Story Summary:

This story takes place 14 years after the first one. Superheroes are now illegal and the Parr family has been in kind of a witness protection program. Living in a motel, not using their super powers, life is normal. And boring. When they are offered the chance to becoming super heros again, they jump on it. But it’s not Mr. Incredible who gets the chance to shine, but Elastigirl. They meet uber rich businessman Winston Deavor and his sister Evelyn (who is a tech genius). So, Mr. Incredible does the Mr. Mom thing and takes care of the kids, while Elastigirl does what she does best — be a hero. She meets some new Supers and tackle some new villains, The Underminer and Screensaver.

Can she fight threats and become victorious? Will Supers become legal again? I’m not going to give you any spoilers, but I think you’ll really like The Incredibles 2.

Highlights:

Jack-Jack
Edna (who softens a little with a certain child)
Frozone
Violet’s first romance

The Incredibles 2 features the voices of Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson, Catherine Keener, Bob Odenkirk, Sophia Bush, John Ratzenberger, and Isabella Rossellini.

Is it suitable for littles? There were a few scary parts, but it wasn’t on the level of super scary. Jack Jack battles a raccoon, which was really funny, but a little scary, and then there were a few places where younger kids may be scared. Keep in mind that is a longer movie, so if a child isn’t able to sit for a long time, this probably isn’t the movie for them. I’d recommend it for kids 5 and above.

Want some printables? 

Click any of the links below to download and print out — perfect to take on road trips! 

Violet

Mr. Incredible

Jack Jack (the baby)

Elasigirl

Dash

The post The Incredibles 2 Review appeared first on The Mama Maven Blog.

Pandora – The World of Avatar is an all new land, coming to Disney Word’s Animal Kingdom Park. Pandora will transport guests to a mystical world of bioluminescent rainforests, floating mountains and soaring banshees.

Photo credit: Kent Phillips

In collaboration with filmmaker James Cameron and Lightstorm Entertainment, Disney is bringing to life the fantasy world of Pandora, inspired by Cameron’s epic film AVATAR. We learned about Avatar Flight of Passage – where guests will fly above the jungles of Pandora while riding on a mountain banshee. While it may sound like Soarin – in Epcot, it’s much different. I can’t wait to see it the next time I’m at Animal Kingdom! 

Another experience is the Na’vi River Journey, where guests will board reed boats for Na’vi River Journey, a family-friendly excursion down a rainforest river to see the Na’vi Shaman of Songs.

Photo courtesy of Disney

And yes, you can use your Fast Pass+ for both experiences. 

Check out the Valley of Mo-ara —  all around its enormous floating mountains, you’ll quickly uncover the valley’s one-of-a-kind dining and shopping experiences—along with sights, sounds and experiences that include:

• Exotic plants that come to life with beautiful bioluminescence each night
• A Na’vi-built drum circle, containing instruments playable by all
• Na’vi totems and other cultural items found throughout the land
• Brand-new Wilderness Explorers challenges and badges to collect

You may even come across tour guides from Alpha Centauri Expeditions (ACE), scientists from the Pandora Conservation Initiative (PCI), or even an eclectic expat or two!

Dine at Satu’li Canteen, where you can tuck inside the Quonset-hut structure —long ago an RDA mess hall, now a peaceful dining facility adorned with Na’vi art and cultural items. It’s a fast, casual restaurant and you will be able to use some of the Disney Dining Plans. Make reservations here:

Make sure to stop in Windtraders, a marketplace where the walls have long since been overtaken by natural root structures—which nowadays serve as still-growing displays for a variety of mementos and take-home treasures.From Na’vi cultural artifacts and animal toys to science kits and Alpha Centauri Expeditions (ACE) apparel, you’ll find something exciting for every member of the family here.

Also at Animal Kingdom, don’t miss the dazzling new after-dark show, Rivers of Light, which treats  guests to a celebration of nature in an experience that features water, floats, projections, fire and light choreographed to an original musical score. You can see our video below, we were at Disney in early February. 
 

At Disneyland Resort in California, also opening on May 27 is Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! at Disney California Adventure Park.The chaotic and hilarious adventure combines a breathtaking free-fall sensation with all-new visual and audio effects, plus the attraction’s “awesome mix tape” of music inspired by the films’ soundtracks. Guests will board a gantry lift for multiple, random ride experiences in a pulse-pounding rise and fall as they join Rocket, one of the most unusual heroes a guest will encounter, in a daring plan to free the captive Guardians from The Collector’s Fortress. Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! is the cornerstone of the summertime celebration, Summer of Heroes, where guests will enjoy Super Hero encounters; an awesome dance-off featuring Star-Lord and Gamora; and, for a limited time, a challenging “Avengers Training Initiative” for young recruits.

Also coming to the Disney World Parks this summer:

• • A new nighttime experience premieres at Disney’s Hollywood Studios May 26. A full orchestra will provide the soundtrack for a 40-minute visual journey into The Music of Pixar LIVE!
  • Additional movie replicas from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story welcome guests to Star Wars Launch Bay at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
  • A new family-friendly raft adventure, Miss Adventure Falls, recently debuted at Disney’sTyphoon Lagoon water park.
  • A May 12 opening is set for “Happily Ever After,” the most spectacular fireworks display in the history of the Magic Kingdom.
  • Disney Springs rocks out with more new, food and beverage locations to complete its transition from Downtown Disney. See our review and video of The Boathouse at Disney Springs here or click the video below. 

Extended Theme Park Hours 

For a limited time from May 27 to July 4, 2017, Disney’s Animal Kingdom park will be open from 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM, giving you more time than ever to explore Pandora – The World of Avatar.

“Extra” Extra Magic Hours
In addition, Guests staying at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels will have the chance to enjoy “Extra” Extra Magic Hours—available exclusively in Pandora – The World of Avatar from 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM, May 27 to July 4, 2017.

Please note: this benefit is in addition to the Extra Magic Hours already available to Disney Resort hotel Guests at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park.

Planning Ahead with FastPass+ 
And finally, don’t miss out on the exciting expeditions this all-new land has to offer! Be sure to book FastPass+ selections for Avatar Flight of Passage or Na’vi River Journey long before you arrive.

I was not compensated for this post, I was invited to a luncheon and given a swag bag. Pandora – The World of Avatar Comes to Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom Park

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We had a great flight on Delta and flew into Fort Lauderdale. 

After a dinner of Sushi and Pad Thai, we went for ice cream (and they had dairy free — yeah!!) and called it a night. 

Day 2 – Morning in Boca

We drove 2o minutes to see my Aunt C. and Uncle B. in Boca Raton – I had never been there before. They have an amazing condo on the beach and the cutest dog named Ollie. 

My daughter loved playing with Ollie and then playing on the beach. Next, my aunt took her swimming in the pool and gave her some lessons. 

We went to Parkland to meeting my cousin, his darling wife, and their two girls for a delicious Italian Lunch at Pizza Time Caffe. The food was excellent and I loved seeing my family! While I am not going to post a picture,  I was thrilled to see them. 

Read on for days 3 & 4!

Disney SMMC: Land and Sea 

Disney Social Media Moms 2017 Recap: Going Down to Florida (Days 1 & 2)

#DisneySMMC

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The first night we were in Orlando, I made a reservation at the BOATHOUSE. Being that this was the only night we could go to a restaurant at Disney World, I wanted something special (we were going to have plans for the rest of the nights). While I was browsing the Disney World Website, I kept on coming back to the BOATHOUSE. I had wanted to check out Disney Springs and the menu looked like it would appeal to us. I was a little nervous to make a reservation since I had no knowledge of the restaurant (it’s new) — but it turned out to be a wonderful place to dine.

It was amazing. There are three beautiful, nautically themed rooms and 2 private dining rooms that seat up to 600 Guests. I loved the decor – you can sit in part of a boat made into a booth. But more importantly, the food was delicious, and we were very pleased with the service. My mother and I both had the salmon on a cedar plank entree and it was probably one of the best pieces of salmon that we ever had.

The one thing is that the portions were smaller and they didn’t give you much of a side dish. For the prices that we paid, I wanted more veggies. So we ordered a side dish of asparagus and that did round it out. Note: They do take some of the Disney Dining plans.

There’s fresh seafood,  a raw bar, premium steaks, chops and a kids’ menu. The serving day-boat, line-caught seafood and USDA-Certified Gibsons Blue Star Heritage Angus Beef. If you want a more casual menu, ask to sit outside and get the outdoor menu with an emphasis on sandwiches, burgers and lobster rolls! My daughter’s portion of fried shrimp was delicate and tasty and a generous portion. While we didn’t eat dessert, the kid’s meals came with a sundae.

There are 3 bars: the Captain’s Raw Bar, the Admiral’s Club Bar or the Dock Bar, built overlooking the water and 300-plus feet of boardwalk connecting all areas of the restaurant. 

Check out our video. 

The Boathouse is managed by the award-winning Gibsons Restaurant Group.

Reservations
Reservations are recommended and can be made up to 180 days prior to your visit. Book online or by calling (407) 939-BOAT.

This is not a sponsored post. Disney World Dining: The BOATHOUSE Restaurant at Disney Springs

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The story was presented very differently, with traditional technique and modern technology- like projected snowflakes and special effects. I’ve seen a lot of shows on Broadway, but I’ve never seen the technology used to make a show sparkle like this.

Photo by Matt Stroshane

“Frozen, A Musical Spectacular” tells the story of princesses Anna and Elsa as they navigate the meaning of sisterhood and inner strength, as well as true love. You’ll love seeing Olaf (this actually stole the show for me), Sven, and sweet Kristoff. 

According to Disney, “The show features dynamic costumes and sets, remarkable special effects and spectacular production numbers that delight Disney Cruise Line guests in new and surprising ways. The creative disciplines blend to create a seamless environment – blurring the lines between costume and scenic, set piece and video, puppet and puppeteer – and expand upon the most imaginative elements of the film.”

Photo by Matt Stroshane

Songs like “For the First Time in Forever” and “Love is an Open Door” are expanded into ensemble pieces, while the film’s wintry wizardry are realized in lavish production numbers of “In Summer” and “Fixer Upper.”

Photo by Matt Stroshane

“Let it Go” is amazing — With transformative scenery, snow flurries and state-of-the-art video technology – this show stopping number brings Elsa’s enchanted icy blasts to reality like never before.

“Frozen, A Musical Spectacular” is based on the Walt Disney Animation Studios “Frozen,” which is the No. 1 animated feature of all time. The acclaimed film earned two Academy Awards (2014) for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song.

Photo by Matt Stroshane

This is entirely separate from a two-act Broadway production of “Frozen” that is being prepared by Disney Theatrical Productions and is slated to join Disney Theatrical’s New York productions of “Aladdin” and “The Lion King” for spring 2018 at the St. James Theatre. It will have a pre-Broadway engagement starting in summer 2017 in Denver.

If you are sailing on the Disney Wonder, don’t miss “Frozen, A Musical Spectacular”.

I was invited to the Disney Social Media Moms Conference (Land and Sea) and paid my conference ticket, and additional tickets for my family members, plus flights and travel to and from the airport. I received perks and discounts and had the time of my life. All opinions are mine and mine alone. 

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Our reservation was at 8:10 AM. We were staying at Port Orleans Riverside, so we were told to take the bus to the Magic Kingdom and tell our driver we needed to stop at the Contemporary. I took this to mean that they would stop at the Contemporary for us, but we were dropped at Magic Kingdom and then took a short bus ride to the Contemporary Resort. The buses had shown up to take us there pretty quickly, but I was glad that we built in plenty of time. We left on a 7:15 AM bus from our hotel and we were walking into at the Contemporary Resort by 7:45 AM. I went upstairs to Chef Mickey’s and I just told them we were 25 minutes early for our reservation. They gave me a little beeper thing and after we took our photo with the Mickey Statue, it buzzed and were seated within minutes. The place was already busy and packed. I guess everyone gets up early at Disney World!

There was a huge selection of foods for brunch. If you have a picky kid, there was literally everything under the sun. At this brunch, there was a lot to choose from. It’s $40 for adults and $24 for children. While I still thought the brunch was pricey, it was an experience that I enjoyed and my daughter had a great time. Everyone had the characters visit their table for several minutes and every child there was happy — which, was no small feat. We had Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto visit our table. Every child and adult felt special.

The huge smile on my daughter’s face made it completely worth it. My mom had a great time too.
Check out my video – which shows the full buffet.

Seeing that brunch was costing me $40 for the adults and $24 for my daughter, we all ate big breakfasts, knowing that was going to have to last me most of the day. Disney Dining plans are accepted but don’t count towards the tip. 

The Disney Characters were very friendly and gave hugs, posed for pictures, and they signed loads of autograph books. While the brunch was pricey, I felt we got a lot of value for our meal and my daughter was thrilled. We were not rushed out and our server, Barbara, made sure I had a tea that I liked. Chef Mickey’s — you were amazing. Note: I paid for this myself. We were on a reduced price trip with the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, but not all of our meals were covered. I felt that this was going to be a wonderful experience for my child and it was worth it. 

When we were done, we paid the check, and then hopped onto the Monorail, right from the Contemporary Resort. 4 stops later, we were at the Magic Kindom to start our day!

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When you come in for the show, you sit in a beautiful amphitheater, right on the Discovery River. According to Disney, “Continuing the grand Disney tradition of innovative, after-dark entertainment, “Rivers of Light” combines live performance, floating set pieces, a soaring musical score, fountains and more in a celebration of animals and nature. The story magically unfolds on the broad natural stage of the Discovery River, conveying the uplifting spirit of an ancient and timeless lantern ceremony and filled with symbolism, storytelling and plenty of heart. The show celebrates the magic of nature coming to life and starts with an ancient lantern festival that draws out four Animal Spirit Guides – an Elephant, Owl, Tiger and Turtle. These animals take shape as larger-than-life lantern floats, some of which measure 15-feet-tall and 30-feet-long, and were designed to look as if they were created centuries ago.”

Check out my video — I did cover the music so I didn’t run into music copyright issues. 

Preview: Disney’s Rivers of Light at Animal Kingdom

The show officially opens to the public on February 17 and it’s a must see. 

The Disney Parks Blog also recommends to “make dining or FastPass+ reservations for this new show, visit MyDisneyExperience.com or the My Disney Experience app. And don’t forget that the next step in the expansion of Disney’s Animal Kingdom – the grand debut of Pandora – The World of Avatar – will take place on May 27, 2017.”

For more information about Rivers of Light, check out the Disney Parks Blog — https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2017/02/rivers-of-light-officially-opens-february-17-at-disneys-animal-kingdom/.

I was invited to the Disney Social Media Moms Conference (Land and Sea) and paid my conference ticket, and additional tickets for my family members, plus flights and travel to and from the airport. I received perks and discounts and had the time of my life. All opinions are mine and mine alone. 

The post Disney’s Rivers of Light Show at Animal Kingdom [VIDEO] appeared first on The Mama Maven Blog.

My daughter loves to do crafts and she wants be a fashion designer when she grows up. When Seedling contacted me and asked me if I wanted to check out their new Disney Kits with my daughter, it was a no brainer to say yes. 

Seedling recently launched their own Design Your Own Disney Kits and we couldn’t wait to check them out. They sent us two of the Little Mermaid Kits and I’m going to share the tutorial and video we did with Disney’s Little Mermaid Design Your Own Fintastical Mermaid Tail Kit first.
 

Seedling’s Design Your Own Fintastical Mermaid Tail retails for $39.99 and inspired by Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Mermaid tails are in! With this kit, your child can become a mermaid and make a splash with their own glittering tail—just like Ariel! With tulle, glitter glue, shells, stars, and more, this easy to make DIY kit has everything you need to design your own magical mermaid tail.

I was very impressed that practically everything was included. I didn’t have to hunt for materials – it was all together. 

Everything was planned out well — do you see the “Ariel” on the bottom of the mermaid tail?

My daughter learned how to make a tutu with fastening netting and tulle on the top of the ribbon on the mermaid tail.

She added the felt appliques using glitter glue. We probably should have used regular glue for that and saved the glitter glue for decorating, however we were still able to have a lot of glitter glue left to decorate the mermaid tail. 

It was fun to decorate the mermaid tail!

Check out our tutorial:

How adorable! Ariel would be proud.

We really loved how this came out. My daughter was able to make it her own and add her personality!

Then we put togethertheir Disney’s The Little Mermaid Design Your Own Ocean Crown by Seedling – because every mini mermaid needs a crown. 

 This easy to make DIY kit comes with pearls, starfish, and The Little Mermaid charms. Kids can design and wear their crown, then imagine their own undersea adventures.

The Design Your Own Disney Kits by Seedling offer a fresh, exciting way to dream and design the stories you know and love.

Loved by children and trusted by parents, Seedling’s creative activity kits give kids the materials to craft and design their own toys, costumes, and beyond! Seedling’s award winning products are designed to help families put the child in control of the experience, and to encourage them to make their own creations that can be played with again and again. Visionaries aren’t born, they’re nurtured!

Go here for more info: https://www.seedling.com

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This is a vlog I made right after I was offered this trip. I was completely overcome by emotion when I made it. I will share soon what happened the day before this trip — we had been going through something big with my daughter, A.

It meant a lot to me that I was picked for Disney SMMC and that I was able to take my family, including my inlaws. It is a large financial commitment and I was grateful that we had the money. We paid for the conference for me and for each family member we took + flights and expenses. However, we received INCREDIBLE value with the room we stayed in, the amazing conference, and special meals with spectacular entertainment. We also got a lot of extras that we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.

With two out of my three kids with ADHD, and one of them being really difficult —  I don’t think that we could have managed without my in-laws to help. Unfortunately I got sick on the way down, I was really hoping it was just the dust allergies I had been suffering from but it turned out to be a bad sinus infection. While I wanted to hug everyone, I had to refrain because I wasn’t sure if I was really sick. I still managed to have an amazing time, but I couldn’t do the parks justice on Saturday and Sunday. I am hoping that we return someday so I can see everything I really wanted to. However, my children had such fantastic experiences. They got to go on tons of rides and really have a wonderful time. They got to really explore the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, but they would have liked more time at the Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

The Journey: 
We had my oldest child, B, sleep at my in-law’s Queens apartment the night before so he could meet us at the airport the next morning. He had guessed where we were going already, but I asked him to keep it quiet for my two younger children (A & S).
Here’s the video of how I revealed out trip to my kids. My daughter didn’t react the way I thought she would.

We flew down pretty painlessly to Orlando to NY, but my daughter had a tantrum because she didn’t get the window seat. So my easiest kid turned into a pouting diva. Was not expecting that, but things rarely go the way we think they will. Surprisingly, my youngest (and most difficult child) was pretty happy. Thank you Delta for free movies on our flight! After we landed, we got our large suitcase and headed to catch the Magical Express.

Did you know that if you are staying on property, you can take the Magical Express Bus to your hotel for free? You must make a reservation before (and they’ll mail you luggage tags and a confirmation sheet with a bar code).

Note: Leave yourself a good hour or so to travel from the airport to your hotel, you may have to wait for the Magical Express.

We had to wait around 10-15 minutes for the bus to come and it took us around 40-45 minutes to get to the Yacht Club (we were the 3rd stop). If you need to get there quicker,  ordering a car service or taxi may work better (but it may cost you up to $60). They show cartoons on the bus and it’s pretty comfy, and the price was right (free), so the Magical Express was great for my big family.

The Disney Magic
Disney World is truly magical. Every single cast member we encountered was so sweet and helpful. There were little special touches everywhere that just blew me away. Growing up, we always stayed at budget motels, so to be able to stay at the Disney Yacht Club with my family was amazing. Here’s our room tour.

I loved the nautical decor and even how the housekeeping staff set up our Mickey Plushes on the bed to welcome my kids after a long day in the parks. The lobby is warm and inviting, with a large globe that you can spin and plenty of places to sit. There’s even a TV that shows Mickey Cartoons with kid-sized chairs. This was a big draw for my kids. The front desk was helpful too. My 5 1/2 year old wet the bed the second to last night we were there. I was able to clean him and the bed up and then put him in my bed to sleep. But I was worried that it would happen again. My husband spoke to the front desk and they sent up a shower curtain in a sealed package to line his bed with and sheets to put over it. Genius! I aired out the shower curtain for a while and then made his bed up. Luckily he didn’t wet it again, but it was protected. Note to self: Bring a Huggies Goodnights Disposable bed pad next time.

The Disney Social Media Moms Celebration:
After we dropped our stuff in  our room, I sent my husband, kids, and in-laws off to the parks. They went straight to Hollywood Studios on the boat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finally arrived at Disney World Resorts. @disney #disney #vacation #travel #fun #DisneySMMC #DSMMC #disneyworld #happy #blessed #love

A photo posted by Nancy Johnson Horn (@themamamaven) on May 5, 2016 at 12:50pm PDT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I headed over to the Yacht Club Convention Center, which was right next to where were were staying. 

I’ll totally admit that I felt magical as I walked the halls. 

While I wasn’t feeling up to the Mickey Meet and Greet (I would have felt really bad making Mickey sick), I checked out the fab American Tourister Luggage on display. I love the Minnie Suitcase that American Tourister sent — check out my IG pic. 

 

 

 

 

Can’t wait to meet Minnie Mouse with my fancy new luggage from @amtourister! Thank you so much! @disneymoms #dsmmc

A photo posted by Nancy Johnson Horn (@themamamaven) on May 3, 2016 at 1:58pm PDT

 

 

 

That night we headed over to the Animal Kingdom for our dinner event.

We had a delicious dinner served buffet style. Luckily my youngest behaved as we waited our turn to get food. Then we headed over to Asia for dessert.

We had a stroller coming early Friday Morning, so my husband carried him to Asia and then ended up carrying him when he fell asleep on our way out.

Dessert was looser– tables of mini tarts, cotton candy, cream puffs, Mickey Ice Cream Bars (did you know they are dairy kosher), and fruit bars. The most exciting part was that we were able to ride Expedition Everest as many times as we wanted. I rode it twice and it was AMAZING.

We took the bus back to our resort and put everyone to bed. Thanks for reading our day 1. Days 2-4 coming soon! We Dreamed Big at Disney World #DisneySMMC

Take a look at my Disney SMMC Recap Video

Read our 2nd day recap by clicking on the picture below or here.

I was invited to the Disney Social Media Moms Conference and paid my conference ticket, and additional tickets for my family members, plus flights and travel to and from the airport. 

The post We Dreamed Big at Disney World: Day 1 Recap #DisneySMMC appeared first on The Mama Maven Blog.

Here's our reveal.

Huge thank you to the organizers of Disney Social Media Moms Celebration for making our trip possible. 

Let me know how your kids reacted to Disney World!

Our Disney World Reveal To Our Kids #DisneySMMC

The post Our Disney World Reveal To Our Kids #DisneySMMC appeared first on The Mama Maven Blog.

Here’s my vlog about it, that I made the next day. And  yes, I got emotional.

So why did I get invited? I don’t know. I may never know. But I will tell you this. I did change my attitude last year. Instead of thinking, “Why wasn’t I invited?” — I decided to think about bettering myself and my blog so I would have more to offer as a whole — not just to get Disney’s attention. How could I be better to my readers? What do they want to see? What did I want to do to make things better.
My friend Melody designed a new logo for my site and we changed the colors. I also changed the look of functionality of this blog. I joined blogger groups on facebook to discuss blogging – one of my favorite’s is Brandi Jeter’s Courage to Earn group. The members inspire me daily to do better and to make my blog the best it can be. I spoke to friends like Esti Berkowitz of Primetime Parenting and Divina Rodriguez of Dancing Hotdogs who also inspired me. I got great instagram advice from Kristin Strange of My Strange Family.

I can’t wait to take my family to Disney Social Media Celebration. Hit me up with your best Disney Social Media Moms Celebration memories and going Disney World Tips!

Top Takeaways from Disney SMMC on The Road NYC #DisneySMMC

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What’s Inside:

• Activities, Games and Coloring Pages
• Over 20 Autograph Pages for your favorite characters
• Ride Lists for each ‘land’, plus height requirements
• Scavenger Hunts – one for Disneyland and one for California Adventure
• Questions and fill-in-the-blanks to really personalize your book & keep it as a wonderful memory
• Quotes & Sayings from popular Disney movies
• Joke & Riddles
• And Much More!

No more boring lines at Disneyland – grab this 2016 ‘Unofficial’ Disneyland Activity & Autograph book to keep the kids happily entertained! For this product, you can purchase a downloadable pdf so you can print it yourself (each purchased download is good for ONE immediate family ONLY, for personal use. No printing for others, sharing the download for cost or free, re-distributing and/or selling of any kind.)

Each page is designed to be printed 6×9 in size – or you could print 2 per page, double sided.

Get the 2016 ‘unofficial’ Disneyland Activity & Autograph Book by BusyMomsHelper.com

About the same cost as a regular ol’ Disneyland Autograph book with blank pages!

PDF for $4.99: https://gum.co/dwImr

Printed for $8.99 plus shipping: http://amzn.to/1T86gTG

Danielle is graciously giving one printed book away. Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link (meaning I get a tiny percentage if you order through Amazon). 
Disneyland Activity Book

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We all know it’s not easy to get kids to eat veggies. However, we’re excited to team up with Birds Eye to tell you about their new nutritious, veggie-rich side dishes to kids, featuring Disney characters they know and love. To make it even more fun – we threw a “Frozen” Dinner Party!

Disney fans will be thrilled to see the Disney offerings by Birds Eye that feature pastas in the shape of today’s favorite Disney characters including Anna, Elsa, and Olaf from Disney’s Frozen; Lightning McQueen and Mater from Disney•Pixar’s Cars; and classic characters Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. Birds Eye sent us some VIP Coupons to try out their new Disney by Steamfresh line and some goodies. 

When you have picky eaters like I do, you catching their interest is key. When my original picky eater, B, was little, I had to make sure I really piqued his interest. He would have gone crazy it if I had served him these pasta side dishes. Now I have three kids who sometimes don’t want to eat what I make, so I have to make things fun or interesting. According to the State Of The Plate report, nine out of ten people in the United States do not get enough vegetables. If we want our kids to eat vegetables, we have to find ways to make it more appealing. 

So what can you do to get kids to eat more veggies? There are a bunch of ways, but here are my tried and true ways:

1. Serve veggies that are full of bright colors – carrots are a rich orange, broccoli is a brilliant green, corn is a bright yellow. Make their dinner plate pop with color!
2. Let your kids pick the veggies they want (basically give a choice of two vegetables and they have to choose one).
3. Serve cooked and raw veggies at the same meal. I serve raw with a dip first when my kids are hungry and then again with the main entree – usually chicken or fish.
4. Mix veggies with pasta (this way the veggies have the sauce of the pasta on it and it amps up the flavor of the vegetables). The new Disney offerings by Birds Eye are perfect for this. The pastas have veggies and a light sauce that really will appeal to kids. Plus they cook quickly and you can serve them with chicken or fish as a main dish. What little frozen fan wouldn’t love to enjoy that feature pastas in the shape of Anna and Elsa?
5. Plan theme nights like a Frozen Night, or a Cars Night. Use decorations and small accents to make things special for your kids. Screen the movie after for a family treat.

Our Frozen Dinner Party:

We threw a Frozen Dinner Party! I made breaded chicken tenders (recipe at the end of the post) and served the Anna and Elsa pasta and the Olaf Pasta. I decided to make some signs to make things even more fun! I added a bright yellow tablecloth and places a crown on the table to dress it up.

My kids were delighted! My daughter put on her Elsa dress.

While we waited for the food to be ready – my older son grabbed a sharpie and decorated a white shirt to be the “Snow Monster”. “Queen Elsa” tried to command him.

 Then we feasted. Elsa & Anna’s Pasta & Peas was a big hit.

And so was Kristoff’s Breaded Chicken.

I whipped up a berry smoothie to serve with it. I used frozen organic blueberries and strawberries, plus almondmilk and a little agave.

Even Picky Eater 2.0 enjoyed himself.

Queen Elsa loved it. Her favorite was Olaf’s Pasta and Carrots with a Tomato Sauce.

For dessert, I quickly took some pre-made croissant dough, added some chocolate sauce and baked it.

Recipes:
Kristoff’s Breaded Chicken

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Kristoff's Breaded Chicken

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2 lbs

Author Nancy Johnson Horn, The Mama Maven Blog

Ingredients

• 2 lbs uncooked chicken breast
• Whole wheat bread crumbs
• 4 eggs beaten

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

• Cut chicken into strips or nuggets
• Dip chicken into the egg mixture and then dip into bread crumbs
• Arrange chicken on parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour (turning over after 1/2 hour).
• 

 Frozen Inspired Berry Smoothie

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Frozen Inspired Berry Smoothie

Course Drinks

Author Nancy Johnson Horn, The Mama Maven Blog

Ingredients

• 1 cup berries
• 1 cup almondmilk
• 1 teaspoon agave

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

• Blend and serve
• 

Disney by Steamfresh’s varieties include: whole grain pasta and corn with a butter sauce, pasta and broccoli with a cheese sauce, pasta and peas with a parmesan cheese sauce, and pasta and carrots with a tomato sauce. We love that Birds Eye is striving to increase vegetable consumption among families with convenient and flavorful veggie-filled options for every age group! These four varieties are available now, and for more information on Birds Eye products, visit www.birdseye.com. 

Why we liked it: Birds Eye Disney by Steamfresh was really easy to get on the table and was the perfect veggie packed side dish. Kids will like the lightly sauced pastas and love the fun shaped pasta. Frozen fans will love seeing Anna and Elsa or Olaf, Cars fans will love seeing Mater and Lightning McQueen, and Mickey and Minnie Fans will be excited to see them.

Giveaway has closed. 

The post How to Throw a “Frozen” Dinner Party appeared first on The Mama Maven Blog.

We heard from Jamie Langdon, Disney Destinations Social Media. Jamie spoke about new things at the park, including Paint the Night, and some of the new promotional videos (including “Showing your Disney Side” videos. The key message being—it’s fun to bring your child (of any age) at Disney Parks.

She also spoke about the new show for Disney Cruise Lines, which is Tangled. They’ve added 3 new songs and I can’t wait to hear more about it!

We also heard from chief author/blogger of Disney Parks Blog – Jennifer Fickley-Baker. Jennifer gave us tips for how to get creative in writing. She recommended finding the story in your everyday situations. How you tell your story will make your content stand out amongst others. She also talked about brainstorming. She likes listing — have a idea and create 10-12 approaches to it. As for influencers, Disney likes to cultivate relationships  online and bring then into the parks (ie. Meetups, special events). Disney Springs is coming soon, this is the remodeling of Downton Disney. Check out the video link from the Orlando Sentinel for more info.

Jennifer also spoke about how Disney celebrated their 1,000,000 fan on twitter. Instead of a graphic, they created a stop motion video. Creative, right?
She also mentioned how an experiment during a camping trip by two of her designers yielded this picture.

And it led to them doing it for several scenes in the park – including the one below.

Writing Takeaways 

 – Tell Real Stories – some content is wonderful because it’s true. Her example was of a little girl named Lane who was scared of the characters, so her mom made her fantastic costumes. Now the girl has her own following and people who ask for her.
– Sharpen your writer’s eye. Train your eyes to see the world as amazing.
-When you’re all out of words, take a break and have a conversation with someone. Be sure to laugh. Then go back and try again. 

Victoria Lim, the Managing Editor of Walt Disney World Public Relations gave excellent tips on shooting video and pictures on the go. As someone who’s really trying to bring more video content into her site (have YOU Subscribed to my YouTube Channel? Go here  https://www.youtube.com/user/TheMamaMavenBlog. )

Video Takeaways

– When shooting video on your mobile device, put into airplane mode first to avoid interuptions.
– Shoot horizontally
– Get a microphone (Amazon has a bunch that are reasonable)
– Magisto is a great program to quickly do a video – so easy!
-Be purposeful in shooting
-No MTV style shooting, unless it’s really necessary for the story. You don’t want to make your audience nauseous.

We also heard from Andrea and Amy from Babble. They spoke about best practices with sharing posts. On Babble they keep titles under 70 characters so they are better for sharing.

Social Media Takeaways

-Don’t do clickbait or vaguebooking..

-Sharables are hot

-Quotes over pictures are better for engagement

They also gave great tips for Pinterest and instagram.

Instagram is more brand play – it doesn’t drive to blogs. Use really beautiful photos. 

Greg Joskin, who oversees and executes social media strategy for Disney Theatrical Group, spoke about how Disney’s live productions mixes one of the oldest forms of storytelling (musicals, plays) with newest forms of storytelling (snapchat, twitter). It’s about finding new stories in the SAME stories and engaging the right audience. Increase social mentions with positive sentiment and strengthen brand affinity through engagements across social media.

An example: Alladin’s Magic Lamp Selfie – stuck a lamp picture in the playbill. They want you to take this and do a selfie. This was hugely successful.

We also heard from Barby Segal of the Zeno Group (public relations). She spoke about becoming CEO of her company. She was inspiring and her takeaways were:

-“Don’t be satisfied with the Status quo. Not the behavior of someone who leads.

-“Fearless gives you the courage to turn heads, spark conversation. Be true to your own brand.”

-“Fearless is fuel.”

-“Train your fearless muscles.”

“Fearless is not recklessness.”

We also heard from Marissa Kraxberger, Vice President of Creative for Ivanka Trump.

She spoke on how she and her team transformed Ivanka’s brand from unfocused to strong.

After strategies had been implemented, the brand’s stats are now.

I’m sad I missed the backstage tour of the historic New Amsterdam Theater, but I was lucky enough to take it when we saw Mary Poppins. Go to this link to see our day – http://www.themamamaven.com/2011/11/29/making-disney-memories-with-mary-poppins-the-historic-new-amsterdam-theater-in-nyc/.

Thank to you Disney and BSM Media for inviting me to this event.

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