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 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.

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.

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.

I rented this from Redbox (a genius idea, I’ll have to do a post about it).

I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect.  I’d seen the previews and it looked like yet another Robin Hood but with a little more realism especially with the technology available for films today.  I hoped it wasn’t yet another of the same old Robin Hood tales we’ve all seen but wasn’t really sure what angle would be taken.

Without revealing too much of the movie, they did a fair job.  It’s definitely one to have waited for the DVD and although it won’t go in my list of “must see again” movies, it’s worth staying on it for a few minutes when it finally hits TV.

The acting is done very well, no real complaints there and although you have your standard, familiar characters – this movie does an excellent job of characterization and building up the story.  This story is the precursor to Robin Hood’s famous stealing from the rich and giving to the poor mantra and it gave another side to consider in the whole plight for equality in that era.  It humanized so many more of the well-known characters and gave rise and credence to some of the finer conflicts and politics.

I think I’d give the move a 3 out of 5 stars.  It’s worth watching and definitely is set up for a second in the series but won’t have you drooling for the next installment.

As for scenes etc. if you are considering sharing with kids:  the movie is obviously PG-13 and the rating fits.  The language isn’t over the top but there are some war scenes, violence, and some sexual contexts as well as visuals which fit war and that time frame.  No overtly extended scenes, just some quick panning and some inferences.

I initially purchased a manual winding mobile for our nursery. I truthfully was not looking forward to paying for batteries and thought a battery-powered musical mobile was a luxury not worth the expense. That opinion changed dramatically. For anyone considering a mobile for their nursery, I highly recommend a battery powered mobile with some kind of remote. We chose The First Years – Dreams in Sight Mobile and have thoroughly enjoyed it.

This one in particular was a little annoying to get set up but was once again worth the effort. The mobile plays for 15 minutes before automatically shutting off and includes a remote for restarting without disturbing your little one or having them see you should they become a little restless.

There are two volume settings in addition to using the mobile with or without the lights going. The lights are great for evenings but are definitely a rapid drain on the battery. I was glad to be able to utilize this during the day without the lights (and sometimes in the evenings too).

The mobile piece is also removable, leaving just the musical portion for older babies who have either outgrown the mobile part or have grown tall enough to tug on it. With the chunky buttons and three different musical tunes and a nature sounds options, this mobile is perfect for the exploring infant. Our little one very quickly learned how to turn the mobile on and begin the soothing sounds for more enjoyment.

I really think the only issue we had with this mobile was the setup. Overall this was a good buy for us. One note I will make is to avoid going with cheap batteries, it will eat them up rather quickly. You’ll definitely get your money’s worth out of the name-brand batteries. It takes 4 size D batteries if I remember correctly. As with anything, the length of time the batteries last will depend on your usage but ours lasted a good month or so with usage a few times daily. I didn’t feel like I was constantly feeding the things batteries unless of course I used cheap ones.

The seat itself rotates so baby can spin around in addition to the entire seat structure orbiting around the base. This gives easy access to all of the little activities on the table and works baby’s legs in a fun way. Our little one was racing around in his new toy in no time at all. The new-found freedom was exciting.

Several of the toys snap in and out for use alone or with the toy. Some are great for teething, other just for fun. There is also a snack tray made for little fingers. The tray snaps in and out for easy cleanup and refilling.

One of my favorite features of this activity table is the standalone base. The orbiting seat is easily removable WITHOUT the use of tools. This makes for a great play table when your wee one has graduated to the toddler stage.

One thing to note is the size of this toy. It does take up a lot of space and needs some extra space around it for full motion. If you are looking for something with a small footprint, this is definitely not the right product for you.

Setting the toy up also took a little bit of effort. There are little purple rubber things on the bottom which ended up coming off frequently. We just discarded those. I believe they were to help avoid sliding on non-carpeted or more flat floors. We had ours on thick carpet so it made little difference.

Overall though, this toy was worth both the space it occupied and the challenging set up. It provided hours and hours of entertainment lasting for months.

I purchased this product to replace another gym (The Ocean Wonders Kick and Crawl Gym). Although the Ocean Wonders Gym was the better choice compared to most of the other choices out there, I was looking for something that would keep my infant entertained for longer than 3 minutes without human interaction, thus freeing me up at least for a little while.

I will feature the Ocean Wonders Gym in another review but will say the biggest difference and deciding factor for me in swapping for the Kickin’ Bobbin’ Gym was the automatic playing of music and lights each time the ball in the back is kicked. This feature gives infants immediate reward for moving and keeps it going for a few minutes to keep them entertained. The ball is relatively easy to kick as well and its large size provides a quick and rewarding target for any infant.

The sound portion has two different volume control settings and plays a giggle right before playing the music.

The neat thing about this gym is the ability to convert to a “sitting” toy for older babies up to toddlers. The bear face flips up and snaps into place to create a “table” of sorts with the bear face and pushing the red nose now being the primary source for music and lights.

In addition to the lights and sounds, this toy features two legs on the side to drop balls through. These balls then drop down in the feet giving some interactive cause and effect play.

The arms dangle down and have brightly colored bugs for infant entertainment: a dial and spinning ball for older baby interaction.

Assembly was relatively simple; a few screws for the legs and bear head, then snapping the toys on with the plastic “links”.

All in all a great toy for infants up to the early toddler.