I’ve never been much of a comic fan, but like most other people, I get into the stories when they’re brought to the big screen (or the small screen via TV shows). My husband is the same way, and his latest interest is the new Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. He is almost annoyingly excited about it and tells me how badly he wants to see it every single time we see a commercial.

If you — or anyone else in your household — are excited as he is, you’ll be happy to know that you can get your fix of Batman v. Superman merchandise at Walmart. There’s something for every fan.

You can head to Walmart.com and choose your hero: Batman or Superman. (Personally, I’m on team Batman. I want to see the guy without the super powers win) You can play games to win votes and digital prizes that you can download right away. Then you can shop all the Batman and Superman products.

If you’d prefer to head to your local Walmart, there’s lots in store there for you too. You can grab a costume for your little one to dress up as their fave:

You can find other Batman and Superman shows and movies to keep you entertained in the meantime.

Or, you could grab a 3-foot tall figurine and put it in front of your house to let everyone know what team you’re on. OK. Maybe not that, but I’m sure the superfan in your house would love to have this huge reminder of the superhero in all of us.

If apparel is more your speed, you can find adult and kids’ character tees for $8.96 and $7.97 respectively. I’m going to grab one for my husband. As if he needed another reason to be excited.

So what you about? Will you be watching Batman v. Superman?

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I’ve received product samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Affiliate links have been used.

I admit it: I’ve never been much of a Star Wars fan. But what I am is a gamer. Unequivocally and undoubtedly. Which means that in spite of my relatively lukewarm feelings about the whole Star Wars franchise and all its accoutrements, I was still excited when I learned of the latest video game, Star Wars Battlefront, released today. I’m always game for a new challenge, and since I do want to see The Force Awakens when it hits theaters next month, thanks to the awesomely diverse cast, I figured this would be a good way to ramp up my excitement.

Photo by Ruby Wright of GUBLife

If you’re excited too, I have a treat for you: You can get a sneak peek of the game and play it before you buy. All you have to do is go to a Walmart store tonight! EA, the maker of Star Wars Battlefront, is giving gamers a chance to play local co-op battle maps that are available in the game at 3,000 Walmart stores nationwide. Fingers crossed that there’s one near you: Search now! During the event, you can also pre-order the title. Just head to your store anytime from 8 p.m. – 12:01 a.m. tonight.

So what’s the premise of the game? Well, Star Wars Battlefront lets players fight for the Rebellion or the Empire in battles from scenes inspired by the films. You can play multiplayer matches with up to 40 players, or challenges that can be played alone, split-screen, or via online co-op. The game features recreations of iconic Star Wars planets, characters, weapons, and vehicles, so if you’re a fan, you’ll be pleased. It really takes just two words to entice me to play: Light sabers. And it will give you a way to kill some time until The Force Awakens movie is released.

Photo by Ruby Wright of GUBLife

If you haven’t pre-ordered, you can purchase Star Wars Battlefront at your local Walmart or at Walmart.com for $59.96 tomorrow. If you did pre-order, you’ll also get an exclusive Star Wars trading disc by Topps, which is only available at Walmart!

#ShowUsYourForce

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I’ve received product samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Affiliate links have been used.

We’ve reached the point in the summer when the days feel really long and I’m struggling a bit to keep the kids occupied. All day. Pretty much every day. So sometimes all I want to do is sit everyone down and find something funny to watch. We pop popcorn and laugh until our sides hurt — also known as Movie Night.

We’ve been a little short on new material, so when Walmart sent me Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 on DVD, I knew that my daughter — who absolutely loved the first movie — would have no objections at all. 

The second time around, Paul Blart is back at it again — taking his low-level security job waaaaay too seriously, and having that somehow lead to him stumbling his way through saving the day. This time, the action takes Blart and his daughter to Las Vegas. And by action, I mean Blart running into, falling off of and rolling over things. That’s honestly the best part of these movies: Seeing just how much punishment he can take. That, and how oblivious he is to the fact that everyone else thinks he’s a joke. Also, #nospoilers, but it’s SO worth waiting for the last few seconds of the movie.

Anyway, to celebrate the hilarity that is Mall Cop 2, we all took #Blartstache photos with the fake moustaches we received with the movie. How ridiculous do we look?

Juliza may or may not have had to be coerced to make this happen.

Those photos will forever make me giggle. We also received a couple of fanny packs, but I don’t think I’m quite enough of a good sport to be caught in a photo wearing one of those O__o

You can actually get both Mall Cop movies in an exclusive 2-pack at Walmart for just $24.87, starting tomorrow.

You can also participate in a Q&A with Kevin James at the official Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 Facebook page tomorrow at 7pm ET. I can just imagine the questions he’s going to get, but it promises to be hilarious!

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I’ve received product samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Affiliate links have been used.

I grew up watching the 1982 version of Annie, and like the rest of the world, I was captivated by the little redhead who had a way of making everyone smile. I loved the story of this little orphan who found a home in the most unexpected of places, and I loved the music. Fast forward more than 30 years later, and my daughter is getting a chance to fall in love with Annie too, courtesy of Quvenzhané Wallis and Jamie Foxx.

My husband and I took our girls to see the new Annie movie when it was still in theaters, and Ja’Naya loved it! I can’t lie — part of the charm for me was seeing a little girl who looked a lot like my little girl playing a role that I grew up loving. So when Walmart offered me the chance to have a movie night with my family and Annie, we were all excited. Not least of all Ja’Naya.

In this remake, Annie is a foster kid who is an a crappy situation with a horrible foster mom, but who still manages to keep an infectious spirit that affects everyone around her. The original Daddy Warbucks is replaced by Mr. Stacks, a ridiculously wealthy cell phone mogul who wants to use Annie to score him some votes in his run for mayor. He eventually falls in love with the precocious little girl, but of course, there’s always someone who will try to ruin a good thing. I won’t say any more because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone.

Anyway, we received the exclusive Annie Blu-ray & DVD gift set, complete with Sandy plush dog, which is available in-stores now. Plus, much to my daughter’s delight, we received the soundtrack CD and lyrics sheets. I swear, she learned the words to all the songs exactly 2 days in.

But when we sat down to have movie night, I thought it would be awesome to style my daughter’s hair like Annie, in a big curly twistout.

The process is simple for naturally curly hair.

1. Wash and detangle hair with a moisturizing conditioner. Shea Moisture’s Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Conditioner is one of my favorites.

2. While hair is still wet, neatly twist it into two-strand twists with a moisturizing styler, like Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie.

3. Allow hair to dry in twists. This can mean keeping the twists intact for as little as a few hours, or as is the case with my daughter, a few days. I prefer to keep her hair twisted for school and gymnastics during the week, and let it loose on the weekends.

4. Carefully untwist hair, being careful not to pull and frizz. The curls should be clumped and well-defined.

The final result is a gorgeous twistout of which I’m sure Annie would approve!

Ja’Naya got into the spirit of the movie and donned her favorite red dress for movie night, mirroring Annie’s outfit for her big night with Mr. Stacks and the DVD cover.

She’s already watched the movie 3 times, and I know the fourth is coming on a night when she doesn’t have homework. Suffice it to say that Annie is a hit around here, and I’m sure you and your family will love it too. The DVD box set is just $24.96. Now we just have to watch the 1982 version so she’ll have a point of comparison and see why this version is so special.

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I’ve received product samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Affiliate links have been used.

Like most kids in America, I loved Disney movies when I was growing up. While it wasn’t lost on me that very few of the characters actually looked like me, I still enjoyed the fantastical stories of adventure and love. Peter Pan was always one of my favorites. The idea that there could be a place where children could be children — doing whatever they pleased — was fascinating to me. And Captain Hook was the villain I loved to hate. Plus, I always felt a little sorry for Smee, and loved Tinkerbell’s sass and Wendy’s levelheadedness.

Well, I’ll get a chance to relive my childhood joy tonight when Peter Pan Live! airs on NBC at 8/7c, and you can too! The stars include Allison Williams, Christopher Walken, Christian Borle and Minnie Driver, and Walmart is a presenting sponsor. It promises to be a good time, and Lord knows I need some of that right about now! NBC provided me with a party pack, and my daughter and I had a great time making some Peter Pan themed snacks with supplies from Walmart to get us in the mood to watch. If you’d like to get in the spirit too, check out these recipes.

Ticking Croc Brownies

You’ll Need:

• Box brownies (or feel free to make them from scratch)
• 4-5 colorful ice cream cones
• Mini marshmallows
• Mini chocolate chips
• White icing

When I was little, I remember being terrified of the idea of a ticking crocodile that bit off arms. But by the time I finally “met” him near the end of Peter Pan, my opinion had changed. I was sort of happy he’d given Captain Hook what was coming to him. I found this snack on Pinterest via Creative Stirrings and thought it was too cute! Ideally, I would’ve used green cones, but I had to work with what I could find.

Simply make brownies per the instructions on the box. I actually had to use 2 boxes to fill my glass Pyrex baking dish. Next, cut off about 1/3 of each cone. Four to five cones should suffice.

To make eyes, push a mini chocolate chip into a mini marshmallow, using some white icing as “glue” to hold them together, if you need to. Then use some icing to attach two eyes to the top of each cone.

Finally, lay the “crocs” on top of the brownies in random positions.

How cute is that? Peter would be proud! So is Mr. Crocodile.

But we’re not done yet. To go with the brownies, we’re having…

Fairy Fizz Punch

You’ll Need:

• Pink lemonade
• 7Up or Sprite

Mix 1 part lemonade to 1 part soda. Done. Couldn’t be simpler.

Then drink this perfectly pink, fizzy concoction in Tinkerbell’s honor while you enjoy the show.

Watch & Tweet with Me!

My family and I will be getting dressed up in our Peter Pan gear, swords included, to watch live. Baby Pan is ready!

Plus, you can join me, Walmart and a few other Walmart Moms on Twitter as we live-tweet the show tonight starting at 8/7c using the hashtag #PeterPanLive. Hope to see you there!

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I’ve received a party pack, gift card and compensation from NBC for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Affiliate links have been used.

If you’ve never heard of it, Bet On Your Baby is quite possibly the cutest show on television. It is hosted by actress and comedienne Melissa Peterman, and in it, parents try to predict their kids’ behavior in various challenges to win money for their child’s future education.

As most parents know, trying to guess how a small child will respond in any given situation is a crapshoot, at best. So it is genuinely hilarious to watch grown folks sweat about whether their kid will be able to blow enough bubbles or hold onto a beach ball long enough to win.

The show, sponsored by Walmart and Luvs, returns for its second season tomorrow night, May 31, and Walmart challenged a few of us moms to come up with some challenges just for fun with our kids at home.

Baby Juliza, it’s time for your turn in the spotlight!

She’s not yet 5 months old, so the challenges had to relatively simple and in keeping with her current development. She’s at the age where she’s just starting to roll over consistently, laugh when things are funny, and grab things that are placed in front of her. So we picked up some toys at Walmart to see if we could get her to do what we wanted.

Challenge 1

My older daughter and stepson went head to head. Ja’Naya held a ball rattle in front of baby Juliza, and my stepson bet that she would grab it within 15 seconds. Ja’Naya, however, bet that she wouldn’t grab it at all — or at least not within that time frame. The loser would have to put away the dishes from the dishwasher.

This is not as simple as it sounds. You see, Juliza’s favorite pastime is putting her fingers — her whole hands, really — directly in her mouth. Even in the face of something that seems to be more interesting.

Challenge 2

This time, my hubby and I sparred. The challenge? Whether baby Juliza would roll over within 60 seconds. Knowing my child, who will completely ignore us when she wants, I bet that she wouldn’t. My husband, ever the optimist, bet that she would. The loser had to fold and put away all the clean laundry — easily one of our least favorite chores.

She can and does roll over, lest you believe this was a stacked contest. But typically she only does it when she feels like it.

So what are the results? See for yourself!

I did have a bit of an advantage over my hubby. I know from experience that Juliza has a knack for performing as soon as you STOP recording. And sure enough…

She started to roll shortly after I cut the video. She looked at the ball — thought, sure I’ll roll over (albeit the wrong way) — then changed her mind and sucked her finger instead. Lmao!

Our prizes weren’t quite as life-changing as college funds, but I don’t know…I think Juliza will be a great contestant for Bet on Your Baby in a few years.

You can check it out on Saturdays starting tomorrow night at 8/7 central on ABC. And you can find all of the toys you see featured on the show at your local Walmart.

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I’ve received product samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Affiliate links may have been used.

One of the things that adulthood in general, but parenthood specifically, has stolen from me is free time. There’s just not much of it to good around these days. Which means that I don’t get to read nearly as much as I’d like. But when I do have time, I will devour a good love story. And Nicholas Sparks is a love story master.

I admit that I’ve only ever seen the movies based on his books, but they were more than enough to tell me he is a great storyteller. My first was The Notebook, and it reminded me of my days of long-distance love with my hubby. And watching The Last Song almost — almost — made me forget the Miley Cyrus we know today. I kept promising that I would find time to read the books, because we all know that the books are usually far more detailed — and dare I say, better — than the movies made from them.

Anyway, if you’re a fan too, you’ll be happy to know that Walmart is celebrating Nicholas Sparks month this May. The month is almost over, but you can still enjoy it if you act fast. Sparks’ newest book, The Longest Ride, debuts this month with an exclusive Walmart edition, and you’ll find great deals on his other books and DVDs.

I picked up The Longest Ride, and I really have to carve out some time to curl up with my favorite cookies and a cup of tea to read it. It’s a story of two couples, one older and the other younger, and the unexpected, but profound ways their lives converge. The list price of the book is $15, but you can get it at Walmart for $13.50, along with a code worth $3 in Vudu movie credits.

You should also find a special display of all Nicholas Sparks’ titles at your Walmart store, but if like mine, your store doesn’t have that display, you should still be able to find The Longest Ride in the new release section of the book department, as well as Sparks’ newest film, Safe Haven, in the DVD section. If you do find the display of all the movies, the older ones are just $4.88 apiece.

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I’ve received product samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Affiliate links may have been used.