One more gym excuse bites the dust with my music-on-the-go!

Update: Congrats to Erica - winner of the 100% off coupon code! Congrats to Mary Anne and jp26, winners of the 20% off coupon codes!
It doesn’t take much for me to find a reason why I can’t head to the gym and burn off some flab: no time; too tired; workout clothes too tight; don’t want to wait on the gym equipment; need to do laundry or make breakfast/lunch/dinner. Don’t challenge me, in spite of how energized I feel post-workout, I have turned my “why I can’t go and work out” list into an art form. My quest for physical fitness is most definitely a work in progress.


Just last week though, I received a Sansa Clip Zip MP3 player and one of my excuses was summarily removed from the list. You see, when I do hit the gym, I have a particular frustration which has nothing to with the workout routine or the equipment. I get peeved because, whether I’m pounding away on the treadmill, trying to de-jiggle my thighs on the exercise bike, or using that instrument of extreme torture, aka the stairstepper, I like to distract myself with tunes from the in-house radio system. This works well until a fellow fitness enthusiast enters the gym and chooses to either change the station or, even worse, turn off the radio in favor of some TV talk show, grrrr. Now I’m out of my groove and irritated – I told you it didn’t take much….

Thanks to Sansa, I am out of my groove no more! This morning, I downloaded a bunch of hip hits onto my ridiculously small, light, and easy-to-use Clip Zip MP3 player, clipped it onto shirt, and headed for the gym. It didn’t matter a jot that the TV was blaring or that the radio had been set to some insanely repetitive techno station, I simply plugged into my own world and got on with my fat-burning, flab-firming mission.

I’m not exactly a technophile – I’ve never owned an MP3 player until now; I’ve don’t have a smart phone (yet), and handheld computer games mystify me. Yet, in spite of myself, I find the Sansa Clip Zip remarkable easy to use. Uploading music from my laptop is a matter of connecting the player and dragging in the new music files. For the most part, operating the player is intuitive. I did struggle for a while trying to figure out how to turn off the device, until I figured out that the Power/Lock button is also the on/off button.

The player comes with earphones but I found them a little big and I used my own as they were a better fit. I also received a 4GB microSD card, which doubled the storage for my Sansa MP3 player – 500 more songs!

The Sansa Clip Zip includes a stopwatch for timing laps, an FM radio, a microphone for voice recording, and a long-lasting battery for trips away from home. Available in seven colors, the player is compatible with virtually every major media format, including iTunes songs and audio books. For more information on the 4GB Sansa Clip Zip, Visit the SanDisk product page.

Feeling Lucky?
If you’d like a chance to enjoy some music while you’re on the go, leave a comment on this post by midnight on Monday, November 14th and you could win either the:
GRAND PRIZE: One 100% Off coupon code ($50 value) for a 4GB Sansa Clip Zip! (Includes free shipping)
OR: One of four 20% OFF coupons for all ClipZips!
*Giveaway open to US readers only*

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of SanDisk and received a product sample to facilitate my review, and coupons to give away.

Celebrating Halloween with an awesome Zombie Hexbugs Bash

Zombie bugs in custom coffins. These were the guests of honor at our little Halloween shindig, and they did not disappoint. This year, we were thrilled to host a Halloween-themed Hexbug Nano party, and Pudding Pie rocketed to the top of the ‘coolest kids in the neighborhood’ list… OK, there isn’t really such a list, but she for sure scored points with her peers after doling out first the super cool Limited Edition Hexbug Nano Halloween Zombie bugs and then later the Glows in the Dark Hexbug Nano Galileo Collection bugs! We set up our Elevation Habitat Set, which also glows in the dark, and it was soon covered with quite a population of nano Hexbugs – and the hovering hands of their very vigilant new owners! We had some heated debates over hexbug ownership, but luckily these were resolved with minimal bodily injury… Yes, the Hexbugs are amazing for their capacity to entertain and excite. I was impressed at how long the kids hung out around the Habitat Set, setting their Hexbugs on various paths, inventing games, even creating Lego obstacles for their bugs to navigate around in the habitat! It was interesting, too to watch the dynamic as a bunch of kids figured out how to play together with their Hexbugs in the same habitat. In our case, they banded into teams (girls vs. boys) and declared certain zones as their own or as the other team’s. The Yummy 'Mummy' Dogs Candy Corn Puddings - A favorite with the moms!
We refueled the Hexbug owners with ‘Mummy Dogs’ – hot dog mummies wrapped in croissant ‘bandages’ – and cotton candy puddings, and then we challenged any willing participants to a ‘mummy’ race. This involved wrapping the aspiring mummies in yards of toilet paper. There were some party-goers who didn't find the idea of getting bound up like a mummy that enticing, and they elected to spectate. For the others, we discovered that getting mummified was easier said than done. The 2-ply was no match for the excited contestants, and we had a few cases of emergency mummy surgery just before race time. (I recommend at least 3-ply should you wish to hold your own mummy race.) The race rule was ‘hop, don’t run,’ but apparently few remembered this once the race was underway and general frenzied chaos ensued. The judges turned a blind eye to the flagrant breaking of rules, declared a winner, and then issued all party-goers with a prize – their very own Glows in the Dark Nano Hexbugs! This put the Habitat sets at maximum capacity and happy Hexbug mayhem ensued!

The Mummy Race!
Cuddle Cottage was chosen to host an in-home party for HexBug Nanos through Mom Select and Mommy Parties, and was given the materials and samples to do so.

Too cool for school - spin your own light shows

**Congratulations to Jax for winning a Fyrflyz! Jax, please email shipping info so that your prize can be shipped!**

My nephews and nieces live in Africa – the other side of the world from us. I adore them all and lament the fact that they are growing up so far from us. We stay in touch via Skype, but wonderful as this, it’s never as good as the real thing.

In an effort to compensate for the distance between us, I am forever shipping off little care packages, and I’ve since developed a reputation as the ‘cool aunt’ – the one who sends the best Christmas and birthday gifts – shhhh, don’t tell the other aunts!

Keeping the ‘cool aunt’ status has become increasingly difficult as the nieces and nephews grow older and their gift needs become more complicated than a quick trip to the Disney store.

My oldest nephew celebrates his seventh birthday early next month, and up until last week, I’d found nothing cool enough – or compact enough – to ship quickly and relatively inexpensively. Then, just when I was despairing, the perfect cool toy arrived for review on my doorstep.

Meet Fyrflyz, a neat spinning toy that creates light shows in the palm of your hand! Pudding Pie was entranced by this fun little toy – and her dad even more so! We took our Fyrflyz outside after dinner and had a blast making awesome rings, figure eights, and other light shapes with the Fyrflyz. (See very amateur movie clip at the end!) And, as evidenced in this photo, Pudding Pie was happy to continue the fun indoors, although the effect is not quite as dramatic!

Not only is my nephew going to love this toy, I am quite sure he is also going to be one of the first kids in his school to have a Fyrflyz – which will significantly elevate my ‘cool aunt’ status – love it!

Fyrflyz are available at Toys 'R Us stores.



*If you'd like a chance to create your own Fyrflyz light shows, leave a comment on this post by midnight, September 28th and you'll be entered to win a Fyrflyz for yourself!

I wrote this review on behalf of Mom Select and Fyrflyz, and received items to facitlitate the review.

A little help keeping the odors out

Although our home can lean toward the messy side, I strive each day to hold the line between ‘clean messy’ and ‘not-clean messy’. I keep up with laundry, bleach out the bathrooms, do the dishes, take out the trash, and so on. This way, when we are lucky enough to have friends over, I am not completely humiliated – although they may still recoil at the mountain of laundry waiting to be folded, or they may risk breaking their neck on the stuffed animals, barbies, books, puzzles, etc., that line their route to the sofa.

There is one vexing issue I’ve struggled with: The litter box that belongs to Precious, four-legged queen of our home. This necessary item is to be found in our entranceway, directly beside our front door – the very first thing guests lay eyes on when welcomed into the home. Not ideal, I know, but there really isn’t any other spot in our cozy apartment to put the thing. Believe me, I’ve tried various locations.

Precious is admirably fastidious; she uses her latrine with enthusiastic frequency, and while this is great, it does mean that the entrance area is often not the most fragrant zone of the home. To combat this issue, I am generous in my applications of various disinfecting sprays, but I’ve still had more than one UPS or Fedex guy come knocking and then pale a little and hastily retreat after the olfactory assault.

Pudding Pie demonstrates the reaction of unsuspecting visitors.

Short of looking forward to the day when we move to a slightly less cozy dwelling and I gain a few more location options for Precious’ potty place, I’d despaired of finding a fix to my dilemma – and resigned myself to being the scourge of package delivery folks.

Lately, however, things are looking up. I’ve discovered the magical Febreze Set & Refresh air freshener. Positioned beside the aforementioned latrine, this small but dynamic little unit has made my entrance area a blissful place, with a lingering aroma of Linen & Sky - far more pleasant than what lingered there before.
Pudding Pie demonstrates the delighted reaction of visitors now that we have Febreze Set & Refresh!

Making this unit even more attractive is this: the freshener lasts up to 30 days and there is nothing to plug in, nor does it need batteries. What’s more, the new Dual Refills allow you to try other fragrances without having to throw away the entire Set & Refresh unit. If I should tire of Linen & Sky, I can choose from several other scents, perhaps Hawaiian Aloha or Spring & Renewal. And for those days when I seriously question why I choose to reside with a creature who cannot flush her business like the rest of us, I’m going for the Advanced Odor Eliminator scents.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Febreze and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Important changes to a medicine cabinet staple

Pudding Pie is a healthy girl. In her four and one-third years of life, she’s fallen ill on very few occasions, compared to most of her peers. We work hard to keep her safe and healthy, and for the most part, we’ve been successful – or lucky. When she does get sick though, I marvel at how her fevers always present themselves somewhere around 3am. There’s a distinct pattern: she goes to bed apparently fine, her sleep becomes restless, she mumbles, moans, and shifts around with increasing frequency, and I begin to wonder if she’s not feeling well. Then (somewhere around 3am), she half wakes/calls out/coughs/throws up, I hurry to her room and find myself embracing a burning hot little body… The thermometer confirms what I already know and we waste no time administering the Tylenol.

I know and appreciate that the fever is her body’s response way of fighting whatever is going on in her body, but my goal is to do whatever I can to cool her down and make her feel better. Between the medicine and getting her to drink a little water, she eventually settles down and falls back asleep, and I stumble back to bed and pray that she’ll sleep comfortably for the rest of night.

I don’t like to give Pudding Pie medicine without a real need for it, but once I’ve established that she has a fever, I don’t hesitate. When she was 15 months old, she awoke feverish and throwing up (somewhere around 3am). I tried to give her Tylenol, but she was fussy. I was hurried and clumsy and she immediately threw up. I was in a quandary; I knew she needed her medicine, but I couldn’t tell how much she’d ejected and how much she’d taken in. I didn’t want to risk overdosing her, so I didn’t give her anymore and instead tried to soothe her back to sleep. As it turned out, she had ejected most of the dose, her fever spiked very quickly, and she had a febrile seizure – an unpleasant experience for any parent.

I’ve since learned that this kind of seizure is harmless and is in fact the body’s healthy response to a drastic change in temperature, but I have no desire to repeat the episode. Now, no matter how fussy and uncomfortable she is, I am very careful when dosing her with fever meds – I dose her slowly so that I know exactly how much she’s taking in. We’ve never had a repeat episode of the seizure, and I am always relieved at how effective the medicine is in bringing down her fever.

Our medicine cabinet stays stocked with fever relief meds for Pudding Pie and the adult members of the home. These days, Children's Tylenol is on store shelves in limited quantities and the makers of Tylenol (McNeil Consumer Healthcare), wish to spread the word that there will be updates to both Infants' and Children's Tylenol products, including packaging enhancements and a change to the concentration of the Infants' product. These changes will be implemented as early as this upcoming cold and flu season.

Ed Kuffner, MD, father of three, and Vice President, Medical Affairs at McNeil explains the new product improvements:
“As a dad and a doctor, I know firsthand how tough it can be when your baby or child gets sick. While we are trying to comfort our children, we are also making sure that they are getting the care and medicine that they need to feel better. For me, like every parent, safety comes first. For this reason, as early as this upcoming cold and flu season, we will be making safety and convenience enhancements to both Infants’ and Children’s TYLENOL® products, including a change to the concentration of our Infants’ TYLENOL® products.”

The new safety and convenience enhancements of both the Infants’ and Children’s Tylenol include the following:
Infants’ Tylenol will be available with a new bottle that has a protective opening and a new push-in-syringe which will:
• Further reduce the risk of children being able to get to the medicine in the bottle
• Provide better dosing accuracy and ease of administration to your child
• Allow for better control when dispensing the medication and reduce spillage
The bottles of Children’s Tylenol are now enhanced with a protective opening that will help make it more difficult for a child to get to the medicine in the bottle.

Important changes to the concentration of Infants’ Tylenol include the fact that there will now be one concentration of acetaminophen for single-ingredient Tylenol products for infants and children. This change is being made to standardize dosing across Tylenol products and age groups. Infants’ and Children’s Tylenol products will continue to include specially designed dosing devices appropriate to the age of the child.

There will be a time period when both the current and new concentrations of Infants’ acetaminophen products will be available in stores and parents and caregivers might have both in their medicine cabinets. Be sure to read and follow the dosing directions on the product that is being used. Caregivers should contact their child’s healthcare provider if they have questions about dosing instructions.

The makers of Tylenol also provided some very helpful tips on giving medicine to infants and children:

Remember to NURSE:
Never give adult medicines to children.
Use the measuring device (syringe, dropper, dosage cup) that comes with the medicine every time you use it. Don’t use kitchen spoons (teaspoons or tablespoons).
Read and follow instructions on the label. Never give more than the recommended dose and do not give the medication more frequently than recommended.
Store all medicines out of the reach of children. Immediately following use, always restore the child resistant cap and put the medicine back into a high and out of sight location.
Every child grows. Know the infant’s or child’s weight and/or age to help determine the appropriate dosage.

Visit Tylenol to learn more about the products and their changes.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Tylenol and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Pudding Pie Learns a Little Responsibility

My 'to do' list seems unending, I never manage to get to the end of it. I often think about much I'd like a secret helper genie, some cute little creature who was content to live in a lamp or a bottle or whatever floated their boat. I'd uncork my genie each day, she'd do her thing and we'd all be happy as clams, the end.

So, um, back to reality. No genie on her way and the laundry's still piled up, the dirty dishes are wallowing in the dirty sink, the trash must go out today or our neighbors are going to think we've buried someone in here, its 1:37 pm and the beds aren't made (and probably still won't be at 1:37 pm tomorrow), Pudding Pie is asking for another snack and I have to start getting ready for work. Domestic bliss.

I decided I needed help and, because no genie is flitting our way, I've been trying to make the cute little creature who does reside in my home a teeny bit more accountable. Its true, Pudding Pie is only four, but there are tangible things a four-year-old can accomplish that help keep mom on the right side of sanity!

Merely asking Pudding Pie to step up doesn't cut it, there have to be rewards. I needed a way to encourage her to want to help around the home by setting her small, manageable chores/duties, with rewards for accomplishing each task. This is where Pudding Pie's grand chore chart came in.

Yesterday marked the end of our first seven days of implementing a Chore Chart, and I'm thrilled at how well it worked. I can't take credit here, I didn't come up with this idea myself, I found a Kids Chore Chart on goalforit.com and I loved the concept. Once we’d customized the chart for our purposes, we began the system – with great results!

Our Kids Chore Chart has room for seven different chores per day and, for Pudding Pie's chores, we chose “get dressed,” “put things away,” “clean my room,” “practice my reading,” “put clothes in the hamper,” “put on my pjs,” and “go to bed on time.” Apparently easy tasks, but pretty tall orders for a feisty four year old !

You can choose to print out your customized Chore Chart and check the tasks off each evening with real stickers, or you can complete it online with virtual stickers. We chose the online method and Pudding Pie was thrilled to be able to select a different reward sticker for each completed chore at the end of each day!

I confess that this first time around, I kept things very positive and made sure that even when Pudding Pie lapsed a little, she still received her reward sticker for each task accomplished/kind of accomplished... I wanted to ease her into the whole idea of meeting expectations and right now, she is buoyed up with pride at having accomplished her goals.

At the end of our week, we could select a final sticker for each task, either Superstar! or "Keep trying, you can do it!" - depending on how fully her goals had been achieved. Pudding Pie was a "Superstar!" across the board . Next week, we’ll begin a new Chore Chart and this time I’ll be a little firmer about needing her to more fully achieve her goals, but we're on the right track!

It has been a wonderful thing to watch my daughter willingly participate in her chores – even if her motives are purely reward driven... Actually, I'm perfectly okay with this, by taking responsibility for her chores, she feels that she is making her own important contribution to our family, and we are so proud!

Pudding Pie takes a break from responsibility and experiments with the Halloween make up...

This is a compensated review on behalf of MomSelect, any opinions expressed are solely my own.

The Mommy Track can be a fast one - I have my own secrets to surviving...

I used to think that life was busy when Pudding Pie was a baby. There I was, "harried" (stay at home) mom to one cute baby who apparently kept me on my toes.

Hmmm.

Four plus years later, I snort at my naïve laments. I now have a far better idea of what ‘busy’ means - and I understand that life is only going to grow more tightly scheduled as Pudding Pie grows. Four years later, there’s always something going on: dance class, soccer, swim lessons, play dates at home and away, trips out of town, doctor visits, shopping for groceries, cleaning house, cooking meals, clearing out closets, attending my own classes and, oh yes, working two different jobs.

I’ve become far more creative with my time than I ever was as a happily self-absorbed single gal with no child. These days, (from my multi-tasking, eat-on-the-run, sleep-little and schedule-a-lot perspective) I marvel at the vast tracts of time I once frittered away doing nothing at all. (I'm also a tad wistful...)

I’ll quit now, in case you think I’m whining. Really, I wouldn’t change a thing (OK, maybe one or two teeny weeny little things, but that’s it!) The raising of Pudding Pie has turned me into a far more efficient being than I ever imagined possible.

I try to stay one step ahead, I always have a small backpack in the trunk packed with emergency supplies for Pudding Pie. I am also never without several bottled waters in the trunk – it’s just hot forever where we live.

I don’t forget about the mama either. I have my own 'survival kit' tucked into my purse. Unzipper the side pocket and you’ll find travel size deodorant, chap stick with sunscreen, a mini tube of sunscreen for faces, eye drops, breath mints, neutral lip gloss, facial oil blotter sheets (great for getting rid of the shiny sheen), and, more recently, pantyliners.

Having this little stash on hand keeps me looking and feeling fresh in just a few quick steps and, although the list sounds long when I detail it, these essentials make a tidy little pile that takes up no room at all – my purse isn’t very big!

You don’t believe me. After all, that’s quite a few items – and how can pantyliners take up no room at all?! Well, I’ve recently begun using Carefree Acti-Fresh liners. These liners are now 40% thinner than the previous Carefree Body Shape liners, but up to twice as absorbent. Thinner, yet more absorbent? I like it!

The Carefree Acti-Fresh liners are designed with everyday wear in mind, and they are just perfect for my survival kit. Individually packaged and folded up so they truly are teeny tiny, I think nothing of tossing an extra five or so into my purse - not that I need nearly that many, as the liners have an odor control system that purports to keep the wearer feeling fresh for up to eight hours.

If you’d like a chance at winning yourself a sample of Carefree Acti-Fresh liners, leave a comment telling me one essential ‘freshen up’ item that you like to keep handy in your purse. The contest closes at midnight on Thursday, May 5th. Good luck!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Carefree and received a product sample and gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

"Paint it Purple!" With Welch's Grape Juice

Did you know that March was National Nutrition Month? In honor of this, Pudding Pie and I participated in the Welch's Paint it Purple! contest. The contest required that we take part in a "purple" activity, using Welch's 100% Grape Juice using Concord grapes. I browsed Welch's Recipe Box online and decided that we'd try our hand at making the Grape Infused Fortune Cookies.

The recipe didn't look that difficult, and how fun to have grape flavored fortune cookies! We gathered ingredients and began our project with enthusiasm.(Observe the beginnings of our very purple batter.)

However, somehow, we lost our way during the recipe and the outcome was not exactly what we'd hoped for. It is possible (but I am not pointing fingers), that my sous chef engaged in some improvisations that she declined to share with me.

Our fortune cookies were not the crisp, thin and perfectly folded objects of perfection that we'd imagined. Instead, they were decidedly thicker and they stubbornly refused to be folded without breaking in half - every time. Pudding Pie was not heavily impressed. (Observe the look of disdain.)

The red muffin pan displays our entire end result - we persevered in spite of increasingly grim results.

Luckily, Pudding Pie brightened up when she got to taste the first cooled down cookie. She pronounced it "not too bad" - and she loved having her fortune read to her.

Grape-Infused Fortune Cookie travails aside, Pudding Pie enjoyed sampling the Welch’s 100% Grape Juice made with Concord grapes. She declared the juice “yummy” and became an instant convert – I know why – it is sweet, sweet, sweet!

I was pleased to learn that a half cup of this juice is equal to one full serving of fruit - a stress-free way to help us meet her recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables.

According to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, half of what is on our plate should be fruits and vegetables - easier said than done when feeding a four-year-old diva. It’s not that she dislikes fruits or veggies, it’s just that she gets distracted and meal times turn into a marathon. She almost always ends up not getting through the food on her plate, and I worry that my child is not getting what she needs to grow. I was thrilled to discover that the juice has no added sugar. Actually, I was quite surprised because it is uber sweet – right up Pudding Pie’s alley!

The Concord grape offers not only natural antioxidants, but also a mix of plant nutrients (polyphenols), which could benefit heart health. Including heart healthy food in our kids’ diets is not only essential to their growth and development, but I’m told it could also shift the trend of nearly half of all Americans who still don’t eat the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables.

In honor of National Nutrition Month, Welch's is spreading the word about resources it offers to help us and our families navigate toward healthier lives:

Welch's Family Vine Tool: A tool to help trace and understand your family’s heart history, since it is not just diet and exercise but genetics too, which affects your heart.

GrapeScience.com: This site informs readers about research on the health benefits of the Concord grape in areas like heart health, cognitive health, immune system health and more.

Welch's Recipe Box: Check this out for great grape- and grape-juice inspired recipes. (You'll find the Grape-Infused Fortune Cookies here...)

Check out Welch’s on Twitter and Facebook for more ideas and coupons.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Welch’s and received a product sample to facilitate my review and a gift code to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Springtime sprucing - plus - a new tool to tackle the worst cleaning chore

**Update: Congrats to jp26 - winner of the fab Clorox Bathroom Essentials prize pack !

I love a clean house. I love the quiet satisfaction derived when all around me is clean and ordered. When my home is ordered, so is my mind. When my home is not an oasis of calm, neither am I…

An endless pile of laundry waiting for its turn to be folded, interminable cycles of the dishwasher, growing jumbles of toys to be put away, books in untidy stacks, CDs and DVDs in haphazard piles, shoes scattered everywhere. This is the frontline of my daily struggle to keep our home from looking like a giant dumping ground.

By the time I’ve dealt with the each day's laundry, dishes, vacuuming/mopping, general cleaning and picking up, I am done. The ‘extra stuff’ can wait ‘till spring. (I like the tarnished look on silver...)

Spring is here now. Hmm. Hooray, I guess. Time to get going on all the chores I have successfully avoided since last spring’s cleaning shakedown.

Here are some of this year's spring cleaning “To Do’s”:
• Take down the collection of decorative teapots on display in our kitchen. Wash off the thick coating of grime and dust that has managed to build up on each one of them over the past year. Ugh.

• Gently and carefully hand wash and then iron the drapes that hang in my daughter’s bedroom. Yes, I said handwash and iron. Her drapes are a delightfully ethereal, flimsy white fabric - sprinkled with pink and green florals.

So pretty, but a massive headache for mom because they show every teeny tiny speck of dirt, and I spend half the year trying to ignore their steadily more grimy appearance. In a twisted way, I actually look forward to washing them: just so that I can enjoy looking at them for the two weeks of the year that they remain prettily pristine.

• Decluttering! Earlier this week, when our spring cleaning commenced in earnest, we began the task of sorting and organizing Pudding Pie’s art supplies. Her art stash had been residing in a sprawling and untidy pile beside (and beneath) her art table. Because her art table is in our living room, the entire room takes on the sprawling, untidy tone.

After a long morning of cleaning, we now have no more art sprawl! Instead, we have an organized art supplies cabinet and we've reassigned part of a bookshelf to the remaining art/educational supplies. It looks great, and Pudding Pie has a renewed interest in doing her cool art projects because she can find everything again!

I have also been combing through the various jumbles of toys and I’ve been culling those that Pudding Pie has outgrown. This is a task I reserve for when she is nowhere near our home. I once made the mistake of asking if she’d like to help me weed out some of the toys she no longer plays with. Silly mommy, I didn’t realize that she still plays with everything and nothing is ever ready for the donation box or the trash. Now, I fly solo on this project.

• Dusting, dusting, dusting. We have so many shelves with objets artfully displayed…how did we ever accumulate so much stuff? I play a game when I approach this mind-numbing task: I try to remember every fact I can about the item I am working on. (Who gave this to me? When? Why? And finally: Perhaps we should store this for a while?) I imagine a home with nothing on the shelves, where one wide and carefree sweep scoops up the dust and then I’m home free. Knowing me, if I had nothing on any of the shelves, I would repopulate them with new treasures in no time at all.

While we’re on the subject, let’s talk about my cleaning nemesis: the toilet. Cleaning the toilets really doesn’t fall under the header of Annual Spring Cleaning. Necessity dictates that this activity falls more under the Several Times Per Week header, also the Guests Are Coming header. I do not like cleaning the toilets, but I doubt this makes me unique.

When cleaning my nemesis, along with the toilet brush, I use excessive quantities of bleach and paper towels. After I’m done, I flush the toilet brush over and over again in the clean toilet - and I still wince if it drips on its way back to its holder. I drive myself crazy by imagining a guest needing to use the toilet brush, then carelessly slinging it back into its holder. Did they rinse it off thoroughly? Did anything drip off the brush and onto the seat, on the brushes’ journey back to base? Ah, the possibilities are endless...

Luckily, I can now shift focus to the other things that keep me up at night because Clorox has come up with a wondrous thing: a disposable toilet brush! Yes, the Clorox ToiletWand System has allowed me to dispense with the whole process of vigorously cleaning off the toilet brush – now, I just discard after use.

Each time you need to clean the commode, attach a disposable head onto the end of the Clorox ToiletWand, dip the cleaning head into the bowl and scrub your toilet bowl clean. The disposable head disinfects your toilet bowl killing 99.9% of germs. Once you’re done scrubbing, one easy click of the button on the ToiletWand pitches the used head into the trash - I love it!

Plus, the disposable heads store neatly and conveniently inside the container housing the wand – no clutter. If you think you’d like to ditch your old toilet brush and go with the more effortless approach, click here for a $3.00 coupon! Also, if there’s still any doubt in your mind about how easy and effective the Clorox ToiletWand is, check out the how-to video here.

Finally, If you're now coveting a ToiletWand for yourself, today could be your lucky day! Between now and April 11th, Cuddle Cottage is hosting a giveaway for one Clorox Bathroom Essentials ToiletWand prize pack!

The prize pack includes a ToiletWand, bathroom rug, toilet decal, and toilet paper holder. To enter, leave a comment letting me know your least favorite household chore. Be sure to leave your comment before midnight on Monday, April 11th.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Clorox and received a ToiletWand to facilitate my review and a gift code to thank me for taking the time to participate.

New Tips To Support A Loved One Living With Epilepsy

Whenever I know I'm coming down with something, I'm filled with dread. Not only because I know I'm going to feel less than wonderful, but also because I know I can't just take to my bed and dwell there until the affliction passes. Why not? There's too much to be done every day, and it all rests on my shoulders. You could accuse me of being a poor delegator, but I will respond 'I'm a mom - is there another way?!'

Even when I'm completely healthy, I'm always racing to complete the mounting daily tasks. I can't imagine how much more challenging these tasks are when dealing with a disability myself or while caring for a loved with a disability.

November marked National Epilepsy Awareness month, and HealthyWomen.org created the "Women Succeeding with Epilepsy" video series, sponsored by UCB, Inc., to educate and inspire women dealing with the challenges of living or caring for someone with epilepsy. In the series, one woman, Amy W., tells the story of caring for her son with epilepsy while another woman, Veronica C., shares her experience of living with epilepsy since she was a teenager. To watch the videos visit: http://www.healthywomen.org/content/article/women-succeeding-epilepsy-part2.

My grandmother lived with epilepsy all her life and it partly defined her. She left school early because of her epilepsy, she couldn't get a job because of her epilepsy and, even though she was a wonderful, competent and talented woman, she was tremendously shy because of her epilepsy.

I wish I'd been more educated and thus more aware of the ways in which I could have helped her deal with her epilepsy and so, in memory of my grandmother who endured an illness that challenged her throughout her life, I'd like to write about the following tips from HealthyWomen for supporting someone who lives with epilepsy.

10 Tips For Supporting Someone With Epilepsy

Supporting a Child: Mom often takes on many roles in the family—caretaker, health care decision maker and cheerleader. If you have a son or daughter living with epilepsy, you’ll often take on all three. Laying a strong foundation for your child, child, while still taking care of oneself, can be challenging. These tips can help:

1. Communication is key. Nurture an environment of openness. It’s important to have a candid dialogue about your child’s condition, so they feel comfortable coming to you with any feelings or concerns. Talking about what it means for them is important, as is talking to others about what it means for you. Also, letting neighbors, coaches, teachers, school officials and other important people know is key to fostering a team approach.
2. Make informed decisions. Start by choosing the right health careprofessional. Give your child the best possible chance for success by seeking care from a specialist who is familiar with epilepsy, such as a neurologist or epileptologist. Do your research and ask lots of questions. If you don’t feel comfortable from the beginning, keep looking.
3. Guide your child toward activities where success is most likely. It’s easy to see your child’s strengths. Encourage them to participate in activities where their skills will be best utilized. For example, partaking in an individual sport rather than a team one may offer significant benefits. Also, by giving your child responsibilities and allowing him or her to make or contribute to important decisions, you’ll be empowering your youngster to be his or her own advocate one day.
4. Remember: To care for someone else, you need to take care of yourself first. You know when you’re on an airplane and they say to secure your oxygen mask first? Same idea here—you can’t help your family if you aren’t taking care of yourself. Make sure to schedule some time for self‐care, relaxation and nurturing other important relationships in your life. Also, it helps to have a support network of other parents caring for children with epilepsy. You can find resources for this at epilepsyadvocate.com.
5. Always be prepared. Create an action plan so that you’re ready if a seizure occurs. That includes always carrying important phone numbers and any necessary medications.
   Supporting another adult: Do you have a friend, coworker, spouse, parent or sibling living with epilepsy? Maybe you want to be supportive but aren’t sure how. These tips can help:
6. Talk openly. By normalizing conversation about epilepsy and seizures, your friend or loved one will feel more comfortable talking about their concerns and fears. Also, don’t be afraid to express your own feelings as well. Witnessing a seizure can be scary—if it happens to you, talk about it.
7. Do your homework. Learn what you can do in the event of a seizure by asking a medical professional, doing research and talking to the person who has epilepsy. Visit www.epilepsyfoundation.org/about/firstaid to read their tips on first aid for seizures. Also, it helps to understand terminology and to know what resources and support options are available.
8. Be a cheerleader and advocate. Stay optimistic and celebrate seizure control and important milestones. Educate those around you and encourage them to get involved with epilepsy awareness.
9. Offer to go to important medical appointments. Your friend or loved one may want some extra support or someone to take notes about medical procedures or other important topics. This will also allow you to be a solid sounding board for confusing medical decisions. In addition, people with epilepsy may not recall what happens during a seizure, so caregivers should try to communicate that information to the physician.
10. Carry important phone numbers with you. Whether it’s for specific doctors, local hospitals or other loved ones, always be able to contact the people who you may need or want informed of any given situation.
    
    
    I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of HealthyWomen’s “Women Succeeding with Epilepsy” sponsored by UCB, Inc. and received a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Luxurious Relief For A Mom's Hands

As a mom - and a nanny - I spend a good portion of every weekday with my hands in water: doing the dishes in scalding, soapy dish water; soaking/scrubbing stained clothes; bathing fidgety little bodies in warm, sudsy bath water; washing little hands and faces after breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack times; washing my hands, washing my hands, washing my hands...

It is hardly surprisingly then that my hands are always on the dry side, but when it gets to the colder months, they become painfully dry and cracked overnight and they 'snag' on fabrics in a way that makes my hair stand on end. I often resort to slathering my hands in big clods of lotion, then sleeping with them covered in sock 'mittens'.

When I heard about Johnson's Shea & Cocoa Butter line of baby oil products, I was curious to see how they'd help my beleagured paws. I started using the Johnson's Baby Creamy Oil almost two weeks ago, and it is deliciously soothing. Luxuriously thick and creamy, and not at all greasy - I've been slathering it on every chance I get. Folding the laundry is no longer a tortured affair! All Johnson's products are dermatologist and allergy-tested, so I allow Pudding Pie and my other two charges to slather it on their mini paws, too. Now we all have richly hydrated mitts and, thanks to the Shea & Cocoa Butter fragrance, we all smell sublime!

Johnson's also offers Baby Oil and Baby Oil Gel in the Shea & Cocoa Butter line, and just a small amount left my skin feeling silky soft - it is particularly great on freshly-shaved legs!

While we're on the subject of fragrance, let me talk about my penchant for the Shea & Cocoa Butter scent. It reminds me of my most favorite place: the beach. Last weekend, after a long soak in a steamy tub, I liberally slathered on the Johnson's Baby Oil Gel from the Shea & Cocoa Butter line. It was blissful, my skin felt ultra soft, pampered actually. Afterwards, I relaxed on the sofa, gazed at the large glass bowl filled with white beach sand and seashells, which resides in our living room, and planned our next beach vacation...

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Johnson’s and received the products necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Prenatal Multivitamins For Mom And Baby's Health

*Update: Congratulations to AmyLynn, you are the winner of the Nature Made Prenatal gift pack!*

The discovery that I was pregnant with Pudding Pie was a big surprise. Yes, it was a very wonderful surprise, but we hadn't been trying for a baby and my lifestyle then was far from healthy. I was petrified that the baby would suffer because of my addiction to coffee, diet soda and junk food. I smoked back then, did not bother with vitamins, rarely indulged in fruits or vegetables, and was completely allergic to exercise.

All of this changed when I learned that I had a baby on the way. That was the day I smoked my last cigarette and drank my last caffeinated drink. I reformed overnight and took the fast track to healthy living, but I was still concerned about my baby getting all that she needed to grow and I took my prenatal vitamins religiously.

I was nauseous for much of the first part of my pregnancy (actually more like the first seven eighths of it...), and taking my prenatal vitamins made me more so. I tried a few different brands and eventually settled on the one that made me feel slightly less nauseous than the others - but it cost me an arm and a leg.

Pudding Pie survived her lack of vitamins those first two months and emerged spectacularly healthy, a trend she continues to this day. I continued taking my prenatal vitamins while I nursed her (they no longer made me nauseous), and I gave them up reluctantly. Actually, I was so pleased with my daily dollop of multivitamins and DHA, that I'd probably still be taking them if it weren't for the fifty plus bucks/month thing. I've moved on to regular multivitamins and my lifestyle is now significantly healthier than it was pre-Pudding Pie. And, should we try for a second child, I'll be sure to begin those prenatal multivitamins from the get-go.

Nature Made, a trusted maker of vitamins and supplements, offers Nature Made Prenatal Multivitamin with DHA in one single softgel. How great to not have to take two pills when you're feeling nauseous!

Nature Made was the first over-the-counter brand to launch a Prenatal Multivitamin with 200mg DHA in one single softgel. One of these softgels delivers 800mg of Folic Acid,Vitamins A,C,D and Zinc, Iron, B – Complex (Vitamins B6, B12), EPA/DHA, Niacin, and 200mg of DHA.

DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid, which is passed directly from the mother to the child during pregnancy and through breastfeeding. It is an essential nutrient, and plays an important role in brain and retina development during fetal development and infancy. To learn more about Nature Made's Prenatal vitamins, visit naturemade.com.

**One lucky reader will win A Nature Made Prenatal gift pack! The gift pack will include a 9 month supply of Nature Made Prenatal Multivitamin with DHA, two 2-packs of cloth diapers and a "Just for Baby" food processor! To enter, please leave a pregnancy-related comment and be sure to include a way for me to reach you.

Giveaway ends at midnight on Sunday, November 14th. **

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central on behalf of Nature Made and received the products necessary to facilitate my review and giveaway.

Go Back To School With Eco-Friendly School Supplies

Summer's been a blast but now it is time to start checking things off on those back-to-school shopping lists. I was just talking with a friend who is mom to three school-age girls, and she was bemoaning the endless list of school supplies to be tracked down as her girls prepare themselves for the coming year.

In the rush to get school-ready, we are so caught up in gathering the essentials for our kids, that we can forget about the negative impact all of those school supplies can have on the environment.

Paper Mate has not forgotten and now, to give us an opportunity to be proactive for the environment, Paper Mate has launched a new line of eco-friendly writing utensils, which include biodegradable pens and mechanical pencils. What an awesome idea!

To help demonstrate how products impact our environment, and to witness first-hand how eco-friendly these writing utensils are, we participated in the Plant-A-Pen Challenge. The Challenge was created by Mom Central, in partnership with Paper Mate.

For the challenge, we first separated the components of the pen into the biodegradable and non-biodegradable parts. (The packaging clearly explains which parts of the pen may be returned to the environment, and which may not.)

Next, we planted the biodegradable components of our Paper Mate pen on the edge of a nature reserve next door to our apartment. We marked the spot with our favorite Easter Bunny garden ornament, so we'll know where to go for our check up visits! Assuming all goes as it should, the planted pen will begin to break down over the next few months, and its components will biodegrade back into the soil.

At first, Pudding Pie was perplexed by this activity (she's never helped Mommy plant a pen before...), but now she's excited and she keeps wanting to check on its progress! This is such a great way to show her how something as small as a pen has an effect on our environment, and I confess that I am as excited as Pudding Pie to watch the biodegrading begin!

Pudding Pie marking the spot of our freshly planted pen.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Paper Mate and received the products necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Cold and Dreamy Treats To Beat The Heat

It's hot. Being outdoors after 9am and before 8pm is just not sane. Car seats are hot, swing sets are hot, backyards are steamy, tempers are short, bickering is plentiful, and fall seems so far away.

I would like to spend the daylight hours of summer indoors, basking in cool, air-conditioned comfort. Pudding Pie and her friends do not. They clamor to be outdoors. They want to be sprinting through the sprinkler, whizzing down the slip 'n slide, splashing in the pool, digging in the sand, hanging out on the back porch, daubing paint on anything they can, and so on.

Every day, they laugh, squeal, and play their way through their various sweaty outdoor activities while I lug toys around, set up the paints, wash off the paint, fill the pool, apply sunscreen, arbitrate disputes - and gently wilt.

I have my secret weapon though; it lives in the freezer and summer cannot be conquered without it: ice cream!

I recently tried the new Breyers Smooth & Dreamy Chocolate Caramel Brownie ice cream bars. I was not disappointed, and neither were Pudding Pie and her friends. the bars are rich, creamy and delicious!

The Breyers Smooth & Dreamy ice cream bars and sandwiches also come in five other rich and creamy flavors, including Vanilla Caramel Chip, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Chocolate Covered Strawberry, Vanilla Fudge Brownie, Triple Chocolate Chip.

These tasty delights are not only the perfect refreshment on a sultry summer day, they also contain no artificial flavors or colors, are 160 calories or less and have only 4-6g of fat per serving.

Think you'd like to try a new Breyers ice cream bar or sandwich? Leave a comment before midnight on Friday, August 6th, letting me know what you love most about summer, and you could win a couple of Breyers coupons!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Breyers and received products necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Great Ideas From the FedEx Out of Office Blog

Have you checked out the new Out of Office blog from FedEx? It is a wonderful resource, full of neat ideas for projects, gifts and parties. Thus far, my personal favorite is the Parent Projects section; the placemats suggestion is an excellent way to creatively use original artwork from our kids and I will definitely be featuring this idea on my Grandparent gift list!

One of the features of this blog that I'm most excited about is the "coming soon" Templates and Tools section. This promises downloadable templates and instructions for some projects - great! I'll be checking back for this feature!

Visit the FedEx Office Out of Office blog and check it out for yourself; you're in for a treat. The many tips and suggestions will get your own creative juices flowing - I'm planning a party at the end of this month and I just discovered an awesome way to display place cards in the Excellent Events section. Yes, I am absolutely going to steal this idea!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of FedEx Office. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Text for a Cause in Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and, on September 9, Electrolux and Kelly Ripa kicked off a unique “Text-a-Thon for a Cause” to support the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF). Ovarian cancer affects thousands of women each year and it is essential that we raise awareness about this disease.

"Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States and is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women. The American Cancer Society estimates that 21,650 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the U.S. in 2008 and about 15,520 women will die from the disease. It is an insidious disease that can strike without warning or cause.
The symptoms of ovarian cancer are often vague and subtle, making it difficult to diagnose. There is no effective screening test for ovarian cancer but there are tests which can detect ovarian cancer when patients are at high risk or have early symptoms. In spite of this patients are usually diagnosed in advanced stages and only 45% survive longer than five years. Only 19% of cases are caught before the cancer has spread beyond the ovary to the pelvic region. However, when ovarian cancer is detected and treated early on, the five-year survival rate is greater than 92%." - http://www.ocrf.org/


To help the OCRF fund research and promote early detection of Ovarian cancer, moms can donate $5 to the cause by texting “KELLY” to 85944 from their mobile phones (standard text messaging rates apply) – or by logging on to http://www.kelly-confidential.com/.

Also, each day you log on to the web site, you are entered for a chance to win a luxury frontload washer and dryer from Electrolux in Turquoise Sky, the color of ovarian cancer awareness. There's more: Mom Central is also giving away an Electrolux washer and dryer in Turquoise Sky! Click over and enter for your chance to win your very own set!

During September, visitors to Kelly Confidential can also help spread awareness for this important cause by sending a virtual T-shirt to a friend. For every virtual T-shirt sent, Electrolux will donate $1 to the OCRF.

You can also purchase a limited edition T-shirt designed by Ripa; Electrolux will donate 100% of the proceeds from the sale of these T-shirts to OCRF. You can purchase these limited edition T-shirts online at http://www.kelly-confidential.com/. Electrolux will also donate $200 to OCRF for every Turquoise Sky washer and dryer pair purchased.

Visit www.kelly-confidential.com to hear Kelly's video message on Ovarian cancer awareness.

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Electrolux and received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate."

Disney On Ice is Sure toThrill The Whole Family!

We live in a place where summer is the dominant season and our glimpse of winter each year is all too short. I've always thought it must be fun to take part in all the winter activities that go along with colder weather. My sweet Pudding Pie must be of the same mind because she is forever asking if I'll take her skating or on a sleigh ride. I'm not sure where she picked this up, but it's pretty cute and some day I will take her skating and/or on a sleigh ride!

For now though, I am planning to seize the chance to travel to a neighboring city later this fall so that we can catch the excitement of Disney On Ice! Pudding Pie will get to see skating like she has never envisioned it and, if her response to a trip to the circus is anything to go on, Disney On Ice is going to blow her away!

Feld Entertainment's Disney On Ice live spectaculars feature iconic Disney stories, characters, music, and world-class skating; providing families with a unique entertainment experience to which they can look forward to this fall and winter.

Pudding Pie will get to experience her favorite Disney characters live, right before her eyes! And, with spectacular ice shows featuring the magical Disney characters: such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Cinderella and Tinker Bell to favorites from Disney's Toy Story, The Little Mermaid, and the new film, The Princess and The Frog; I know there is a performance to delight our whole family — young and not-so-young! I feel sure this will be a family treat to remember and treasure.

The exciting news is that Mom Central is extending the following special family offers; look for the box marked "MC Promotion" when purchasing tickets:

Offer #1: Get 4 tickets for just $44 by entering the code "MOM" at select ticketing channels. Offer good on all weekday performances, which includes all weekday evening and Friday matinee performances; minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each.
Offer #2: All weekend performance tickets will be $4 off the original price
Offer #3: Get the best Front Row and VIP seats available – We have reserved seats in the Front Row and VIP sections just for you! No discounts available on these seats. Use the code MOM.

*Not valid on Front Row or VIP seats or in combination with other offers including opening night offers. Other fees may apply.

The above offers are good in the following cities:

St. Louis: September 3-6, 2009
Chicago: September 8-13, 2009
Sunrise: September 17-20, 2009
Dayton/Cincinnati: September 17-27, 2009
Miami: September 23-27, 2009
Auburn Hills: September 30 – October 4, 2009
Charlotte: October 8-11, 2009
Philadelphia: October 14-18, 2009
Atlanta: October 14-18, 2009
Oakland/San Jose: October 14-25, 2009
Fairfax: October 21-25, 2009
Sacramento: October 28 – November 1, 2009
Baltimore: October 28 – November 1, 2009
Uniondale: November 10-15, 2009
Houston: November 11-15, 2009
NYC: November 17-22, 2009
East Rutherford: November 24-29, 2009
Denver/Broomfield: December 3-13, 2009 *available for purchase on 9/12/09
St. Paul: December 9-13, 2009
Los Angeles: December 17-20, 2009
Toronto: December 18-27, 2009
Anaheim: December 22-27, 2009
Philadelphia: December 23 – January 3, 2010 *available for purchase on 10/12/09
Boston: December 26-29, 2009 *available for purchase on 9/3/09
Ontario: December 30 – January 3, 2010
Cleveland: January 8 -18, 2009 *available for presale on 10/2/09

Shows coming this fall and winter:

Disney On Ice presents Celebrations! It's one colossal party on ice, with all your favorite Disney friends! Enjoy a winter wonderland with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, a Halloween haunt with the Disney Villains, a Very Merry Unbirthday Party, a Royal Ball with the Disney Princesses and more in a magical medley of holidays, celebrations and festivals from around the globe.

Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy: Rev up for non-stop fun with four of your favorite Disney stories at Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy. Thrill to high-speed stunts as Lightning McQueen, Mater and the crew of Disney/Pixar's CARS race across the ice. Dive into The Little Mermaid's enchanting undersea kingdom and experience the 'Circle of Life' with The Lion King. Then enter the mystical world of Pixie Hollow with Tinker Bell and the Disney Fairies as they reveal the magic that lies within! From wheels to waves, Pride Lands to pixie dust, your family's favorite Disney moments come to life at Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy with dazzling skating, special effects and beloved characters certain to create a lifetime of memories.

Special Bonus! Come see a Disney princess and a dazzling display of gorgeous gowns at the Disney Princess Pre-Show starting one hour before show time! Complimentary to all ticket holders.

Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic: Join the celebration as 65 of Disney's unforgettable characters from 18 beloved stories come to life in Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic! You'll be captivated by the one and only Mickey Mouse, the irresistible Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio and all the Disney Princesses. Be thrilled by exciting moments from The Lion King; Mulan; and Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Toy Story films; in a skating spectacular filled with magical Disney moments you'll remember forever as Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic!

Disney On Ice presents Princess Classics: Dreams really do come true! Disney On Ice is proud to bring you a dazzling tale of hope, heart, heroism and hilarity as Disney On Ice presents Princess Classics. This stunning spectacle is an awe-inspiring and fun-filled journey to the magical lands of Disney's classic fairy tales. Travel to a kingdom under the sea, an enchanted palace in France, an Arabian castle and more! Enter the fantasy worlds of your favorite Disney princesses – Cinderella, Jasmine, Ariel, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Mulan and Snow White – as they bring magic to your city in this royal skating extravaganza.

To learn more about Disney On Ice shows touring the country this year and to find shows in your area, visit the Disney On Ice site. And don't forget to use the special discount code when purchasing tickets online!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Feld Entertainment. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”