The Polar Express 30th Anniversary Edition Book Review #ReadandBelieve

I received The Polar Express 30th Anniversary Edition Book free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.


The beloved Christmas book, The Polar Express, written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg is having its 30th Anniversary. The publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) and the author are celebrating by having special editions of the book made with a keepsake ornament and audio version read by Liam Neeson that you can download with purchase. The 30th Anniversary Edition also has a new jacket design and expanded interior layout. What a wonderful gift for the holiday season!

I love this story of a boy that goes on a magical train ride on Christmas Eve to the North Pole to be given a special gift from Santa Claus. My family has enjoyed riding The Polar Express train ourselves. We love the book, with its lovely illustrations and wonderful story and listening to it while we ride. I had not had a copy of this book for my own library, so when given the chance to review it I took it. It captures all of the magic of the holiday season and reminds us to keep the Christmas spirit with us long after we have grown.

The added bonuses for the 30th Anniversary Edition are fantastic. The golden "All Aboard" ornament is in a small bag fastened inside the back jacket cover. It is a Train with the words "The Polar Express" and "All Aboard" around it. I love the download of the audio version of the book. Liam Neeson does a fabulous job at the reading and narration. I love his voice. You can also go to polarexpress.com for activities, recipes, and prizes, plus a Christmas Countdown Calendar! Make sure to enter to win the All Aboard for The Polar Express Durango, Colorado Sweepstakes while you are there!

All Aboard for The Polar Express Durango, Colorado Sweepstakes! 
Want to win a FREE Trip on THE POLAR EXPRESS for your family next holiday season?

One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive:

• Four tickets to ride THE POLAR EXPRESS Train Ride in gorgeous Durango, Colorado*
• Four round-trip airfare tickets
• Two nights in a hotel
• Four free ski lift tickets to Purgatory Resort
• A free signed copy of The Polar Express: 30th Anniversary Edition

Click HERE to enter! See official rules HERE.**

*Per Official Rules, one accompanying person to the Grand Prize winner must be a child under the age of 18. Official entrant must be over the age of 18. **Sweepstakes Runs October 15-December 31, 2015. Rules and Restrictions Apply. No Purchase Necessary.


Also, be sure to check out a rail event near you to ride The Polar Express for yourself! Ours is through Mt. Hood Railroad in Oregon.

You can also Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of The Polar Express by sharing a memory of the beloved holiday classic using #ReadandBelieve. For every post on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or Instagram made between October 15, 2015 and December 31, 2015, HMH will donate a copy of The Polar Express to Christmas in the City. Happy holidays!

Be Social:
You can connect with HMH Kids on Facebook, Pinterest and @HMHKids on Twitter.

BUY IT


DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received product for free to review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Polar Express Coming to Mount Hood Railroad

All Aboard! THE POLAR EXPRESS comes to life this holiday season as the Mt Hood Railroad rolls out of the station bound for the “North Pole!” Come early and climb aboard with your family to cozy-up and enjoy our festively-decorated vintage train cars. Dancing chefs deliver hot chocolate and a cookie to each guest to savor while music from the Polar Express movie plays en route to the North Pole. Make sure to have your tickets handy, because your conductor will be by shortly to punch each child’s ticket.

Before arriving at the North Pole, the iconic book, The Polar Express is read as your Chef turns the pages to share the beautiful illustrations in the original book. With the station far away, THE POLAR EXPRESS magically arrives at the outskirts of Santa’s North Pole village, where Santa Claus himself and his elves joyously welcome the train! As you stay comfortably settled and warm in your seat, Santa and his helper elf board the train! During the return trip, Santa will greet each child with his signature holiday spirit and the first gift of Christmas: a bell cut from his sleigh. It is said that only children and those who still believe can actually hear the bell ring. Join in the singing as your Chef or Conductor lead Christmas caroling on the 30-minute return trip.

For those wanting the magic to last or to do a little Christmas shopping, visit our gift shop in the station for special POLAR EXPRESS gifts and merchandise. Oh, one last thing, children are encouraged to wear their PJ’s; adults who still believe have been known to wear them, too! So, are you coming? All Aboard!

Dates and Times
Nov 9-10, 16-17, 22-24, 27, 29-30
Dec 1, 4-8, 11-15, 18-22, 26-29
11:30am, 2:00pm, 4:30pm, 7:00pm

110 Railroad Ave. Hood River, OR
https://www.mthoodrr.com/mt-hood-polar-express.html

All Aboard the Polar Express is coming to the Mt Hood Railroad, visit https://www.mthoodrr.com/mt-hood-polar-express.html or call 877-726-7245 to climb aboard.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER:
For my participation in this US Family Guide Promotion I will receive FOUR FREE coach seats valid weekdays in November.

Thanks to USFamilyGuide.com for providing me this promotion information and free product. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this promo.

Oregon Zoo ZooLights - Our Experience

This is the first year we braved the cold rainy weather to go to the Oregon Zoo for their annual ZooLights. We went Friday, December 7th. When we arrived it was already dark and we were greeted by this amazing purple and green lit tree in the parking lot. My kids were excited as we exited the van. We quickly got our tickets and shuffled through the gate. I took some pictures of the zoo lights sign as we entered. Then we saw some spectacular light displays, some that seemed to be moving across the landscapes and others that blinked into different poses and positions.

Other firsts for us were riding the Thrill Ride simulator and the zoo train. For the Thrill Ride we got to pick out our movie simulation and we all agreed upon the Prehistoric Underwater one. We waited our turn under a covered area behind the ticket booth and I took some more pictures. We were handed 3D glasses and entered the simulator ride. The glasses were too big for my youngest daughter and so I held her in my lap so she could see the screen while holding her glasses on her face. My boys especially loved the simulator and would love to do another ride again someday. The simulator is hydraulically operated and it twists and turns to the movie so you feel like you are in a submarine.

We parked our stroller under a nice covered area just for that purpose. It was so nice of the zoo to provide these covered places so that the strollers and wagons wouldn't get soaked while we were riding the train. While we waited in line Teela hugged a person in a tiger suit. The steam train was all decked out in lights too and it's steam rose like an iridescent blue cloud from the smoke stack. The zoo train was very pleasant and even though the metal seats were cold we enjoyed seeing all the zoo lights all along the train ride. It was definitely a unique view of the lights and some of the lights that we saw can only be viewed from the train.

I was in awe at just how many lights there actually were and we didn't even seen all of them. We stopped and saw some hula hoopers that were also lit up for the event do their performance. I took a few more pictures and the kids were getting cold and hungry. We decided to go even though I would have loved to stay longer to see more and we totally missed the concert lawn lights which I heard from others were spectacular. I also heard that we missed out on some free fudge from the gift shop because we didn't bring an old string of Christmas lights. Maybe we can see more and get some fudge next year if they are still honoring the promotion. At some point we would also love to see the new baby elephant that was born recently too.

We had a lot of fun and we are glad we could go this year. We loved seeing all the magnificent lights and sights while we were there. We can't wait to go back next year to experience more.

2012 Oregon Zoo Lights Facts
What: "More than a million LED lights transform the Oregon Zoo into a luminous winter wonderland filled with moving sculptures, forests of lighted trees and animal silhouettes."
Admission: ZooLights admission is included in memberships at the Plus level and higher. Train and Thrill Ride simulator is extra, but can be purchased at a discount through member packages. If you buy one of the packages with the train at the admission counter instead of getting them after you enter you can skip the hassle of multiple lines for the train. You can also take advantage of some nice specials the zoo is offering for ZooLights. 
Dates: November 23rd-December 31st, There will be no ZooLights Dec. 24 or Dec. 25.
Times: Sunday-Thursday hours: ZooLights gates are open from 5-8 p.m. Guests may stay on grounds until 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday hours: ZooLights gates are open from 5-8:30 p.m. Guests may stay on grounds until 9:30 p.m. Train will begin running around 5:15 p.m.
Preparation: Bundle up and check the weather forecast and temperature before going so you know how to dress. You might want to pack extra warm clothing just in case, especially if you are planning on staying long. The food stations and restaurants at the zoo do cost extra so you might want to pack food and drink for the trip. Take a stroller or wagon for small children and extra baggage. Come a little early to get a good parking spot.

Oregon ZooLights Link Up:


DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Since I am in the Cascadia Connect group of bloggers I became aware of this event and was given free tickets for my family to go as well as free tickets for the zoo train and simulator ride. Thanks to the zoo and others involved for this opportunity. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this promotion.

Melissa & Doug Magic Mine Train Tunnel Review and Giveaway

The Melissa & Doug Magic Mine Train Tunnel is a wonderful toy for kids this holiday season! This toy is so much fun and is recommended for ages 3 and up. It comes with a train engine, two magic mining cars, one 8" (203mm) ascending track piece, and wooden mine tunnel (5 total pieces). The mine cars enter the tunnel empty and reappear through the gate loaded with gold and gems. It features realistic train and mining sounds that are activated when the train enters the mine tunnel. Batteries are not included. Requires (2) AAA batteries. Additional track sold separately and this set is compatible with popular wooden railway sets.

My kids love trains and have quite a few wooden railway sets that go together well. This one caught my eye in the available free toys to pick to review from Melissa & Doug's Terrific Twenty Holiday Gift List. We installed the batteries and tried it out. The train has sounds that come from the tunnel as the train presses a large button down as it goes through. The sounds are a train whistle, the train going down the track and also mining sounds like pick axes hitting rock and the treasure being loaded. The sounds; however don't correspond well with the movements of the train through the tunnel and since the tunnel is on a hill the train goes through fairly quickly with the sounds still trailing behind it. In my opinion all toys that make noise should have an off switch...this one does not have one. In order to turn off the sound of this toy you have to take out the batteries completely. You also have to flip the gold and gems over manually and one of our mining cars was finicky and wouldn't stay empty unless you pressed it exactly in the right spot. Once flipped over to empty you can send the train through the tunnel and the levers on the bottom of the mining cars will flip them from empty to full automatically as soon as it passes through the tunnel. The tunnel is constructed mainly of wood and painted with a very nice mine in a mountain scene. The train cars are made of mostly plastic and the train engine of mostly wood. They hook together magnetically.

Here is my son, Jaedan, trying out the train:

My kids really enjoyed this train set and have added it to the sets they already have. It is a great addition to them. They love the tunnel and watching the cars go from empty to full. I also think this set is pretty ingenious. It would definitely be a great gift to buy for someone who loves trains.

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Purchase the Melissa & Doug Magic Mine Train Tunnel for $29.99.

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I am trying out Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: For my participation in this Melissa & Doug Review I received the toy above and another one of the same to offer as a giveaway to my readers from their Terrific Twenty list. Thanks to Melissa & Doug for providing me this free product. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this review and giveaway.

Polar Express with Mount Hood Railroad - Our Experience

On Wednesday, November 21 my children dawned their PJs and we headed out for the evening to go on our scenic journey towards Hood River, Oregon to go on the Polar Express at Mount Hood Railroad. We stopped along the way and a magnificent rainbow arched across the sky. We took highway 14 on the Washington side and I was sure glad we did because the scenic drive was so gorgeous. It was raining a lot though so I didn't get my camera out for most of it. We fist saw Cape Horn and it is pictured above. We also saw some absolutely breathtaking waterfalls along the Columbia River Gorge. We couldn't tell which ones we were seeing from the highway, but some of the waterfalls include: Latourell Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Wahkeena Falls, Horsetail Falls and Multnomah Falls. Even from the distance we were, they were all spectacular. We caught a glimpse of  Beacon Rock as we drove. It was large and it looked like it was cut out from the surrounding landscape. We also passed the Bonneville Dam which I also would have loved to see up close. Then we passed the Bridge of the Gods. The wind blown trees along the highway were one-sided because of the high amount of wind that goes through the valley, hence the name of the nearby river, Wind River. There is also a stretch of highway 14 that goes through a total of 5 tunnels that I counted located between Stevenson and White Salmon in the lovely valley of Skamania. Then we went over Spring Creek and I wish we could have stopped to go see the fish hatchery that was there.

We finally arrived at the toll bridge to Hood River, Oregon and went across. We arrived at the Mount Hood Railroad and got the tickets at the call desk. While we waited for the train to arrive we looked at the many items in the gift shop and display cabinets. Then it was time to board. As we were boarding we were greeted by the train chefs :) The last picture of the chef is our train car. Brian wanted me to take a picture of the train wheels because they looked neat.

We seated ourselves and put our coats and bags in the upper rack. We had coach seats and I guess they are more traditional like the seating you see in the Polar Express movie. The train car was decorated with nice Christmas garlands, lights, bows, and ornaments. It felt very festive.

As soon as all the passengers had boarded the conductor greeted each family and punched the Polar Express golden tickets we were given. He was punching them close to Delbin's head so he got some clippings in his hair.

Then we were underway on our ride to the North Pole. Shortly after we were moving we were served cookies on a napkin and hot chocolate in Styrofoam cups. I was expecting mugs and plates, but I guess this was coach, so not as fancy. I wish we had gotten carbohydrate information for Delbin (he has type 1 diabetes) ahead of time because it took forever for the servers to track any down. They do not have the nutritional information on their website and for those of us with diet restrictions this would be very helpful. They also almost forgot about giving us any refreshments after a while passed and we had to remind them. Unfortunately they didn't have any straws and I was ill equipped as well with no sippy cup for Zari. The cups were easily spilled in the hands of my toddler, so I tried to manage by letting her have a couple of sips here and there, but this was very tedious. At least the hot chocolate was not scalding.

As we got closer to our destination the Polar Express story was read to us. The reader stopped to show the pictures to us at every page turn which was nice. He also tried to put as much feeling into the reading as he could muster. I am sure reading the story over and over gets a little old after a while.

We were interrupted many times while on the train by a loud "bum", Hobo Jo, (one of the characters of the movie) that said crazy things and tweaked the kids' noses as he passed. He interacted well with the kids and was pretty funny to watch.

We finally got to the North Pole and were directed to look out the far window. The inside lights were fairly bright and since it was so dark outside by contrast we couldn't see much except for the Christmas lights and dancing shadows of the elves. I would have loved to see Santa's reindeer better that were looking at us from below. We never got off the train to actually see Santa's workshop and the North Pole like I thought we were going to do originally. I was also thinking that the display would be better seen in the dark and that was why I picked the 4:30pm departure time, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. They really need to have the outside display more lit up next year!

Then after we waited a bit Santa's elves and the jolly man himself joined us on board the train for a picture and gave my kids each a large bell like the one given in the movie. The Santa definitely looked the part with his real beard. The elves were dressed merrily, although my husband said that I would have made a better elf because of how short I am in comparison. Santa was definitely the best part of the whole train ride.

The trip was fairly short. It basically consisted of the ride to the North Pole and a reverse leg back on what I believed to be the same track. On the return leg of the trip we sang Christmas carols. Most of the passengers were trying to remember the words and it felt a bit awkward to be singing in front of strangers, but at least we were trying to make it heart felt.

Even with everything not going as I had hoped we enjoyed our first time on the Polar Express at Mount Hood Railroad. My children will treasure the bells that they received and remember this time we had as a family together. It was a nice retreat from everyday life.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER:
For my participation in the US Family Guide Polar Express Promotion I received 4 FREE coach seats valid weekdays in November and chose to buy 2 more for my girls to go also.

Thanks to USFamilyGuide.com for providing me this opportunity and Polar Express at Mount Hood Railroad for hosting it. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this review.

Polar Express Coming to Mount Hood Railroad

All Aboard! The Polar Express comes to life this holiday season as the Mount Hood Railroad rolls out of the station bound for the "North Pole!" Come early and climb aboard with your family to cozy-up and enjoy our festively-decorated vintage train cars. Dancing chefs deliver hot chocolate and a cookie to each guest to savor while music from the Polar Express movie plays en route to the North Pole. Make sure to have your tickets handy, because your conductor will be by shortly to punch each child's ticket. Before arriving at the North Pole, the iconic book, The Polar Express is read as your Chef turns the pages to share the beautiful illustrations in the original book.

With the station far away, The Polar Express magically arrives at the outskirts of Santa's North Pole village, where Santa Claus himself and his elves joyously welcome the train! As you stay comfortably settled and warm in your seat, Santa and his helper elf board the train! During the return trip, Santa will greet each child with his signature holiday spirit and the first gift of Christmas: a bell cut from his sleigh. It is said that only children and those who still believe can actually hear the bell ring. Join in the singing as your Chef or Conductor lead Christmas caroling on the 30-minute return trip. For those wanting the magic to last or to do a little Christmas shopping, visit our gift shop in the station for special Polar Express gifts and merchandise. Oh, one last thing, children are encouraged to wear their PJ's; adults who still believe have been known to wear them, too! So, are you coming? All Aboard!

All Aboard the Polar Express is coming to the Mount Hood Railroad, visit http://www.mthoodrr.com/ or call 1-800-872-4661 to climb aboard.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER:
For my participation in this US Family Guide Promotion I will receive FOUR FREE coach seats valid weekdays in November.

Thanks to USFamilyGuide.com for providing me this promotion information and free product. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this promo.