The Kids In Need Foundation

The Kids In Need Foundation (@KidsInNeed), a not for profit that provides free school supplies to kids who need them nationwide are celebrating their 20th birthday with something sweet!   One lucky crafter will win $5,000! Submit your original cupcake-themed design for an upcoming limited edition Duck Tape print, and you can win $5,000. Check out all the details at http://duckbrand.com/kidsinneed 

Fun in the Sun with Australian Gold

*Disclosure: Free product was provided in exchange for a feature / review of the product. No monetary compensation was received. 

Who knew SPF could be so fun? Australian Gold, of course.  And, this year they are taking sun care to new heights with the addition of three super cute, super cool Hello Kitty products. These new products are perfect for kids and parents alike…and let’s not forget those Hello Kitty fans! My daughter loves Hello Kitty and just joined the Dive Team at our local community pool, so this came just in time! 

	NEW! Hello Kitty Frozen Aloe After Sun Cooling Spray ($6.99; Drugstores nationwide) NEW! Hello Kitty Frozen Aloe Sun Cooling Spray dispenses cooling, white flakes that instantly soothe sun burned skin. Frescolat provides instant cooling that lasts up to 30 minutes.  The aloe formula moisturizes dry, sun parched skin and helps minimize blistering, peeling and chapping. Australian Gold combines cutting edge sun care with Asian skin caring ingredients, Yomogi, Butterfly Bush, and Green Tea to deliver sun protection with exceptional skin care.  Sparkling Yuzu Fragrance.
	NEW! Hello Kitty SPF 50 Lotion ($8.99; Drugstores nationwide) NEW! Hello Kitty SPF 50 Lotion is a safe and gentle mineral lotion formula that is perfect for kids (and adults!) and features a unique, cool fragrance to make sun care fun!  Australian Gold combines cutting edge sunscreen protection with Asian skin caring ingredients, Yomogi and Butterfly Bush, to deliver sun protection with exceptional skin care. Water Resistant (80 Minutes). PABA-Free. UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum Protection.  Sweet Starfruit Fragrance.
	NEW! Hello Kitty SPF 30 Lip Balm  ($1.99; Drugstores nationwide) Treat your lips to a tropical vacation with the NEW! Tangerine Tango flavored Hello Kitty SPF 30 Lip Balm that helps prevent sunburn and protects dry, chapped lips. Australian Gold combines cutting edge sun care with skin caring ingredients like Jojoba, Sunflower Seed Oil, Pomegranate and Vitamin E to deliver sun protection with exceptional skin care.

Summer Fun on Wheels with Dynacraft!

Kicking off their summer campaign, Dynacraft has created Experiments in Fun, which is designed to help families rethink what's possible with their kids favorite wheels! For example, this past weekend, Dynacraft transformed Atlanta's Piedmont Park into a Ride-In Theater, complete with a ride-thru ticket booth, bike-up concession stand, old-fashion marquee sign, lively games and photo booth. At sundown, families cuddled up under the stars to watch Universals Pictures Despicable Me 2 on a 40-foot-wide screen. So cool!

Events like these will be happening across the country only with different concepts each time around. To see if they are coming to an area near you - Check Here!

Movie Monday!

KUNG FU PANDA 3 | Check Out The FIRST Trailer!

DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox have just released the FIRST trailer for the highly anticipated film, KUNG FU PANDA 3!  The star-studded cast returns to this franchise with Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, and David Cross; joined by newcomers Bryan Cranston, Rebel Wilson,  and J.K. Simmons. Check out the first trailer and get ready for the hilarious adventure to continue in 2016!

KUNG FU PANDA 3 hits theaters everywhere on  JANUARY 29, 2016!

Guess How Much I Love You

Bestselling storybook Guess How Much I Love You celebrates 20th anniversary as deployed military parents use it to deliver a special ‘I love you’ message to their kids back home this Father’s Day
While millions of children will be celebrating Father’s Day with their dads on June 21, for many children whose fathers are serving in the military, dad won’t be at home. But thanks to nonprofit United Through Reading and a very special storybook, there’s a way for every dad to tell his kids he loves them this Father’s Day – however far away he might be.

Nonprofit United Through Reading keeps military families connected by offering service members the opportunity to be video-recorded reading storybooks to their children at home from locations worldwide. Although the story may be recorded in a tent in Afghanistan, the child sitting at home watching it can feel like daddy’s home for a few moments before they go to sleep, or whenever they need him. Guess How Much I Love You celebrates the unique bond between father and child, and has struck a chord with many military families. The story serves as a reminder to children that no matter how far away they may be from their parent, their love remains strong enough to bridge even the greatest distances.

This heartfelt video was created especially for Father’s Day and features military parents reading Guess How Much I Love You to their children back home in a United Through Reading recording.

Watch the video here.

DISCOVERY Children's Museum in Vegas!

Still looking for something to do with the kids over summer break? DISCOVERY Children's Museum at Symphony Park in downtown Las Vegas provides the perfect setting for children and families to learn something new and have fun doing it.

The museum addresses its core educational areas of science and nature, art and culture and early childhood development with 26,000 square feet of interactive hands-on exhibits. With featured traveling exhibitions, daily programs, demonstrations and activities and collaborative cultural programming for all occasions, it all adds up to an exciting family outing with lots of informal learning opportunities.

Travel back in time to when dinosaurs last roamed the land at DISCOVERY Children's Museum traveling exhibit, Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice. As visitors move through the exhibit, they encounter unfamiliar landscapes, touchable dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes including a Tyrannosaurs rex and a Triceratops. This exhibit builds on the popular fascination with dinosaurs and includes, science activities to challenge all ages and opportunities to investigate includes about what dinosaurs left behind.

20% OFF General Admission Tickets - Enjoy a 20% discounted general admission rate throughout the summer at DISCOVERY Children's Museum. Explore the Museum and see the Dinosaurs!

Discount is good only for daily admission tickets for a party up to four (4) tickets per coupon. Not valid with any other offer.

Ringling Bros Extreme Circus Review

*Disclosure: Our family was provided free tickets to attend opening night.  All opinions are of my own and no monetary compensation was received.

Thursday night we had the opportunity to attend opening night of Ringling Bros Extreme Circus here in Vegas.  I was excited, I'm a fan of the circus and was looking forward to a family fun night out.  We did have fun, I do have to admit that, as a family we always try to turn any situation into fun!  Walking out after the show, I will say that I was a bit disappointed.  There was not much "extreme" about Ringling Bros Extreme Circus.  That is what I was looking for.  While there were certain parts that I did enjoy, that I was expecting to see - such as the elephants and the tigers (my favorite), they even had little poodles dancing around, which my daughter loved!  This was not a three ring circus, something I did expect, maybe that is just how I always have seen the circus - as three entertaining rings.  Look at those tigers....so huge and beautiful!

So honestly I'm not sure who planned out this one, but they were way off.  Two things that were added to this years "Extreme Circus" were some bmx bike riders, which don't get me wrong, we love that kind of thing, just did not fit with the circus; and also some ladies riding camels around in circles - not very entertaining; even my daughter said "that's it"!

Just wasn't extreme to me.  When I think of the circus I think of odd, attention grabbing, edge of your seat extreme, like the sword swallowing - which they did have.  I did miss the motorcycles that go around in a caged ball - that was taken out as well.   The kids did enjoy it, we did have a fun time making the best of it, just was not what we were expecting.   I enjoyed the tigers, elephants and the high wire acts - but that was as extreme as it got, which is not much being the circus.  Even the next day my husband said the same thing.  He was also expecting more "extreme".  There was a lot of singing and dancing - which kinda reminded me of just anther Vegas show.   My daughter even mentioned that it was more like a musical rather than the circus.   If you are looking for something to do, some family fun and entertainment, I would recommend, but if you are looking for the "extreme" circus show -this is not it. 

Ringling Bros Extreme Circus