Magical fun showing our #DisneySide @Home Celebration

Posted on March 2, 2014 by getcluedin

We had such a blast showing our #DisneySide @Home Celebration.* The kiddos made T-shirts, decorated Mickey cupcakes, and took home some neat little trinkets, like bracelets, Muppet calendars and Donald Duck tattoos and Mickey Mouse stickers. To see all my #Disney posts, check out the category or tag “Disney.”

We asked everyone to dress-up in their favorite Disney character costume and show up for some fun. We didn’t print photos on-site, but each mom who came went home with a HP Photo card pack to create their own photos from the event. The photos can be customized at http://www.disneysidecelebrations.com.

Here are the some more pictures, and look at all the characters that showed up: Sleeping Beauty, Anna from FROZEN, Snow White, Rapunzel, Mickey Mouse, and we even got to host Luke Skywalker!

We had great timing this year because it is also Mardi Gras, and we were able to combine two parties in one- Mardi Gras King Cake, yummy Community coffee from New Orleans and assorted snacks.

*Disclaimer: I received free products in order to host the Disney Side @Home Celebration. The opinions expressed here are my own. Also see Get Clued In’s general disclaimer.

Modern Day Barometer of Relationships

Posted on February 24, 2014 by getcluedin

How many of you love the show Seinfeld? I still can’t get enough – I watch re-runs. Ever since I was de-friended, and re-friended, and then de-friended again by an acquaintance, I have wanted to write this post. Remember the episode from Seinfeld where Lauren Graham guest starred, and she played Jerry’s girlfriend, and she used speed-dial on her corded home telephone as a barometer for how the relationship was going? Here is a clip of the episode as a refresher in case you don’t have every episode memorized cold like I do: Clip from Season 8, Episode 20 of Seinfeld.

It’s an interesting social, psychological experiment. Wouldn’t it be interesting if we could “rank” our friends on facebook like speed-dial on a telephone? Isn’t facebook, and all social media a kind of speed dial list – we de-friend and re-friend when it suits us. We are #1 one day and off the grid another. The modern-day Seinfeld would certainly include an episode on “friending,” “de-friending,” and perhaps “re-friending.” As I write this, I realize facebook has also created new dictionary terms of unfriending, friending etc. In any case, due to recent events where people have “unfriended” me because some high school friend over 20 years ago is still pissed at me for something I had no idea I did, and because I posted a factual news story about unruly Seattle Seahawks’ fans, or a political post or two, I realize that social media is a new yet analogous barometer for our relationships. When someone deactivates and leaves facebook then, have they simply had enough? I had a “friend” unfollow me on twitter once because of gun control comments in the wake of the Colorado theater shooting. She didn’t just unfollow me though, when I confronted her and apologized, she never replied, and has disappeared from my life forever. We used to send holiday cards to one another. Clearly, social media is not just a modern-day barometer for relationships, it defines them. 30 years ago you knew how your neighbors felt on certain issues but you still attended BBQs with them and broke bread with them. With social media, people meet in person less, and social media posts are the only way to “judge” someone. People feel more comfortable posting things and not saying them to someone’s face directly. When someone like me prefers to be direct, it makes the other person uncomfortable. They disappear completely and “block” me out (literally). It’s an interesting phenomenon.

The new age is referred to by the name, “GENERATION LIKE,” but it goes beyond liking someone’s posts or their photos and re-pinning their pins. Social media is re-defining human interaction. Our relationships are more fragile than ever, because now, instead of depending on in-person interactions with body language, and all the interpersonal skills that come with direct interactions, we have to interpret tone and intent from an E-mail, text message, and/or the limited 140 characters on twitter. From a simple “unfriend” or “unfollow” action, we must conclude, “oh oh that person doesn’t like me.” WHAT!? What am I supposed to do with that? I mean, come on, how much can my brain handle, really. And finally, should I even care? Well, friends, the new barometer on relationships is social media and the simple, meaningless acts which occur on them. Keep it real, folks, and if you want to talk to someone, I recommend just calling, or doing the traditional “pop-in” if they live close by. It is so much easier than losing the friendship over a social media post.

And, let’s not even get into how some may interpret the intent of my blog posts, I’ll save that for another post, or not.

Perfect Moment Monday – Where does the time go?

Posted on February 23, 2014 by getcluedin

My friend, Lori, is retiring her linky to “Perfect Moment Monday (PMM).” She is right, she should not feel obligated to find perfect moments. They should happen, and we either notice, or we don’t. Sometimes, we are so busy, we miss some too! These moments can happen at anytime, not just Mondays, or weekends, but always. We just have to notice them. I started looking back on the perfect moment posts I have written. I do not remember feeling obligated at all, but enjoyed every minute. To see all my PMM posts, look under category, “Perfect Moment,” and all the posts will appear. My favorite ones are, by far, these two PMM posts:

(1) Two Years and Growing - this one brought back such fond memories. Even as I write my PMM for this past weekend, I realize that three years have passed already since this post, and my little girl will change and grow daily. I love writing milestone posts about my sweet little ones because not only do I capture the memories, I feel that I share something meaningful with my readers too!

(2) Twinkling Little Stars- This one is near and dear to my heart since I now fly away once a month, and I cannot return home Saturday nights to see them or hear them sing. This particular post melts my heart because I was so lucky to capture these moments with my sweet little ones. Now that I frequently fly out of town for one of my jobs, I am sad that I cannot return home to experience this but I still hold them close to my heart.

Ah, where does the time go? Here I am writing about a perfect moment about this weekend. My little one’s milestone birthday weekend. She is now five years old! Hard to believe that she starts Kindergarten this fall, and will start a new journey in her young life. I wish I could freeze time for just a few years, and hold on longer to these moments, but alas, we have brought them into this world to let them go into it… to leave us, and do great things. Easier said than done, huh?

This past weekend’s perfect moment was not just the time we spent together, which was fabulous. It wasn’t the date night that hubby and I enjoyed seeing “The Mousetrap” at the Arvada Center. It wasn’t the birthday party itself, or just the Friday night fun we had with friends and one another. It was all of the above and the other little moments that we don’t always capture on camera or video. For example, the kids cuddling up with popcorn on the sofa and saying the funniest, cutest things about what their favorite thing this weekend was. My 5-year-old exclaimed, “I liked when I saw all my friends- nothing else.” Or, it was the moment when my 6-year old playing air guitar by herself, and laughing. She thought no one saw.

How many perfect moments can you notice? How many do you miss? I suspect we miss a lot more than we catch, but for me, all the moments in total made this weekend perfect. Monday will come too quick and off we will go our separate ways to work and school, but the memories of all these little moments, of all this shared time together really make life perfect! For me, they define #perfectmoment Monday. Lori, I will miss #perfectmoment Mondays, but thanks to you I will definitely keep noticing them. Thanks for the opportunity, and thanks for the memories.

Soybu Grand-Opening — Denver #loveyourbody

Posted on February 21, 2014 by getcluedin

Ah, life in yoga pants! I could come to love that. Trust me, you do not have to perform yoga to love the gear. It is important to have practical, comfortable clothes to move in no matter what you do.

On Wednesday night, I had the opportunity to attend the grand opening of the Soybu flagship store, and it was fabulous! Thanks to Denver Mile High Mamas, I learned of this event and was lucky enough to attend with some fabulous ladies. Obviously, we got to try on all the Soybu we wanted, and they offered us 25% off all our purchases, but we were lucky enough to meet some of the other generous vendors in the Cherry Hills Marketplace- Bundt shoppe let us try four decadent flavors of cakes, and Cherry Hills marketplace hair stylists and colorists were on-site to make us feel beautiful too! What a great ladies night!

You can receive 25% off on all purchases through February 23, Sunday, at their store or on-line at the Soybu website. Be sure to check it out, and see what fits you best! They have amazing sales on-line and in-stores. Don’t miss out and while you are at Cherry Hills Marketplace, check out Trader Joe’s, the Bundt Shoppe and other vendors.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Mile High Mamas for partnering with Soybu. I received a store credit to purchase clothing for my review. All opinions and views expressed are my own.

Florida-ahh

Posted on January 27, 2014 by getcluedin

Can’t believe it’s been almost a month since we returned from Florida, and this is the first I get a chance to post about it? Yes, life is busy. We had a blast in Florida, but the weather couldn’t have been more bipolar than it was this trip. Tired of hearing and talking about the weather, eh? I’ll try not to harp on it. Did I mention how much I miss Hawaii? Oh, but they had 55-65 F temps too this year. Here are some highlights of our New Year’s trip.

Cocoa Beach & Cape Canaveral, Kennedy Space Center

NASA was fun; expensive, but fun, and unlike the Disney parks, very focused on one theme- Space! The best part of visiting the Kennedy Space Center was seeing the Atlantis exhibit, and the actual Atlantis shuttle. What a great new center and so many hands-on activities and modules for the kids and the adult kids too! The other great part of the Center is the IMAX 3-D movie. The one that was playing when we were there was Hubble, and it was very well done, and engaging. The stars and planets fly out at you, and it is a great experience for all. You can meet astronauts, and characters, and just have a great time around the Center. If the weather is nice, bonus!

Cocoa Beach- Writing reads, “I miss Hawaii”

We had cold and windy weather for Cocoa Beach, and wish it were warmer, but it’s beach, so how can we complain at all? I do believe Cocoa Beach would be a great place to stay overnight, and with better weather, it is a very nice beach with lots of great restaurants and things to do in the area. I think Melbourne would be another fun place to visit if there is time. We did a day trip, but if you get more time, I would definitely recommend this entire area, and if you take a cruise, Port Canaveral looked awesome!

“Orange” you glad you picked your own oranges?

If you love Florida oranges, or citrus in general, and are in the Orlando or any other Florida area, look up local commercial groves where you can pick your own fruit. The one closest to where my folks live is my favorite, albeit the only one I am aware of. If the giant confederate flag doesn’t turn you off, then give this place a try. Otherwise, do a Google(c) search with zip code on commercial orange groves, and you may find the right one for you! The one we go to is called “Showcase of Citrus” off of Highway 27, in Clermont, Florida. It is a fun place for kids and adults alike. Wear your walking shoes, and you can bring your own wagon because when this place gets busy, they may run out. For $12, you can fill (to your heart’s content) a 5 lb. bag they supply. You can fill a 10 lb. bag too for more. There are coupons on-line for their famous slushy and swamp tours. The swamp tour is about 60 minutes, and resembles the Kilimanjaro ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom without all the wildlife. It is a great place to walk around the groves and pick various citrus; all types of oranges,grapefruit, and tangerine varieties. Or, for $13, you can fill a bag inside the market area (they have picked the best ones for you), and you can be on your way! The bag itself is a souvenir too! The citrus here is so delicious, and we had fresh juice for a week, and citrus for breakfast. Sickness, be damned! Oh another place while in Clermont is a local donut shop called “Donut King.” They serve all sorts of cajun food too, but my God, their donuts– amazingly delicious! When in Clermont, definitely give Donut King a try.

The CSI Experience- we had an amazing date afternoon on International Drive. It was a unique date. My husband loves the show CSI. The CSI Experience is a fun place to act out the forensics doctor or investigator in you without really getting too “dirty” or close to the real body. There are three separate scenarios and “crimes,” and you go through several different rooms to narrow the suspect pool, and find the truth. It’s fun, and each scene takes about 30-45 minutes. If you are military, be sure to bring your IDs and you get a great discount. There are coupons in all the local magazines and on-line for about $2.00 per person which is good too. If you’re into solving crimes and the show, CSI, you will have a good time.

Hollywood Studios

I’ve said it once, I have said it a few dozen times, Disney stresses me out. Disneyworld stresses me out way more than LAND. I found LAND laid back, and since it doesn’t attract a lot of foreign tourists, I found it less crowded and more manageable. Of course, Disney is Disney- high prices, crazy lines for absolutely nothing all that exciting at the end, and a lot of walking. Yes, parents can sit in strollers and it’s socially acceptable at Disney. For a Type-A parent like myself, Disney is very stressful. For me, Magic Kingdom is the most stressful. If waiting in line to see Tinkerbell for an hour wasn’t bad enough, I can’t get a fast pass to the Enchanted Belle ride (new in Fantasyland) because I didn’t stay in a Disneyworld resort. Really? How has Disney ever survived an FTC investigation or an anti-trust/price-rigging suit? I do not get it all. I have to stay at your bloody resort so I can save 120 minutes? #Sigh Ah well, all that aside, this time we visited Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.

Animal Kingdom-Asia; not sure why I look preggers in this one

The weather really did not cooperate at all with us this time in Florida, and it rained for most of our time at Animal Kingdom. But, we enjoyed a few things at the Park. Animal Kingdom is beta-testing the Fast Pass PLUS program for all people (not just those at Disney resorts) and we were able to get tickets for The Lion King and Finding Nemo and the kids enjoyed these shows. Our favorite ride was Killamanjaro and the girls loved the animals.

Lion King Show

They are all right there. I had no idea how long this ride was, but it was very cool. I felt transported to Africa. I love the Asia area, and while we did not ride the fast-paced rides, the girls enjoyed getting their books stamped at each different region. The rain dampened us physically, but not our spirits.

Nemo Show at Animal Kingdom

Honey I shrunk the Kids play area

Hollywood Studios was fun to visit, but it was a cool day. We enjoyed our time watching the shows, Disney Junior, and the movies. Hollywood Studios reminded me of California Adventure Park – same look and feel. The Hollywood ride was a lot of fun, and walking around the different sets was a good time as well. The kids’ favorite part was hanging out in the play area of “Honey I shrunk the kids.” They could have taken or left the rest of the day. Fantasmic here is the same as the beautiful Fantasmic show at Disneyland. So, feel free to skip it on a cold or rainy night, and catch it in a more relaxed setting at Disneyland. The Beauty and the Beast show is nice, but in an outdoor theater. I think The Lion King is the best we saw among both parks. The rest is okay after that. The show Bug’s Life in 3D is awesome but it is scary for kids under 8. My girls were screaming and we had to run out at California Adventure Park, so we did not attempt it here, but I thought it was fun. Character meetings are fun for the kids and make sure you get a photo pass too so you can see all your pics later. Disney charges an arm and a leg to buy them later, but you can have the photo pass photographer take a picture of you and your family with your own camera too! They take great photos by the way.

Magic Kingdom was our last stop to see the princesses. As I said, this is the least favorite park for me – too big, and too much to do, and the one that won’t readily give you a fast pass plus unless you stay on site. Might be worth getting a single room for one night at the cheapest resort you can find just for the speed, but totally your call. If you get one night, remember, you can use that for 2 days at the parks. We saw a lot of princesses at the Magic Kingdom, and the girls had a great time on their usual rides: Aladdin’s magic carpet, Little Mermaid (so not worth the line- this is the same ride that had a 2 min wait at California Adventure park). I recommend getting there and standing in line for Belle’s Enchanted Ride, and leaving Fantasyland. The kiddos loved the show in front of the Castle. Best view in January was the 520pm show, when the castle literally went from daylight to night, with spectacular lighting and all. The characters sing, dance, and my daughters loved seeing their favorites all in one place. The parades are good for this too!

All in all, it was a good trip to Florida, but I think I definitely could have used more R&R time and if you want more R&R, skip Disney, and just do local fun things.

Holmes Beach- Bradenton

Beaches South of Tampa, on the Gulf Coast- We visited both coasts for beach, but the weather never seemed to cooperate with us.

I think when we return to Florida, we should try to get a beach house, and soak up sun, and play in the sand. The beaches South of Tampa, near Bradenton, north of Sarasota look beautiful. We were at Holmes Beach and these pictures were taken there. The sand was whiter, and sea shells for all to find and adore. I think I liked this beach even more than Cocoa Beach, but surprisingly the Gulf Water was not as warmer than the Atlantic on the Cocoa Beach side.

Ah, Floridahh, what a great family vacation – seeing family, doing fun things, and escaping the cold- well, a little.