Disney's Frankenweenie Monstrous Sweepstakes

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Enter the Frankenweenie Monstrous Sweepstakes for a chance to win a spooktacular vacation for four to experience all the fun of Halloween Time at the Disneyland® Resort. Plus, don’t miss The Art of Frankenweenie Exhibit only at the newly expanded Disney California Adventure Park, where you can get an up-close look at the amazing world of Frankenweenie through sets, puppets, props and more. And for a limited time Guests will be treated to a special 4D extended preview of the film at the Muppets Vision 3D Theater before Frankenweenie comes to theaters in 3D October 5th!

Visit www.disney.com/frankenweeniesweeps to enter the Monstrous sweepstakes and you could win Halloween Time at the Disneyland® Resort for some frightfully family-friendly fun!
Dates:August 23 - October 7, 2012
Entries:Online: www.disney.com/frankenweeniesweepsMobile – Text EDGAR to DISNEY (347639*) to enter for a chance to win. *Msg and data rates may apply. If you’re under 18, get your parents’ permission first.
Prizing:One (1) Grand Prize – A 4 day/3 night vacation for four to Disneyland® Resort and Disney California Adventure Park to experience the world of Tim Burton and Frankenweenie during Halloween Time.
Five (5) First Prizes – An Autographed Frankenweenie movie poster

Dinosaur Train Extreme InterAction Alvin

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Consistently appearing on virtually any preschool toy list is something related to dinosaurs and what dinosaurs are more famous with today's preschoolers than Jim Henson's Dinosaur Train characters.  We've made our love for this preschool program known in prior posts, so it should come as no surprise that we adore the Dinosaur Train themed toys by Tomy as well.


In particular, the twins have had a blast helping me check out Dinosaur Train Extreme InterAction Alvin.  He's sized big enough to look like he is dominating their imaginary play world and he really seems to come to life with 50 Dinosaur Train sounds and phrases all at a push of his button.  His back button gets him jumping too.

Alvin is just one of over a dozen toys in the Dinosaur Train InterAction category and when combined with our prehistoric friends the fun is expanded as the toys interact with each other.  For more information on all the Dinosaur Train InterAction Figures please see the link below: http://www.tomy.com/dinosaurtrain/InterAction+Figures/p1?locale=en_US

Disclosure:  I was provided with "Alvin" by Tomy for purposes of this review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

No Nap Required

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Oh no!  I hear the rumblings of the "No More Naps" train coming and I so don't want my four year old twins to get on it quite yet.  While I'm willing to admit that there are days they really don't need a full fledged nap anymore, there are still oh so many days where they still do.  This potential nap strike could really hault my accomplishing anything on non school days and make for a cranky pair.  Wish me luck on derailing this stage for a while longer.

Alli's Everlasting Accessories

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A new coat every Fall just isn't doable in many peoples budgets, so why not just jazz up that basic   staple with an accessory piece?

I've added a large flower pin by Alli's Everlasting Accessories to my basic camel coat to give it a lift.  It's just one of dozens of high quality pins, headbands, and arrangements offered by Alli's.  It seemed almost poetic to me that this Ali's Everlasting Accessory item gave my old coat new life in lieu of the company's touching background.

"Alli’s Everlasting Arrangments & Accessories, designed by Renee Heyden, was created in memory of her daughter Allison (Alli) Emilie Heyden, who died tragically at 24-years-old last summer. These one-of-a-kind arrangements and accessories, made from a treasure trove of fabrics Renee found in Alli’s room, not only memorialize and commemorate her daughter’s life and her passion as a fashion designer, but also benefit the Alli Heyden Passion for Fashion Scholarship Fund at Savannah College of Art and Design.

With items ranging from floral arrangements to pins to headbands, each arrangement and accessory is different and reflects Alli’s effervescence and style."

For more information regarding Alli’s Everlasting Arrangments & Accessories, visit the website at alliseverlastingfloralarrangements.com.
Disclosure: Please note I was provided with a pin by the company for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.

Nascar Driver Casey Mears at the Chicagoland Speedway helping Disney & Pixar bring the Cars "Take Flight" Experience to little race fans

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This morning I attended a preview right here in Joliet that featured Nascar Driver Casey Mears.  Mears was in attendance at the Chicagoland Speedway to help Disney & Pixar share an exclusive look at their new Cars Take Flight Products.  Additionally, Casey Mears, Chicago Bears Anthony Adams, Anthony's adorable son, and Olympic Gold medalist Sylvia Fowles checked out the special cars "Take Flight" Kids Zone along with invited media such as myself.

The center piece of the kids zone is a life-size Lego replica of Lightning McQueen said to have taken over 360,000 pieces to make.


The Kids Zone, located in Champions Park, is open to the public, Saturday, September 15 through Sunday, September 16 and will feature fun Cars “pit stops” including a puzzle station, Cars die-cast racing, games and story time. “Cars Toons” shorts will also be available for viewing and feature everyone’s favorite Cars characters, Lightning McQueen and Mater.  So if you are local like myself and planning to attend the race, be sure to check it out.
Attendees this morning also had a chance to check out the extensive new line of Cars "Take Flight" product line.  My four year olds are certain to be all over these new lines, especially the new cars die casts with wings!  Oh and would they be jealous to hear I tried the Cars 2 video game without them.  Watch for these and more at Nationwide Stores as well as exclusives to the Disney Store soon.
Disclosure:  I was provided with a Disney Cars Take Flight Gift Bag while in attendance.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Gardens

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I adore Christmas lights. My husband and I go a little overboard with lights on our house. And our tree usually has enough lights on it we don't even need a lamp at night! We make a point of driving around to see other's Christmas lights at least once, oohing and ahhing over flashing twinkle lights and yard displays.

So when we were invited to Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Gardens, we were thrilled! If you'll recall, we visited Callaway Gardens this past Spring. We had a fabulous time and were excited to return. Callaway Gardens is such a beautiful place and there is so much to do! But the main attraction this time was Fantasy in Lights.
Fantasy in Lights is an amazing light display featuring over 8 million lights! Yes, MILLION! This season is the 20th anniversary of the event, which has been named one of the top 48 events in the world by the Chicago Tribune! It's also been named one of the top ten best holiday light displays in the US by mainstreet.com. Fantasy in Lights stretches over five miles of the gardens, and is comprised of fourteen displays choreographed to holiday music.
You can drive your personal car, if you wish. But I'd suggest riding the Jolly Trolley. The Jolly Trolley is an open air trolley and has a fun interactive soundtrack to accompany your trip through the lights. Since it's open though, you'll want to bundle up and maybe bring a blanket! Although on the night we visited it was fairly mild and we only needed a light jacket.
To give you an idea of what it's like to drive through Fantasy in Lights, watch my short video complilation of some of our favorite scenes. (Subscribers, click through to view video)

The lights are the star of Fantasy in Lights, but there is so much more to experience! On the beach are two large narrated scenes; the nativity and The Night before Christmas. As the ten-minute long story is told, different pieces light up in each display. It really is something to see!
You won't want to miss Callaway's Christmas Village either! It's 22,000 square feet (heated too!) of Christmas magic!
You'll find a ton of Christmas decor and gifts, yummy treats and drinks, and even Santa! You'll also find plenty of choices if you want to grab a bite to eat. We opted for a quick Smore's, roasting our marshmallows over a fire pit. It was a nice, fun touch that my kids enjoyed.
You can find out more about Fantasy in Lights, including dates and prices, on their website. It ends December 30, so be sure to make plans soon! Be sure to think about staying overnight too, since your Fantasy in Lights ticket also gives you daytime admission to the gardens. Last time we visited Callaway, we stayed in the Mountain Creek Inn. But this time we stayed in one of the cottages and oh my goodness.....it was gorgeous! With a full size kitchen and two bedrooms, we were set! And naturally we enjoyed the fireplace after dark! It was the perfect way to end an evening full of Christmas cheer.

To view more photos from our trip to Fantasy in Lights, view my Facebook album.

Keeping it real: My family was provided with complementary accommodations and admission to Callaway Gardens and Fantasy in Lights. All opinions presented here are my own.

Jake And The Never Land Pirates Holiday Episiode

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My kids love Jake and the Never Land Pirates on Disney Channel. I have to say, at first my son was a little scared of the show. But that didn't last long and now he's a big fan! So I was excited to find out that there will be a special holiday-themed episode of Jake and the Never Land Pirates on Friday, December 2!

The episode is titled "It's a Winter Never Land/Hook on Ice". Jake, Izzy, and Cubby awake to find that Peter Pan has left gifts and a Forever-Green Tree in celebration of Winter Treasure Day, and Captain Hook invites Jake and the crew on a winter treasure hunt throughout Never Land. Here is a sneak peek (subscribers, click through to view video):

Your kids won't want to miss this special holiday episode, so be sure to watch Friday, December 2, at 8:30 a.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel.

Next year is going to be a great one for Jake and the crew. Not only will it be the launch of season two, but it will also be the premiere of the first-ever 45-minute series special! That special will be the first time we'll see Peter Pan in the series! Keep your eye on Disney Channel for more information about that!

Keeping it real: My family received an advance screener of the holiday episode along with Disney Junior Mickey ears and a Jake t-shirt. All opinions expressed here are my own.