Superheroes vs. Villains Halloween Costumes

Our family loves their music…we have many many songs downloaded and many speakers to listen to them on. Train is one of those bands that we listen to often so you can imagine I was excited to hear about their seventh studio album, Bulletproof Picasso, released 9/16/14. I have listened to it for a few days now and I must say I LOVE this album. It fits right in to our collection nicely.
The album’s first single, “Angel In Blue Jeans,” has soared to the Top 15 of Triple A and Adult Top 40 radio in only a month, joining the band’s successful arsenal of other radio-embraced singles throughout their two-decade career. I have include the video below for your listening pleasure.
As soon as I start playing them my little one starts swaying and moving…you know its good! Bulletproof Picasso was produced by previous Train collaborator Butch Walker, and reflects frontman-singer/songwriter Pat Monahan’s penchant for distinctive musical stylings on this one. I loved all the songs & don’t nessesarly have a favorite because they are all great.
“I’ve always wanted to emotionally connect with people through the songs,” says Monahan. “But I also want to get into people’s lives with this album. We’re very excited about Bulletproof Picasso and we’re looking forward to performing some of the new songs for all our fans.”
If you rocked out to “Hey Soul, Sister” or swooned over “Drops Of Jupiter” and “Calling All Angels”, then you’re going love Bulletproof Picasso! You won’t be disappointed. Pick up your copy when it comes out tomorrow!
Track Listing:
1. Cadillac, Cadillac 2. Bulletproof Picasso 3. Angel In Blue Jeans 4. Give It All 5. Wonder What You’re Doing For The Rest Of Your Life 6. Son Of A Prison Guard 7. Just A Memory 8. I’m Drinkin’ Tonight 9. I Will Remember 10. The Bridge 11. Baby, Happy Birthday
12. Don’t Grow Up So Fast

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Must watch this DVD is…this DVD combines two of my favorite things…legos & star wars! Disney and Lucasfilm have released a DVD collection for LEGO Star Wars: The New Yoda Chronicles. If you’re familiar with any of the animated LEGO movies or shows, you have an idea what this is like. You get a mix of seeing all your favorite Star Wars characters, in LEGO form, combined with the humor you would expect in a LEGO show.
I sat down to watch this while the boys were at school, and found myself giggling and into every bit!
The DVD consists of four 23-minute episodes. Each continuing the story from the episode before it. While the first episode does feature a sort of flashback to the time right after Episode III, the main story takes place after the events of Episode IV. The idea is to find the Jedi Holocrons so Luke Skywalker can continue his Jedi training. The problem is, he’s not the only one after them. Darth Vader is also trying to locate them as well.
After headstrong Luke nearly delivers the good guys into Palpatine’s clutches, Master Yoda and the ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi unearth the Holocrons – last remnants of the secrets of the Jedi – to further Luke’s training. But Darth Vader also seeks the Holocrons, and he’ll stop at nothing to get to them first! Meanwhile, courageous superclone Jek-14, a Force-sensitive clone, comes out of retirement to help bolster the Rebels. Share all the action-packed thrills of these interlocking, intergalactic adventures in LEGO® STAR WARS: The New Yoda Chronicles!
Episode IV: Escape from the Jedi Temple (23:00)
The heroes need to escape from Vader and Star Destroyers. Flashback to right after Episode III. Obi-Wan,Yoda, and Bail Organa have to retrieve the Jedi Holocrons from the Jedi Temple so Luke can be trained.
Episode V: Race for the Holocrons (22:59)
The Holocrons have been hidden but someone else might find it before Luke. We see some familiar locations. Han goes to Dagobah, Luke returns to Tatooine and comes across Watto.
Episode VI: Raid on Coruscant (23:01)
Vader has to head back to Tatooine. Jek-14 arrives to help Luke and the others. A mission is set up to journey to Coruscant to try to retrieve the Holocrons.
Clash of the Skywalkers (23:01)
Luke’s death is faked to throw off Darth Vader. Han, Chewie, and C-3PO go to Hoth to set up a new base for the Alliance. Luke tries to make sense of the Holocron crystal he has.
Bonus Material
Alternate Ending: “Clash of the Skywalkers” (1:51)
I really enjoyed this DVD and I know the boys will too! It had a good story with plenty of comedy.
LEGO Star Wars: The New Yoda Chronicles was released on September 15 & retails for $19.99 but I’ve seen it available for as low as $16.95. Star Wars and LEGO fans should definitely check this out.

Hop aboard the Sit-to-Stand Ultimate Alphabet Train by VTech! This train is designed to grow with your child and can be used for floor play or as a ride on that also transforms into a walker. When your little conductor gets older, the caboose converts into a wagon they can fill with toys and pull along to develop gross motor skills. Play ten activities while learning letters, numbers, colors and more. The train also helps build fine motor skills with a variety of manipulative features including a storybook, clock, gears and 13 doubled-sided letter blocks that your little one can plug into the side of the train to learn letters and build their vocabulary. The train also counts the blocks when they’re dropped down the chute! For role-play fun, pick up the walkie-talkie and press the number buttons to pretend to talk to animal friends. Take a ride on the learning express with this ultimate alphabet train!
Sit-to-Stand Ultimate Alphabet Train (Ages 12-36 months; MSRP: $49.99)
Kids can play ten activities while learning letters, numbers, colors and more
The train helps build motor skills with six manipulative features including a storybook, clock, gears and 13 double-sided letter blocks that little ones can plug into the side of the train to learn letters and build their vocabulary
When little conductors get older, the caboose converts into a wagon they can fill with toys and pull along to develop gross motor skills
My 2-year-old absolutely LOVES this toy! There are so many ways to play! It has lights, sounds and songs, plus it is a rideable train or push toy ! It only took minutes to put together, just a few pieces snap on and a few stickers to place. He loves pushing all the buttons to see what sounds or music will come out, and he loves that he can ride on it! It provides letter activities which will be great to continue to work on as he grows. Each “Block” fits in a slot on the side of the train and has corresponding “activities”. He also loves the slot where you can place your “blocks” and they slide down into the space under the seat.
Right now he’s mastered so many things just in the last 6 months! He learned to climb stairs all by himself…balance on his balance bike, and most recently we are working on counting, colors, alphabets, animals, and potty training…so much for such a little guy, but he can already count to 3 and knows most of his animals!
Ever wonder how some of these toys come to life? I know ME TOO!
VTech® works closely with a panel of children’s learning experts on the development of its infant and preschool learning products. In this panel are 6 experts including Dr. Lise Eliot, Early Childhood Mental Development Expert. Insight from these experts are featured in an online Developmental Milestones resource that offers parents guidelines and recommendations to help them select toys based on the individual needs of children from birth to nine years old. The categories explain different characteristics and occurrences that your child is faced with at each specific age and developmental stage, and are then followed by recommended products that are the most appropriate and beneficial. The milestones are broken down by age and three categories of development:
Language and Cognitive
Social and Emotional
Physical and Motor
We were able to send out questions over to the panel to be answered…below you will find the questions and answers to help you with your concerns about your childs’ development.
In this day of pushing children to do everything earlier and earlier, what age range is truly developmentally appropriate for early reading skills?
As always, it depends on the child, but for the average kid, age 5-6 is plenty early to begin formal reading instruction. Before that age, focus on your child’s mastery of the alphabet and letter sounds. ABC books are great for this, especially if they have clever pictures that tell a story using many words with the same beginning sound. Rhyming books and songs are also great for teaching letter sounds, so once children start focusing on letter patterns, they will already be familiar with the rhyming sounds they make. You can also look for toys that serve as vocabulary builders, like VTech’s Spinning Lights Learning Hippo, which promote phonics and language development that can help with early reading skills.
My youngest seems to be developing later than her older siblings, is this normal and is there anything I can do to encourage her progress? If she is delayed when it comes to early Milestones, will it affect her progress later?
Every child develops differently, so if you have two kids, there is almost no way they will develop on the same timetable. Parents and teachers tend to focus on the more overt milestones, like vocabulary and motor skills. But children are learning in many domains simultaneously, and chances are that your child is absorbing plenty about the social and physical world which may not be obvious from her behavior. Unfortunately, our school culture awards children who mature faster, so look for ways to counteract this for your daughter by finding other areas (art, music, crafts, building toys, sports, dance, etc.) in which she can develop confidence.
What are some inexpensive toys or games that will help encourage gross motor skills in my children?
The least expensive way to build motor skills is to go outside! The extra room is often all kids need to start running, skipping, and jumping in ways that parents often frown on indoors. Your nearest playground adds opportunity for climbing and swinging that also build children’s strength, stamina and coordination. If you are looking or something for your own yard, hang a tree swing, or purchase a jump rope or a soccer goal and ball. A tumbling mat is also a great addition for indoors if you have room in your basement or playroom. And if your child is old enough (5+) for organized sports, many communities have recreational leagues that are less expensive than the fancier club sports.
If my 18-month-old is not speaking words yet, what can I do as a parent to help them with their development?
The most important stimulation any young child receives is verbal–talk to your baby; sing to him; read to him; engage him in “dialogue” even if you are only pretending that his babbles make sense. Your child understands words, even if he cannot say them, and will appreciate the sense of being understood. However, if your child really has no spoken vocabulary at 18 months, you should talk to your pediatrician, who may refer you to a speech therapist.
How do I encourage my 12-month-old to walk, when he seems content to crawl everywhere?
Don’t worry about it! Crawling is a delightful, too-short phase that many children skip outright. And yet, there is evidence that crawling develops a child’s visual-spatial abilities in unique ways that walking cannot replicate. As long as your child is learning to balance on two feet (holding on to a coffee-table or walker toy like VTech’s Sit-to-Stand Ultimate Alphabet Train) he will eventually master those first independent steps. Before long, he’ll be running and racing and you will barely remember this adorable crawling phase.
WIN IT
One (1) lucky My Sparkling Life Reader is going to win a VTech Sit-to-Stand Ultimate Alphabet Train!! This giveaway is open to residents of the US who are 18+ until 11:59 PM EST Dec 4, 2015.
The Fine Print: Entering this giveaway means that you accept both my rules & disclosure. I will notify winner via e-mail and they will have 48 hours to reply before I am forced to redraw winners. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Each household is only eligible to win this prize via blog reviews and giveaways once. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Many will enter, few will win! Please allow 8-12 weeks for delivery of prizing. My Sparkling Life is not responsible for any lost or misdirected packages. Prizing provided and shipped by VTech. In the rare occasion that a prize does not arrive (which has happened), please notify me.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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In a few month’s I’ll be heading off to Austin for the 16th Annual (2015) Texas Conference For Women. This will be the first conference of its kind for me, so I’m really looking forward to meeting like-minded women and learning professional development from motivational women.
The Texas Conference for Women offers the community and connection, the information and inspiration, the motivation and momentum to help you discover what you want—and go get it! The Conference features nationally recognized speakers who share their wisdom and expertise on a wide range of personal and professional development topics, helping you find clarity on your goals and what you need to accomplish them.
Not all speakers have been announced yet, but if your interested, you can get on their email list to get info on new speakers as they are released….Like just today it was announced they are adding Academy Award winner Patricia Arquette as a keynote speaker!
Here is a list of current speakers:
KEY NOTE SPEAKERS
I know I can’t see every speaker so I’m going to have to be selective. I definitely want to hear what Patricia Arquette will speak about.
Will you be joining me at the conference? I would love to meet up!
Registration is now open. To register or learn more about the 16th annual Texas Conference for Women, visit their website at www.TXConferenceforWomen.org.
I will update with speakers as they are announced!
Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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When Christy (Jennifer Garner) discovers her 10-year-old daughter Annabel (Kylie Rogers) has a rare, incurable disease, she becomes a ferocious advocate for her daughter’s healing as she searches for a solution. After Annabel has a freak accident and falls three stories, a miracle unfolds in the wake of her dramatic rescue that leaves medical specialists mystified, her family restored and their community inspired.
Bonus content on the MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN Blu-ray and DVD releases include two featurettes, as well as commentary. Join Jennifer Garner, Queen Latifah, their costars and crew for a behind the scenes look at the making of this very special film, in “Miracles Abound: The Making of Miracles From Heaven.” Viewers will also meet the real-life Beam family and Dr. Nurko, learn about the casting of the film and the challenge of “the tree.” Shot at the Beam family ranch in Burleson, TX, “Bearing Witness,” features the Beam Family, their pastor, friends, first-responders and community as they gather around the tree and celebrate their faith and the miracles that brought them together. In the “Your Words” montage, experience some of the film’s most touching and memorable moments set against Third Day’s powerful rendition of the inspirational song.
The Blu-ray release exclusively contains deleted scenes and the featurette “Accounts from Annabel,” where Christy and Anna reflect together on their past, present, future, faith and bonding over the past four years since the incident.
Blu-ray & DVD Extras include:
Featurettes:
“Miracles Abound: The Making of Miracles From Heaven”
“Bearing Witness”
Creating Heaven: Concept Art Exploration
“Your Words” Music Montage
Commentary with Director Patricia Riggen and Screenwriter Randy Brown
Additional exclusive Extras to the Blu-ray include:
Deleted Scenes
Featurette:
Based on the memoir by Christy Beam | Starring: Jennifer Garner, Kylie Rogers, Martin Henderson, John Carroll Lynch, with Eugenio Derbez and Queen Latifah | Rated PG
You can purchase your copy of the Blu-ray or DVD at Walmart
Official Websites – #MiraclesFromHeaven Official Website | Facebook | Twitter
WIN!!
One (1) lucky My Sparkling Life reader is going to win a Miracles From Heaven Prize Pack including a $25 Gift Card, Popcorn & DVD! This giveaway is open to residents of the US who are 18+ until 12:00 PM EST July 26, 2016.
THE FINE PRINT: ENTERING THIS GIVEAWAY MEANS THAT YOU ACCEPT BOTH MY RULES & DISCLOSURE. I WILL NOTIFY WINNER VIA E-MAIL AND THEY WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO REPLY BEFORE I AM FORCED TO REDRAW WINNERS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. EACH HOUSEHOLD IS ONLY ELIGIBLE TO WIN THIS PRIZE VIA BLOG REVIEWS AND GIVEAWAYS ONCE. ONLY ONE ENTRANT PER MAILING ADDRESS PER GIVEAWAY. IF YOU HAVE WON THE SAME PRIZE ON ANOTHER BLOG, YOU WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO WIN IT AGAIN. WINNER IS SUBJECT TO ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION. MANY WILL ENTER, FEW WILL WIN! PLEASE ALLOW 8-12 WEEKS FOR DELIVERY OF PRIZING. MY SPARKLING LIFE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LOST OR MISDIRECTED PACKAGES. Prizing and samples provided & shipped by Big Honcho Media. IN THE RARE OCCASION THAT A PRIZE DOES NOT ARRIVE (WHICH HAS HAPPENED), PLEASE NOTIFY ME.
Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”