Dolphin Tale 2- Review

Have you heard the buzz?  Dolphin Tale 2 is getting ready to be released by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on December 9th on Blu-ray combo pack, DVD and Digital HD in stores across the country.  ($35.99) Pretty exciting stuff for the millions of fans that fell in love with the famous dolphin, Winter, from Dolphin Tale!

 If you are one of the few like me that have not see Dolphin Tale, let me catch you up a bit.  (Lucky for you, my kids have seen it!)  Clearwater Marine Aquarium  is a true to life facility dedicated to the rescue, rehab and release of injured marine life.  Winter, the feature dolphin, came to the facility severely injured and eventually had to have her tale amputated.  While fictitious in some ways, the movie tells the story of how she was rescued and then rehabilitated with the help of a prosthetic tail.

The movie became an instant hit and inspired people all over the world, not only for animal rehab, but for people who had lost limbs as well.  Winter became a symbol of strength and determination, and she inspired amputees to live life to the fullest.  A special webcam was even set up so people could watch Winter from their own home.

Enter Dolphin Tale 2!  In it, Winter has lost her companion, Panama, and has lost interest in food and socialization.  Because of laws meant to protect dolphins, if she does not find another compatible dolphin to reside with, she is at risk of being moved to a different facility.  That's where Hope comes in!

Hope is a tiny female dolphin that was rescued by Clearwater Marine Aquarium much as Winter was.  Their story is one that will have you cheering and wanting to visit them!  So sweet!

One of the first things that stood out to me about this movie was that while a sequel of sorts, you can watch it without ever having seen Dolphin Tale.  Not that I would recommend it, of course!  But is is possible.  It may take you a few minutes to figure out how some of the characters fit together, but you will be able to follow the story well.

The second thing I loved about this movie it that it truly is family friendly.  We are pretty strict about our movie choices here and this one passed with flying colors.  Ages 7 to adult watched and we all loved it!

The last thing that stood out to me was that this is a movie that shows compassion played out as well as the acceptance of others.  In the movie, as well as in the special features that shows live footage, amputees are a natural, yet powerful part of the story.  I would imagine that, especially for younger kids, seeing someone "like" them would be reassuring and inspiring.

All of the original cast returned for this sequel, to the delight of those that loved them in the first movie, and a special appearance is made by surfer Bethany Hamilton.

“Dolphin Tale 2” Blu-ray Combo Pack contains the following special features:

·         Dolphin Tale 2: Underwater Magic Dolphin Tale 2: True Story

·         Look Who's Running The Show

·         Bethany Hamilton Meets Winter

·         Dolphin Tale 2: The Mission

·         Cozi Zuehlsdorff - "Brave Souls"

·         Gavin DeGraw - "You Got Me"

·         Blooper Reel

Good music, good theme, and two dolphins that will capture your heart.  It is no wonder that the release of Dolphin Tale 2 on DVD is so eagerly awaited!  This would make a great addition to your Christmas List for friends and family!

You can find Dolphin Tale 2 on Facebook!

Clued In Kids- TOS Crew Review

Everyone loves a treasure hunt, right?  That's pretty much the premise of Clued In Kids! This cool little company has figured that out and made it easy for parents and educators to do treasure hunts of all kinds with minimal effort.  I LOVE the minimal effort part.

First you pick a theme.  There are many to choose from so whether planning a birthday party, a holiday themed party, or just a rainy day activity, you will be able to find one that suits your needs.  From fairies to pirates to Easter, Clued In Kids has you covered.  Since our oldest has had to become wheat free we decided to try the Gluten-Free Treasure Hunt  ($5.99) and then added the Winter Treasure Hunt  ($5.99) for fun.  All of the treasure hunts are recommended for kids as young as 4, but can be modified to fit older kids as well. Next you just print out the clues and you are ready to go (some of the treasure hunts are available as a physical product). At the bottom of each clue is the location of where you are to hide it.  Places include your closet, your bathroom and your refrigerator.  Once you have hidden the clues you hand the child or children the first clue and off they go.  Solving clues involves filling in puzzles, looking for hidden pictures, and unscrambling words.  Each solved puzzle then sends the children to the next clue.  Of course, at the end of the hunt is a hidden treasure- your choice, of course!

Fun and easy!  My kind of activity.
Let me tell you about our experience.  We actually decided to do the Winter Hunt first.  Because I am in charge of game night occasionally for a young church group, I decided this would be a fun activity to do with the group.  We have readers and non-readers in the group, so I emphasized we were a team and needed to work together.   Older kids read the clues and we tried to let the younger ones lead us to the next space.  Tried, being the operative word, of course. ;)  I also had to modify a few of the clues a little as we were in a church setting and not a house.  The washing machine became the dishwasher and I had to "plant" a pair of shoes with one of the clues in it.  Even with these modifications, the hunt was fairly easy to set up and just took a few extra minutes to change up.  I taped the modified clue over the original one. And prizes, everyone loves prizes.  We bought glow sticks from the Dollar Store and the kids seemed thrilled.  Remember, it is not about the end result as much as it is the thrill of the hunt!

As for the Gluten Free hunt, which was created in response to a life threatening health issue with the creator and her daughter, we chose to do this one in our home with my two younger kids.  The older, age 12, did not have nearly as much fun as our church group, but my 7 year old loved it.  The theme was not nearly as exciting I think, but it was informational.  If you have a child with a newly modified diet this could be a good way to help them learn information in a less threatening and scary way.  I did find that the information presented on what gluten was and how it affected one's diet seemed a little weighty for the younger kids that would appreciate a treasure hunt, but on the other hand, kids often surprise us with what they can learn and understand!  Oh, and the treasure?  Gluten free s'mores, of course! ;)

If you are looking for a fun, inexpensive way to entertain your kids, look no further.  Clued in Kids has all you need for a treasure hunt sure to thrill your kids in a form sure to make it easy for you to do so!  Enjoy! You can find Clued In Kids on social media as well-  Twitter: @cluedinkids Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cluedinkids Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/cluedinkids/ 

Ordering is easy!  For $5.99, you can choose between a variety of themes to download! If you sign up for the newsletter, you will get access to a FREE treasure hunt!  

Storin' Up

The Simple Life

Who named it that?  Because quite frankly there is nothing simple about living off the land.

My kids have taken to calling me a squirrel lately.  And not because I am easily distracted these days, though that may be true.  But because they think it is funny that I am storing up for the winter.

Why?

Because I can.  And because it saves money.  And because I love fresh food in the winter. And because I am perfectly happy to stay inside all winter long, snuggling with my kiddos and reading a book.  And watching the snow fall.

Seriously!



And so I have dehydrated hash browns

and canned potatoes

Frozen squash

and pumpkin (at .50 per two-cup bag!)

 and apple pie filling and applesauce

and tomato sauce.

And help process 60 some chickens for the freezer.

The processing crew!

and a cow is on the calendar!

For the record, when the de-feathering machine stops working, I go on strike until someone fixes it.  I am not a hand plucking kind of gal!  Which is why it is always good to have an engineering student helping with the process who knows how to fix things!.

So while he did all of this...

The old(er) men mostly watched supervised! ;)

And in case you think the girls did not do much, proof- of a little work and a little fun too!

Next on the list of things to do- elderberry syrup!  We have used it in the past and swear by it for staying healthy!

Now, if I could just find a way to stock up on chocolate! ;)  Lots and lots of chocolate.  I think I am going to need it!

Blessings,

Remembering February

OK, I know the month is not quite over, but I have a busy week of two great reviews for you coming up so I want to do our school month review today.

Has February been hard for anyone else?  Please tell me it isn't just me.  I love the cold and snow, really I do, but it seems that February has been a rough month.  Weather-wise and school-wise.  I have been so antsy I started buying curriculum for next year -like we need new curriculum- and we seem to start school later and later each week.  I assure you we are still getting it done, but well, let's just say some days we end pretty late.  We are regrouping this week and taking a few steps to shake up our days a little.  That is a post to come, promise!

Until then, here are a few things we have managed to get accomplished.

Learning to play the piano!  This is with a review I will be posting on Wednesday.  We have enjoyed Kinderbach immensely!

Science in the kitchen!  I cannot even remember where he found out about volcanoes, but he was determined to make one.   Any homeschooling mommas out there recognize the Saxon fact cards?  Ashton laminated them and made a tote bag out of them!  Now it holds all of our playdough. Recycling at its best!

I told you I would get her in this month's pictures!  This is my piano queen!  She is also taking voice lessons and so excited about participating in a drama camp this summer.   Of course, while she is gone for a week, my blog may need some serious help.

Snowman, anyone? Oh my word!  Is this not the cutest?  My in-laws brought it to us when they came to visit last month.  Apparently they did not think we had had enough snow fun.  Haha!  You build a snowman with this and then watch him melt.  I will not even be honest enough to tell you have many times a day we do this silly thing.  It is hysterical to watch!  (Some days this is exactly how I feel, I think!)

 See?  Snow!  Plenty, thank you!

And as if my house is not loud enough, my two girls have turned into a singing duo.  To each other, to their brothers, to anyone that will listen.  Even when we do not want to listen!  Luckily they sound pretty good and are at the very least entertaining.  They do crack me up!

I am sure we have done more, and I know there are a few more pictures floating around that I cannot seem to locate at the moment.  After being sick on the couch for over a week, you are lucky you did not get pictures of chicken noodle soup and blankets.  It was that bad!

Praying March is a brighter month for you and for us!

Blessings, 

Winter Rest

Winter is a time for God's creation to rest and repair.

Don't you love that?  I found that quote in one of my 5 year old's science books and it struck a chord with me.  Maybe that is why winter is my favorite season.  I do, after all, sometimes need to rest and repair.  How about you?

Do you need rest-

from saying YES to everything and everyone

from the hustle and bustle of your family's endless activities

from the hurtful words of one who forgot to be kind

from an addiction that you cannot seem to conquer

from the lies you allow Satan to speak to your heart

from a hurting world

from a job that seems thankless

from friends who take more than they give

from facebook, twitter and yes, even bloggers

Oh friends, there is so much out there that we sometimes just need rest from.  I pray that in the upcoming month as we celebrate our Savior's birth you will allow winter and the One who created it to be a place of rest for you.