Train - Bulletproof Picasso Review #Bulletproof Picasso #O2O

No compensation was received for this post. I participated in the Train Bulletproof Picasso album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided a free album to review but all opinions are my own.

The Grammy award winning band Train is releasing their 7th album, Bulletproof Picasso on September 16th.

This San Francisco based group is best know for hits like "Hey Soul Sister" and "Drops of Jupiter". And you may have already heard the first single from the new album, "Angel in Blue Jeans", on the radio.


I have had the opportunity to listen to a review copy of the album over the past week. I already was familiar with Angel in Blue Jeans (didn't know I was familiar until the first time through the album) and have really enjoyed listening to the album. I find that several of the tracks are very catchy and I find myself singing and dancing along in the car (the dancing is somewhat subdued, as I am buckled in and driving - maybe more of a steering wheel tapping).

The other day, my son had been riding in my car and I had on the album. Then later we went out in my husband's car and we put on the album so that my husband could check it out. When the song came on that had been playing in my car earlier, my son remarked I know this song. Of course, since it wasn't the first single, it helped confirm just how catchy the songs were.

I think my four favorite tunes (in no particular order) are - Bulletproof Picasso, Angel in Blue Jeans, Wonder What You're Doing For The Rest Of Your Life and Just A Memory.

Tracklisting for Bulletproof Picasso:
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

You can preorder your copy on iTunes and Amazon.

You can also find Train here:
* Official Train Website
* Twitter
* YouTube
* Facebook

No compensation was received for this post. I participated in the Train Bulletproof Picasso album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided a free album to review but all opinions are my own.

Court Yard Hounds Amelita review *

*No compensation was received for this post. A complimentary review copy of the album was provided. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.

You may know Emily Robison and Martie Maguire as two-thirds of Dixie Chicks. Well, after a few years away from the limelight, these real-life sisters have found harmony by collaborating as Court Yard Hounds.

There are plenty of country-pop, fiddlin' folk, banjo-twangin' summery hooks in the songbook. Oh, and Emily and Martie can play more instruments than you can count on two hands. No big deal!

Along with the release of Amelita, Court Yard Hounds are set to embark on a US tour, kicking off with Lollapalooza in August. The first single off the album, "Sunshine", is available now.

I don't know about you, but I generally need to listen to a song a few times before I can form an opinion. With Amelita, which I have been listening to for about a week now, there were a couple of songs that jumped out at me right away and several others that I have really started to enjoy after a couple of listens. My daughter is even humming along in the backseat, and usually the first thing she asks when she doesn't know a song is "can you put on MY music?".

I really like the sarcasm in the song Sunshine. They have a friend that seems to be able to rain on everyone's parade and really bring down a perfect day, so they call them Sunshine. The best part is that we all know "Sunshine", we all have people in our lives who are so down on everything and they seem to try to bring you down too. The easy to relate to subject and the catchy tune make this an enjoyable song for me.

Another tune that I find myself humming to myself as I walk between meetings is The World Smiles. The song is about about keeping a positive attitude and believing in the good all around you. As an optimist, I certainly believe in finding the good in everything, so I really like the message in this song. Plus, there is just something about the different instrumental sounds included in the song, that really draws me in and leaves me humming along with the song and even when it's not on. In fact, as I type this, I can't help but sing it in my head.

Amelita Track Listing:

Sunshine
Amelita
The World Smiles
Aimless Upward
Guy Like You
Rock All Night
Phoebe
Divided
Gets You Down
Watch Your Step
The Road You Take

You can buy the album on Amazon or iTunes.

No compensation was received for this review. A complimentary review copy was provided through One2One. By completing a review, I am entered into a drawing. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.

Rod Stewart - Time *

* complimentary review copy provided for this review.

When I was back in high school (it really scares me a little when I consider how long ago it was now), I was very active in the church youth group. Every summer they would hold a large retreat at a nearby university. Each year, there was a theme for the retreat - based on a recent song. One of the years, the theme song was 'Forever Young', by Rod Stewart.

Much like that powerful ballad from the late 80s, the songs that are part of his just released (on May 7th) album Time have powerful lyrics. Many of the songs share the stories of his life and reflection on his life.

Rod Stewart has spent four decades being a rock star, three being a parent, and has a new album's worth of rollicking stories to tell. Time is his first album of new material in almost 20 years (and his hairstyle hasn't changed one bit!). The album was born from a burst of inspiration that came while Rod was reviewing his life for his recent memoir. Rod rediscovered his voice as a songwriter and rekindled his gift for writing the honest, nerve-touching narratives that have been the cornerstone to the first three decades of his career. 'Suddenly ideas for lyrics were piling up in my head,' he says. 'Next thing I knew, I had a song called 'It's Over' about divorce and separation. And now I was getting up in the middle of the night and scrambling for a pen to write things down, which has never happened to me. I finished seven or eight songs very quickly and I still wasn't done, and it became apparent that I would eventually have a whole album of material to record.'

Time Track Listing:
1. She Makes Me Happy
2. Can’t Stop Me Now
3. It’s Over
4. Brighton Beach
5. Beautiful Morning
6. Live The Life
7. Finest Woman
8. Time
9. Picture In A Frame
10. Sexual Religion
11. Make Love To Me Tonight
12. Pure Love


I really enjoyed listening to the album and the songs felt so familiar to me that there were even points where I was questioning if it was a song I had heard before, but only one was not an original song - Picture in a Frame. The liner notes features all of the lyrics and a few pictures - I love this, call me old-fashioned, but that was always one of my favorite features in an album, cassette or CD - the lyrics. I had three favorite songs - Can't Stop Me Now, Beautiful Morning and Time. I think of all the songs, Time was the most familiar sounding to me...it says though that it was copyright 2013 and it isn't the first single that was released...so I can't really explain why it was so familiar.

You can purchase a copy of the CD through Amazon or pick up the MP3 version (you'll miss out on the liner notes though).

Rod Stewart’s links:
Website: www.rodstewart.com
Twitter: @rodstewart
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rodstewart
YouTube: www.youtube.com/rodstewart

No compensation was received for this post. I participated in this campaign for One2One Network, who provided some information for the post. I received a free copy of the album to facilitate my review. By posting, I am entered into a giveaway. All opinions stated are my own or that of my family.

Michael Bublé - To Be Loved #ToBeLoved *

* complimentary review copy provided for this review.

For the past few months, I have been taking several workout classes at the Y and am fortunate to have a wonderful instructor...in fact, I have the same instructor 5 days a week for three different classes - spinning, boot camp and toning. For spinning she has a set play list, based on the workout of the day, but with boot camp and toning, she just has the music playing in the background and it seems, just plays whatever is in her library. The other day, we were in the midst of rotating between several very challenging stations in a circuit workout and the tempo of the music shifted...we had gone from 80's Hair Metal to Michael Bublé's 'Ave Maria'. One of the women in the class called out, definitely great music, not great workout music though - and the instructor switched to another song. The following day, in spinning, we were talking about the song when it came on during cool down. We all agreed that Michael Bublé has an amazing voice (and is nice to look at too!) and that we all love his music and how his Christmas album is a definite must have.



His amazing voice really shines on his newest album - To Be Loved. I recently had a chance to check out a review copy of his album and I really enjoyed it. There are four original songs and 10 cover songs. I love that when he does covers, that they range from the classics to things that I consider to be more 'current', like the BeeGees 'To Love Somebody'. Several songs feature other artists, including Bryan Adams on the original song 'After All' and even Reese Witherspoon on 'Something Stupid', a Nancy and Frank Sinatra cover.

You likely have heard the first single, an original tune, co-written by Michael Bublé, called 'It's a Beautiful Day'. I really enjoy the song which has a cheerful tune, although, I guess I haven't really listened closely to the lyrics before now, because I just read on his webpage that he considers it an 'anti-love song', a kind of revenge song. After listening closely, it is clear that the song is about a former relationship that she ends, because she just wants to be friends and he has an 'I don't care' attitude and won't spend his time thinking about the break-up. The good thing is that one of his other songs is a love song, a love song for the women in his life - his wife, his mother, his grandmother. "These are good times for the singer, who is about to become a first-time dad. He sounds like a man in love with life. "I wrote Close Your Eyes about my wife and about the power of all the women in my life—my sisters, my mom, my grandma and all women in general. Let’s face it, where would we be without them?"

The performance of the songs on the album is definitely great, he has an awesome voice. Some of the songs are slower, but the album would make a great back drop at a dinner or an evening with friends or just relaxing with my husband.

You can pick up a copy of the album at Amazon or iTunes or at a local retailer.

No compensation was received for this post. I participated in this campaign for One2One Network, who provided some information for the post. I received a free copy of the album to facilitate my review. By posting, I am entered into a giveaway. All opinions stated are my own or that of my family.

Emmy Rossum - Sentimental Journey

When I was first asked about listening and sharing Emmy Rossum's soon to be released album, Sentimental Journey, I had never heard of her and had no idea what to expect. When I received the album, I started to listen to it, before doing any research. As is the case with any music, I set out to listening to it in my car. I like this because I am driving and don't have the ability to look ahead on a track listing or anticipate what is left on the album.

As I listened, I started to recognize some of the music that she was singing - turns out that Sentimental Journeys is a collection of classic covers. She has the perfect voice to present these classics to the listener. As I listened to her, I could imagine her singing along with the Rat Pack or being a lounge singer, like you see in those older movies.

As I listened, I noticed that there were a number of songs about seasons, including one that seemed to be a Christmas song. I later learned that her organizing principle when compiling the album was a musical calendar that would take listeners on an emotional journey through the 12 months of the year. This is a rather unique approach, but I think I kind of like it - even though it was odd to listen to a Christmas like song in January.

Sentimental Journey, releasing on January 29th, is a collection of classic covers that takes us through the American Songbook.

On Sentimental Journey, the multi-talented actress and singer brings her stellar voice to songs popularized by some of the most beloved artists of the last century. Emmy's 12-song 'passion project' is an emotional musical journey, with each song representing a month in the year.

"Each song needed to either lyrically or emotionally reflect the corresponding month," Emmy explained. "Some songs were obvious fits, like Summer Wind for June, and Pretty Paper for December. Others songs were less literal fits. I chose Nobody Knows You (When You're Down and Out) for September because, to me, the plaintive melody and lyric emotionally reflect the cold weather creeping in and the sense of melancholy we can get in the fall months."

Rossum is also an acclaimed actress who currently stars in the Showtime series Shameless with William H. Macy. She also stars alongside Emma Thompson and Viola Davis in the upcoming feature film Beautiful Creatures, which hits theaters on February 13th.

Sentimental Journey Track Listing:

“Sentimental Journey” (Les Brown, Ben Homer, Arthur Green)
“The Object Of My Affection” (Pinky Tomlin)
“I’m Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover “(Mort Dixon, Harry M. Woods)
“These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You)” (Eric Maschwitz, Jack Strachey)
“(I’ll Be With You) In Apple Blossom Time” (Albert Von Tilzer, Neville Fleeson)
“Summer Wind” (Heinz Meier, Johnny Mercer)
“Many Tears Ago” (Winfield Scott)
“All I Do Is Dream Of You” (Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed)
“Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out” (Jimmy Cox)
“Autumn Leaves” (Joseph Kosma, Jacques Prévert)
“Things” (Bobby Darin)
“Pretty Paper” (Willie Nelson)

Check out the video for These Foolish Things:

Her album is currently available through iTunes or Amazon for pre-order. (It was cheaper on Amazon by $2, when I checked).

You can catch Emmy performing a track from her new album today (January 25th) on Access Hollywood Live. She will also be appearing as a guest on several other shows in the next week or so - on Conan on January 28th, Chelsea Lately on January 29th, and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on February 6th.

You can follow Emmy on Twitter and learn more about her on her website. When I was exploring her website, I saw that she received Golden Globe nomination for her role as Christine in the movie Phantom of the Opera. I watched that movie a few years back, but after listening to her album, I want to go back and check out the movie again.

No compensation was received for this post. I participated in this campaign for One2One Network and received a free copy of the CD to facilitate my review. By posting, I am eligible for incentives. All opinions stated are my own.

Rascal Flatts Changed

At one point in my college career, I started listening to some country music. It was the influence of some of my friends who were part of a neighboring fraternity. My Big in my sorority was friends with several of them and I found myself spending time with them and as we listened to the music, I found that I was learning the songs and singing along. Country wasn't completely 'new' to me at this point. As a child, I remember one of my first albums (yes, actually a record album) was Kenny Rogers' The Gambler. And, a few years earlier, Friends in Low Places had been released and was a common song to be heard at social events in college. I do remember having someone (who, I'm not sure?) make me a mix tape of many of those country songs that I listened to on my Walkman the following summer as I would walk in the evenings. (Record albums and mix tapes - makes me feel old! My kids have seen record albums, but probably aren't familiar with tapes)

Since that time, I have continued to enjoy country. My favorite morning drive channel for several years when I was first married was a country station, until they changed up their morning crew and I lost interest in the DJs. I still listen to some country, although much of what I hear these days are the cross-over hits on the radio or the songs that my husband has on in his car.

One group that I have become familiar with is Rascal Flatts. They just released their 8th studio album, called Changed, last week. I have been listening to it for the past couple of days. There are a number of songs that sound familiar to me, although only one has been released. I'm thinking it is mostly their comfortable style that is familiar to me.

The first single from the album, which was released earlier this year is a song called Banjo. It is already a top 10 country radio hit. It is a bit of a catchy tune, about having to get away to a place that is off the maps where you hear the banjo. You can check out the lyrics here.

I think my two favorite songs are Hot In Here and A Little Home. Hot In Here is a fun song with sing along lyrics. A Little Home is a song that I feel I can relate too. It talks about always needing home. As a member of a large extended family, not being around makes me homesick - growing up, we got together at least monthly and being away from it, I miss it. Even now that I have a home and family of my own, it is still nice to go home to where I grew up and be with the rest of my family. I love the end of the song:

'No matter how grown up you get
Oh, no matter how far you roam
Sometimes you just need a little home
Home sweet home
Sometimes you just need a little home
"Hey, mom and dad, what’s goin’ on?”'

You can learn more about the band, their past albums, their upcoming tour stops and more on their website. I learned, for instance, that two of the members are from Ohio (what a great place to be from and live!).

You can find Rascal Flatts out on tour this summer. You can find the current schedule and purchase tickets here.

Here is a chance to win tickets to see Rascal Flatts, as part of their fly away contest - they're giving away airfare, hotel, tickets and meet & greet passes for two lucky fans to see Rascal Flatts on their summer American Band tour kicking off this June with Eli Young Band, Little Big Town and Edens Edge. Contest ends April 30th.

No compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed are mine or that of my family. A complimentary, review copy of the album was provided through One2One to facilitate this review.

Here, Home, Hope - Review and Giveaway

What happens when you find yourself more focused on helping your friends and others than focusing on yourself? What happens when your kids start to grow up and they don't rely on you the same way?

Both of these questions came to mind while I was reading Here, Home, Hope by Kaira Rouda. The story follows "one woman's courageous journey through midlife crisis and personal reinvention."
Kelly Mills Johnson is thirty-nine years old and as they are each summer, her kids are away at summer camp. A combination of her age (and those of her children) and a recent cancer scare has her using this time to contemplate on her life. As she thinks about things, she finds many things that she wants to change in her life and she starts to write Post-It notes with Things to Change (T2C). Some of them are straight-forward, like T2C #17: Learn Yoga and some require a lot of effort like T2C #4: Don't compare yourself to others.

"Kelly Mills Johnson becomes restless in her thirty-ninth year. An appetite for more forces her to take stock of her ordinary middle-American existence and her neighbors’ seemingly perfect lives. Her marriage to a successful attorney has settled into a comfortable routine, and being the mother of two adorable sons has been rewarding but exhausting. Meanwhile, Kelly’s own passions lie wasted. She eyes with envy the lives of her two best friends, Kathryn and Charlotte, both beautiful, successful businesswomen who seem to have it all. Kelly takes charge of her life, devising a midlife makeover plan."

The story-telling was wonderful. I found myself laughing and crying as I read the book. The chapters were the perfect length for me to continuously justify just one more chapter before I ___. (you can fill in the blank with just about anything - go to sleep, switch the laundry, do the dishes) In addition, I found myself really connecting with Kelly. I see in her things that I see in me. I feel like I am someone that puts every one's needs in front of mine. (In my opinion), I am a good listener and someone that my friends can and do turn to in their time of need, but am not sure that I would do a good job of turning to someone. As Kelly spoke of her ritual of avoiding being noticed/recognized when visiting a psychologist, I could see myself acting in a similar fashion - okay with seeking help, but not wanting everyone to know it. I have my own collection of T2C, but I have to remind myself to put my needs first. Maybe writing them down and posting them around the house would help me. Like eating right and working out...I can do it and I can succeed, as long as I don't let "life" get in the way of achieving my goals of a healthier life and smaller clothes.

You'll have to read the story for yourself to find out what she learns along her journey to reinvent herself, sharing the outcome of the story just wouldn't be fair to you!

Want to learn more about both the book and Kaira Rouda? You can find a video trailer for the book here. You can find Kaira on her website, on Twitter and on Facebook. She seems to be very accessible - she is in the midst of a book tour and even offers to Skype into your book club meeting, if she is available.

Giveaway!
One A Busy Mom of Two reader has the chance to receive an autographed, copy of Here, Home, Hope by Kaira Rouda.

To enter, leave a comment with an answer to this question: Who is your favorite author?

Additional Entries (please leave a separate comment for each entry):

• Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter.

• Follow @KairaRouda on Twitter.

• Tweet about this giveaway. You may complete this entry once per day. (You may use the following or write your own: Enter to win an autographed copy of Here, Home, Hope by @KairaRouda. Hosted by @ABusyMomofTwo, ends 6/16 #giveaway http://bit.ly/jiWV3l)

• Follow A Busy Mom of Two. Subscribe to updates in your feed reader or in e-mail. Leave me a comment letting me know that you signed up, or that you already subscribe.

• Share this giveaway with friends - on your blog, on Facebook or by e-mail or by posting it on a giveaway link-up. Leave me a comment letting me know how you shared or leave a link to the giveaway link-up. You may have one additional entry for each give-away linky that you submit it on.

• Leave a comment with a link to your blog where you have either my button or have a link to A Busy Mom of Two in your blog roll.

Giveaway will remain open until June 16th at 6 pm. One winner will be selected using a random number generator. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (be sure to leave one!) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

I received no compensation for this post. I received a copy of Here, Home, Hope through One2One to read and review. In addition, they are providing the book for the giveaway.

Yanni - Truth of Touch

I recently had the opportunity to check out the latest album from Yanni. The album is called Truth of Touch. It features a couple of songs with lyrics, but mostly is the instrumental only pieces for which Yanni is best known. This is Yanni's first instrumental release of original compositions in over eight years and is a return to the genre Yanni helped create and advance.

What Yanni says about the new album:

“I work the rhythms in this album,” explains Yanni about the new material. “There is a beautiful complexity in these rhythms, a new sound design. I think the melodic content is very strong and very memorable. I was having fun with this album and that’s going to become apparent.”

I have listened to the album a few times. There are a number of the instrumental songs that I really enjoy, like Truth of Touch and Seasons, but I think my favorite songs are the ones with lyrics. I hate to admit it, but I actually listened a couple of times before I realized that there were some English lyrics in O Luce Che Brilla Nell’Oscurita. The song is operatic in style and features Nathan Pacheco, who was also part of the Yanni Voices production a couple of years ago. The song definitely is mostly in Italian, but there is English in there too. There is something about the operatic performance and fullness of his voice that transcends language and makes me really like the song, even though I can't understand what is being sung. When I listen to that song, it makes me want to pull out my Michael Crawford Performs Andrew Lloyd Weber CD. (My husband uploaded most of our music to iTunes so that we could listen to it and include on playlists for our iPod, but interestingly that CD is missing from the collection - or I would be listening now).

I definitely enjoy the style of his music, but must say that without vocals I find that his music lends itself more to being played at home, or when I am need of some music without noise in the car. I like to sing along in my car and sometimes struggle with listening to music I can't (try) to sing along with.

You can learn more about Yanni and the Truth of Touch Album on the Yanni website. If you are interested, Yanni is in the midst of a world tour and has many stops scheduled in the United States over the next couple of months.

You can hear samples of the tracks here.

No compensation was received for this post. I received a digital copy of Truth of Touch through One2One for the purposes of providing a review of the album.

Lose A Palooza

For the third year, Weight Watchers is running a Lose for Good Campaign. From 9/5/10 to 10/23/10, Weight Watchers will donate up to $1 million, based on weight loss by members during the campaign, redemption of “Visit a Meeting for Free”, participation in the Lose-A-Palooza social campaign and activities as part of Action Tuesdays. You can learn more about Lose for Good here. Donations from the Lose for Good campaign will be made 70% to Share Our Strength® up to $700,000 and 30% to Action Against Hunger up to $300,000. To learn more about the participating charities visit www.strength.org and www.actionagainsthunger.org.



The Lose-A-Palooza event runs one day only – September 14th – and its objective is to drive as much social media awareness as possible for Lose For Good and encourage participation. Every time Lose For Good is mentioned using an approved method on 9/14, Weight Watchers will track the mention and donate a dollar – up to $60,000. You can make a difference by participating in Lose-A-Palooza on September 14th. You can participate simply by using your favorite social network to spread the word - For every mention of “Lose For Good” made on September 14th through blogs, Twitter, Facebook, check-in via foursquare, or a “Lose-A-Palooza” Twibbon to your profile picture, Weight Watchers will donate $1 to Share Our Strength and Action Against Hunger (yep it’s that easy!)
Between now and Tuesday, help raise awareness, by sharing this tweet with your followers:

Save the date 9/14 Lose-A-Palooza-1 day only-Weight Watchers donates $1 for each #LoseForGood socmed mention http://bit.ly/LoseAPalooza

and, then, on September 14th, share this tweet to help make a difference:

Today Only! Lose-A-Palooza -Weight Watchers donates up to $1 for each #LoseForGood social media mention http://bit.ly/LoseAPalooza

No compensation was received for this post. By sharing this post, I am gaining an entry in a giveaway from One2One for a chance to win a gift card.

Ritz Crackerfuls

I like to snack, it's no secret. One of my favorite snacks is crackers and cheese. It is something that we cut up and nibble on in the evenings, over a glass of wine and with friends. There is something about the salt and creaminess of cheese and the crunch of a cracker that I find appealing. I have an addiction to chocolate, but I like variety in my snacking, frequently opting for more savory snacks, like cheese.

A few months ago, I happened upon Ritz Crackerfuls. I liked the idea that it was made with real cheese and 6g of whole grains per serving and that they were individually wrapped. I figured it would make a quick and easy snack option for me to take to work to help me bridge the time between lunch and dinner and provide a variation from the granola bar type snacks that I typically turn too. I picked up a box to have on hand for a quick snack option.

I didn't try them right away, but then one day when I went on a field trip with my son, I found myself with nothing to pack and grabbed one to throw in my lunch. I enjoyed it. It seems so much more grown up than Ritz Bits and has a better flavor than the typical cheese on cracker snacks found in vending machines. Since first trying them, I have kept Ritz Crackerfuls on hand as an option to pack for my lunch or grab for a quick snack. They come in Garlic Herb, Four Cheese, Classic Cheddar and the newest Cheddar Cheese & Bacon.

When I was contacted about trying the new Cheddar Cheese & Bacon variety, I was excited to give them a try. Everything is better with bacon, right? I packed one for my lunch the other day. I was glad to find that while it had a nice smokey flavor and you knew it was Cheddar Cheese and Bacon, it wasn't an overwhelming smokey or bacon flavor. I think I still prefer the Four Cheese and Garlic Herb varieties, but was not disappointed by the Cheddar Cheese & Bacon.

For me, Ritz Crackerfuls make a nice snack with only 130 Calories per serving and with the whole grains, it also provides 3g of Dietary Fiber per serving. For me, it means that it is an easy, and tasty snack (or lunch component) for only 3 Points. Having snacks on hand that have a known Points value make snacking much easier for me - no counting, measuring or other challenges. Besides packing crackers and cheese to snack on at work is not as easy as grabbing this filled cracker snack.

Have you tried the new Cheddar Cheese & Bacon Crackerfuls? You can try them for less by downloading a coupon for $1 Off Cheddar Cheese & Bacon Crackerfuls from the Ritz Crackers Facebook Fan Page. The coupon is available until August 31, 2010 or until there have been just over 33k prints.

No compensation was provided for this post. I did receive from Nabisco, through One2One Network, a box of Ritz Crackerfuls Cheddar Cheese & Bacon, as well as a box of Cheddar Cheese, so that I could try the product and share my experience. In addition, by posting about my experience, I am entering a drawing for a chance to win a gift card.

Sex and the City 2 Soundtrack

I keep hearing everyone talk about the upcoming Sex and the City 2 Soundtrack. The local radio stations have been doing Girls Night Out giveaways. Some of my friends at work are planning an evening out to watch the movie.

You'll have to enter yet tonight (contest closes at midnight PST 5/26/10), but by entering your mobile number here you will get a message from Sarah Jessica Parker on the day the movie opens (tomorrow!). One lucky person will win a personal call from Sarah Jessica Parker. You can read the official rules and get more details here.

The Sex and the City 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on Tuesday and the movie is opening in theaters tomorrow.




Tracklisting
1. Alicia Keys “Rapture”
2. Dido “Everything to Lose”
3. Cee Lo “Language of Love”
4. Erykah Badu “Window Seat”
5. Natacha Atlas “Kidda”
6. Michael McGregor “Euphrates Dream”
7. Liza Minnelli “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”
8. Ricki-Lee "Can't Touch It"
9. Alicia Keys "Emire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down"
10. Jennifer Hudson and Leona Lewis "Love Is Your Color"
11. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon “I Am Woman”
12. Sex and the City Men’s Choir “If Ever I Would Leave You”
13. Sex and the City Men’s Choir “Sunrise, Sunset”
14. Sex and the City Men’s Choir “Till There Was You”
15. Shayna Steele, Jordan Ballard, Kamilah Marshall “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”
16. Liza Minnelli with Billy Stritch “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye”
17. Cyndi Lauper “True Colors”
18. Aaron Zigman “Divas and Dunes”

Some notes about the soundtrack:

The soundtrack features a brand-new duet "Love is Your Color" by Grammy and Academy Award® winner Jennifer Hudson, along with global superstar, multi-platinum recording artist and three-time Grammy Award nominee Leona Lewis.

Soundtrack includes a new song by platinum-selling CeeLo and International superstar Dido also contributes an exclusive new track.

Grammy, Emmy, Golden Globe, Tony and Academy Award® winner Liza Minnelli covers Beyonce’s chart-topper “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”

12-time Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys performs her own extraordinary new version of the Blondie classic “Rapture”.

The soundtrack also features the stars of Sex and the City 2, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon, performing the Helen Reddy classic “I Am Woman.”

Overall, I like the CD. There is definitely a unique collection of songs on the soundtrack. Even if you had never seen a preview or a picture from the movie and only had listened to the soundtrack, it seems pretty obvious that the soundtrack is for a movie that is set in a desert. There is just something about the tone of the music that suggests this. The biggest problem I have is that with some of these songs, until you see the movie, they just feel off (like Liza Minelli's "Single Ladies" - that is the problem with other people singing songs you are familiar with in ways that are different from the original. Listening to the soundtrack makes me curious to see the movie. (I have to confess that I have never seen a single episode of the television show nor have I seen the first movie - perhaps I would be best to start at least with the first movie before seeing this one?)

I like how the commentary in the liner notes talks about how the movie deals with who they were, who they are and who they will become in the future, and how the evolution of music plays a role in each of our own personal evolutions, as an explanation for the span of music that is on the soundtrack - past, present and new.

I think my favorite song is the new "Love is Your Color", not sure what specifically makes it my favorite, I just like its sound. Of course, the classic Cyndi Lauper "True Colors" is a song that I already know and love. (It reminds me of college - it was among a number of songs we put on a mix our freshman year.) I was disappointed with Liza Minelli's rendition of "Single Ladies" (as mentioned above) - but again, in the context of the movie, this version might make perfect sense, so I won't completely dismiss it until I have seen the movie. The version of "I Am Woman" sung by the four characters is fun and you can visualize them together sharing in this song (I imagine it is what they are singing in this Karaoke picture from the soundtrack liner.)

You can listen to a selection of the songs from the soundtrack on the Facebook page for Sex and the City 2 (soundtrack tab). You can purchase a copy of the album here.

No compensation was received for this post. As a participant in this One2One campaign, I received the soundtrack to listen to and share my opinions.

Busytown Mysteries

Did you grow up reading Richard Scarry books? I know I did. I can remember checking them out of the library. I remember that there were Busytown toys, too. As with many things from my childhood, Richard Scarry and Busytown is back. Starting this weekend, there is a new series on CBS - Busytown Mysteries. You can find the schedule for your area here. The show airs during Cookie Jar TV.

Busytown Mysteries is the Winner of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association Award (CFTPA) for Best Children’s and Youth Series. The series, which evidently was released in Canada first, already has 52 half hour episodes in season one and season two is in production.

Through One2One Network, I was given the opportunity to get an advanced copy of one of the episodes. Each episode consists of two eleven minute "mini" episodes. My kids and I sat down on Wednesday evening to watch the two mini episodes we received. The characters were just as I remembered from childhood (they even drove the apple car - who doesn't remember that!). The cast is lead by Huckle Cat and Lowly Worm. Together with the other members of the community, they solve the many every day mysteries of Busytown. Once they determine that they have a mystery to solve, they are off singing "Who? What? When? Where? Why?"

Busytown Mysteries engages children with fun storylines and lovable characters, while introducing them to deductive reasoning skills. As they try to figure out, Who? What? When? Where? Why?, they use resources at hand - researching at the library, taking a picture to get a better look, etc. I really liked the way that they systematically worked through the mystery and then once it was solved, they provide a brief recap of how they solved the mystery.

After watching the first half of the show, my son was asking if we could watch more. I explained it was a new show and that after we watched the DVD that we had, I would set up the DVR to record the Busytown Mysteries. In my area, the show airs three times on Saturday morning. I will be interested to see the commercials - what they are for and how many there are. For the most part, we don't watch commercial TV, sticking with Disney, Noggin and PBS, so commercials are still a bit of a confusion to my kids. (I remember when Blue's Baby Brother aired and there were commercials - only like one set, but my son had never seen a commercial and got so upset when it came on in the middle of his show).

In addition to the new series, you and your children can also play in Busytown through their fun, interactive website BusytownMysteries.com, where kids can explore different neighborhoods in Busytown, interact with the Busytown characters and play 14 games and activities designed for preschoolers, including interactive games, a Fan Club and “My First Email,” which lets little ones email their progress to pre-approved friends and family addresses. I checked it out myself, but have not yet had my son explore it. The games and activities were cute and again, the characters were familiar. You get to choose a character to be while in Busytown and a car to drive.

Richard Scarry’s books have sold over 150 million copies and have been translated into 30 languages over the last 40 years. If you grew up reading these books, the new series and the website, in addition to the books, is a great way to bring the characters to life for your kids.

I did not receive any compensation for this post, but did receive an advanced copy of Busytown Mysteries courtesy of One2One and Busytown Mysteries.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Diamond Edition Combo Pack

The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition Combo Pack was released on October 6th. This new edition features both a BluRay and a DVD of the movie in one package. I was given the opportunity through One2One Network to preview and review the film.

As soon as the movie arrived earlier this week, I made a 'date' with my daughter to watch Snow White this weekend. She was excited. We have been reading Snow White in our big Princess book and this was the first Princess movie that we sat down to watch. What fun!

I really like that the BluRay disc also includes a standard DVD. We only have a BluRay player in our basement. The car and the family room both only play DVDs. Of course, we wanted to experience the full impact, so we headed down to the media room to watch the movie this morning, where we could enjoy the improved picture quality and 7.1 Surround sound featured on the BluRay.

When we put the BluRay in, the Magic Mirror on the Wall, that is part of the menu, addressed us with a 'Good Morning' greeting and commented on it being our first time there. I thought that was kind of cool. The movie looked great. We chose to watch the original 4:3 ratio, rather than a special feature they offer called Disney View, which features the art of Toby Bluth in place of the black sidebars.

My daughter asked a lot of questions during the movie, she is 2 after all. From the get go, she wanted to know where the dwarfs were and then when we got to the part of the movie they were in, she kept asking about those 'boys'. All-in-all, it was a great experience. We explored a few of the extra features, including BD Live. There are also many other features that we have yet to explore on both the DVD and the BluRay version as well as on the bonus material BluRay disc, including games and activities, commentary, 'Snow White Returns', Karaoke sing-along and more.

If you already own Snow White on DVD, you can go here to get a $10 coupon when you upgrade to the Diamond Edition. This deal is only good until October 20th.

There also was a coupon available here to save $10 . This coupon, when I printed it last week expired on 10/10, so I'm not certain if it is still available or not - but you can give the link a try. Many stores have it on sale this week. In addition, there is a rebate available when you purchase Snow White and Hefty plates, bowls or bags.

Alternatively, you can use coupon code SNOWHITE at Amazon.com and save $10, getting it for $9.95. I've not been able to find anything that indicates how long this code is good for, but it is worth a try.

I did not receive any compensation for this post, but did receive an advanced copy of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Diamond Edition from One2One and Disney.

Joshua Bell: At Home with Friends

Through One2One Network, I had the opportunity to preview the new Joshua Bell CD, At Home with Friends. The new album was released on Tuesday, September 29th.

The album has a very nice sound to it. Joshua Bell is a very talented, classical violinist. The new album At Home with Friends features duets with Josh Groban, Sting, Chris Botti, Regina Spektor, Kristin Chenoweth, Tiempo Libre and many others. I do like the sound of the violin and Joshua Bell has definitely got talent in playing it. A few of the songs on the album were familiar to me.

For me the biggest challenge is when do I get to listen to it. It's not really driving around in my car music, which is where I listen to about 95% of my music. I definitely could see it playing during dinner or during a small gathering.

Album Tracklisting :
I Loves You Porgy featuring Chris Botti, trumpet
Come Again featuring Sting, vocals
Oblivion featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon
Cinema Paradiso featuring Josh Groban, vocals
Para Tí featuring Tiempo Libre, various
My Funny Valentine featuring Kristin Chenoweth, vocals
Maybe So featuring Edgar Meyer Sam Bush and Mike Marshall, strings
Grieg: Sonata No. 3 featuring Sergei Rachmaninoff (Zenph re-performance)
Eleanor Rigby featuring Frankie Moreno, piano & vocals
O, Cease Thy Maiden Fair featuring Nathan Gunn, baritone
Il Postino featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon
Left Hand Song featuring Regina Spektor, piano & vocals
Chovendo Na Roseira featuring Dave Grusin, piano
Look Away featuring Edgar Meyer, bass and Chris Thile, mandolin
Variant Moods: Duet for Sitar & Violin featuring Anoushka Shankar, sitar
I'll Take Manhattan featuring Marvin Hamlisch, piano

You can learn more about Joshua Bell by checking out his website or fanning him on Facebook. While on his website, be sure to check out the history of the 1713 Gibson Stradivarius violin that he plays. It has a really interesting history.



I did not recieve any compensation for this post, but did recieve a complimentary copy of the disc to review.

Once In A Blue Moon

I just finished reading a great book, Once In A Blue Moon by Eileen Goudge. The book tells the story of sisters Lindsay and Kerrie Ann. As we learn in the prologue, they were separated at a young age, when they were placed in foster care because their mother was arrested and sent to prison. Fast forward twenty some years and we learn that they are still leading their separate lives. Lindsay has tried to find her sister, but Kerrie Ann, so young when they were separated, didn't even know she had a sister until her lawyer unearths it. The author does an excellent job of building the characters in the first two chapters, helping the reader learn more about who they are and what the influences in their lives have been. Then, the story unfolds as it explores their relationship as they fall in and out of love and face major life issues.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I stayed up later than I should have on more than one occasion, because I wanted to read just one more chapter. Ms Goudge tells such a wonderful story with characters that you feel drawn to, you can't help but want to find out what happens next. I love a good page turner.

This was the first book that I read by Eileen Goudge, but now I can't wait to check out more of her books. I learned over on her website that she has 16 other books...so I have a lot of catching up to do.

You can learn more about Eileen and her books at her website. You can also Fan her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

Once In A Blue Moon becomes available on Tuesday, October 6. I had the opportunity to receive an advanced copy for review through One2One Network.

Update!!!

Turns out, I have the opportunity to give away one copy of the book I read as well as a copy of Woman in Red. You can enter here to win a copy of Once In a Blue Moon and Woman in Red.

How to enter:

Primary entry - Leave a comment with your favorite author and your favorite book (not necessarily the same).

Bonus entries -
Follow me on Twitter (@ABusyMomofTwo) and tweet about this giveaway. Can be done once per day, be sure to leave a separate comment for each tweet.

Sign up for daily updates by RSS feed or e-mail. Leave me a comment letting me know you subscribe.

Add my button to your sidebar or my blog to blog roll. Leave me a comment letting me know you did, with a link to your blog.

Post about this giveaway on your blog with a link back. Leave a comment letting me know you blogged, with a link to your post.

Giveaway will remain open until Tuesday, October 13th at 9 pm Eastern. Winner will be selected using a random number generator. Winner will be contacted by e-mail and have 36 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

I did not receive any compensation for this post, but did receive an advanced copy of the book to read and review.

Harry Connick, Jr - Your Songs

I was recently given the opportunity to check out the brand new Harry Connick, Jr. album, Your Songs courtesy of the One2One Network.

I was very excited for the opportunity. I first started to listen to Harry Connick, Jr's music when he recorded the soundtrack for When Harry Met Sally. I loved that movie and I loved the soundtrack. The next albums he released was We are In Love, another of my favorites. When he put out his Christmas album When My Heart Finds Christmas, I got it right away and it is one of my favorite Christmas albums with a mix of classics and Connick originals.

There is just something that is so wonderful about putting a big band sound behind the lyrics. Combine that with his vocals and it really is a winning combination.

On Your Songs, Harry covers 14 classic songs and adds his touch with his own big band sound.

Here’s the album track list (originally performed by):

All The Way (Frank Sinatra)
Just The Way You Are (Billy Joel)
Can’t Help Falling In Love With You (Elvis Presley)
And I Love Her (The Beatles)
(They Long To Be) Close To You (The Carpenters)
Besame Mucho
The Way You Look Tonight (from the film Swing Time - sung by a lot of people over the years)
First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Roberta Flack)
Your Song (Elton John)
Some Enchanted Evening (from South Pacific)
And I Love You So (Don McLean)
Who Can I Turn To? (Tony Bennett)
Smile (Charlie Chaplin)
Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole)

I really like the album. The songs are very familiar and Harry Connick, Jr's touch makes them that touch different from the originals. I have been listening to it for the past week. I think that The Way You Look Tonight is my current favorite. None of the songs have a large, big band sound, you can hear the horns and big band accompaniment in the background, but not that large, big band sound I hoped for. That being said, it doesn't take away from the music it is very good, I just felt that it could have been bigger. The album makes a great backdrop for a romantic evening or a soundtrack for your daily drive.

Want to learn more about Harry Connick, Jr? You can check out his webpage or become a fan on Facebook. You can also check out Harry Connick, Jr.’s upcoming TV appearances over the next few weeks and see what you think:

9/28 – Today Show
9/29 – The View
9/30 – Imus in the Morning
9/30 – Letterman
10/1 – Today Show
Week of 10/5 – Rachael Ray

The album was released on September 22nd and you can purchase Your Songs at major retailers where music is sold and at Amazon.

Or, better yet, win it here! One lucky reader will win a copy of Harry Connick, Jr's Your Songs courtesy of One2One.

How to enter:

Primary entry - leave a comment letting me know which classic song on this album is your favorite.

Additional entries:

Follow me on Twitter (@ABusyMomofTwo) and tweet about this giveaway. Can be done once per day, be sure to leave a separate comment for each.

Sign up for daily updates by RSS feed or e-mail. Leave me a comment letting me know you subscribe.

Add my button to your sidebar or my blog to blog roll. Leave me a comment letting me know you did, with a link to your blog.

Post about this giveaway on your blog with a link back. Leave a comment letting me know you blogged, with a link to your post.

Giveaway will remain open until Sunday, October 4th at 9 pm Eastern. Winner will be selected using a random number generator. Winner will be contacted by e-mail and have 36 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

Rock of Ages Original Cast Recording

This week on the way to and from work each day, I have been listening to the Original Cast Recording for Rock of Ages. Now, normally, I would wait until I had actually seen a show to get the Original Cast Recording, but I was given the opportunity to check it out as part of One2One Network. Unlike many Broadway Shows, for this show, I knew all of the music before I ever listened to the CD. I knew all of the music for the show, because the soundtrack is full of songs that I grew up listening to. Whitesnake, Poison, Journey and more.

Now, I must start by saying, it is important to remember that this is an Original Cast Recording. These songs are not the full song, not sung by the original artist and some of the words are fit to the show. Many of the songs are constructions blending two songs together, starting with one song and moving into another. The songs are interjected with dialogue from the show. But, that is part of the draw. As you listen to the songs and the bits of dialogue, you get a glimpse of the story that the musical is telling. And, now that I have been listening (and singing along) to the CD, I am ready to go see the show. I want to know the full story of Drew and Sherrie and the rest of the crew and what happens to them. Unfortunately for me, I don't live near New York and the show doesn't appear to be on tour just yet, so I will have to wait to experience Rock of Ages live on stage.

I did the same things a few years ago. After hearing part of the cast from Jersey Boys singing on Good Morning America (or was it the Today Show), I had to hear more. So, I checked the CD out from the library. It was another one of those shows where I already knew all of the music and could sing along. Listening to the Original Cast Recording got me interested in seeing the show. Fortunately, that one soon was touring and when it finally came to Cleveland about a year ago, I was able to go and see it. And, now that I have, I enjoy listening to the CD even more. I expect the same to be true for this show when I finally get to see it.

Update:
You can go here to check out the making of Soundtrack video: http://tr.im/rsVE

Cool info: New Line Records just hammered the in-store release of the Original Broadway Cast Recording of five-time Tony Award nominated "ROCK OF AGES." For those of you not in the know, Rock of Ages is the new Broadway musical starring American Idol finalist Constantine Maroulis. Set in 1987 in a legendary Sunset Strip rock club, a small-town girl meets a big-city dreamer and they fall in love to the greatest metal songs of the 80's. The musical is an arena-rock love story told through the mind-blowing, face-melting hits of Journey, Bon Jovi, Styx, Reo Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Foreigner, Twisted Sister, Poison, Asia, Whitesnake and more.
Tracklisting
Just Like Paradise / Nothin' But A Good Time
Sister Christian
We Built This City / Too Much Time On My Hands
I Wanna Rock
We're Not Gonna Take It
Heaven/More Than Words / To Be With You
Waiting For A Girl Like You
Wanted Dead Or Alive
I Want To Know What Love Is
Cum On Feel The Noize / We're Not Gonna Take It (Reprise)
Harden My Heart / Shadows Of The Night
Here I Go Again
The Final Countdown
Any Way You Want It / I Wanna Rock (Reprise)
High Enough
I Hate Myself For Loving You / Heat Of The Moment
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Can't Fight This Feeling
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Oh Sherrie
The Search Is Over
Don't Stop Believin

You can preview the soundtrack (and purhcase it) here.

Giveaway!
You can win your own copy of Rock of Ages Original Cast Recording, courtesy of One2One Network. To enter, leave a comment telling me your favorite Broadway Musical Soundtrack.

For additional entries:
- Blog about this giveaway. Be sure to come back and leave a link to your post in the comments.
- Follow me on Twitter and Tweet about this giveaway using @ABusyMomofTwo. Leave a comment with a link to the Tweet. You can get one entry per day for tweeting.

This contest will remain open until July 31st at 7 pm. I will use a random number generator to select the winner. I will contact the winner by e-mail and they will have 36 hours to respond with their contact information or a new winner will be drawn.

Don't forget to enter my other giveaways going on now in celebration of my one year blogging anniversary:
Honey Kix Prize Pack ends 7/27
Smooshie Kit ends 7/29
Tyson Skillet Creations ends 7/30