Some of my favorite holiday decor for kids revolves around Disney, so I was excited to learn that Disney has a new guide for holiday crafts, decor, and treats! Disney introduces All Things Merry: A Guide to the Holidays, which is a comprehensive and budget-friendly source for holiday planning.

On Family.com guests can find simple and delicious holiday dinner recipes including Perfect Pie Recipes and 20 Tempting Holiday Treats. Or families can make some holiday magic together in the kitchen, by baking up a batch of sweet Snowman Cookies or festive Candy Cane Cookies. How cute are those Mickey Mouse cookies?!? I know my Monkey is going to love helping me bake (and eat!) them.

For fun and budget-friendly ideas for holiday crafts and decorations, you can find simple instructions for homemade Christmas ornaments on FamilyFun.com and decorative Christmas crafts at Kaboose.com.

Family.com also offers a new series of how-to videos for making adorable Disney-themed holiday crafts, like Mickey Mouse Snowman Cards, and a guide for making other creative Disney Christmas ideas, perfect for Disney fans of all ages!

Kids can make their own homemade Christmas gifts for loved ones, such as an easy-to-construct yarn candy cane ornament or a cute reindeer hand print. Kids can also have some fun with Christmas coloring pages or online Christmas games.

In addition to all their fun and easy holiday ideas, Disney is also offering several holiday contests and sweepstakes for families to enter! Click on the links below for more details:

●      Submit photos of favorite Christmas moments for Disney Family’s Christmas contest for a chance to win a Disney movie prize pack, laptop and TV!

●      Enter FamilyFun’s Christmas sweepstakes for a chance to win $2,500 toward gifts, decorations and more!

●      Showcase creativity on FamilyFun’s holiday craft contest for a chance to win a Disney California Adventure Park experience!

●      Guests can also enter the Babyzone sweepstakes for a chance to win the ultimate nursery this holiday season!

Happy Holidays!

Congrats, Tara! Please e-mail me your mailing address to aimee@aintyomamasblog.com.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this give-away!

I love playing games with my family and, in my house, that often includes Wii video games. However, I usually reserve our host of Wii games for older kids and adults. As much as my 3 year old is fascinated by DJ Hero, I don’t necessarily think it’s appropriate for him to find his inner DJ Gregg Gillis just yet! Needless to say, I was especially interested in Disney’s new kid-friendly Wii video games.

Disney has created a whole portfolio of video games designed for the whole family. The family-friendly interactive Wii video games include:

• Disney Guilty Party allows you to investigate mysteries, collect clues and even split into teams to discover the “super sleuths” in your family
• Cars Toon: Mater’s Tall Tales is inspired by Disney/Pixar’s “Car Toons” and offers fast-paced, four-player fun to determine the family daredevil
• Disney Channel All-Star Party brings together Disney Channel shows and characters for the first time in more than 30 games in popular show locations
• Disney Tangled is a hair-raising adventure that’s inspired by the new animated movie and allows you to play as Rapunzel or Flynn
• Disney Sing It Family Hits creates a whole new world of karaoke fun with 30 songs from both classic and contemporary feature films including “Cinderella,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “The Lion King” and “Aladdin”
• Club Penguin Game Day! provides the fun and creativity of the popular snow-covered online world of Club Penguin on Wii for the first time with a challenging collection of fun new mini-games for the whole family

All of the games in the Disney Interactive Studios holiday portfolio are Rated E for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). For more information about the Disney Interactive Studios holiday portfolio, go to http://www.disneyfamily.com/makeitdisney.

Give-Away!

As a special treat, I am giving away the Phineas and Ferb Ride Again game for the Nintendo DS! Retail value is $30.  Make sure to leave a comment by Tuesday, November 23rd! To leave an additional comment for extra entries, subscribe to AYMB or follow AYMB on twitter. This give-away is only open for U.S. and Canada residents.

I will select a winner via www.random.org and will announce the winner on Wednesday, November 24th. Good luck!

FTC Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this review or give-away from Disney. I was, however, given complimentary products for my personal use and to give-away. My reviews are not influenced by free product or compensation.

(photo from ferretpress.com)

In preparation for an upcoming trip to Disneyland, I sat down with the Monkey to watch some classic Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck cartoons on YouTube. I haven’t watched any of these cartoons in at least 25 years, but I remember especially loving Donald Duck. Who didn’t love Donald?!? These cartoons are classics!

Now, before I let the Monkey watch anything, especially on YouTube, I watch it first to make sure it passes the mom-test.  But this was Donald Duck, one of Disney’s most beloved characters. Of course it’s safe for a toddler to watch!

Uh, NO.

We watched a few cartoons that were absolutely enjoyable and fun. Donald playing with sea lions, Donald flirting with Daisy Duck…and then the Monkey pointed to a small clip titled “Toy Tinkers”.

*click*

Here is my thought process as my two year old and I watched the clip together:

Look at those cute little squirrels! And there’s Donald Duck in his house, getting ready for Christmas. Oh look, the squirrels see all the nuts Donald has laying around and are now breaking into his house. Those pesky squirrels! Now Donald sees them and decides to have fun with them. Ha! They’re playing a game with Donald as they each steal back the nuts from one another. Oh, how clever of Donald, he comes down the chimney dressed as Santa and hands one squirrel a small nut and the other squirrel a much bigger nut. Oh, now they’re fighting over it and…uh…they just smacked each other over the bigger nut. Hmmmm, I’m not so sure about this….wait, wha….WTF!!!!!….a squirrel just opened a nut to find a gun aimed in his face! Donald is holding the gun directly at the squirrels and marching them away!!!

Oh.My.God.

*click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

I’ve never turned my computer off faster.

After I settled my toddler back into the very safe world of Elmo and Abby, I started to click around for more old Disney cartoons. I was shocked by what I came across -  WWII propaganda cartoons featuring Donald Duck and Nazis, Daisy Duck contemplating suicide, Donald and Mickey deliberately getting electrocuted by little mice, and Donald mistreating his three nephews very badly. Very, very badly.

Say what!

I grew up on this stuff. I regularly watched old Disney cartoons and Looney Tunes. I definitely remember the very violent antics of the Looney Tunes characters, such as Elmer Fudd and his shotgun and Wile. E. Coyote trying to blow up the Road Runner with TNT…but Disney?!? It never even crossed my mind that there were violent  images in these classic cartoons. Either I’m naive, forgetful, or that’s just my inner desensitized child talking.

There is so much talk about kids being exposed to too much violence in the media today and there is no doubt that’s true. Between adult-themed TV shows, the Internet, and video games, kids today have access to a lot of inappropriate content. But one thing is for sure, you will not find this stuff in the cartoons and TV shows that are geared towards younger kids.  Big Bird never smacks Cookie Monster around, the Man with the Yellow Hat never plays means tricks on George, and Olivia will never be seen holding a gun.

I understand that the era when these cartoons were made was much different. It was a time when boys were given toy guns so they could play “war”  and “shoot ‘em up” games. It was a time before children brought real guns to school, before explosions became a scar on our national psyche, and when war was clearly drawn between the good guys and the bad guys. We all know how much times have changed since then. So, I’m saying this as someone who is a HUGE fan of the Disney programming we all know and love today – the good ol’ days of Disney isn’t very good for today’s children. I’ll look back at some of these old cartoons with nostalgia but I plan to leave them exactly where they belong: in my past and not in my child’s present. When he’s old enough, I’ll show him old clips. Until then, we’ll stick to the peaceful, loving, and ethical characters we can find in the cartoons and TV shows aimed for young kids today.

(click on the 4:00 mark for the aforementioned scene)

Have an opinion on the matter? Would love to hear from you!

As a huge fan of Swedish Chefs and Iron Chefs, I was thrilled with the invite and opportunity. The Muppets Kitchen is a wonderful new online video series starring celebrity chef Cat Cora and Muppet Chef Angelo (who, with his thick Italian accent, is clearly not Swedish). However, Chef Angelo is a close friend and apprentice to the Swedish Chef and, as I quickly learned, is just as entertaining and lovable.  His cooking skills, however, are questionable.

The online videos, which are featured on Disney’s Family.com and Disney.go.com websites, are not only entertaining to watch but are filled with helpful cooking tips and ideas for little eaters. As a mom herself, Cat Cora has a ton of ideas for healthy and delicious food that even the pickiest eater will enjoy. There are no surprises and sneaky methods with her recipes. Cat believes that educating your children about what’s in their food and where it’s from is the best way to go. As she explained to the audience, knowing the ingredients of her food and trying everything at least once has not only expanded her own palate but helped her become the incredible chef she is today.

Watching Cat Cora, Chef Angelo, and Pepe explain how to make trail mix popcorn

Cat and Angelo demonstrated how to make a delicious snack called Trail Mix Popcorn. You can make the popcorn with the nuts and dried fruit on their own or add the melted sugar, corn syrup, and butter for an extra treat. Either way, it’s going to taste great! It’s a Moms and Muppets approved snack. Check it out!

Cat Cora and Chef Angelo’s Trail Mix Popcorn

Yield: About 10 cups

Ingredients

1 (2.9 oz.) bag microwave popcorn, popped according to package instructions (or 6 oz. store-bought pre-popped popcorn)
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans, walnuts, or peanuts
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a large bowl sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, add the popped popcorn along with the raisins, apricots and cranberries. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the sugar and corn syrup. Once melted, stir in the butter, nuts, sunflower seeds, and cinnamon until combined. Remove the pan from the heat.
3. Carefully drizzle the melted sugar mixture over the popcorn, stirring constantly until all ingredients are fully combined and coated.
4. Allow to cool completely before serving. Note, the popcorn will be a sticky treat.

Please click on the video to see more of Cat Cora and Chef Angelo in action!

The Key for Harvard? Yeah. Right.

Pardon me for being blunt, but if you’re someone who actually thinks your kid is going to become a brainiac from watching videos of funny puppets, drooling babies, and flying toys, well, then you’re clearly no Einstein yourself.

Just sayin’.

For those not in the know, I’m talking about the refund offered by Disney for the Baby Einstein videos. That’s right. Disney will refund your money if you’re not happy with the product or, in other words, your kid is not any “smarter” from watching their DVD’s.  Baby Einstein is calling it the “DVD Upgrade/Moneyback Guarantee” and they will refund up to 4 Baby Einstein DVD’s purchased between June 5, 2004 and September 4, 2009. The offer is good through March 4, 2010.

I have at least 4 of those DVD’s and I will not be returning any of them.

My kid just turned two years old and he no longer watches Baby Einstein, but he used to watch it a few times a week (among other videos) starting from around 8 months. Despite the fact that those videos drove me crazy, we watched them because my kid loved them. Why wouldn’t he? Crazy graphics, flying objects, catchy music, cute drooling babies, talking puppets…it might make you want to hurl something at the TV but it’s very fun for little ones, to say the least. But is it also educational? Will it make him grow up to cure cancer or create world peace? Is he a future Doogie Howser or Bill Gates? Highly unlikely. Should he actually grow up to be a genius, (which is *ahem* very likely), I doubt I’ll be framing those Baby Einstein DVD’s right next to his Nobel Peace Prize and diplomas from Harvard. But, in all seriousness, here’s what I really value from Baby Einstein and other baby/toddler-oriented videos – they are pure entertainment.

Obviously, I let my kid watch TV and videos. I am not an apologist for it and neither should any other parent that knows how to balance and monitor TV/Internet/video games. I don’t let my kid watch TV because I think it’s educational or a substitute for learning. I don’t let him watch it because I think it’s just as good as playing or reading. I let him watch kid-friendly TV for the same reasons I watch TV, to be entertained. He will laugh at the silly stuff on Wow Wow Wubbzy, dancy-dance with Yo Gabba Gabba, and try and mimic Little Bill or Olivia, whom he calls “Ollie.” I think it’s pretty cool that he’s even picked up a few new words.

I actually think some TV programs and videos are GOOD for kids.  Certain programming can actually fire up those synapses and get little minds stimulated in a positive way, which can obviously help promote imagination and creativity. Of course, you don’t want to OVER-stimulate the mind, but that’s where balance and monitoring comes into play. My kid watches 1-2 hours of TV and up to 4 shows nearly every day. I am always in the same room as him, usually on the laptop, downing my 5^th cup of coffee, and periodically glancing up to make sure he didn’t change the channel to the Spice network. If it’s not on PBS or Nick, Jr., he doesn’t watch it. Plain and simple. Like everything else in life, it all comes down to balance and moderation. There are parents that don’t allow any TV/videos at all to parents that plant their kid in front of the tube for most of the day. I think both extremist ways are just that – extreme. However, if you monitor what your kids watch and only expose them to a few programs that encourage laughter, silliness, creativity, and maybe even a few new words, I say…go for it.

What do you think?  How much TV do your kids watch? Are you returning the Baby Einstein DVD’s? Let me know your thoughts.