What’s new is that for the first time since Dora the Explorer premiered in 2000, there is a brand-new voice over cast. I thought (and I’ll only give my opinions on this part since my sons didn’t seem to notice the new voices or they just didn’t care one way) that Caitlin Sanchez did a great job sounding like Kathleen Herles, the original Dora. The only problem I had with Caitlin’s performance was that she said the Spanish words a little too quickly and I had to keep clarifying them for my sons. It’s kind of like when you were in High School Spanish class - it was easier to learn Spanish from the Anglo Spanish teacher because she had a tendency to speak more slowly and annunciate more clearly. A totally unrelated observation is that the Dora cartoon character this season has slimmed up and is losing her baby fat. Perhaps we’ll see Dora the Middle-Schooler next season.

Also new this season is that in every episode Dora will meet a friend from a different cultural background who will teach her a special skill. In this episode she met a boy from Peru who taught her to play different flutes.

Something that I appreciated in this episode was that after stopping Swiper from swiping Boots’ backpack (did I spoil it for you?), instead of just sending him on his way, Dora and Boots helped Swiper to find his very own backpack. Dora fans should eagerly anticipate the new season. From this episode it would appear that we have the same Dora quality and fun that we’ve come to expect.

Written by Christine, who is mom to two wild-and-crazy little guys and wife to one pretty spectacular dude. When she isn’t reading the same books over and over and over, playing cars, having a snack or blowing bubbles, she is trying to make her house and the products her family uses a little more people- and Earth-friendly.

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The story begins with Stiller the Elf (Ben Stiller) telling his friend, Snowball, about how Christmas almost didn’t happen that year. Stiller arrives on Sesame Street looking for the right individual to be in charge of the Christmas Counter-Downer, a tree-shaped advent calendar with 10 boxes that is used to count down to the start of Christmas. Scientific calculations lead Stiller to Oscar the Grouch as the perfect person to be in charge of the Christmas Counter-Downer. Oscar launches the Counter-Downer into the air and it breaks apart upon impact, causing the 10 boxes to fly all over Sesame Street. Without the boxes, Christmas can’t happen.

Throughout the 45 minute show, the Sesame Street characters find each of the 10 boxes. Bert finds one in his Christmas Eve oatmeal, Big Bird finds #7 wrapped up like a present, and Ernie finds one in his hat. Abby Cadabby an Elmo place the found boxes in the Counter-Downer, but Stiller remains pessimistic until the final box is found.

Elmo and Abby Cadabby Help Save Christmas features the favorite Sesame Street characters and is filled with an A-List cast which makes it fun for parents to watch with their children. Sheryl Crow, Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, and Anne Hathaway sing some classic Christmas carols and original duets with the Sesame Street cast. Alicia Keys has a heart-to-heart with Elmo when he worries that Christmas might come and together they sing a duet of Do You Hear What I Hear.

Like all good childrens’ movies, this story has a happy ending. Stiller, Abby and Elmo find the last box and put it in place. Stiller declares a Christmas miracle and then Kevin James appears as Santa rocking out to a tune about believing.

Even though Christmas is still months away, the songs in the movie had my 2 year old dancing around the living room while his 4 ½ year old sister’s eyes got wide when the last box was found. Now if only Christmas would hurry up and come!

Written by Leticia, a part time working multitasking mama who loves spending time with her husband and two children, exotic vacations, and cooking great meals. Leticia writes about technology products and technology issues affecting children through her blog, Tech Savvy Mama.

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I myself was not all that impressed with the DVD, but my husband will beg to differ. He thinks it’s a great DVD that provides entertainment along with some fun action. I definitely would not say this DVD would not appeal to girls though, there are female characters and it is geared towards both male and female.

Save the Planets has three adventures that teach about envy, moderation and sharing in a fun filled way. Yet I do believe that the message is a bit subtle for a 3 year old to completely grasp, it is always good to expose toddlers to something that sends a faithful encouraging message. If you’re looking for something very similar to Veggie Tales but just a bit different I think 3-2-1 Penguins is a good DVD to try!

Written by Andrea, who is a stay at home Catholic wife and mother. She strives daily to perfect her vocation as wonderfully as possible. Andrea has two young children and hopes someday to have more. Her interests stem from being a mother and living her faith. She blogs for fun about things that interest her at Momma In Flip Flops.

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DVD’s for the Cure includes 15 romantic comedies decked in special pink packaging that are available for individual purchase beginning September 23, 2008. The 10 returning classics are:

• A Walk in the Clouds
• An Affair to Remember
• Ever After
• In Her Shoes
• Legally Blonde
• Moulin Rouge
• Never Been Kissed
• Say Anything
• Thelma & Louise
• There’s Something About Mary

And the new titles this year include some of my personal favorites - The Princess Bride, Just My Luck, Little Miss Sunshine, Edward Scissorhands and When Harry Met Sally. There is definitely something for everyone in this combined list!

Props & Pans is giving the complete DVD set to a lucky reader who helps us spread the word about breast cancer. To enter please post something on your blog about National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you are unsure what to write, visit the NBCAM website for ideas. The field is wide open, just be sure to link back to this post at Props & Pans and leave a comment here with a link. The contest is open until October 1, 2008.

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There was also a death to deal with in the hyena segment, but as we learned, these animals are not necessarily the heinous creatures they are always portrayed as. The baby we followed was playful and loving toward her handler and it was very interesting to watch the slow process of integrating the baby hyena back into the pack.

Growing up Zebra was perhaps the most informative. We learned a host of things, such as the fact that zebra’s stripes are totally different on both sides of them. I had no idea. We all watched in fascination at the way the zebra interacted with refuge owner.

Perhaps the Growing up Rhino was the most surprising. I suppose we all thought of rhinos as tough hearted as their tough exterior, however, it seems rhinos are very sensitive to their surroundings. Watching two abandoned rhinos grow up was quite amusing. They made having a mud bath seem like the place to be!

All in all, this entire video held our attention for the entire 169 minutes! It’s a great value for your family and you won’t be sorry that you bought it.

by Perri

After reviewing Growing Up Wildcats, I was fairly sure we’d enjoy Growing Up Safari from Animal Planet. My son is an avid animal lover who watches very minimal television (like, 10-15 minutes a week, and sometimes less) so he’s always excited when a new DVD arrives in the mail. Too often though, it’s some cheesy cartoon for review that holds his attention for a few minutes before he’s running out the back door to play. Growing Up Safari features baby elephants, zebras, giraffes and hyenas growing up with the help of some professional human caregivers.

Not only did it hold his attention but it held mine, and that’s saying something. Each of the animals has their own unique story and we were both eager to follow them to the end to see if they reached their goal of returning to the wild. Any animal lover, young or old, is sure to love this fabulous addition to the Growing Up Wild series.

by Nicole

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Jane Goodall believes that all animals can talk, as do I. We don’t often understand what they’re saying, but when we do it is truly amazing. In When Animals Talk, Jane shares the amazing stories of animals that have changed the lives of the humans they’ve touched. She shares instances of animals learning our language and shares how we can learn their languages through science. Watching the inspiring human-animal relationships that are shared in this DVD will make you feel good and you’ll learn how communicating with animals brings humankind closer to the world of the gorgeous animals that we can learn so much from.

by Nicole

I have known of the work of Jane Goodall since I was a child and it always fascinated me. I can remember watching her on television and being amazed that she could even get so close to chimpanzees, much less teach them to communicate. When the DVD, “When Animals Talk” arrived at our house to review, I was very excited to share Ms. Goodall’s work with my children.

In this 90 minute video, your family will see not only take a glimpse over how Ms. Goodall learned to interact with chimps, but also the amazing things animals do. By teaching animals cues, instead of spoken words, animals can be trained to do virtually anything. Animals are a great indicator of when natural disasters are about to strike because they instinctly run for cover.

There is a segment showing the amazing rats of Mozambique who are trained to sniff out land mines. Also included is the story of a parrot whose vocabulary and conversational skills can’t hardly be believed. The bond between the parrot and its owner is fascinating. You will get to witness the bird and owner in a controlled environment, where the bird appears to be seeing what the owner does in pictures — from a room 55 feet away. You will experience the secrets of elephant whisperers and many animals who have literally changed lives. Animals are now even being used to sniff out cancer in people.

There’s a lot to be learned from animals and Jane Goodall takes you into many different areas of interest. Any animal lover would find this a fascinating video. I’m not even that much of an animal lover. Heck, truth be told, I don’t even like my husband’s fish. That being said though, after watching this amazing video, I had to fight the urge to go out and buy an animal just to see what I could teach it to do.

by Perri

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Jeff is a very personable host who draws you into to his world almost instantly. He has, in fact, won an Emmy for his performance for Outstanding Performance in a Children’s Series. My children enjoy watching Jeff as he gets into and out of situations that most of us only dream about as children and realize we want nothing to do with as adults. His vast knowledge of the creatures he just stumbles upon as he is on his adventures is very impressive and you find yourself learning about many different insects, reptiles and mammals in every episode.

This DVD included adventures with giant manatees, a 14 foot alligator, venomous snakes, great white sharks, humongous coconut crabs and even a real Tasmanian Devil. His travels encompassed Guyana, Costa Rica, Zanzibar, Tanzania, India, Nepal, Morocco, Spain and other exotic places. Your child will be exposed to and learn about these places just from relaxing in the TV room.

Jeff is constantly relaying the message that if everyone does their part our planet will be conserved for future generations. Through education and awareness Jeff Corwin is certainly doing his part and him showing us these beautiful places and creatures makes us want to do ours.

I knew my kids really enjoyed the DVD because they asked for it to be paused for their bathroom breaks. In our family, that’s the highest compliment to a video.

Written by Perri, a homeschooling mom of 6 kids - 2 that are grown and out of the house and 4 younger ones who help wreck and clean the house. Perri also has two precious grandchildren. She spends a lot of time doing ministries with her church, volunteering in the community and baking a mean cheesecake. She blogs about her family’s life at My Life in Bits & Pieces.

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All three of my children loved Fireman Sam from the first moment we caught a glimpse on TV. The adventures in safety and not crying “wolfe” are told to children in settings which are familiar (even if you aren’t from a small English village) such as carnivals, birthday parties etc. The friendly atmosphere of the village engages children and the misadventures of Norman Price are always a cause for quite a laugh.

One of the things that the DVD Fireman Sam: To The Rescue! does a really nice job of is showing how items around the house can be dangerous if used inappropriately - usually through Norman Price’s misbehavior. Fires can start, people can be lost - if we don’t follow the rules of safety.

We love Fireman Sam around here, and it always generates good conversation which I think is the best part. “Why did those kids go by themselves?” “Why did he lie about that?” and then we can talk about why that behavior is dangerous, and what would have happened if Fireman Sam hadn’t been there to save them.

While that might sound a little morbid, the lessons of safety are some of the most important ones we can teach. And neither I, nor Fireman Sam, believe you should skimp on the message.

by Gidge

We’ve reviewed the OFF! Smooth & Dry product on here before, but now they have a new PowerPad Lamp that is a great center piece on our patio. Using a small pad that you place inside the lamp and then lighting the included citronella candle will give you up to 15 feet of protection outdoors. I do like the idea of using a lantern instead of spraying our bodies down.

In the past we’ve had a citronella bucket on our patio, but quite frankly I didn’t find them to work very well. OFF! claims that these scented little repellent pads have more than 15 times the protection than the buckets we previously used. Each candle and pad combo will last about 4 hours which for us is one evening’s of use.

I do detest products that require you to buy refills. Not because I don’t see the reason behind purchasing refills instead of wasting most of what can be reused by starting over. I just can never remember! So if there is one thing I don’t like about the OFF! PowerPad it is that I’ll need to remember to purchase the refill pads, but it was a product that worked. Plus it didn’t look as intrusive as the old bucket candles.

by Emily

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I always bring along some favorite paperback picture books, mini Magna Doodles, crayons, new stickers, blank paper and an iPod loaded with audio books from AudibleKids. Oh, and stacks of DVDs. We aren’t a huge TV watching family so watching favorite movies and shows on the plane is always a treat. These days the whole family loves Elmo! The new Elmo’s World: Summer Vacation is currently our favorite since we are right smack in the middle of summer. Our 2 year old son and 4 ½ year old daughter can actually agree on watching Elmo explore beaches, skin and cameras in his newest DVD. This means that while they are entertained my husband and I can actually kick back, relax and read something other than children’s books during at least 51 minutes of our upcoming cross country flight. Thanks Elmo! Elmo’s World: Summer Vacation is currently selling for $11.99 from Amazon.

Since airplane food is non-existent and was never good in the first place, I continue to pack food as if I were going to end up on an episode of Lost. Even when driving, you never know when the kids are going to get hungry and it could be miles until the next rest stop. Along with the requisite Goldfish, Chex, M&M’s and lollipops for popping little ear drums, this year I’m adding Brothers All Natural Fruit Crisps to our snack collection. Since trying them a couple months ago, they have since become one of my favorite healthy snacks. The single serving packs contain 100% freeze dried fruit. The fruit is crisp, delicious and a super healthy way to provide a 1/3 serving of fruit on the go without it getting squished en route. I’m partial to the Fuji Apple and White & Yellow Peach fruit crisps, but there are 5 other delicious flavors to choose from including: Asian Pear, Banana, Pineapple, Strawberry and Strawberry-Banana. Brother’s also makes an all natural line Potato Crisps, but I think the Fruit Crisps are a far healthier option for my kids. Brother’s All Natural produrcts are currently available at Costco and from the Brother’s All Natural website.

While it isn’t quite portable enough to take on the plane, Tutor Rummy is a great game that allows children 8 and older to practice United States geography before taking a cross country road trip. Played Rummy style, Tutor Rummy allows children to learn state capitals, rivers, lakes, mountains, oceans, neighboring countries, national parks, Indian tribes and natural resources using 2 decks of poker-like cards. The directions that come with Tutor Rummy are easy enough for even a non-Rummy player like myself to understand and there are instructions for a more cooperative game and more challenging play. Even if you aren’t taking a cross-country road trip, Tutor Rummy is a good game to help your child keep up with geography skills this summer. Tutor Rummy retails for $19.99 and is available on the company’s website.

Written by Leticia, a part time working multitasking mama who loves spending time with her husband and two children, exotic vacations, and cooking great meals. Leticia writes about technology products and technology issues affecting children through her blog, Tech Savvy Mama.

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All 377 minutes. In a row. Straight. In one weekend. I do not recommend or endorse this approach. I watched Stacy and Clinton get 9 moms dressing stylishly and taking care of themselves, and the bonus episode where some of those moms were featured in a “Where are they now?” type show.

I learned all kinds of rules about how to put together a stylish, not frumpy wardrobe. I watched all sorts of emotional struggles as these women rebelled a bit at the rules, and saw them learn the wisdom in what Stacy and Clinton were trying to teach them. In the end I liked the DVD. It gave me a couple of clues about what to look for when I am shopping and it also finally revealed to me the mystery of why they endorse pointy toed shoes so heartily.

However, I did have one thing that gave me pause and that is that all of the mothers featured were more fit, smaller, and thinner than I am. I am not an abnormal size by any means; I regularly trade clothes with my friends who are short and we all wear a size 14/16. Only one mother on the DVD was what I would consider bigger and even she wasn’t obviously a plus size mom, she simply had big boobs. While there certainly is a demand for that population, it would have been nice if they had featured a couple of plus size women who struggle to find clothing to fit at all, much less look stylish and help them feel good about themselves.

Aside from that I thought the DVD provided a good amount of information about dressing well that I can use, at least until someone pops out from behind a wall somewhere with $5,000 for me to get a whole new wardrobe.

Written by Mary, who is a thirty-something SAHM of four under the age of eight. She is a lousy housekeeper, a voracious reader, and dabbles in art and music in various forms. She blogs to maintain her writing skills and her sanity in The Fish Pond.

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