http://www.viewpoints.com/aboutme/Jolie Thu, 15 May 2008 15:49:18 GMT Reviews by Jolie at Viewpoints.com http://www.viewpoints.com/Best-Disney-Movies-My-Top-Disney-Films-review-649c2 Okay, so I am not a big television fan. I dont like using television as my babysitter. My kids get to watch 30 minutes of television per day- max. They have the option during that time to watch a Walt Disney movie or to watch Sesame street. Guess which one they choose?! — Over the last 6 months I have gotten to rewatch all the disney classic movies as well as to watch the new Disney movies. Below is my "best of" list of Disney movies and Disney characters. I will highlight my top 5 and then tell you all the others that I think are worth rewatching yourself. — My top 5 Disney Movies 1. Toy Story- Wow is this movie creative! The story is about a little boys toys that come to life. Woody, the favorite toy is worried about getting demoted to a less important toy because of the introduction of Buzz light year. The characters are adorable and the storyline is so well developed. Buzz Light Year and Woody are two of my favorite Disney... Thu, 15 May 2008 15:49:18 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Best-Disney-Movies-My-Top-Disney-Films-review-649c2 Jolie http://www.viewpoints.com/Wishbone-Chicago-IL-review-30b05 The lines are long, the people waiting can be obnxious (and hung over), but the southern cooking at Wishbone in Chicago always makes me happy. That is, for brunch. — — Wishbone offers a wide selection of traditional southern/cajun entree's. But, perhaps my favorite item on the menu is the crunchy french toast. It is french toast dipped in frosted corn flakes. It is never soggy and always the perfect crunch. — — The decor of Wishbone is also fun and quarky. It is bright, colorful and happy. — — The customer service isnt always the best, but it is often because the place is so busy that the waiters and waitresses just can't keep up with the crowds. — — If you are looking for a southern breakfast, or a special treat (like crunchy french toast), try Wishbone in Chicago. It wont let you down. — — Wishbone also does serve Lunch and Dinner but I find those less interesting. The food is okay, but not great. My husband is from... Wed, 14 May 2008 15:52:01 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Wishbone-Chicago-IL-review-30b05 Jolie http://www.viewpoints.com/Cookies-By-Design-Cookie-Bouquets-review-40753 I like to send unique gifts to friends. While I really enjoy sending flowers for certain occassions, I like the unique and personal touch that Cookies By Design offers. — For those that havent heard of it, Cookies By Design offers a cookie bouquet for nearly any and every occassion. The arrangement comes in a "pot" or base with as many cookies as you want. The cookies are very LARGE sugar cookies and surprisingly, not only are they cute but they are delicious. (so dont feel like you need to order 10 cookies!) — If you want to vary up your gift, I suggest ordering Cookies By Design. (Edible Arrangements is a cute alternative too!) I received both of these when I had my kids and it was so nice to have some special treats around. Dont get me wrong- I love flowers, but I love being able to eat my arrangements even more. The only downside to Cookie Bouquets are they are pretty expensive. Most I have sent are in the $50 or so range. While... Thu, 08 May 2008 20:24:22 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Cookies-By-Design-Cookie-Bouquets-review-40753 Jolie http://www.viewpoints.com/Boars-Head-Skinless-Lite-Frankfurters-review-c1fd3 I am definitely not a big hot dog person or lunch meat person! And, I dont love my kids eating that kind of stuff too often. That is, until I discovered Boars Head. Boars Head products are hands down a million times better tasting than other deli meats. Boars Head is top notch in my book. — Background on Boars Head — I got addicted to the Boars Head deli meats about 6 months ago. I decided that my kids needed to start eating sandwiches at lunch and I needed to stop eating out every day. So, I went to my local grocer and asked for her rec on the best deli meats. She suggested that I try Boars Head. BINGO! I am hooked-- although a little poorer at about $7 per pound. (note: my local international deli sells Boars Head deli meats for $7 per pound but organic/Health food stores also have it for a lot more! So, shop around) — I am a big fan of Boars Head maple Turkey and Italian meats. So, it was a no-brainer that I would eventually venture into trying other Boars Head... Mon, 05 May 2008 21:39:31 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Boars-Head-Skinless-Lite-Frankfurters-review-c1fd3 Jolie http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Greatest-Silence-Rape-in-the-Congo-HBO-Documentary-review-bcdd3 My husband recently heard on NPR about an HBO documentary called "The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo". — — Here is the official description of the movie, taken from the HBO website: — — "Today, in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, rape is taking place on a scale that is almost unimaginable. In the last ten years, hundreds of thousands of women and girls have been raped - but their suffering goes unacknowledged. Instead, they are invisible, shamed and mute. This is the story of one filmmaker's crusade to break the silence surrounding this shocking reality, armed with a firsthand connection with the women and men she meets. Winner of a Special Jury Prize (Documentary) at this year's Sundance Film Festival, The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo premiered Tuesday, April 8, 2008." — We decided to Tevo the documentary and recently watched it. Wow! The horror that I saw in this movie was completely incomprehensible. Could countries really... Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:02:56 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Greatest-Silence-Rape-in-the-Congo-HBO-Documentary-review-bcdd3 Jolie http://www.viewpoints.com/Notes-on-a-Scandal--140514-review-561b2 Judy Dench and Kate Blanchett are so convincing in this sick, twisted movie about two school teachers and love between women. Definitely worth a... Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:39:51 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Notes-on-a-Scandal--140514-review-561b2 Jolie http://www.viewpoints.com/Shrek-review-32fe5 Shrek makes my toddlers laugh and makes me roll on the ground.... — — This is a great movie for kids of all ages. — — —... Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:56:05 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Shrek-review-32fe5 Jolie http://www.viewpoints.com/Burts-Bees-Naturally-Ageless-Night-Cream-review-7b271 A little bit of background before I start... — I have always looked pretty young for my age. In fact, up until a couple of years ago (even when I had babies) I got carded at the movie theater and ALWAYS got carded for drinks. People have told me I look 25 for years now. The thing is, I dont think it has anything to do with my face. I am just petite. When you are 5'2" and 100lbs, people generally think you are 12. Regardless of the reason, I loved looking young. :) — That is... until recently. I dont look young anymore.  In the last year, I have been able to (1) walk straight into bars (2) been told by business associates that we are "the same age" (3) been asked if I am my Mom's sister. (4) been told I look way older than my husband. Okay, now seriously. I needed to get help. What happend to "are you 25?" — So, I high tailed it to the store to find a better face cream. I generally like burts bees products-- I use the Burts Bee baby products because of their... Tue, 22 Apr 2008 20:25:29 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Burts-Bees-Naturally-Ageless-Night-Cream-review-7b271 Jolie http://www.viewpoints.com/Best-Romantic-Comedies-My-Top-List-review-4de82 Okay, so I like romantic comedies. And, I am going to attempt to share my favorites here. In my mind, these are the best romantic comedies ever! (I admit I didnt include the classic romantic comedies... I thought I would focus on more modern romantic movies).  I am wondering what you think are the top romantic comedies too! (maybe we can swap favorites!) — Okay, here is my Top 10 Romantic Comedies list but I am sure it should be more like the Top 100 romantic comedies. :) — Here goes... and the Romantic Comedy winners are........ —... Wed, 02 Apr 2008 20:52:52 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Best-Romantic-Comedies-My-Top-List-review-4de82 Jolie http://www.viewpoints.com/Alamo-review-b73e6 On two recent trips to Florida, we wanted to rent SUVs. My husband and I avoid the family minivans as often as we can! For us, small SUVs give us the room we need with 2 adults, 2 kids and lots of luggage! — — We went on to Travelocity and Expedia to compare prices of the various car rental companies. The basic cost for a small minivan was $450 per week in Naples Florida. Ouch! — — We then turned to Hotwire to see if we could get a bargain. (For those that know me, you know that I love to get nice things-- but I love to get a deal more!) Hotwire accepted my bid at $250 for a week long SUV. In both cases, we were assigned Alamo Rental Car for our car pick-up. Go Alamo-- thanks for being half price!! — — When arriving in Naples, we were pleasantly surprised how closeby the Alamo Rental counter was to the baggage area. It was the first counter just across the street from our luggage pick up. The line was a little long, and a little slow, but the... Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:23:50 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Alamo-review-b73e6 Jolie http://www.viewpoints.com/Skinny-Bitch-review-cbc13 As Randy Jackson from American Idol would say "it was awwwright for me, dog!" — All kidding aside, Skinny Bitch is a fairly interesting read. — Skinny Bitch is a book about how to become a skinny. They claim that men and women constantly complain about how they look and their weight. In their opinion, do something about it. Stop eating like a cow. Stop eating A COW. Stop drinking from A COW. — The book very firmly asserts that everbody should be a vegan and organic. Basically, in their opinion-- Meat is bad, dairy is horrible and pesticides will kill you. They site numerous studies throughout the book that show how the FDA is corrupt, how we are the only animals on the planet that drink milk after childhood, etc, etc. — While there are many 'good points' made in the book (and on a personal level, I agree with many of them), I felt like there was little real substance to the book.  Yes, they sited a lot of sources for studies, but they werent the most... Fri, 07 Mar 2008 20:48:34 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Skinny-Bitch-review-cbc13 Jolie http://www.viewpoints.com/McGrath-Lexus-of-Chicago-Chicago-IL-review-89561 Background — I recently found myself in need of a new car. It was a no-brainer (after owning a Lexus for 10 years) that we would buy another one. Our Lexus was the most dependable car we have ever owned. In 10 years it was in the shop for 1 day. Wow!! — My husband and I decided to go back to the McGrath Lexus dealership in Chicago where we bought our first car. We had such a good experience the first time around (and for subsequent service and free car washes!) that we would of course go back there. — Starting our search — We visited McGrath Lexus on a weekend and had a lovely woman (Angela) help us look for a new car. She was very friendly, warm and anti-high pressure sales. Just the way I like it. However, it was a bit frustrating to me that the staff could not find the keys to the cars I wanted to look at, so my ability to sit in (and drive) the cars was really hindered. I also found it a little annoying that we... Tue, 04 Mar 2008 23:32:05 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/McGrath-Lexus-of-Chicago-Chicago-IL-review-89561 Jolie http://www.viewpoints.com/Melissa-and-Doug-See-and-Spell-review-bcdb5 My son (almost 4) is very interested in reading, letters and spelling. He really wants to be able to read himself and spell. — A friend of mine bought my son the Melissa and Doug Deluxe Wooden See and Spell so I took it out and decided that we would have a reading/spelling lesson every day for about an hour. I am convinced I am going to teach him to read soon!! :) — What I didnt realize when I first took out the See and Spell toy was that all the letters are lower-case. May seem like a minor point, but it is actually quite major. Most toys default to capitals only. So, despite my child knowing all of his letters, he had no idea what most of these letters were-- because they were lower case. — That was the slap in the face that I needed to teach him not only to read and spell, but to recognize BIG A and little A. — My trick was to take our upper case puzzle and show him the big letter and the small letter at the same time. That way, he could make the... Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:42:07 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Melissa-and-Doug-See-and-Spell-review-bcdb5 Jolie http://www.viewpoints.com/SuperNOVA-Dance-Dance-Revolution-review-22c00 I was wondering all day how my husband was going to wow me for Valentine's Day... he told me he had a great present for me. This is a shocker since my husband doesnt typically recognize the Hallmark Holidays. — But, when I got home there was a big box on the table. To my surprise, he bought me (for you tech and wii folks) wii "DDR" and for the rest of the world-- the Wii dance dance revolution game. Honestly, I'm not certain if it were for him or me, but regardless, we busted it out and had a blast. — We played this dancing wii game (or workout game) for about 2 hours. Bottom line: IT IS HARD WORK. On every game, I got a D, F, and one time, I even got an "E". WOW-- is that even a grade? And, I am an okay dancer. It's just hard and very exact. — Basically, you have to move your arms, move your feet, hop, jump, slide, stomp, and boogie all to the beat of music. If you miss a step, you are told instantly. If you get it right, you get applause. And, in some cases (like... Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:26:10 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/SuperNOVA-Dance-Dance-Revolution-review-22c00 Jolie http://www.viewpoints.com/Bellasera-Hotel-Naples-FL-review-95941 During our recent trip to Naples we decided to rent a condo or house. My husbands sister was traveling with us (with her 3 kids and husband) so we either needed a very large house (7+ bedrooms) or, we wanted to rent condos right next to each other. The Bellasera proved to be the perfect hotel/condo option for all of us in Naples. — What is the Bellasera in Naples? Are they condos? Is it a hotel? — The Bellasera is an all suites hotel that offers 1 to 3 bedroom rentals. It is just like a condo building but you have all the services of a hotel. We stayed in a 3 bedroom "condo" and so did my sister-in-law so it is the only kind of room I can speak of. The Bellasera 3 bedroom condo was very large. We had a large kitchen, dining room, large living room, patio, 1 bedroom with a queen, 1 bedroom with 2 full size beds, 1 king room and 2 bathrooms. We also had our own laundry. As I mentioned, you have daily cleaning service and access to a conceirge, etc. So, you have the privacy... Fri, 01 Feb 2008 22:05:29 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Bellasera-Hotel-Naples-FL-review-95941 Jolie http://www.viewpoints.com/William-Sonoma-Signature-Bath-Towels-800-thread-count-review-b8781 I was in search of the best bath towels on the market-- well, the most luxurious and softest towels-- for my family! I hadnt bought towels in a long time. I really wanted hotel quality towels or something comparable. I was seeking plush, super soft and thick towels that were absorbant. I am a big spa person and bathing queen, so I really like nice toilletries and bath products. — After a bunch of research I settled on the William Sonoma Signature Towels- 800-thread count. I heard they were divine so I placed an order for them. But, were they the best towels out there? I have to say NO. — My William Sonoma Bath Towels were a great blue color with a white formal monogram, but they werent quite the plush, soft cotton I was hoping for. They were a tight weave that was absorbant but not terribly soft. SHUCKS!!! Did I mention they were the largest towels/bath sheets I have ever seen!! But, where was the luxury? In addition, they had holes in them! I dont know what... Wed, 30 Jan 2008 20:14:40 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/William-Sonoma-Signature-Bath-Towels-800-thread-count-review-b8781 Jolie http://www.viewpoints.com/Bridge-to-Terabithia-review-63f01 I was pleasantly surprised by Bridge to Terabithia. I didnt know much going into it so I had low expectations. My husband gave me the 2 minute overview saying that it was an imaginative film about kids in the forest. I was a little worried since I dont tend to like movies that trascend into sci-fi land. (I did like Harry Potter!) — While my husbands description was true, Bridge to Terabithia is not sci-fi (thank goodness!) or too abstract. It is based on a kids friendship and their imaginative play and release from daily life. Personally, I really liked the movie. I tend to be a sucker for unpopular kids that find friendship in other kids just like them. Bridge to Terabithia was so much more than I expected and a great family movie (with a depressing twist). It is not appropriate for little ones but definitely good for grade school and middle school. — I am really happy I watched Bridge to Terabithia! Sometimes our expectations get so high that we are disappointed.... Wed, 30 Jan 2008 05:18:35 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Bridge-to-Terabithia-review-63f01 Jolie http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Ritz-Carlton-Naples-Naples-FL-review-16ce1 This past week we spent a lot of time at the Ritz in Naples Florida. — It is a beautiful hotel located near Bonita Springs (in the Northern part of Naples) right on the beach. If you are looking to be in the heart of downtown Naples this is not the right hotel for you. It is about 20-25 minutes away. If, however, you are looking to be right on the beach, in a beautiful hotel, in a somewhat secluded area, this may be the right choice for you. (if you are willing to shell out the cash!) — Disclaimer: My sister-in-law was getting married at the Ritz this past weekend so we spent a lot of time with the staff and in the rooms. Now, keep in mind that my in-laws were paying A LOT, so we definitely got amazing treatment. However, the Ritz is known for high end service to all patrons-- so I guess this isnt much of a disclaimer. — My two cents on the Ritz in Naples: — Bottom Line: quote from my 3 year old son upon entering the hotel:  "Ooohhh...... Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:27:52 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Ritz-Carlton-Naples-Naples-FL-review-16ce1 Jolie http://www.viewpoints.com/Naniwa-Chicago-IL-review-7f673 ... Sat, 19 Jan 2008 02:58:56 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Naniwa-Chicago-IL-review-7f673 Jolie http://www.viewpoints.com/Alvin-and-the-Chipmunks-review-ed840 We dont watch much television in my house, so when my kids have a chance to sit in front of the TV or go to the movie theater, they are so thrilled! — Over the holiday break, I took my son to go see Alvin and the Chipmunks-- mommy and son time. It was a very cute movie that had me laughing and smiling (and tapping my toes), but overall, I thought it was a bit mature for a 3 year old. The language was a little harsher than a G movie and the subject matter was a little complicated for that age. I would rec The Chipmunks for children age 6 or older. — With that being said, Alvin and the Chipmunks had my sons complete attention for most of the movie. But, he couldnt tell me much about the storyline. Enchanted on the other hand, he was easily able to follow and talked about it for days. —... Fri, 18 Jan 2008 18:58:53 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Alvin-and-the-Chipmunks-review-ed840 Jolie