Jumpin-Beans

FTC Compliant Review Policy: The product(s) featured in this review were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation. *** ALL IMAGES BELONG TO JUMPIN BEANS BLOG*** Now that the holiday season is behind us, what is next? For us, we still have cold days ahead... and talk about cold... It is supposed to be like 9* next week.   (For some of you Northerners, we are not used to that cold...)  Since we will not be going outside much during this time...  We need to go ahead and decide what fun indoor activities we would be doing... So glad that we were sent two new (to me) games.... Appletters and Pairs in Pears .   They are from the bananagrams family and I am telling you...  This is so cute and fun!!!!   While the boys were here, I pulled out Appletters and two of us played for...

FTC Compliant Review Policy: The product(s) featured in this review were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation. So, a couple weeks ago, we had the opportunity to head to Chuck E. Cheese. Broxton had seen the commercials about it and had been asking, so we decided to surprise him with a treat to go there.  He was so excited and was eager to take his picture in front as soon as we walked up to the building!!!! Getting ready to head inside!   The reason we were given the chance to go was to share with you a new app that is now available. It is the Take a Snapshot with Chuck E. App.  You are told about it as soon as you walk in.  (No, it is not forced down your throat from the staff, but they do have advertising for it as soon as you open the door.)  The App is FREE and it is pretty neat.  Throu...

If you were here yesterday, you read about Broxton and Daddy enjoying the Lowe's Build and Grow where they built the sled from Rise of the Guardians. Well, today... I just have to share about Broxton and his adventure with his Papa. We took Broxton to the Build and Grow where we live and Broxton had a good time with his daddy, so when I saw there was a workshop going on that weekend we were visiting my parents, I knew they would have fun.  Little did I plan into the fact that my dad is not a "builder"  as in when we go to visit, my mom has a "honey do list" for MARC... and leaves comments about if you do this, you are helping out your father in law!  lol...  My dad is one that will get someone to fix it... He isn't going to.  He's a numbers and paperwork guy, just not a builder and fixer!! So, we get to the Lowes and there are about 100 kids in there... My dad says, " I think we have just walked in to Santa's Workshop!  There are all the elv...

My blogger friend Alissa at Planet of the Apels has blogged numerous times about the Lowes Build and Grow events. They take their boys there and we decided to check it out... Image Credit: Lowes Lowe's Build and Grow is really impressive to me. It is basically a fun time for the kids and their parent (or other guardian) to enjoy time together... and they also get to work on a project and have something to show for it. Broxton was able to go with Marc to one of them.  They worked together and built the sled from Rise of the Guardians.  It was funny, as Broxton keeps saying he wants to see this movie and then they built that... so he knew what he was doing, from the previews of the movie he keeps seeing. That particular Lowe's had a decent turnout.  They had everyone at a couple tables over in a side aisle.  There were several moms there with their kids... and also dads there with their kids as well. Broxton was given a pair of safety goggles and an ap...

Are you one that sticks to certain brands of items for things? I never really noticed how I am about some, but not others... Until recently. I will not go into everything that has to be a certain brand... but I will tell you one. Photo Credit: PAAS PAAS Easter Egg Dying Kits ! As long as I can remember, that has been a brand we have trusted!   You know it is getting close to Easter when you see the PAAS items... and tons of vinegar!  We received two of the new product lines from PAAS for review and I was so happy! Broxton has been wanting to "color the Easter Eggs" for a few days, but I wasn't planning on doing it this year...  We had our Egg Hunt at the church and they did all plastic eggs... but, I did want him to have that memory, so we all won in this case! Photo Credit: PAAS We were sent the PAAS EggTats for review and we all know Broxton is into tattoo's...  So, I knew this would be fun!  We colored the eggs... ...

Hey all!!!! We had a great day today and let me tell you, I just loved it!!!! Also, be warned... There is a good amount of cuteness contained in this post... So ... Don't say I did not warn you!!!!! We are not at the age of Monster Trucks yet...  Well, I did not think we were until today! I remember years ago taking my brother to a Monster Truck show and I thought Broxton might enjoy seeing the trucks...   I heard that they were in town... and get this.. FREE Meet and Greets were going on with the drivers!!!! (It did not hurt that my grandmother gave Broxton a Monster Truck for Christmas!) So, we put the location in the GPS and made a mommy/son day!!!! First up: BATMAN Monster Truck As soon as Broxton saw it : "Whoa!  That is a big truck!" I heard several of the men talking about what all was going on  down there! Yes, Grown men taking pictures and all... I guess we all have excitement no matter what age!!!! We then went inside Metro PCS ...

I admit it... I am a GLEE Fan! I love it. I did not watch the first season... but then I had to buy it to get ready for season two. (My mom actually gave it to me as a gift and I was so thankful!) When season two started, Marc and I made it part of our weekly routine to watch it... So much that last summer when the boys came, the oldest started watching Season One... And then when he found out that I would be reviewing Glee Season Two , he started asking ALL the time when it would be here so he could watch them... When the boys came for Christmas this year... The oldest QUICKLY reminded me that he needed to watch season two. We pulled it out and started watching... I loved that he was so excited (even texting before they came to make sure we were still on to watch all of them!) The other two could have cared less... then, the 13 year old started watching and slowly got sucked into (shhhhh don't tell anyone) watching them!!!  He was making fun of his older brother at fi...

National Hug Day is January 21st. Did you know that? To kick off the celebration of such a fun day, I get to share a wonderful new book with you... Time for a Hug is by Phillis Gershator and Mim Green. We received it for review and I love it... Love the colors, love the rhymes, love the message. I am a hugger.   I absolutely LOVE hugs.  Do you? When I first moved to Atlanta, I noticed just how much a hug could change your day.... It was weird, I did not have anyone to hug, so it was a bit sad... Over time, I made great friends and even now, whenever we see each other, we hug hello and we hug goodbye. Broxton does the same thing! Marc and I love hugging him and we are constantly giving hugs (and stealing them) throughout the day! With Time for a Hug, I see that we are not the only one! This book starts with Little Bunny waking up and starting the day at 8. Each and every hour... It is TIME FOR A HUG!!!! Throughout the day, they do several different things... Bo...

Shirley's PrePackaged Crafts has a great thing going! Broxton LOVES arts and crafts time... Each day, we have "school" and we go work on his easel. We work on shapes, numbers, letters, colors. We also have different craft activities that we do. From coloring in our coloring book to glue and leaves... Each time, it is something fun and different. I was so happy to have the chance to review for Shirley's PrePackaged Crafts. It was a relief to me... Each time I try to come up with something, I get nervous. Not now! We reviewed a box from them and it was awesome! There were craft projects... The items we needed were included. Broxton was SO EXCITED that one of our crafts was to make a train.. We colored the train...  Then, we used the sticks (that were included) and connected them together... PLEASE CLICK HERE TO LEARN more about Shirleys PrePackaged Crafts . Sorry that this post is rather boring, but I can not seem to ...

We all absolutely LOVED the first Kung Fu Panda, so when I saw that the second one was about to come out, I was hoping to get the chance to review it. We watched it here one night... I kept wanting to watch, but Broxton kept telling me that we had to wait for daddy to watch.  It was so funny, he even had to go put the DVD under the tree until Marc was home... So, we finally got to watch and it was another great movie. I will say that I felt like it wasn't as funny as the first one... It was still good, but it had a more serious tone than the original. In this movie, Po goes to China to help out... While there, he learns of his origins... Think about it, we never knew in the first one how he came to be where he was... This is a great movie and you can also get it as a 2 disc set... With the second one, you can also purchase the set which will include the Secrets of the Masters DVD. Now, I did not watch this one, but Marc and Broxton were enjoying it. In the other disc, ...

Have you heard of the movie, Courageous? It is from Sherwood Pictures, the church that brought us all "Facing the Giants" and "Fireproof." Once again, it was filmed in my hometown of Albany, Georgia. I am excited that such great things are coming out of Albany... So, I wanted to share the press release with you: Film Opens Nationwide September 30th CULVER CITY, CA (Sept. 29, 2011) – TriStar Pictures and Sherwood Pictures are pleased to announce that COURAGEOUS , the latest installment from Sherwood Pictures, has reached more than $2 million in pre-sales ticketing in anticipation of Friday’s national release. Pre-sales numbers for COURAGEOUS more than double that of Sherwood Pictures’ most recent film, Fireproof , which opened at $6.8 million and went on to gross more than $33.4 million at the box office. COURAGEOUS is the fourth release from the moviemaking ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. The first release was Flywheel (2003), followed ...

This looks like a great movie!!! Especially one for a family movie night. Win a Copy of Breaking the Press, Available on Sept. 20 A young man loses his way but through the power of his family’s prayers finds the path to redemption and rediscovers the love of his father in BREAKING THE PRESS , on DVD September 20 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. A recent recipient of the Dove Foundation’s ‘Family-Approved’ seal for all audiences over the age of twelve, this inspiring Biblical parable stars Drew Waters (“Friday Night Lights”) as Joe Conahey , a small-town high school basketball coach whose Christian faith is tested by an unsuccessful season and the intense pressure that results. The family’s two star sons—the older, diligently hardworking brother Matt (Chad Halbrook , Brotherhood ) and the younger, naturally-gifted Josh (Tom Maden , “According to Jim”)—are separated when Josh selfishly transfers to a powerhouse school hundreds of miles away. His previous team’s top player...

I do not know how much you "game" at your house... But we are thankful for the Wii when the boys are here... They take turns playing it in their room and it leaves the other TV available for the rest of the family... I just wanted to share a few new game releases that might be a hit at your house this year... (I for one am VERY excited about the ZUMBA one!) First Up: Camping Mama: Outdoor Adventures Launching September 13 for the Nintendo DS , Camping Mama sets players off on an island camping adventure with Mama, Papa and their two children…navigate the wilderness, live off the land and master your survival skills to thrive in the great outdoors! Features of Camping Mama include: • Based on the best-selling Cooking Mama franchise that has sold more than 8 and a half million units in North America alone, Camping Mama: Outdoor Adventures allows players to explore the camp site and island as they play a mix of stylus-based cooking, crafting, treasure hunting, and action m...

If you remember my post about the wonderfully delicious Peperocini Beef Sandwiches ... I should have told you that the Peperocini Peppers we use are Mezzetta brand. They work great! Not to spicy, just right! Well, I had no idea that Mezzetta Brand was more than just peppers! Yes! They have a whole line of great tasting products and we were able to try out their Pasta Sauces. I do know that my favorite was: Actually, would you like for me to tell you what I told Marc as soon as I took the first bite? I said, "It tastes just like someone bottled up my grandma's Spaghetti Sauce." You see, my grandaddy was from Italy.. Every Sunday, the entire family headed to my grandparents house for Sunday lunch. Yes, plenty of times we had my grandma's Spaghetti. I still do not know how she made it, but it was full of flavor and love ! Now, I can reminisce about those days when I eat it at my house! The flavors just work so well together and it is not your average pasta sauce... ...