Behind the Movie War Horse: Interview with Emily Watson

Emily Watson, English actor was asked to play the role of Rose Narracott in the movie War Horse. Before she considers any role she looks at her children’s schedule. Is there a holiday, she considers how long she’s going to be gone and where she’s going,  how far away will she be from her family. She said when here children were younger it was easier because she could keep them with her but now has to leave them in school. In fact, she missed the first day of shooting War Horse so she could be home for the first day of school. I can’t blame her, I would want to be home for that too.

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She said she just loved the scenery of where the movie was filmed. She said they filmed in the most beautiful part of England. “It’s in the southwest, in the county of Devon which is very fecund and rich and it’s a real,  very traditional …..in the middle of it is this moorland called Dartmore where you can stand on it and you are not be able to see any sign of human habitation whatsoever. With these ancient outcrops of rock so that, that was pretty special to be there.”

Emily felt the movie was filmed beautifully and as an anti-war film you really get the idea that that particular war was pointless. 4 years of carnage and so much loss of life and a terrible miss treatment of animals. Steven Spielberg captured all of that beautifully without making you watch all of the carnage.

"WAR HORSE"..DM-D16-0176R..Director Steven Spielberg explains his next shot to David Kross on the set of DreamWorks PicturesÕ ÒWar HorseÓ, an epic adventure set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War...Ph: David Appleby..©DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC. ÊAll Rights Reserved.

Emily was also asked about how she liked working with Steven Spielberg. She described him as a director with a lot of experience, “a lot of incredible technical feats and he’s a great action director, but he’s still very focused on performance.” And I have to say that everyone’s performance in War Horse made it an amazing and educational movie to experience.

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Because of how important being a mother is to Emily Watson, I really loved Emily. I asked her what advice she would give to other mothers and she said that mother’s shouldn’t be so hard on themselves. Being a mother is hard. As a mother you have to make sure that you take a break and get some sleep. I felt like she was speaking directly to me. I’m always second guessing myself and worrying that I’m doing it wrong. From one mother to a mother, just let it go and move on. Believe you are a good successful mom providing for your family.

A little bit About Emily Watson:

Watson’s status as a leading actress in major Hollywood productions was cemented in 2002 with her roles in Red Dragon (2002), the third installment of Thomas Harris’ Hannibal Lechter series; the futuristic Equilibrium (2002); and, most notably, in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love (2002), playing opposite Adam Sandler. While returning to the stage in 2002 and 2003 on both sides of the Atlantic, Watson has expressed interest in again working with Anderson. Emily Watson lives in London, England, UK, with her husband, Jack Waters.

All travel and expenses were covered by Disney and DreamWorks.

A Compact PC: The Sony VAIO Y Computer Review

By: Ashley

For the past few months my current laptop has been in a gradual decline. Things have slowed down, it has to be restarted more often, programs have “errors”… all those lovely signs that signify the end of days for a laptop. I’ve been trying to figure out what to do next though. Since I’m starting to do a little more traveling, and often take my computer to meetings, out to coffee, etc. I was really looking into a mini-laptop. I just wasn’t sure how I would handle the smaller keyboard and screen. Well, thanks to Sony, I’ve been able to test out a Sony Vaio Y Series laptop. Now, keep in mind that I am NOT a techy person. This review will be as tech-knowledgeable as I can make it, but forgive any obvious mistakes in lingo.

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From the moment I opened it up, I was in love. Yes, I know this will sound pretty lame, but the cute pink cover was one of the first things I loved. It just adds a nice personal touch to something as everyday as a computer. Sony Y 1

Anyway, the Sony Vaio Y Series has a TON of amazing features. Here are the super techy features!

Sony VAIO Y Specifications:

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Camera: Built-in MOTION EYE® camera and microphone
AMD® Dual-Core Processor E-350
Speed: 1.60GHz
Dual Core Technology
Installed: 4GB (2GB x 2)Memory
Type/Speed: DDR3-1066MHz
Max. Memory: 4GB
Sound System: Intel® High Definition Audio
11.6" Screen
Resolution: 1366 x 768
Back Light Technology: LED
Graphics Processor: AMD Mobility
Radeon™ HD 6310 Graphics
Weight: 3.23 lbs. (with Standard Capacity Battery)
Measurements: 11.42” (W) x 0.99” – 1.25” (H) x 7.99” (D)

I do know that this laptop is super lightweight and portable. It’s small in size and weight. I can also say that I absolutely LOVE the battery life on the computer. I have never had it run out on me while working. As far as the size of the keyboard and screen goes, it does take a little getting used to, but I’ve adjusted pretty quickly and now prefer using the tiny compact version as opposed to my normal 15” laptop.

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If you’re computer shopping and trying to decide what’s best for you, the Sony Vaio Y Series is a great option for Moms (or anyone) on the go!

More Technical Specs:

It’s powered by a dual-core AMD E-450 accelerated processor (APU), which combines a CPU and a graphics processing unit (GPU) on a single chip, helping to accelerate daily applications while also delivering lower power consumption. The APU can quickly offload demanding tasks and applications from your CPU to the GPU, enabling you to do more with your computer in less time.

You can connect this VAIO to a compatible HDTV via the HDMI port to display your creations to a larger audience via a single cable. It also includes Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking (802.11n), which offers ultra-fast speeds, wider range, and compatibility with 802.11b/g networks as well. And the integrated camera with face-tracking technology and microphone makes it easy to video chat with family, friends, and co-workers.

The 11.6-inch LED backlit widescreen display Sony Vaio laptop offers lower power consumption for improved battery life while providing incredibly high brightness levels that amplify colors and deliver clear, crisp picture quality to bring your movies and pictures to life–even spreadsheets will look amazing. It’s only 3.23 pounds.

Disclosure – A product was provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the writing of this review; however, opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

About Ashley:

Ashley has a background in teaching Kindergarten and working with children K through 8th grade. She is now a SAHM and President of our local MOMS Club chapter. She writes her own blog at Momicles.

EIGHT Tips For Brewing Up The Perfect Celebration Eight O’Clock Coffee

Eight O’Clock Coffee has been celebrating the holidays with American families for over 150 years, and this year they want to make sure that they are included in your family’s holiday traditions. Available in 11 different delicious varieties, Eight O’Clock has some tips to share with your readers on how to alleviate some of the stresses of holiday entertaining.

EIGHT tips for brewing up the perfect celebration:

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1. Be your own ‘brewista’. Create a coffee house vibe and offer guests tasty toppings like cinnamon, cocoa, nutmeg, ginger and flavored creamers.

2. Coffee can be enjoyed any time. Break tradition – hosts don’t have to wait until the end of the meal to begin brewing. Welcome guests to a warm, cozy home filled with the fragrant aroma of coffee. Visitors won’t be able to resist a cup the minute they remove their coats.

3. Open before the holidays. Don’t wait until the night of your soiree to unveil that brand new French press. Play it safe and test out new coffee makers and brewing gadgets long before company comes.

4. Create delicious dessert dishes using coffee ingredients. Create chocolate and coffee-flavored cupcakes, a coffee crumb bunt cake or a batch of coffee brownies and perfectly pair with a cup of your favorite coffee.

5. Coffee to go. Stock up on holiday-themed to go cups with lids and send guests home with a fresh cup of Eight O’Clock Coffee for the road – a must for visitors with a long ride ahead.

6. Don’t forget the decaffeinated. Make sure you have options – be prepared for caffeine-conscious guests.

7. Coffee for large parties. If brewing coffee in a high-capacity urn, consider storing and serving coffee in carafes after brewing. Carafes keep coffee hot and fresh, while urns may “burn” your brew over time.   

8. BYOC – be unique and bring coffee. While most partygoers bring wine, you’ll be as distinct and tasteful as your gift of Eight O’Clock Coffee.

This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winner, Michael.

All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Sears Craftsman NEXTEC 12.0 Volt Right Angle Impact Driver

Craftsman Tools they last they work they are heavy duty. In Particular the Craftsman Right Angle Impact Driver is awesome. This is one of the tools I used back in March when I was in Chicago working with Craftsman. It’s powerful and quite easy to use.

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NEXTEC 12.0 Volt Right Angle Impact Driver Compact and powerful, the right angle design is ideal for getting into tight spaces and handling the tough tasks that your everyday drill can’t reach or handle. This powerful impact driver delivers more torque and works faster than “full sized” 18 Volt drills. The innovative impact mechanism absorbs the twisting action associated with most other drills and applies it to the work piece so your hand doesn’t twist with the tool.

We’re going to be giving one of these away here at MomStart in Celebration of Green Monday. WOOT! Sears will be hosting huge deals today at Sears.com. Today and Tomorrow Tuesday (12/12 and 11/13) they will be having a huge Green Monday sale. The sale event will be comparable to “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” in terms of breadth of product offers as well as depth of deals. 

These offers will also be available and are stackable:

1.       Free Shipping – $99 threshold, use code: REALJOY (some exclusions apply)

2.       Coupon Book – Must be a Shop Your Way Rewards Bonus Member

3.       Save More Green Deals – available on the Hot Deals Page and on Sears.com 12/11 (4 p.m. CT)- 12/13 at 11:59 CT

4.       Sears Card – 5% back when you use your Sears Card (some exclusions apply)

5.       Shop Your Way Rewards – Earn points that can be redeemed later as cash to buy items at Sears (must be a member). Members also gain access to additional deals and other opportunities throughout the year.

 

This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winner, Stacey Sanchez.

All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

I’m a Sears Ambassador. This is not part of the compensated posts.

Sears Green Monday Sale

I spent the whole afternoon shopping this afternoon and love how there are so many different sales and sales on top of sales. It’s fabulous. And Sears is just as fabulous as anyone else if not even better than. One you must know that you can bring in any ad and they will price match right? Plus many different things on top of that like the coupon book, and REALJOY in the store and on-line for free shipping and extra savings on particular items.

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On Monday December 12th and Tuesday December 13th Sears is having a huge Green Monday sale. What’s a green Monday Sale? The Green Monday Sale will be comparable to “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” in terms of the huge variety of product offers as well as depth of deals. Why Green? Because you’re going to save so much money you’ll have more green leftover. The Page will start at 4 PM CT on Sunday December 12th with shoppable deals and will remain open until 11:59 Central on 12/13.

sears shopping

Do you have a  Sears Card? Get 5% back when you use your Sears Card (some exclusions apply)

Use the Shop Your Way Rewards. Earn points that can be redeemed later as cash to buy items at Sears (must be a member). Members also gain access to additional deals and other opportunities throughout the year. If you want more information on that just check out my last Sears post.

Don’t forget to check out The Shopping Challenge is a Sweepstakes on Sear’s Facebook Page that is designed to promote the Real Joy Guaranteed promises, as well as feature discussion/engagement about Holiday Shopping.

You can also get Free Shipping on orders $99 and more, just use code: REALJOY (some exclusions apply).

This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winner, Ashley H.

All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Disney’s Winnie The Pooh Book Review

By Summer,

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Which came first, the book or the movie?

The new Winnie the Pooh animated feature, now also has a book which follows the adventures of the Hundred-Acre Wood gang. Though you can now get the book, the feature did have a theatrical release as well as a DVD release all happening this year. Sure you may have other Pooh related memorabilia, but you should also add this book to your collection. The title is Disney’s Winnie the Pooh A Hundred-Acre Treasury.

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To address my original line on this post, in this case the book was released (May 2011) before the movie (July 2011), however tomAto – toMato. HA! I do believe, however, the movie came first in more of a story form as the book was adapted by Lisa Ann Marsoli.

The book is divided into three sections – Something Is Missing!; Tails, Tricks, and Traps; and Lost and Found – which are each 38 pages long:

* In Something Is Missing! all the Hundred-Acre Wood friends learn of Eeyore’s missing tail and begin to devise a plan for recover or replace it, and the prize will be a pot of honey.
* Tails, Tricks, and Traps has Eeyore trying on all of the tails his friends have brought to help win the honey pot prize. A tail is picked as Eeyore’s replacement but it all begins to unravel, and this misadventure lands Pooh at Christopher Robin’s doorstep and a note which becomes misinterpreted by Owl to say that Christopher Robin has been kidnapped by a Backson, which is a horrible, terrifying monster. So the gang has to rescue Christopher Robin, and they have a plan! Also, since Eeroye’s tail is missing again Tigger tries totiggerize” him.
* Lost and Found has all the friends trapped inside their own Backson trap! All except Christopher Robin, of course, and Tigger who is actually dressed like a Backson on accident. Though Piglet manages to escape the hole, he and Tigger find their way back into the pit. Yet, all the friends do get out and Christopher Robin “magically” appears because he was just supposed to be “back soon” not kidnapped by a Backson. And what do you know, Eeroye’s tail was just hanging out all along.

Disney’s Winnie the Pooh A Hundred-Acre Wood Treasury is a great way for your children to keep “re-playing” the movie when they’re not having screen time. My 2YO loves to look through this book all the time (see him sleeping with it on his lap). My 4YO will sit with me and read the entire book in one sitting; great bonding time. I loved the movie and I love the book.

My Mom Start Review Grade of Disney’s Winnie the Pooh A Hundred-Acre Wood Treasury Book: A+

As I’m writing this, Amazon only has 11 copies left at the price of only $10.87.

Lastly, we’d like to thank Disney and their PR company for providing an extra copy of Disney’s Winnie the Pooh A Hundred-Acre Wood Treasury to be given to a local school in need as a literacy donation.

Fluffy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies Recipe

We’ve been doing a lot of baking, and I haven’t had time to share all of our wonderful recipes with you guys. I hope you guys haven’t missed the recipes too much, but in case you have I’m going to try and get back into posting the recipes. Here is one we tried back in October.

Fluffy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies Recipe

 

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Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 (16 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

Next add the pumpkin, oil, eggs, milk and vanilla.

Mix the mixture on medium speed until well mixed.

Then stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoonful onto greased baking sheets.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 13-14 minutes or until edges just begin to brown.

Cool for 2 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Prima Princessa Presents the Nutcracker DVD Review

By Emily

I remember the day I decided I wanted to become a ballerina when I grew up. I was eight years old and I was watching my first live performance of the Nutcracker. Although this aspiration was eventually outweighed by others (baker, veterinarian, trapeze artist) that childhood dream returns when I hear the sounds of Tchaikovsky’s songs from the Nutcracker. Now a mother of two little girls, I enjoy sharing this delightful story with them each holiday season. Someday we will splurge and see the fancy ballet performance in the big city, but for now, our family enjoys listening to the songs and stories of the Nutcracker from the comfort of home.

A wonderful way for any young child to discover the delights of the Nutcracker at home is with the “Prima Princessa Presents the Nutcracker” DVD. This is not your ordinary holiday movie, but a Parent’s Choice Award-winning program that teaches and encourages children to dance along. The movie stars a cartoon fairy ballerina, Prima Princessa, who take a takes a group of pre-school children on a magical Christmas journey to see a live performance of "The Nutcracker" performed by England’s world famous Birmingham Royal Ballet. Prima Princessa delightfully narrates the story so children can understand the plot. Between acts the children get up and dance, learning simple ballet steps from actual students of The School of American Ballet, the official academy of the New York City Ballet.

Nutcracker_Kids_Ballet_DVD[1]My daughters have always loved dancing to the songs from the Nutcracker and while watching this DVD they couldn’t stop twirling along with the professional dancers. The ballet “lessons” made my girls feel like they were a part of the fun.

As for additional fun included with this DVD, there is a Holiday party with cookie and gingerbread house decorating, Christmas crafting, and Holiday Freeze Dancing (our favorite!).

You can also visit Prima Princessa for some extra goodies including a ballet dictionary, coloring pages, games and activities. We’ve printed these coloring pages out to add as bedroom decorations and I’ve also stashed some in my purse for when we are out running all those extra holiday errands.Princess coloring page

After visiting the Prima Princessa website, I was pleased to see that there are other videos in this line. Seeing how much my family like the Nutcracker DVD, we’ve purchased the Sleeping Beauty DVD to open on Christmas morning.

Prima Princessa DVD’s can be purchased at Amazon.com for $6.99.

Public Television Stations Nationwide are airing "Prima Princessa Presents the Nutcracker" this Holiday Season 2011. Check your local listings for more information.

Disclosure – These products were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the writing of this review; however, opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

About Emily:

Emily is also very active in the local MOMS CLUB. She raises chickens and has 2 shih tzus. Her daughter Caitlyn attends Montessori school and she hates housecleaning, loves wine and enjoys dining out. She would love to find a cure for the depression and anxiety she has dealt with on and off over the past 10 years, just like me. She is an amazing mom and friend.

How Do You Use A Q-Tip

I’m quite excited to share the debut of the official Q-tips® brand Facebook page, as well as the launch of NEW Q-tips® Precision Tips™ products with you. Designed with pointed cotton tips, perfect for tasks requiring a little more precision like painting with water colors.

Whether you choose to moisten a Q-tips® cotton swab with warm water to clean your child’s outer ear, nose, folds of the neck or between toes, or clean around a scratch or scrape on a little one’s knee with a Q-tips® Precision Tip™, these tools are soft, safe and gentle for every day use.

How do you use Q-tips®? I used them to clean my ears, clean the bathroom, remove nail polish, and just clean really small areas. However, we use them for fun too. Q-tips should be added to your arts and crafts supply box ASAP. The robots we made a few months ago, could have had extra spiky white hair with the addition of Q-tips

My ALL TIME FAVORITE: Miles made a skeleton at school: Remember Miles is 3 and he did this by himself.

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TELL US! How do you use Q-tips.

This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winner, Lee.

All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Two Christmas Book Recommendations Disney’s A Magical Christmas and Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and Their New Skates

BY Summer,

One of my favorite things about Christmas is traditions! We’re currently still building our family’s traditions, like our 2YO and 4YO have a child’s tree surrounded in books instead of presents. A friend shared this tradition with us and we have a Christmas story collection of all sorts of books. We just added two new titles: Disney’s A Magical Christmas and Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and Their New Skates.

Disney’s A Magical Christmas – This is a NEW book from Disney to help celebrate Christmas. A Magical Christmas is designed for ages 3-7. Disney’s A Magical Christmas is a 16 page book that contains thick, board book like, pages; each 2 page spread has a new poem, new movie picture with your child’s favorite characters, and a lenticular with two different holiday scenes. Within the pages of Disney’s A Magical Christmas you’ll find the movies Cars, Lady and the Tramp, Finding Nemo, Mickey’s One Upon A Christmas, Little Mermaid, Mickey’s Christmas Carol, Wall-E, and Beauty and the Beast.

My two boys love this new addition to their library. They love to play with the lenticulars from the front cover to the last page. The lenticulars were what actually attracted me to this book as well. However I feel their ages aren’t correct (3-7YO), my guess on the ages is so that younger children doesn’t pull off the lenticular switching picture patches.A Book Tree

 

Thank you also to Disney and their PR company for sending an extra copy for donation to a local school that could use some extra help. Don’t forget to give when you can.

My Mom Start Review Grade of Disney’s A Magical Christmas Book: A-

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Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and Their New Skates – This is a reprint of a 1950’s favorite. I know the names are different, but that’s because this book is from Swedish author Maj Lindman. My version has paper dolls of the girls, their staking outfits and their dog, Mike. This is great for some kids, but mine could care less about the paper dolls, BUT they did enjoy the book. My 4YO found it very engaging! Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and Their New Skates is a book with real problems that have real solutions.

SPOILER ALERT: In this book the girls visit their aunt and uncle who live by a lake. They have new ice skates and on the ice they meet a little boy, Bertie, who gets himself into trouble by falling through thin ice. The triplets save the Bertie; as a thank you gift Bertie’s family treats the girls to a cocoa and the following day a new doll to each girl and a bone for Mike.

Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and Their New Skates book is so cute and takes me back to my love for Christmas movie classics like “White Christmas”. Though this book is fiction, it could be non-fiction and I like discussing the book with my 4YO. I’ve discussed with him: how the girls only get one gift each, How simply their tree is decorated in the illustration, also they have candles on their tree and we talk about why we don’t have candles on out tree and what we have instead, how they are approved by an adult to go out on an iced lake and why, we talked about the harmony between the siblings and his own sibling relationship with his 2YO brother, what he thinks Bertie might do in the story, what he thinks the girl should do when Bertie is on the thin ice, what should the girls do when Bertie is in the water with Mike, does he think the triples did the right thing to help Bertie, and why it’s important to be thankful. Help your little ones think critically through books too; this not only increases your child’s though processes but helps further literacy AND writing skills.

Other Flick, Ricka, Dicka books include: and The Big Red Hen, and The Little Dog, and The New Dotted Dresses, and The Strawberries, and The Three Kittens, and Their New Friend, Go To The Market, Bake a Cake and more.

Though my 2YO will listen to Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and Their New Skates, my 4YO is the one who gets it. We all have been enjoying this adventure of Flicka, Ricka, and Dicka getting skates and learning about ice.

My Mom Start Review Grade of Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and Their New Skates Book: A+

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