Yes, you read that right, today is Day One of a fun-filled 5 day weekend. Over the next 5 days I’ll be at some exciting events and you will want to be following along with my on my social media channels, especially Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and maybe even G+.

Thursday

Today is media day at SeaWorld Orlando for the new Antarctica attraction. I get to experience SeaWorld Orlando’s new attraction, Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin, will transport you into a rarely seen, icy world. Feel the majestic grandeur of the South Pole and see it through the penguins’ eyes on an exhilarating, first-of-its-kind family ride. Explore a massive penguin colony in an expanse that envelops them in cool extremes, both above and below the penguins’ icy world.  It’s a must-see, one-of-a-kind theme park experience only at SeaWorld in Orlando. I will be there from 1pm til about 4pm and I am assuming I’ll be tweeting with #Antarctica unless we are told differently when we check in.

After SeaWorld I’ll be meeting up with Jordan at Earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney for an early dinner before we check into our hotel room for the night.

Friday

Friday morning we get up at about 3:15am so that we can be dressed and ready to check-in for the Disney Parks Blog Monstrous Summer Meet Up by 4:15am at the Transportation and Ticket Center. The Magic Kingdom is open from 6am Friday-6am Saturday and we will be there bringing you all of the #MonstrousSummer fun! At 9:45am we are heading to a special showing of the new Disney-Pixar film Monsters University! After the movie it is back to the Magic Kingdom to meet up with friends and play in the park until it closes Saturday morning.

Saturday

Happy birthday to me! Today is my 49th birthday and I get to spend the first 6 hours of my special day at the Magic Kingdom. Once we leave the park at 6am we carefully travel the 90 minutes back home so we can nap. IF we wake up on time we have 2 different graduation parties to attend so we can celebrate with friends who have finished their high school careers.

Sunday-Monday

Sunday starts off with church and then we head to my mom’s house where we will spend 2 days relaxing by the pool and celebrating Mother’s Day (since I had the flu that day), My birthday, Jordan’s 18th birthday, my dad’s birthday and Summer’s high school graduation.

PHEW! I’m tired just typing all that! I hope you’ll follow along all weekend and share in all the fun.

The Rules

1. Make sure the link is to the giveaway post, not the home page of your blog. Links to home pages will be deleted.
2. Put the end date in the title of your giveaway.
3. Link to an image of the prize, not your blog button.
4. If you post a giveaway enter at least one giveaway someone else posted. This is just one way to play nice with others :-)

This past weekend the Tampa Bay Times Forum was filled with young princes and princesses, some decked out in their regal attire, as they went to see Disney on Ice: Rockin’ Ever After. We were part of that crowd on Friday night. My group for the night consisted of myself, my 6yo buddy Matthew and his mom and dad, Bob & Kim.

This was my 4th event so far this year at the Forum so we know the drill…get tickets at Will Call, go through bag check then head to our seats. This time was different. At bag check I was informed that I could bring my camera, a Nikon Coolpix P100  into the Forum but I couldn’t bring my small camera bag in! I wasn’t carrying a purse-my ID, keys, money, phone were all tucked into my camera bag. The security officer made me put everything in my pocket and Bob ran my camera bag back to the car for me. I am not sure of the reasoning for this rule, and I have tweeted @tbtimesforum and have received no response. Kim’s purse is HUGE, you could fit 2-3 of my camera bags in her purse but she was allowed to bring her purse in so it wasn’t a size issue. I was even more stumped when we got to our seats and saw other people with their camera bags! I’d love to get a response from the Forum on this issue.

We arrived at our seats by 6:30pm and Bob bought Matthew a $10 cotton candy which came with either a princess tiara or a Flounder hat. Matthew opted for Flounder. 

The show opened with a rollicking production number featuring Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and a cast of talented skaters. Later in the opening segment Pinocchio, Anastasia and Druzilla also got in on the act.

The Little Mermaid

Sebastian made his way out to tell us the tale of The Little Mermaid. This segment included Ariel, her sisters, Prince Eric, Sebastian, Flounder, Ursula, Flotsam & Jetsam and a host of skating sea creatures!

Tangled

Next up was Kim and my favorite section-Tangled. This act included Rapunzel, Flynn Rider, Maximus, Mother Gothel, and the thugs. The skating horse is very cool and we loved the beauty of the floating lanterns.

Brave

After intermission Mickey and the gang came back out and introduced us to Merida and the rest of the crew from Brave. In this act we had Merida, Queen Elinor, The Triplets-Harris, Hubert and Hamish, and the clans of Dingwall, MacGuffin, and Macintosh. This act was filled with excitement, fast skating and even archery and was the favorite of both Bob and Matthew.

Matthew on the edge of his seat during “Brave”

Beauty and the Beast

Tale as old as time…you can never go wrong by including the classic Beauty and the Beast in the show. Belle, LeFou, Gaston and the townspeople open this act with the songs “Belle” and “Gaston”. Once Belle arrives at the castle we meet up with Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs Potts, Chip, the Beast and the rest of the enchanted household. “Be Our Guest” was a fantastic production number and I really loved the flatware’s costumes.

The show ended with the full cast on stage skating to a medley of songs. The high energy show lasted about 1 hour and 45 minutes and was enjoyed by boys and girls of all ages. Disney on Ice:Rockin’ Ever After is touring the US, Canada and Mexico this year so it might just be coming to your corner of the world.

Disclosure: I received 4 tickets for the purpose of this review. All opinions are 100% mine. There are affiliate links in this post.

A visit to Disney’s Hollywood studios isn’t complete without seeing Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage. The show which opened on November 22, 1991, the same day the movie opened in theaters across the United States, is a 25 minute stage version of the animated film. The stage show started as a trial to see if an animated Disney movie would translate well as a live stage production. The success of this “experiment” led Disney to take the leap to the Broadway stage, where as we all know, they have had much success. Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage is perfect family entertainment as it has something for everyone be it a princess with a love story,  Gaston and the angry mob or a castle full of enchanted objects, the whole family will enjoy this show.

The production is performed several times a day in the Theater of the Stars on Sunset Blvd. Check your times guide for show times. The theater is a 1,500 seat covered amphitheater.

The stage show highlights all of the key moments and musical numbers from the movie. One of my favorites is the huge production number, “Be Our Guest”.

Is Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage a must-do for your family? Why or why not? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Join Mouse House Memories

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A few months ago Aaron texted me a photo with a recipe on it. All the text said was “Please make these!” It took me a while to get around to it but I finally made his recipe, and he didn’t even eat one! This easy dessert or snack recipe is for what I have named as Reese’s Chocolate Chip Brownie Cups.

I made this recipe for our small group and we microwaved them for 10-15 seconds each and topped them with vanilla ice cream. They were delicious! I brought the extras home and shared them with my co-workers and everyone is asking for the easy and delicious recipe. I know I’ll be making this again because Aaron was so busy working he didn’t even get one!

Please feel free to share, pin, print or save this recipe.

The penguin-shaped cup may look cute and cuddly, but it has a noble purpose: encourage guests to help the planet, one refill at a time. In conjunction with SeaWorld® Orlando’s epic new attraction and ride Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin™ opening Memorial Day weekend, SeaWorld has created the Cup That Cares™ — a new reusable cup program with a twist of technology. The innovative, interactive cup was designed specifically to connect with Coca-Cola Freestyle beverage dispensers in the new realm.

The new Cup That Cares engages guests in a personalized manner to reuse materials and reduce their carbon footprint. An RFID chip embedded in each Cup That Cares interacts with software at Coca-Cola Freestyle® dispensers to calculate and tell guests how they are being more environmentally responsible by choosing to reuse. Plus, SeaWorld will donate $1 from each Cup That Cares purchase to the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens® Conservation Fund, a not-for-profit foundation that helps protect wildlife around the world.

How Does It Work?

Technology embedded in the Cup That Cares calculates the amount of CO2 each guest saves from entering the atmosphere when they choose to reuse the cup for refills at Coca-Cola Freestyle machines in Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin. With each refill at the designated machines, exclusive software developed by Coca-Cola and SeaWorld serves up an onscreen message that is customized to that guest’s Cup That Cares history. The message thanks the guest for choosing to reuse, tracks how many refills the Cup That Cares has been used for, and calculates the running total of CO2 the guest has saved from entering the atmosphere.
Each refill with a reusable cup prevents the emission of approximately 27 grams of CO2.

What Does It Look Like?

There are two options, both available exclusively in the new Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin attraction at SeaWorld Orlando: Cup That Cares souvenir reusable cup – available at the two beverage stations inside the attraction for $9.99 – is adorned with photos of Puck™ and his penguin family. Puck is the hero penguin character featured throughout the new realm,

Create A Cup That Cares – Guests may build their own personalized penguin-shaped character cup by choosing from more than 40 accessories such as eyes, hair, glasses, hats, bow tie, necklaces and even miniature Shamu ice cream bars and SeaWorld shopping bags. The Create A Cup That Cares will be sold in theAntarctica gift shop, and includes a free first fill at the nearby Antarctica beverage stations. Create A Cup That Cares experience starts at $15.95 with the option to add accessory items.

“Just as penguins do within their colonies, humans also can band together to make a big difference through small actions,” said Dan Brown, Chief Operating Officer of SeaWorld, Discovery Cove and Aquatica Parks. “We see great potential with this new program because it encourages guests to be more aware of their actions – and reduce their carbon footprint — in an easy, fun and innovative way. Each step may be small, but it all adds up when we work together.” Refills throughout the park for both Cup That Cares options are $.99 each.

NEW custom Coca-Cola flavor served up only at Antarctica

The Cup That Cares concept was developed in partnership with the park’s beverage partner Coca-Cola, whose Coca-Cola Freestyle dispensers offer guests more than 100 different beverage brands. Also only in Antarctica, Coca-Cola Freestyle will offer an all-new, vanilla-infused choice — South Pole Chill™.For more information, visit www.SeaWorldOrlando.com

About Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin:The biggest expansion in SeaWorld’s history, Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin opens Friday, May 24 and combines a state-of-the-art family adventure ride with up-close encounters with hundreds of penguins – kings, gentoos, Adélies and rockhoppers.
About SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.

Next Thursday I’ll be at the Antarctica media day and I will be tweeting, Facebooking and Instagramming all of the fun so make sure you follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to stay up-to-date on all of the fun.

The Rules

1. Make sure the link is to the giveaway post, not the home page of your blog. Links to home pages will be deleted.
2. Put the end date in the title of your giveaway.
3. Link to an image of the prize, not your blog button.
4. If you post a giveaway enter at least one giveaway someone else posted. This is just one way to play nice with others :-)

Duct tape is always in large supply in our house. Aaron has quite the collection of prints and colors that he uses for various projects including creating a cover for his well-loved Bible. Summer is the queen of making duct tape wallets and even a few dresses for her friends in every duct tape print available. Since we seem to have a predisposition for all things duct tape, I agreed to review a Heart Shaped Duct Tape Ring from Quiet Mischief. The ring is just one of the creative duct tape accessories by duct tape artist, Melissa.

About the Artist

Melissa started working with duct tape in April of 2010. Within days she had moved on from the usual large roses and started designing bags and other items. She came up with her first bestseller, duct tape rose rings, while bored in math class; her sister put them up in the Quiet Mischief Etsy shop, and the rest was history.

Melissa’s original jewelry has had a great influence both on Quiet Mischief and on the duct tape crafting world in general. Through Quiet Mischief she’s published two tutorials teaching how to make her duct tape rose and heart rings; combined these tutorials have been sold more than 1100 times. Her jewelry has also appeared in local and national articles in newspapers and magazines as well as on TV on the local news, and she has even bigger plans in mind for the future!

About the Duct Tape Ring

The ring is made from a multi-colored flower print duct tape. The ring is large measuring 1.25 inches long, 0.5 inches wide and 0.75 inches high. You can order the ring in small (sizes 1-8) and regular (sizes 6-15). I got the regular size ring and it was too small for my fingers. It fit my friend well so she agreed to be my hand model.

I wore the ring to church last Wednesday night and asked friends of all ages what they thought of it. Most of the adults liked it but said it was too loud or too big. The teens liked the ring but would prefer it in a solid color. The tweens LOVED the ring and at the end of the night I gave my ring to a young friend of mine.

Quiet Mischief  makes other duct tape accessories including corsages, hair bows, friendship bracelets and other rings. You can even purchase a tutorial on the Quiet Mischief site so that you can learn how to make duct tape rings. As a matter of fact, they have just kicked off their first Kickstarter campaign for “Not Your Usual Duct Tape Crafts-The Christmas Book“. If you would like to help them on their way please donate to their campaign at the link above. You can also follow Quiet Mischief on Pinterest and Facebook so that you can stay up-to-date with their creations.

Disclosure: I receive a duct tape ring in exchange for this review. I have given the ring away to a friend thus sharing the love. All opinions are 100% mine and my friends.

Test Track has been a family favorite ride for years. My boys are “car guys” so even though they are very anti-General Motors and anti-Chevrolet they overlooked that fact and always rode Test Track multiple times on every visit to Epcot. We usually rode the single rider line because it is fun to ride with newbies. We remember how nervous we were on our very first Test Track experience and we enjoy supporting others through their maiden voyage. The original Test Track, which ran from March 17, 1999 through April 2012 was based on the concept that you were at a GM test facility putting new vehicles through their paces. There were rough road tests, extreme weather tests, ABS brake tests, a barrier test and then the high speed test which takes guests outside the ride facility and up to 64.9mph. The attraction was both educational and exciting and at the end of the ride there were various GM exhibits and current vehicle models for guests to check out.

On January 6, 2012 Disney announced that Test Track would be renovated and would re-open before the busy holiday season of 2012. The renovation would include a new skin on the current ride vehicles, now called “SimCars”, a much updated queue where guests can try their hand at designing a vehicle and then later virtually testing their vehicle’s ratings in efficiency, power, capability and responsiveness.

All of your car design data is stored on an RFID card which you carry with you through the line. When you arrive at the boarding area you tap your card on an RFID reader before entering your SimCar. Now the vehicle you designed is attached to your ride vehicle and at times during the ride, you will see whose vehicle creation fared best in certain categories.

As huge Test Track fans we were excited and very much looking forward to the upgraded Test Track 2.0. The new Test Track opened on December 6, 2012 and Jordan and I were there December 8, 2012 to ride. That day we waited almost 2 hours in line because the ride kept breaking down. When we got in line it was all the way back in the breezeway between the Electric Umbrella and Mouse Gears and there was a cast member telling us the ride had yet to come online for the day (the park had been open for about 30 minutes) and he didn’t know if or when it would. Since riding this particular ride was one of the 2 reasons we were there this particular day, we got in line and waited. Eventually we entered the clean, new queue and our adventure began. The design phase is fun and entertaining, a nice upgrade. Unfortunately for us, the ride was a bust. The same ride track as always but instead of all the cool test facilities everything looks like you are in a game of Tron. There is tons of cool neon and every so often there is a screen that ranks how your vehicles are faring in the different tests. Jordan and I got off the ride very disappointed. In January Ron and I rode the ride in the single rider line which has a much shorter wait, but you also only get to do a small portion of the car design. Ron was also underwhelmed with the new ride. Two weeks ago all of us except for Aaron and Summer waited in the long line to experience the full queue and ride the ride. Finally yesterday, Aaron and Summer waited 80 minutes in line and this is our text conversation about the ride.

I am sad to say that in our opinion…Test Track 2.0 is a huge disappointment. The queue is fun but not worth waiting 60 minutes plus for. Since Summer refuses to ride single rider, due to some social anxiety issues, we won’t be riding Test Track 2.0 very often in the future.

Is Test Track a family favorite of yours? Have you ridden Test Track 2.0 yet? What are your thoughts? Please leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts on this ride.

Join Mouse House Memories

1. Write a post about Disney and add it to the Linky. Make sure you link to the actual post and not to your home page. Links that go to a home page will be deleted. Linky will be open Monday-Sunday of each week.
2. In your post mention that you are linking up to Mouse House Memories at TheMomMaven.com.
3. Optional but appreciated. Use the “Mouse House Memories Badge” at the top of this post  in your post, sidebar or blogroll and link back to the main Mouse House Memories post http://themommaven.com/2013/01/mouse-house-memories-2013/.

Since I’m in bed with the flu and don’t feel up to writing I thought I’d share this Mother’s Day message from Monsters University.

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY releases in theaters on June 21st!