February 7, 2012

Twitter Party Alert: #DisneyBaby 8pmET TONIGHT

It’s time to celebrate the new “arrival” of Disney Baby’s brand new website -DisneyBaby.com. Join us tonight to talk about those magical moments with a new baby . Be sure to check out this brilliant new website which is very interactive and lets parents uploading and share magical moments from their own babies lives – 1st smiles, messy faces, or whatever moments you love best with your little bundle of joy.

Date: January 26th, 2012 – Thursday night

Where: On Twitter

When: 8:00 PM (EST)

Who: Join hosts @ClassyMommy@AudreyMcClellan, @VeraSweeney, @WhitneyMWS and @DisneyBaby

No RSVP required. Just join in the fun and use the hashtag #DisneyBaby. Prizing eligibility for both US & Canadian residents.

Big Disney Release Today: Cars 2

A big Disney DVD release and must-have under the tree this holiday season is Cars 2!  Favorites Lightning McQueen and Mater return in this fun sequel.

My kids haven’t seen it yet but we’re excited to watch this latest installment where the characters go abroad in this fast-spaced James Bondesque movie.

Get the Cars 2 DVD & Blu-Ray Combo Pack on Amazon for $24.99 with free shipping. Order a qualifying Blu-ray disc and receive a $5 promotional credit toward the purchase of video content from Amazon Instant Video. The promotional credit will be applied to your Amazon.com account within two days after your order ships.

Also – get some fun Cars 2 related recipes by clicking here:

Download Printable Cars 2 Recipes!

New Release Tuesday: Mars Needs Moms

Yes, I know, I’m posting a new release from Tuesday on Friday.  So sue me.  It’s been one of those weeks!  But I didn’t want to wait too much longer to write up this one:  Mars Needs Moms released on DVD this past Tuesday.  I actually went with the fam to see this in theater earlier this year!

As you’ll see from my rec, be warned that there are some harrowing moments with the Mom (obviously all turns out okay in the end but the little guys may not know that!) but otherwise this is an entertaining movie for sure.   There’s some fun Mom humor in it too so check it out.

You can get the Blu-Ray pack (which includes a Blu-Ray disc and DVD) for $22.99 on Amazon with free shipping.

Join Me Wednesday @ 8pmET for a Twitter Party w/@DisneyBaby & @GiftGuideGirls #DisneyBaby

Tomorrow night, I’ll be co-hosting a Twitter Party with @GiftGuideGirls @AudreyMcClellan @ClassyMommy and @VeraSweeney.  My own Twitter name is @WhitneyMWS.  We’ll be talking all about @DisneyBaby ‘s new patent pending cuddly bodysuit that grows with baby. We’ll be talking Disney Baby,  fashion for tots and chatting about these “magical” cuddly bodysuits that grow with baby during their 1st year at a Twitter Party this week.

They have some super cute designs like 101 Dalmations, Monster’s Inc and lots of fun pinks for the girls.

You can get the entire Disney Baby line on Amazon now for as little as $7.99 for one onesie.

Join the Disney Baby Twitter Party on Wednesday June 15th at 8 PM EST. We’ll be giving away Amazon Gift cards and of course, cuddly bodysuits from Disney Baby.

Follow @GiftGuideGirls and @DisneyBaby to see all our tweets along with following our hosts from the Gift Guide Girls (aka 4Moms Medai) – @verasweeney, @classymommy, @whitneymws, and @audreymcclellan.

Here is the Tweet Grid to follow along - bit.ly/mIutYS

Disclosure: I’m hosting this Twitter event sponsored by Disney Baby with my 4 Moms Media & Gift Guide Girls business partners.

Bambi Diamond Edition – DVD & Blu-Ray, Available for Pre-Order

On March 1st, Disney will be releasing this Diamond Edition of Bambi.  The Blu-Ray and DVD combo pack includes both discs and you can get it at a great discounted price of $24.99 on Amazon with free shipping (it will be retailing for $39.99)

What do you think of the movie Bambi?  I saw a lot of negative reviews on Amazon of Moms not wanting to show it to their kids because of the early death of Bambi’s mother in the beginning of the movie.

It’s sad for sure but I don’t know how this is any different than Finding Nemo?  Disney definitely has some sadness in a lot of their movies.  Will you let your kids watch Bambi or is it too sad?

Get Bambi’s Diamond Edition on Amazon at the pre-order price of $24.99.  It will ship on March 1st.

$10 off Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2: Releases Tuesday

I’m not sure if it’s because I’m an aunt to two chihuahuas or not but I love little dogs and love the Beverly Hills Chihuahua movies.  Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 is releasing next Tuesday and my family received a sneak peek DVD and I think it may be even funnier than the first one.  Nate (7) was literally crying he was laughing so hard at one point.

Disney has issued a great coupon for the purchase of this movie – get $10 off your Blu-Ray/DVD Combo pack purchase with this coupon.  (A great deal even if you don’t have Blu-Ray, it’s cheaper and you still get the DVD!)

Don’t want to deal with filling out the form for the coupon, or want instant gratification?  Get it the DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Pack of Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 on Amazon for $19.99 with free shipping.  Releases February 1st.

New Disney Books This Holiday Season


Disney Princess Bedtime Stories – releases November 9th, $10.79 pre-order price guarantee and ships for free with $25+ of eligible free shipping products.

The Lost Hero, By Rick Riordan (the same author who brought you the Lightning Thief and Percy Jackson) releases as Book One in a series of all new heroes at Camp Half-Blood. $10.95 on Amazon (Hardcover)

Hey, Where’s Perry? Comic Book, $4.99 on Amazon

For Rapunzel fans, Tangled – Rapunzel’s Journal, Letting Down my Hair is full of fun illustrations.  $9.35 on Amazon.

A Very Disney Store Halloween; Coupon Code for Free Shipping

Image and video hosting by TinyPicAs Halloween’s almost here, we’ve almost got our costumes set. My 5 year old son is going to be Buzz Lightyear and my almost 3 year old daughter is most likely going to go as Jessie — since they are both big Toy Story Fans! The Disney Store graciously sent us a Jessie Costume($39) and she loves it. While it’s sold out on the Disney Store website, you may be able to find it in stores still (we found it online at a few places). We love the cute fringes on her shirt and Jessie’s famous red hat. It features a jeweled cameo, gold fringe and yellow sequined yoke and cuffs on a satin button-down shirt. We love the cute cowhide print chaps and gold fringe on sparkling denim pants.  She’ll pair the costume with cute brown cowboy boots we found at Target.
If you are still looking for a Disney costume for your children, there are still lots of great choices. We like their beautiful princess costumes like Rapunzel ($49.50), from the soon-to-be released Disney movie Tangled. While it’s a little pricey, your little girl can use this to play dress up in. The bodice features sparkling glitter and lace-up ribbon. Glittering images from the film trim the skirt and the dress coordinates with the Tangled Rapunzel Wand, Shoes and Hair Piece ( sold separately). For toddlers, I like the Nemo costume (on sale for $13.99).

Coupon Code: From now until October 26, you can get free shipping on any Disney Store Authentic Parks merchandise with code: CASTLE.

Thank you to the Disney Store for sending the Jessie Costume.

25th Anniversary of the Black Cauldron Releases today

Released today, the 25th Anniversary of the Black Cauldron.

About:  Whoever releases the mysterious Black Cauldron’s power will be invincible! The fearsome Horned King will do anything to possess it, but he is challenged by the most unlikely adversary: a young assistant pig keeper named Taran, who dreams of doing heroic deeds. With a motley team of the brave Princess Eilonwy, a minstrel named Fflewddur Fflam and Hen Wen, a remarkable pig who can predict the future, Taran embarks on a quest to stop the Black Cauldron’s evil once and for all. Will he have the courage to succeed?

The 25th anniversary includes a digital remaster of the original.  Get the 25th Anniversary of the Black Cauldron for $13.99 on Amazon with free shipping

Disney Store’s Friends & Family Starts Tomorrow; 20% off with coupon code

Starting tomorrow, July 22nd – July 25th, use coupon code DISNEYFAN to receive 20% off your order at the DisneyStore.com.

Cirque du Soliel – La Nouba: Completely worth a sitter, this is one amazing show

 They say your first Cirque is always your favorite. Well, I loved my first so much that I’m encouraged that even if my future Cirque’s aren’t quite the same, they’ll still be wonderful. But its true. I don’t know how another show could top my first.

You’ll recall that back in January my family vacationed at Disney World. We did the whole family thing almost every night. But the Huz and I also recognized the need to get away during our vacation. We were fortunate, my parents met us in Orlando for a few nights and gave us a night off so that we could play. (Actually, we had 2 nights out, but that will be a separate post.)

Most date nights, the Huz and I end up at a favorite sushi place or seeing a movie or driving around trying to figure out something really fun to do… and then end up back at the sushi place. But in Disney its all about celebrating, right? So we took the Disney buses over to Downtown Disney for our very first Cirque du Soliel show: La Nouba.

La Nouba is a static show. Whether you are there next week or in 4 years, expect it to be there. Deep inside Disney’s West Side, at the very end of this party land, is an enormous, modern theater. Enter, and you’ll be able to purchase drinks and snacks, and then find your seats in the nearly round theater. (By-the-way, definitely reserve your seats in advance. We visited during way-off-season and the theater was packed.) The theater is almost round and its tight, offering an amazing feeling of being right there in the story. There is no orchestra pit, no space between the audience and the stage. If you are in the front row, you are practically on stage. (While I doubt there’s a bad seat in the house, we sat in section 204 which was completely center, on the second level. I can’t imagine better seats than ours!)

For Cirque-virgins, like me and the Huz, the show is a mix of amazing acrobatics, music, gymnastics and dance. Choreographers somehow mixed these up into a phenomenal show unlike anything I’ve ever seen. We sat for over an hour and a half, barely moving, just watching. There was a story, but the only words were a few in French (I don’t speak French); the story was told through the movement and music on stage. The performance was moving and entertaining, no matter your language. Its Disney, right? So there were people from all over the world. About 2 rows behind me was a German couple and a few seats over were guests from somewhere in Asia. We all were emersed in the performance.

The talented performers were a mix of young and old.  A few of the fascinating acrobatics included bike stunts, tightrope, ropes dance, juggling and so. so. so. much more. And, while I don’t want to spoil this too much for you, some of the talent was really, really young. The children in the show were a highlight for me. I just couldn’t fathom kids (who looked to be about ages 5-11) having the amount of focus and drive that these children have. It was like one surprise after another.

Of course, what’s a cirq-us without clowns? This show had comedy balanced by drama and all balanced, literally, by fantastic stunts and feats. There was always something going on, always a few things to watch.

The program says La Nouba is appropriate for all ages, and children won’t be disappointed due to awe and excitement in the action. But it was a great night for a date night for us and if you can swing it, I definitely recommend you get a sitter and go.  

Following the show, my husband and I walked the West Side and ended up at Wolfgang Puck’s, what else?, Sushi Bar. Which was possibly the best sushi we’ve had, ever. I asked him about the show: “That is something I would say, pooh, too much money. But having now seen the show, I’m not even hesitant to go again. I will definitely go again and spend the money [on LaNouba].”

Thank you to Cirque du Soliel La Nouba for providing press tickets for this amazing experience.

Disney Family.com Adds Self Section

Disney Family.com (formerly family.com) has added recently added a Self Section.  I recently attended the launch of this new section, which features beauty, diet & fitness, and relationships. It struck a chord with me, because with 2 children and a third one on the way, I don’t do much for myself anymore, beyond semi-regular haircuts. I haven’t gone clothes shopping in a while and I haven’t bought any new makeup (except my favorite lipstick, Paula Dorf’s Spunky, and my beloved Mac Studio Fix Powder) in years.  I’ll be going back to work in the fall and I’m going to need some help getting stylish!

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ToyFair 2010 – Day 1: Disney-Pixar Toy Story 3 Preview Event

Image and video hosting by TinyPicMy time at the Toy Fair in NYC was kicked off by Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story 3 Event, showcasing the more than 250 new Toy Story 3 Toys. The newest Toy Story movie will be released on June 18.

In the film, Andy is now 18 and going off to college. His parents donate his toys to the Sunnyside Day Care Center — which looks terrific…. at first. Things quickly deteriorate and the toys need to be rescued. Will Andy get there in time? Click here to watch the trailer.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

To unveil the Toy Story 3 toys, the Green Army Men repelled from the ceiling in “take-over” mode to look at some of the new toys releasing this Summer and into the 2010 Holiday season.  John Lasseter, chief creative officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, Lee Unkrich, director, Toy Story 3, Darla K. Anderson, producer, Toy Story 3 and John Ratzenberger, voice of Hamm, were on hand to introduce the new toys.
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Taking extra precautions at Disney with the Safety Tat (plus, 8% off purchase)

Nobody wakes up one day and thinks, “today, I’ll lose my child in the crowd.”  But of course the reality is that people lose their kids every day. 

I’m a crazy Mom – I feel like no one is as nutty as I am about watching her kids, yet I still can see where in a crowded, harried moment, a child could wander off in an instant from even the most paranoid Moms.

Because of that – and because I knew how crowded Disney can get – I got a pack of Safety Tat’s before we left.  My buddy Heather at Mom4Life was kind enough to send me a pack when we were chatting back and forth on email.

The Safety Tat is a temporary tattoo that sticks to your child’s skin.  Using the Safety Tat pen that’s provided, you can write your cell phone number then on the tattoo.  It lasts for several days and was easy to apply.

I can’t tell you guys how many people came up to us asking what they were and exclaiming how awesome it was to have them on.  Get a pack for your family at Mom4Life.com.  Follow the link to get 8% off the Safety Tat or anything else on the Mom4Life site (just enter “Safety Tat” in the search to bring it up once on there).

Planning for Walt Disney World: A book review

mwsindisney-copyI could not be more excited about an upcoming trip my family has planned to Walt Disney World in Orlando.  My parents live in Florida, so we get a lot of opportunities to get to the parks for a day here and there but rarely plan the big week-long trip.  This year we decided to go for it, as we are able to combine it with my attendance at the Social Media Moms Celebration.

Over the following weeks, no doubt I’ll have many reviews in relation to our trip.  But I wanted to start at the beginning, which is where I am now – in the planning stage.

Two resources that are providing invaluable to me are:
Beyond the Attractions: A Guide to Walt Disney World with Preschoolers - the author, Lisa Battista, sent me a copy of her book a few weeks back before I even knew we were going.  As I have a 6 year old and a 3 year old, I knew this book was perfect for us as soon as we booked the trip. 

It’s been a wonderful resource and easy read for tips on good things to do with young kids while at the parks.

And I signed myself back up for Tour Guide Mike – an informational website that gives subscribed users valuable information on the parks from a seasoned Disney veteran.  The last time we visited Disney in February of 2008, I used and reviewed this service. 

The insight I received on this site two years ago saved us hours of lines and hassle.  There was no doubt in my mind that I would be doing it again.  I’m basing my entire itinerary on his recommendation for this trip as well.

Sign up for a year subscription and you pay $21.95 a year.  Such a little price to pay to avoid long lines and serious irritation!

Movie Night at our house – Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse

houseofmouse
Movie Night at our house last night.  We popped Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse.  

The boys loved it.  And me?  Only person on the planet who cries at a cartoon Tiny Tim.

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