What a summer. I knew it would fly by and it certainly has but not without the most awesome, amazing mid-summer event called Blogger Bash event in NYC this last July.

Between running kids to camp and traveling to my mom’s and to the mountains, I had the opportunity to swing up to New York for a quick overnight stay. I wasn’t 100% sure I would be able to attend Sweet Suite on the first night since it came down to the wire the day before when my teenager took her driver’s license test. The entire 2nd half of the summer rested on whether she passed and … wait for it… she PASSED and YES, my freedom to attend Sweet Suite and head out for travel plans for the next two weeks were an official GO. Yay!

Now, on to the party. The two day event started with a VIP experience with several guest appearances including Big Ang from Mob Wives. During the day, we also received a lovely handbag from MZWallace.  We also heard the latest from the Disney Infinity peeps and got a sneak peek at new characters being added.

You can see above a couple of PSMM (Philly Social Media Moms) ladies with our MZ Wallace bag swag. (Instagram photo by Whitney of Mommies with Style.)

I also talked to the one and only amazing my social media hero Ciaran Blumenthal, founder of Hashtracking, in the hallway and over dinner that night. Love the site for tracking hashtags, love her.

In the evening, everyone was treated to the one and only Sweet Suite with vendors of all sorts who came out to show off the hottest new toys.

Loved the idea of these new Vtech Kidizoom Smartwatches for kids — bringing kids into this generation in a fun way; though, knowing the propensity of kids to focus on the gross and bizarre and embarrassing, the photo-taking & video options worried me a little.

 

Loved these quality costumes by Just Pretend Kids. Check out their site for new all-in-one party box options.

 

And, the awesome cold tea options by Rooibee Red Tea made the event that much sweeter! So very delish.

On day two, participants were treated to more events, speakers and sponsor highlights. Starting mid-day, I excused myself from the masses and join in the prep for #EAEvents from 4-6 pm after quickly jumping into the Bloganthropy awards to check out all the awesome bloggers nominated and recognized for using social media for good, run by Debbie Bookstaber.

 

And, then in the middle of the events, I got a call to come pick up the MiP Robot! My card had been drawn from the bowl where I dropped it earlier. How totally fun. I love winning things. The MiP is equipped with GestureSense™ Technology and responds to hand motions & objects to move.

Returning home, I left for two weeks of travel, during which my very special Sweet Suite Box arrived! I don’t have room in one post here to list every single vendor but below you see listed my 10 faves from the event and/or box. You may see some more of the products showing up in upcoming posts and you can see both links to the companies and to where you can buy most of them on Amazon below.

10 of my fave items from the event/swag box included:

1. Skylanders by Activision – a hot item with my nephew. He went nuts over the one that came in my box.

2. Creativity Can by Faber-Castell – My girls were immediately drawn to the variety of materials and at separate times, created their own imaginary figures from the items in the can.

3. Disney Infinity (We actually received a Tinker Bell at the party to carry home.)

4. SpinMaster Kinectic Sand which I saw at the event or SandsAlive by PlayVisions which we received in our box.

5. SpinMaster Zoomer – a fun robot dog you can train to do tricks.

6. Banagrams WildTiles – The game is changing! Try your hand at the new WildTiles version.

7. Blox & Bits by Goldie Blox – The toys for future innovators and engineers! Book set meets construction set for girls.

8. Kidz Bop 26 Biggest Hits sung by kids for kids. Despite all the ways to get music out there, it’s still nice to get pre-made compilations you can trust and pop into the car CD player when out and about or in the boombox at home.

9.  Minecraft Toys by Mojang – My teen daughters love collectible items representing their favorite games. Minecraft, which takes up plenty of their time, is not exception.

10.  Reverse Charades by USAopoly. With older kids, we love all the games we can get. We haven’t tried this one yet but I am looking forward to it.

Here are the items (or similar) listed above on Amazon:

What fun, huh?! What is a favorite item you see pictured here?

Come meet the stars of The Giver this Friday in Cherry Hill. Here are the details:

Friday, August 8: Cherry Hill Mall
4:00 PM – Color Party Activities begin
5:00 PM – Q&A with Brenton Thwaites and Odeya Rush
5:30 PM – VIP autograph signing
6:00 PM – Event ends

*Event will take place by the Cherry Hill Mall Macy’s.

*Activities to include photo booth, hot pink candy bar, hair chalking and nail painting, spin art, a special art wall, Q&A with the stars and lots of fun giveaways!

Event is free and open to the public!

Movie opens nationwide on Friday, August 15.

ABOUT THE GIVER MOVIE:

The haunting story of THE GIVER centers on Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community. The film is based on Lois Lowry’s beloved young adult novel of the same name, which was the winner the 1994 Newbery Medal and has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.

thegiverfilm.com/
facebook.com/TheGiverMovieOfficial
twitter.com/thegivermovie

After 70 years, Smokey Bear continues to share the message: “Only YOU can prevent forest fires.” Did you know that 9 out of 10 forest fires are started by humans? Thanks to Smokey and his familiar phrase, we have reduced the number of acres lost to wildfires from 22 millions to today’s yearly average of 6.5 million. That is amazing.

Help us celebrate Smokey Bear, a classic figure in American culture and key messenger for fire safety. First, sign Smokey’s birthday card! It would mean the world to him!

Another way is to get your kids familiar with Smokey. Teach them his ABC’s: Always Be Careful with fire!  He also offers great resources and activities for children: http://smokeybear.com/.

Lastly, join Smokey for a Twitter Chat today, Wednesday August 6, from 2pm-3pm EST. Follow @smokey_bear with hashtag #SmokeyBDay. Come chat about your outdoor activities this summer and how you are helping keep our great outdoors safe for everyone!

You can connect with Smokey on  Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter.

This last week was exhausting and fun as I joined the team of Element Associates in creating the Blogger Bash Social Suite during the two-day Blogger Bash event in NYC this last week.

My Suburban was loaded to the top as we made our way from outside Philadelphia all the way to NYC to set up tables and signs in Studio 1 of Location 05 and get ready for the crush of bloggers interested in checking out all of our amazing sponsors.

Check out some of the fun pictures and information about the sponsors who joined us below.

JOSEPH NOGUCCI

Bloggers attending were the first to see the new Miii jewelry collection by Joseph Nogucci. Miii bracelets are crafted from semiprecious stone beads and gleaming rhodium-plated magnets  designed to bring all of your bracelets together in a perfect arm stack. Like individual charms on a bracelet, each Miii commemorates a specific milestone or memory.

 

SMOKEY BEAR 

#EAEvents focused on social good also.  Smokey Bear, who celebrates his 70^th Birthday in 2014, posed for photos and shared birthday cake with bloggers. Nine out of ten wildfires are started by humans, and Smokey Bear still plays a key role in educating the public that “Only YOU can prevent wildfires.”  You can help wish Smokey a Happy Birthday by signing his online card: https://www.facebook.com/smokeybear/app_647757158645348

COVERGIRL

COVERGIRL provided beauty services as well as COVERGIRL Colorlicious Lip Gloss samples to the bloggers attending. Manicures featuring the new COVERGIRL XL Nail Gel collection—the polishes provide the plump, polished look of a gel manicure without having to go to the salon. The formula glides on smoothly and evenly, and one coat is all you need. Also, there’s no UV light required. Makeup touch-ups featuring essential beauty products for moms-on-the-go including: COVERGIRL’s new #instaGLAM Collection (Ready Set Gorgeous Liquid Foundation, Ready Set Gorgeous Concealer, Ready Set Gorgeous Fresh Complexion Pressed Powder, and Colorlicious Lip Gloss), Bombshell ShineShadow by LashBlast, truMAGIC, and Clump Crusher by LashBlast Mascara. Picture by MomConfessionals

AUTOTEX PINK

AutoTex Pink encouraged bloggers to help “Wipe Out Breast Cancer.” A donation is made from each purchase of AutoTex Pink wiper blades to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. AutoTex Pink wiper blades are available in pink or in black with a pink ribbon online at www.thecequentstore.com.

WASHDROPS

Bloggers received samples of Washdrops, an award-winning green car wash solution. Finally, there is a quick, easy and environmentally responsible way to wash your vehicle.  Washdrops uses only one bucket of water—no hose or rinse is required to get a beautiful shine. Washdrops is ideal for school and non-profit car wash fundraisers too!

 WUBBLE

Everyone had a chance to play with the amazing Wubble Bubble Ball, which looks like a bubble but plays like a ball.  The Wubble ball is available for $19.99 at Target stores nationwide. Picture by Mom Confessionals

 

Additional Sponsors included friends from at Affiliate Summit,  JetSet Dress, author Lauren Willig and Alex’s Lemonade stand who came with delicious lemonade and lemon flavored candies and Peeps.

Seeing all the wonderful bloggers I know and meeting so many new ones made every exhausting moment worth the energy put into this event. Next year, anyone?

 

 

Q&A with Julie Bowen, voice of Disney’s Planes: Fire & Rescue, in theaters July 18, 2014.

What is “Planes: Fire & Rescue” about?

“Planes: Fire & Rescue” picks up after Dusty Crophopper has become a big racer. But now he’s injured and he has to find another way to use his many talents—so he decides to become a firefighter.

It’s really about second chances. Dusty’s very much like an athlete who has to reinvent himself and find out what he can do after reaching his dreams. I hope that kids will watch and just enjoy what’s really a fun family movie—but then the bigger message will sink in later. It’s not about winning a prize in the end. It’s about doing good for the community.

How does Dusty reach new heights in this film?

“Disney’s Planes” was a hit because we watched him follow a dream. This time, he’s like an athlete who’s coming off the field now, and he has to reinvent himself for act two of his life and make it meaningful. That’s challenging and scary. There’s a real sense of adventure in the movie, too. Dusty has to up his game because this isn’t just about vanity or going fast; it’s about saving lives.

Who’s Dipper?

She’s an air tanker who is part of the air attack team. Dipper’s a little crazy or maybe not quite crazy—very hopeful, we like to say. She was written a little kooky, but luckily [director] Bobs [Gannaway] and everybody else involved in the production encouraged me to be as weird as I wanted to be with her. They’d say, ‘Here’s the line we wrote—now go nuts.’ They let me go all kinds of nuts because she’s odd—in a good way—and tries to use her feminine wiles on Dusty. She’s a very enthusiastic fan of Dusty. She recognizes him right away when he joins the fire and rescue squad. She’s very warm and welcoming—maybe a little too welcoming.

Do you see yourself in Dipper?

I gave Dipper certain sounds and mannerisms I think. And it turns out I have a lazy jaw and I mush my words around a little. I had to make that my strength—I made my nervous energy and my ability to talk very quickly into part of the character. [Director] Bobs [Gannaway] really encouraged me to make a lot of quick turns and changes from talking fast to suddenly going slow. And that just worked.

What do your kids think of the role?

They were like, “You’re gonna be a plane?” They are so excited and honestly if my kid get a chance to love something that I do for my job, that’s great.

I have three boys, I have no girls, yet I grew up with three girls, no boys. So I grew up on a lot of the princess movies: Ask me anything about “Cinderella” and I can tell you every single word of those movies. So to participate in “Planes: Fire & Rescue” is so exciting for me. I get to be part of their world. They’d love to immerse themselves in this world.

Can you describe the look of the movie?

What I think is really cool is that it doesn’t have a super bright-saturated-primary color feeling. There’s atmosphere—elements are slightly faded or muted, giving it a vintage feeling. It all adds up to being timeless. It’s not a time or place in the future or the past.

What are your thoughts on the animation process?

It was a little intimidating at first. The first time I came in to record, they showed me all the artwork they had done up to that point—rough sketches, drawings, paintings of the world. It’s a little scary when you realize the amount of work and time it takes to create an animated movie. I babble in a dark room and then somebody has to make a plane with a personality—with life in her eyes and my voice coming out of her mouth. It’s an insane amount of labor and attention to detail.

Why should people see this movie?

There’s a lot of action and it is really exciting. As a mom of three little boys, I look at this movie through their eyes—it’s so detailed, it’s so incredible and it’s so much more advanced than some of the films that I grew up watching.

I think that there’s always heart in a Disney movie. There’s always something that the adults can watch alongside the kids and everybody can connect to. There’s humor and pathos and intelligence, but you don’t get hit over the head while it’s happening. It’s just fun.

(NOTE: CONTENT PROVIDED BY PR TEAM)

Go back in Planes history with the original DVD available on Amazon:

 

Ready.gov created a vital tool to use our phones to send us quick, life saving messages called WEAs (Wireless Emergency Alerts).

Wireless Emergency Alerts are automatic texts sent to you in an emergency. Alerts received at the right time can help keep you safe during an emergency. With WEA, warnings can be sent to your mobile device when you may be in harm’s way, without need to download an app or subscribe to a service.

About the WEAs:

There are several more resources Ready.gov offers to help you and your family get the most prepared in the case of an accident.

o   Building an Emergency Kit.

o   Making a Family Communications Plan

o   Download the How to Prepare for a Hurricane Guide: 
Hurricanes have the power to cause widespread devastation, and can affect both coastal and inland areas. How to Prepare for a Hurricane explains how to protect yourself and your property, and details the steps to take now so that you can act quickly at a time when every second counts.

In my ongoing efforts to share quality entertainment, my new love in life are the Broadway musicals at the Academy of Music and the Merriam Theater and all the venues under the umbrella of the Kimmel Center.

Right now at the Academy of Music, you can enjoy RAIN: A tribute to the Beatles and next week, the classic Evita – both of which sound wonderful. I have heard that RAIN will remind you of Beatles songs that you may even have forgotten they sung which I found true at Jersey Boys too – an ode to Franki Valli and his musical crew.

Buy tickets now for RAIN and EVITA.

Here is the information on RAIN and Evita below:

 

 

Last night, we enjoyed a delightful evening down in Philadelphia soaking in the rich architecture of the Academy of Music as The Wizard of Oz blew into town for the week.

My official statement is that Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new production of The Wizard of Oz is in Philly for WAY too short. This adorable and enchanting adaptation really hits a familiar and fun cord and even inspired several “munchins” in the audience to come dressed as little Dorothy’s and to sing along during the production — which led to us changing seats at the intermission to hear the show itself but the show was so engaging that it moved along quickly and kept us all entranced.

Before the show, we met with my sister for a lovely dinner across the street at the Perch Pub which had amazing burgers for a reasonable price. After dinner, we headed over to the show where the staff greeted us warmly and showed us to our seats.

Since the Kimmel Center started the Broadway show series, we have thoroughly enjoyed a range of musical selections that have awed and inspired my daughters as they grow in their own musical and creative skills. For me, it’s been a great opportunity to connect with family and enjoy Philadelphia. The ride into the city alone is such a deterant to making the trip in (last night it took 1 1/2 hrs in stop ‘n go traffic) but the experience itself makes it worth the effort and I appreciate all that the Kimmel Center is doing to bring quality entertainment to the city.

Looking around us at the show, I noticed that on the third night all the box seats were full and the season ticket holders were out in full force. Seats around the Academy were also well filled out showing the success of this attraction. The show brought in a range of ages and allowed children to enjoy a massive musical experience that really engaged and entertained (especially with a REAL Toto joining Dorothy throughout the performance.) The sets were phenomenal and perfectly complimented the flow of the show.

If you haven’t already become a Kimmel Center member, join today for discounts at local restaurants. Also, all patrons who make a contribution at any level to the Kimmel Center will receive Advance Purchase Opportunities on select Kimmel Center Presents and Broadway Philadelphia performances. Definitely worth the investment if you are going to head in for a couple of shows during the year.

ABOUT THE SHOW:

“We’re off to see…” the most magical adventure of them all. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new production of The Wizard of Oz is an enchanting adaptation of the all-time classic, totally reconceived for the stage by the award-winning creative team that recently delighted London and Toronto audiences with the revival of The Sound of Music. Developed from the ever popular MGM screenplay, this new production contains all the beloved songs from the Oscar®-winning movie score, all the favorite characters and iconic moments, plus a few surprises along the way, including new songs by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Click your heels together and join Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, Dorothy, and her little dog Toto, as they journey through the magical land of Oz to meet the Wizard and obtain their hearts’ desires. Watch out for the Wicked Witch of the West and her winged monkeys as you rediscover the real story of Oz in this fantastic musical treat for all the family.

BUY TICKETS:
Head over to the Kimmel Center Broadway tickets website to purchase tickets now through Sunday at 1 pm.

WATCH THE TRAILER: