Our #DisneySide @Home Celebration

Recognize the face? Also, recognize that small poster on the wall in the background? Hint: Grim Grinning Ghosts

It was with great anticipation that we received our #DisneySide Home Celebration Kit. We are a family that lives and breathes Disney, between regular visits to the Disneyland Resort, every Disney film possible on DVD and even a Club Penguin subscription. Disney embodies quality family entertainment and that’s what we like to provide our children.

We gathered some friends, ordered some pizza, created some delicious Mickey cupcakes, and mixed some Alice themed mocktails like White Rabbit’s Woot Beer, Queen of Hearts Red Punch and Alice’s Elixir. The kids enjoyed creating new flavors for each other.

We played a rousing game of Disney trivia. No surprise, my husband new all the answers. He still let us guess a few though.

We had a great time playing with a Disney themed madlibs game, where they were able to create their own amusing stories. These kids came up with some pretty hilarious stories.

Our #DisneySide Home Celebration allowed us to create fun new memories with friends. Disney is all about creating memories to last a lifetime and they are always welcomed in our home. You don’t need to wait until you are actually in “The Happiest Place on Earth” to show your Disney Side. You can make EVERY DAY feel as if you are already there. And who says you need a reason for a party? Celebrating fun with friends, family, and neighbors is reason enough for us! What will you celebrate next?

This about sums up our thoughts on the festivities!

We received free products in order to host the #DisneySide @Home Celebration. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Cinderella: Diamond Edition

She has her own castle in Florida (and Tokyo!) and is perhaps the most beloved Disney princesses. Her favorite tune is “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes.” Who can it be other than the incomparable Cinderella! She’s back and has never looked better. Released today is the all new Cinderella: Diamond Edition. It is now available on Blu-ray and chalk full of terrific extras.

As with all of the restored films released on Blu-ray, Cinderella looks brighter than ever and sounds amazing. It joins Snow White, Bambi, Lady and the Tramp, Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King with this Diamond Edition. The color is dazzling and the film has never looked more beautiful.

This is one of the few films my daughter would not stop watching when we first got the original DVD. Now we have revisited it on with the Blu-ray disc and it feels brand new all over again. The film is 62 years old, but like all of the Disney classics it is truly timeless.

I love the current trend of many films being released on Blu-ray but also containing a regular DVD of the film as well. It helps if you have a DVD player in the car and a Blu-ray player in the house. It’s also great if you haven’t made the leap to Blu-ray yet but intend to in the future. The Blu-ray contains many extras that have never been release before this. One of the elements is called the “Second Screen” which provides you interactive, behind the scenes experiences with the animation art.

There are several versions available: the combo pack with the Blu-ray, DVD and a digital download copy is the best value. The digital copy allows you to have a copy for your smart phone or iPad! There is also a 6-disc jewelry box set that contains Cinderella and the two sequels with two discs each, one Blu-ray and one regular DVD. It would make a great Christmas gift, but hurry, because like all Disney releases, these will eventually go back in the vault and won’t be available for many years.

Disclosure: I was provided a preview copy of the film for this review.

Have a little chef in the family? Then you will love The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora

I have a little chef in my family, well really actually two. My son and daughter are obsessed with baking and trying to help me whip something up in the kitchen. Last week when I was invited by Disney to attend the premiere of the new online video series, The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora, designed for budding little chefs and moms, I jumped at the opportunity. I headed to the Disney Studios and was in for a treat!

The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora is a fun cooking show geared for kiddos and their families. The show is entertaining and features fun cooking tips for the entire family and tips on pleasing even the pickiest of little eaters. One of the things I learned from Cat, who is a mom to little ones herself, is to not sneak food in. She believes in educating children about their food choices. Cat gave out great tips. My favorite and one that I immediately put into practice is on how to introduce new food to your children. She believes that you encourage your kids to get out and try new foods at least once. If they don’t like it, they don’t have to eat it again but they at least have to try it out once. I sat down with my daughter before heading out to dinner this past weekend and encouraged her to try asparagus and salmon. She tried both and discovered that she liked asparagus but not salmon. It’s a great way to have the little ones expand their taste buds!

We sat down and watched an episode last night with the kiddos and they loved it. It is a great show and the site is full of cooking tips, recipes, etc.. It is a great place for moms to check out for fun and easy recipes for the entire family.
You can watch the series on DisneyFamily.com or Disney.Go.com