We have just watched our new favorite movie, Illumination animated Dr. Seuss' The Grinch, now available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD & Digital!. While you may think of this film as a Christmas movie, its redemptive message of love and personal growth is one that will resonate year-round.



That's why I'm personally thrilled to see some fun Valentine's Day activities coming out of the movie release, including this super delicious recipe!

What do Valentines want? Cookie Cakes of course! Win over even the grinchiest of hearts with this yummy Heart Cookie Cake from Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch! If you don’t have a Valentine, you’ll need the sweets! Download the instructions here: http://bit.ly/GrinchCookieCakeInstructions



BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVE TO 4K ULTRA HD, 3D BLU-RAY^TM, BLU-RAY^TMAND DVD:

• Who's Who in Who-ville (interactive map) - There are so many interesting characters that call Who-ville home that it’s hard to keep track of them all. This “Who’s Who” pop-up book uses animation to create a virtual storybook that takes us from Who-ville to Mt. Crumpit.
• "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" Lyric Video – Tyler, The Creator puts a modern spin on the Seussian Christmas classic.

MINI-MOVIES ON 4K ULTRA HD, 3D BLU-RAY^TM, BLU-RAY ^TM, DVD & DIGITAL:

• Yellow is the New Black – Before they all make their big escape from prison in Despicable Me 3, a couple of lucky Minions get a taste of freedom as they break free with the help of one of their fellow human inmates.
• Dog Days of Winter – Max braves the harsh winter weather and an uncooperative Who to bring a sick Grinch his favorite hot tea.
• Santa's Little Helpers – Fan favorites – the Minions – are back for another adventure! Having been accidently dropped off at the North Pole, our Minion pals make the most of the situation by trying to become elves.

BONUS FEATURES ON 4K ULTRA HD, 3D BLU-RAY^TM, BLU-RAY ^TM, DVD & DIGITAL:

• The Making of the Mini-Movies - Mini in size but not in heart, these short films are fan favorites. From the Grinch and Max to the Minions – you’ll explore the themes of each of the mini-movies through the eyes of the filmmakers who made them.
• From Green to Screen - It takes a lot to bring grumpy green to your home screen. This inside look at the making of Illumination’s Dr. Seuss’s The Grinch features interviews and behind-the-scenes moments with the cast, filmmakers and artists whose hearts have all grown three sizes bringing this classic tale to life.
• Illuminating THE GRINCH - Using filmmaker and cast interviews, concept art and progression reels, we take a behind-the-scenes look at how the characters evolved from initial sketches to fully realized characters.
• My Earliest GRINCH Memories - The cast and filmmakers of Dr. Seuss’s The Grinchreveal their earliest memories of the grumpy green character and the enduring appeal of this Christmas curmudgeon’s journey to redemption.
• Grinchy Gadgets - From his body-size blow dryer to his moving mechanical chair, from his catapult to his dog drone-rig and more… you’ll get to explore the wondrous world of Grinch’s gadgets.
• "I Am The Grinch" Lyric Video - A stylized look at Tyler, The Creator’s original song created just for the film.
• Songs From His Little Heart - Take a deep dive into the toe tapping beats of Dr. Seuss’s The Grinch. From score to specialty songs, you’ll hear from the film’s A-list musicians on what it took to create the music behind the movie.
• X-mas Around the World - Every culture practices Christmas in a slightly different way. We’ll highlight some of the more fun permutations of the holiday around the globe.
• Cindy-Lou's Yule Log - Nothing says the holidays quite like an animated fireplace blasting fake heat from your living room television. Just in time for winter, we’ll recreate Cindy-Lou’s living room on Christmas Eve for all to enjoy.
• Production Babies - A celebration of the babies born to the filmmakers during the production of Illumination’s Dr. Seuss’s The Grinch.
• Any Who Can Draw - Hosted by an Illumination artist and head of story Mark O'Hare, you’ll see step-by-step how to draw some of your favorite characters from this beloved holiday classic; Grinch, Max and Fred!

Things are really starting to warm up around here, and that means I'll soon have more access to locally-grown produce in the Nebraska area. My local stores already carries a few local items year round, but as the weather gets nicer, I know that I'll have lots more options to choose from.

Why eat local? The foods are grown close to home and picked at peak ripeness, giving them a quicker ship time to store. Their flavor outweighs produce items that have to be picked early to survive transportation.  This also means that they have more nutrients, since it's well-known that vitamins and minerals actually decrease the longer a food is eaten after being picked. Plus, I love that it supports my local economy; keeping money in my state means more tax revenue, jobs, and a better way of life for everyone!



So what did we find at our stores that is locally grown in May? I picked up two things: a bag of potatoes and a container of chives from two different local farms. We will actually have our own chives very soon, but my kids tend to pick them and eat them before they ever get out of the garden, making it impossible to reserve any for recipes!





I decided to take these two ingredients and make a very simple, traditional Danish Brown Butter Potatoes with Chives. It's a yummy dish that offers a little different flavor profile. Here's how you do it:

Take 4-5 medium sized russets, peel and cut into cubes. Boil until not quite fork-tender. Drain and set aside while you prepare the "butter."



In a medium-sized skillet, melt 4 tablespoons butter (salted is preferred) and wait until slightly bubbling. Quickly add in 2 tablespoons sugar, stirring consistently until well blended, but don't allow it to seize. It will turn into toffee!



While the butter is bubbling, toss in the potatoes and turn continuously. After the butter has been absorbed into the potatoes, you can allow them to sit for a few seconds between flips to make sure they get a brown sear on the edges.



Serve with chopped chives and sprinkle with salt to taste.

Don't miss out on our other yummy Danish recipes:

A Danish Valentine: Butter Cookies, Woven Hearts, and Love!

Celebrate the Holidays with Danish Smørrebrød (Open Faced Sandwiches)

Blomkålsgratin or Blomkaalsgratin (Danish Cauliflower Casserole Dish)

Danish Panaret Flæsk Fried or Breaded Salt Pork

Danish Dishes: Parsley Carrots Recipe

Danish Browned Butter Potatoes and Chives

I've never been one to carefully detail out every single task we are to do in our homeschool. Despite my laid-back manner, however, I looked forward to building a basic plan for our homeschool with this review of Homeschool Planet.

I should first tell you that I have tried lots of planners over the years, each promising a fully-customizeable solution to multiple students.  Since I've been disappointed in the past with planners, I knew exactly what I wanted (and what I needed) in an online digital planner, and this fits my needs in so many areas.



First, it is easy to set up, although it does take some time.  You may choose to just set up each student with their own profiles, fill out the basic information, and enter detailed planning info (such as daily goals) a few days or even a week at a time.  This is the perfect time of year to start using a planner such as this, because you have some time before the school year starts to fill in all your info.

Once you have students and basic class schedules set up, you can get into the nitty gritty.  Admittedly, the more time you spend putting in details, the more you'll get out of this planner.  So what can you use it for?  The possibilities seem almost endless.

While the planner can do pretty much whatever you set it up to do, here are my favorite features that we use in our homeschool:

You can track assignments by student, along with the due date.  When you log in to see assignments for a particular student, you can see all the late assignments on one screen and decide how you want to handle it.



For homeschoolers who follow strict tracking of attendance to meet state guidelines (or who just want meticulous records) you can see -- at a glance -- all the days your student has attended. You can print out reports for your files with a click! One of the features I really love is the transcript generator.  Since my daughter is a Junior, we are just now applying for scholarships and looking forward to college entrance requirements.  This program takes the guesswork out of the process of recording info for a transcript, along with generating an "official" transcript that should meet most institutions' requirements. For the really busy family (like us), I'm a big fan of off the "views" you can use to see your schedule, assignments, appointments, and deadlines at a glance.  Choose to view by the day, week, or month.  Items are color-coded for easy reference.

Finally, one of the things I would use the most is the resource section.  Since we do a classical curriculum where each student reads 12-21 books a year, keeping track of all that we need to buy, borrow, or return can get tricky.  We also want to track what we've read outside of the curriculum requirements.  The resource tool lets us do just that!  (A new feature of the site lets you upload your own documents for easy reference, if you're not one to type everything out.  This is perfect for assignment or reading lists that you want to keep records of, but don't necessarily need to interact with regularly.)

The BEST part of the program, however, is how "big-family" friendly it is. I have used so many planners in the past that require me to type out each lesson for multiple children who are doing the exact same thing.  The Homeschool Planet tool makes it easy to copy lessons and lesson plans over from one child to the next. This is a big time saver! Finally, because the program lets you upload "resources", it's great for storing pretty much any document that pertains to your homeschool.  For the mom who struggles with clutter -- like me -- this is good news!  No more wondering where you put that letter from the virtual teacher.  It also keeps everything stored on a "virtual" space. I can access all my info easily from my computer, tablet, or phone -- anywhere. 
I can honestly say that this is the first time I've been impressed by a homeschool planner, and it appears that Homeschool Planet has thought of everything.  It's an affordable way to manage your school and your home; it even tracks chores!

What fun gifts did my kids love most under the tree this year? Games. It didn't matter what age the child, games were the one thing that ended up getting the most play after all the tinsel was picked up and the wrapping paper recycled.

Two of the game titles most adored by the family were made by BRIO and Wonderforge, and they were so impressive that I would consider getting this as do-over gifts for the any returned Christmas gifts. They would also make adorable Valentine's or Easter presents!

Take Along Labyrinth

BRIO has been impressing us with their wooden maze games since the 40's. Now, they have perfected a take-along version for younger kids who want to experience the challenge of a maze game. Designed for puzzlers as young as 3, this is a durable and engaging toy that keeps kids busy for hours. Finish getting the metal ball through the maze, then flip it over and try again. It's small enough to stick in a purse or backpack and is made to last many years. It's perfect for fans of critical thinking development toys and tools. Learn more here or get it for under $30 at Amazon.

The Incredibles Save the Day! Board Game

If you're looking for a game that teens, tweens, and younger kids will all enjoy, this is it! Learn more here, or get it at Amazon for under $20!

*Samples received for review. Opinions are our own.