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Disney Social Media Moms 2016 Celebration #DisneySMMC

July 6, 2016 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

I still can’t believe it happened, but I was invited and attended the Disney Social Media Moms 2016 Celebration back in May. I never thought that I would be chosen for such an honor, but when that special invitation landed in my inbox one night, I signed up immediately to reserve my spot. Today, I’m finally ready to tell you all about the fun celebration I was able to experience.

Disclosure: I received discounted lodging, tickets, meals, and experiences while I attended the 2016 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration.

Disney Social Media Moms 2016

Shew! The Disney Social Media Moms 2016 Celebration was unlike any other conference or party I’ve attended. The Disney company treated me like a celebrity for the duration of my stay. I loved everything about this celebration! I could talk about the trip for days. If you follow me on Instagram or on other social media sites, then you also got to witness some of the awesomeness as I shared tons over the course of that weekend.

The fun began before I ever arrived at Walt Disney World when an adorable American Tourister Mickey Mouse suitcase arrived at my doorstep. I actually did a video review on it.

Arrival

I arrived late Wednesday night after working all day. I was very pleased with the Beach Club amentities I was given. I slept wonderfully. Then, on Thursday night I got to witness Animal Kingdom after dark! I loved the street parties and seeing the Tree of Life Awakenings.

Conference Day

On Friday, I was in Heaven! For this Disney fan, the “conference” portion of the event was absolutely thrilling! I got a chance to hear from the President of Walt Disney World Resort, George A. Kalogridis! I also got to hear from Theron Skees from Walt Disney Imagineering about the Re-Imagining of Downtown Disney into Disney Springs. Here’s a hint: he and the rest of the team have done an amazing job at Disney Springs.

I also was tickled to hear Mark Renfrow from Walt Disney Creative Entertainment about the upcoming Rivers of Light nighttime spectacular coming to Animal Kingdom. It sounds amazing! I look forward to seeing it on a future trip to the resort.

Disney surprised us by having us hear two movie producers speak about their films. I was elated to hear Suzanne Todd, the producer of “Alice Through the Looking Glass” speak about the movie. I loved her! Then, Lindsey Collins talked about and then introduced the first 33 minutes of “Finding Dory”! Wow! I have since gone to the theaters and seen the movie with my fiance. We loved it! It’s adorable and great for the whole family. It definitely made this special education teacher happy.

It was also amazing to finally see the friendly faces I’ve been following online for years in person. There was Erin Glover who is the Editorial Content Director for the Disney Parks blog and Jenn Fickley-Baker, the Editorial Content Manager for the blog. It was neat to learn about how things work at Disney Parks for posting content.

Last but certainly not least, we were entertained by the hosts Leanne Jakubowski O’Reagan (social media director) and Mark Daniel throughout the entire day.

Friday night, there was Donald’s Beach Bash held at Typhoon Lagoon with delicious treats and fireworks! It was like a private beach party for attendees and their families!

Ending

On Saturday, there was the fun run at Epcot and then a screening of “Alice Through the Looking Glass.” I enjoyed this movie having never seen the first movie. Then, we were free to enjoy the parks. I had to leave early Sunday and missed the wonderful Mother’s Day brunch they provided.

Closing Thoughts

As you can see, it’s hard to sum up this amazing trip I was able to experience. I urge you to look over my Instagram to get yourself a taste of it. Disney Parks knows how to treat guests (and bloggers). Everything about this event was first-class and I was spoiled rotten the entire time. It was truly a dream come true to attend the Disney Social Media Moms 2016 Celebration. I never thought I would be invited, but I am so glad I was chosen. I enjoyed every single aspect of this event. It’s definitely not just a conference. It’s a celebration of the Walt Disney Company and the spirit of families.

Thank you to the Disney Parks team and to the other sponsors for making this weekend possible. I won’t ever forget the Disney Social Media Moms 2016 Celebration.

Travel Razor Kit Venus Snap is My New Favorite Accessory

March 3, 2014 By Lindsay 3 Comments

It may be March and blustery here, but I’m already planning my summer trips and the new travel razor kit from Gillette is on my must pack list.

Travel Razor Kit

I’ve already got 2 blog conferences on my calendar for this summer. Both of those conferences are in California. So, I’m going to be doing some more flying (woot!). However, that also means that space will be a premium on my flight back (with the swag and souvenirs I pick up). I’m all for a product that will save me some room while giving me the full benefits of using a regular sized one that I’m used to. That’s why I was interested in the travel razor kit that is the Gillette Venus Snap mini razor.

The Venus Snap is a mini five blade razor that comes in a portable compact that makes toting it around even easier! I love the portable compact that it comes in because it’s so cute! It’s blue and it keeps you safe because it covers the entire razor. I know that I won’t accidentally cut myself on this razor thanks to the container that it comes in.

I would be remiss not to mention the fabulous mini handle that makes the travel razor kit my new favorite accessory. It is super easy to hold onto and makes shaving a breeze. Plus, the small handle is what keeps the razor so small and portable.

Lastly, I love that this travel razor kit is from Gillette Venus and it comes with the Venus Embrace 5 blade razor! Venus is my preferred brand of razor because it gives me that close shave that only they can provide without making me cut myself. I have actually wondered before why Venus didn’t have a more portable razor. However, they finally do and I’m happy about it.

If you want to pick up a travel razor kit, the Venus Snap, it’s available at Target, just in time for spring break.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Blog Conference Roommate Gifts: A List of Ideas

July 22, 2013 By Lindsay 4 Comments

When I first went to Reviewer’s Retreat, I was surprised to discover that people exchange gifts at blogging conferences. All of my fabulous roomies gave me a small token to remember them by. Sadly, since I didn’t know about this idea, I didn’t take them one. However, after that, I’ve been better prepared. I promised myself I wouldn’t show up and feel awkward when everyone else is exchanging gifts again. I proudly took these beauties to Reviewer’s Retreat a few weeks ago and felt accomplished. Now, I’ve got some goodies for my BlogHer roommates as well. However, I’m not going to show you a picture of those just yet. So, here are my ideas for blog conference roommmate gifts.

Conference Roommate Gifts

Here is a list of items that I either gave as blog conference roommate gifts already or will give to mine this week at BlogHer. When looking for conference roommmate gifts, I try to go with things I think people might forget to bring and will need or things I think are neat and useful (based on the conference).

Pedicure kit or at least a nail file, you don’t want to shake hands with someone who has a hangnail.
Lint Roller (pictured above) – I got some fabulous travel sized ones at Target for about $1.
Lip Balm (also in the picture) – I picked up some great green apple Chapstick for each of the roomies at RevRet. They were a hit. In fact, my roommate Kayla mentioned it in her what to take to a blog conference post. I know that conference rooms can dry out your skin. So, these are great for those instances.
Gum – for fresh breath.
Mixed CD – Now, this one I’ve never actually done. However, I think it’s a great idea if you already know your roommate. It can be the soundtrack to your weekend.
Notebook and pen for taking notes.
Card – I actually added one to each of the bags after I took the picture. It was a great way to personalize the gifts as I wrote something just for each roommate.
Hand Sanitizer – I loved the travel-sized Purell Hand Sanitizer I reviewed earlier this summer. So, I actually gave some to my roomies.
Tissues – I also gave the roommates a travel size package of Kleenex tissues. They are great for when you end up sitting next to the air conditioner in a session.
Snacks – Sometimes, a granola bar is the perfect thing for a quick snack between sessions.
Hand lotion – this is for the same reason as the lip balm.
Hole puncher and binder/book ring. This so people can collect business cards and keep them together. You simply punch a hole in the cards and put them on the ring. Then, you can keep them together easily.
Candle – because who doesn’t love a good scented candle?

So, what do you think of my list of ideas for blog conference roommate gifts? Would you be happy to have received any of these items? What do you like to give/receive as roommate gifts?

How to Take Notes While Traveling With Help from Post-it Mobile

June 13, 2013 By Lindsay 5 Comments

This how to take notes while traveling post was made possible by the free samples of Post-it Mobile products that I received. No compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own.

Notes While Traveling

Now that it’s summer, it’s officially traveling season. Many folks are going on vacation or to blog conferences. Often times when I’m out and about, I’ll need to jot something down. For instance, right now is also prime teacher interview season. So, I may get an unexpected phone call for an interview while at the grocery store and I’ll want to write down the date, time, and location of it before I forget. That’s why I’ve taken to carry stuff around to take notes while traveling. Recently, you may have seen this Vine video I made which contained some products that can help anyone take notes while traveling.

That’s the new Post-it Mobile products and they are perfect for summer travels. Some of my favorites are in the collage above. The item that is perfect for my purse or backpack is the new Post-it Attach and Go Notes and Tabs Clip Dispenser (pictured on the left). It features both tabs and note pages with a clip-on. So, it attaches perfect to any bag. Plus, it makes it super easy to find. I don’t have to waste time looking around my bag for a piece of paper to take notes on with this.

In the upper right, there’s the Post-it Mobile Attach and Go 3 in 1 Pen. It has flags, a medium ballpoint pen, and yellow highlighter. Plus, it has a clip so I can attach it to my bag easily. It would pair perfectly with any of the paper Post-it Mobile products to make notes while traveling a breeze. Plus, I can highlight key points of interest when I need to with this pen.

The item in the lower right is the Post-it Mobile Attach and Go Insert. I love it for my binder. I kept my lesson plans in a binder for student teaching and would refer to my lesson throughout the day. So, having a pad of notes and tabs available at any time is great. Plus, if I want to take a binder to conference, I can now easily keep some Post-it products nearby for notes at all times.

As you can see, taking notes while traveling is now so easy with Post-it. What do you think of these new products? Will you be picking any of them up before your next trip?

Disclosure: I received free samples of Post-it Mobile products.

What I Learned at the #GreenGiantVV

August 22, 2011 By Lindsay 8 Comments

You already know that I had a fabulous time at the Green Giant Valley Visit last week. So, I wanted to share with you some interesting things I learned about Green Giant while there.

What I Learned at Green Giant

I learned that Green Giant started out as the Minnesota Valley Canning Company in 1903 in Le Sueur, Minneosta. The first ad with the Green Giant appeared in 1928. However, the company didn’t officially become Green Giant until 1950. Something I found to be very exciting was that even though Green Giant is a big-name brand (to me), the company still works with small family-owned farms to grow its vegetables. Then, the company harvests the vegetables at the peak of perfection in a timely manner to lock in the nutrients and taste.

Not only is Green Giant a great company, they are constantly trying to make improvements in the way things are done. For instance, we learned about the sweet corn sustainability projects (picture of board below). Over the last several years, Green Giant has dramatically increased the amount of yield (corn produced) per acre of land used. This means less land is needed to grow the corn. Plus, it helps farmers make more money with their land.

Green Giant also helps farmers use less water. They are in the process of converting broccoli farms to drip irrigation (versus traditional irrigation) which is 50 percent more efficient. I was really happy to learn that Green Giant has eliminated over 90 percent of pesticides used to grow sweet corn and cutting applications in half. They are also finding ways to have more efficient packaging and recycling packaging material.

Green Giant is really trying to become more green with many new and upcoming ideas and projects for sustainability. Plus, I know that they are constantly trying different variations/kind of their vegetables. I mean their test plant harvested many different types of corn the day I was there. I know they also do a taste-test every Thursday. Green Giant is really trying to become even better than they already are. So, kudos to Green Giant.

Did any of this information surprise or intrigue you? Are you a bigger fan of Green Giant now (like I am)?

Disclosure: Green Giant sponsored my trip. The opinions expressed are my own.