-proclaimed Roller Coaster Capital. After a successful spring break trip to Orlando where she rode Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and loved it, we knew she was ready for a trip to Cedar Point. At just over 50", she was tall enough for all of the 48" coasters and, with her tallest sneakers, about 1/2" too short for the 52" rides.

Along with our tickets, we had purchased Fast Lane which allowed us to skip the regular line on more than 20 rides and attractions. As Disney World regulars, we are used to their Fast Pass system and had utilized Universal Express at Universal Studios Orlando and Islands of Adventure over Spring Break. We liked the convenience of

When we arrived, my husband and I tried to steer our daughter to the roller coasters, but she started pointing out smaller rides. We started small with Ocean Motion, a pirate ship ride. She really wanted to ride MaXair since she had been on a similar ride in June at Knoebel's. Unfortunately MaXair had a 52" height limit that she just missed. So, we dragged her off to start the roller coaster adventures.

Our first coaster of the day was Corkscrew. Our Fast Lane allowed us to board in a matter of minutes. Corkscrew features 3 inversions including one over the midway - the first coaster to invert over a midway. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster was the only other upside-down coaster that my daughter had ridden and it was in the dark, so we weren't sure how she would feel about Corkscrew. Of course she loved the ride and was ready to dash off to more coasters as soon as it was over. Personally, I found the ride a bit jerky and left with a slight headache. We returned to ride it again after lunch and a third time as our last ride of the night. I skipped the third ride with the excuse of capturing a picture or video from the midway as she crossed it.

After Corkscrew we headed for Iron Dragon, a suspended coaster that sweeps over the Lagoon. Unfortunately this was not on the Fast Lane, so we had to wait for it - only about 20 minutes. The ride was not as fast and had no inversions, but my daughter still liked it. I also found it a lot smoother of a ride than Corkscrew.

Our next mission was to get her on Millennium Force. While it does not have a complete inversion, it is far from a mild ride. When it opened in 2000, it broke records at 310' and 93 MPH. The 310' climb is hastened with the use of an elevator cable lift system instead of they typical roller coaster chain climb. You also have a great view of Lake Erie as you climb the first hill - a great distraction from the upcoming 80º drop. While it does not complete an inversion, there are several overbanked turns where you are just past 90º rotation. Despite the quickened climb and high speeds, Millennium Force is a long ride at 2 min 20 seconds. It features tunnels to and from the parks Adventure Island where we caught quick glimpses of the Dinosaurs Alive exhibit. I enjoyed Millennium Force more than Corkscrew as I felt that it was a smoother ride. Unlike the other coasters that we rode at Cedar Point, you had to place your bags in a locker since it utilizes different loading and unloading zones.


Since it was not a very hot day, we decided to bypass the water rides. In the future if we were staying overnight and also visiting the Soak City water park, I might do the water rides on a day we are planning to visit Soak City and have swimsuits on under our clothes.


We continued our thrill ride exploration before lunch with SkyHawk. SkyHawk is an awesome giant swing ride. It seats 10 people on either side of one of two giant swings that move at speeds up to 60 mph. The day we were there, only one side was operational, but when both sides are operational they move in opposing directions producing a scissor motion. You have the feeling of weightless at the highest points of your arc as you stare down at the ground, almost 125' below. As we waited in line, I captured the video below to give a perspective of the ride.

Again, we all enjoyed it and rode it two different times.

Before lunch we also rode the Cedar Creek Mine Ride which is a mild roller coaster and is the second oldest coaster in the park. It features a helix at the end of the ride. The ride would be a good introduction to thrill coasters.

On Magnum XL-200, we enjoyed a great view of Soak City as the ride travels beyond the bounds of Cedar Point into the area occupied by Soak City. The ride features a 195' drop and a series of camel-back hills. As the first hypercoaster (over 200' in height, complete circuit), it ignited the roller coaster wars with its debut in 1989. We enjoyed this ride, but it was no Millennium Force.

Our next mission was to ride Gemini. We paused to ride Monster which sits below Gemini. While we waited, we noticed that the Gemini train was stopped and witnessed a park employee climb up the stairs to the train. Later I overheard someone say that they had to climb down from the ride. I was afraid that we were going to be out of luck on riding Gemini which upset my daughter because one of her friends had told her all about it.

My daughter really wanted to ride the Kids Bumper Boats and Frog Hopper. She enjoyed it, but she is really outgrowing them as you can see from this bumper boats picture.

Outgrowing Kiddie Rides

The ride we actually waited for the longest was Woodstock Express with over a 30 minute wait since it did not offer FastLane. Woodstock Express is located in Camp Snoopy and is a junior coaster with heights of only 43' and a top speed under 30 miles an hour. The ride has a fairly slow throughput, so while the line did not look that long, it took longer than we expected (especially after sending the 7 year old into line by herself). She said the ride was ok, but was not lining up to ride it again.

By this time, Gemini was operational so we decided to give it a try. As indicated by the Gemini name, it is a twin track coaster. Since the Fast Lane entrance was at the front of the load platform, we were able to secure seats in the first row in opposite trains (my daughter and I in the train on the right and my husband in the train on the left). The row behind us was similarly split across the trains, so there was some "trash-talk" between the trains going on. As we waited, when the trains departed, they were pulling out of the station, coming to a stop and then proceeding together. When we left, our train stopped and my husband's kept going. My daughter was so upset that they were "cheating" and were going to beat us. We had the (tentative) last laugh though, because they stopped as the first few cars started ascending the lift hill. We came around the corner and just kept going all the way through the ride. We were probably 75% done with the ride before my husband's train started moving again. I was beginning to think the ride had broken down again. Fortunately, all was well and we had the last laugh as victors even though they tried to cheat as my daughter said.

We rode Mean Streak which is a wooden coaster. I am not usually a fan of wooden coaster because they are so rough. While Mean Streak had a lot of vibration to it from the wooden coaster, I was surprised that it was not an overly negative experience.

Winning K'nex Roller Coaster

We made a stop at the Town Hall Museum (I think that is what it was called). In the museum they had information on various awards and records that their rides had set. They also had some winning K'nex rides designed and built by students on display. My daughter is fascinated with history and record breaking, so she loved this exhibit. After hearing about all of the record-breaking Cedar Point roller coasters, my daughter wants to research the history of roller coasters to learn more about them. Her first question is "What was the first roller coaster to go upside down and was it an accident?" We have not yet started this research project, but she has some time next week before school returns, so maybe we will do some research.

We ran out of time to ride Blue Streak and a few of the other smaller rides. We also skipped the rides with 52" or 54" height requirements since my daughter could not ride them with us. She was close to the 52", so hopefully next summer she'll be tall enough for the 54" rides. As we left, she insisted on the picture below:

I foresee many years of visiting Cedar Point and also incorporating amusement parks into our vacation plans for my roller coaster fanatic.

Trailer & Poster from Disneynature's Bears

Disneynature is releasing Bears on April 18, 2014. Today, they shared the poster and trailer with me and asked me to share them with my readers. They have also shared details of the See "Bears", Protect Our National Parks program.

With the SEE "BEARS", PROTECT OUR NATIONAL PARKS, Disneynature will make a contribution to National Parks Foundation (the official charity of America's National Parks) through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund.

The official boilerplate on the movie and more about Disneynature:

OFFICIAL BOILERPLATE: In an epic story of breathtaking scale, Disneynature’s new True Life Adventure “Bears” showcases a year in the life of a bear family as two impressionable young cubs are taught life’s most important lessons. Set against a majestic Alaskan backdrop teeming with life, their journey begins as winter comes to an end and the bears emerge from hibernation to face the bitter cold. The world outside is exciting—but risky—as the cubs’ playful descent down the mountain carries with it a looming threat of avalanches. As the season changes from spring to summer, the brown bears must work hard to find food—ultimately feasting at a plentiful salmon run—while staying safe from rival male bears and predators, including an ever-present wolf pack. “Bears” captures the fast-moving action and suspense of life in one of the planet’s last great wildernesses—Alaska! Directed by Alastair Fothergill (“Earth,” “African Cats” and “Chimpanzee”) and Keith Scholey (“African Cats”), “Bears” arrives in theaters April 18, 2014, to celebrate Earth Day. For more information about Disneynature, like us on Facebook: facebook.com/Disneynature and follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/Disneynature.

ABOUT DISNEYNATURE: Disneynature was launched in April 2008. Its mission is to bring the world’s top nature filmmakers together to share a wide variety of wildlife stories on the big screen in order to engage, inspire and educate theatrical audiences everywhere. Walt Disney was a pioneer in wildlife filmmaking, producing 13 True-Life Adventure motion pictures between 1948 and 1960, which earned eight Academy Awards®. The first four Disneynature films, “Earth,” “Oceans,” “African Cats” and “Chimpanzee,” are four of the top five highest overall grossing feature-length nature films to date, with “Chimpanzee” garnering a record-breaking opening weekend for the genre. Disney’s commitment to conservation is a key pillar of the label and Disneynature films empower the audience to help make a difference. Through donations tied to opening-week attendance for all four films, Disneynature, through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, has planted three million trees in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, established 40,000 acres of marine protected area in The Bahamas, protected 65,000 acres of savanna in Kenya, protected nearly 130,000 acres of wild chimpanzee habitat, educated 60,000 school children about chimpanzee conservation and cared for chimpanzees. For more information about Disneynature, like us on Facebook: facebook.com/Disneynature and follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/Disneynature.

Disclaimer: The information provided above was provided by Walt Disney Studios. I have not been compensated for sharing this information with you.

Personalized Disney Books

Last year before Christmas I bought a deal for two personalized Disney Princess books from IdentityDirect that I then customized for my nieces. I was able to include their name, and two friend's names (my daughter and their sister), and a few other details.

Disclaimer: I am an LivingSocial and Identity Direct Affiliate and am compensated for sales through LivingSocial links. I appreciate your support of my blog by shopping through my links.

Now, you can order your own set of books. LivingSocial is offering a deal for 2 IdentityDirect Books for $22 (a $45 value). Once purchased, the deal is available for use until November 21, 2013 (paid value is valid until August 14, 2018) which is good timing for a Christmas present.

You can select from either a "Girls Pack" including "My Adventures with Disney Princess Collection" and "My Adventures with Disney Fairies" or a "Boys Pack" including "My Adventures with Spider-Man" and "My Adventures with Marvel Avengers".

While you have to select either the Girl Pack or Boy Pack, each book can be personalized individually. Each book is 30 full-color pages. Shipping within the continental US is included.

See more personalized gift options such as clocks, placemats, and more on Identity Direct.

Get a Scaredy Squirrel e-Book for FREE

My daughter has learned about the Scaredy Squirrel series of books by Melanie Watt at school. This summer when she finished her summer reading program at the library, she selected a Scaredy Squirrely book as her reward. I tried to dissuade her from the choice since the book is well below her reading level. However, in the end I realized she might as well select it since I certainly wouldn't spend money on the book.

Disclaimer: I am an iTunes Affiliate and Amazon Associate and am compensated for sales through iTunes & Amazon links. I appreciate your support of my blog by shopping through my links.

This week Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach is available as an electronic book for FREE.

The book is available in:

• iBooks for iOS devices
• Kindle Book Store for Kindle devices or in the app on other devices

See other Scaredy Squirrel Books on Kindle or iTunes.

Muppets Most Wanted Teaser Trailer Released

Are you a big Muppets fan? We loved The Muppets when it was released in November 2011. The sequel to The Muppets is coming out in March.

The teaser trailer was just released:


Below is the official movie boilerplate:

Disney’s “Muppets Most Wanted” takes the entire Muppets gang on a global tour, selling out grand theaters in some of Europe’s most exciting destinations, including Berlin, Madrid and London. But mayhem follows the Muppets overseas, as they find themselves unwittingly entangled in an international crime caper headed by Constantine—the World’s Number One Criminal and a dead ringer for Kermit—and his dastardly sidekick Dominic, aka Number Two, portrayed by Ricky Gervais. The film stars Tina Fey as Nadya, a feisty prison guard, and Ty Burrell as Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon. Disney’s “Muppets Most Wanted” is directed by James Bobin and produced by David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman. Bobin co-wrote the screenplay with Nicholas Stoller, who is also executive producer with John G. Scotti. Featuring music from Academy Award®-winning songwriter Bret McKenzie, “Muppets Most Wanted” hits the big screen March 21, 2014. For more information, visit Disney.com/Muppets, like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/Muppets, and follow us on Twitter: Twitter.com/MuppetsStudio.

Disclaimer: I am an Amazon Associate and am compensated for sales through Amazon links. I appreciate your support of my blog by shopping through my links.

Disney Planes Opens Today

Disney's latest movie Planes opens today. We were unable to attend a screening of the movie since we were on vacation in Toronto and Niagara Falls over the past week when the screenings were held.

However, I want to share a few reviews of the movie on blogs that I follow:
Mrs Weber's Neighborhood
Yes/No Films
The Disney Blog

The consensus seems to be that the movie is a little slow to start and that it picks up speed as it goes on. The kids should enjoy the film, so it is worth seeing.


Here is the trailer:

Disney has two online games available:

• FlewTube Website with Videos featuring
• Recipes
• Aerogami
• RC & Model Planes
• Meet the Characters Clips
• More
• Online Game -Propwash Pursuit
• Online Game - Jetstream Racers

Percy Jackson & Sea of Monsters Opens Friday, July 9

Percy Jackson & Sea of Monsters opened in theaters on Wednesday, August 7. The movie is rated PG and is showing in both 3D and 2D.

Check out the trailer below:

Disclaimer: I am an Amazon Associate and am compensated for sales through Amazon links. I appreciate your support of my blog by shopping through my links.

 My daughter hasn't yet seen the previous movie in the series, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief yet, however I think she would really like the series since she likes Harry Potter and superheroes. I think we might wait for her to be able to read the books first.

The series is based on Percy Jackson & the Olympians of books by Rick Riordan.

40% off at Gymboree Today Online Only

Disclaimer: I am a Gymboree Affiliate and am compensated for sales through Gymboree links. I appreciate your support of my blog by shopping through my links.

From the time she was 4 my daughter's wardrobe was almost exclusively from Gymboree until the last year or so. My daughter's preferred clothing item is a dress. I loved that they had a variety of casual dresses that co-ordinated so that the same accessories would match them. Their clothes fit my daughter well and I liked their style. Sadly, she is getting older (and taller) so some of their styles are a bit young for her.

Today (August 8), they are offering 40% off on the newest Kid Girls Styles. The deal is only valid online.

I love the Chevron Stripe Sweater Dress. It would make a great first day of school outfit. Unfortunately it is not available in a size larger than a 6 and my daughter needs a 9 or 10. It is a shame because it is a really cute style and appropriate for an older child.

When she was in preschool and kindergarten, I would have been ordering the Sequin Flower Stripe Dress. However, I find it a little young looking for her now in 2nd grade.

If you are looking for something other than Kid Girl or want to buy already discounted items, through August 14 they are offering 30% off all regularly priced items and 20% off of already discounted items.

Gymboree offers FREE Shipping on orders over $75. You can also do returns in the store.

Thor: The Dark World Poster Released

Our family is big fans of the Avengers movies that have been released. We just finished watching the last of the movies with our daughter. She is now looking forward to the Phase 2 movies which started with The Avengers and continue with Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Avengers 2.

Earlier this week my husband and I were watching Disney XD (Pirates of the Caribbean was on) and at the breaks they had a Fandom segment that discussed Phase 2 of the Avengers films. One film we had not seen confirmed prior to this was Ant-Man which is now scheduled for 2015. My daughter loves Ant-Man (and Wasp) who she learned about in the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes cartoon that previously aired on Disney XD. She was very excited to hear that they are making Ant-Man.

Disclaimer: Information and Images below was provided by Walt Disney Studios for me to share with my readers. I have not been compensated for sharing this information.

Walt Disney Studios has released the new poster for Thor: The Dark World.



The official movie boilerplate is below:

Marvel’s "Thor: The Dark World" continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel’s "Thor" and "Marvel’s The Avengers," Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos...but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.


Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano and Jaimie Alexander with Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” is directed by Alan Taylor, produced by Kevin Feige, p.g.a., from a story by Don Payne and Robert Rodat and screenplay by Christopher L. Yost and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, and is based on Marvel’s classic Super Hero Thor, who first appeared in the comic book “Journey into Mystery “ #83 in August, 1962.


“Thor: The Dark World” is presented by Marvel Studios. The executive producers are Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Craig Kyle, Alan Fine, Nigel Gostelow and Stan Lee. The film releases November 8, 2013, and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

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Lowe's Build & Grow Workshops with Disney Planes

Lowe's offers Build & Grow workshops for kids. The events are typically held twice a month on Saturdays from 10a-noon. This August they will be having two weekends of Disney Planes themed projects with sessions on both Saturday and Sunday. Don't forget to check out the Planes Trailer.

On Saturday, August 10 at 10a and Sunday, August 11 at 2p, kids can create Dust from Planes in celebration of the August 9 release of Planes. Advance registration for this event is now available on the Lowe's Build and Grow website. (And as normal, the store nearest me is already booked for both days...although the one across town is available).

Later in August, kids can build El Chupacabra on Saturday, August 24 at 10a and Sunday, August 25 at 2p.

I took my daughter to a Lowe's Build and Grow workshop last spring and she had a really great time. We would have attended again except the location near our house books up quickly so I often don't know our schedule before it fills up.

Michaels Kids Club August Events

Michaels offers Kids Club events in their stores on Saturday mornings from 10a-noon with half hour sessions starting every 30 minutes from 10a until 11:30a. Classes cost $2. Parents are free to shop in the store during class, but need to remain in the store. Periodically they also offer Free Family Craft Events (these may replace Kids Club events on select Saturdays. The Free Family Craft events are free and are for parents to do with their child.

Unless otherwise specified the events listed below are the Kids Club events which cost $2.

Saturday, August 3 is a Handy Growth Chart.

Saturday, August 10 is a FREE Family Craft event from 10a-noon. You will create a Creativity Can.

Saturday, August 17 is a Bookmark.

Saturday August 24 is Duck Tape® Book Cover.

Celebrate Grandparents Day on Saturday, August 31.

Images taken from the Michaels Kids Club site. Event listings are correct to the best of my ability at the time that they are listed. Events may change after publication. Please verify that your local store is participating before planning to attend.