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Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Series

November 26, 2011 by Momstart 2 Comments

I’ve been waiting for Doctor Who The Complete Sixth Series to come out after being teased with only the first half of the series. I had to know what happened to River and wow, the series is getting interesting. In the first half of the Series Dr. Who was killed, but we didn’t know who did it they were wearing a space suit. Now as I was watching that episode we found out that there was a little girl a space suit back in 1969, I think was the year. That girl was River, but I never once thought it was the same spacesuit, but now it makes sense why the doctor would send them there. Are you confused yet?

Doctor Who has a way of confusing you into enjoying what you’re watching. On November 22^nd, Whovians can join The Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) and Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) as they make their triumphant return in a season filled with fresh thrills, new monsters and pulse-pounding adventures. Plentiful extras include a 60-minute Christmas Special; Doctor Who Confidential, an inside look at each episode; audio commentary; trailers and more.

Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Series is excellent. I think when I reviewed the first half of Doctor Who The Complete Sixth Series I said that I miss David Tennant, well, I’m over it. Matt Smith is a really good Doctor Who. I’m really interested to see how it ends and if they are planning on ending the series all together or if the Doctor finds a way to save his own life even if it creates the biggest time paradox ever. Did River really kill The Doctor? Does she even know who she killed. I need Spoilers people!

Doctor Who Sixth Series Episode Clips:

Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Series Trailer:
Doctor Who: Series Six "Day of the Moon" — My Past Is His Future:
Doctor Who: Series Six “Let’s Kill Hitler” – Mel Regenerates:
Doctor Who: Series Six “The Girl Who Waited” – Two Amy’s:
Doctor Who: Series Six Insider – A Companion Story:
Doctor Who: Series Six Insider – “The Doctor’s Wife”:
Doctor Who: Series Six Insider – “The Girl Who Waited”:
Doctor Who: Series Six – Monsters – The Silence:

We received samples from BBC America.

10 Reasons Why I Love Doctor Who Series 6 Part 1 and Waiting for Part 2

July 29, 2011 by Momstart 10 Comments

It was just a few weeks ago, I was in my hotel room on one of my blogging trips watching TV and got to see an episode of Doctor Who Series 5, but at the time I didn’t realize what series I was watching and I didn’t care. I was just so excited to be watching Doctor Who on TV. Since we don’t have cable we watch everything as it comes out on DVD and we haven’t purchased Dr. Who Series 5 yet, not having seen Matt Smith play the role yet; I’m still personally in turmoil over David Tennant leaving the role.

But now, I’ve seen Matt Smith in action as Doctor Who and figured out who River is, but there is a huge gap for me as to how Amy and Rory met and what they did the season before. So I HAVE to go back and watch Doctor Who: Series 5. Here is why I LOVED Doctor Who Series 6 Part 1.

1. Doctor Who: Series 6, Part 1 is a two-disc DVD and Blu-ray set containing the first seven episodes along with two Monster files, “The Gangers” and “The Silence,” two of the Doctor’s most challenging opponents.

2. River Song is such an awesome character.

3. In the season opener, “The Impossible Astronaut,” four envelopes are received, numbered 2, 3 and 4, each containing a date, time and map reference, unsigned, but in TARDIS blue. Who sent them? And who received the missing number one? This strange summons reunites the Doctor (Smith), Amy (Gillan), Rory (Darvill) and River Song (Kingston) in the middle of the Utah desert and unveils a terrible secret the Doctor’s friends must never reveal to him. ‘Space 1969’ is their only clue, as their quest lands them – quite literally – in the Oval Office, where they are enlisted by President Nixon himself to assist enigmatic former-FBI agent Canton (Mark Sheppard) in saving a terrified little girl from a mysterious spaceman.

4. I knew right away who that little girl was.

5. Following the two-parter, the Doctor, Amy and Rory journey on the high seas of 1696 aboard Avery’s (Bonneville) pirate ship to solve the mystery of the Siren (Cole).

6. In a bubble universe at the very edge of reality, the Doctor meets an old friend with a new face, and in a monastery on a remote island in the near future, an industrial accident takes on a terrible human shape.

7. The two-parter episodes always leave me hanging and wanting more Doctor Who ASAP.

8. Everyone that ever owed the Doctor a favor returns to repay the debt.

9. The battle of Demon’s Run, and the Doctor’s darkest hour. Can even the truth about River Song save the Time Lord’s soul? Only two things are certain. Silence will fall. And a good man is going to die…

10. I was on the edge of my seat and still am. I have unanswered questions from the first episode. Was that the real Doctor who died?

We received a copy of Doctor Who Series 6 Part 1 From BBC America.

Event of the Year on DVD: The Royal Wedding

June 4, 2011 by Momstart 1 Comment

I’m wondering if in 20-30 years people will wonder, what was I doing during The Royal Wedding? Did you stay up and watch it, or get up early depending on your time zone? My neighbor recorded it and played it for me and our kids the following day. Zoe and her friend just LOVED it. I was in shock, I didn’t think my four year old would like it at all, I figured she would think it was boring and bolt. Nope, she watched it and said, I’m going to marry a prince. When asked how many princes she thought lived in the world, she said, two. One for me and one for Emily (that’s her friend’s name)

The royal wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton was the event of a lifetime. BBC Video is making available this beautiful, commemorative DVD of the event on sale on May 24^th! This wonderful keepsake will capture all of the pomp and pageantry of the historic occasion like no other memento. The DVD will include the complete ceremony plus highlights from the official BBC pre- and post-wedding coverage. Also included is the special bonus program, “William and Kate: A Royal Engagement,” presenting the story of William and Kate’s relationship via interviews with colleagues, friends and family. Lovers of the crown will want to own this special, commemorative DVD of this most delightful of events, the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

Her dress did give me the green eyed monster, but most wedding dresses do. I love dresses and somehow I’ve passed that gene onto my daughter. She’s in a dress everyday, and I did mean to say gene and not character trait because I never wear dresses, so how does she know that I love to wear dresses. As a mom I just don’t get the chance to wear many dresses.

Own the Royal Wedding on DVD today.

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

BBC Earth Human Planet

April 25, 2011 by Momstart Leave a Comment

We love nature films, especially ones that are done so well. BBC Earth is one of the best when it comes to showing us our planet in ways we could only imagine. Human Planet is a three disc extravaganza of astounding images of our beautiful planet released on Blu-ray April 26th, 2011. Human Planet takes us through nature as humans. We’re the main focus of Human planet. The camera follows how people live in all the different parts of the world.

The three discs are broken down into:

Disc 1 – Oceans Deserts Arctic

I love the ocean, the sounds of the waves, the animals that live in it (except for jelly fish I was stung by a man of war once OUCH) and the fun you can have when you catch a wave. Watch the evolution of surfing here:

And I was amazed at how far a pregnant woman could walk through the desert to find a place to give birth and at how cold some people can stand it.

Disc 2 – Jungles Mountains Grasslands

It wasn’t until I watched this scene in Human Planet that I ever would have considered birds to be a pest that needed to be fumigated against. This scene you’re about to watch is a little bit upsetting, but when I think of people going hungry verses the loss of all these birds I pick people.

Disc 3 – Rivers Cities Extras

Living in the US we’re so fortunate on how close and convenient every thing is. Could you actually imagine making a trek through the snow and ice, climbing a mountain just to make it to school? You have to watch this clip from BBC Human Planet just to get a glimpse into how hard it can be.

Human Planet was amazingly put together. As you travel around different places you’ll find some very extreme cases of how others live. John Hurt narrates each segment sharing with us so much variety on human behavior amazing, complex and profound. The Human Planet series weaves together 80 different stories illuminating humanity’s uncanny ability to adapt and live in every corner of our diverse world. Each episode centers on a particular habitat, and by using innovative and cutting edge filming techniques, they are able to reveal how we as a human race have created astonishing solutions to the extreme adversity brought on by our environment. Us city dwellers have a LOT TO LEARN about true adversity and challenges.

The Discovery Channel version will be presented by Charles Parnell and consists of six episodes that will take viewers to the farthest reaches of the globe culminating with, "Life at the Extremes a “best of” episode. The Human Planet Blu-ray will include all eight episodes with three hours of footage that was not seen in the North American broadcast. It includes, Cities, which will be exclusive to the DVD and Blu-ray. Also only on the DVD and Blu-ray is the “making of” bonus features and the exclusive feature called Zanskar, Zanskar showcases the astonishing life struggles of a resilient group of people living at the edge of the Himalayas.

The educational aspect of Human Planet reminds me of how everyone lives differently. We may look at some of the things shown in Human Planet as wrong, but it’s because we live our lives in a lap of luxury. I think Human Planet is a great way to educate others and remind ourselves how humans survive all around the globe. Own it on Blu-ray Human Planet

Win It:

The official Human Planet Facebook page launched a “Human Planet Trivia Challenge Game” last week. There you will have opportunities to win DVD/Blu-ray copies as well as coffee table books and framed photographs from famed nature photographer, Timothy Allen.

Merlin The Complete Second Season on DVD

January 22, 2011 by Momstart Leave a Comment

I’ve always been a fan of imaginative worlds that might have existed once upon a time; legends. Legends and folklore captivate my attention and one of the best legends around is the story of Camelot, King Arthur and the nights of the round table. Merlin a BBC America production has been viewable in America on one of my favorite channels, ScyFy. Merlin the Complete Second Season became available on DVD January 18th.

Merlin is about the forging of a strong relationship between the future King Arthur and his servant the warlock Merlin. In a land where magic is strictly prohibited, Merlin secretly uses it every day to protect the future of Camelot and his best friend Arthur. I watched Season Two and loved it! I was so happy to see the Lady Morgana finally embrace her path to the dark side. She is completely evil now in Season 3, oh wait, I’m getting ahead of myself but I can’t help myself because she is one of my favorite characters.

You’ll find that I enjoyed Merlin the Complete Second Season so much that I had an extremely difficult time waiting for Season 3 to begin. I know Merlin felt like he really couldn’t trust Morgana, but I almost feel that if he would have shared his secret with her, he would have saved the whole kingdom a lot of trouble. Just my 2 random cents there!!

Synopsis: Merlin is back with even more magic, adventure and romance as the young wizard struggles to protect Prince Arthur in the perilous world of Camelot. While battling deadly assassins, mystical monsters and the most powerful sorcerers Camelot has ever seen, Merlin must work harder than ever to conceal his unique abilities, as King Uther redoubles his war against magic. And Merlin isn’t the only one whose destiny calls—Lady Morgana , Uther’s ward, discovers dangerous secrets she dare not reveal; Lancelot returns, changing everything for both Gwen and Arthur; and King Uther fall in love, little knowing that the charming Lady Catrina is secretly a hideous troll. And as Arthur continues on his path from arrogant prince to the noble and just King Arthur of legend, we see the return of the one prophesized to kill him—the mysterious druid boy, Mordred. Featuring exciting new villains, white-knuckle stunt sequences, and spectacular CGI monsters, Merlin season two is more thrilling than ever.

I received a copy of Merlin The Complete Second Season from BBC for my unbiased review.

Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

April 21, 2010 by Momstart 6 Comments

Here is a great round up of ways to celebrate earth day tomorrow. From making your community better to things you can do with your kids everyone is making Earth Day big this year. This is just a small listing of things that I have found here and there that might make your Earth Day Special.

Better Your Community

Be Big! The Clifford BE BIG in Your Community project with Scholastic began quite a while back. For Earth Day on April 22 and next week is also National Volunteer Week, you can enter a contest to win a piece of the $75,000 in community grants that will be given out this fall. Enter at http://www.scholastic.com/cliffordbebig/contest/.

Neosporin is reinforcing the importance of recycling, whether it’s a can, a bottle, a used drink box or an empty tube of Neosporin. This is also an opportunity to remind families during their spring cleaning ritual to check the expiration date of items in their medicine cabinets, such as Neosporin. Join a TerraCycle brigade as a commitment to helping collect expired or empty Neosporin tubes in your community. Sign up at http://www.terracycle.net/brigades/43-NEOSPORIN-Tube-Brigade (Note: Once registered, your account is activated and a Brigade Profile page is created for your own brigade on the web site. On that page, you can find everything needed to participate in the program – from postage-paid shipping labels to informational letters and posters you can print and distribute to ensure their brigade’s success.)

Hanes has partnered with The Arbor Day Foundation to encourage the planting of trees. For every qualifying purchase of three Hanes products with mail-in redemption and proof of purchase from April 1 through May 15, Hanes will send out a free Hanes Earth Day T-shirt and will donate a dollar to The Arbor Day Foundation. Also, for every virtual tree you send, up to 3 per facebook user, the Arbor Day Foundation will plant a real tree, up to 50,000, on Hanes behalf. Become a fan of Hanes on Facebook and go send a virtual tree.

On Earth Day, youth around the country will be doing their part to save the planet by watching and spreading green tips shared in an hour-long webinar hosted by GreenMyParents (GMP), a national campaign that fosters peer-to-peer leadership and collaboration to enact environmental change.

Broadcast live on Thursday, April 22 at 10am PST, the free presentation and chat session will inspire kids and people of all ages to actively become green leaders in their own homes and communities by doing simple tasks that yield big results. Twelve-year-old green guru and published author Adora Svitak will show kids and teens how to adopt a green lifestyle and save money through the GreenMyParents platform, which will focus on three important areas: energy efficiency, water conservation and planting a garden.

I want to let you know about an online program at Walmart.com that rewards you for recycling your old electronics. Walmart’s Electronics Trade-in Program allows customers to trade in unwanted electronics and earn Walmart prepaid Visa cards that can be used at Walmart stores and online at Walmart.com. Don’t let an old digital camera or cell phone end up in the landfill–recycle those products responsibly and earn a Walmart prepaid Visa card in return! The electronics trade-in program, powered by Gazelle, accepts thousands of used consumer electronics, and new categories are added regularly. More information is available at http://walmart.gazelle.com.

To celebrate thredUP’s first Earth Day, we are rewarding green behavior! Members can earn a $5 credit by simply listing a box of kids clothing on thredUP. The $5 credit can be used towards cost of shipping for your next swap or a PRO membership. Note: Promo is not valid prior to Earth Day and expires on the 23rd. Why is thredUP Green? At our core thredUP is green because we let you swap out the old for the new, cutting down on waste and consumption.

To build awareness around Earth Day, iVillage and CafePress have partnered to offer consumers a trendy and fashionable way to support the environment. Deemed the “Picture Your World” photo contest, participants can log on at http://ivillage.cafepress.com/earthday/ to answer the question “Why on earth are you saving the planet?” and submit a photo of their choice.

Shepard Fairey, the designer made famous by President Obama’s “HOPE” posters (and Haiti relief bags) has jumped in, designing a limited edition reusable tote bag, a great, eco-friendly bag for moms on-the-go.

TV and DVD’s

Lionsgate Home Entertainment DVD released Jim Henson’s The Song of the Cloud Forest and Other Earth Stories for Earth Day. The DVD contains four stories featuring some of Jim Henson’s most beloved characters that take viewers of all ages on explorations of our extraordinary world and its most fascinating wildlife. Jim Henson’s The Song of the Cloud Forest and Other Earth Stories

In celebration of Earth Day’s 40th anniversary, the beloved and award-winning BBC Earth series Planet Earth is now available on iTunes with a special, one-time free episode download (“Pole to Pole”) from April 12 – 26, 2010.

For every “Wubbzy Goes Green” DVD sold, Anchor Bay will donate $1 to ACT to help support the planting of trees in playgrounds and schoolyards across the country! I’ve attached the newsletter below – chock-full of tips, facts and details on “Wubbzy Goes Green” and ACT. Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!: Wubbzy Goes Green

AVATAR will be available on Blu-ray Disc and DVD everywhere in the United States and Canada on Earth Day, April 22.

Avatar (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) [Blu-ray]

Playhouse Disney will encore green-themed episodes of "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," "Handy Manny," "Special Agent Oso," "Imagination Movers" and "Jungle Junction" (8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., ET/PT).

Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato star in two new Disney’s Friends for Change: Project Green spots stressing the importance of protecting the planet’s oceans and waterways (6:25 p.m. and 6:55 p.m., ET/PT). Throughout the evening Disney Channel will encore Disney’s Friends for Change: Project Green anthem "Make A Wave," performed by Jonas and Lovato, which will also be featured in the upcoming Disneynature film "OCEANS," opening in theaters Earth Day 2010.

Disney Channel continues its Earth Day celebration with encore presentations of environmentally-themed episodes of hit series "Phineas and Ferb," Hannah Montana," "The Suite Life On Deck" and "Wizards of Waverly Place," followed by an encore presentation of Disney Channel Original Movie "Minutemen" (6:00-10:00 p.m., ET/PT).

Scholastic’s WordGirl! An eco-themed episode, “Earth Day Girl,” will air on Thursday, April 22 (check local listings on PBS KIDS GO). Check out the language-loving superhero as she saves the planet. Preview it:

Activities with the Kids:

The following list was provided by Toys R Us:

Jump! Whether you call it skipping rope or jump roping, it’s a great activity to improve strength and fitness and can be performed on grass or pavement.

Retreat to the Beach. Instead of driving to the beach, recreate a piece of the coast’s serene atmosphere with a sandbox in the yard. Sandboxes provide a peaceful place where creativity and play come to life.

Be Farm and Garden Fresh. Get to know your local farmer and enlist the kids to join you at the local farmers’ markets. Better yet, plant your own garden that everyone can care for and enjoy all season long.

Let’s Go Fly a Kite! Show the kids how to soar into a colorful sky with only the force of nature to power your kite. A centuries-old activity, kite flying can be enjoyed at any age—with a little wind, of course!

Give Back. Gather the family for a volunteer day dedicated to beautifying the earth. Many communities have organizations that champion environmental protection and regularly organize events like stream and trail clean-ups.

Be Bubbly! Invite the neighbors to create bubble wands out of objects found around the house like straws, pipe cleaners, strawberry baskets and coat hangers. Take the kids outside and have your own bubble party!

Take a Hike. Locate a nature trail near you and take the kids on a woodsy adventure. Hiking is a group activity that provides great exercise and hands-on experiences with the natural world.

Start a Kickball Game. All it takes is a rubber playground ball, make-shift bases and some friends to start a kickball game. Create a neighborhood tournament and coach the kids though innings of bouncing fun.

Catch and Release. Butterflies are some of nature’s most beautiful creatures, although they aren’t easy to observe when they flutter in the sky. Using an insect or butterfly net, capture them and show the kids how to appreciate their beauty up close. Then let them loose.

As families strive to make lifestyle changes that incorporate outdoor and eco-friendly activities, “R”Us stores nationwide continue to offer differentiated environmentally friendly items and a vast selection of toys and playthings suited for outdoor activity—all at affordable prices.

To learn more about the Jane Goodall Institute and Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, please visit www.janegoodall.org and www.rootsandshoots.org.

Local Earth Day Events:

Seattle has a lot planned to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Associated Content has a listing of 5 events for Earth Day in Seattle you’ll want to consider. Ranging from The Pacific Science Center to Children’s PlayGarden Earth Day event.

Terra Roots is proud to be partnering with the Earth Day Network to produce Seattle’s 40th Anniversary Earth Day Celebration Event as part of a Billion Acts of Green. We’ll have a green village (info and sign-ups), family activities and a full schedule of music and speakers

City of Woodinville will be hosting a tree planting ceremony on Saturday April 24th in honor of Earth Day. It will be at the Sammamish River Trail.

This is a list of things I have compiled from various e-mails that have been sent to me. I was not compensated in any way, it was my choice to post what I did. I thank all the companies that work with me and provided me with a great Earth Day Post.