2010 November | She Scribes

Opposite Day (Giveaway)

November 30, 2010 By Kimberly

When you were a young child did you ever wish that YOU were the parent, that way you didn’t have to follow the rules set forth by your own parents? I know I sure did. My Mom used to nag me about doing homework, cleaning my room and washing dishes. I used to wish that I was the parent so I could tell HER what to do. Now that I am a parent I wish I could be a kid again. Funny how these things work out.

Now on DVD is the movie Opposite Day which explores that very same idea. What if kids ruled the world? I’m sure many kids would say that it would be awesome to have such power. But in reality, is it really that wonderful to give up your childhood like that?

Check out the trailer for the movie.

Opposite Day stars a brother and sister, Sammy and Carla, who are upset with their parents for not coming along with them and their grandparents on a family trip. Their Mom, Denise, has to stay behind to finish up some last minute stuff for work. Their Dad, Robert (played by Pauly Shore), opts to stay with her and sends the children on vacation with just their grandparents played by Dick Van Patten and Renee Taylor (the Mother from The Nannywith Fran Drescher).

While on vacation Sammy and Carla see the first star of the night. Sammy makes a wish that children ruled the world while Carla told him to stop being so silly and get to bed.

Meanwhile, across town, Sammy and Carla’s friend Chaz, is hanging out at the laboratory with his Father, played by French Stewart (3rd Rock from the Sun).

Chaz’s father was attempting to impress his boss with his various inventions. In a last ditch effort to win over his boss Chaz’s Dad asked Chaz to step inside one of his inventions. Enraged that his father would put his life in jeopardy like that Chaz freaks out causing damage to the machine. Some how some gas was released into the air which blanketed the town like a heavy fog.

The next morning Sammy and Carla returned home with their grandparents, however things seemed a bit odd and out of place. Children were driving cars and fire trucks. The Police officers were no older then 12. Their Grandfather even gets pulled over by a Police Officer (child) and arrested! In the eyes of the Police Officer the grandparents were CHILDREN!

When Sammy and Carla finally make it back home to find that their own parents have suddenly turned into wild, out of control children too.

At first Sammy and Carla think it will be a lot of fun to act like grown ups until they realize that its not so fun after all. Having responsibilities like having a job is not something a child wants to do. Sammy and Carla decided that they had enough and want to find out how to change things back to the way they were.

Will Sammy and Carla succeed and reversing everything and setting everything straight again? Who is behind this disaster? Who ends up being their evil foe?

To find out more you’ll just need to pick up a copy of Opposite Day, available where most DVDs are sold.

Over all I thought it was a great family movie. It was a bit slow in some places, but other then that it was pretty good. Its rated G so its great for the whole family. There is no bad language or inappropriate scenes.

My 11 year old really enjoyed the movie which led to some pretty interesting conversations about what he would do if he ruled the world or if he was the parent.

My 13 year old said the movie was “alright”. That was about all I could get out of her (got to love teenagers. LOL!).

I found it really odd to see Pauly Shore in a some what “serious” role. I’m so used to seeing him act like such a goof ball. As an adult Pauly Shore acts so normal. As a child he acts like himself. LOL.

I have THREE copies of Opposite Day to give to three lucky She Scribes readers. Retail value $26.98.

To enter please comment on what you would do if you were turned back into a child for a day?

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This giveaway is open to US residents and will end on December 9, 2010 at 11:59 PM (EST). The winners will be chosen at random from all eligible entries using a random number generator. The winners will be contacted via e-mail and will have three days to reply with a name and mailing address (no PO Box) or a new winner will be chosen.

There are A LOT of great giveaways going on right now. Check out the right side bar under “Win It”.

Kimberly

*I received a free screener copy in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.

Filed Under: Entertainment, Giveaways, Reviews Tagged With: Entertainment, Giveaways, Movie, Reviews

Now THIS is How You Kick Off the Holiday Season!

November 30, 2010 By Kimberly

Check out the above video clip. This was taken at a mall recently (November 13, 2010). Its a “Flash Mob” that breaks out into song surprising unsuspecting mall dwellers.

Flash Mobs usually break into dance or do something crazy and silly (which I love!). This is the first time I have seen a Flash Mob break out into song. And not just any song too. These ladies and gentlemen do an AMAZING job with the song “Hallelujah“.

I would love to participate in a Flash Mob! I wish I knew how you get involved in these fun things. Humm… maybe I should start my own? LOL!

Kimberly

Filed Under: Entertainment, Ramblings Tagged With: Entertainment, Holiday, Music, Ramblings

Tomatoes Are Your Hearts Best Friends

November 30, 2010 By Kimberly

Today is the perfect day for stew. Its dark, gloomy, chilly and even raining a bit. Blah! Its not a nice day at all. Its the weather that inspired me to make stew for dinner tonight. In fact its already cooking in the crock pot.

I consider myself a decent cook. I like to try out new recipes but I also love to come up with my own meal ideas too. My stew recipe is something I just sort of came up with on my own. Its really easy to make and can easily be adapted to suit your family’s preferences and tastes.

Here is how I made my stew.

Ingredients:

- A package of strew meat or stir fry meat. Makes sure to cut it up into bite size pieces.

- 1 large can of Hunts Roasted Garlic & Onion Spaghetti Sauce or two small cans of Hunts Basil, Garlic & Oregano Sauce.

- 1 package of raw baby carrots (you can find them in the produce section).

- 2 large cans of potatoes cut up into bite size pieces.

- 2 cans of corn.

- 1 package of frozen broccoli.

- 1 peeled onion (whole) – optional.

- Any other veggies you like. Frozen pepper strips are always nice to add.

Directions:

If you want you can cover the meat in flour and brown it before adding it to the crock pot. Personally I don’t bother with that. I just toss the meat in the crock pot.

Add all the other ingredients to the crock pot.

Fill the empty can of Hunts Spaghetti Sauce with water and add it to the crock pot (or two cans of water if using the small cans of sauce).

Season with salt, pepper or any other seasonings you might like.

Cook on high for a few hours until it starts to get very bubbly on top, then reduce the heat and simmer until you are ready to serve it.

I know this sounds VERY simple, but my stew made this way is a huge hit with anyone that tries it. My own family cannot get enough of it. We almost never have left overs because they gobble it all up. It goes great with some Italian bread to dip in the juices. Yummy!

Another quick and easy meal that I make on this kinds of a dark and dreary day is a Lentil Soup Mix.

Ingredients:

-2 cans of Lentil Soup (we use Progresso).

- 1 jar of Hunts Traditional spaghetti sauce (or any flavor that you prefer).

- 1 box of a small sized pasta (we use Ditalini pasta).

Directions:

Cook pasta as directed. When done drain out the fluid and return the pasta to the pot.

Add the two cans of Lentil soup (DO NOT DRAIN!) and the can of Hunts spaghetti sauce.

Season with salt, pepper and/or garlic to taste (optional).

Stir together until hot and then serve. It goes great with some sliced mozzarella cheese on the side too.

Once again its quick and easy and is a very hearty meal for a chilly day.

I try and get as much tomato based products into my family’s diet as often as I can (daily if possible). If you ask my kids they will say ketchup is a food group (ha ha). While its true my kids put ketchup on practically everything I do try and get them to eat other tomoatoe products.

Research has proven that tomatoes are your hearts best friends.

Here are some very interesting fact about Hunt’s and Tomatoes.

- Recent studies have suggested that the distinct combination of nutrients found in tomatoes may have a measurable impact on heart disease prevention.

- A press release announcing the study findings can be found here, http://media.conagrafoods.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=202310&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1494219&highlight.

- According to a study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, lycopene absorption is 2-3 times greater in canned tomato products then in raw tomatoes.

- Incorporating Hunt’s canned tomato products into your daily diet is a great way to get a significant source of fiber, Vitamin C and of course the antioxidant lycopene.

- Hunt’s tomatoes are flash-steamed to help them keep their backyard graden fresh taste. They are 100% natural and contain no artificial preservatives or ingredients.

Tomatoes are also vegetables so incorporating more canned tomato products into your recipes is a great way to sneak more vegetables into your diet and fulfill your recommended daily intake of vitamins.

Did you know that calorie for calorie tomatoes contain more than twice the potassium of other common sources such as bananas, potatoes, milk and orange juice. WOW! I never knew that before. I have a hard time absorbing potassium (among other vitamins and nutrients) so any extra I can get in my diet is very helpful.

No one in my family likes raw tomatoes so its great to hear that canned tomato products are just as good, if not better, then raw tomatoes. Adding a can of Hunts tomato sauce or spaghetti into my daily recipes is a lot easier for me to do then trying to find ways to entice my family to eat raw tomatoes.

Heart health is VERY important to me. My husband’s father died from a massive heart attack when it was only 42 years old (my husband is currently 42!). His mother also had serious heart problems and had to have by pass surgery. Because of his parents heart issues I worry greatly about my husband’s heart. He’s still young and in good health, but I can’t help but worry that his parents heart problems will make its way to his heart.

Because heart problems run in my husband’s side of the family I worry about my children’s hearts too. I pray they never experience any heart problems. That is why I make extra certain that they eat healthy and take care of themselves.

About a year ago I ended up at the Cardiologist. I woke up early one morning and my chest was so tight I could barely breath. I went to my general physician. He immediately sent me to a Cardiologist for testing. THANKFULLY he didn’t find anything wrong. Turns out I must have pulled a muscle in my chest when I was giving my dog a bath the day before. I also have a stress test done just to make certain my “ticker” was in good working order (it is!).

That trip to the Cardiologist was certainly a wake up call. I hope and pray I never have to see a Cardiologist again. I know how important it is to take care of my heart and since then I have been doing my best to be kind to my heart and eat more heart friendly foods.

Hunt’s website, www.Hunts.com, has a lot of great recipes using their canned tomato products. You should check it out. The Lentils & Tomato stuffed peppers look great as well as the Chicken Picado.

You can also find Hunts on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/Hunts.