My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Friendship Games!

by Leave a Comment

My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Friendship Games! 
 MLPfriendshipgames
In our house My Little Pony and Equestria Girls are just a normal daily part of conversations. I guess that’s how it is when your tween is basically over the moon for anything MLP! Well, as a mom I have to admit that I adore those little ponies myself. Yes, I have learned all their names and their cutie marks- something that I never thought would be mastered. So, when Em and I heard about the new My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Friendship Games coming out this Fall we were both super excited! The fun will continue as our favorites journey through high school with the Mane 6 in this alternate My Little Pony universe. 
Now for some super duper news! MLP has a new interactive features!  Head over to the site  NOW to meet the new Friendship Games’ Equestria Girls and your favorite Mane 6 in character profiles, entertaining film shorts, and more. Plus, check out the revamped Mane 6 below and mark your calendars, because this film will be available nationwide on DVD, and Blu-ray/DVD/Digital combination  OCTOBER 13TH, 2015!  

Now, in the new animated film  My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Friendship Games, Canterlot High meets its rival school, Crystal Prep Academy, in a competition that’s a long-standing tradition –The Friendship Games: a series of exciting events that includes archery, motocross, and rollerskating!  Sunset Shimmer is tasked with keeping magic out of the games to keep things fair while she and her friends compete against Crystal Prep’s top students led by someone with an equal amount of interest in Equestrian magic – this world’s Twilight Sparkle.
MY LITTLE PONY EQUESTRIA GIRLS: FRIENDSHIP GAMES MANE 6:
Meet Crystal Prep Twilight Sparkle! She maintains the same personality traits of the Twilight we know from the MLP world, but she has yet to learn about the magic of friendship.
Rainbow dash is the ultimate team player!
Fluttershy is all about helping her teammates!
 
Rarity believes that practice makes fabulous even when she rollerskates!
Pinkie pie as always has a ton of energy especially when she rollerskates!
Applejack believes in playing an honest game!
 
Continue the journey through high school with the Mane 6 in this alternate My Little Pony universe, and find out what happens next in  My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Friendship Games! 
Disclosure: Diane Sullivan is a ShoutFactory reviewer. No compensation was given for this post. A complimentary bluray will be sent in order to conduct a review. Contact me at Diane@3decades3kids.net and everywhere else as @3decades3kids.

“Riley’s First Date” Makes its World Premiere at D23! #D23Expo

by Leave a Comment

Get Ready Inside Out Fans- “Riley’s First Date” Makes its World Premiere at D23! 

riley

 

 

 

 

 

When it comes to Pixar movies the one that surprised me the most was Inside Out! I definitely was not expecting to have to use the popcorn napkins to dry the tears dripping from both of my eyes throughout the movie! Wooza! So, just when I have finally gotten over it, here comes the Inside Out short- Riley’s First Date! Having my own tween daughter at home really makes me hang onto every single second of hope that she will never lose her core memories, especially  Goofball Island! Pixar Animation Studios heads back inside the mind with an all-new short. “Riley’s First Date?” made its world premiere this afternoon at D23 EXPO 2015.

riley1

 

 

 

 

 

 

riley2

 

 

 

 

 

Director Josh Cooley, along with “Inside Out” filmmakers Pete Docter (“Up,” “Monsters, Inc.”) and Jonas Rivera (“Up”), introduced the short, which revisits Riley, now 12, who is hanging out with her parents at home when potential trouble comes knocking. Mom’s and Dad’s Emotions find themselves forced to deal with “Riley’s First Date?” The short will be included as a bonus feature in the digital HD & Blu-ray releases of Disney·Pixar’s “Inside Out,” which will be available digitally Oct. 13 and on Blu-ray Nov. 3, 2015.

Disclosure: A media pass was extended to Diane Sullivan for D23Expo. All opinions are that of my own and honest. Please contact me at Diane@3decades3kids.net and everywhere else as @3decades3kids. 

Netflix and August- Perfect Together! #NetflixStreamTeam @Netflix #ProjectMc2

by Leave a Comment

Netflix and August Are Perfect Together!

netflixaugust

So here we are, August! We all knew it was coming. In our house August is a time to get all the summer homework done that has been laying around since the last day of school. It’s a time for us to rush around getting all the Fall things ready and a time to do all the things on the Summer list before the winds of Fall set in. Of course with saying that there is also plenty of time for Netflix. It’s our perfect goto in the car for those long rides and it’s our definite goto for long check out lines in the store. Of course at home we love Netflix, too! Sometimes I wonder why I even bother paying for cable stations. Well, with saying that- there are always plenty of choices with Netflix. Since the kids in our family range from post college to elementary school, thank goodness for personalized accounts! Check out our “Something For Everyone” below! Happy August. Hope your back to school days and last of summer days are all good ones.

GWLSUmmer15b
Catching some fun on our last days of summer! Flash forward a few weeks and we will be exchanging this tube for books and backpacks!

For older kids, you can put a fun spin on the stuff they’re dreading — math homework, spelling tests, science reports — the brand new Project Mc² Netflix Original Series, premiered on Aug. 7 proves smart is the hottest BTS trend. The show features four supercool teen spies who show how girls can use their science smarts and math problem-solving skills to save the world. Total #SmartGirl inspo! Catch a first look here.
MC2CARD

And the offspring of favorite fairytale characters in Ever After High’s new Way Too Wonderland adventure (debuting Aug. 14) empower kids to write their own life stories. Whether Royal or Rebel, your actions, behaviors and choices are your own to make.
EAH-Way-Too-Wonderland Vertical EN

Netflix Original: Ever After High: Way Too Wonderland
60021788 hd1080 426x607

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
70208106 hd1080 426x607

How the State Got Their Shapes
80062985 hd1080 426x607

Odd Squad

Get the little ones ready for new experiences with shows like the Netflix original Dinotrux from DreamWorks, premiering Aug. 14 — prehistoric hybrid dinosaur-construction vehicles team-up to use their different skills to solve problems and show that even the most uncommon of duos, like Ty-Rux and Revvit, can form friendships of a lifetime. https://www.netflix.com/
DTCARD

They can also go anywhere and be anything by letting their imaginations soar on a Reading Rainbow journey, now available to stream.
80063156 hd1080 426x607

Reading Rainbow
70264612 hd1080 426x607

Magic School Bus
70180293 hd1080 426x607

The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!

Disclosure: Diane Sullivan is a Netflix Stream Team member. All posts are my own opinion and have no reflection on the thoughts of Netflix. Please contact me at Diane@3decades3kids.net or @3decades3kids everywhere else.

Jenkinson’s Boardwalk in New Jersey #JenksMemory

by Leave a Comment

Jenkinson’s Boardwalk Fun!

jenkinsonsboogieboard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ever since I was a child, I can remember riding up and down the New Jersey Parkway every single summer heading to different shore towns to spend countless days on the beach and boardwalk. The same could be said for my own kids. Funny thing is I thought we had been to almost every beach town along the route. Not sure how we missed out on Jenkinson’s Boardwalk all of these years. It’s a definite great place for families and friends to create memories and to return to year after year.

jenkinsonsrides

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

jenkssharkFirst of all, Jenkinson’s Boardwalk at Point Pleasant Beach is close! It’s less than two hours from NYC and an easy drive. Our family left early in the morning and arrived at our destination around 10 am. In my eyes that was perfect timing. I noticed that soon after things started to really crowd up.  We found a parking lot easily and headed straight to the beach. Right away our family loved how everything was right there-all together. The boardwalk did not last forever, it was a perfect size and not overwhelming. As for the beach. It was gorgeous. The lifeguards were totally attentive to all of the swimmers and boogie boarders. That really kept mom and dad at ease. The waves were crazy the day we visited! The kids had such a blast. My big guys spent the day in the waves- while Mommy and Emily built a sand castle city! I was also thrilled that sand toys, beach chairs and umbrellas were all available and they did not break the bank.  It was a perfect day at the beach! There was also a changing house available complete with private showers. Bonus: It was super clean!

jenksaquariumsign

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

jenksaquariumOur second stop was the boardwalk. We cleaned up and headed out to check it all out. Our family decided to check out Jenkinson’s Aquarium. All I can say is Wow! What a hidden gem. The aquarium was just amazing. There were so many varieties of fish and sealife. There was even a tank filled with sharks! Emily was thrilled by the touch tank and the seal feeding. As for me, I could not believe I was able to get in a little bit of learning in the middle of our beach trip.

Next up we went out in search of some lunch. The choices were all there from burgers to seafood to typical boardwalk food.  Once place looked better than the next. I can’t even remember where we ate, but it was absolutely delicious. We feasted on sausage, peppers and onions, philly cheesesteak, pizza and more. We also grabbed some late night snacks before we headed home. My favorite “foodie” choice of the day was the hot waffles and ice cream sandwich. Wooza! It’s a must- but get it as a share food. It’s pretty big! As day turned into night we played boardwalk games of chance and made a million memories walking the boardwalk and riding the rides! There were rides for everyone in the family! Our favorites we rode over and over again. It was a summer day that our family will remember for a very long time! We cannot wait to visit again. For more information about Jenkinson’s Boardwalk click here: http://jenkinsons.com/

jenksride

jenksfunnelcake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclosure: Diane Sullivan is a Jenkinson’s Boardwalk Ambassador. All opinions are that of mine and completely honest. As part of the ambassador blogger program our family was provided with family VIP wristbands and compensation. Contact me at Diane@3decades3kids.net and @3decades3kids.

There’s Something New At Great Wolf Lodge Poconos

by Leave a Comment

There’s Something New At Great Wolf Lodge Poconos

GWLslideboarder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This summer, Great Wolf Lodge. Poconos Mountains, PA has made some big changes– and our family was lucky enough to get a special look at some of the lodge’s greatest new features! The biggest new addition to Great Wolf Lodge awaits visitors in the waterpark: a brand new waterslide/video game hybrid called Slideboarding! In this new water sliding experience guests get the opportunity to play their favorite songs– from a variety of genres including pop, rock, rap, electronic, country, and more– as they cascade down one of two unique Slideboarding courses. Count me in on this one! We could not wait to test it out. Of course everyone in the family thought they could just rock it out, but we found it to be a little bit more of a challenge, which only peaked out interest. 

GWLSlideboarder1
Slideboarding at GWL!
GWLslideboarder3
Here’s how it works: guests begin their experience by creating their own personal Slideboarding profile. This can be used to track their scores and log in at other Slideboarding locations (the feature is coming soon to the Williamsburg, VA Great Wolf Lodge and more) as well as on the official Slideboarding app. Next guests will pick a genre of music to determine which songs they will play along with on the slide– each genre has a pool of current and classic songs that will play randomly, so each slide is a new surprise! Once they’re aboard the slide, guests press buttons on the kayak-like Slideboard as they pass under colored lights. Time it just right, and you can get a perfect score, unlocking the next level of play! Leaderboards are displayed on screens at the slide’s base, and are also available online– try to beat your friends and family’s scores or those of other players, and race to become the best!
GWLSlideboarder2
GWLSummer15
Let’s go Glamping at GWL!
But Slideboarding isn’t the only new feature at Great Wolf Lodge– the lodge is also offering three new programs to guests staying the night. The first is a must-have for anyone traveling with little ones: a complimentary service (available on request) providing a Diaper Genie and a pack of swim diapers right in your room! We are past the diaper stage in our family, but I do remember the days of straining my brain wondering what to do with all the diapers! Congrats on the this one GWL! It’s going to be a real keeper of parents with littles in the room.
The next is geared more toward fashion-friendly guests– the Glamping Pack! This program includes a Great Wolf Lodge canvas backpack for you to keep, a pack of Scooops nail polish, and a special delivery of milk and cookies to your room by Wiley or Violet the wolf! So Glamp on! Our family loved testing this package out. We were already in the Kids’ Cabin room, so the Glamping package was a natural. We loved it. I would completely recommend it to friends and family.
Finally, a package that will fill the whole family with wintry wonder– Great Wolf Lodge’s new Snowland themed rooms! This new package gives the standard Great Wolf Lodge room a snowy makeover to fit with the Snowland theme of the rest of the lodge, complete with festive lights, a decorated tree in your room, a visit with milk and cookies from Wiley or Violet, and a special Snowland blanket for you to keep! https://www.greatwolf.com/poconos
The fun just keeps coming at Great Wolf Lodge! The next time you visit Great Wolf Lodge don’t forget to add on your favorite package and definitely test out the new Slideboarding! You will not be disappointed.

Disclosure: Diane Sullivan was entended a media invitation that included lodging, some dining, and surprise items. All opinions are that of Diane Sullivan and honest. Contact me at 3decades3kids@Gmail.com or Diane@3decades3kids.net. Very Special thanks to the GWL team and Bill Colavito.