1983

Leave a comment Posted on October 11, 2015 Uncategorized

He’s a Bully, Charlie Brown DVD Review

On October 6, 2015, a new Peanuts DVD compilation hit the streets: He’s a Bully, Charlie Brown.

The DVD is 69 minutes long and consists of 3 episodes. The first, which is the main feature, is He’s a Bully, Charlie Brown, in which a boy tricks all the other boys at camp into taking their marbles by teaching them how to play.

In It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown, the Peanuts gang is back at summer camp again; this time for a fun boys vs. girls competition in camp sports.

And finally, in Snoopy: Team Manager, we see a few shorter episodes together as a regular length episode; all taken from the series, The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show, from 1983.

Our family really enjoyed sitting down together and watching the whole DVD!

A NEW PEANUTS COMPILATION FROM

WARNER BROS. HOME ENTERTAINMENT

AVAILABLE OCTOBER 6, 2015

Release aligns with Anti-Bullying Month in Support of Educating and Raising Awareness of Bullying Prevention

Official Press Release:

BURBANK, CA (June 15, 2015) — Important life lessons are learned by the Peanuts gang, on He’s a Bully, Charlie Brown available October 6, 2015 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE). This heartwarming collection brings together two Peanuts specials that are paired with an episode of The Charlie Brown & Snoopy Show, that have been brilliantly remastered in all-new 4K Ultra HD transfers to DVD. In this must-own compilation, Charlie Brown is called upon to stand up for one of his pals, who is taken advantage of by a bully at summer camp. This title will be released in time for National Bullying Prevention Month, which takes place in October. He’s a Bully, Charlie Brown will retail for $19.97 SRP.

With school out for summer, Charlie Brown and his pals set out for camp. Rerun van Pelt, Lucy’s youngest brother, brings his prized collection of marbles, which once belonged to his grandfather, Felix, an award-winning marbles champ. Rerun is determined to become a marble master just like his grandpa but first, he must find someone who will teach him how to play the game.

At camp, Rerun meets Joe Agate, a tough-talking and disrespectful older boy who takes advantage of Rerun’s naiveté and cons him out of all his grandpa Felix’s marbles. A devastated Rerun confides in Charlie Brown, who is so disgusted by Joe’s behavior that he decides to stand up to him, with the help of Snoopy as Joe Cool, of course. Will Charlie Brown summon the courage to face the awful Joe Agate and win back Rerun’s beloved marbles?

In It was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown, which is also featured on this release, it’s a hilarious battle of boys against girls, with Snoopy having to get in the middle of it all. At summer camp, the Peanuts gang put up with poor food and the girls winning all the sports competitions. To get even, the boys challenge them to an arm-wrestling contest between Lucy and “The Masked Marvel” – aka Snoopy in disguise. Will the boys triumph or stay defeated?

He’s a Bully, Charlie Brown also features an episode of The Charlie Brown & Snoopy Show, which includes four delightful segments, including Shoveling, Rerun, Lost Blanket and The Manager.

“He’s a Bully, Charlie Brown, sends a powerful message. From time to time, we’re all faced with situations in which we have to be strong, courageous and stand up for what we believe is right,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, Vice President Family & Animation Marketing. She added, “We’re delighted to release this inspiring collection. If you love Peanuts, this is one title you won’t want to miss.”

3 Comments Posted on October 25, 2014 car reviews, reviews, Uncategorized

The Toyota “Family Reunion” Press Preview In Pompano Beach, Florida

Last week I had the privilege, as a car reviewing daddy blogger, to be flown from my home in Nashville down to Ponte Vedra Inn & Club in Pompano Beach; about 20 miles from Jacksonville, Florida. I was invited to the Toyota “Family Reunion” where the updated Sienna, Camry, and Yaris were featured and available for several hours of drive time.

There were 48 of us journalists, writers, and bloggers attending the 2 day event along with me.

We were all given around 6 hours during the 2 days to drive all versions of the updated Sienna, Camry, and Yaris; as Toyota provided dozens of the vehicles for us to choose from.

I admit, I took full advantage of every minute of drive time in the beautiful palm tree filled landscape of Pompano Beach.

Toyota provided multiple drive routes for us to tackle with our driving partners, but I often found myself and driving partner so caught up in conversation about the car, and admiring the sunny location, they we would get off course, then just use the navigation system to help us get back to the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club where we were staying.

From there, we would pair up with new partners and cars.

I guess you could say I was “professionally joyriding.”

As for the 3 vehicles being featured at the Toyota “Family Reunion” Press Preview, I’ll start with the Sienna.

It was the first Toyota vehicle I ever reviewed, back in September 2013; in fact, it’s what got me started regularly reviewing cars for my daddy blog here.

With the updated 2014.5 model, I noticed a lower dashboard, easier to access controls, and of course their new Driver Easy Speak feature which enables the driver to use the cars speakers to communicate with whoever is in the back seat.

The acoustics are designed in such a way that if you are in the backseat, it’s almost like the driver’s voice is inside your head, like your conscience or something. That’s the best way I can describe it.

Moving on the Camry; I had never been in one my entire life until this trip! That’s ironic, considering that it has been the best selling car in America; 12 years in a row! Since it’s introduction in 1983, more than 10.2 million have been sold. And there are currently 6.6 million on the road today.

Something else I want to point out about the Camry is how American made it truly is. The production of the Camry employs 7,000 U.S. workers and the vehicle contains 75% North American content.

I view Toyota as more of an American car company than many official “American” based car companies. I realized that back in the summer when I reviewed the Highlander and saw the sticker on the door, showing that it was built in Texas.

My last vehicle to drive was the new redesigned Toyota Yaris; which has adopted more of a European look. As expected, I really enjoyed it; especially because I got to choose between a stick shift or an automatic.

You better believe I chose the stick shift. It’s a lost art these days to drive a stick and I am just the classic gentleman for the job.

In fact, I’m interested in driving more stick shifts when I review cars from now on, but I get it that there are less of them out there.

I hope to review the Yaris, as well as the Camry, in upcoming months. I really enjoyed driving them both in Pompano Beach, but unlike the Sienna, I haven’t already reviewed them back in Nashville with my family.

It will be interesting to me to see how those vehicles mesh with my family. I can see my son Jack really liking the 5 door Yaris.

He would say, “Daddy, this car has 5 doors? I didn’t know cars could have 5 doors!”

My job here today has been introduce you to the newly updated Toyota Sienna, Camry, and Yaris. I hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse, as I know I definitely enjoyed getting to be a part of this Toyota “family reunion.”

Stay tuned for more Lexus/Toyota/Scion reviews right here on Family Friendly Daddy Blog! I am reviewing a 2015 Scion FR-S the week of November 11-18 for my son’s 4^th birthday.

1 Comment Posted on October 8, 2014October 8, 2014 Nostalgia, parenting, reviews, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Book Review: The Truth About Nature, By Stacy Tornio And Ken Keffer

I’ve had a few people curiously ask me why it seems I never seem to review products that I don’t like; from cars, to food, to toys, to books.

Here’s why: I don’t feel it’s worth my time and effort to type up 500 words on a product I don’t believe in.

That’s why I do my research on a product before I review it, to make sure it meets my strict qualifications and standards before I invest in it.

With that being said, I believe in this book: The Truth About Nature: A Familiy’s Guide to 144 Common Myths about the Great Outdoors, written by Stacy Tornio and Ken Keffer; illustrations by Rachel Riordan.

My nearly 4 year-old son believes in this book too, but for different reasons.

Jack likes the book because he makes a fun game out of “finding the animals” in the 212 pages, most of which contain at least one illustration of the animal that page features.

“Daddy, I found the blue jay!” he proclaims from the back seat on the way home from school, with our copy of The Truth About Nature in hand.

What I personally like about the book is that in a few years, once Jack is able to start comprehending words other than his name when he reads them, he will learn some really cool facts about animals that most people don’t know.

Here’s an excerpt:

Myth 106: Animals sleep with their eyes closed. Sleep varies a great deal from one animal to the next. Some sleep standing up. Some sleep during the day. Some even sleep with their eyes open… Dolphins are the most fascinating sleepers. They actually sleep with one eye open and continue to swim while they’re sleeping!

Like my son, I also appreciate the book’s illustrations. I want to classify the style as “Portland, Oregon postcard from 1983.” The drawings are classic, nostalgic, and enchanted.

The retail price is $18.95. Again, this is a beefy book, with 212 pages.

Our family has discovered it makes a great “road trip” book with all our reviews of cars that we do. This book is entertaining in an interesting way, not simply just in a trivial way.

The authors, Stacy Tornio and Ken Keffer, have already proven they know what they’re doing when it comes to writing books. Their previous book, The Kids’ Outdoor Adventure Book: 448 Great Things To Do In Nature Before You Grow Up, was a winner of the National Outdoor Book Award.

Also, FYI, in case you’re interested in the authors coming to your child’s school, they are currently having a contest for that:

So there you go: I officially endorse The Truth About Nature. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have taken the time and effort to be telling you about it today.

You can learn more about the book here on their website. Thanks for reading my blog today!

Were you interested in what you just read? Was this post a strangely pleasant distraction to other things popping up on your Facebook or Twitter feed? Ya know… you could always like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, or even subscribe to Family Friendly Daddy Blog by clicking on the appropriate icon on the left side of this page. No pressure though…

Leave a comment Posted on July 9, 2014 Health, parenting

That Silly Purple 1983 Chevy Silverado Lowrider Truck!

April 22, 2013 at 6:49 am , by Nick Shell

2 years, 5 months.

Dear Jack,

While my flat tire was being replaced at WalMart on Thursday morning, I decided to let you pick out a toy car. I was willing to spend some of my blow money (that’s Dave Ramsey lingo) on you; as much as $10.

You had been saying for the past month, “I want a purple monster truck.” So I figured you’d finally get it.

As soon as we stepped up to the toy car aisle, we stood before a wall of coolMonster Jam monster trucks, with a tough-looking purple one right there in our sight. You grabbed it.

Unlike U2 in 1987, you had actually found what you were looking for.

I thought, “Well, that was easy. How do we kill another 45 minutes?”

Then you saw a black monster truck… then a red one… and a green one…

Whichever new truck you discovered every 18 seconds, it automatically became superior to the previous one.

The original purple monster truck was 4 bucks, but now you were dipping into basic 97 cent Hot Wheels. I actually wanted to spend more money on you, distracting you with “Rasta Carian” from Mater’s Tall Tales, a $9 item.

You weren’t impressed with the dreadlocked Jamaican monster truck. (Really?!)

“Okay Jack, it’s getting about time for them to call my name over the speaker and tell me my car is ready. Go ahead and decide which one you want to take home,” I explained.

My own expectations had now been properly lowered. I guess I was just confused that you didn’t want me to buy what clearly you had been talking about for weeks.

And there it was, a purple… 1983 Chevy Silverado lowrider with white and lime green flames.

That’s the one you just couldn’t let go of. So I spent 97 cents on you and you were completely happy.

I like spending money on you by buying you special gifts, but you don’t care how much money I spend on them. I mean, hey, I’m not complaining.

You just seem to like the adventure of obtaining and opening a new gift. Then you always trace that gift back to the event in which you got it.

Sure enough, you have been bragging to everyone you see about your new purple truck.

Not just any purple truck, but that silly purple 1983 Chevy Silverado lowrider that Daddy got you when his tire got a nail in it and had to be replaced… or as you say it, “Daddy, yours tire fell off?”

Love,

Daddy

Leave a comment Posted on July 6, 2014 Nostalgia, parenting

My Parents Seemed So Much Older When I Was A Kid

January 13, 2013 at 11:50 pm , by Nick Shell

2 years, 1 month.

Dear Jack,

Sometimes I feel like I’m a little too young to be your dad; yet I’m 31.

When I was a kid, I always thought my parents were old; not in a bad way, just that they seemed like they really had a lot of life experience.

The funny thing is, when I was your age in 1983, my dad was 26 and my mom was 25.

Your Mommy and I didn’t even get married until I was 27 and she was 26!

An even stranger thought for me is that when my dad was 31, like I am now, I was 6 and my sister was 3.

Needless to say, it’s a definite challenge for me to imagine having two kids right now… ages 6 and 3. Again, you’re only 2 year right now.

I get it that there are plenty of parents out there my age with two kids, ages 6 and 3. But for me personally, I just can’t see myself in that position right now.

Of course, this goes back to the struggle Mommy and I have been talking about a lot for the past several months: Will we even have a another kid?

What this shows me is that I’m not ready for you to have a brother or sister right now. I’m just not.

Whether it means I’m selfish or not mature enough or whatever it needs to mean… it’s just where I’m at right now.

Maybe part of this is that I’m a Generation Y parent.

I look at my own parents, who didn’t need college degrees to get real jobs. They actually built their first house when they were in their very early 20′s; whereas Mommy and I live in a townhouse.

In general, my parents just never seemed to worry about the future the way I often do. They managed and survived and it never seemed like a struggle for them.

Well, I suppose you will think that Mommy and I are “old” too. We’re not, though. We’re only 29 years older than you.

While to you we may seem like we’re really in control of things, the truth is we’re just now figuring things out.

But with nearly 3 decades of life experience more than you, I can see how we make it look like we actually know what what we’re doing.

I have a feeling it was the same way for my own parents, even if it didn’t seem that way growing up.

Love,

Daddy

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