iJump gets a thumbs up!

It was Little Miss' birthday yesterday, and we took her to iJUMP as a special treat. We have been driving past the place and saying we should give it a try!

You pay per hour, and it seems that you can't do more than an hour of jumping around on the trampolines. Little Miss had a ball, but she was beat after the hour!

There is an iKidz area for the smaller kids, but Little Miss already qualified for the bigger area. Which she thoroughly enjoyed!

You can book parties for the kids with different party options, as well.

Photo from upstairs at the Sliders Restaurant

We had great hamburgers at the Sliders restaurant where you can make a choice of 3 between 12 burger options. The portions are smaller, but The Student and I could not finish all 3. We shared that with Little Miss who had more than enough!

Resting on the sidelines!

This place gets a thumbs up!
We will be back!


Address:


Clearwater Crossing
Corner Hendrik Potgieter and Christiaan de Wet
(Behind Makro)
Strubens Valley


Disclaimer: I was not asked to write this post, and we paid for ourselves!

Win a Disney Descendants hamper

It is finally time for Disney Descendants to be aired on Friday, 18 September 205, on Disney Channel – DSTV Channel 303  at 17:00!

Our family loves it already. We were at the Disney Descendants launch viewing in August and we can’t wait for the series to start.

A little bit of background about the actors:

Mal

Dove Cameron stars as Mal, the clever, edgy and artistic teenage daughter of Maleficent. She began acting in community theatre at age eight and moved to Los Angeles at age 14 to pursue acting and singing professionally. She is best known for her roles as 16-year-old identical twins, in the Disney Channel Original series "Liv and Maddie."

Evie

Sofia Carson stars as Evie, the stylish teenage daughter of the Evil Queen and Mal's best friend. Evie is secretly excited to go to Auradon in hopes of finding a perfect prince. She soon realizes that she is much more than a pretty face. Carson has had a passion for performing since an early age, competing in national dance and vocal competitions, and musical theatre productions throughout her childhood. She has guest-starred in Disney Channel's hit series "Austin & Ally" and in MTV's "Faking It." In early 2016, Carson will star alongside Girl Meets World's Sabrina Carpenter in the Disney Channel Original Movie, "Adventures in Babysitting."

Jay

Booboo Stewart stars as Jay, the athletic teenage son of Jafar, in "Descendants" who has a penchant for stealing things in "Descendants”.  In 2011, Stewart landed the coveted role of Seth Clearwater in the popular "Twilight" franchise. Most recently, he can be seen as Warpath in "X-Men – Days of Future Past." Other big screen credits include "White Frog," "Smitty" and "American Cowslip." Additionally, Stewart has guest starred on numerous popular television shows such as "Good Luck Charlie," "CSI: Miami," "CSI: Cyber" and "GRIMM.

Carlos

Cameron Boyce stars as Carlos, the technologically-savvy teenage son of Cruella de Vil. Boyce is best known for his role as Luke Ross on Disney Channel's "Jessie." Boyce has also appeared on Disney Channel's "Shake It Up" and "Good Luck Charlie," as well as "General Hospital, Night Shift."

Ben

Mitchell Hope stars as Prince Ben, the benevolent teenage son of the King and Queen of Auradon (Beast and Belle from "Beauty and the Beast").  Hope landed his first onscreen role in an Australian short film "Down the Way." Shortly after, he appeared in the Australian television film "INXS: Never Tear Us Apart." Hope is from and currently resides in Melbourne, Australia. He likes to spend his spare time with his friends and family playing basketball, squash and surfing.


The Hamper that’s up for a win includes:

• Descendants CD
• Bag
• Key Holder
• Mal’s sketch book
• Stickers
• Pen

Please answer the following question in the comments section to be considered for the hamper win:

Who is the Villain that Prince Ben fall in love with?


The winner will be drawn next Monday at 9 am.
(Unfortunately only open to South African readers)


More details here: Disney


The winner is Cat! Congratulations!

Disney Descendants - new Anti-Heroes who become Heroes! - starts in September

The new Disney Descendants movie will premiere on Friday, September 18 at 17:00 CAT on Disney Channel (DStv Channel 303)

We were fortunate enough to attend the Premiere on Saturday and it did not disappoint. I was a bit apprehensive (not much) about taking Little Miss along as she is only 6, and was afraid that the theme would be over her head, or that it would be too dark!

Luckily Disney always takes the whole family (from toddlers to kids to tweens to the parents) into consideration with their story-lines and Little Miss enjoyed it as much as her Mom did! I even had to wipe away a few tears! (But that's just me!)
The whole family will enjoy this!

The characters are believable and funny and witty and charming! Their coming-of-age life encounters as well as living up to their parental as well as peer expectations are extremely well done!
I can see that Little Miss is already hooked on the character of Mal, Maleficent's daughter, who makes the choice for good (as with the rest of them) in the movie!

Disney Descendants Movie Premiere photo op earlier #DisneyAfrica - girls (2-80) love it!

A photo posted by Karen Du Toit (@karentoittoit) on Aug 22, 2015 at 8:56am PDT

"Bad Apples" 

Smoke fun! 

At Ill Grande at Montecasino

The food was divine!

(Spot the Bloggers ;-) )

The story:

The story, set in the idyllic kingdom of Auradon, playfully presents the unexpected possibilities of what happens after the "happily ever after."  As it unfolds, Ben, the benevolent teenage son of the King and Queen (Beast and Belle from "Beauty and the Beast"), is poised to take the throne. His first proclamation is to offer a chance at redemption to Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay, the trouble-making offspring of Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Cruella de Vil and Jafar, who have all been sequestered on the forbidden Isle of the Lost for 20 years. These villainous descendants are allowed into Auradon for the first time to attend prep school alongside the teenage progeny of Fairy Godmother, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Mulan. Only time will tell if these evil teens follow in the footsteps of their wicked parents.

                                                                            Info: Disney


Related post:

- Win - Premiere tickets to Disney Descendants, a Disney Channel Original Movie

Disney movies to look forward to

I had the privilege to attend the Disney Showcase of 2015/16.
It is an overload of new and exciting entertainment offerings that I can't wait to see, and also can't wait to share most of it with Little Miss!


Disney movies to bookmark in the upcoming year:


1. Ant-Man (Marvel) - 31 July 2015

The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s new action-packed adventure brings us master thief Scott Lang as the present-day Ant-Man. After being armed by Dr. Hank Pym with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, Lang must embrace his inner hero and help Pym protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

Ant-Man has already started at the Movie Theaters. Unfortunately it's got a 10 LV restriction


2. Shucks! pay back the money! - 28 August 2015

Our local "Hero" is at it again!

"After losing rugby’s holy grail, the Currie Cup, Schuks (Leon Schuster) sets off on a hilarious journey to pay for what he has done. In lieu of a R1 million fine, the Sports Minister (Desmond Dube) offers Schuks a lifeline to create a documentary film that shows South Africa in a positive light."

3. Star Wars the Force Awakens - 18 December 2015

I am sure many people are looking forward to this one!
Me toooo!

Even Little Miss is up to date with the Star Wars movies...
Unfortunately the information is very little at this stage!!

Star Wars The Force Awakens

4. The Good Dinosaur (Disney Pixar) - 1 January 2016

"The Good Dinosaur" asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct?  Pixar Animation Studios takes you on an epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo (voice of Raymond Ochoa) makes an unlikely human friend. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of."

5.  The Finest Hours (Disney) - 5 February 2016

Captain Bernie Webber (Chris Pine) to the rescue

"A heroic action-thriller, “The Finest Hours” is based on the extraordinary true story of the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history. Presented in Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D, the film transports audiences to the heart of the action, creating a fully-immersive cinematic experience on an epic scale. 
On February 18, 1952, a massive nor’easter struck New England, pummeling towns along the Eastern seaboard and wreaking havoc on anything caught in its destructive path, including two 500-foot oil tankers. The SS Pendleton and SS Fort Mercer, bound for Boston, Massachusetts and Portland, Maine, respectively, were both ripped in half, trapping their crews inside. For the senior officer aboard the stern of the Pendleton, first assistant engineer Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck), he quickly realizes that it is up to him to take charge of the frightened crew and encourage them to work together to keep the ship afloat for as long as possible."

6.  Zootropolis (Disney) - 4 March 2016

Imagine a city where no human exists...

Children (of all ages) are definitely going to love this animation.

"The modern mammal metropolis of Zootropolis is a city like no other. Comprised of habitat neighborhoods like ritzy Sahara Square and frigid Tundratown, it’s a melting pot where animals from every environment live together—a place where no matter what you are, from the biggest elephant to the smallest shrew, you can be anything. But when optimistic Officer Judy Hopps (voice of Ginnifer Goodwin) arrives, she discovers that being the first bunny on a police force of big, tough animals isn’t so easy. Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the opportunity to crack a case, even if it means partnering with a fast-talking, scam-artist fox, Nick Wilde (voice of Jason Bateman), to solve the mystery."

7. The Jungle Book (Disney) - 4 March 2016 

"Directed by Jon Favreau (“Chef,” “Iron Man,” “Elf”), based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories and inspired by Disney’s classic animated film, “The Jungle Book” is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan (voice of Idris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera (voice of Ben Kingsley), and the free-spirited bear Baloo (voice of Bill Murray)."

8. Captain America Civil War (Marvel) - 29 April 2016 

"Marvel Studios has commenced principal photography at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta, Georgia on “Captain America: Civil War,” the third installment of its Super Hero franchise. The production will shoot on location in Atlanta, Georgia, which serves as the base for the film’s production, as well as locations in Germany, Puerto Rico and Iceland.
“Captain America: Civil War” picks up where “Avengers: Age of Ultron” left off, as Steve Rogers leads the new team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. After another international incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to enlist the services of the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers while they try to protect the world from a new and nefarious villain."

9. Alice through the Looking Glass (Disney) - 27 May 2016 

Filmmakers Return to Beloved Stories of Lewis Carroll for all-new Adventures to Underland and Beyond!

10. Finding Dory (Disney Pixar) - 17 June 2016

I think we are all excited about this one as well!!

When Dory said “just keep swimming” in 2003’s Oscar®-winning film “Finding Nemo,” she could not have imagined what was in store for her (not that she could remember). Ellen DeGeneres, voice of the friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish, revealed details today about Disney•Pixar’s “Finding Dory”—an all-new big-screen adventure diving into theaters on June. 17, 2016. “I have waited for this day for a long, long, long, long, long, long time,” said DeGeneres. “I’m not mad it took this long. I know the people at Pixar were busy creating ‘Toy Story 16.’ But the time they took was worth it. The script is fantastic. And it has everything I loved about the first one: It’s got a lot of heart, it’s really funny, and the best part is—it’s got a lot more Dory.” 

Director and Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton takes audiences back to the extraordinary underwater world created in the original film. “There is no Dory without Ellen,” said Stanton. “She won the hearts of moviegoers all over the world—not to mention our team here at Pixar. One thing we couldn’t stop thinking about was why she was all alone in the ocean on the day she met Marlin. In ‘Finding Dory,’ she will be reunited with her loved ones, learning a few things about the meaning of family along the way.” 

Which one are you looking forward to the most?

Pretville visit

The Pretville movie set is still up at Hartebeesportdam, and well worth a visit.
Pretville is an Afrikaans film musical that is set in the 1950's.

It was a rainy day yesterday, with lots of mud, but it did not deter anybody, and afterwards we heard that it is much better than going there than when it is too hot!

There are tons of photo opportunities for snap happy patrons.

Definitely a place to take a photo

The Diner which was jam-packed 

The detail in each of the little shops is amazing
(like this AlphaPharm Pharmacy) 

Waiting for the bus

I hear that they are going to break it down in about a month, which would be very sad.
It was like going back into the past...