There is just something about the story, The Nutcracker, that makes it feel like Christmas. It has been one of our favorite ballets since we were young, and the one we try to see live when we get a chance. Recently we got a copy of a DVD called Prima Princessa Presents The Nutcracker. I think that it is a great way to introduce the ballet to the little girls in your life.

Join Prima Princessa, the adorable cartoon fairy ballerina princess, as she takes you on an amazing Christmas adventure filled with snow fairies, toy soldiers, sugarplums and sweets galore!

Get on your pretty tutu and get ready to dance with the San Francisco Ballet as they perform excerpts from their world famous ballet “Nutcracker.” Between acts your kids will get up off the couch and dance along as they learn real ballet steps demonstrated by students from the School of American Ballet, the official academy of the New York City Ballet. Your girls will not only get to see ballet, but they will get to try some moves themselves as well. Imagine the fun you will have watching them too!

“Prima Princessa Presents The Nutcracker” is the second show in the Prima Princessa Presents series, which is designed by two stay at home mom-entrepreneurs on a mission to bring the beauty and magic of ballet into the lives of children everywhere.

Prima Princessa Presents The Nutcracker would make a great stocking stuffer, or pre-holiday gift for the girls in your life.

This post was written as part of a program for Family Review Network and Prima Princessa, who provided the DVD for review.

VeggieTales has done it again! Just in time for Christmas, a new VeggieTales story, Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving. With all your favorite characters, and a new Silly Song with Larry called “Donuts for Benny”, the story is perfect for the holidays. There is even a new character, Nicky the Pepper, the first new VeggieTales character in five years!

We have always loved VeggieTales, especially the Silly Songs, but most of all because they always present good stories in a fun way. This story was great, with a message about giving, not just at the holidays, but all year long.

Laura Carrot’s Christmas stocking might be empty this year because her dad is in danger of losing his job. While Larry thinks a letter to the North Pole should fix the problem, Bob knows what will really help … and tells the story of a little boy named Nicholas who made a discovery in Bethlehem that changed Christmas forever. But what did Nick learn and how can it possibly help Laura and her family?!

To help promote this new story, and in the spirit of giving, there is a special offer! Those who purchase the Saint Nicholas DVD will receive a FREE VeggieTales DVD to give to a friend in need! Through this offer inside the DVD, you can log onto a special website and select a free VeggieTales DVD to send to a friend with only $2.99 shipping and handling.

In addition the the feature, the DVD also includes:

• “Give This Christmas Away” Operation Christmas Child music video
• Behind The Song with Matthew West and Amy Grant
• Art Gallery
• Audio Commentary
• Sing Along with Larry
• Discussion Guide
• Family Activity – “Bob & Larry’s Sugar Cookies”
• VeggieTales: St. Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving Not Rated-45 minutes-Color-5.1 Surround Sound-English & Spanish Subtitles-Close-Captioned

We think this would make a great gift (maybe an early Christmas present so you can watch it during the season)! You can buy Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving, as well as other VeggieTale goodies by visiting the Big Idea website.

Also, we think it’s great that they have partnered with Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, is the world’s largest Christmas gift project. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has hand delivered more than 69 million gift –filled shoe boxes to needy children in more than 130 countries. In 2009, the project hopes to collect and deliver 8 million shoe box gifts. For more information on Operation Christmas Child, visit: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/OCC.

This post was written for Family Review Network as part of a program for Big Idea, who supplied the DVD for review.

Just one more reason I really wish that I had an iPod Touch! Fun and helpful applications!!

If you love shoes, then this is an app for you. Shoebuy.com just made shopping for shoes a whole lot easier. It’s a free app for your iPhone or iPod Touch that lets you shop for shoes via Shoebuy.com. They offer more than 900 brands and hundreds of thousands of styles of shoes to choose from. The Shoebuy app lets you search, browse, shop, read reviews, and make purchases right from your phone.

• Free shipping and free return shipping
• 100% price guarantee
• No sales tax*
• Ability to share your finds instantly via Facebook, Twitter or email
• Customer reviews
• Search filters

“Our customers are savvy and enjoy great convenience, so this is another way we can expand our business to let them have the shopping experience they desire,” said Scott Savitz, Founder and CEO of Shoebuy.com.  “At Shoebuy.com we are always listening to our customers and using their feedback to drive innovation.  We have loyal customers and the iPhone app allows us to be there for them, on the go. Not to mention, it’s great when you’re waiting in line or riding the train to work.”

So, if you are lucky enough to have an iPhone or iPod Touch, be sure to check out the free app and let us know what you think! It sounds like a great idea to us!

*No sales tax does not apply to orders shipping to New York State.*

This is an awesome giveaway, especially with the holidays coming up so soon! Beau-coup Favors is offering a $75 gift card to one lucky winner towards anything on their site! If you aren’t familiar with them, you should know that Beau-coup carries gorgeous party favors for all occasions! They have some truly unique and tasty looking treats for whatever kind of party you plan.

Beau-coup even offers personalized Hershey’s chocolates and custom fortune cookies! They have so many great personalized options, from cameras to cookies, and even playing cards! That’s not all though, they also have great packaging options that you can fill with your own treats.

Would you like a chance to win the $75 gift card?

• Post a comment here telling us which item(s) from the Beau-coup Favors website you’d love to get if you win!
• You may comment daily until the giveaway ends.
• This giveaway ends Saturday, November 21st at midnight MST. Winner will be chosen at random and contacted by email. Please be sure to fill in the email portion of the comment form correctly.

Good luck all!

*this giveaway is now closed, congrats to Laur*

A few years ago I received a hoop and DVD from Hoopgirl.com to review on my personal blog. I have to say that it is so much fun! I really haven’t stopped trying new things since the hoop arrived. I have become a hooping addict.

With the holidays right around the corner, I thought I would share my review here in case you are looking for a unique gift for a person who has everything!

First off, the hoop. Mine is an awesome bright pink color, with orange accent tape around the hoop. The size is just right and it is also slightly heavy, which makes it much easier to use. This is not the kind of hoop you had as a kid, this is a serious hoop! It’s much nicer, so much fun to use, and a really good workout for the whole body.

Secondly, the Hoopgirl HoopDance for Beginners DVD. This DVD does a great job showing how to do various moves with the hoop, from the basic pump to harder moves like the booty bump. There are 35 moves in all, which makes the DVD an awesome resource for learning how to hoopdance. Each move is broken down into the “how to” and then is also shown in performance clips. There is also a section of just the performance clips that is really fun to watch and totally inspiring for becoming better at all the moves.

This is the hoop that started it all for me. I have to tell you that hooping with a quality hoop makes a huge difference in the ease of learning. Don’t just run to the store and pick up one of the plastic, toy hoops and expect to keep it on your hips for long. Even I can’t keep one of those going!

So, if you are interested in learning to hoopdance, be sure to check out her website! You can also see a lot of fun hoopdance videos on the HoopGirl YouTube channel. They also offer in person classes, which you can find out more about by clicking here. And most recently she has come out with a book, Hooping: A Revolutionary Fitness Program (Book & DVD), which I bought and love. It features a lot of great moves, as well as personal thoughts from hoopers all over the world.