Energizer Bunny's Mommy Reports

Disney's Earth Day Promotion......& Disney Nature's Oceans!

Do you have a ton of empty plastic bottles and empty soda cans lying around the house? Well tomorrow's a great day to get rid of all that with Disney's Earth Day Promotion tomorrow (4/22)

All you need to do is take 6 empty plastic bottles or soda cans to your nearest Disney store or outlet, place them inside the recycling bins and get a FREE 'Friends for Change' youth sized baseball cap.

Limit: One per guest.
(So if you have a family of 5, all 5 of you CAN get a baseball cap each if you put in 6 bottles/cans each, into the Disney recycling bins)

Click on the picture to visit the Disney Nature's Oceans site

Tomorrow is also the long awaited release of Disney Nature's Oceans. We got to watch Disney Nature's Earth last year and were blown away with the awesomeness of God's Creation on the wide screen. In no way are we going to miss watching Oceans in our local theatre!

Click on the picture to watch a trailer from the movie.

* Remember if you watch Oceans anytime during the opening week, Disney Nature will make a donation on your behalf to save the coral reefs. *

You can also try to win yourself a pair of tickets to watch Oceans with Brita's instant win game.

Bunny girl has been counting down days since the past month and I think we will hit the theatre this weekend. Can't wait!!

(I guess I'm also excited because we got to watch Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato perform the theme song 'Make a Wave' for the very first time, at the Disney Social Media Mom's big dinner.)

Labels: Deals 'n' more, Disney, Earth Day, Oceans, recycle, Social Media Moms Celebration 2010

CLOSED: Staying Safe at Disney with Vital ID Bands (+Giveaway)

* Click here to view the name(s) of the winner(s)*

By God's Grace, Bunny Girl has never been one to wander off on her own while in public. Despite knowing she'd always stay by our side on our recent trip to Disney for the Disney Social Media Mom's Celebration, I didn't want to take any chances. Thanks to Sonya from Belly Charms, I was introduced to the Vital Id Wristbands.

I picked a pink Safety Identification Wristband for Bunny Girl, to match her pink jacket and because it looked like a fun accessory to wear, we didn't have any struggles getting her to put it on every morning and leave it on without any fiddling for the rest of the day.

The Safety Identification Wristband came in a packet with 2 ID tags highlighting the above necessary information.

Once we penned in the details, we simply had to slip the tag into a secret, hidden pocket on the band and velcro fasten the band around her wrist.

I loved that this Safety Identification Wristband :

Safely hid Bunny girl's name and other details away from public view
Is waterproof (and yes we did have a day splattered with showers while there)
Can be adjusted to suit the child's comfort on the wrist
Is re-useable
Is 100% Latex free and
Can be used till her wrist stays within the 6" circumference!

I think the tag is great for the suggested age range of 3 years plus only because the child is old enough to understand why he/she needs to wear the band and not remove the same while outdoors. Bunny girl was explained the importance of wearing the tag and in the unforeseen eventuality of not being able to find us, was told to walk up to a Disney Cast Member and show him/her her band and show them where her contact details were.

So we had 5 great days at Disney and the Safety Identification Wristband stayed on

while Bunny girl ran up to get autographs

posed near favorite spots

hugged the big 'M' and

even stayed on till bath time, back in the room!!

Sadly on our flight back home, I asked her where her band was and she told me she'd taken it off when we reached the airport and left it in the rental car as she thought the holiday was over and the band had to be given back.
(SOB!! ...and I'd planned to use the same for all future trips outdoors. Will just have to get another one now!)

Buy it:

You can buy your child a Safety Identification Wristband for 11.99 US$ only, in the colors shown below-

Belly Charms also carries a variety of other ID Tags to cater specifically to travel, medical alerts etc.

Win it:

One reader will have the opportunity to win a Safety Identification Wristband of choice.

Here's how you can win it:

1. Mandatory entry (without this, all other entries will be disqualified)-

Visit Belly Charms and tell me which Safety Identification Wristband you would pick.

Additional entries: (1 entry each)

-2. Fan Belly Charms on Facebook

-3. Follow Belly Charms on Twitter

- 4. Subscribe to my blog via email or Follow my blog

- 5. Blog about this giveaway (leave a comment with a link to your blog post)

- 6. Follow me on Twitter and tweet once daily...

RT @ebmommy I'm trying to win a Vital ID Band to keep my child safe http://tinyurl.com/yatnjn4 #giveaway #sweeps #Disney #childsafety #ebmr

- 7. Fan me on Facebook.

-8. Snag my Blog button

-9. Vote for Energizer Bunny's Mommy Reports in the Giveaway Blog Contest

This giveaway is open to US residents, 18 years and above. 1 winner will be chosen with the random.org generator on March 13 2010 at 10 pm Central time.

** EBMR Disclaimer: Belly Charms sent me an ID band for review purposes only. This review has not been monetarily compensated and is based on the views and opinions of my family and/or self. Please note that the opinions reflected in this post have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.**

Labels: Belly Charms, Child Safety, Disney, Reviews / Giveaways, Social Media Moms Celebration 2010, Vital ID Bands

Socially Yours, Kawasaki & Brogan

When I started to blog close to a year ago and when I joined Twitter a few months ago, I thought it was just a great way to publicize my writing, my reviews, the giveaways hosted and basically get the word out about my blog. After listening to two Social Media Gurus at the Disney Social Media Mom's Celebration I realized I have a world of Social Media to embrace....((GASP))!

Thankfully we had 2 great speakers who conveyed their years of experience in less than an hour each, that we may learn from their years in the Social Media arena.

Here's some bling to get your Social Media presence to sparkle effectively......

Socially Yours, Guy Kawasaki:

Guy Kawasaki is one of the Apple employees responsible for marketing the Mac in 1984. He is the founder of Alltop and the author of his popular personal blog 'How to Change the World'. He has a strong Twitter presence with over 216,000 followers and uses this has his strongest marketing weapon. Guy can be found @guykawasaki

Tweet out your blog updates atleast 4 times with a 10 hour interval between each tweet. This way readers from different time zones can click onto your link and this will generate greater readership. (Tweeting out a single link more than 4 times will only aggravate a follower!)
Use Objective Marketer or Twitter Feed to tweet out those blog feeds. (You can program your feeds to go out at the set intervals specified by you)
Find stuff that people find interesting to read, to increase followers. (All your Twitter followers don't need to know updates about your cat!)
It's important to have people follow you but there are people who can spam up your Twitter page or be a negative presence around. Simply ask them to 'UFM' ! (Oh don't worry, this is a family blog. 'UFM' simply means 'UnFollow Me!')
Monetize your blog through affiliate programs, banner ads and Google Ads.
The key to having a successful Twitter Presence is to have more followers. To have more followers, you need to ensure your tweets have high content.

Socially Yours, Chris Brogan:

Chris Brogan is the President of New Marketing Labs, a marketing media agency and to put it simply an authority with the ways of marketing....I learnt a lot from his brief but rich presentation!! Chris authors his own blog- ChrisBrogan and can be found @chrisbrogan . (Oh and did I mention that he has a witty sense of humor?)

Build relationships with your readers. There's a difference between having an audience (you speak to an audience) and having a community (you speak and interact with your community.)
It's important to connect with your followers/readers. Companies don't want you to just be a product reviewer. They want you to tell stories to your readers in a human, connected way.
It's important to let a product sponsor/company hear your side of the story, in the review. It should be your experience, in your words...not a 'Cut' 'Copy' 'Paste' job!
Your content needs to be simple and understandable for the readers.
Remember that companies love to receive new ideas from you.
Grow Bigger Ears.
Focus, Focus, Focus on relationships!
Listen! Connect! Publish!
If you run a business, never think your customer is dumb. "Your customer is your wife!" Respect your customer at all times.
Never look down upon any blogger. Little Bloggers DO grow up!
How to build readers:

Be helpful to your readers
Make stories smaller and tighter
Make sub-headers and bullets to make reading easier.

With Guy Kawasaki and Chris Brogan, I close my Speaker Highlight posts from the Disney Social Media Mom's Celebration but I can't end without acknowledging the people who brought laughs to the day......

MaryEllen Hooper (Stand Up Comedian and author of the blog Stinky Flowers) and

the loud but lovable Tweeter Sisters......Tweet! Tweet!!

If you missed reading the other Speaker Highlights, hop on over and read:

* You can read more Social Media Moms Celebration Posts at 5 minutes for Mom *

** EBMR Disclaimer: I was blessed to attend this awesome Disney conference, at a very subsidized package price of 350 US$ only (This included the conference registration, accommodation for our family and Disney World park hopper tickets for 7 days). All expenses for myself and my family were borne by us solely. This review has not been monetarily compensated by Disney and is based on the views and opinions of my family and/or self. **

Labels: Chris Brogan, Disney, Guy Kawasaki, Reflections, Social Media Moms Celebration 2010

Chef Irvine finally faces the 'Impossible'!!

So we're walking around Epcot on February 11th 2010 and manage to catch a glimpse of Disney's newest princess Tiana. Surrounding her are lots of 'dressed for a performance' people and a television crew. Princess Tiana was busy talking to a big built chap who oddly had a familiar looking 'back profile'. Ofcourse the curious cat in me insisted we wait to see what was happening and since I'd already planted my feet to that sidewalk, Hubby and Bunny girl just had to wait till my curiosity had been satisfied.

And then Tiana twirled around and quickly walked off....no autographs, no photographs....nothing!
Disappointed Bunny girl stayed glued to her stroller and then 'Mr Big Built Guy in Black' turned around.......

((((SHRIEK!!!))))
It was Chef Robert Irvine from Food Network's popular show Dinner Impossible.
(Now our family has watched practically all the episodes that air Wednesday night as that's generally our wind down time with our mugs of milk and tea, after the evening's Bible study in church.)

I egged Bunny girl to run up and get an autograph and a photograph with the talented Chef himself as she's a huge Food Network fan (Yes and she's not yet 4 years old!!)

Everyone who knows Bunny girl knows that she's an absolute chatterbox and not a very shy little girl so to have her turn around and tell me she was shy was....to put it simply....shocking!

So Mama decided to run up on her behalf....

Chef Robert asked who he needed to address the autograph to and I said it was to one of his little fans who was too shy to walk upto him. He flashed his pearly whites and surprised us all by walking straight up to Bunny girl's stroller.

I think that caught my little bold Betty completely off-guard and she decided to cover her face with her over sized gloves.

Now anyone who watches Dinner Impossible will tell you that Chef Robert is one to take on a challenge irrespective of the stakes. Now here was a new challenge....getting his tiny fan to say hi!

Bunny girl was not one to be outdone. Realizing that the over-sized gloves weren't working, she decided to go a step further and pulled her head-warmer to cover her face completely!!

Eeps!....Now that was a Bunny girl first!

Not only do we have these great pictures as a reminder of Chef Irvine's 'Impossible' challenge but I can look back and say that this sweet meeting only made my trip for the Disney Social Media Mom's Celebration all the more memorable.

Oh and ofcourse the highlight of our exclusive dinner event that night was having our delicious menu whipped up by Chef Irvine and his team. Woo-hoo!!

I've been told the episode filmed for the Disney Volunteers event will air sometime in April/May and just to go on the record, Chef Robert makes the most 'del-umptious' (that's delicious and scrumptious all rolled into one!) brownie torte ever....those crispy brownie crusts were out of this world!!!

* More from the Disney Food Blog about the event*

* You can read more Social Media Moms Celebration Posts at 5 minutes for Mom *

** EBMR Disclaimer: I was blessed to attend this awesome Disney conference, at a very subsidized package price of 350 US$ only (This included the conference registration, accommodation for our family and Disney World park hopper tickets for 7 days). All expenses for myself and my family were borne by us solely. This review has not been monetarily compensated by Disney and is based on the views and opinions of my family and/or self. **

Labels: Bunny girl, Chef Robert Irvine, Dinner Impossible, Disney, Reflections, Social Media Moms Celebration 2010

Kathy Ireland's nuggets of wisdom.

As soon as Kathy Ireland began to address us attendees at the Disney Social Media Mom's Celebration, one could see that this former model/actress not only has the brains to complement her beauty but also a strong streak of business acumen (CEO and entrepreneur of her own company Kathy Ireland Worldwide) and a firmly rooted belief and love for God.

Here are a few 'Kathy nuggets of wisdom' to think about today:

Be passionate about what you do

Just because something has never been done DOESN'T mean it CAN'T be done!

Whatever material things you have to give up to pursue your dreams is NOT a big deal....remember, it's just an investment.

Each of us are our own brand. Every experience we have is a lasting brand impression. What sort of a brand are you?

Are you an engine that drives projects forward or are you an anchor that bogs things down.

Watch what you do in cyberspace. Remember cyber footprints NEVER go away!

Only put messages out there that you want to be conveyed and broadcasted all over the Web. Put out there what you would love to read and receive.

Don't let anyone put you in a box!

Take good care of yourself! (As Mommies we tend to forget to do this at times!)

Set boundaries and specific work times.

All that you give is all that you get....so give it all that you have!

Thanks Kathy. Listening to a Mommy with Beauty, Brains, Business acumen and a firm Belief in God was truly inspirational.

* You can read more Social Media Moms Celebration Posts at 5 minutes for Mom *

** EBMR Disclaimer: I was blessed to attend this awesome Disney conference, at a very subsidized package price of 350 US$ only (This included the conference registration, accommodation for our family and Disney World park hopper tickets for 7 days). All expenses for myself and my family were borne by us solely. This review has not been monetarily compensated by Disney and is based on the views and opinions of my family and/or self. **

Labels: Disney, Kathy Ireland, Mommy Tips, Reflections, Social Media Moms Celebration 2010

Mommy to Mommy with Marissa J Winokur

Many people at the Disney Social Media Mom's Celebration knew who Marissa Jaret Winokur was the moment she walked onto the stage.

Her accolades include being the amazingly talented Tony award winner from the Broadway musical 'Hairspray' and a successful semi-finalist in Dancing with the Stars, but none of that spoke out to me.

The one thing that struck me about her was that she was a working Mom who had her priorities straight. The glitz and glamor had not got in the way of her playing one of the most influential roles in her life...that of being a Mommy to her darling son!

There were three things Marissa said to me as a Mommy, that will stay ingrained for a long time:

Don't multi-task when you're at home. Spend that quality time 100% with your child and if you have to work, make sure you work separately when your child is asleep, not around or when your husband gets back....but again, only for a set amount of time. He needs your time too!

Kids will absolutely change your life but being a Mommy cannot stop you from growing to be the individual you should be. Keep social and know what's going on in the world. Don't stay cocooned and cut off in a world of diapers and late night feeds.

As a Mom, remember to manage your time properly. You can still work and be a Stay at Home Mommy giving your little one all the attention he/she needs....if you plan it out right!

From one Mommy to another, thanks Marissa for these pearls!

* You can read more Social Media Moms Celebration Posts at 5 minutes for Mom *

** EBMR Disclaimer: I was blessed to attend this awesome Disney conference, at a very subsidized package price of 350 US$ only (This included the conference registration, accommodation for our family and Disney World park hopper tickets for 7 days). All expenses for myself and my family were borne by us solely. This review has not been monetarily compensated by Disney and is based on the views and opinions of my family and/or self. **

Labels: Disney, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Mommy Tips, Reflections, Social Media Moms Celebration 2010

Maxine Clark Gems.

Maxine Clark is the Founder, Chairman and 'Chief Executive Bear' of that store all our little kids absolutely adore.....the Build-A-Bear Workshop. If you met this warm, unassuming woman, you'd never guess she was the same person behind that impressive bio.

I'm so blessed to have been a part of her session on February 11th 2010, at the Disney Social Media Mom's Celebration.

Here are a few Maxine Clark Gems to glisten upon your learning necklace.....

Live in a world of possibilities

Do what you love and love what you do!

Dream big. DON'T let your dreams be restricted.

Everybody has their own passion.

Let a child inspire you.

Empower kids to make a difference.

Important!!: Imagination, Friendship, Creativity, Empowerment and Self Expression.

Don't take things too seriously. Do what you love. As soon as things get too suffocating and in the way....take a break, stop doing it and then come back to it after a while. (This really hit home especially with regards to blogging)

Share your ideas with people you think will add value to your thoughts. Don't be afraid to share your dreams. Remember, nobody can steal what's in your heart

Whatever you do....

After Maxine Clark spoke, we were told to appreciate the beautiful Build-A-Bear table decos provided
(Our table had this cute Cinderella Build-A-Bear)

and were then asked to look under our chairs for a sticker that read 'You're a Winner: Social Media Mom's Celebration'
and guess what?.......

that Cinderella Bear came home with me!
(Yes, Bunny girl was one 'bear'y happy little Princess that day!!)

* You can read more Social Media Moms Celebration Posts at 5 minutes for Mom *

** EBMR Disclaimer: I was blessed to attend this awesome Disney conference, at a very subsidized package price of 350 US$ only (This included the conference registration, accommodation for our family and Disney World park hopper tickets for 7 days). All expenses for myself and my family were borne by us solely. This review has not been monetarily compensated by Disney and is based on the views and opinions of my family and/or self. **

Labels: Build a bear, Disney, Maxine Clark, Reflections, Social Media Moms Celebration 2010

Doing a conference....the Disney way!

Have you heard people say, "Don't build your expectations too high just in case you get disappointed when things don't work out the way you'd imagine it to".....well, my expectations were sky high when I packed my bags to leave for Disney's 1st ever Social Media Moms Celebration and now I'm back and guess what?...... Disney super-ceded every single one of those expectations and made sure my family and I had the ' time of our lives'!

The event was beautifully orchestrated from the day we checked into our beautiful Hawaiian themed room in the Polynesian Resort

right through to our experience at the parks

and the detailed, exclusive media only events.

Each of the inspirational speakers that addressed our conference sessions left an impressionable mark upon each of us be it on the personal front

or the social media front. I sure did learn some priceless lessons!

No event was the same!

There were surprise guest presenters like Ty Pennington (Extreme Home Makeover),

a Guinness World Record that was set (with the World's Largest Canned Food Sculpture)

a fabulous meal cooked by Chef Robert Irvine (Dinner Impossible, Food Network- this was one of my favorite parts of the trip as Bunny girl and I are big Dinner Impossible fans!),

entertainment that got the youngsters on their feet (!!)

and ofcourse, how could we ever leave out the one-on-one time we got to spend rubbing shoulders with the big Mouse personality himself ?!

(l-r: Connie from Brain Foggles, Jennifer from The Dirty T Shirt, Heidi from Coast to Coast Mom, Christy from More than Mommy and Anitra from The Mama Zone)

Bloggers from all walks of life came together for one cause, to share their passion....their blogs

while nibbling on scrumptious Disney delicacies

and gorging on amazingly rich desserts

in true Disney styled ambiance.

These are just a mere handful of the awesome memories I've come home with and as promised, I will be sharing detailed highlights of my trip over the next few days.

Since this was my first ever Social Media/Blogging Conference and after experiencing it all the Disney way, I can say without hesitation that the bar has now been set very high.....Kudos to Disney for that!!

And if you asked me to describe it all in just one word......here's what you'd get.........MAGICAL!!!

* You can read more Social Media Moms Celebration Posts at 5 minutes for Mom *

** EBMR Disclaimer: I was blessed to attend this awesome Disney conference, at a very subsidized package price of 350 US$ only (This included the conference registration, accommodation for our family and Disney World park hopper tickets for 7 days). All expenses for myself and my family were borne by us solely. This review has not been monetarily compensated by Disney and is based on the views and opinions of my family and/or self. **

Labels: Disney, Reflections, Social Media Moms Celebration 2010

This Page

Energizer Bunny's Mommy Reports

Apr 21, 2010

Disney's Earth Day Promotion......& Disney Nature's Oceans!

Feb 27, 2010

CLOSED: Staying Safe at Disney with Vital ID Bands (+Giveaway)

Feb 24, 2010

Socially Yours, Kawasaki & Brogan

Feb 22, 2010

Chef Irvine finally faces the 'Impossible'!!

Feb 19, 2010

Kathy Ireland's nuggets of wisdom.

Feb 18, 2010

Mommy to Mommy with Marissa J Winokur

Feb 17, 2010

Maxine Clark Gems.

Feb 16, 2010

Doing a conference....the Disney way!

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