This week is National Shoe Week!  Can you believe it? An entire week dedicated to my favorite accessory!  I’m not the type of woman who spends extravagant amounts of money on “things” but a fashionable, well-fitting shoe is something I consider to be a valuable investment. To celebrate, I headed over to The Shops at Mission Viejo to shop and see what kinds of deals are presently running.

In my twenties, my shoe choices were largely focused on fashion. They were the types of shoes that weren’t really designed to be walked in.  With two children in tow, comfort and support are vital, but I don’t want to sacrifice style.  Apart from the mall’s two department stores, there are 15 stores at The Shops at Mission Viejo that offer shoes for men, women, and children.  One of my favorite shoe designers has a store at this particular mall, but on the day I wasn’t able to find the right “fit” at Steve Madden so I headed over to Macy’s, my go-to for apparel, fashion, and makeup.

Two of my favorite comfort shoe brands have a large presence at the department store and Macy’s happened to be having a wonderful shoe sale!

I picked up these leather platform sandals in black from Born.  Despite the fact that I could live in these shoes, they’re attractive and versatile, allowing me to wear them with dresses and slacks or capris and jeans. Born prides themselves on offering handcrafted styles and premium leathers with an attention for detail.

The retail price of these shoes is $90, but together with the pair of gold platform sandals I picked up from Clarks (which retail for $94.99)  my total bill ended up being approximately $105 plus tax which is a great deal!  I received an additional 25% off each shoe because my bill totaled over $100 making each pair of shoes half price.

Despite the abundance of shoe stores that have a presence at this particular Simon Malls location, I often shop at Macy’s because of the expansive selection and affordable prices. With Memorial Weekend coming up, I imagine most of the stores will have some type of sale, however, for store-specific specials and deals, just visit the website.

Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. A Simon Malls Gift Card was provided by Simon Malls to help facilitate this review and this post does not necessarily represent Simon Property Group’s positions, strategies or opinion

Photo Credit: Rockin’ Mama

Publix,  one of the most popular supermarket chains in the Southeast, is currently running a promotion where you can get a $5 gift card with any $30 purchase from one of the following brands (please see websites for specific product details):

General Mills

Charmin

Totino’s

Pillsbury

Betty Crocker

Tide

Crest

Aussie

Herbal Essences

Luv’s

Purchases must be made between May 16th and June 2nd to quality for the gift card.  Publix offers additional ways to save on their website, including an iPhone app.  One of the tips I like and try to stick to is purchasing store brands when feasible.  You can check out more ways to save on Publix.

Win It!  One of you will win a $25 Publix Gift Card. Simply leave me a comment with your best tip for saving at the grocery store.  Comments will close on June 2nd, 2012 at 11:59 PM PST.

US Residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

Want an extra entry? Do any or all of the following and receive an extra entry for each one. Be sure to leave me a separate comment for each additional entry.

Follow me on Twitter and tweet the following (or something like it) “ I just entered a #giveaway to win a @Publix Gift Card @rockinmama  ” Daily tweets are allowed but please put the permalink so I can keep track.

Rockin’ Mama Facebook fans automatically receive an extra entry

Subscribe to my feed via email or reader.

Blog about this giveaway. It doesn’t have to be a separate post. Just include a blurb about it when you blog about other giveaways.

Click on one of the very cute buttons below and digg, stumble, fav, etc. Just let me know what you did in the comments

No compensation was received for this post. Publix gift cards for review/giveaway supplied by MyBlogSpark.

I’ve lived in Southern Calfornia my entire life, and traveled up and down the coast, yet there are places I’ve never visited.  Monterey is a small coastal city, rich in history and culture. A number of famed artists and writers once called the city home, including John Steinbeck, who’s legend lives on in statutes and memorials throughout the city.

The purpose of my trip was to meet with the California Strawberry Commission for an immersive, two-day dive into all things strawberry!  We started in the fields and learned all about how strawberries are grown, picked, packed, and shipped to local stores across the country.  After two days of strawberry-infused meals, I can honestly say that I am even more passionate about this fruit, packed with immune-boosting, cancer-fighting nutrients.

As is customary when I travel, I took a series of iPhone shots to photo journal my trip. Here are my favorites:

What have you “captured” this week?  Share your photos below!

Photo Credit: Rockin’ Mama

Shot with an iPhone, filtered with Snapseed

No compensation was received for this post.

During my visit to Pixar Animation Studios, I actually spent a bit of time learning about archery from both the experts they brought in and Jim from Wired.com/GeekDad.  Having taken archery in high school (random right?), I recalled some basic information about how to hold the bow and arrow and proper stance but I definitely needed a refresher.

Here are some tips I learned about hitting the mark:

1. The right bow. Interestingly enough, there are actually several different types of bows, and if you’re an expert, one will be fitted for you (I learned this during my time at the US Olympic Training Center.

2. A proper stance.  Merida models the perfect stance in this scene and throughout the film.  The bow and arrow should be held firmly and steadily and when the string is pulled back, the anchor point should be either the corner of the mouth or the cheek.

3. The Perfect Aim.  Once the bow and arrow are in position and you are ready to draw the string, one eye should be closed to focus on that spot you wish to hit on the target.

4. Follow Through.  Hold your position until the arrow hits the target.  Altering your stance and position of the bow prematurely can result in missing the mark.

You can see more of Merida’s mad bow and arrow skills this June when Disney/Pixar reelases Brave!

Travel expenses associated with the event were provided by Disney.

Photos Disney/Pixar.

Do I have more weight than I did before children? Yes.  Are there areas I’d like to tone and firm? Absolutely.  But overall, I have enough confidence not to hide behind a cover-up.  It helps that a Lands’ End Swim Expert assisted in helping me find a swimsuit that fits!  My body’s proportions aren’t exactly to scale when it comes to tops and bottoms, so I chose a swimsuit from the brand’s SwimMates collection. The bikinis and camis offer true bra sizing for the appropriate fit and women can select from two types of coverage with regards to bottoms.  If you prefer a bit more coverage, Lands’ End offers skirts and shorts. The “4 Piece Bikini” offers a layered look and includes a bikini top, cami, bottoms, and skirt or shorts and everything was designed to swim in.  A proper fitting swimsuit with the amount of coverage a woman desires can make a huge difference in boosting a woman’s confidence about wearing a swimsuit, regardless of her shape and size.

National Swimsuit Confidence Week was initiated last year to help educate and inspire women to embrace their confidence and beauty for an enjoyable summer.  Spring is always deemed that unofficial season where women are to get in shape in preparation for swimsuit season.  While I believe fitness and health are vital to a woman’s beauty and confidence, I don’t think that she should have to hide or abstain from wearing a swimsuit simply because she’s still working on attaining her goals for fitness and beauty.  I am honored to be one of the 100 bloggers selected to proudly show off their swimsuit confidence!  Additionally, 21 writers from Curvy Girl and 20 breast cancer survivors from Beyond the Boobie Trap will be featured on the Lands’ End Facebook page in swimsuits.

Do you have swimsuit confidence?

No compensation was received for this post.  I was provided with a swimsuit from Lands’ End as part of my participation in this campaign.  

Anticipation for Disney/Pixar’s latest film Brave is growing, and in preparation for the red carpet premiere and release in June, I’ll have some inside information about all that went into the creative process.  During our time at Pixar Animation Studios, we had an opportunity to sit down with Claudia Chung (Simulation Supervisor), Louis Gonzales (Story Artist), Steve Pilcher (Production Designer) and Tia Kratter (Shading Art Director) to discuss the nearly 7 year process of creating the computer animated film.

Every time I see a film, particularly one that is animated, I think back to our interview with John Lasseter and his perspective on what makes a good movie:

Tell a compelling story; populate it with memorable and appealing characters; and put those characters in a believable world – John Lasseter

At the heart of Brave is a story about a mother and a daughter who don’t see eye to eye, stated Gonzales. During his presentation, he shared some insights on what it takes to get an idea onto the screen as a full-feature animated film.  The story itself is constantly being fleshed out…refining and building so that they deliver a story everyone is proud of.  During the early stages of the film-making process, the artists are drawing based on an idea, and it’s only when the creative team approves the outline that they are given a budget to do formal research.

Gonzales spent 10 days in Scotland soaking in as much of the people, culture, weather, and landscape as possible.  The team took over 10,000 photos, drawing and documenting everything they observed and experienced to give the film an authentic Scottish feel.  “We want to tell honest stories with honest characters so people can relate to them” stated Gonzales.  Brave is set in 900 A.D. and everything from the earthy castle to the overgrown trees in the forest reflects that old world feel the artists aspired towards.  While in Scotland, Gonzales recalled spending time with a group of locals who played folk music.  The team asked questions and listened to their stories, experiences that sometimes make their way into a film.  They also went to observe Scottish Highland Games and archery and met with a farmer who cared for Clydesdale horses, all of which are replicated authentically in the film.

Gonzales is as knowledgeable as he is talented and shared some interesting facts about the film’s creative process.  A typical scene consists of anywhere from 200 to 500 drawings and each scene takes 3-5 days to complete.  One hundred scenes were drawn but only 35 made it into the film. Over 111,000 storyboards were drawn for the film (with at least 25% more drawn that were not submitted) and if you want some comparative perspective, you’ll find that 80,000 storyboards were drawn for Cars 2 and +92,000 were drawn for Toy Story 3.  As you can imagine, the film is visually stunning and spot on in it’s depiction of Scotland.

In addition to helping the artists create a believable world, the team’s two research trips to Scotland helped define the characters in the film.  Both attire and the environment a character is placed in for any given scene helps to visually emphasize their personality.

Elinor (Merida’s mother) carries the weight of the kingdom on her shoulders, said Shading Art Director Tia Kratter.  To emphasize that, the team gave her more weight on the bottom, bound her hair in soft fabrics and added vertical shapes to depict the control she thrives on.

Similarly, Merida is wild and adventurous and her hair is a direct representation of her spirit.  In fact, according to Simulation Supervisor Claudia Chung, Merida’s hair was a character unto itself.  With over 111,000 curls rendered on Merida’s head, you can undesrstand why it took 2-3 years to hone down the final look of her hair.

Even after watching the first 30 minutes of Brave, I gained a sense of the creativity and professionalism that was involved “from page to screen.” As we get closer to the film’s release, I’ll be sharing more information and exclusive interviews from the filmmakers.

Travel expenses associated with the event were provided by Disney.

Photos Disney/Pixar.

Macy’s, one of my favorite go-to department stores for clothing, shoes, accessories, and makeup, released several new items in their women’s activewear and swimwear departments for 2012.  Since I’ll be participating in National Swimsuit Confidence Week, I decided to select an outfit from their activewear department.

Having shopped at the chic and moderately upscale department store for many many years, I know that only the most reputable brands have a presence throughout the store.  Since fashion is just as important as function, I opted for a matching white, crewneck shirt paired with lightweight bootcut pants.  When I think of a line of activewear that is flattering and performs well, Nike comes to mind, which is one of the reasons I selected these two items.

The tee features Dri-Fit fabric which was designed to keep the wearer cool and dry as it wicks away moisture.  It also offers UV protection for those who prefer to exercise outdoors.  The Jersey Bootcut pants are lightweight, stylish, and comfortable, and I definitely feel like I could go to the grocery store or run errands without having to change.

Macy’s assortment of activewear for women is expansive and includes pieces from reputable brands such as Champion, Nike, Puma, and The North Face.  Their online store is easy to navigate and shoppers can search by brand, apparel type, size, color, and price.  For more information, just visit their website.

No compensation was received for this post. The items received for review were provided by GigaSavvy.

Edinburgh is the only other place my husband and I have called home.  The people are warm and hospitable with a rich culture that they are proud of.  The city is picturesque and historic, surrounded by draw-dropping views and intricate architecture.  The Scottish culture permeates the city, yet there is a modern, cosmopolitan feel.

Photo Credit: Disney/Pixar

Disney/Pixar will release Brave in theaters nationwide on June 22nd, and having seen the first 30 minutes in San Francisco last month, I can tell you that the filmmakers authentically depicted the Scottish culture throughout the film.  In fact, throughout the press day, we participated in a variety of interactive activities to bring us up to speed on Scottish culture.  During my time in Edinburgh, I wondered if I would still see men wearing kilts in our modern era.  The answer?  Yes!

So what exactly is a kilt?  It’s a knee-length garment made of woollen cloth in a Tartan pattern (Wikipedia).  While it you might think it resembles a skirt, women aren’t allowed to wear one for various reasons, including the fact that men don’t wear anything underneath (don’t think too much about that fact!).

There is an entire ritual dedicated to the proper wearing of the kilt, and Crystal from Simply Being Mommy details it precisely in her post, Kilt Wearing 101.  Each family/clan wears the same tartan pattern and some can be traced back for one or even two centuries.  You’ll see this replicated in Brave, which is another fact that brings authenticity to the film.

Along with this thick, heavy, layered garment comes the accessories, which include woollen socks, a sporran (a type of pouch used to store important items),  a belt, a jacket, and a pair of Ghillie brogues (a type of low-heeled shoe).

As I mentioned earlier, the Scots are proud of their culture and still maintain traditions such as kilt-wearing.  Disney/Pixar just released this incredibly funny trailer, inspired by the Scottish Kilt!

Stay tuned for more tidbits on Scottish culture as we anticipate the opening of Brave!

No compensation was received for this post.

Travel expenses associated with the event were provided by Disney.

It’s one of the first books an expectant woman receives and read by more than 90% of pregnant women who read a pregnancy book.  With over 14.5 million copies in print, New York Times bestseller What to Expect When You’re Expecting. holds the distinction of being one of USA Today’s 25 most influential books of the past 25 years.  This iconic book is hitting theaters as a film directed by Kirk Jones with an adapted screenplay written by Shauna Cross and Heather Hach.

In preparation for the film’s opening, I attended a screening and press conference with some of the talent including Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Kendrick, Wendy McLendon-Covey, and Heidi Murkoff and director Kirk Jones, Matthew Morrison, Rodrigo Santoro, Chace Crawford and Ben Falcone.  The film follows five couple’s unique but interconnected stories and experiences surrounding the “birth” of a child.

So how does a fact-based book such as What To Expect When You’re Expecting become a full-length film?

Interestingly enough, English director Kirk Jones had no prior knowledge of the book and initially thought the idea of adapting it for the screen would be challenging.  But recalling the births of his three children, he noted that those pregnancies were “filled with some of the scariest, funniest most dramatic moments of my life.”  He made an interesting point that all of the things we look for in a movie are encountered on the journey of pregnancy, which is why the film worked.  [Pregnancy] is an exciting subject…it makes us queston our relationships and our future and if we’re going to be good parents (Jones).”  When Matthew Morrison was first approached to work on the film, he knew nothing of the book.  However, he recalled how honest, funny, and messy the script was which is a lot like pregnancy.  Diretor Kirk Jones “weaved all the stories [together] in a beautiful, eloquent way, making it appear seemless (Morrison).”

Author Murkoff cites her first pregnancy as inspiration for the “guru” pregnancy guide, and never expected the book would become a full-length feature film. Despite the fact that she’s enjoyed the venture onto the big screen, she won’t give up her job as a writer and plans to author additional books.

Surprisingly, most of the talent in the film have yet to be parents and thus had not read the book.  However, Lopez found What To Expect When You’re Expecting to be “incredibly accurate.”  “Pregnancy is the type of thing people talk about your whole life but you know nothing about,” recalls Lopez.  This book tells you what’s happening inside your body, where you should be…it helps you calm down as an expectant mom (Lopez).  While the book is not going to take those uncomfortable and incredibly normal symptoms of pregnancy away, it will help you cope with them and reassure you that you’re not alone in this experience (Murkoff).

The film portrays a variety of scenarios including infertility, unplanned pregnancy, miscarriage and adoption.  Holly (Lopez) and Alex (Santoro) pursue adoption when their trial with infertility treatments fail.  When asked whether or not Lopez had ever considered adoption prior to working on the film, her response was that she had always wanted to have her own baby and never thought about adoption.  That changed dramatically when she was introduced to the twin boys who were cast in the film.  “When I held those two little Ethiopian twins, I fell in love instantly. I can see how somebody can do this. How easy it is to embrace a child that has nothing.  [Adoption] is a beautiful, selfless act of love.”  Lopez told the heartwarming story about how the parents of these twins went over to Ethiopia in hopes of adopting a little girl.  When they encountered the twin boys, who’s mother had died in childbirth, those parent fell in love and brought them home with them.  Eight months later they were cast in their first film.

What To Expect When You’re Expecting is a fact-based book offering advice in a Q&A type format.  Given the fact that the film was more inspired versus based on the book, Jones wanted to ensure that the information and scenarios depicted were as real as possible. A midwife was enlisted to consul,t and Murkoff made several trips to the set during filming.  Misconconceptions surrounding pregnancy were also humorously and accurately portrayed with Wendy being the epitome of those misconceptions (Murkoff).

One of the unique attributes of the film is the includsion of the “dude’s group.”  Murkoff felt like it was important for dads to be well represented in the film, since the media is always bashing them.  She wanted “full-on participants in the process.”  “We had good dads, very involved dads,” Lopez recalls.  “Good dads need other dads to help them through [parenting] and I thought it [the dude's group] was a great addition to the movie (Lopez).”  Jones commented on how thrilled he was to work with the men in these particular dad-focused scenes because they were constantly competing to make the scenes better and as funny as they possibly could.

Apart from the director, none of the men present during the press conference have children.  When asked whether or not they would like to have children in the future, all were agreeable, given the right timing and circumstances. “I’m not a dad, but I have always wanted to have kids,” stated Morrison.  And Santoro was quick to comment, “I’d love to have kids, [but] it has to feel right and it has to be [with]  the right person.”

With an A-list cast, Jones found that the most challenging part was getting everyone together, since he knew who he wanted in the film.  “It’s always difficult to put couples together because you want that relationship to be believable (Jones).”  Similarly, all of the couples had to balance each other out throughout the film and in the end, Jones was thrilled with the talent.

Unlike traditional press conferences, this one was entertaining, amusing, interesting, and engaging.  Here are two of the most interesting pieces of information I took away from the day:

1.  A woman’s brain shrinks up to 8% during pregnancy. But don’t worry, it isn’t permanent. Lopez recalled forgetting the lyrics to one of her songs while pregnant and on tour.

2.  Morrison delivered two babies as a senior in high school.  His dad is a midwife and while filming, he took the liberty of asking him a lot of questions.

Having carried and delivered two beautiful children, I understand the unspeakable joy and privilege it is to be a mother.  Parenting is difficult.  “It’s really really hard to be a human being and even harder to raise a human being,” remarked Diaz.  This film, as light and humorous as it is, offers some real, honest moments about this time in a couple’s life.  One of Murkoff’s favorite lines in the film is from Chris Rock: “I love my baby so much I’m afraid I’m going to eat her.” “What parent hasn’t felt that overwhelming love for a child?” quips Murkoff.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting is in theaters now.

No compensation was received for this post. I attended a press conference for the film which helped facilitate this post.  

Photos: Lionsgate Publicity