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One Act of Kindness Can Go a Long Way

Tessa Smith
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0
One Act of Kindness Can Go a Long Way

Disclosure: Mama Smith was provided with an all expenses paid trip to cover this event. All opinions expressed are 100% her own.

Cinderella Kindness

While I was at the D23 Expo a couple of weeks ago, Disney and Cinderella launched the website CinderellaKindness.com in celebration of the Digital HD and Blu-ray™ release of Disney’s “Cinderella” on September 15, 2015. I was one of the lucky bloggers that was selected to become an Ambassador of Kindness. We attended a delicious dinner at Carthay Circle Restaurant. I was so excited to learn about this website because I think that being kind to others is very important. It is something that my mom always instilled in me, that I try to instill in my daughters, and I hope that they pass it on to their children. One small act of kindness can go a long way.

Cinderella

A story that I would love to share with you is something that happened just a couple days ago. My mother is selling her house and moving in to a small apartment. It is just her and having a large home is getting to be too much for her. Because she is downsizing, she placed a lot of her furniture and other items up for sale in local Facebook groups and online. One of the women that came to look at some things happened to mention that she was a single mom. More in to the conversation, my mother discovered that she was living in a small one bedroom apartment with her infant son and sleeping on a blanket on the floor. Her son was sleeping in a pack and play. She had no furniture at all. She had just moved to the area and while she was working, money was still tight – especially because of the first, last, and security deposit she had to put down to get a place to live. My mom decided to give her everything for free. Her extra bed, a toddler bed, a couch, a love seat, two end tables, a TV, the TV cabinet – even some sheets and pillows. The woman tried to give her $20 (which was all she had) and my mother would not accept it. In fact, she took her grocery shopping as well. When she called to tell me about this, I could tell she was getting choked up remembering it. She kept telling me how grateful this young woman was. That she kept hugging her and was crying almost the entire time. My brother-in-law helped move all the stuff in to the apartment for her as well. She was in shock, and could not believe that there were kind people like this still in the world. My mom felt so good helping someone out who really needed it. This inspired me to go out and do a good deed. I went through all of our toys and clothes and donated a lot to a local domestic violence shelter. It warmed my heart. I encourage you to do the same – I know you have some kindness in you. It doesn’t have to be as big a gesture, even the smallest of things can make someone’s day.

Cinderella Kindness

Inspired by the spirit of Cinderella, this online initiative invites fans everywhere to pledge their commitment to be courageous and kind in the hopes of achieving “A Million Words of Kindness” in time for World Kindness Day on November 13th, 2015. In the film “Cinderella,” Ella is told by her mother, “Where there is kindness, there is goodness; and where there is goodness, there is magic.” Now families everywhere can create this magic themselves by submitting words of courage and kindness at CinderellaKindness.com, using the hashtags #Cinderella and #bekind or the handle @Cinderellamovie. These kind words and their entrant’s names will then appear on the site’s interactive “Kindness Wall.”

Go to CinderellaKindness.com and leave your kind words. You never know when someone might need to read them.

CINDERELLA comes out on Digital HD and Blu-ray on September 15th, 2015 – pre-order your copy here.

http://youtu.be/erecP_j6aKE

Visit the official CINDERELLA Website: http://disney.com/Cinderella
Like CINDERELLA on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cinderella
Follow CINDERELLA on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CinderellaMovie
Follow CINDERELLA on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/DisneyCinderella 
Follow CINDERELLA on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/disneystudios/cinderella
Follow CINDERELLA on Google +: https://plus.google.com/+disneycinderella

A Guide to the Food at the New York State Fair

Tessa Smith
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3
A Guide to the Food at the New York State Fair

Disclosure: Mama Smith received tickets to this event from The Great New York State Fair in exchange for this post. All opinions expressed are 100% her own.

NYSF Milk Bar

My family and I attend The Great New York State Fair every year. There is so much to do there – from free concerts, to animal shows, to arts and crafts, to a Native American Village, to rides and games – the fair has it all. You can easily spend a full day there because it is huge! We usually go at least twice in the 12 days (Aug. 27 to Sept. 7, 2015) it is at the fairgrounds. One of the best things about the fair though, is the food. There are so many vendors and carts and places to grab a bite to eat that I wanted to take the time to tell you my top foods – my “must haves” if you will. In a later post, I will tell you more about everything else.

NYSF Fresh Milk   NYSF Cheese Sculpture   NYSF Dairy Go Round

NYSF Milk Bar

Fresh Milk and Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
Every time we enter the fair, our first stop is the dairy building. The rainbow bar is there and if you wait to long, the line will get pretty long. Here you can get fresh milk. Fresh as in, just milked that morning! Yum! You have your choice of chocolate or white milk and it is always delicious. I don’t drink milk – but I never miss a cup of this stuff. In the same building is the New York State Cheese store.Often time there is someone out front carving something from a block of cheese (this weekend it was a Minion!). You can try free samples of fresh cheese and also purchase many cheese products. We never visit the fair without purchasing some mozzarella cheese sticks. The girls love them – and so do my husband and I. Side Note: In the dairy building there is also the butter sculpture as well as a “Dairy-go-round” two must sees as well.

NYSF Lemonade    NYSF Lemonade

Omanii’s Lemonade Heaven
OK, I admit it. This is a little stand that I just discovered this year. I wanted to tell you guys about it because it is hidden. It is over by the Pan-African village stuff and it is the best lemonade I have ever tasted. I got myself a glass of the Iced Tea Lemonade and the girls got some Pink Lemonade. My husband, who doesn’t even like lemonade, helped them finish off theirs. It is so good and we will definitely be making this a stop every fair visit now.

NYSF Wrap    NYSF Wrap

Wrap It Up
My first year at the fair, we got the coupon book. This book brought us to the Wrap It Up stand when it came time to eat lunch. I ordered a Chicken Caesar Wrap with tomatoes and it was the best wrap I have ever tasted. For some reason we were unable to find this booth last year (until immediately after lunch of course) and I settled with a wrap from another place. I wish I could remember the name – sorry guys – but it was sub-par compared to Wrap It Up. If Chicken Caesar is not your thing, they have plenty of other options like steak and honey mustard.

NYSF Gyro

King David’s
My husband loves Gyros. If you asked him, he would probably tell you that King David’s Gyros are his favorite part of the fair. He gets one every year and I don’t imagine he will ever stop. He says they have the best tzatziki sauce he has ever had – and he has had a lot. If you like gyros, this is the place you should eat lunch.

NYSF Funnel Cake

Funnel Cakes
What fair is not complete without fried junk food? I have tried the deep friend oreos and candy bars and they are good. But sometimes I just want a classic – friend dough or a funnel cake. Pretty much every stand at the fair that has these is good. I have tried several (it usually depends on where we are when we decide we want one) and have never had a complaint about the taste.

NYSF Kids Meal

Kid’s Meals
If your kids are like mine, they can be picky. They aren’t adventurous at all and usually want chicken and fries or a hot dog and fries. Rarely do they decide to try something new. There is a stand at the New York State Fair called the Tiki Turtle that gives you an “entree” (chicken fingers, hot dog, hamburger, etc), fries, a drink, and a piece of candy for only $6. Not too bad if you ask me. My girls shared it and didn’t even finish it all.

NYSF Food   NYSF Food

NYSF Food

There is also a building filled with different booths containing foods from around the world, the International Pavilion. We have yet to eat there, but I have heard great things. Especially about Little Italy and the Pig and Potato. There are also tacos, Chinese food, a deli, and even a place called Grandma’s kitchen. There are plenty of tables so you can eat inside if the weather is less than ideal. There are plenty of delicious food options – people will line up for hours to get a baked potato from The Great Potato Booth. You can use this interactive map on the fair website to plan your food route. I hope this guide to the New York State Fair Food has helped you. There is so much to do there that wasting time looking for the right food can put a kink in your day. Especially if you are like us and have a minimum of three different stops for food.

Connect with The Great New York State Fair on social media:

www.nysfair.org
http://www.facebook.com/nysfair
http://twitter.com/NYSFair

Take the Family to a Symphoria Performance this Season

Tessa Smith
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2
Take the Family to a Symphoria Performance this Season

Disclosure: Mama Smith’s Review Blog received tickets from Symphoria to this event in exchange for her honest review. All opinions expressed are 100% hers.

Circ-De-La-Symphonie-Feat2

I love going with my family to special events. We enjoy going to concerts, shows, and other cultural and local arts performances. Now that the girls are getting a little bit older, we can do a lot more with them. My husband and I have always looked forward to these types of outings and now they are starting to as well. So when I hears about Symphoria (a fully professional orchestra serving  Syracuse and Central New York), I was pretty excited! I didn’t know there was something so amazing so close.

concerts

My husband and I pulled up their performance list and found out that they have a pretty busy 2015-16 schedule. There were so many that we would like to attend – but we settled on the Cirque de la Symphonie on September 26th. This looks like it is going to be so much fun and I just know that my daughters will love it. For all of their performances kids 18 and under are free! How awesome is that! They also have plenty of different options so if you want to attend 4, 5, 6, or even all of their performances, you can get a discount. Check out their full schedule here:

09.12.15 – Symphonie Fantastique
Stunning pianist twins Christina & Michelle Naughton are riveting in Poulenc’s Double Piano Concerto, followed by Berlioz’s groundbreaking work, Symphonie Fantastique.

09.26.15 – Cirque de la Symphonie
The concert stage turns into a magical Cirque show with performances by aerial fliers, acrobats, contortionists and jugglers.

10.10.15 – Julie Albers Returns
Syracuse favorite Julie Albers returns to perform Dvorak’s beloved Cello Concerto, paired with Rachmaninoff’s electrifying Symphonic Dances.

10.16.15 – Credo
Composer Joseph Downing premieres a new work written for the SU Oratorio Society and the combined choirs of at least six churches.

10.24.15 – Storybook Halloween
Featuring Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and other Halloween-inspired music.

11.01.15 – An Afternoon with Itzhak Perlman
Temple Concord and Symphoria present Itzhak Perlman in a very special performance of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. This performance is not to be missed!

11.07.15 – New York Connections
In this program of music inspired by New York, award-winning pianist Orion Weiss will envelop you in the well-known themes of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

11.13.15 – Harvest Moon
This performance pairs rustic music of the country with seasonal food and drink at the beautiful Welch Allyn Lodge in Skaneateles.

11.22.15 – French Collection
Oraganist Bradley Welch performs Poulenc’s Organ Concerto, and soprano Janet Brown joins the SU Oratorio Society for Faure’s Requiem.

12.06.15 – Messiah
Temple Concord and Symphoria present Itzhak Perlman in a very special performance of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. This performance is not to be missed!

12.18.15 – Holiday Pops
Ring in the holidays with Symphoria, dancers, the Syracuse Pops Chorus, Syracuse Children’s Chorus and special guests, as well as a visit from Santa.

12.19.15 – Holiday Pops
Ring in the holidays with Symphoria, dancers, the Syracuse Pops Chorus, Syracuse Children’s Chorus and special guests, as well as a visit from Santa.

01.23.16 – Orchestra Spotlight: Mozart & Beethoven
Symphoria principal winds are showcased in this performance with Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4

02.06.16 – Live Design
Symphoria ensembles perform throughout the Warehouse as audience members explore the design studios and Point of Contact Gallery. Ticket includes light refreshments and a cash bar.

02.06.16 – Meet The Orchestra
Introduces young children to the orchestra and the instrument families within.

02.13.16 – Wicked Divas
An evening of showstoppers from the worlds of Broadway, opera and pop featuring Elphaba and Glinda from the Broadway production of Wicked.

02.27.16 – Shakespeare Celebration
Lush interpretations by three well-known composers inspired by Shakespeare mark the 400th anniversary of his death as Symphoria collaborates with the SU Department of Drama.

03.06.16 – Civic Morning Musicals’ 125th Anniversary Celebration
Pianist Steven Heyman performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23, and violinist Sarah Crocker Vonsattel performs the Barber Violin Concerto

03.12.16 – Motion Dynamics
Acrobats and circus performers from CirqOvation join us for this performance, as we explore movement and motion with music. Ticket includes light refreshments and a cash bar.

03.19.16 – Disney In Concert: Magical Music From The Movies
A multimedia event featuring the original scores paired with footage from Disney movies.

04.03.16 – Copland & Stravinsky
We explore two 20th century giants with works that are more intimately sized including Appalachian Spring.

04.23.16 – Brahms Requiem
This epic choral masterpiece comes to life with the Syracuse University Oratorio Society, soprano Julia Ebner and baritone Timothy LeFebvre.

04.23.16 – Symphonic Safari
Cartoonist Joe Wos joins us for this entertaining performance with live drawings of animals and music that was inspired by them.

05.01.16 – Birth Of The Concerto
Violinist Jeremy Mastrangelo and Symphoria musicians are featured as we explore the birth of the concerto, with works ranging from Bach to Mendelssohn.

05.14.16 – Nielsen, Sibelius & Shostakovich
Gifted violinist Caroline Goulding performs Sibelius’ haunting violin concerto, followed by Shostakovich’s rousing Symphony No. 5.

05.21.16 – Star Wars And A Galaxy Far Away
The Force awakens with the music of Star Wars and other intergalactic adventures.

06.04.16 – Pictures At An Exhibition
Superstar violinist Anne Akiko Meyers performs the rhapsodic music of Ravel and Saint-Saëns with an introductory counterpoint in contemporary composer Jennifer Higdon’s Blue Cathedral, which is both contemplative and celebratory.

disney

I love how diverse everything is. There is truly something for everyone – masterworks pieces, pops performances, classic concerts, shows geared toward kids, and more! Depending on how the girls do, we will most likely be attending a few more performances this season like the Disney In Concert and the Star Wars and A Galaxy Far Away. Both girls love music so I imagine this will be something they really enjoy. Don’t worry, I will be back with a full review after we attend! Are you local to the Syracuse/Central New York area? Scroll down and enter to win!

About Symphoria:
Symphoria is a fully professional orchestra serving  Syracuse and Central New York. It is one of  only two co-op orchestras in the U.S., founded by nearly 50 members of the former Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, which was considered one of America’s top 50 orchestras. Symphoria is passionately committed to serving its community with inspiring orchestra and ensemble performances, and innovative education programs for kids of all ages.

Connect with Symphoria on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SymphoriaCNY
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SymphoriaCNY
Instagram: https://instagram.com/symphoriacny/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/108852165896015369850/about
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ExperienceSymphoria

 

Giveaway Alert

Enter to win a family four pack of tickets to attend any of the Symphoria’s 2015-16 season performances using the Gleam form below! Be sure to check out my other giveaways while you are here and GOOD LUCK!

(4) Symphoria Tickets for 2015-16 Schedule

Pixar in a Box: Free Online STEAM Curriculum

Tessa Smith
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0
Pixar in a Box: Free Online STEAM Curriculum

pixar in a box

Khan Academy launches Pixar in a Box, a behind-the-scenes look at Pixar Animation Studios’ creative process

Pixar has always been one of my favorite companies. I love all of their movies (who doesn’t) and now I have a reason to love them even more. My husband and I are super into STEAM and now – STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, ARTS, Math) – because we feel they are very important things for kids to learn and focus on. My husband is an engineer so he is always focusing on these type of things with the girls. My oldest is only 4 but she has helped him build robots already. We are very excited about the newly launched Pixar in a Box. Pixar has teamed up with Khan Academy to create an online resource that explores the academic concepts behind Pixar Animation Studios’ creative process. It shows how Pixar filmmakers use STEAM to create movie magic. Through a series of video lessons, interactive exercises, and hands-on activities, students will discover how the academic concepts they learn in school enable Pixar filmmakers to create new worlds, animate unique characters and tell stories through animation. Although designed especially for students in middle and high school, these resources are available to learners of all ages, and completely free of charge.

“Our mission at Khan Academy is a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere,” said Sal Khan, Founder and CEO of the not-for-profit Khan Academy. “Sparking student interest in math and other academic fields is a key part of that, and we’re delighted to collaborate with Pixar to achieve this goal. Pixar in a Box gives students a new way to engage with key academic concepts and see how creative these concepts can be.” “Learning makes us beginners again,” said Ed Catmull, President of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios.  “In my experience, creativity involves missteps and imperfections, which is one more reason it is important for every one of us to keep learning – in order to remain flexible and keep our brains nimble.   By working with Khan Academy on Pixar in a Box, we hope to encourage the excitement of learning and creative thinking for middle and high school students and to provide the tools to do it.”

Khan Academy

“For years, we’ve heard from teachers at every grade level interested in creating animation-based curricula,” said Elyse Klaidman, Director, Pixar University and Archives.  “We’ve wanted to provide free online resources for them, and Pixar in a Box makes that dream a reality. We hope that it not only gives students a behind-the-scenes look at how our movies are made but also gets them excited about STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) concepts.”

“Many students start to lose interest in academics in middle and high school, partly because they don’t see how academic concepts relate to things they care about,” Tony DeRose stated at the unveiling of Pixar in a Box Wednesday. “Pixar in a Box aims to address this disconnect by showing how Pixar filmmakers use these concepts for creative benefit in their everyday work.”

Students can access Pixar in a Box and learn:

  • How combinatorics are used to create crowds, like the swarm of robots in WALLŸE.
  • How parabolas are used to model environments, like the forest in Brave.
  • How weighted averages are used to create characters, like Buzz Lightyear and Woody.
  • How linear and cubic interpolation are used to animate characters.
  • How trigonometry is used to create the worlds in which Pixar stories take place.
  • How simultaneous equations are used to paint all of Pixar’s images.

“These lessons are the first phase of the project,” said Cruise. “While the first year focuses on math, future Pixar in a Box lessons will explore science, computer science, arts, and humanities.”  All Pixar in a Box resources are available free of charge at PixarInABox.org. The site will be updated as additional lessons become available.

What’s New with Disney Gaming

Tessa Smith
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4
What’s New with Disney Gaming

Disclosure: Mama Smith was provided with an all expenses paid trip to cover this event. All opinions expressed are 100% her own.

Since I am a huge gamer, I was really looking forward to the Disney Interactive Gaming Panel at D23 Expo. I was beyond excited from the moment I found out that it was on our itinerary and I would be able to attend. I was itching to hear news on Disney Infinity 3.0 characters and I had my fingers crossed for a Kingdom Hearts III release date. While I did not get that release date, I did get some pretty exciting news about the game itself. There was also some pretty awesome Star Wars games (and Playstation!) announcements.

Mickey Mouse     Spot
Zootopia  Disney Infinity D23 Exclusives

Disney Infinity 3.0
I have been playing Disney Infinity since it came out. I am not ashamed to admit that I have all of the characters for Disney Infinity and Disney Infinity 2.0. I have even been lucky enough to start my 3.0 collection with the Inside Out playset (read about that here) and Mickey Mouse figure that was given to us for attending this panel! There were some awesome character announcements too – Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps from Zootopia, Spot from The Good Dinosaur, Hulkbuster & Ultron, and Finn and Rey from Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be joining the Disney Infinity family. If you have played the game before than you know about the “Ultimate Unlock” – once you collect all the character figures you get a special addition to the game. It was announced at the panel that the Disney Inifinty 3.0 Ultimate Unlock will be Sora’s Keyblade from Kingdom Hearts! I was pretty much freaking out at this point because that is combining two of my all time favorite games. At the very end of the panel, John Boyega and Daisy Ridley, co-stars of Star Wars™ The Force Awakens, came out on stage and gave away their character figures, Finn and Rey. As if that news wasn’t exciting enough, when we were leaving we were given a D23 Expo exclusive power disk that will NEVER be in stores – it unlocks a special Kingdom Hearts Mickey Costume of King Mickey, Keyblade Master, and King of Disney Castle for the Mickey Mouse figure we received. Take a look at some game play footage of Hulkbuster and Ultron in Disney Infinity below.

Kingdom Hearts III
I was waiting for some BIG Kingdom Hearts III news at the panel, and boy did I get it! We found out that characters from Big Hero 6 will be appearing in it! The much-anticipated addition to the KINGDOM HEARTS franchise will take Sora and a cast of Disney companions to the urban setting of San Fransokyo, home of lovable robot Baymax, continuing the events of the animated film. We were told that the Baymax who was left behind will be corrupted and become a villian of the game. How amazing does that sound? Academy Award-winning producer Roy Conli let us know that the Big Hero 6 characters will be an integral part of KINGDOM HEARTS III. Above you see the video message that was played for D23 attendees where Conli draws parallels between core elements of the animated film and the overarching KINGDOM HEARTS story, remarking: “Big Hero 6 is such a special film for me – and we always made sure that each action sequence had a very special meaning. The themes in KINGDOM HEARTS and Big Hero 6 match very well. For instance there’s friendship, really important to both stories, and then of course light over darkness.” Baymax even came out to help make the announcement, leaving only when he was told we were satisfied with his service.  I cannot WAIT to play this game. As soon as I told my husband about these announcements, he was so excited! He already couldn’t wait for the game to come out. Hopefully we will have a release date soon.

20150816_112154

KH3-Big-Hero-6-concept-art

playmation

Playmation
As part of the Playmation part of the panel they announced that Playmation Marvel’s Avengers Gamma Gear will be coming this Fall in addition to the Iron Man Repulser Gear. The Gamma Gear is inspired by the 7-foot Hulk and lets you smash into battle using motion-sensing technology putting you in the Avengers action.  Slip your hands into the Gamma Gear and use the motion-based controls to smash your way through missions and stomp through battlegrounds with different Hulk moves like Ground Slam, Thunder Clap, and other combos.  I was lucky enough to attend a live presentation of Playmation up close and personal. I posted about it last FanGirl Friday and you can see it here. Playmation is the next level of gaming and I expect it to be a top product this holiday season. Preorder yours here so you don’t miss out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXFz5tUDY38

Disney Magic Kindgoms

Disney Magic Kingdoms
I love to pass time by playing games on my phone. I probably do it a little too often actually. I was really excited at the panel when Disney Interactive announced Disney Magic Kingdoms. This is a new mobile game being created with Gameloft that lets players build the Disney theme park of their dreams by recreating and placing iconic attractions such as Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, California Screamin’ and many more in a fun animated landscape. In Disney Magic Kingdoms, fans can also interact with characters from more than 90 years of Disney history, including Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, Buzz Lightyear, Mike Wazowski and countless others. Players will also face numerous quests that will unravel an exciting tale of adventure to save the park from villains including Sleeping Beauty’s Maleficent, Toy Story’s Emperor Zurg and Tangled’s Mother Gothel. I know that this will be a ton of fun. We got some sneak peak footage at it and I cannot wait to download it! Discover more about Disney Magic Kingdoms here. 

Star Wars Battlefront
Star Wars Battlefront is highly anticipated by Star Wars fans and gamers alike. Being both of those, I am pretty thrilled about it. I loved seeing the game play up on the big screen at the panel – and it made me even more excited for the November 17th release date! We were told about a DLC, The Battle of Jakku, that will be available on December 1st, 2015 for those that pre-order Star Wars Battlefront, and a week later for those who don’t. This game is sure to be a hot commodity this holiday season so I suggest pre-ordering yours now.

Battle of Jakku

Star Wars Battle Pod
Star Wars Battle Pods look pretty darn cool! They even wheeled one out on stage while we were there AND we got to see some awesome gameplay footage. These are large gaming systems that will be available to play at a lot of arcades around the world – or if you are lucky (and wealthy) enough, you could have one in your home. We were not told for how much, but we were told that premium editions would be available for home purchases. These will have leather seats and the owner’s name will appear on the credit roll! Pretty cool huh? They will even have versions – the rebels and the dark side.

Star Wars Battle Pod

Playstation 4

Limited Edition Star Wars Playstation 4 Bundles
On November 17, fans will be able to purchase two very special limited-edition Darth Vader-inspired PlayStation4 Star Wars bundles: Star Wars: Battlefront and Disney Infinity 3.0: Star Wars.  The bundles include a fully customized PS4 featuring an image of Darth Vader, a controller inspired by Darth Vader’s suit and more. Now, I already have a Playstation4 but I am already trying to justify to myself just why I would need a second one so that I can get one of these. If you come up with any good reasons, please, let me know! For full information for the Limited-Edition PlayStation®4 Hardware Bundles click here.

Read all about the other panels I attended at the D23 Expo here:
Live Action Panel
Animated Films Panel
Parks & Resorts Panel

FanGirl Friday

#FanGirlFriday

Star Wars Fans Invited to Join EPIC Global Event on YouTube

Tessa Smith
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0
Star Wars Fans Invited to Join EPIC Global Event on YouTube

star wars force friday

So we have already discussed a few times how ridiculously excited I am for STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS. I am pretty sure that anyone is even part geek is excited about it. I have been waiting for Episode VII for so long and finally it is within my sites. Yes, we still have a few months but I feel like it is so close that I can taste it finally. This time of year always flies by for me with back to school and a handful of Holidays. And as if knowing the movie was so close wasn’t enough, Star Wars fans have now been invited to join in on a pretty epic global event on YouTube. Star Wars: The Force Awakens products are set to be unveiled in the world’s first-ever global live toy unboxing event. Unfolding over 18 hours in 15 cities and 12 countries, the event will see highlights from the range of epic merchandise revealed in a rolling New Year’s Eve style celebration featuring top digital stars from the Maker Studios network.

star wars force friday

“Star Wars toys have always played an important role in how our fans interact with the Saga,” says Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. “They’ve inspired multiple generations to relive the experience of the movies and to create new adventures all their own. These spectacular Star Wars: The Force Awakens products will continue that tradition.” Kicking off in Sydney, Australia on the morning of September 3, and continuing through Asia,  Europe, Canada, and North & South America, selections from the new toy line will debut to global fanfare leading up to retailers around the globe opening their doors at midnight. “Over the course of 18 hours, some of Maker Studios’ biggest stars will each be unboxing a new toy from the Star Wars: The Force Awakens product line in a different city around the world and sharing the experience live on YouTube.” said Leslie Ferraro, President, Disney Consumer Products. “We’ve seen tremendous excitement for these new products and can’t wait to see the global reaction from the Star Wars fan community.”

The Star Wars YouTube channel will host the live stream, which kicks off with the first unboxing in Sydney, Australia at 7:45 a.m. local time on Thursday, Sept. 3 (5:45 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 2), with the grand finale at Lucasfilm in San Francisco at 8 a.m. PDT  (11 a.m. EDT) on Thursday, Sept. 3. Each of the 15 locations will reveal a new product inspired by Star Wars: The Force Awakens. These “unboxing” videos will feature online personalities sharing the excitement of opening the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens toys. Unboxing videos overall have captivated millions of Internet viewers and continue to grow in popularity. Eighteen of the top 100 most viewed YouTube Channels worldwide are dedicated to toys and toy unboxings.

“We’re excited to be part of this first-of-its-kind initiative,” said Chris M. Williams, Chief Audience Officer, Maker Studios. “The unboxing world continues to expand rapidly as audiences around the world connect with digital creators who share their passions. This shared fandom helps attract billions of monthly views and consistently puts the genre at the top of the YouTube charts.” The global unboxing event will incorporate traditional toy unboxers such as the popular EvanTubeHD, channels featuring families such as Bratayley, lifehack specialists such as ExpCaseros, gamers such as AlexBy11 and Star Wars fans from around the world, including Chris Pirillo, bringing with them a broad audience and appeal. The full schedule is available at www.StarWars.com.

COUNTRY CITY MAKER TALENT LOCAL TIME 9/3 EDT
Australia Sydney Bratayley 07:45 17:45 9/2
Japan Tokyo Einshine 11:00 22:00 9/2
Korea Seoul Dollastic 12:00 23:00 9/2
Hong Kong Hong Kong Dante Basco 12:00 00:00 9/3
France Paris AyPierre 09:00 03:00 9/3
Spain Madrid AlexBy11 11:00 05:00 9/3
Germany Berlin Reyst 12:00 06:00 9/3
England London GamingBeaver 11:30 06:30 9/3
Brazil Rio de Janeiro Malena010102 08:30 07:30 9/3
USA New York EvanTubeHD 08:30 08:30 9/3
Canada Toronto Quill18 09:00 09:00 9/3
USA Chicago HobbyKidsTV 08:30 09:30 9/3
Mexico Mexico City ExpCaseros 09:30 10:30 9/3
USA San Francisco Chris Pirillo 08:00 11:00 9/3

Several countries will join the live stream from YouTube Spaces (Berlin, Tokyo, London), with Star Wars commentators Anthony Carboni and Andi Gutierrez hosting the event from the YouTube Space, Los Angeles. Fans can tune in to watch live unboxings at home or on mobile devices, and also enjoy the latest trailers on the upcoming movie, commentary from special guests, fun product videos and demos, and footage from recent Star Wars events. The global celebration culminates at midnight local time, when many retailers around the world will open their doors to fans to purchase Star Wars: The Force Awakens toys, collectibles, books, apparel and more. Visit starwars.com for more details on participating locations. Additionally, select Disney Store locations around the world will take part.  More details are available at www.DisneyStore.com/ForceFriday.

Fans are encouraged to document their experiences around the event on social media using the hashtag #ForceFriday.
I will most definately be pounding my coffee and tuning in to the entire thing, will you?

Like STAR WARS on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarWars
Follow STAR WARS on Twitter: https://twitter.com/starwars
Follow STAR WARS on Instagram: https://instagram.com/starwars/
Follow STAR WARS on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/starwars
Visit the official STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS website: http://www.starwars.com/the-force-awakens/
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS arrives in theaters everywhere on December 18th!

Star Wars & Instagram Share Exclusive Look at The Force Awakens

Tessa Smith
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Star Wars & Instagram Share Exclusive Look at The Force Awakens

Star Wars

Today, Instagram announced that – in addition to square posts – you can now share photos and videos in both portrait and landscape orientation on their platform. With this update, Instagram users can upload widescreen video which will be more cinematic than ever. Now, all users, from people who get instagram followers for free, to people who hardly even use Instagram, can post their videos in whatever orientation they want. And immediately following that @StarWars released an exclusive look at their upcoming film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, using Instagram’s new landscape orientation. As part of this collaboration, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the very first video content to be showcased in this new format for the Instagram community. And it is incredible. So, I was already ridiculously excited for December because of this movie – now I cannot even contain myself. I am dying! Just take a look at this:

https://instagram.com/p/65PhxOs_RH/

Who else is going to see this the day it comes out? My husband and I will be there, no question about it!

Like STAR WARS on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarWars
Follow STAR WARS on Twitter: https://twitter.com/starwars
Follow STAR WARS on Instagram: https://instagram.com/starwars/
Follow STAR WARS on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/starwars
Visit the official STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS website: http://www.starwars.com/the-force-awakens/
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS arrives in theaters everywhere on December 18th!

Back to School Savings Tips from Shawn Anderson

Tessa Smith
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0
Back to School Savings Tips from Shawn Anderson

Disclosure: Mama Smith’s Review Blog received this item in exchange for her honest review. This article contains affiliate links. All opinions expressed are 100% hers.

Back to School Zulily

I love Zulily. It is one of the best websites to get discounted items that always end up being great quality. I love shopping for clothes on Zulily – for myself as well as my kids. Recently I purchased some amazing Marvel Ant-Man and Avengers stuff from that at a pretty awesome price. They always have a lot to offer and I try to check them out at least once a week so I don’t miss anything. One thing I really love about Zulily is that once you purchase something you have a free shipping pass for the rest of the day. So if you decide to go back and spend more money, you do not have to pay shipping again. I do this often with Zulily.

Back to School Zulily
Sophie & Sam — Navy Polka Dot Bow Dress
Back to School Zulily
Kid Fashion — Navy & Red Polka Dot A-Line Dress
Back to School Zulily
Rare Editions — Purple & Pink Stripe Owl Dress

Back to School Dresses

Both of my girls will be starting school in September and they needed some special back to school clothing. I used the below Back to School shopping tips to pick out some gorgeous dresses on Zulily. I sat with my girls and let them each pick some dresses. I was able to get THREE quality dresses for less than $50! That is a pretty good deal if you ask me. My girls are close in size so they can share the dresses too, which is a lot of fun. They were excited when they arrived and they wanted to do a mini photoshoot to show them off. Check out some of the super cute photos.

Back to School Zulily   Back to School Zulily   Back to School Zulily

Back to School Zulily   Back to School Zulily   Back to School Zulily

impression

Shawn Anderson

How To Save During Back to School Shopping
from Shawn Anderson

To prepare your kids to head back into the classroom, zulily kids fashion expert Shawn Anderson recommends:

  • Plan in advance: Don’t wait until August 15 to start your back to school preparation. Avoid the stress of last-minute shopping by getting started now and finish before all the good deals are gone.
  • Get organized: Pull together a back to school checklist so you don’t forget any of the necessities.
  • Create a budget: While all those back-to-school sales are great for saving money, the best place to start is to create a budget. Set a realistic spending limit before shopping and look for the best deals to help stay within the budget.
  • Shop online: Sites like zulily.com offer parents a wide variety of back to school essentials for kids, including clothes, shoes, accessories, supplies and toys, at incredible prices. You can find everything your kid needs (and more!) and save money at the same time.
  • Stockpile your favorite items at a discount: When you find something your child loves and needs each year for school at a great price, be sure to buy a few extra. Take advantage of these deals for years to come!
  • Check in with the kids: It is never a good feeling to buy your child new clothes and school supplies, only to find out that their favorite color or cartoon character has changed. Involve your kids in the shopping process so you make sure you’re buying items they like and want to use.

Best Apps for Back to School Shopping
from Shawn Anderson

Using the zulily app is like opening a hand-held treasure chest every day. You never know what you’ll uncover but you know you’re bound to find something great. Shop back to school for your kids on any mobile device to save money and discover the items you need and want – even when you’re on the go. Zulily App Highlights:

  • Educational Tutorial – after first installing, users are displayed a brief, informative tutorial on how to use the new application.  
  • “New Today” Event Accessibility – a clear, easily accessible layout displays a customer’s personalized list of “New Today” events directly through the application.
  • Personalization – zulily has built upon its proprietary personalization technology to create a completely individualized homepage view, from top to bottom. The app learns customer’s preferences and then features the most relevant sales events and information front and center for quick, meaningful shopping.
  • Daily Refreshment of New Events – the shopping platform refreshes every morning at 6 a.m. for customers to shop newly curated events.
  • “Bookmarked” Favorites – while browsing zulily’s events, customers have the ability to select favorites and “bookmark” for easy access.  A “bookmark” ribbon will be displayed on the watch application and instantly synced with the “New Today” tab on the existing iPhone application. This feature allows shoppers to easily customize events to shop at a later time on the iPhone app.

Disney in Concert: A Silly Symphony Celebration at D23 Expo

Tessa Smith
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0
Disney in Concert: A Silly Symphony Celebration at D23 Expo

Disclosure: Mama Smith was provided with an all expenses paid trip to cover this event. All opinions expressed are 100% her own.

Silly Symphony

While at the D23 Expo, we had the chance to attend Disney in Concert: A Silly Symphony Celebration. I had really been looking forward to this the entire trip because I love the Silly Symphony cartoons. I grew up watching them because my mom loved them so much. They are a fond memory for me and I always thought they were so much fun. This event was hosted by film historian Leonard Maltin and it was incredible to attend. Silly Symphony shorts were played on large screens as a 32 piece orchestra accompanied them with their original soundtracks. The precision was amazing. The orchestra had to be on point in order to accompany the cartoons so well – and they were. I especially loved watching the man who was making the fun sounds like ducks quacking. It was very entertaining to see up close and personal. The music was performed as it would have been recorded during those historic days at the Disney Studios on Hyperion Avenue in the 1920s and ’30s. Just knowing that gave me chills while watching it. Many of the 75 Silly Symphony shorts were performed, but my favorites included Three Little Pigs, The Old Mill, The Ugly Duckling, and of course, The Skeleton Dance. I also really enjoyed learning a bit more about Walt and seeing him talk about the different shorts we were about to watch.

The Silly Symphony Collection box set is now available for preorder here. It features the complete restored soundtracks from all 75 Silly Symphony shorts from 1929–1939 – that is over eight hours of music on 16 vinyl LPs! This is something my husband would flip over. Not only is he a huge Disney fan, but he loves records. He wants to start a collection again and this would be the perfect start to it. The limited edition collection is housed in 8 tip-on gatefold jackets with original animation art in a beautifully constructed foil-stamped and numbered slipcase. Soundtracks of Disney classics such as The Skeleton Dance by Carl Stalling, Three Little Pigs by Frank Churchill, and Donald Duck’s debut The Wise Little Hen by Leigh Harline will be presented in full for the first time ever on record. Each gatefold jacket includes detailed liner notes for every short by Disney historians J.B. Kaufman and Russell Merritt, authors of the definitive book on the series, Walt Disney’s Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series. The Silly Symphony Collection will include a free digital download with purchase of the box set and will retail for $399.98. Each guest who pre-orders The Silly Symphony Collection will receive a free limited edition 10” vinyl single featuring “The Skeleton Dance” on the A side and “Three Little Pigs” on the B side.

Silly Symphony

 

Celebrating 60 years of Disneyland

Tessa Smith
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3
Celebrating 60 years of Disneyland

Disclosure: Mama Smith was provided with an all expenses paid trip to cover this event. All opinions expressed are 100% her own.

Disneyland 60

When I found out that I was going to be attending the D23 Expo in California this month, I was over the moon excited. Things just could not get better, right? Wrong. Because then I was told I would be going to Disneyland to check out their 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration – TWO nights in a row. We would be heading to Disneyland immediately after spending an entire day at the Expo but I was ready. Was I exhausted when I walked through the gate, you know I was. Did I get a second wind just seeing all the Disney magic in front of me, yup, I sure did.

Disneyland 60    Disneyland 60

This was my first time going to Disneyland so I wanted to experience everything. Several of the bloggers I went with were veteran Disneyland goers which was great because a couple of us newbies tagged along with them and found out what were must sees. We only had about 5 hours each night in the park which was clearly not enough to see and do everything, but we got to see a lot. The decorations everywhere were incredible. I loved seeing all the blue banners and diamond sparkles all over the park. Now, I have been to Disney World many times (October will mark my 15th visit!) but to see where it all began was…well…it was breathtaking.

Dole Whip Disneyland      Dole Whip Disneyland

The Food

The first thing that we did our first night in the park was grab a dole whip. Now, apparently they have these at Disney World too – I am not sure how I ever missed them. This is a must eat while in the park! Yum! They are kind of like a pineapple frozen yogurt – but they are dairy free. They are available in float form (with fresh pineapple juice) or by themselves. If you ask me, they are worth just about any amount of time you have to wait in line for them. I also grabbed a skewer at Bengal Barbecue and while it was delicious, it was a little smaller than I thought it would be. Just a warning that you might want to grab two or three if you plan for them to be your meal. We were lucky enough to eat at Carthay Circle Restaurant one night for a Cinderella Ambassadors of Kindness dinner (more on that later) and the food was very good. It is a whole experience and you will be there for at least an hour and a half, so plan ahead.

Disneyland 60       Disneyland 60

The Rides

Unfortunately we did not get as many rides in as we would have liked to, but we made them count! Here is my list and my thoughts:

  • Indiana Jones Adventure: This is a must do ride! We actually went back and did this again on our second night because it was so much fun. Shelley from SweepTight.com and I were laughing the entire time.
  • It’s A Small World: This ride is nice and relaxing. It is a little different from the one at Disney World. There are many Disney characters and princesses that you can spot while going through. This ride is fun (and great for little ones – I know my girls would have loved it) but if you are pressed for time, I would put it in the skip category.
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: While this is very similar to the Disney World version, it has always been one of my favorite rides there so I had to check it out at Disneyland. It did not disappoint. One major difference is that there is a restaurant inside the ride! I would love to eat there some day. If you look closely, you just might spot Captain Jack Sparrow!
  • Alice in Wonderland: We had no wait for this ride and so we decided to try it out. It was a ton of fun! There are blacklights and brightly colored scenes inside. This ride is unique to Disneyland and I am so excited that I got a chance to do it.
  • Radiator Springs Racers: Cars Land itself is incredible. I felt like I stepped in to the movie. A wave of mixed emotions came over me because I know that my daughters would have loved to see it. I suppose that just means I will have to take them out to CA sometime. This ride had been talked up by every single person who had already been on it. We got through the line fairly quickly using the single riders line and boy was it worth the wait and then some! This ride is a ton of fun! I was laughing the entire time! At the end, you pull up next to another car and race them. This is an absolute do not miss if you ask me.
  • Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters: This is another ride that has a very similar counterpart at Disney World. I still think it is totally worth doing at Disneyland if you go. It is fun to shoot Zurg and his companions as you try to beat your friends’ scores.

Disneyland 60

That was all the rides that we could fit in and I was a little bummed to miss out on some. I wanted to check out California Screamin’ and the Matterhorn because I love roller coasters. I also would have liked to see the Monsters Inc ride. And of course Star Tours because that has always been my favorite at Disney World. Oh well, have to save some for the next trip, right?

Disneyland 60 Parade   Disneyland 60

The Shows

One of the most magical things about the Disneyland 60th Anniversary celebration was the shows – the Paint the Night Parade, the fireworks, and the World of Color water show. The Paint the Night Parade was spectacular and I even got a little misty eyed. The music was great and the floats were amazing. I love all of the characters that they incorporated – and it was awesome to see Anna & Elsa up there! I highly suggest finding a spot at least a half hour prior to the parade starting if you are going to watch the first run. If you are going to wait until the later one, you most likely only have to arrive about ten minutes early to find a decent spot. The fireworks followed the parade and they were awesome as well. It was really cool because Tinkerbell was flying around, Nemo was swimming through the ring of fire, and so much more. Disneyland uses projections all around you to make you feel like you are in the show yourself. They really do a great job with it and I highly recommend checking it out. The World of Color water show is over at the California Adventures park and is also a must see – watch images of characters come to life on a veil of mist, while water forms fanciful shapes in time to memorable music!

Disneyland 60

If you are heading to Disneyland this year, be sure to grab some commemorative Disneyland 60 items. There are ornaments, pins, special ears, and more! There is so much to choose from it really becomes a difficult decision. There are many different shops you can visit. I decided to check out the World of Disney which is actually in the Downtown Disney District because it is open later than the parks. That way I could stay in the parks as late as possible and still get in some shopping time. The World of Disney is huge and has something for everyone!

Disneyland 60

I marked my first Disneyland trip as a success. I am so excited to say that I got to be a part of the Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration – and I cannot wait to take my family back sometime to show them all that Disneyland has to offer – once Star Wars Land is up and running perhaps?

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