Nickelodeon & Paramount Halloween DVD Giveaway

With Hurricane season here, and the first storm of the year hitting the Texas coast today, I thought it would be a good time to talk about Hurricane Preparedness. What should you know? What should you do?
If you’ve never had to deal with a hurricane you’re pretty lucky. We’ve lived down here for almost 5 years now and still have not had to deal with anything major that we’ve had to evacuate for, so I would say we’ve been pretty lucky too.
What should you know?
Know if you live in an evacuation area. Assess your risks and know your home’s vulnerability to storm surge, flooding and high winds.
Know your evacuation routes. Most towns have several, and it’s always good to have options when the time comes.
Know how strong a storm needs to be before an evacuation is called. That way you can be prepared to ride out the storm or be ready to flee it.
Know your local emergency departments & contacts
Contacts
Keep a list of contact information for reference.
Local Emergency Management Office
County Law Enforcement
County Public Safety Fire/Rescue
State, County and City/Town Government
Local Hospitals
Local Utilities
Local American Red Cross
Local TV Stations
Local Radio Stations
Your Property Insurance Agent
Keep a list in your emergency kit, laminate if possible to prevent wear and decay.
Emergency Plans
Develop and document plans:
Create a Family Emergency Plan…know where to meet, how to get ahold of others and what to do when water, electric, and gas are out.
Find someone/somewhere to be your families evacuation “safe place”
Pet owners should have plans to care for their animals. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention offer information on disaster preparedness for your pet.
Prepare your boat and be aware of marine safety if you are on or near the water.
Prepare your vehicle. If you know of the up coming storm, make sure your tires are safe for the evacuation, all your fluid levels are correct and you have enough gas to get you to your “safe place”.
A basic emergency supply kit could include the following recommended items:
Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
Battery-powered, solar powered or hand crank NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries
Flashlight & extra batteries
First aid kit
Whistle to signal for help
Duct Tape
Toiletries
Garbage bags and plastic ties
Multi Tool (not on checklist above, but VERY useful)
Manual can opener for food
Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger
Blankets
Once you have gathered the supplies for a basic emergency kit, you may want to consider adding the following items:
Prescription meds and glasses
Infant formula and diapers
Complete change of clothing
Pet food and extra water for your pets
Fire extinguisher
Matches in a waterproof container
Mess kits: paper cups, plates, paper towels and plastic utensils
Paper and pencil
Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children
Cash and/or traveler’s checks and change
Important family documents: copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof container like a ziploc.
Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or free information from this web site.
Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted, nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. In an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. DO NOT use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
Resources you might need:
Here is a list of resources sites that you might need to make you emergency plan.
Have you been through a hurricane? Is there anything else, any tips, you can add?

Welcome back to our 12 Days of St. Patrick’s Day Recipes and Crafts! The past few days have flown by with some amazing creations by our bloggys friends. Today’s recipe for day TEN is from Mom Does Reviews. It is called St. Patrick’s Day Bon Bons and I’m floored at what she did with her old cake ball recipe!
With the help of a rolling pin, freezer, sprinkles, and some super yummy chocolate, she turned cake balls into a sweet and savory treat that will have everyone you know going “Wait… what’s in this? Oh my gosh – that’s awesome!”, just like her oldest daughter did the first time she took her first bite! Check it out HERE.

It’s been looking and feeling a little like fall around here. The leaves have started to fall and my bulbs are starting to bloom. Cooler weather is on its way! Fall has always been a favorite of mine. I love the cool weather, the muted colors and the scents. Pumpkin Spice is a favorite scent…it just smells like fall. My kids would agree with me, that’s why they love this Pumpkin Spice Slime. It’s a perfect time to sit down and have a little slime fun together, especially on the rainy fall day’s we’re already having.

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Forever enchanting and inspiring, Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs embodies The Walt Disney Signature Collection’s legacy of animation. In this epic story of love and friendship, the kind and beautiful princess Snow White wins the hearts of the Seven Dwarfs and triumphs over the evil plans of a wicked Queen. Share the movie called “The Greatest Animated Film Of All Time,” (American Film Institute) on Blu-ray February 2nd and on Digital HD January 19th, with special features for the entire family!
Available for the First Time Ever on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere (DMA) January 19th and on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack February 2nd Marking the launch of The Walt Disney Signature Collection
The Walt Disney Signature Collection includes groundbreaking films created or inspired by the imagination and legacy of Walt Disney, featuring timeless stories and characters that have touched generations. Each release will offer special features for every member of your family plus a unique digital experience.
Blu-ray & Digital* Bonus Features:
In Walt’s Words: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – For the first time ever, hear Walt himself talk about Snow White.
Iconography – Explore how this film influences pop culture, art, and fashion.
@DisneyAnimation: Designing Disney’s First Princess – Modern day Disney artists discuss the design of Snow White and how it influenced the look of some of your favorite Disney characters.
The Fairest Facts of Them All: 7 Facts You May Now Know About Snow White – Disney Channel star Sofia Carson reveals seven intriguing facts about Snow White.
Snow White in Seventy Seconds – Rap along with this hip reimagining of the story.
Alternate Sequence: The Prince Meets Snow White – A never–before-seen story board sequence where the Prince meets Snow White.
*Digital bonus offerings may vary by retailer
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Today is a little bitter sweet…it’s my final coverage from my #McFarlandUSAEvent Trip to LA, but I get to share the behind the scenes look into the Tinkerbell and the legend of the Neverbeast music making process with Featured Instrumentalist Bleu McAuley & Music Supervisor Brett Swain !
Tinkerbell and the Legend of the Neverbeast is Bleu’s very first film that he’s worked on, ever! The director, Steve Loter, was a big fan of his career for years, even listening to it on his daily 1 1/2 commute to work..and after one of Bleu’s shows, Steve approached him and mentioned he was working on a project and wanted to see if Bleu had interest in meeting with him to learn more.
I walked into this building for my first meeting, and I was like, oh, man, I — I think I might be making some music for a Disney film.
Steve wanted something unique for this film, new sounds, especially for the Neverbeast, Gruff.
So the challenge for me was to come up with this unique sound palette for him and all the other characters in the film. So I’ll talk briefly about the instruments that we used for Gruff.
He shows us how he incorporated planters that he turned upside down and how they fit perfectly on cymbal stands. He talks about how they got dozens of pots, all different kinds, because they all have their own unique pitches. They also pulled in some drum sounds with different types of drums and a tin trash can.
Bleu knew that he wanted to use acoustic stringed instruments in the film because he has a big background in that and alternate tunings and low strung guitars and high-strung guitars and all these sorts of different things.
But I didn’t want it to be an acoustic guitar score ’cause again that has a specific connotation of folk music or country music or the west and that kinda thing. I didn’t want to place it in that territory. So, I was looking for new ways to play acoustic instruments.
So they created a unique sound with a guitar and dulcimer hammers, which requires two people to work the instrument. They call the instrument a dulcetar, which is a combination of the two instruments used. You will hear this sound a lot when you see Fawn.
Then he showed us the fun whirly tubes they used during parts of the film because they sound like wind through the trees.. after that they demonstrated different copper and chrome pipes that they had strung up to use when identifying with Nix.
You can see a short clip of the sound demonstrations below…
It was really cool to be able to see and hear the process behind the music. I never really knew so much went into it…Bleu was originally hired on to choreograph one song, but not long after working on that song, he was asked to do several other songs and the score for the movie.
On Sale on Blu-ray, Digital HD & Disney Movies Anywhere Now!
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