Hip Hip Hurray Giveaway Linky

Well, this is my first Giveaway Linky on my blog. I’m bringing it over from Marvelous Mom Reviews. Right now I’m just beginning my product reviewing here on WbW and I have quite a few coming up so make sure you keep an eye out.

To add your giveaway linky you must link to your giveaway not to your homepage! It will be deleted if it doesn’t. Spam will go as well. If you believe I’ve deleted your linky by accident, please let me know. Also no affiliate links either.

CARS 2 Hits U.S. Theaters June 24, 2011

My boys have loved watchingthe original Cars. Can’t even count how many times we’ve seen it! Well, they’re pretty excited about Cars 2 coming to theaters this summer.

Check out MSN for the exclusive worldwide premiere of the trailer debut from CARS 2 -- Disney•Pixar’s follow-up to the Academy Award®-winning box-office hit TOY STORY 3. Star racecar Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) is back, along with the incomparable tow truck Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) and the rest of the gang from Radiator Springs. This time, they’re heading overseas for the first-ever World Grand Prix, where Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage. Introducing hilarious new characters and red-hot racing, CARS 2 is a global extravaganza!

Star racecar Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) and the incomparable tow truck Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) take their friendship to exciting new places in “Cars 2” when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage. Mater finds himself torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile race and towing the line in a top-secret mission orchestrated by master British super spy Finn McMissile (voice of Michael Caine) and the stunning spy-in-training Holley Shiftwell (voice of Emily Mortimer). Mater’s action-packed journey leads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world. The fast-paced fun includes a colorful new all-car cast, complete with menacing villains and international racing competitors.

John Lasseter returns to the driver’s seat to direct this follow-up to his 2006 Golden Globe®-winning “Cars.” “Cars 2” is co-directed by Brad Lewis, producer of the Oscar®-winning film “Ratatouille,” and produced by visual effects industry veteran Denise Ream (associate producer, “Up”; visual effects executive producer, “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith”). The film hits the track on June 24, 2011, and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D in select theaters.

CARS 2 fans everywhere can travel online by racing through the trailers and posters from around the world on the MSN CARS 2 hub here <http://movies.msn.com/cars2/us/>! Directed by John Lasseter and produced by Denise Ream.

Like CARS 2 on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/PixarCars

 

CARS 2 (In Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D)

DISNEY•PIXAR
Website and Mobile Site: Disney.com/cars
Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/pixarcars
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/disneypixar
Genre: Animation/Comedy/Adventure
Rating: TBD
U.S. Release Date: June 24, 2011
Voice Talent: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Bonnie Hunt, Tony Shalhoub, Cheech Marin, Jason Isaacs, Joe Mantegna, Peter Jacobson, Thomas Kretschmann
Director: John Lasseter
Co-Director: Brad Lewis
Producer: Denise Ream
Composer: Michael Giacchino

* I have not received any compensation or product for sharing this information

Wordless Wednesday: Spring, Please Come Soon!

NOTE: This is from last year. LOL Wishing it was now.

Make sure you visit these other Wordless Wednesday participants: 5 Minutes for Mom, Shining to Save, and Project Alicia.

No Bullying For My Boys: Watching Dateline

Sunday night my boys and I watched Dateline NBC. They had a show dedicated to bullying. It’s a topic that is probably highlighted daily at schools and in the news. I had seen a couple of the spots on the Today Show and I wasn’t sure how my boys would respond in similar situations.

Watching the Dateline show wasn’t intentional. I just happened to check it out as I was flipping through the channels. I called my boys down and told them what we were going to be watching.

So, they hopped up on my bed and we watched and we talked. Well, I should say, “I talked”. Now that I’m thinking about it, I should’ve engaged them more. I still have opportunity though.

We watched the girls bully other girls and then the boys bully other boys. Throughout each segment, I told them of my expectations, of how hurtful bullying is.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

What do I expect from my boys?

• That they NOT join in with the bullying, even if they’re amused or pulled in
• That the do NOTHING because as they said, doing nothing is like agreeing with it
• That they tell someone if it’s needed
• That they don’t wait for someone else to step up, that they’re the first ones. Someone needs to go first, may as well be my boys
• That I don’t care if it’s a boy or a girl being bullied, they need to step in
• That God made each and every person special: big, skinny, short, tall, etc

Now, I don’t expect them to put themselves in harms way, but the situations on the show showed some times where it could become physical, especially with boys, and I’d want them to get someone in authority: a coach, teacher, parent, adult.

I was just about to type that my boys have never experienced bullying, but you know what? I have no idea if they have or not. My oldest son is pretty little for his age. To top that off, he’s one of the younger kids in his grade. Totally possible that he could be bullied for that.

My other son wears a hearing aid in his left ear. If not now, in time, it’s possible he could be bullied for that.So I realize we can’t just assume our kids aren’t being bullied. This post, even after having watched the show shows me two things, I need to check with my boys to see if they’ve dealt with bullying and discuss with them how they might handle a situation that could come up.

Dateline has some tips for bullying for kids and adults.

Have your kids dealt with bullying? Has yours ever bullied someone? None of our kids are perfect so we have to accept that as parents and try to rectify it if they have.

My Name Is Not Alexander by Jennifer Fosberry Review & Giveaway

My Name Is Not Alexander
by Jennifer Fosberry
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
ISBN: 978-1-4022-5433-8
Release Date: March 11

About the Book:

Jennifer Fosberry’s new book follows a young boy on an imaginary trip through history as he pretends to be some of the innovative men who influenced and shaped our world.

Just how big can a little kid dream?

Ask Alexander, as he takes a wild ride and discovers the sky’s the limit!

Through Alexander’s imaginative journey, he discovers how great men become heroes:

• The roughest rider can be surprisingly gentle (Theodore Roosevelt)
• A strong leader is also the most peaceful (Chief Joseph)
• Being brave about what makes you different will not only help you break records, but inspire others (Jackie Robinson)
• A curious mind can lead to new discoveries (Thomas Edison)
• Being creative and trying new things can motivate others (Fred Astaire)
• And sometimes our biggest hero is closest to home (Daddy)

My Review:

There is so much to love about My Name Is Not Alexander I don’t know where to start so I’ll jump right in.

The front cover will give you an idea of who you might be learning about in the story: a baseball player, an Indian, and more.

Alexander wakes up in the morning and is no longer Alexander in his mind. He starts off his morning as Theodore Roosevelt. There are things in the book I don’t want to give away. Things such as Alexander’s bear. Pay attention to him on each page.

I love how each location is partly Alexander’s true location and the other half, well, it’s part of his imagination.

You have to spend time on each page, because breezing through it you will miss amazing and fun details. Such as the Thomas Edison page. Look it over. You’ll be surprised at all the things you see.

And with each new character Alexander becomes, the page has a fun font that highlights the “Men Who Changed The World”. When he’s Alexander, one side of the page gives you a picture about what he and his dad will be doing next.

Speaking of Alexander’s dad, I love, love, love how he goes along with Alexander’s imaginative play. He’s so encouraging and just responds to each new character as they pop up.

At the end of the book are two pages highlighting each of the Men who were imagined by Alexander with a photo and a description of their lives. I love the last one the most.

To say I highly recommend My Name Is Not Alexander being in your family’s library is an understatement. I will be holding on to my book to share with my future grandkids since my boys are a bit old for it. I enjoyed everything about it!

About the Author:

Jennifer Fosberry is a science geek turned children’s book writer. After working in the high-tech industry in Silicon Valley and running away to Costa Rica for a few years, she returned to the San Francisco Bay area to read, write, raise kids, and not do too much housework. She lives with her husband and three children and wishes for a puppy.

About the Illustrator:

Mike Litwin combines a variety of media to create scenes that serve the imagination and education of children. A graduate of the East Carolina University School of Art, he plays both designer and illustrator with an often wacky, always delightful style that uniquely blends playful innocence with devilish mischief. Illustrating and telling stories for children is his passion, his entertainment, and his dream. He currently lives in Greenville, North Carolina, with his wife and three daughters.

Required: Tell me what person in history you’d love to see Alexander pretend to be.

Giveaway open to US residents only 18 yrs or older. Please leave your email in the required entry or have it available in your profile. No email/contact = No entry. Giveaway ends 3/19/11 at 11:59 PST. Winner has 48 hours to respond.

Extra Entries:

Follow Woven by Words (1 entry)

Subscribe to Woven by Words (2 entries, comment 2x)

Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

Tweet the giveaway (1 entry daily) “RT #Win My Name Is Not Alexander by Jennifer Fosberry. Just how big can a little kid dream? Wonderful book @bigguysmama http://bit.ly/eff9Yv“

*I’d like to thank Sourcebooks for my review book. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Jennifer Fosberry will also be touring through the following locations to promote the launch of the book in March:

Thursday, March 10th
2:00 PM
Towne Center Books
555 Main Street
Pleasanton, CA 94566Phone: 925-846-8826
http://www.townecenterbooks.com/events.htm

Friday, March 11th
10:00 AM
Book Passage
51 Tamal Vista Boulevard
Corte Madera, CA 94925Phone: 415-927-0960
http://www.bookpassage.com/event/jennifer-fosberry-my-name-not-alexander

Saturday, March 12th
1:00 PM
Costco
43621 Pacific Commons Blvd
Fremont, CA 94538
Phone: 510-897-1092

Sunday, March 13th
11:30 AM
Kepler’s1010 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Phone: 650-324-4321
http://www.keplers.com/event/children-make-terrible-pets-storytime

Tuesday, March 15th
10:30 AM
Tattered Cover Book Store
2526 East Colfax Avenue
Denver, CO 80206Phone: 303-322-1965
http://www.tatteredcover.com/event/meet-author-storytime-jennifer-fosberry-my-name-not-isabella

Wednesday, March 16th
6:30 PM
Barnes & Noble, Pima & Shea location
Scottsdale Fiesta Shopping Center
10500 N. 90th Street
Scottsdale, AZ 85258
Phone: 480-391-0048
http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/3086490

Thursday, March 17th
Time – TBD
Changing Hands Bookstore
6428 S McClintock Dr
Tempe, AZ 85283
Phone: 480-730-0205
http://www.changinghands.com/event/2011/03/14/month/all/all/1

Saturday, March 19th
11:00 AM
The King’s English Bookshop
1511 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84105
Phone: 801-484-9100
http://www.kingsenglish.com/event/jennifer-fosberry-and-my-name-not-alexander

Saturday, March 19th
1:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
1780 North Woodland Park Drive
Layton, UT 84041
Phone: 801-773-9973http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/3053383-32

Sunday, March 20th
3:30 PM
Books and Books
265 Aragon Avenue
Coral Gables, FL 33134
Phone: 305-444-9044
http://booksandbooks.com/jennifer-fosberry

Wednesday, March 23rd
4:00 PM
The Book Mark
299 Atlantic Blvd
Atlantic Beach, FL 32233
Phone: 904-241-9026

Saturday, March 26th
10:00 AM
Doylestown Bookshop
16 S Main Street
Doylestown, PA
Phone: 215-230-7610
http://www.doylestownbookshop.com/event/fosberry/032511