From above the world of “Cars” comes “Disney’s Planes,” an action-packed 3D animated comedy adventure featuring Dusty (voice of Dane Cook), a plane with dreams of competing as a high-flying air racer. But Dusty’s not exactly built for racing—and he happens to be afraid of heights. So he turns to a seasoned naval aviator who helps Dusty qualify to take on the defending champ of the race circuit. Dusty’s courage is put to the ultimate test as he aims to reach heights he never dreamed possible, giving a spellbound world the inspiration to soar. “Disney’s Planes” takes off in theaters on Aug. 9, 2013. For more information, check out Disney.com/Planes, like us on Facebook:facebook.com/DisneyPlanes and follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/DisneyPictures.

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I’m not supposed to show you this picture, but The Mouthy Mistress drinks iced coffee sometimes too. (I generally prefer mine hot with coconut milk and cinnamon).  Here she is gulping a glass down before her toning class.  Shhhhhhh!  Don’t tell her I posted it because I know she’ll kill me.  (Or forget to wake you up for work tomorrow.)

I see you, and I know what you’re doing, Workaholic. Yeah, I indulge a little too. WHAT OF IT?

See her goosebumps?  I’m laughing too.

So anyways, we got this pretty sweet shipment of International Delight Light Iced Coffee and a blue tumbler.  Let me tell you what happens to these tumblers.  I drink iced coffee on the way to work every day, and these tumblers pile up in my car.  We have 5 or 6 of them, and when I run out of tumblers, I start using our large drinking glasses.  Then when I run out of large drinking glasses, I bring the entire stack in when I get home at night, and put them in the sink for The Mouthy Mistress to clean up the next morning.  It’s her paybacks for keeping the van such a mess.  (It’s true you guys.  I’m kind enough to have dinner in the refrigerator for him every night and he doesn’t even have the decency to open the dishwasher.  PSH!)

I’ve toned down the sugar in my coffee in the past year, but I do still like to have creamer in my coffee.  And I like for it to have sugar in it.  I generally think that low calorie coffee creamers, or low calorie anythings for that matter, are really gross so I wasn’t sure how I would like this International Delight Light Iced Coffee.

I woke up the morning after it arrived and was excited to be the first to try it, but The Mouthy Mistress and The Nerd had already torn into the Vanilla flavor, so I opened the Mocha flavor and I was really surprised at how sweet it was.  No weird aftertaste.  Hm.  I checked the ingredients and there weren’t any artificial sweetners in it, just less sugar.  I like that, because I really don’t like artificial sweetners.

SO then I was really confused because this stuff was really sweet.  The Mouthy Mistress tricked me into changing a nasty cloth diaper, so I set my iced coffee down and got distracted by the toxic waste coming from The Stinky’s butt and completely forgot about the drink sitting on the counter.

I went back for it about 30 minutes later and took a small sip.  I realized the ice cubes had melted a little bit and watered it down.  It was actually really good and not too sweet that way but it gave me an A-HA! moment.

walmart, light iced coffee, International Delight

I took the bone broth cubes out of our ice cube trays and filled them up with the International Delight Light Iced Coffee Mocha flavor.  Why?  Well, because every day I make iced coffee, the cubes melt when I pour the coffee over them, and water my coffee down a bit.  We like good coffee here, and I want to be able to taste the coffee, not water and creamer.  So I figured if I filled my tumbler to the top with ID Light Iced Coffee cubes, that my coffee would melt them and I would get just the right amount of this delicious ready-made Light Iced Coffee, and the coffee that we drink every day!  Plus, doing it this way saves me from running through the drive-through of any expensive coffee chain on the way to my fancy job.

I actually got up early the next morning and The Mouthy Mistress had just finished brewing some hot coffee for herself, so I poured the coffee over the ice cubes, and they melted just the way I like them.  I had to add a little more International Delight Light Iced Coffee to get it to the sweetness I wanted, but it was a great new way to drink my iced coffee, and I didn’t have to worry about the robust flavor of my coffee being ruined by watery ice cubes.  When I add the cubes to my hot coffee, it gives me the perfect blend of creamy, sweet that I am always looking for.  This ready-to-drink iced coffee is great on its own, but I prefer it a little coffee’d up.  The melting International Delight Light Iced Coffee cubes make a delicious, swirly flavor, and because it is made with 100% premium Arabia coffee, I’m not losing out on any caffeine.  And at only 100 calories a serving, who can turn it down?

I wonder how many miles I can get out of this half gallon of creamy iced coffee?

Where can you find it?  NOWHERE yet!  *evil laughter*  But it will be available in your local Walmart store, located in the dairy aisle the week of January 21, 2013.  SO print out THIS COUPON and keep your eyes peeled!

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and WhiteWave #CBias #SocialFabric”

I’m excited to share this giveaway for a $100 Amazon gift card with you!

This giveaway is open to US residents only. Ends December 20, 2012.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is brought to you by the Mid-Atlantic Door Group, an emergency garage door repair company, which serves Washington DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

And then there are a few other things on my Christmas wish list like fun date nights at Wine & Design where we paint ridiculous paintings of one another, some Cheekybingo so I can win fat stacks playing online, a day at the shooting range so I can learn how to wrangle a rifle in the event of the apocalypse some time soon, and perhaps some of those awesome pole dancing lessons so I can strengthen the muscles of my inner thigh that haven’t been used since I was sliding down the pole at the playground in kindergarten.

I likely won’t get any of that simply by writing this article, so I’m thinking of moving on to song and dance.

Have you heard the song, “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas”?  It’s my favorite.  I’ve always wanted a hippopotamus for Christmas, so badly that I went out and bought one for myself last year.   Only this year, I am changing the song to suit my very own Christmas gift-list needs.

THIS year, I want a Magic Mike for Christmas.  How do you think that will go down with The Workaholic?  Think it will get his attention?

Eh, who cares.  Here’s the new song in its entirety:

I Want a Magic Mike for Christmas

I want a Magic Mike for Christmas
Only a Magic Mike will do
Don’t want a watch, no dinky Vibrating Toy
I want a Magic Mike here to play with and enjoy

I want a Magic Mike for Christmas
I don’t think The Workaholic will mind, do you?
He won’t have to use our dirty chimney flue
Just bring him through the front door, that’s the easy thing to do

I can see me now on Christmas morning, creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise when I open up my eyes
To see a Stripper hero standing there
I want a Magic Mike for Christmas
Only a Magic Mike will do
No lacy bras, no studded 6″ heels
I only like a Magic Mike I can feel
And Magic Mike, he likes me too

Mom says the stripper would eat my pantry dry, but then
The Star says a stripper is a dream in the kitchen

There’s lots of room for him in our Sleep Number Bed
I’d feed him there and wash him there and play CheekyBingo
I can see me now on Christmas morning, creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise when I open up my eyes
To see a stripper hero standing there

I want a Magic Mike for Christmas
Only a Magic Mike will do
No sparkly sweaters or yellow dutch ovens
I only like Magic Mike in his undies
And Magic Mike, he likes me too!

I’m going to be singing that all stinkin’ night.

How about you?  What do YOU want for Christmas?

• A Medic’s World
• Literary Winner
• Couponshopaholic

I wanted the food at Madilyn’s Royal Ball to be as pretty as the little princesses attending.  I had visions of edible glitter and cotton candy swirling about.  I had promised a cardboard castle in the living room so that the little princes and princesses could play pretend while our princess soundtrack filled the air.  I envisioned myself as the slim and beautiful Glenda the Good Witch flitting about, overseeing these perfect children and my deliciously decadent food.

Right about that time, Maleficent woke me from my dream with a large clap of thunder.  I stared into the mirror and saw Ursula’s bloated face laughing back at me while my little crab clung to my ankles and screamed for my attention.  Didn’t he know I had a party to throw, pretzels to dip, apples to poison (…I mean wrap in caramel), and cupcakes to bake?

Of course he knew.  That’s why he was acting so crabby!

I wasn’t going to Flounder on this party.  I’m known throughout the various kingdoms I’ve lived as the laid-back party thrower.  My parties are toned-down and more reminiscent of coffee shop hang-outs than the elaborate feathered and bejeweled Taj-Mahal parties that litter my Pinterest boards.

But this, dear friends, was going to be different.  I, Summer Len, was going to far out-do myself in the party department.  All because my little princess wanted a Halloween party where she could wear the costume that she wasn’t going to be wearing when we went trick-or-treating.  You know, her OTHER costume.  The one that we pitched a fit to have on our last trip to Walmart.  That one.

So I posted this party on a local meetup group and within 24 hours, it had a waiting list.  I was shocked, and thrilled, and had mutant butterflies swarming my stomach.  I had to get this Flotsam and Jetsum in my living room cleaned up before I could begin planning the princess ball of the century.

SO how do you plan and throw the perfect Royal Ball?  It doesn’t have to be as daunting as you think it does.

Plan your menu: 

Know what food you are going to serve, and estimate how long each dish will take to prepare.  What can you make ahead?  What has to be made the same day?  Plan to pack a punch with your menu.  Go for beautiful and fun, but simple.

Consider Decor:

You don’t have to go overboard.  Look around your house for things that can be repurposed, check the sale racks at Walmart, think simple but shiny.  A little bit of glitter goes a really long way and it’s cheap!

Send your Royal Invitations:

You don’t have to go overboard on invites.  Consider your square footage, whether or not you can use any outdoor space, and how many adults will accompany the children coming.  Our house is 2400sf, but it’s a 3 story house so it’s narrow but tall.  That doesn’t leave a whole ton of room on the base floor where the  Royal Ball was being held.  I kept the guest list at 8 families, and I invited one person who I knew was not part of the same meet up group.  I let the parents know ahead of time that we’d probably be standing while the children milled about.  Perhaps they thought I was kidding.  I was not.  More does not always equal merrier.

Our Royal Menu included:

Snow White’s Poison Apples
Belle’s Petits Gâteaux
Ariel’s Clam Shells
Cinderella’s Fairy Godcakes
Sleeping Beauty’s Spindles
Jasmine’s Exotic Fruit Salad
Tiana’s Frog Kisses
Rapunzel’s 1, 2, Punch
Witch’s Brew (coffee)

 

Set the mood with some Princess Music.  I bought a Cinderella soundtrack at my local Walmart.  It came with 2 bonus CDs, one of which was all princess music that I played at the party.  Music keeps a party flowing, even if the party-goers are in the 2-5 range.  It adds depth to the atmosphere, even with squeals of joy filling the air.

In addition to the cardboard castle (that some evil villain managed to destroy within minutes), I had stickers to “decorate” the castle with, a Cinderella coloring book, and a glitter station.  I acted as Tinkerbell and glittered everyone’s eyelids, then gave them a beautiful, rosy glow with a little dab’o'blush.  The little princesses loved having glitter on their faces.  There’s nothing more simple, or less expensive.  Seriously.

We had 11 princesses in attendance at our ball, and 4 little princes.  Each little attendee walked out with a super cool Princess (or Jake the Neverland Pirate) cup with a few Disney goodies stuffed inside.

The party was fast and furious, but so much fun.  I had to add a few tricks (like forgetting to buy creamer to go with the coffee), but all-in-all, it was a real treat.  I hope the Queens had as much fun as the little princesses did!

Oh hey – you mamas throwing parties?  Don’t forget to just relax and have fun.  Nobody likes an uptight hostess.  The little princesses at your party are going to love it, no matter what doesn’t go quite your way.

Want your little princess to always remember what a princess she is to you?  Check out the Royal Ball App for your iPhone, iPad, or Android device.  Madilyn loves our Royal Ball App!  I don’t even remember what my phone looks like.  DO YOU?

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Disney Consumer Products, Inc. #CBias #SocialFabric

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We were sponsored by many, many companies who showed us the time of our lives.  Here is your one-stop shop for the generous companies who donated swag, free entrance, and meals to us.  Don’t forget to check out my other posts on my Brandcation trip, linked at the bottom of this post.

Now get to work planning your next family trip, and make it to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Event Sponsors:

Cabin Fever Vacations
Dollywood
Dixiestampede
Titanic Museum
Hollywood Wax Museum
Flashy Blinky Lights
LumberJack Feud
Climb Works

Swag Sponsors:

Dolphin Organics
Carpet One
Nature’s One
K’NEX
The Trash Pack
Blingles
Sportline Pedometers
Cascade Water
MomAgenda
Party City
Fab Kids
Orbeez
Store Smart
Group Gifting
Build-A-Bear

My Brandcation Posts:

1. How to Pack for a Blog Event
2. Top 5 Best Kept Secrets in Pigeon Forge
3. How to Relieve Cabin Fever
4. CLIMB Works for a Zippin’ Good Time
5. Dollywood in All Its Glory
6. Lumberjack Feud
7. A Titanic Surprise in Pigeon Forge

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• Top Five Best Kept Secrets in Pigeon Forge, TN
• How to Relieve Cabin Fever
• How to Pack for a Blog Conference
• Who Will I Be Hanging With Oct. 4-7? #Brandcation

To be honest, I’m not sure that this enormous boat in the middle of the Smokies would have been something that I would have done with my family had we been on vacation there.  I typically enjoy thrilling, humorous exhibits when I’m on vacation, and I thought I knew all there was to know about the Titanic.  What I didn’t know, were the stories of the people on board, and that’s what this attraction begs to offer.

I really feel like a cad now, and not because The Titanic Museum Attraction put on a spectacular show for us, but because the entire exhibit is absolutely breathtaking.

We arrived to a spectacular spread of food with the creamiest cheesy hash browns to ever be made, and the crunchiest Crème brûlée  french toast to ever grace the plates that we ate off of.  They gifted each of us a Titanicopoly game and a calendar, as well as a plethora of other goodies that had been used as decoration like pencils and suckers with polar bears on them.  We were greeted by Mary Joslyn, who is co-owner of the exhibit.  You may recognize her name from her tenure at Disney, or from her extensive resume as a television producer.  It was an honor to have her speak to us about the exhibit and her husband, ^John Joslyn who acted as co-expedition leader on the team that ran salvage on the RMS Titanic in 1987.

After speaking with Mrs. Joslyn, we all received boarding passes from actual passengers  who had been on the Titanic.  The boarding pass said our names, whether we were 1st class, 2nd class, or 3rd class passengers, and told a little bit about us.  We were to look for artifacts from our passengers as we toured the museum, and then visit the Memorial Wall at the end to find out whether or not we had survived the fateful iceberg collision.

I grabbed my boarding pass, hoping to see royalty and was disappointed to find out that I was a lowly 3rd class passengers.  I joked with some people around me who were also 3rd class passengers, and playfully tried to steal the 1st class boarding pass of a fellow blogger.  We walked into he main hallway where we received our listening devices, and were let loose onto the ship.  The museum started off with the very beginnings of the RMS Titanic, right in the shipyard.  It was interesting to hear about the history of the ship, how and why it was built, and all of the logistics surrounding its creation.

As we moved on, we got to know some of the crew members and passengers aboard the ship.  I was absolutely fascinated by a budding photographer and Jesuit seminary student named Father Browne who took the only surviving photos of passengers aboard the RMS Titanic.  He was only on board the ship as it sailed from Southampton, England to Cherbourg, France, to Queenstown, Ireland.  There, he departed the ship with the only photographs that became the cornerstone photos for life aboard the RMS Titanic.

I was captivated by the photo of little Robert Douglass Spedden who was captured on one of the decks playing with his top.  It is the only photograph of a child on board the Titanic.  Little Mr. Spedden had a fantastic story about losing his stuffed polar bear during the sinking of the ship.  It was later returned to him and his mother wrote a book for him a year later, chronicling the tale of “Titanic the Polar Bear”.  I purchased the book for my daughter in the gift shop.

We read the tales of people who lived and died after the crash and it struck me that my passenger, Ida Ilmankangas was a regular person.  She was a young woman on her way to America and her 3rd class ticket meant nothing other than the fact that she didn’t get to enjoy the same luxuries as a 1st class passenger.  Her life was no less important than my very own.  She had a future waiting for her in America, and I felt like a real jerk for being disappointed that I had been given her boarding pass.

I couldn’t stop reading each and every plaque about the people and the ship, and the logistics of running a ship like the RMS Titanic.  I’m not an overly emotional person and I found my eyes welling with tears on more than one occasion.  We made our way to the Grande Staircase which was constructed from the blueprints of the RMS Titanic.  It is an identical replica, right down to the flooring which was made of a material that was more expensive than marble and granite combined at the time.  Can you guess what it was?  (Answer in red at the bottom)

We climbed the Grande Staircase and entered a room where we learned of a first class couple who sat in deck chairs, holding hands as the ship went down.  The man’s wife wouldn’t leave his side as the ship sank because they had been together in life and would also be together in death.  The actress who delivered the story for us also gave us cost comparison on tickets then and now to ride the Titanic across the Atlantic.  I realized that even in today’s times, I would be barely able to afford a 3rd class ticket aboard the RMS Titanic.

We ventured into the wheel room to see a life-size replica of where the ship was steered and learned about what each box and wheel did for the ship.

We then made our way into a freezing cold room that had an iceberg rising out of the floor, and a stream of 28* water to stick your hand in for as long as you could.  I went 30 seconds before my hand started to ache and I had to pull it out.  It really hit hard, knowing that so many people lost their lives to this frigid, icy water.

The memorial wall was next and I found my passenger’s name, where?  I won’t tell you.

I left The Titanic Museum Attraction full of emotion and with a great appreciation for each life that was lost during the collision.  Even writing this has been an emotional experience.

DO NOT count this exhibit out on your next trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  You might be surprised to find that you spend 4 hours inside, reading everything and absorbing every word.  There are interactive areas that your children will also love, and because each person gets a device that speaks to you, children will be able to enjoy the exhibit while you read and listen away.  It is a definite must-see.  I look forward to going back some time very, very soon.

Did you guess LINOLEUM?  

I must extend an enormous thank-you to The Titanic Museum Attraction for welcoming us so warmly.  It was an honor to be invited aboard the RMS Titanic and to experience it in its entirety.  

References:

Images used courtesy Titanic Museum Attraction

^Titanic Museum Attraction Co-owner John Joslyn Will Address Tennessee Hospitality

Association.” Free Press Release Distribution Service. Ackermann PR, 06 Sept. 2011. Web. 24 Oct. 2012. <http://www.prlog.org/11649403-titanic-museum-attraction-co-owner-john-joslyn-will-address-tennessee-hospitality-association.html>.

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• Top Five Best Kept Secrets in Pigeon Forge, TN
• My Name is Candace and I am a Titaniac #Brandcation
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• How to Pack for a Blog Conference

We’ve got a secret, can you keep it? The ABC Family series, Pretty Little Liars is supposed to be a teen show, but the truth is, it’s a huge hit among us grown-up girls too! Mommy and 4 Peas in a Pod, A Spectacled Owl, The Dirty Floor Diaries, and Life According to Amanda are all HUGE fans of the “teen” show and are giving away Season 1 & 2 of Pretty Little Liars in celebration of the Pretty Little Liars Halloween Special (October 23rd- 8/7CST).

Winners in the US can choose the DVD sets or $50 paypal cash, and winners outside of the US will get $50 paypal cash!

Pretty Little Liars is one of my guilty pleasures and I want to share it with you!

The Pretty Little Liars: Got a Secret, Can You Keep It? Giveaway will run from October 22nd-October 31st. Must be 18+ to enter. Just fill out the rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

Disclosure: I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. {YOUR BLOG} is not responsible for shipment of prize.

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I know it sounds like I’m being insane, but have you ever tried to entertain your toddler or preschooler while you’re grocery shopping?  Unless you pop open a bag of Oreos and watch them devour the entire thing silently, there isn’t much else to keep them quiet and happy during your shopping trip.  When you download this interactive Augmented Reality app and shop at Walmart, your little prince or princess can actively search for Disney Princess images while you shop.  It kept Madilyn completely entertained, yet engaged on our shopping trip.

When we got to Walmart, we opened the App to see what we were supposed to do.  I purposely didn’t read much about the App before we went shopping because I wanted to organically see how easy it was to use.  Our first task was to find 3 images that you scan into your phone.  Once those images are found and scanned, it unlocks different outfits that your little girl can virtually put  on.  Once she puts those outfits on, you can snap her photo in the outfit and share it with your friends and family.  The three images are: Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother, the Disney Princess logo, and one of Cinderella herself.  As we shopped we looked for these images.  Styles plays with the Marvel Avengers Augmented Reality app, so I thought we were looking for very specific ads set up on Sensors or end caps.  We easily found the Fairy Godmother in the electronics section and scanned her in to unlock the first outfit.

As I wandered the store, dropping tons of Disney Princess items into our cart, I was diligently looking for these ads.  After walking down one toy aisle for the third time I realized that EVERY SINGLE Disney Princess item had the pink logo that I was looking for emblazoned onto it.  Talk about a lightbulb moment.  I thought it was a stretch, but I tried to scan the image into the phone and guess what?

It worked.

I wanted to slap myself in the face, but I refrained.  I was running on about 3 hours of sleep and hadn’t yet had a cuppa joe to start my day.  You know how that goes, right?

So I started looking for the Cinderella image that we needed, and I had to look no further than my own shopping cart, where I found Cinderella mocking me from our party plates.  She clearly said to me, “I’ve been here all along.  Didn’t you hear the birds calling your name?”

Once we had all of the outfits unlocked, we started looking for the Diamond Edition Cinderella Blu-Ray/DVD combo.  Scanning this in opens a REALLY neat feature where you can design your own carriage and then bring the carriage up in 3-D to look at it in 360* angles.  Madilyn and I designed the Flower Carriage and looked at it in 3D.  Madilyn also took her picture sitting in the carriage.  Doesn’t she look pretty on her way to the ball?

Once Madilyn had her beautiful dress picked out from the Princess Boutique, and her carriage from the Carriage Shop, we headed to the Royal Palace for the ball.  This part of the app is really neat.  Do you remember virtual reality back in the day when you had to wear those enormous Alien v. Predator -looking helmets?  It’s not like that anymore.  You hold the phone up and as you move it around, you can see people dancing around the room.  Little birds appear and tell you to spin left or right and to look down so that you’re dancing around the room.  I wouldn’t let Madilyn out of the cart but I did let her dance in the seat.

She’s actually playing with the Royal Ball part right now.  When you look down you can see whichever dress and shoes you have designed to wear to the ball.

It is a SUPER cool app and I’m grateful that we have it because our Princess Party isn’t until the 25th and my own little princess is already driving me bonkers asking when her friends are coming over to play.

I picked up some great party favors for the little girls who will be in attendance and I’ll be building a castle in our living room out of the unused packing boxes in our garage.  We already have a confirmed eleven little girls and 5 little boys coming to our Royal Ball and I cannot WAIT!  It’s going to be a blast.  I’ll be sure to update you all with recipes for our princess-themed food and all of the little party favors I’ll be making.  Keep your eyes peeled!

And make sure you’re following the #DisneyPrincessWMT hashtag on Twitter!  Lots of princess action going on, just in time for Halloween!

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Disney Consumer Products, Inc. #CBias #SocialFabric