With the Super Bowl over, and what a game it was, I am going to share some quirky, pre-game (sometimes a full week ahead of the game) things the men in my life have done and continue to do. Some make me laugh while others leave me scratching my head.

Hubby (on right) and friend in their game stance before a past Super Bowl (pre-jersey)

• My husband has, in the past for most sporting events, donned his favorite players jersey, and get his friends riled up so they start posing and flexing their muscles.
• They have wing and hot dog eating contests, which to me looks like a bunch of cavemen ripping into a big dinosaur thigh.
• They stack their beer and soda cans up and make a wall, and if their team wins they run through it, if they lose it gets kicked down.

Now while all these things make the men feel better while watching a game, they boggle my mind. But I say to each his own and if they all have fun while watching their favorite sports then it is totally worth it, weird, but worth it! The last item in my list actually doesn’t happen as much anymore, thankfully because clean up was horrible

What do the men in your life do before games that leaves you scratching your head? Please leave a comment below and tell me. And don’t forget to get your $1.00 off coupon for Ball Park Franks over on their Facebook Page.

This is a sponsored post. Ball Park product and additional incentives were provided to me. All opinions stated are 100% my own.

Company: Walt Disney Pictures
Item Reviewed: Nightmare Before Christmas Blu-ray 3D

Experience Tim Burton’s Masterpiece in a new dimension!

Now more astonishing and spectacular than ever, The Nightmare Before Christmas jumps off the screen and into your living room, immersing your family in the jaw-dropping splendor and mind-boggling fun of Disney 3D!

Bored with the same old scare-and-scream routine, Pumpkin King Jack Skellington longs to spread the joy of Christmas. But his merry mission puts Santa in jeopardy and creates a nightmare for good little boys and girls everywhere.

Experience Tim Burton and Henry Selick’s uncanny tale as it comes vividly to life right before your eyes! This 3D Combo Pack includes four ways to watch: Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy. Disney Blu-ray 3D – Magic in a new dimension.

Bonus Features:

• Tim Burton Movie Introduction
• “What’s This?” Jack’s Haunted Mansion Holiday Tour
• Frankenweenie Short Film (uncut version) with Introduction by Tim Burton
• Vincent Short Film
• Tim Burton’s Original Poem Narrated by Christopher Lee
• Audio Commentary by Tim Burton, Director Henry Selick and Music Designer Danny Elfman
• Behind the Scenes Making of the Movie
• The Worlds of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Deleted Scenes

My Thoughts

Two interesting things have happened in my life recently. One my husband finally got a 3D TV, something he has wanted for awhile now, and something I was dragging my feet on.When he got it all set up and sat me in front of it with a pair of glasses to watch a 3D channel I was blown away! The picture was clear and crisp and the 3D was seamless.

And then came my favorite movie ever in 3D – Nightmare Before Christmas! OMG, OMG, OMG! It was beyond amazing and I loved it! This movie has it all for me, creativity, amazing soundtrack, a love story, action and a happy ending and it is AWESOME in 3D! My kids of course love the movie too and loved seeing the characters come into the living room, so to speak. The extra short movies that they included are great too, something about Tim Burton’s mind fascinates me. If you like this movie you really need to see it in 3D, you will be amazed! Highly recommend everyone adding it to their Blu-ray 3D library! It has become my favorite all over again! Love, love, love it!!!!!!

Company: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Item Reviewed: Fantastic Mr. Fox DVD
Item Given Away:Fantastic Mr. Fox DVD
Start Date: March 10
End Date: March 24

Academy Award-winning Hollywood heavyweights George Clooney (Up In The Air) and Meryl Streep (It’s Complicated) lend their voices to the hilarious, heartwarming and dazzling stop-motion animated adventure from visionary director Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenebaums) Fantastic Mr. Fox.

In the re-imagined classic family tale, Mr. and Mrs. Fox (Clooney and Streep) live a happy home life with their eccentric son Ash (Jason Schwartzman: The Darjeeling Limited) and visiting nephew Kristopherson. That is until Mr. Fox slips into his sneaky, old ways and plots the greatest heist the animal world has ever seen. When mean old farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean join forces to surround Mr. Fox and his family, they don’t realize they are not dealing with any old fox – it’s Fantastic Mr. Fox and he has a fantastic master plan to save the day!

Based on the beloved best-selling book by Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Fantastic Mr. Fox is family fun at its finest. Anderson employs a colorful supporting cast to bring his eccentric characters to life including Bill Murray (Lost In Translation), Owen Wilson (Marley & Me) and Willem Dafoe (Spiderman triology).  The DVD and Blu-ray Disc/DVD Combo Pack are packed with behind-the-scenes bonus features, including a special inside look at how stop-motion animation really works and much more.

My Thoughts

The Fantastic Mr. Fox is a great movie for family movie night. We recently had an unscheduled family movie night (the best kind because it is a bonus for me ) and we popped some popcorn and cozied up on the couch for the show. This movie was a very creative one, full of fun and action and one that we really enjoyed. My husband loved the way it was filmed and my toddler loved the characters. The family dynamics were what was funny for me and I enjoyed the movie greatly. I was a bit surprised that it held my toddlers attention the whole movie, but it did and she loved it too. I never will tire of hearing her laughter and throughout this movie I did. I recommend it to everyone for family movie night!

I have an extra copy of the Fantastic Mr. Fox to giveaway to one Dirty Shirt reader, please see rules below to enter to win today.

Giveaway

• MAIN RULE – Tell me in comments what your favorite childhood movie is. (remember if this rule is not followed then no others will count)
• 1 Extra Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed or by email (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Follow me on Twitter (button in subscribe section on the right sidebar) and let me know your Twitter name in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Tweet this giveaway. Copy and paste – @Jentifa is giving away a Fantastic Mr. Fox DVD! Check it out here http://bit.ly/dj5J7P. Then come back and leave the direct link to your tweet (go to your twitter account, click on the words when your tweet was sent (ie. 5 seconds ago) and copy and paste that link in comments.
• NEW – 1 Extra Entry – Friend me on Google Friend Connect on sidebar and leave a separate comment that you did.
• 2 Extra Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog.

This giveaway will run through midnight on March 24, with winner being announced the morning of March 25. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

Company: TuneUp
Item Reviewed: TuneUp Utilities 2010
Item Given Away: TuneUp Utilities 2010
Start Date: February 21
End Date: March 7

The success story began eleven years ago when TuneUp founders Tibor Schiemann and Christoph Laumann developed Germany’s first complete package for the optimization of Windows PCs. The program was called “TuneUp 97 – the intelligent tuning tool”. Back then, the TuneUp founders considered “intelligent tuning” to be the effective optimization of PCs that takes care of as many of the necessary steps as possible for the user.

Since 2003, TuneUp has been expanding internationally. TuneUp Utilities is currently used by more than 10 million people worldwide, and is now available in English, German, French, Dutch, Spanish, Italian and Polish.

TuneUp Utilities is designed to help the average computer user keep his or her PC running smoothly.

One of the key updates to the 2010 version is its compatibility with Windows 7.  Unbeknownst to most users, Windows 7 installs a lot of unnecessary files that slow down your PC.  TuneUp Utilities is able to clean up all the clutter – maximizing the new operating system’s performance.  The 2010 version also supports the 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows XP and Vista.

Key features include:

• TuneUp Turbo Mode -With a single click, users can disable a number of background applications, such as various Windows services, complex search functions and scheduled maintenance tasks, in Windows XP, Vista and 7 that are not needed. This feature allows users’ PCs to concentrate entirely on their programs, which means users will see fewer interruptions, and gamers will enjoy more frames per second (FPS).
• TuneUp Live Optimization – This function automatically prevents background processes from taking up too much of the PC’s resources. TuneUp Live Optimization lowers the priority of resource-draining background applications. This results in noticeably faster program startup and response times as well as greater speed and stability for users. Games can also run with more FPS.
• Windows 7 Support – TuneUp Utilities 2010 offers complete support for Microsoft’s new operating system in both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
• TuneUp Gadget – Available for Windows Vista and 7 users, this feature shows the computer’s health directly on the desktop. • Users can start the TuneUp Utilities 2010 features they need directly via the TuneUp Gadget. TuneUp Optimization Report • This displays how many unnecessary files TuneUp Utilities 2010 has cleaned, how many registry entries have been deleted and how many PC problems have been fixed. • Users can display results from the last seven days, 30 days or even since the installation of TuneUp Utilities 2010.
• Automatic Maintenance – TuneUp Utilities 2010 automatically performs optimization tasks and ensures that users’ PCs run quickly and reliably—at all times. • The optimization processes regularly run in the background; this way, users can work or play on their PCs, without having to worry about performing maintenance tasks themselves. •  Automatic Maintenance only starts when PCs are not being actively used.To save and prolong the battery life of laptops and netbooks, Automatic Maintenance will not start if the device is running on battery power.
• Redesigned Start Center – This immediately shows users any problems or bottlenecks, such as pending optimization tasks that need to be performed. • It provides users with access to individual features, while giving them an overview of the PC’s health. • The redesigned Start Center is even easier to use. The previous version of TuneUp Utilities had seven categories. In TuneUp Utilities 2010, this has been reduced to four sections that give users faster access to optimization and customization features.
• Greater Ease of Use – Windows can now be optimized with just a few clicks of the mouse; the features in TuneUp Utilities 2010 are more easily accessible than ever before. • TuneUp Utilities 2010 does not make use of technical jargon—enabling novice computer users to maintain their PCs without any hassles.
• Improved Help Center – If users still have questions about PC optimization, the program’s Help Center has been significantly updated with support topics that are even easier to understand.

My Thoughts

I have used this software on my netbook and I couldn’t be happier with it. What I like best is that it doesn’t run unless I am not using the computer which is a huge plus for me because I run so many things that I don’t need another program running and bogging my system down. I like the reports I can generate for a few days or the last month. These are just a few of the things that I like. You can buy the full version of  TuneUp Utilities 2010 for $49.95 or the Upgrade to TuneUp Utilities 2010 for $29.95. Please check them out here. I recommend this easy to use TuneUp program to everyone.

And I have been given the opportunity to host a giveaway for one Dirty Shirt reader to win a copy of TuneUp Utilities 2010 for their computer. Please see rules below to enter today.

Giveaway

• MAIN RULE – Tell me in comments which program you are using now to Tune Up your computer. (remember if this rule is not followed then no others will count)
• 1 Extra Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed or by email (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Follow me on Twitter (button in subscribe section on the right sidebar) and let me know your Twitter name in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Tweet this giveaway. Copy and paste – @Jentifa is giving away TuneUp Utilities 2010! Check it out here http://bit.ly/95hfGZ. Then come back and leave the direct link to your tweet (go to your twitter account, click on the words when your tweet was sent (ie. 5 seconds ago) and copy and paste that link in comments.
• 2 Extra Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog.

This giveaway will run through midnight on March 7, with winner being announced the morning of March 8. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

Today, I will be bringing you our interview with Claire from Mom’s Homeroom. Renee and I asked her a few questions that we felt our readers would like to hear about.

Claire is a mother of two, and is very familiar with the struggle of career and family. She is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology and operates a practice that concentrates on preventative and wellness medicine. Claire is a member of the American Society for Nutrition and keeps herself in shape by running. She aims to give back to her community and is teaching her children to do the same. Read on to find out what tips we learned by talking with Claire.

Picky Eaters – One of the things we learned was that we really do need to expose our children to multiple types of foods. When we go to the grocery store we tend to only get what we like or foods we know about. We need to expand our boundaries and try new foods. And one tip that I was happy to learn is that kids sometimes get in the cycle where they only want one thing and as long as it is a healthy, nourishing item then it is okay to let them eat the same thing as they will eventually break out of that cycle. I loved to hear that as sometimes my toddler gets into that phase.

Kids Exercise – With Physical Education being cut down or taken out of schools all together it is important that our children get the exercise they need. Claire recommends encouraging your children to find an activity that keeps them active that they enjoy. It could be as simple as finding a bike trail and riding their bike, something that you can do with them, or find a sports activity that they are interested in. With baseball, soccer, football, dance, lacrosse, gymnastics and even martial arts they are bound to find something they like.

Back To School – Claire says she plans several weeks in advance for getting her kids ready to go back to school. In order to mentally prepare them for this she changes their sleeping schedule about two weeks prior. They go to bed earlier and wake up earlier a little each day to get them ready for that early morning alarm clock once school starts. Kids really do need a full nights sleep to be productive at school.

Extra Curricular Activities, At What Point Does It Become Too Much? – Kids these days are bogged down with tight schedules that have them doing homework in cars traveling from activity to activity. With this, their school work and chores, the concern that they aren’t being a child is a big one. Kids need the time to take a break and to experience childhood. Schedules really need to be relaxed a bit. Claire says that her children know that if things start sliding with their schoolwork that the extra curricular activities will be taken away. Teachers also have begun to place a big emphasis on the fact that schoolwork needs to come first.

Nutrition – Every child should start their day with a full, balanced breakfast in order to succeed in school. Nutrition does affect their attention span, information retention and test taking. If they have a good start to their morning with a great breakfast they will be able to keep up in school. If your child has sugary foods, then they are sluggish and tired and really can’t keep up. Claire says that building basic nutrition skills at an early age is something we as parents should do as it really helps them out in the long run.

That wraps up our interview with Claire. She is a great, laid back mom and is full of useful information and I am so happy to have had the chance to meet her and talk to her. I learned a lot from her in the short time I was able to spend chatting with her and I hope my readers all find her advice and tips as valuable to them as I have. Thank you Claire for a great interview! Check back soon as I introduce another Mom’s Homeroom Mom to you as well as introduce the next episode of the show.

I am working with The Motherhood as a correspondent for Kellogg’s and Mom’s Homeroom to bring you all of this great information.

Stand tall on the quarterdeck now, The Pollywogg is headed for home port, as Captain Bogg & Salty return with a brand new album of nautical pop and pirate-rock… EMPHATICAL PIRATICAL.

This time around we drop anchor at a tropical, buccaneer paradise known as Frogg Island, the homeport of The Pollywogg. The music of EMPHATICAL PIRATICAL is crafted with all the hooks, salt-water whimsy, lush landscapes, and inspired silliness that fans of Captain Bogg & Salty have come to expect over the last 10 years, yet a whole new trove of treasures has been added to the hold. Populated by kooky tiki rhythms, moonlit melodies, and rockin buccaneer riffs EMPHATICAL PIRATICAL is a 12 track island of musical adventure for pirates of all ages.

Oh my gosh, can I just tell you how fun this CD is? My kids and I LOVED the get out of your chair and dance type music that is on here. Heck my husband even got into it, and he doesn’t normally dance   This is a fun, let loose great way to unwind from the stresses of the day with your kids. And mine loved it so much that they ask to take it in the car when we are running errands.

The first song is Emphatical Piratical and it is one of my favorites on the album. This crew really does a great job to gain the interest of children. My toddler could be having a really bad day (if there is such a thing in toddlerhood) and I will pop this CD in and its like a switch goes off in her and she starts getting down to the music. Now my favorite song on this CD is Port Side, with it’s funky beat and awesome lyrics I could listen to this song over and over again (and I have trust me) but it is one of those that I never tire of. I think I have even sung it in my sleep. My kids love it because they say poopdeck. Go figure.

It be my true pleasure to release to ye, for the first time, the new cargo of music on this here album.

EMPHATICAL PIRATICAL

1. Emphatical Piratical
2. Don’t Drink Sea Water
3. Port Side
4. Treading the Seas for Pirate Gold
5. Bunnyjacks
6. Frogg Island
7. Purple Tiki
8. The Plank Walker
9. Sea Monster II
10. Never Smile at a Crocodile
11. Waltz of the Waves
12. Who’s at Captain’s Table?

This be album number four crew mateys and I could not be more proud of it, not if it where me own timber-toe.

Thanks to the crew I have 2 Emphatical Piratical CDs to giveaway to my Dirty Shirt readers, so if you are looking for music to share with your kids that will make you dance see the rules below and enter to win one.

Giveaway

• MAIN RULE – Tell me in comments who you would share this with if you are the winner.  (remember if this rule is not followed then no others will count)
• 1 Extra Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed or by email (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment
• 1 Extra Entry – Stumble this post and leave your Stumble name (I will be checking) in a separate comment
• 1 Extra Entry – Favorite The Dirty Shirt in Technorati and leave your name (I will be checking) in a separate comment
• 1 Extra Entry – Follow me on Twitter (button in subscribe section on on the right sidebar) and let me know your Twitter name in a separate comment
• 1 Extra Entry for Tweeting about this giveaway. Please leave direct URL in comments so I can check.
• 2 Extra Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog.

This giveaway will run through midnight on March 17, with winner being announced the morning of March 18. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.