We love our “Gru”! We love how similar he is to Gru in Despicable Me 2,. Well he does not want to take over the moon but then I never asked him so who knows. We were talking about Despicable Me and my 8 year old mentioned that it was one of her favorite movies. I could clearly see why. The playful, hilarious and somewhat crazy Gru is so much like her dad. The love he shares for his daughters is so familiar with what my girls have with their dad.

We can’t wait to celebrate Father’s Day with him and give him the crazy day he desires, whether he wants it or not. We promise to give him 10 or maybe 20 (we’re feeling generous) of quiet time but then he better be ready to embrace the insanity of being a dad to his girls. So of course the girls had a ball with their “Gru” donning the Gru t-shirt, I mean, wouldn’t you? I mean he truly is our Despicable Dad and we would not have it any other way!

Now there is still time to enter to win tickets for a local screening of Despicable Me 2.

So who’s excited about Despicable Me 2?

About the movie (in case you have forgotten):

Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s worldwide blockbuster Despicable Me entertained audiences around the globe in 2010, grossing more than $540 million and becoming the 10th-biggest animated motion picture in U.S. history.  In summer 2013, get ready for more Minion madness in Despicable Me 2.

Chris Meledandri and his acclaimed filmmaking team create an all-new comedy adventure featuring the return of (former?) super-villain Gru (Steve Carell), his adorable girls, the unpredictably hilarious Minions…and a host of new and outrageously funny characters.

 

It releases July 3rd so save the date!

Now a prize for you.

Want to win a Despicable Me 2 prize pack (Valued at $79)?

One (1) Winner Receives:

-      $25 Fandango Gift Card

-      Gru T-Shirt

-      Funko Pop Despicable Me 2 Evil Minion

-      Minion USB Flash Drive

My kids love to read! I love them to read. They love movies. I love movies. I puffy heart FREE movies! Well Showcase Cinemas decided to put them all together. And before you go on about you only want to be outside during summer, come talk to me when the needle hits 100F, ok? So as I was saying this is a fab program where kids turn in a book report and get to watch special screenings of kid-friendly movies (PG) for free.

The Showcase Cinemas Bookworm program is a fabulous one and I have been to them before and they are fabulous and popular. The visual of the huge stack of book reports warms this mama’s heart and that is why I am sharing this with you and this post is completely unsponsored or solicited!

I created an easy image for you to save as a reminder but since many of you are on mobile devices I am putting in text as well so you can click it directly to add to your calendar.

So you need to head to the link above to download the book report, though I am attaching here as well (click on image to open up PDF to print).

Also great to know that children under six who with the participant and also adults who accompany a participant receive free admittance to the Bookworm Wednesdays movie and do not need to submit a book report. No purchase necessary.

See more details on site   for participating locations and more details about the program. Below is the text for each date for the 2013 Bookworm program:

Yogi Bear! July 10th 1oam

Ice Age: Continental Drift! July 17th 10am

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted! July 24th 10am

The Lorax! July 31st 10am

Hotel Transylvania! August 7th 10am

Happy viewing and let me know if you plan on heading to any of these!

Today I made a suggestion box. I decided to create a summer camp for my girls. I wanted their input as I started this scary process. I expect my kids to be part of the process. We learn that in negotiations, right? To be fully invested in a plan, everyone has to feel they were part of it. I am not the most patient of people. Who am I kidding, I am not patient at all. Back when I was awaiting college applications, I got a response back for studying to be a teacher, an application I sent on a whim. I got accepted with a scholarship and my mum begged me not to accept. My mum loved me to bits but we was fully aware of my impatience around kids. When I had my own I toyed with the idea of homeschooling them. I (thought) I was pretty serious about it too. I purchased a curriculum and all but I underestimated homeschooling with having a little baby underfoot as well.

I decided to run my own “Mommy Niri” camp for my 2 girls. I decided to undertake this crazy initiative for a few reasons:

• I was working way too hard and long on my blog and began to feel stressed at being stretched thin. When I left corporate world after my kid was born I felt like I was struggling to do 2 jobs well so I chose my kid. I gave up a fabulous salaried job to focus on my kid. I felt I needed to take things slower to do that again. So expect a lighter flow here in summer but more of following our antics along.
• My 6 year old is at a precocious stage of not totally understanding that life is not all bed of roses and while most would not consider this important, I do. I grew up dirt poor and feel it important to understand the value of things.
• My 8 year old child, who has Autism, is at a stage where social skills are the toughest yet, and I need to be immersed into what is going on to help her form the foundation of relationships well.
• It should be way cheaper. I have been tracking coupons, deal sites, hoarding my gift cards etc all to use this summer. Camps are expensive and I miss the girls.
• I want to be more involved, not just be there, but understand what makes my kids click.
• I wanted to balance fun, learning and adventure in my kids day.
• We all needed a break. In between running from school to therapy sessions to activities I am ready to cry on any given day, so we wanted something not so rigid in a day.
• To address our “to do’s” – the kids have been waiting for focus on activities that required our full attention and they have been sitting on the shelf collecting dust after being said several times “not now”! Time to do things like build a birdhouse, even if it takes all day.
• The learning needed to be upped the ante. While homework gets home and tests are written I am not too sure as much learning is done. With my older child being ahead of the typical level she ends up writing tests ahead of the class, testing what she learned but I’m not convinced learning the lesson of “how”.
• A test to see if I have changed (in temperament)

CONTEST CLOSED!

Congratulations Jeni, Tara, Latoya, Tanaz, Niurka

I know it is ridiculous but Despicable Me 2 excitement gives me goosebumps. I LOVED the 1st movie and have been giddy excited to watch the next installment.  I love everything about Despcicable ME, from the humor to the father/daughter relationship to Steve Carrel (that man is amazing) as Gru! This movie takes animation to a whole new level. My sister in South Africa, who does not have kids, had not watched the 1st one (I KNOW!) and I told her she had to watch it. Reluctantly she did, and of course she fell in love with it.

July 3rd can’t come soon enough for many as that is the date the movie comes out, but if you’re one of my lucky readers (well actually 5 of them) you get an early sneak peek.

Here’s more about Despicable Me 2:

Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s worldwide blockbuster, Despicable Me, delighted audiences around the globe in 2010, grossing more than $540 million and becoming the 10th-biggest animated motion picture in U.S. history.  In Summer 2013, get ready for more Minion madness in Despicable Me 2.  Chris Meledandri and his acclaimed filmmaking team create an all-new comedy animated adventure featuring the return of Gru (Steve Carell), the girls, the unpredictably hilarious minions…and a host of new and outrageously funny characters.

Here’s what you can win (there are 5 winners):

• A set of 4 tickets to see Despicable Me 2 June 27th Thursday in Boston (downtown)!
• A Despicable Me goodie bag which includes t-shirt, grocery bag, activity sheets, minion stress toys, and posters

Want to win a set of 4 passes to an early screening of Despicable Me 2?

Details of the screening:

June 27th Thursday in Boston, MA! 

Each winner will get up to 4 passes and there are 5 winners! Each winner will also win a goodie bag with Despicable Me items – 1 per winner not per ticket!

Please make sure you can make that timing before you enter the contest! As with all screenings, seating at the screening is not guaranteed, so I would get there by 6pm to ensure you get a seat! Tickets will be mailed to you and you HAVE to have those tickets to enter theater.

To win, leave a comment below as to who would you take to watch Despicable Me 2? That’s it easy-peasy, no hoop jumping needed here on MommyNiri.com

 Winner chosen by random.org. Giveaways open to  US residents only 21+ only. Winner must reply within 24 hours or new winner will be drawn. 

Please note the Rules and Regulations of contests at MommyNiri.com. Entering this contest means you have read and wish to comply with those rules.

Please DO NOT leave your email address within the comment!!! Contest closes on June 16th 2013.

Don’t forget to visit out other fabulous giveaways on MommyNiri.com

Disclosure: Universal Pictures is making it possible for me to extend this to my readers (and myself). No compensation has been received!

CONTEST CLOSED!

Congratulations Erika, Megan, Olga, Andrea, Anandhi, Coco, Matt, Vaishali, Faith, Mimi

Raise your hand if you’re excited about Monster’s University? Yeah, I thought so! Me too! I love summer and all the family friendly movies it brings. There are several movies coming out (and watch this space because I will be covering several of them) and I may have a few sneak peeks at them right here. Don’t you just love the opportunity to see a movie before everyone else? I love movies! Love them, I tell you!

Anyway I was going to watch Monster’s University earlier but I figured I wanted to watch a screening with my readers. 10 of them to be honest. Well, make that 40 since each of those 10 readers gets to bring 3 other guests with them. Now wouldn’t you want to join me in an early screening of Monsters University?

About Monsters University:

Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan are an inseparable pair, but that wasn’t always the case. From the moment these two mismatched monsters met they couldn’t stand each other. “Monsters University” unlocks the door to how Mike and Sulley overcame their differences and became the best of friends.

Screaming with laughter and fun, “Monsters University” is directed by Dan Scanlon (“Cars,” “Mater and the Ghostlight,” “Tracy”) and produced by Kori Rae (“Up,” “The Incredibles,” “Monsters, Inc.”). The film opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2013, and will be shown in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters.

Ready for fun?

Want to win a set of 4 passes to an early screening of Monsters University?

Details of the screening:

Wednesday, June 19 at 7:00 PM at AMC Burlington, MA! 

Each winner will get up to 4 passes and there are 10 winners!

Please make sure you can make that timing before you enter the contest! As with all screenings, seating at the screening is not guaranteed, so I would get there by 6pm to ensure you get a seat!

To win, leave a comment below as to which is your favorite Disney Pixar movie? That’s it easy-peasy, no hoop jumping needed here on MommyNiri.com

 Winner chosen by random.org. Giveaways open to  US residents only 21+ only. Winner must reply within 24 hours or new winner will be drawn. 

Please note the Rules and Regulations of contests at MommyNiri.com. Entering this contest means you have read and wish to comply with those rules.

Please DO NOT leave your email address within the comment!!! Contest closes on June 12th 2013.

Don’t forget to visit out other fabulous giveaways on MommyNiri.com

Disclosure: Disney Pixar is making it possible for me to extend this to my readers. No compensation has been received!