Woody Woodpecker Movie Review

I was expecting this movie to be a cartoon, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that it features real human characters and an ever present animated Woody Woodpecker.  Woody is in constant motion with crazy, outlandish antics causing trouble and avoiding two guys who are paid to get rid of him.  The movie centers around a high powered lawyer, his young girlfriend and his son.  They leave Seattle for a beautiful forest/lake view piece of property that he inherits from his grandfather and originally intends to build a Mcmansion and flip it. Woody does everything possible to sabotage this plan. As the summer progresses, the son who had a very poor relationship with his Dad, joins a local band, befriends Woody and ultimately tries to save Woody.  All ends well of course as the basic plot includes that the son reconciles with his Dad, the young girlfriend takes off, a smaller house is built and they make peace with Woody. 

The movie is good family fare.  I think it is an appropriate movie for ages 6 and up.  It will probably be enjoyed most by the 6 – 14 year old set.  There is two much fast action mischief for very young children and the storyline is too predictable for older kids.  Adult fans of Woody Woodpecker may also enjoy this movie.  Woody has the same classic trademark laugh and his quick outrageous antics provide lots of laughs if you can get past the destruction he piles up in seconds.

The DVD and Digital copy that I have includes several bonus features including:

• Guess Who? The Evolution of Woody
• The Making of Woody Woodpecker
• Working with Woody

Several versions of the movie are available.  This review is my honest opinion and I was not paid for this review. I received a copy for review that included the DVD and Digital versions.  It can be purchased at Amazon by clicking the icon below.

Welcome Little One - A Keepsake Baby Book and a Giveaway

Update 2/23/18:  The Giveaway is closed and the winner has been selected.  If you are interested in purchasing this keepsake book you can click on the Amazon link at the end of this post.

The Welcome Little One Keepsake Baby Book by Kristin Baird Rattini published by National Geographic is exquisite.  It is unlike the bland keepsake books that are most common.  It is unique modern....captivating.  As you would expect from a National Geographic publication, it features striking pictures of baby animals throughout the book.  

Some of my favorite parent and baby animal pictures….

In addition to pages to record every month's activities of the first year there are these wonderful pages to record other information.  Here a couple of my favorites:

All about Grandparents - Of course one of my favorites

Bedtime - Such an Important Time of Day

The pages with quotes by famous people compliment the story of a child’s first year as you record them.  Here are two of my favorite quote pages:

The journal is very thorough and includes pages for celebrations, monthly milestones and pleasures, bathtime, bedtime, first haircut, first tooth, first foods and more.  It doesn’t end when the baby reaches one year old.  Near the end of the book there is a place to add a picture each year until twelfth grade.

At the back of the book are these stickers to use when taking monthly pictures.  Plus there are a bunch of extra stickers for events like first bath, first haircut, first road trip and more.  My favorites are the I love (heart) grandma and I love grandpa stickers.  And there are two sets of them!  These stickers are especially nice to use when posting pictures on social media so it is clear what the milestone is that you are commemorating.

Every family should have a first year keepsake book and the Welcome Little One by National Geographic is by far the most beautiful one I have seen.  This is a perfect baby shower or new baby gift. 

And you are one of the first to know about it.  It is published on February 6^th – tomorrow – but it is available on Amazon today for ordering.

Giveaway Information

One lucky winner will receive a Welcome Little One Keepsake Book.

It is easy to enter and there are two ways. Both ways count as an entry so you get two entries if you do both.  I need to be able to contact you if you win. If you enter -  email me with your email address at  marion@grandmachronicles.com.  I will not use your email address for anything except to notify you if you win.  Grandmother’s Honor.

Two ways to win:

Leave a comment here on the blog

and/or

Like The Grandma Chronicles facebook page - click here. 

You can have two entries by doing both.  Deadline to enter: February 22, 2018 at midnight. This item can be sent to US addresses only.

Full Disclosure:  This review is my own objective opinion.  I did not get paid to write this review.  I did receive a copy of the book in order to complete the review.

An InLinkz Link-up

Grandma Goes to Barbados!!!

Last week I had the best Winter break ever.  I went to Barbados on vacation and had a wonderful time.  When we lead busy lives including caring for children and grandchildren it is important to remember to take the time for self care.  This can be difficult or near impossible for Moms, but Grandmas……no excuses.  As we get older it is even more important to take some time outs and just relax.  And I did just that!

Here are some photos from my January vacation in Barbados where the weather was in the low 80s everyday versus the below freezing we had for most of January in New Jersey.  I hope these encourage you to start planning some time off.

I stayed at two different places in the same week.  First I was at a serene small inn with only 9 rooms.  Their guests are mostly British and Canadian and there is a genteel feel about the place with breakfast on the veranda, a peaceful pool and a short block walk to the beach.  Each morning, the famous local green monkeys saunter past in the garden as you have breakfast. No TVs on the premises - it is a good place to have a respite from the news.

If are looking for a serene, quiet place for a vacation, check out Bayfield House in Barbados.

Relaxing at the Beach 

Dining out locally near Bayfield House....

Barbados is a safe island to travel around and has lots of excellent restaurants.  Dining near Bayfield House - oceanfront at sunset was my favorite time of day. Here I am holding a Rum Punch at Bombas in Mullins and sitting at Jumas in Speightstown.

I finished the week at the Tropical Sunset "self catering" hotel in Holetown.  This place is situated between two beach bars and in fact one of them extends in front of the pool.  After the pool take a few steps to the beach and sunbeds are available right there.  There is a galley kitchen, nice size room with cable TV and patio overlooking the ocean.  This is a very social environment with mostly a retired crowd many of whom are here for 3 - 8 weeks in the winter. 

Here I am getting ready for the social life at the Tropical Sunset....

Every kind of boating opportunity is available including jet skis, glass bottom boats, sailboats, etc. Swim with the turtles, snorkel and more.  All just steps from my room.

Every morning there is horseback riding at the water's edge....

Eating out  - and outside  - in Holetown is a delight whether it is breakfast at Flindt Patisserie, lunch at Carizma or dinner at Nishi.

But my favorite time of day is sunset and sunset watching over the ocean is a favorite activity of locals and visitors alike.  Whether it was on the beach, at a restaurant, at a beach bar or on my patio in Holetown I was there for sunset watching everyday of my vacation.  Here are just a few photos to whet your appetite.

And in conclusion...this Grandma had a wonderful vacation and I wish you many happy vacations too.  Good for the body and good for the soul.

Marion 

An InLinkz Link-up