IMAX Family Night--Wild Safari 3D

The Great Clips IMAX Theatre Hosts 

Family Night on Monday, January 21 

$5 Admission to See Wild Safari 3D and Free Sandwiches from SUBWAY® Restaurants 

WHAT:  The Great Clips IMAX Theatre at the Minnesota Zoo has teamed up with SUBWAY® Restaurants for Family Night on Monday, January 21.  Tickets are just $5 for both adult and children which includes admission to Wild Safari 3D and complementary SUBWAY® sandwiches and beverages from Pepsi & Sam’s Club of Apple Valley (while supplies last) before the show.

WHEN:  Monday, January 21
5:30 PM: SUBWAY® sandwiches, beverages from Pepsi & Sam’s Club of Apple Valley will be in the lobby (while supplies last).
6:30 PM: Wild Safari 3D, begins on Minnesota’s largest screen

COST:  $5 adults and children

WHERE:  The Great Clips IMAX Theatre at the Minnesota Zoo
12000 Zoo Blvd
Apple Valley, MN
imax.com/minnesota

MORE:  In the ultimate real-life adventure takes place on the giant screen with Wild Safari 3D: A South African Adventure, Africa’s most exciting animals, the elephant, the Cape buffalo, the rhino, the leopard and the lion, known as the “Big Five” have long been considered the continent’s most dangerous animals. Smashing the boundaries for the giant screen, nWave Pictures creates a new cinematic experience for viewers in putting them in the passenger seat for a South African safari using state-of-the art live-action 3D cinematography.  The 550-seat Great Clips IMAX Theatre is the finest movie theatre in the Midwest. The theatre shows films created in the world's most advanced film formats, IMAX, IMAX 3D and IMAX DMR. IMAX with each film frame ten times larger than 35mm film and triple the size of standard 70mm. The Great Clips IMAX Theatre at the Minnesota Zoo features the largest screen in the Upper Midwest, measuring 63 by 86 feet, equivalent to over six stories high.

New Year's Eve at the Mall of America®

Mall of America^® will rock in the New Year with Rock the Universe: New Year’s Eve Celebration 

WHAT: Guests are going to party like it’s 2013 at Mall of America^® on New Year’s Eve with a family friendly party, Rock the Universe: New Year’s Eve Celebration in Nickelodeon Universe^®.

Mall guests are invited to ring in the New Year with the School of Rock Road Crew for a family New Year’s Eve celebration complete with live music, dancing, party favors and a family ball drop at 10 p.m.

Other activities include:

• Rockin’ Red Carpet with free photo, rock hair and airbrush tattoos, make your own music video and Nickelodeon character meet and greets.
• A New Year’s Eve Unlimited Ride Wristband is $29.99. 
• Purchase any ride ticket after 6 p.m. and receive free 2013 glasses – perfect for rocking in the New Year.

WHEN:  Monday, Dec. 31, 2012
              6pm-Midnight

WHERE:  Mall of America – Nickelodeon Universe

For official event guidelines, visit www.mallofamerica.com/events

Hallmark Recordable Storybook Review and Giveaway

How often do you read to your children?  How often do your relatives read to your children?  Do you ever wish you (or someone else) could read to them even when you are not around?  You can with Hallmark's Recordable Storybooks!

I wish I would have recorded a book for my girls when I worked the evening shift.  It would have been nice to "read them a bedtime story" even though I wasn't there to put them to bed.  These books are perfect for those times when you can't be there in person!

This year Hallmark introduces two new Disney books to their awesome collection of recordable storybooks!  Lindsi and I were given the opportunity to review them...

Jamie--I reviewed "The Wish My Heart Makes For You".  I have to admit, I thought it was going to be the story of Cinderella because it had Cinderella's name and picture on the front of the book.  I was surprised to see that it was a completely different story line with Cinderella's photos.  My girls didn't seem to notice though.  They just had fun listening to the book and looking at the photos.  Here's their very first look at the book recorded by my Husband for them.
Though it was a bit annoying to listen to the directions every time you record a new page, we understand why they do it that way.  My Husband got nervous recording the book (I don't know why) and had to do a few pages over again!
Overall, my entire family was impressed with the book and it will be a keepsake for years to come.  Now to find some for the Grandparents to record for the girls...!

Lindsi reviewed "You're a Hero! All the Ways You Save the Day!". My boys thought this was a GREAT book. I am pretty sure we've listened to the story a few dozen times already. What I personally liked about this was that I was in control of how the story was read. I really got into it and added some sound effects while I recorded the story for them. I did a quick Google search for sounds related to Batman, Superman and Aquaman (and let me tell you that I didn't even know Aquaman existed). This made the book really fun for my boys and they really got a kick out of it. We've purchased a few Christmas books in the past from Hallmark and done the same thing. My favorite feature of this book was the "lock" button being safely guarded. I always feared that the kids might push the "record" button and mess up the whole thing, but the book comes with a little latch that hides the lock and unlock button behind it and it is secured with a little screw. SMART THINKING!!!

My boys really liked the story line of this book. They loved that they were encouraged to be hero's in their everyday life. What an encouraging and positive thing to share with them! I'd really encourage you to consider gifting one of these books this year. It's worth the time and effort to make a memory like this.

P.S. On a special note- we had my grandma record one of these books for each one of my children a few months before she passed away and it is something we truly treasure! The kids love being able to hear Grandma Glory's voice whenever they want.

One lucky Toys In The Dryer reader will win a Hallmark Recordable Storybook!

You choose between either "The Wish My Heart Makes for You" or "You're A Hero!"

a Rafflecopter giveaway Both Lindsi and I received a book for our review.  We received no other compensation.  The thoughts and opinions in this post are 100% our own.