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Fun Morning With the Birds of Rio

Posted on April 14, 2011 8:41 am by TheAngelForever

Mommy time with my little guy is something that I cherish while he is still in nursery school only a few days a week. On Monday morning, JSL and I went to a special screening of the movie Rio. The movie will be in theaters nationwide tomorrow, so we were very lucky to have the chance to see this early. Just before leaving, I showed my little guy a trailer of the movie and he jumped up and was ready to leave. As a person that grew up with pet birds, I was excited to see my feathered friends depicted on the big screen.

When we arrived at the theater, we found out that it was going to be the 3D version.

I was a bit worried about this. You see, JSL is not a fan of 3D films. Thanks to items at Walt Disney World, we learned this the hard way. On our last visit, JSL went into 3D venues and watched without his glasses on. Rio was my first movie experience in 3D since it has come back on the scene in theaters. I was excited, but nervous about JSL’s reaction.

Warning to parents: If your child is not a fan of 3D films, beware of the Ice Age short that plays before the movie. This scared JSL and I was afraid that we were going to have to leave. Much to my surprise, the short utilized 3D tricks with things jumping out and a lot of loud crashing/banging noises. Thanks to this, JSL refused to put the glasses back on for Rio and watched it sans 3D. This made me sad because the movie experience in 3D was gorgeous and really made you feel like you were in the rain forest of Brazil with the menagerie.

More about Rio:

Here is one of the trailers of the movie so you can get get a feel for what it is about.

What we thought:

Even if JSL watched the movie without his 3D glasses, he never moved a muscle. The story line, characters, and music kept him watching from the moment it started. I caught him dancing in his seat a few times (as I begged him to try his glasses again). After the movie, he told me that he wants to go and see it again with Nana, Papa, NHL and TechyDad. I have a feeling this wish will likely be granted soon.

I love, love, loved Rio! Yes, I laughed out loud, caught myself dancing in my chair, and already plan on buying the DVD. Rio is a lively, fun film, that appeals for all ages. Unlike some other movies targeted for kids, I do not think any of the scenes are that scary. Yes, there are dramatic parts – but it is set up in such a way that younger children will not really get what is happening to our new bird friends.

The music and voices of the actors in the roles were perfect. George Lopez made Rafael pop on the scene. His timing and sense of humor were just right for this important Tucan. Although I really adored all of the characters, I found myself strangely fixed on Nigel the cockatoo. The unlikely villain of the film reminded me a lot of my parent’s cockatoo Whiskers.

Nana and Papa already had bought the boys Rio stories and coloring books. I do believe that I will be adding the soundtrack since it was so much fun. I especially laughed at Nigel’s song Pretty Bird.

Do you plan on seeing Rio? What are you looking forward to most about the movie?

Disclosure: I received complementary passes for two to see the pre-screening of Rio from the PR agency releasing the movie. No other compensation was given and no review expected. All opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine.

Categories:
fun jsl Movies photos Product review

KidFunPlaza Summer Expo and Tech Valley Tweetup

Posted on April 12, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

What are you doing on Saturday, April 16?

If you live in the Capital District area, I hope you will be heading to Colonie Center to join me at the KidsFunPlaza first ever event for the community. This Saturday we will be hosting the KidsFunPlaza Summer Expo. Summer is coming quickly. This is the perfect time and place to come with your family to investigate all of the options for this summer.

More about the Summer Expo:

Who: Representatives from a wide variety of local camps including

Residential Camps
Day Camps
Athlete Summer Programs
Teen Adventure Programs
Public and Private School Camps
County Offerings
Language Camps

What: Event for the entire family to learn more about summer offerings in the Capital District/Tech Valley region. Other items include

Easter Bunny
Smile Monster
Face Painting
Games
Camp Demos
Hands on Fun with Jodie Fitz

Here are my boys with the Smile Monster and participating in a demo with Jodie Fitz last weekend:

When: April 16, 2011 10 am to 7 pm

Where: Colonie Center

How and Why: Lots of hard work with local camps and programs to provide YOU with great information and fun.

More about the Tech Valley Blogger Tweet up:

The #TechValley blogger Tweetup will be from 6 pm to 7pm. There will be a blog panel including:

Lisa Barone from Outspoken Media
Greg Dahlmann from All Over Albany
Christina Gleason from Kids Fun Plaza
Steve Jeffes from Capital District & Upstate NY Professionals
Dave Ward from Social Media Club Tech Valley

Once the panel is finished, everyone in attendance will have a chance to sign up to do a 30-second commercial about your business/blog. After this there will be time to network with other bloggers while enjoying some refreshments.

Oh, one other little thing. . . there are also some amazing prizes that you could win. KidsFunPlaza will be giving away an iPad2 and a conference pass to Blog World Expo 2011 in NYC. Be sure to enter today to be eligible.

So, will I see you Saturday? Let me know and we will try to catch up.

Categories:
fun local event photos

Passover 2011 Preparations

Posted on April 11, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It’s that time of year again. In just a week, we will be sitting down to a Passover Seder with family to celebrate the start of Pesach. Nursery school already has their Passover display in the hall:

On Sunday, TechyDad and I decided it was time to tackle the Passover food shopping. We went to Price Chopper and had a goal. We wanted to keep things simple, make mostly fresh foods, and limit packaged items. We really cut way back last year and it worked out nicely. We were happy with quinoa like oatmeal for breakfast, a turkey burger with lots of veggies, eggs in many forms, cottage cheese, and other staples. Yes, we did buy a few already made frozen items, along with Passover cakes/cookies, but very few.

When we went shopping, I took my camera along to show you how far Passover food shopping has come. Welcome to Passover Land at our local Price Chopper.

"Passover 2011 Shopping at Price Chopper"

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When we left Price Chopper, we had almost everything we need. Only a few items like eggs, produce, cottage cheese, and raisins to get.

Now the real stress begins. We have to convert the kitchen to be ready for Passover while we do everything else in the busy week ahead.

To read more about last year, my 2010 Passover posts are:

Whether you celebrate Passover, Easter, or another spring holiday, I wish you luck with your preparations. What are you looking forward to most and/or least in the next upcoming weeks?

Categories:
food glorious food holidays interesting jl looking back photos shopping TechyDad

Facebook The Final Frontier

Posted on April 8, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Several years ago, I started working on a Facebook page for my blog. For some reason, I never pushed the publish button. At the time, I was more focused on other ends of the Social Media spectrum. The reality is that not everyone likes Twitter. A lot of people prefer to use Facebook. By not pushing that button and setting up the Facebook page, I was only hurting myself.

While at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, one of the guest speakers was Matt Jacobson.

Jacobson is the head of market development for Facebook. While listening to everything that he told us, I knew that I was going to have to go home and finish working on my Facebook page. One of Jacobson’s biggest points that hit home is separating your personal and professional Facebook identities. He showed us an example using Mark Zuckerberg’s two profiles. He also talked about Building your brand on Facebook.

Yes, I knew it was time to get to work on Facebook. There was a need not only to publish a public page for The Angel Forever, but to have my own personal profile for family and friends.

Later in the day, Chris Brogan took the stage.

One of the many items that Chris talked about was using different forms of social media as outposts to get people to your blog or home base. Yes, I was utilizing Twitter in many ways, but Facebook was something that I foolishly ignored for too long. I will be sharing more from DisneySMMoms in the upcoming weeks – there is a lot to process.

While home with a sick kiddo this week, I finally tweaked my Facebook page for this blog. Over on the left, I even put a way to head there if you would like to.

See, I even took time to get a button for the side of my blog like the one above. It is a work in progress, but so is everything else in life.

This week my question to you is:

Do you have a Facebook page for your blog? Any input on whether having one or not having one has made a difference from your experience. If you do have a Facebook page, I would love to know so I can stop by visit and say hello.

If you feel a little bit of love in your heart, I would love for you to like The Angel Forever on Facebook as well. Thanks so much!

Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World, we were given an incredible deal thanks to Disney. The sweet conference fee included 3 nights at the Grand Floridian, several meals for the entire family, 7 day park hoppers for everyone, conference/meals for me and some other items to take home. Also note that Disney never asked us to blog about this event. As a long time Disney fan, it is my pleasure to share my experiences from the event.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #146

Categories:
Aloha Friday Blogging Conference Conference DisneySMMoms looking back me moments photos

Disney’s African Cats – Earth Day 2011

Posted on April 7, 2011 11:15 pm by TheAngelForever

My oldest son has been fascinated with lions, tigers, and all big cats for years. The first time we went to Animal Kingdom on the Kilimanjaro Safari he got upset that we did not see the lion awake. The next time around, we saw the king sitting up on top of his rock.

Much to my son’s surprise, while walking around Epcot a few weeks ago, he came across some sand cats. Check it out:

Yes, these amazing sand sculptures were made to showcase the new Disney release coming to theaters on Earth Day. Here is a bit about the film from the Press Release:

An epic true story set against the backdrop of one of the wildest places on Earth, “African Cats” captures the real-life love, humor and determination of the majestic kings of the savanna. Narrated by Oscar®-nominated actor Samuel L. Jackson, the story features Mara, an endearing lion cub who strives to grow up with her mother’s strength, spirit and wisdom; Sita, a fearless cheetah and single mother of five mischievous newborns; and Fang, a proud leader of the pride who must defend his family from a rival lion and his sons. Disneynature brings “The Lion King” to life on the big screen in this True Life Adventure directed by Keith Scholey and Alastair Fothergill (“Earth”). An awe-inspiring adventure blending family bonds with the power and cunning of the wild, “African Cats” leaps into theatres on Earth Day, April 22, 2011.For more information about the movie and the “See ‘African Cats,’ Save the Savanna” initiative, check out Disney.com/AfricanCats.

During the film’s opening week (April 22-28), a portion of the proceeds from that week’s ticket sales will be donated to the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund to ensure the future of lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras, giraffes and a host of other animals in the vibrant African savanna. The AWF will be working to protect the Amboseli Wildlife Corridor, a passage between the Amboseli, Tsavo West and Chyulu National Parks that is frequently used by a variety of wildlife.

Fans pledge to see “African Cats” opening week by logging onto http://eventful.com/africancats. Participants can watch how honoring that pledge can effectively save the savanna. A real-time counter will show how many people have participated, and there will also be a graphical map representing the number of acres across the savanna that are being conserved based upon the number of pledges received. Upon arriving at the theater, fans can check in via their mobile device to win special prizes.

Here is the official trailer for African Cats:

African Cats begins in theaters everywhere on Earth Day, April 22. You can also like them on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Disneynature.

The teacher in me can not wait to see this for the educational experience. The mom, can not wait to take her son for a special treat to watch all of these magnificent creatures on the big screen.

What is your favorite African Cat that you can not wait to see in the movie?

BTW, if you are interested in some fun activity sheets, an educational activity guide, and a 135-page expanded educator’s guide that would be great for teachers or homeschoolers – you can get them and additional items from the African Cats media page.

Disclosure: Information was sent to me from Disney PR and no compensation was received. As a life long Disney fan, I love to share this information with my readers.