The Wild Life New Poster, Movie Spot + Giveaway

As LeapFrog continues the pursuit of making reading an activity that every child and family can enjoy, they are hosting the 20/20 Reading Challenge in honor of National Reading Month this March. LeapFrog is hosting a campaign to encourage families to take a pledge to read for at least 20 minutes per day with their kids. As I’m sure you are aware, an early introduction to reading is an important part of a child’s development.
In fact, kids who are read to at home have a substantial academic advantage. These advantages last throughout a child’s academic career. Studies have shown that:
Twenty-six percent of children who were read to three or four times in the last week by a family member recognized all letters of the alphabet. This is compared to 14 percent of children who were read to less frequently.
According to NCES, only 53 percent of children ages three to five were read to daily by a family member. Children in families with incomes below the poverty line are less likely to be read to aloud every day than are children in families with incomes at or above poverty.
The NCES also reported that children who were read to frequently are also more likely to:
Count to 20 or higher than those who were not (60% vs. 44%)
Write their own names (54% vs. 40%)
Read or pretend to read (77% vs. 57%)
As a part of the March 20/20 Reading Challenge, LeapFrog will be partnering with a great non-profit, Kristi Yamaguchi’s Always Dream Foundation, to donate 20 books to the foundation’s under-served classrooms for every pledge they receive.
“As a mom, it has always been part of our family’s routine to spend time reading together. Research has shown that children who were read to at least three times a week by a family member were almost twice as likely to score in the top 25 percent in reading compared to children who were read to less than three times a week. So many children are showing up to their kindergarten classrooms unprepared for school, and if this little bit of time every day can make a difference in my children’s future academic success and confidence, I am all in!” – Kristi Yamaguchi
The Kristi Yamaguchi Always Dream Foundation is an organization founded to inspire underserved children to reach for their dreams through innovative reading programs and by advancing the cause of early childhood literacy. As an accomplished children’s book author, athlete and mom, Kristi’s passion for reading ignited the Foundation’s commitment to early childhood literacy.
Through this program, LeapFrog plans to donate up to $5 million worth of books to children in need – and they need your help! Take the pledge today to help put a book in a child’s hand!
You can also head over to check out an interview with Kristi that my friend Lisa from Money Saving Parent did about the program.
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Lalaloopsy has these sew adorable little Mini Lalaloopsy figures that are not only sew cute but are also sew fun to play with! No I personally don’t have any girls, buy the small boys really wanted to play with these sets..so really they can be gender neutral.
Mini Lalaloopsy Super Silly Party Musical Cake Playset
Mini Lalaloopsy Musical Cake Playset is the perfect playground for all your Lalaloopsy Minis! Mini dolls can play in the spinning cake, walk across the cookie bridge, have a picnic, go down the slide, or swing on the donut swing! You can make a wish – Just blow out the light-up candle and the Super Silly Party music will stop!
Features
The Mini Lalaloopsy Musical Cake playset plays Super Silly Party music and has a light-up candle that you can actually blow out!
Includes exclusive character: Surprise Party Curls™, spinning cake, slide, donut swing, cookie bridge, picnic table for two Mini Lalaloopsy dolls
I love smaller playsets, they are easier to store and are a nice change up from some of the larger sets that are out there now days. This set lets them have fun with a birthday inspired playset while still leaving room for imaginative play. Add in other Lalaloopsy mini dolls for an extra fun birthday party.
Create your own Lalaloopsy jewelry in this Tinies Jewelry Maker Playset! Use beads and Tinies dolls to make cute necklaces, bracelets, rings, hair clips, and more! The jewelry maker magically strings the beads for you. Then pick your favorite Tinies to add to your accessories!
Features
Lalaloopsy Tinies Jewelry Maker automatically strings beads!
Includes 3 Tinies
Four steps to create adorable accessories:
Choose a lanyard string color
Choose a bead color from the ferris wheel and drop them into the jewelry maker
Press the button to turn on the jewelry maker and watch the beads magically string jewelry!
Add Tinies to your jewelry
What little girl doesn’t like to make their own jewelry!? This set is super cute and can be stored on their dresser. The beads fit into the ferris wheel of corresponding colors, then just drop into the jewelry maker to create a one of a kind piece of oh sew cute jewelry!
Both of the toys are durable, vibrantly colored, and sew fun! I like these sets being on the smaller size because it makes it easier to store.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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With help from Chef Jeff Mauro, host of Food Network’s hit daytime show The Kitchen, Juicy Juice unveils a Flavor Exploration website with exclusive content for families, including original recipes, helpful tips and an upcoming three-part video series. Available in 16 flavor varieties, the Juicy Juice 100% juice line offers kid-favorite flavors and juicy fruit combinations like Apple to Passion Dragonfruit and Orange Tangerine.
While on the website, parents, and kids can play flavor-filled activities and games, like a fruit memory match game, and learn fun facts about global fruits inspired by all 16 of the brand’s 100% juice flavor varieties. Families can also unlock special Juicy Juice savings and spin the virtual Flavor Wheel for the chance to win daily prizes from February 5 th through April 30 th , including gift cards.

We go through the same routine everyday at 3:30…the boys walk in the door starving from school and dig through the cabinets for snack cakes, cookies, whatever they can get their hands on…getting a nutritious snack that will keep them full has been a bit of a battle since feeding 4 kids something filling cost an arm and a leg…but not anymore thanks to my Ninja Blender Duo with Auto IQ!
The boys can continue to eat their favorite snacks and have a nutritious and tasty smoothie to go with it. No more empty tummy and grumpy hungry kids. The Ninja Blender Duo with Auto IQ takes your smoothies to a whole other level. I toss in some spinach low fat yogurt in any flavor they want, some frozen fruit and some almond milk into the Nutri Ninja cup. Cap it with the blades, place on the Ninja base, hit the Auto IQ mode then sit back and let the Ninja do it’s work.
In less then a minute they boys have a delicious smoothie to go with their snack that’s packed with the nutrition they need. You can also throw in some chia powder to add even more nutrition.
The best thing about the Ninja Blender Duo with Auto IQ, it’s not just a Nutri Ninja it’s also an amazingly powerful blender that you can use to make salsa’s, soups, sauces and mixed drinks!
Unique blending, pulsing, and pausing patterns to deliver consistent, even results every time.
Extract complete nutrition from whole fruits and vegetables.
Blast through ice and frozen ingredients in seconds!
We have used out Ninja just about every day since we received it! The boys love the smoothies and I love that they are finally not cranky from hunger and can focus on their homework.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

*Disclosure: I was invited by disney on an all expenses paid trip to L.A. to attend the press junket and premiere for Disney’s The Jungle Book, however all experiences and opinions are 100% my own!
So yesterday I got to share our interview with Jon Favreau & Neel Sethi, well today we get to talk to Raksha & Akela about parenting, role models & more…that’s right Lupita Nyong’o & Giancarlo Esposito talk about their roles in Disney’s “The Jungle Book”!
It’s not every day you get to sit down with inspiring people and it just so happens we had the chance to do this 3 times in one day! We all have the actors that we just adore, and for me I have several, Lupita being one of them. I was excited that we would be sitting in the same room with her.
When asked about what life experiences did she have to draw herself to this character as a mothering role, I wasn’t really shocked by her answer, but completely moved.
“Well, I have a lot of very, very powerful women in my life. My mother being the first. And most important. But in my culture, in my mother’s sisters are also my mother. And my father’s sisters are my mother’s, too. So I’ve have many mothers. My mom, she had a fierce love for her children. And she’s known to say things like if you die I’ll kill you. And so… That… For me, that spirit, that tenacity of mothering was something that I thought of. And that inspired my version of Raksha. Because it takes a woman with one huge heart to take on not only a child that’s not hers, but of a completely different species. And the fact that she does this, and she does it, and she doesn’t look back, and she does everything in her power to protect that child. And then to have to…let go of that child as well, that takes even more love, you know, to allow your children to do what they need to do. And all mothers go through that. I know… I went through that with my mother. And as a child, you don’t appreciate it until you’re much older, and you realize how hard it is to make new connections, and then how hard it is to lose those connections. So those were things I was definitely thinking about. And I love my mommy.”
It wasn’t hard for either actors to say yes to their rolls. Giancarlo was actually talking to Jon years ago about how wonderful to do this movie again and re-envision it for a new generation as they were filming the trailer of Destiny. So when Jon called to ask if Giancarlo was in it was a resounding YES! As for Lupita, what appealed to her about the role was the idea of playing a mother. Something that she hadn’t yet done. To do it in voice-over.
” Just opened myself up to something new! I have always loved children. I been fantasizing about motherhood since I was probably 2 ½.”
Giancarlo was asked if he identifies with Akiwa in any way?
“Oh, in so many ways. I’m a male, and on the way in, Lupita was talking about another film she did, and there was a lot of testosterone, energy! I have four daughters, and you know, I have to say that, while these questions, in regard to Raksha and how Lupita feels about her mom and being a mother, I feel like… the importance of the female and the mother presence in our society is greater than ever.
I have four daughters who, the eldest is 19, the youngest is 12, and I watched all of them journey into motherhood. Motherhood is very deep. It starts when you’re very, very young. Now, my 12 year old comes in, wants to put me to bed. And she’ll, you know, put her hand on my forehead and say the prayer with me. As for years I’ve done for her! It’s almost like a very beautiful, natural transition.
So while Lupita and you guys have been talking back and forth about motherhood, I have this vision that I’m really watching each one of my daughters start to become women, and mothers. And this is what’s gonna save our planet. I know it. Because there’s such a grace and understanding in the female persona when women have really come into their own. Part of that is to have children, and to be caring for those children, and not only in the care for them, but also in the nurturing and raising of them, they have to pass on their, their souls, and their intelligence.
And all those things can’t be taught. It’s something that, that in the essence of a woman, the essence of a mother, a mother knows! So to me, you know, I have learned to listen through, raising four daughters. But I’ve learned to become a progressive man because I have four women in my life. It is this strength of the mother that is going to change the way the world is. It’s the compassion, the love, the very open spirited mother, and woman that will move us forward in this new century.”
What is one thing that you want children to take back from your character? What’s one example or role model quality that you want the kids to see from parental figures in the movie?
Lupita – “Well, I think… what Mowgli is dealing with is finding belonging and what Raksha offers him is home. Her… as home. And as an anchor. And I think that’s a really important thing for children to have, So that they can veer away from it, but always be able to come back when they need to.”
Giancarlo – “We want to remember to be playful! We’re here in this… wonderful and incredible world! Like, the grand architect of the universe created this playground. And we’re supposed to have fun, and we’re supposed to play. And that’s what I tell my kids. And what I want people to get from this movie is that sense of freedom, that sense of, abandonment in the ride of this film, the sense of connection with family, even if you don’t have a family. The sense of trust that someone’s gonna adopt you and take care of you. That sense of, really being engaged by the world. You know? And I think people are gonna feel it in this film.”
So what’s next for the stars after this amazing adventure?
Giancarlo – “I’ve just made, um, my second feature film as a director called “This is Your Death”. It stars Josh Gemmell, Famke Janssen, and myself…and it’s an unflinching look at reality television.”
Lupita – “Well, I am on Broadway at the moment. I’m doing a show called “Eclipsed” by Danai Gurira. She plays Mishone. And she’s an incredible playwright. And she’s written this five female play about women in the Liberian civil war, and how they each individually deal with war, and get themselves out of very dire situation. We are the first all female performed, directed, and written play on Broadway.”
She is also working on another Disney film that releases later this year where she plays a mother, but this time live action mother…Queen of Katwe…and its about a Ugandan chess prodigy.
I loved listening to the two of them, and if we could have, I would have sat all day and listen to them talk!
Come back later this week for an interview with Sir Ben Kingsley plus “The Jungle Book” movie review!
Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”