Join Prehistoric Adventures 🦕 at Jurassic World 🦖The Exhibition 2023 at Mississauga | Holiday Season ❄️

Have you ever wanted to visit Jurassic Park from your favorite Jurassic World movie, get close to magnificent creatures, hear the roars and feel vibrations from the ground? Now is your chance to visit Jurassic World The Exhibition in Mississauga. The Exhibition offers great immersive experience and dinosaur close-ups like never before. While it may be loud at some areas of the park, this exhibit it totally safe to visit. 

Earlier this year we learned a lot about dinosaurs and even met real explorers doing scientific research in Alberta. It is fascinating to learn creatures that once inhabited planet Earth - we drink the same water dinosaurs drank million years ago.

Our prehistoric journey started on a ferry heading to Jurassic Park. While on board we learned about what dinosaurs inhabit the park, how they move and what we are expected to see. Then upon arrival we were invited to pass under the iconic Jurassic Park gates accompanied by a park ranger's introduction and Jurassic Park themed music. To our surprise, the first dino we met were Brachiosaurus. Its long neck and its size make you feel tiny. You can also check the valley behind the dinosaur through the binoculars and see what is happening there. 

The park is busy with dinosaurs moving and animals growing. There is always something happening around! We encountered transportation units of dinosaurs on the way to The Lab. Hammon's Creation Lab shares the secrets of creating dinosaurs, from DNA forms, to huge eggs, to fossils and even dino excrements. 

Little paleontologists found it interesting digging through the sand and discovering fossils. They also got the chance to meet little baby dinos. I agree that there is something special for everyone at the exhibit. The most thrilling part was that you don't know where you will go next, what dinosaur(s) you are going to meet and what they are going to do.

Going through the park we were definitely impressed with the sizes of dinosaurs. The special effects and sounds make you forget that you are at the exhibit, and make you feel like you are at the real Jurassic Park. We had few scary moments for sure, like when the frightening T-rex showed up, or when street lamps started shaking, cages rattled and the power suddenly went out.

Luckily we successfully escaped to a gift shop where we found different kinds of outfits, toys, puzzles, books and posters related to Jurassic Park adventures.     

The exhibit is located at 199 Rathburn Rd West, Mississauga across SQUARE ONE Shopping Centre. For more information, please visit, The Exhibition. Jurassic World The Exhibition is organized by NEON and is open until January 7, 2024. Do not miss the opportunity to get an exciting experience like this in the upcoming holiday season! 

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Grand Chief Salamoo Cook Is Coming to Town! 🐰Musical Picture Book for Kids 🎵 | The Secret Mountain 📙

Grand Chief Salamoo Cook is coming to visit small town Kisoos, the Earth's belly button. A young rabbit named Weeskits can't wait to share the news. Everyone in town is excited to meet Salamoo Cook, the Grand Chief of all rabbits in the world. In addition to his special visit, Chief Salamoo Cook is about to announce a mysterious contest. 

Grand Chief Salamoo Cook Is Coming to Town! is a new musical picture book written by infamous Canadian writer, composer and playwright Tomson Highway. The readers follow the story of never seen before occasion in Kisoos where the whole town is invited to compete for one huge prize - a year’s supply of all-healing waaskee-choos juice, fresh from spruce cones that have just fallen. The participants of this event face a whole bunch of rules and challenges, some rabbits find them unnecessary, the others think the contest is interesting and fun. Readers will see a riot, conflicts and a distrust of authority. Participants divide, the event is close to a rebellion, if the prize is worth the hassle offered? Nevertheless, Weeskits and his friends join the contest to get new experiences and learn the power of good teamwork. 

Our favorite part in the book is when Weeskits participates in the contest and what he learns from it, his reflections and admiration on how beautiful the place where he lives - land, surroundings, trees, animals and plants. If he had never participated in this event how he could find out how spectacular his home land is. 

The story features several Cree terms and is accompanied by nine jazzy songs performed in Cree by different performers. The songs and the story narrative are available on major streaming platforms and the lyrics can be found in the book with English translations. Readers can look up words in the glossary at the end of the book and learn how to say them with pronunciation videos recorded by Tomson Highway. The readers will be impressed how beautifully the book is illustrated to reflect turning points of the story about Salamoo Cook visit. We loved colorful images of nature, funny and cute faces of Kisoos rabbits.  

For more information about Grand Chief Salamoo Cook Is Coming to Town! book, the author Tomson Highway and Cree Language resources please visit the Secret Mountain web site. You can also browse and download individual activity sheets related to the book here. Activities include Cree language and counting exercises, a Cree Across Canada map, a word search, a crossword and more.

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PatPat New Collections🌟👕and Unique Affordable Styles for Summer 🏖️Adventures | #PatPat Disney🐭 🎀 GoGlow ✨

School is out for summer and the season calls for spending more time outdoors and enjoying picnics, beaches, rides and plays. It is also the season of T-shirts, dresses, shorts and tank tops. While hot summer months are fun, the clothes we wear require to be light, breathable and easy to care for. That's why we like PatPat, their cute and quality clothing makes everyone smile. Kids grow fast and parents do not need to spend a fortune on a comfortable and functional outfit. 

There is some exciting news from PatPat. First is a new collaboration with Disney, which resulted in a collection of over 60 styles with four themes in mind: beach, amusement park, zoo and nature, making it a perfect addition to a summertime attire. The collection features favorite Disney characters Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto along with Disney Princesses! 

The Disney line blends Naia fiber, an environmentally friendly material derived from sustainably managed pine and eucalyptus forests, with other traditional materials. Even in Canada, the summer season tends to be very hot and it is nice to have something light, cozy and breathable to wear, especially for little ones.

PatPat collections, including Disney one, offer an abundance of style, to any taste and preferences. They are updated almost daily and I am sure you will be overwhelmed with varieties of cute designs and bright colors. Take a look at our matching outfit, we spend so much time outdoors so we love our lightweight outfits!

Once you are happy with your outfit, it is time to plan your special outings. It can be just a movie night, a visit to an amusement park or a local attraction. You can also start booking a trip to Disney World, Disneyland or other amazing Disney parks around the world. Take a look at Teddy's trip to Disneyland Paris. He dressed up as a Pirate and was happy to meet his favorite Disney characters.

       

Second news is that recently PatPat launched its most innovative clothes line to-date called Go-Glow.  It is powered by PatPat’s exclusive fabric technology, Glotech, that allows illuminating clothing at the “pat” of a button. The collection offers comfortable, machine washable and easy to care outfits. There are over 23 different light-up styles including jackets, skirts, dresses, shirts and accessories for kids aged 3 to 8 years old, and some for adults matching outfits starting at $25. By the end of 2023 Go-Glow will provide more than 100 styles and designs. Go-Glow is durable for everyday wear and perfect for magic moments and special occasions indoor and outdoor.

Sounds interesting? Now is your turn to find your own favorites while shopping on the PatPat website. Get quality and affordable outfits for the whole family and enjoy every day of summer!

   

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PatPat Fun In The Sun New Designs👗👕 & Summer Adventures 😎 🏖️ | PatPat Shopping 🛍️

Children grow fast, so do their interests and preferences. New shows, activities and games influence their taste and style. Kids need new clothes every season! As summer is fast-approaching, meaning beach trips, music festivals, outdoor BBQs, fishing and camping are officially scheduled. Attention is now on to new season outfits, including T-shirts, summer dresses, swimsuits and flip-flops.  

PatPat is a global apparel brand for kids and families founded in 2014 in Mountain View, CA. It has created an abundance of unique and affordable clothing for families. We like their cute designs and matching family outfits. They make family gatherings and celebrations so much fun and create precious memories of family time spent together. Recent years the company launched many successful collaborations to reflect children's favorite shows and characters including Care Bears, The Smurfs, Tom and Jerry, Peppa Pig, LOL Surprise! and many others.  

We had a chance to try a PatPat licensed outfit and I can safely say we love them. We chose Tom and Jerry, The Smurfs and Peppa Pig matching tops. Our package was shipped fast, every shirt was neatly packed into an individual brand bag with a zipper. The shirts fit perfectly, you can see it from the pictures, sizes S for me and M for Teddy.  The shirts are made from sustainable cellulosic fiber from wood pulp, the fabric is soft and skin-friendly. And the designs are super cute and inspired by popular children's shows!!! 

For little fashionistas and LOL Surprize fans, for the upcoming summer season, PatPat launched LOL. Surprise Groovy Beach Party collection. It offers girl outfits ranging from two to twelve years old, featuring the most iconic LOL Surprise dolls including Diva, Queen Bee, and more. The designs were inspired by 2023 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and they are perfect for summer holidays and a travel season!  

The PatPat licensed characters apparel including recent L.O.L. Surprise! Collaboration Collection is available in the PatPat app and website.

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Celebrate Parents with New Cooking Book 📖50 Movie-Themed Cheese 🧀 Platters and Snack Boards🍓 for Film🎥 Fanatics | Mother's Day Gift

Good books can provide endless moments of joy, connection and give an opportunity to reflect, compare and grow making them the perfect gift for any occasion including upcoming Mother's Day. There is a wide selection of books you can pick to make Mom feel truly loved and appreciated. 

This spring we had a chance to check a recently published by Ulysses Press book filled with food recipes and photographs by Rachel Riederman "Once Upon a Rind in Hollywood: 50 Movie-Themed Cheese Platters and Snack Boards for Film Fanatics".  It is a unique full-color cookbook starring 50 different snack board ideas, from timeless cheese boards and charcuterie to candy platters and cocktail pairings, all themed around iconic movies. 

For movie fans there is no better time spent when a twisted plot is paired with delicious film themed food and drinks. Recent years contributed towards movie watching, not only with visuals but also with taste.

Cheese boards, creative charcuterie platters, snack bars became extremely popular in recent years. Not everyone can go to the big theatre cinemas but everyone can have a movie themed party at home with some help from professional recipe developers like Rachel Riederman.

Whether you’re streaming a classic, a thriller series, family cartoons or musicals, watching alone or with family and friends, snacks are a must-have. With gorgeous flat-lay photography for every movie-themed board and detailed recipes, Once Upon a Rind in Hollywood outlines helps to create cheesy cinematic pairings.

You know we love watching movies, and it is amazingly entertaining how "Once Upon a Rind in Hollywood: 50 Movie-Themed Cheese Platters and Snack Boards for Film Fanatics" adds more creative ideas to our movie parties. I like that the book includes recipes for different genres of movies like action, drama, kids' film, comedy, horror and others. The best part is that these recipes do not take much time to prepare and just give you an idea on how to create a fancy cheese or snack boards. You can add your own ideas to these food boards, the opportunities are endless. We were also amused by the recipe names, they are inspired by food and movies, some of them totally funny like these ones:

 

• May the Fromage Be with You (Star Wars) 
• Draw Me Like One of Your French Gruyères (Titanic) 
• I’ll Harvarti What She’s Having (When Harry Met Sally) 
• Here’s Looking at You, Curd (Casablanca) 
• Brie-king Dawn (Twilight)  and many more!

First board we made was for Dirty Dancing movie themed party using the recipe called "Nobody Puts BabyBel In The Corner" from the book. 

Get your boards and creativity ready, as this year's book is written to give you a fabulous time while watching movies, alone or with company. We are looking forward to sharing more recipes from this book and having fun at the same time. 

About The Author:

Rachel Riederman is a fashion designer turned food stylist and photographer. After almost two decades in corporate fashion, she was inspired to change careers and follow her passion for all things food and entertaining. As a home cook, Riederman uses seasonal ingredients to craft easy, accessible recipes. She’s a travel enthusiast (Morocco is next on her list of countries to visit) and always first in line to try the newest restaurants in NYC. Now a city girl planted in the suburbs, Riederman lives just outside NYC with her husband, toddler son Charlie, and Siamese cats, Murphy and Smooch. This is her first book. For more food and recipe inspiration, follow her on Instagram at @whatsinrachelskitchen.

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PatPat Affordable Matching Family Outfit For Any Occasion 👗👕 | PatPat Shopping 🛍️

I think we are sold on PatPat matching outfit styles. A couple of years ago we received a matching outfit for Valentine's Day with a huge heart and Bestie design. It was a fun twinning experience. Now Teddy outgrown his sweatshirt and it went to a younger cousin, but my adult version of Valentine's Day outfit is still a huge hit for a special day. 

PatPat is a global leading children's apparel e-commerce brand, known for their fancy clothing styles for families and affordable ones. Kids grow fast and they do not need expensive clothes to last a few months, but rather a cute outfit that fits and is made of cotton, wool or cashmere. 

A couple of matching outfit sets we selected for a special occasion include Family Matching Leopard Print Colorblock V Neck Belted Short-sleeve Dress and T-shirts Set and Short-sleeve Cotton Ribbed Colorblock T-shirt and Allover Heart Embroidered Mesh Dress Set. These are just a few of many matching ideas customers can find on the PatPat web side. The selection is always changing adding new styles according to season, lifestyle and preferences. 

The dresses fit me perfectly, especially the shoulder part, looks like PatPat's size S is the right size for me. As for Teddy we decided to order a men's size matching T-shirt because he is tall and kids sizes do not fit him even though he is only 12 years old. We liked the clothes' design, they are not plain and have a nice combination of colors.

The third set we liked is Family Matching Allover Dinosaur Print Drawstring Ruched Bodycon Dress and T-shirts Set. We chose this casual outfit set for home and everyday activities. All T-shirts we received are very soft and contain 95% cotton.    

Overall, we are happy with our selection of PatPat outfits. I like the idea of creating matching sets for special holidays and gatherings. You do not need to spend a fortune to have fun together in matching clothes, for both little ones and grown-ups. Life is full of special moments and for every occasion like St 'Patrick's Day, Mothers' Day, Easter and many others,  you can find something at PatPat. The items often go on sale every season.

Plus if your kids like some TV characters, this year PatPat launched collaboration with MGA Entertainment’s L.O.L. Surprise!  The first release presented L.O.L. Surprise! Valentine’s Day collection for girls that featured MGA Entertainment’s L.O.L. Surprise! dolls in different patterns and styles. The dolls are featured on PatPat’s colourful short-sleeve tees, pullovers and hoodie sets. And that's not all, there are many licensed character outfits you can find online like Paw Patrol, Care Bears, Peppa Pig and many  others!

For more information, visit PatPat web site! 

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Jim Button and The Wild 13 🏴‍☠️ Adventure Film DVD 📀 Release | Shout! Kids 🚂

New live-action adventure film, based on the children's novel Jim Button and The Wild 13 is available on DVD in North America for the first time today, September 13, 2022. It is a sequel in the classic Jim Button children's book series. 

Based on the best-selling children’s novel of the same name by German author Michael Ende, the charming book followed the success of its preceding novel, Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver. 

Twelve-year old Jim and his best friend, Luke the Engine Driver live on the tranquil island called Morrowland. The island is pretty small and there are only four or five people who occupy this island. Nevertheless, ships often stops at Morrowland to deliver mail or some people come to visit it. 

Dark clouds are gathering over the tranquil island of Morrowland, the home and his friends. The notorious pirate gang “The Wild 13” has learned that the dragon Mrs. Grindtooth has been conquered by Jim and Luke and now the pirates swear revenge! To protect Morrowland from another threat, the two of them set off with their steam engines Emma and Molly on a dangerous journey where Jim's wish might also come true: he wants at last to find out the truth about his mysterious origins.

The beginning of the movie is a little slow and seems familiar. But once Jim Button and Luke leave Morrowland to find Mr. Tur Tur, a full array of events folds out and catches your attention. The interesting thing is that the characters travel on water using locomotives, not boats. To travel faster Luke transforms Emma into flying vehicle to reach a desert where Mr. Tur Tur lives. “The Wild 13” pirates move quickly, they are hard to catch and fight. No one ever won a battle with them. Unfortunately, the gang abducted the second locomotive Molly, so Jim and Luke have no choice other than find the pirates and save Molly. 

The Emperor offers help by providing a battling ship with a military crew to fight “The Wild 13” pirates. It was such an experience for everyone to meet a pirate team where all looked the same, all twelve. We first thought they are clones but it turns out “The Wild 13” gang is duodecaplets!

Do not want to give the spoilers but everything finishes well in the end with some twists and surprises.  

Jim Button and the Wild 13 is directed by Jupiter Award winner and Sundance Film Festival nominee, Dennis Gansel (The Wave, Before the Fall, We are the Night). The feature film’s magic was celebrated in film festival screenings worldwide and was a winner at the Animago Awards, Bavarian Awards, German Film Awards and Hollywood Music in Media Awards.

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