Look at the view

Spend the Day

For more inspiring photos, check: High Impact Mom, The Bonafide Life, Shanamama, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Mom Blog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist and Zensible Mama and link your own photo stories.

Do you have a favorite hotel pool?

Before I moved to the south, I’d never heard of iced tea. Now it’s something I drink quite often, especially when I’m dining out. Sweet tea with lemon is my favorite flavor and I like it sweet. Pure Leaf Iced Tea has Sweet Tea, Extra Sweet Tea and Lemon Tea among other flavors. I’ve tried the Sweet and Lemon and they are simply delicious!

The new plastic bottles used by Pure Leaf make it easier to bring the iced tea along to an outing on the beach or a picnic. Of course, they are 100% recyclable. Pure Leaf has made a commitment to help the environment by switching from glass bottles to PET plastic.

Recipes

CHOCOLATE BANANA SMOOTHIES

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes

• 1 bottle Pure Leaf™ Sweetened Iced Tea or Pure Leaf™ Unsweetened Iced Tea, chilled
• 1 cup heavy or whipping cream
• 1 cup chocolate syrup
• 1 medium banana
• 2 cups ice cubes (about 8 to 10)

In blender, process all ingredients until smooth. Serve immediately and drizzle, if desired, with additional chocolate syrup.

Tip: For a decorative twist, drizzle melted chocolate into glass; refrigerate 5 minutes to set.

FRUIT-TEA SMOOTHIES

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

• 1 bottle (16 oz.) Pure Leaf Iced Tea with Lemon or Pure Leaf Unsweetened Iced Tea, chilled
• 2 cups frozen strawberries
• 1 cup Breyers  Fat Free Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream
• 1 Tbsp. sugar

In blender, process all ingredients until smooth. Serve immediately in tall glasses and garnish, if desired, with fresh strawberries.

Enjoy other Pure Leaf drink and food recipes.

Have you tasted Pure Leaf Iced Tea? What do you think about the taste?

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Lipton Pure Leaf. I received product samples and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

Guests can stroll through the softly lit trees of The Enchanted Forest while looking over our silent auction items. The auction features a wide variety of items donated by local business owners and private companies. Some of the items include: a Brunch Cruise by Gaspar’s Grotto, a 1 hour Horseback Riding package for two by Horsepower for Kids, and a 7 day vacation package for a family of four by Grand Incentives.  There will also be raffles and giveaways throughout the evening.

Enjoy a sumptuous dinner catered by El Unico Loco. Dance under the twinkling lights in the Celestial Swan Ballroom and indulge in cocktails in the Secret Garden. All proceeds from the event, auction and raffles will benefit the Warriors for Autism 2012 Programs.

Warriors For Autism welcomes donations for the silent auction including, product samples, autographed books and sports memorabilia, gift baskets, attraction tickets, consulting services and more. Please contact Deena@Warriorsforautism.com to make a donation or for any questions about the event.

Tickets are $40 pp for General Admission Seating
VIP Table Option $300 (seats 8-10) Reserved Seating
Each Ticket includes dinner, dancing, silent auction & open bar!

To learn more about Warriors For Autism, to purchase tickets, or to donate to our organization please visit www.warriorsforautism.com

Please help by attending the event, making a donation and sharing this post.

Stanley Steemer, the nation’s largest deep cleaning service, put out a national poll that found nearly half of respondents predicted spending less than four hours total on this year’s spring cleaning, but only 19 percent reported having ever used a professional for cleaning.  They also stay in touch with their customers on their Facebook page and Twitter account.

My Review

I gave Stanley Steemer a try for myself. After calling 1-800-Steemer (remember that jingle?), I got a quote for upholstered furniture cleaning. I then made an appointment to have my sectional sofa was professionally cleaned.

On the day of service, although a little late, two friendly gentlemen from Stanley Steemer showed up. They measured my sofa for the exact payment amount. Next, they moved each piece of my couch into a nearby tiled room since my hardwood floor could be damaged by the hot water extraction cleaning process. Each pillow and the entire sofa were cleaned. They gave me time to sweep up the dirt from under the sofa and even put some missing parts back on the bottom of recliner seats back on. My sofa hasn’t been this clean since it was purchased!

Giveaway

Here’s your chance to get help with spring cleaning from Stanley Steemer – Enter to win a $100 Gift Certificate to use for carpet, hardwood floor, tile and grout, upholstery and air duct cleaning. Just use the Rafflecopter entry form.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: The gift certificate, information, and additional gift pack have been provided by Stanley Steemer through MyBlogSpark.

Sisters

Even if when it was just my 13 year old, me and my husband, I felt like I had to stand on my head and spit nickels to get us in one room of the house, or to go somewhere as a family. But, when we did spend time as a family, the realization of the fun we had together, the memories we created, and the smiles we shared on photos made it more likely that I’d hear, “Yes” from my daughter for the next family event.

Spending Time Together as a Family

I’ve made it my goal to teach my children that “Making Together Better” is what being a family is all about. When we spend time together, we retell stories and laugh at them anyway, we eat food that my grandparents cooked for me, we celebrate holidays and achievements, and we are spontaneous. Spending time as a family deepens our relationships, inspires us to continue family traditions, and helps us focus on what is most important – our love for each other.

I wrote this post as an entry to win a full scholarship to the Type-A Parent Scholarship from Brica, whose motto is Making Together Better. You can find Brica on Facebook and on Twitter.

Discount Tickets

Get tickets for just $13 with code MOMDD. The offer is valid for these performances: May 18 at 7 p.m., May 19 at 11 am and 7 pm, and May 20 at 5 pm. Tickets can be purchased at the Tampa Bay Times Forum ticket office or Ticketmaster.com

About Disney on Ice Dare to Dream

Get tangled up in the newest thrilling show to hit the ice, Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream. Experience Disney’s hilarious hair-raising escapade, Tangled; as Rapunzel, her unlikely companion, Flynn, and Maximus, embark on an uproarious journey that takes adventure to new lengths!  Boogie to the beat of the bayou with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen from The Princess and the Frog, in a magical, musical journey that all begins with a fateful kiss.  And fanciful dreams become reality as Cinderella meets her Prince Charming, with a glass slipper fit for an unforgettable fantasy come true.  All your favorite princesses take to the ice in a spectacular finale at the ultimate Disney Princess event of a lifetime!  Experience the beauty, sparkle, and spirit at Dare to Dream!

Giveaway

Win a Family Four Pack of Tickets to Disney on Ice presents Dare to Dream at the Tampa Bay Times Forum by using the Rafflecopter entry form.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

But because the attendees are bloggers and social media enthusiasts, we thrive on conference day. It’s time to learn about our business and to be inspired. This year, I walked away with a mixture of information and motivation, with a higher percentage of motivation. And this was just what I needed during this time of my blogging career.

Meg Croftin on Conference Stage

When the doors of conference room were opened, I was awed by the stage, table decorations and the overall look of the room. Every year, it gets better! Rayovac sponsored the conference and kept us powered up with outlets on our table. Instead of flowers, each of us received a bouquet of USB outlets, batteries and chargers. Thanks Rayovac!

Maryellen Hooper

Speakers

• Amy Jo Martin, Digital Royalty @DigitalRoyalty – Known as a renegade in social media, Amy Jo spoke about finding your why in your business.
• Ramon DeLeon, Domino’s Pizza, @Ramon_Deleon – I was most inspired by Ramon, who went from a pizza delivery guy to the Social Media mastermind of Domino’s. His enthusiasm, his family values and his online honesty (he retweets negative tweets about Domino’s and then deals with them) had me listening to every word. I’m a fan and even kissed him after his talk.
• Peter Shankman, The Geek Factory @PeterShankman – I loved that Peter chose to honor us with a brand new talk. I understood all too well what it means to “be a weed”. Although unique, you probably have haters, but dig in deep and overcome.
• Lisa Druxman, Stroller Strides @LisaDruxman – Lisa began a business after having a child and proved to us that we can follow our goals even when we feel like we are overwhelmed.
• Chris Brogan, Human Business Works @ChrisBrogan – Chris gave us tips on updating our blogs to gain more readers.
• Conference Host: Maryellen Hooper @MaryellenHooper – Maryellen had me in stitches as she spoke about being a mother of two and showed us photos of her family.

Ramon DeLeon

Animal Kingdom Dinner

Visiting Animal Kingdom after the park closed was exciting and staying after dark was thrilling. We spent our time in DinoLand USA with a dinner buffet, opened rides, including Mt. Everest (the first time it was opened to riders after dark) and midway games.

Mickey and Minnie and Me

Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Daisy Duck and other characters appeared for photos. Before we entered we were greeted by a face character (I don’t know her name) who called out my daughter, Sammi to ask if she was in the mafia. Sammi was wearing her black fedora. Sammi came out of her shell and had a very funny back and forth with her. We had time to sit with other attendees, talk and eat another scrumptious dinner. The celebration continued and we looked forward to the next day of breakout sessions and dinner at the not yet opened Art of Animation Resort.

My Flickr folder contains more photos from the Animal Kingdom Dinner. Take a look!

Stay tuned for more Disney Social Media Moms posts.

I paid to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. In exchange for my registration fee, I received deeply discounted rates on hotel, park tickets, free events, meals, and swag. I am not required nor was I asked to write about the events by Disney or any other brands, celebrities, or speakers affiliated with the event. All opinions are my own. Affiliate links are used on this blog

Children’s Age Range                                                           

Recalls Plus focuses on newborns, infants and toddlers. Choose the age range of your child, and then choose from a list of common products for that age. For example, for infants you’ll find bottles and accessories, breast pumps and cribs. Be more specific and add the brand, model and other information about the product to be notified of any recalls, or just use the category and receive alerts for the category as a whole.

Specific Products

Check on products before you purchase them or add them now that you have Recall Plus. You will be notified of recalls for the exact product and for any parts related to the product.

Food Allergens

One of my favorite parts of Recall Plus is the ability to choose food allergens for any member of your family, friends, or guests that you have invited to eat at your home. For example, my daughter, Alicia is allergic to dairy. She doesn’t live at home, but when she visits I have to avoid dairy products when I cook. You’d be surprised how many food items contain dairy products. Now I’ll take my iPhone with me when I shop at the grocery store for the meals I want to cook for her. (Note: this is for undeclared food allergens only.)

Thanks to SheSpeaks for the information about Recalls Plus and for compensation for this blog post. All opinions are honest and my own.

I’m not a heels kind of girl, but I like a little height. The wedge design is the answer for me. I’m so thrilled that there’s a heel strap so I don’t slip out of the shoe or use my toes to keep this attractive pair of Jambu shoes on my feet.

Jambu is known for its Memory Foam™ Footbed, which is the main reason that their shoes are so comfortable. It’s no difference with the Acapulco style. Plus the straps don’t rub at all. And speaking of straps, the design is trendy and unique. I love the way the colors intertwine and shine in the sunlight.

Concerned about the environment, Jambu uses “100% recycled, recyclable and re-usable packaging” and their shoes are made with “partially recycled and re-usable compressed rubber”.  Besides feeling good in their shoes, you can feel good about buying them.

Want to know about new styles from Jambu? Follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook. This is my third pair of Jambu shoes and I’ve been thrilled with all of them. You can find them for sale online at Zappos.com, PlanetShoes.com, Endless.com and other sites. Use the store locator to find a place near you.

I was provided with a pair of Jambu Acapulco shoes for this review. All opinions are my own.

Instead of a generic picture on a card, your mom will see your smiling face. You talk and record your own greeting. Add music if you’d like. I bet your Mom will appreciate your effort. Plus she’ll get to see and hear you!

Skype’s Mom You Rock Charity Campaign

As a Skype Ambassador with Mom Central, I’ll be learning about the many different ways to use Skype and sharing that information with you. Right now, Skype is celebrating Mother’s Day by offering a free video greeting card through their Mom You Rock Campaign. For each card you make, Skype will donate $1 to the Save the Children’s Global Action Fund.

It’s easy to make a video card. You just need a web cam and the directions that pop up on the screen on the Say It with Skype app on Skype’s Facebook page. (Approve the app first.)

1. Find your mother or someone else who is like a mom to you by typing in their name. They need to be on Facebook.
2. You’ll have a choice of 3 songs to include on your video card.
3. Decide if you want to sing or rock along with the song.
4. Click on record and smile!
5. Personalize the message.
6. Choose when (right away, on Mother’s Day, or another date) and how to send it (via email, posted on their Facebook page).
7. Wait for a heartfelt thank you.

Why Video Greetings Rock

As a mom, I’d be tickled to get a video greeting. It’s unique and I know that it takes creativity to create one. I can save it on Facebook or with my video files, so I’ll have it for a long time. No gifts are needed with this type of greeting! I’ve never made a video greeting until today, but now that I see how entertaining it is, I’ll give them a try again. There’s a birthday card, so watch out everyone! If you don’t live close to your mother, a video greeting card will make her feel like you’re right there with her. Then hop onto Skype and do a live chat with your mom.

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Skype. I received Skype credits to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.”