$30-$50
We’ve owned a variety of these flip-out sofas over the years and each has come in handy.  They are sturdy, generally have washable covers, and are the perfect size for a child 6 and under to use.  They are easily moved and although not too tiny, could easily be thrown in the back of a minivan for an overnighter.

The best use is for a sick child or restless child who needs rest but getting them to sit still in a bed or bedroom is next to impossible.  Just throw one of these flip-out couches in front of the T.V., in a room where you can monitor the child, or even just where the activity is.

We’ve even doubled them up on occasion (end to end) for an older child to sleep in or play video games in.

I don’t know whether to be concerned, or amazed at this movie. An adoption agency turns over three children to an evil person, without doing much checking. I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry at how nearly accurate that is at times. Beyond that, the evil genius has a heart and turns out to be a good guy? So is this really a good guy all along and pretending to be bad, or now a bad guy pretending to be good. Either way, I’m not sure it’s a good idea for children to trust someone such as this.

I suppose those things aside the movie really is relatively benign. We all want to hope for less evil and more good in the world and on that note it has merit.

The minions are hysterical. Pulling antics from photocopying their rears to lots of playful teasing with the other minions. They really are what make this movie entertaining and without them, the movie would fall flat.

Although I think the humor is relatively harmless, if you are incredibly strict about content and don’t allow fart jokes or other such silliness, this movie isn’t for you. It’s more geared towards the 6 and up crowd, but younger kids might enjoy parts of it too.

Cost $50-$60
This is a cute game, specifically for the Nintendo Wii.   It’s rated E, and although cute, it reminded me a lot of Sony’s Little Big Planet but not nearly as good.   It’s great for younger kids who don’t have as much experience playing video games but won’t keep older kids entertained for long and is easy enough to complete.

That being said, there are some really fun characters and changes Kirby goes through.  From turning into a fish, to changing into a space craft complete with bursts to destroy enemies.  It’s definitely a good reminder of how limitless the imagination could be.

This is the first in a series of reviews for the DVD, Game, Streaming movie companies I have experience with.  I chose Netflix first because they are currently on my shortlist of favorites.

I was an early adopter of Netflix.  I loved the concept of receiving discs by mail without ever having to leave my house and have come and gone depending on the year, season etc. See in the summer time we do a lot of movie viewing.  When kids are home from school or summer is here and a lot of the TV shows and other viewing opportunities are limited, I find we have a great need for alternative choices.  So, having a few DVDs in the queue automatically shipped to me was handy.

Of course those were the early days of Netflix.  Now they’ve expanded into so much more.  Not only do they offer DVDs by mail, but streaming video for a multitude of devices including iPhones, PS3s, Wiis, Computers, and they even have boxes which can hook up to your TV to help.  At first when they offered this service I was a bit skeptical.  So many companies have tried the streaming movie format and failed.  I think where Netflix won out was offering it as a freebie with their already popular DVDs by mail service.

Their selection of streaming content improves daily.  I’m constantly seeing movies (both new releases and classics) in addition to TV series and more.  I absolutely love being able to throw my Netflix disc in and choose from a bunch of TV shows I missed the first time around and watch an entire season in sequence without ever having to leave my seat.  There is no ejecting of discs to move to the next in the series and no swapping out discs when up for a movie marathon.

The software they utilize also “learns” to suggest movies based on your preferences and “categories” appear with titles related to what you’ve already watched.  The software also does a very good job of adjusting the video sizes and streaming based on your connection.  It’s not a one-size-fits-all deal, it’s a this-size-fits-you deal.  Even on challenging connections the buffering in the background does a great job of keeping the movie going without interruption.

Okay now that I’m done raving about the streaming portion, on to the DVDs and plans.  If you aren’t big on the streaming video, you always have the option of having a disc sent to you.  You simply add a bunch of titles you want to your queue and they are automatically sent based on your plan, order, and availability.  Most of the DVDs have a one to two day turnaround so you’re not left waiting weeks and weeks for your DVDs.  They have plans to fit almost any budget, starting at under $5 and going up from there, almost anyone can find something which meets their needs and doesn’t eat up the pocketbook.

Another neat feature is the ability to add additional users to your account.  For example: if you wanted your kids to be able to log in and pick their own movies , you can add them to your account with a unique username and password.  You can also assign a specific number of DVDs to that user, rating levels to control the DVDs they are allowed to pick from and more.  The only thing missing is extending those same options to the streaming video side of things.

All in all it’s a great service.  Lots of options and ways to get your movies and favorite TV shows when YOU want them without paying rental prices.