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The new American Girl movie Kit Kittredge is only 2 days away from general release and I can tell you that the excitement is building in our house.  Our daughter isn’t normally one who has ever been too interested in the American Girl movies but this one seems to have caught her fancy.  She did watch the others but felt a little let down.  Samantha was set in Victorian times, Felicity showed the two side of the Revolutionary war and Molly has a family coping with the Second World War in middle America.  All were interesting stories from very different times and all related to growing up and family issues.  Although they were all well made there seem to be something lacking in appeal - at least to our daughter.  But Kit Kettredge - An American Girl has more appeal.  It will still deal with the family trials and tribulations, this time in the Great Depression, but it has a Hollywood feel to it.  Whether that is a good thing or not it certainly has our daughter’s attention.  We’ll review it on opening day.

Here’s a recipe that is tasty and nutritious….and gets kids to eat greens. What do you think?

1 and half cups: Whole wheat corkscrew dry pasta
3 cups: Broccoli, frozen, chopped
1 10oz can of low fat cream of broccoli soup, condensed
Half cup: Skim milk
2 tbs: Plain bread crumbs
Quarter tsp: Salt-free seasoning blend

1 - Preheat oven to 350F
2 - Cook pasta according to packet instructions
3 - Place frozen broccoli in microwave safe and oven proof dish and cook for 2 minutes on high
4 - Coarsely chop the cooked broccoli
5 - Mix the soup and skim milk, and add the chopped broccoli
6 - Add the cooked pasta and mix. Top with bread crumbs and seasoning
7 - Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until headed through

We speak to a lot of Grandparents here at Emily Rose.  We love chatting away with excited Grandmothers as we advise and guide them on making the perfect choices for the perfect birthday gift, or little Grandma surprise.

I have a vivid memory of how important my Grandparents were to me as a child.  They lived in London - a three hour drive from where we were on the West coast of England.  Three hours doesn’t seem like a lot - but distances in England seem a little longer when in three hours you have driven most of the way across the country.  We saw them a few times a year and they always arrived bearing presents and cuddles and lots of great stories.  I can remember sitting on the sign-post at the end of the road in great anticipation to see their car turn the corner.

My own daughter lives many, many miles away from her own, very much beloved, Grandparents.  They are in two different states and both sets would require a plane journey for a visit.  As we become a more mobile civilization and jobs and commitments draw us to all parts of the world, I think that Emily’s distance from her Grandparents is not unusual.  The big question is, knowing how important that Grandparent relationship is to our children, how do we help them nurture that relationship so they will have the same sweet Grandparent memories when they grow up?

Luckily our children have a few more resources available to them than we had as children.  We didn’t use the phone very often as it was way too expensive, and we certainly didn’t have computers or video cameras.  We found this great article on eHow that suggests using both modern technology and a good old fashion pen and paper to keep those long-distance relationships flourishing.

You can read it here.

Refreshing, tangy, cold and flavorful!! Now there is nothing better than that on a sweltering Summer day. This is a simple to make (just mix together) lovely juice ice crem drink for the hot afternons. Something of a treat but something the kids can help make themselves. Try it - you’ll love it; great for a hot weekend coming up!

Half cup of fat-free vanilla ice cream

Half cup of orange juice

1 orange, peeled and frozen

1 tsp of orange zest (optional)

Directions: Place all the ingredients together in a blender and enjoy!

Have you ever tried to wash your American Girl Doll’s hair - its tough.  Here is a link for YouTube that has a couple of friends doing it just right.  Some tips are to ensure the hair is tangle free before you start and use a sensitive shampo, like Johnston & Johnston.  Try not to make a mess or get water everywhere - and make sure you clean up after you.  Good luck

It’s contest time again!  In July one lucky winner will score the fabulous shoe collection pictured below.  These shoes will fit an 18 inch soft body doll such as the American Girl Doll.

How can I enter?  This contest is open to all girls aged 6-12

What do I need to do?  This month we are looking for amazing book reviews!  All you need to do to enter is write a book review of one of your favorite books (or maybe not so favorite…).  The review can be in any format you like, the more creative the better.  You can send it on over to customercare@dollsclothes-emilyrose.com but you must also leave a comment below letting us know you are planning to enter.  You agree that *(even if you are not the winning review) we can post your work on the blog.  Please include your name (first or nickname only please), age and location.  If you would like to include a picture we would love that too.

How do I win?  All entries must be submitted by July 20th.  We will select a winner and post the review on July 21st.  You must visit the blog to find out if you have won so don’t forget to mark your calendars.

Every American Girl Doll needs a shoe collection and now you can win 5 pairs of our top-selling doll shoes!

Good Luck!

Another of Emily’s book reviews.

Title: A Dog Called Kitty by Bill Wallace

Storyline: The last thing Ricky wants is a dog.  Ever since he was attacked by a dog when he was little he has been afraid of dogs.  But what will Ricky do whan a starving brown pup shows up in the barn?

Favorite Character: Kitty, the sweet, gentle, friendly dog.  Who could resist him?

What you most liked: When Ricky and Kitty destroy the pack of wild dogs that have been kiling all the calves in town.

What you least liked: I don’t like when Kitty is starving and doesn’t have any food to eat so he attacks the cats to get their food.

Why you would recommend it to a friend: This book is great for ages 6-10.  Girls will love sweet, gentle Kitty and defiant, funny Ricky. 

As the build-up to Kit Kittredge: An American Girl continues, I came across a great contest site.  The prizes are awesome - 1st prize is a shop “til you drop” at the American Girl store with a $500 American Express® Gift Card and the second prize is the Kit Kittredge doll and her dog, Grace! 

To enter you simply need to take a quiz - the only required thing you have to do is log-in to the website and register an account.  If you don’t mind doing that then it sounds like a great contest to me.  The contest is open to US residents only and ends at midnight on the 29th June.

Here’s the website: http://www.lilsugar.com/1689930

This is great way to have some fun and possibly get lots of stuff for your American Girl.

Here’s a fun recipe that is very quick to make and full of fruit.  Great for the readers in the family!!

Preparation time: just 10 minutes - easy!

What you need:

1 Granny Smith apple

1tbp peanut butter

3tbp golden or black raisins

2tbp dried, sweetened cranberries

1 small bunch of fresh chives or parsley (optional garnish)

1-Cut apple into four quarters, starting at the stem.

2-Remove the core by cutting away to leave a flat surface on the apple quarter. (Be careful not to cut too much of the edible portion of the apple away).

3-Drop and slightly spread the peanut butter on the apple quarters.

4-Mix together the raisins and dried cranberries then sprinkle on the peanut butter.

5-Cut chives into one inch pieces and garnish.