Summer Breakfast Adventure with General Mills

The summer is flying by (literally) - but we're "launching" a fun breakfast adventure with General Mills cereals including Trix with Fruitalicious Swirls! General Mills has partnered with Nickelodeon's The Penguins of Madagascar for an action-packed and nutritious breakfast. We are having flying penguins all over the house - and it's so much fun!!!

Inside specially marked boxes of General Mills cereals, you'll "commence opertions" with one of five characters from The Penguins of Madagascar, who we all loved from the Madagascar movie series. Each participating cereal box has a cool plastic launcher of Skipper, Rico, Kowalski, Private or King Julien. Use the launchers to join the penguins on "missions" like Dive In, Soldier; Longest Penguin Propulsion Launcher; Clear the Wall, or Target Practice. The missions are all outlined on the cereal boxes...The characters make a great team, and the new release of The Penguins of Madagascar Operation DVD Premiere with awesome DreamWorks animation. This is the world premiere of the Penguins Crew's feature-length DVD. My kids are having a blast at the breakfast table every morning while I really appreciate the Whole Grain nutrition.
The promotion is while supplies last. Please visit General Mills websites for more information:

www.GeneralMills.com
www.GrowUpStrong.com


ENTER TODAY!: I am pleased to host a blog contest for one lucky winner to receive a Big G Penguins Prize package of a box of Trix cereal, a Penguins of Madagascar launcher, and the new Penguins of Madagascar movie, The Penguins of Madagascar Operation: DVD Premier. Please post your comment on this blog and tell me which character from Penguins of Madagascar is your child's favorite? Contest ends on August 16, 2010; 12 AM. One winner will be randomly selected. Winner will be notified by email and must be a US resident.

I received a Big G Penguins Prize Package of a box of Trix, a launcher and copy of the DVD Penguins of Madagascar Operation: DVD Premiere from General Mills and Nickelodeon through MyBlogSpark as well as a second prize package to be sent to the blog contest winner to help facilitate my review.

Disney Bliss and Snow White: Premieres October 6th

Wow - daughter Kristen and I received a special treat this weekend when the USPS mailman delivered a preview copy of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition Combo Pack courtesy of One2One Network! The classic story of a beautiful princess and her haunting struggle of good and evil never grows weary - the 1937 animation remains a treasure as the audience sings, cheers, wishes and dreams for their own "happily ever after"!

For the first time in seven years, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has reopened their vaults to release "The One That Started It All" and this edition features high-definition Blu-ray as well as the DVD in one package. This premieres tomorrow - Tuesday, October 6th, 2009. This launches their all-new product line, Disney's Diamond Collection with the highest quality and immersive experience to day with lots of extras including a music video, Disneyview expanded viewing experience, Disney Family Plan games for everyone to enjoy, Backstage Disney behind the scenes fun of this legendary tale, and Classic Bonus Features including Dopey's Wild Mine Ride Game, Karoke Sing A Long, Hyperion Studios, Magic Mirror hosting, and more!!! The standard definition version will be released on November 24, 2009.

We had a really special time together cuddled up last night watching the DVD in her room. It was a cozy and genuine mom-daughter time as we laughed and thrilled throughout the movie. We had it on video, but this is far superior.

I highly recommend this new package for every family - a true treasure to add to your collection for years to come! The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition is priced at $39.99 SRP. For more information visit:

www.disney.com

I received a complimentary DVD package from One2One Network in appreciation of my reviews.

Baby Einstein Premiere Party - Discover Our World Together

Wow, I was in for a treat when I was recently able to host a fun, interactive celebration featuring the new Disney's Baby Einstein World Music DVD and CD for some of my favorite little friends! Special thanks to my friends at www.momcentral.com to providing us with the DVD, CD, and Baby Einstein-themed party goods to share for our event.

The music was lots of fun for little ones ages birth and up for the CD and recommended from 3 months and up for the DVD. The DVD is great to enjoy with your child and friends. The music truly is a global perspective, "...a concert for little ears!" and even includes the lyrics to sing a long. I loved that several of the songs are in the native languages - fascinating for little ones to gain exposure to new sounds and experiences...

World Music is a great introduction to those sweet, little ears to amazing songs and music from around the world. What a treat for the senses! Our group of little folks completely enjoyed it from start to finish - it certainly was a fresh, new perspective to watching the DVD in a group setting, but it held everyone's interest for the full 37 minutes of the show as we explored new cultures together.

My daughter Kristen (age 10) was excited to check it out and we had some fun "shakin our groove thing" to the beat!

I encourage you to share this with your family soon - it's readily available at all retail outlets (B&M and online).

Disney Baby Einstein World Music CD Playlist:
1. Baby Einstein World Music Overtune
2. African Savnna Morning
3. Eagle Song (Hopi Tribe)/Billy Boy -North American Medley
4. Piruliot (lollipop) - Brazil
5. Londonberry Air/Garry Owen Jig (traditional) - A Celtic Medley
6. I am Happy - Africa
7. Mo Li Hua (Jasmine Flower) - China
8. Pilsen Polka (melody from Remembrances of Pilsen Polka, Smetana)
9. Aradiban Dance (meldoy from Peer Gynt, Grieg)
10. Bonnie
11. Trepak, Tchaikovsky - Russian Dance
12. Rainstick Joey - Australia
13. Anila Ghungroo - India
14. Golden Trompong - Indonesia
15. Bard, the Piper - Trinidad
16. Rainforest Dance
17. Shoo Fly - US
18. Arroz con Leche (vocal in Spanish) - Puerto Rico
19. Alouette (vocal in French) - France
20. Kogame, Kogame (vocal in Japanese) - Japan
21. This World, Our Wolrd
22. Ho Watanay - An Iroquoi Lullaby

Barbie & The Diamond Castle

Wow, as a mom of a young lady and Girl Scout leader I can really appreciate how our girls of today are growing up way too quickly! Mattel's Barbie has been a friend of mine since girlhood. I even have my entire Barbie collection saved from those fabulous days of dressing Barbie, getting her ready for a big date with Ken, and decorating her Malibu beach house! Oh where does the time go?

Back to reality, my daughter is still enjoying her Barbies, and we recently were treated to a copy of the new animated, feature-length DVD, "Barbie & The Diamond Castle" to watch with her friends at Girl Scouts. To top it all off, Mom Central (www. MomCentral.com) and Mattel provided the girls with a special viewing party complete with a new Diamond Castle Barbie doll to share, popcorn, and princess treat bags! The movie was a perfect fit for the girls (ages 9-12). They enjoyed it tremendously.

The plot of the movie has Barbie and Teresa share a fairy tale of Liana and Alexa, best friends who share everything including their love of music. The girls face challenges throughout their adventure and learn the importance of friendship. In today's crush of media messages featuring less than ideal childhood messages, I feel so inspired and gratified that Mattel and Barbie remain true to message that today's girls can be strong, smart and wholesome while having fun!

The troop has decided to give back to their community throughout the scouting year so last week we gathered up some cleaning supplies (provided by www.wesponsoranything.com and Greased Lightning Cleaning products) to thoroughly organize and clean our host church's Sunday School Room. The troop divided and conquered the mess and polished the room to a beautiful glow! The church staff were very appreciative of their hard work and efforts to clean the space.

The parents and I worked behind the scenes while the girls cleaned to create a fun surprise party for them when they returned from their cleaning. They were so surprised to find the room completely decorated and treats awaiting their return!

The best-friends movie gave our troop an opportunity to experience giving back and celebrating together with lots of fun and fascination.