Although I’m not quite young enough to say that I enjoyed the movie when I was a kid, I do remember watching it with my siblings who were little at the time of its release in 1991. We’ve had a copy of the VHS, followed by a replacement DVD version of Beauty and the Beast since my kids were little, and we’ve watched it over and over again together.

Because Beauty and the Beast came out originally before I was a parent, when I saw it in the theater last month I was able to see it through totally new eyes (and I’m not talking about my 3D glasses).

The story of Beauty and the Beast is a true classic, and the songs that were written and recorded for Disney’s version comprise one of my all-time favorite soundtracks.

I’m sure you all know the story line (and if you don’t, then you have even more reason to head to the theater this weekend to see Beauty and the Beast 3D in the theaters. Seriously. Go now), but here’s a little refresher:
 

About Beauty and the Beast:

• The film was nominated for six Academy Awards®, winning Oscars® for Best Song, by the renowned Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, and Best Original Score (Menken).

• “Beauty and the Beast” was the first animated feature to cross the $100 million plateau in its initial release.

• Alan Menken has been nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 15 times with seven wins. Prior to his death in 1991, Howard Ashman received six Oscar® nominations with two wins.

• Three years after the film’s debut, “Beauty and the Beast” hit Broadway. The musical opened at the Palace Theatre and ran in New York for 5,464 performances between 1994 and 2007, becoming the eighth-longest running production. It has played in 13 countries and 115 cities and continues to enchant audiences worldwide.

Innovative for its time

When released in 1991, the film was praised not only for its incredible artistry and time-honored tradition of being hand-drawn, one frame at a time, but also for the innovative use of the computer as a tool for adding production value and creating exciting new imagery. Remember when computer animation was cutting edge?

Disney’s Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) department was in its infancy at the time, and they discovered ways to enhance the look of the film while trying totally new, ground-breaking techniques at the same time.

According to CGI artistic supervisor Jim Hillin, “The ballroom sequence featured the first computer-generated color background to be both animated and fully dimensional. What this means is that the background is literally moving. This gives the impression of sweeping camera moves and perspectives as well as theatrical lighting that would otherwise be impossible.”

Now in 3D

A few people have asked me if the movie is “better” in 3D. I am personally not a huge fan of 3D movies in general. However, as I was watching Beauty and the Beast 3D, I noticed that I felt like I was truly drawn in to the action. I felt like I was part of the movie. Part of the magic.

I loved that Disney stayed true to the original movie and didn’t change it so much that it felt too different. It really was simply an enhanced version of the movie I’ve always loved. And even if nothing had changed, I would still consider Beauty and the Beast worth seeing again (or for the first time) in the theater.

See Tangled Ever After before the show

I got an extra little treat that I wasn’t expecting when I saw Beauty and the Beast in December. Tangled Ever After, a short movie in 3D that continues the story of Tangled (on the wedding day!) was a delight. It had the entire theater laughing. Just another thing to look forward to on January 13!

Beauty and the Beast 3D and Tangled Ever After come to theaters on January 13, 2012 and are both rated G.

What is your favorite scene or song from Beauty and the Beast? What are you most looking forward to seeing in 3D?

Written by 5 Minutes for Mom managing editor, Lolli. You can find me blogging at Better in Bulk and tweeting at @1momof5.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post, but the trip to New York City and the shows and activities were paid for by Disney/Dreamworks. All opinions are my own.

Disney has an exciting lineup of movies this year lined up! There are some new flicks for kids, some for the bigger kid in all of us and then a revisit to the classics of the past. Here’s a look at what they’ve got coming up:

• Coming up soon! January 13: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 3D (G): A wonderful classic remastered and digitally enhanced with Disney Digital 3D for the big screen. One of the things I love about these re-releases (there are a few more this year too)  is that my kids get to return to the movie theater to see the movies I grew up with. Fun fact: Beauty and the Beast was nominated for six Academy Awards.

• February 17: THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY: From the makers of the movie, ”Ponyo” comes a movie based on the children book series “The Borrowers.” “Arrietty” (Bridgit Mendler) lives beneath the floorboards with her parents (voiced by Will Arnett and Amy Poehler) but is discovered by a 12-year-old human and a secret friendship blossoms.
  

 

• 

• March 9: JOHN CARTER (PG-13), also in Disney Digital 3D and IMAX 3D: Based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, John Carter is about a war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who gets transported to Mars and it’s up to him to save a planet that is in the middle of a war. You can “like” John Carter on Facebook and to check out the trailers too.

• April 20 (Earth Day): CHIMPANZEE: From Disneynature comes a true life story of a chimpanzee named “Oscar,” who lives deep in the forests of Africa and gets taken in by an unlikely ally after being left to fend for himself. ”Chimpanzee” is the fourth release by Disneynature, which also released “Earth,” “Oceans,” and “African Cats.” You can “like” Chimpanzee on Facebook here.

• May 4: MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS, also in 3D and IMAX 3D (Marvel Studios): Called the “Super hero team up of a lifetime” Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow all come together to pull the word back from the brink of disaster! Among the many stars in Marvel’s The Avengers, are Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey, Jr., Samuel L. Jackson & Mark Ruffalo. You can “like” Marvel’s The Avengers on Facebook.

• June 22: BRAVE, also in Disney Digital 3D (Disney/Pixar): Starring Disney Pixar’s first female lead, Merida, a skilled archer and the daughter of King Fergus, is determined to carve her own path in life. She finds the meaning of true bravery when she confronts tradition and the fiercest of beasts. A movie after my own heart. You can like Brave on Facebook here. And follow Disney Pixar on Twitter.

• August 15: THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN (PG): A young couple (played by Jennifer Garner & Joel Edgarton) excited about starting a family and can only dream about their own child would be like when a young boy shows up at their door and shows them that the unexpected can be one of life’s greatest gifts. You can “like” The Odd Life of Timothy Green on Facebook.

 

•  September 14: FINDING NEMO 3D (Disney/Pixar): Back to the big screen and digitally remastered with Disney 3D is Finding Nemo! (A classic that has been bought and rebought on account of overuse in our house, that’s for sure!)

 

• October 5: FRANKENWEENIE, also in Disney Digital 3D: Tim Burton’s is back with a new tale just in time for Halloween. Frankenweenie is a heartwarming tale of a young boy who wants to be reunited with his dog. He brings back his dog through a science experiment, Sparky gets out, and the adventure ensues!

 

• November 12: WRECK-IT RALPH, also in Disney Digital 3D (Walt Disney Animation Studios): This is one of the movie previews we got to see on the Disney Dreamworks trip for Cars 2 last summer but it wasn’t finished yet so the previews still had some original storyboard drawings. It’s about a guy in a video game called “Wreck it Ralph,” who travels through the power outlet and stops at all the games on the way. It looks great!

What do you think about the lineup this year? What are you excited to see?

Written by 5 Minutes for Mom contributing writer, Christie O., author of the blog Average Moms Wear Capes.

Mary Poppins – the Hit Broadway Musical

The theater production of Mary Poppins has all of the songs that we love from the classic Disney movie (like my favorite, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious) and a handful of additional songs that really enhanced the show.

The current cast is incredible – a perfect combination of musical, acting, and dancing talent. Bert’s incredible walk-on-the-ceiling stunt during Step in Time blew my mind (particularly that he could remain so poised AND keep singing while walking upside down around the theater walls). The children who played the parts of Jane and Michael Banks were models of talent, and as a mother, I was both impressed and proud of them.

Take a look at the intricacies of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious:

The New Amsterdam Theater

While still in New York City, our group of bloggers was able to visit the New Amsterdam theater, home to Mary Poppins on Broadway. On our tour of the theater, we learned about the new Amsterdam’s history and then had the chance for a hands-on exploration of costumes from several of Disney’s past Broadway musicals. My favorite part? Trying on one of the Lion King’s famous masks. Who would have known that those masks could be SO light?

The New York Times long ago nicknamed the New Amsterdam theater “The House Beautiful,” and it really is. Built between 1901 and 1903 in an Art Nouveau style with a nature theme, it cost about $1.5 million dollars ($48 million by today’s standards) to build, and then the same to renovate in the 1990s. The details in the New Amsterdam are worthy of praise and many pictures (which I took aplenty).

Have you been to the new Amsterdam theater? What did you think when you walked inside?

Have you had the chance to see Mary Poppins or any of the other Disney shows on Broadway? If not, I highly recommend making plans to see one!

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post, but the trip to New York City and the shows and activities were paid for by Disney/Dreamworks. All opinions are my own.

I’m now back from my whirlwind trip with Disney/Dreamworks and have SO much to share. I wanted to start by sharing the highlight and main event of the trip – the red carpet premiere of War Horse.

Our Sunday was leisurely (if you can call walking all over New York City during the holidays “leisurely”) but we really kicked it up a notch once we all rolled back into the hotel to get ready for the premiere.

Twenty women hopped in showers, dried, curled or straighten hair, applied make-up, and then stepped into their finest attire. I loved watching the incredible transformation from mom bloggers to red carpet divas. I think we all felt like celebrities that night.

The traffic on Sunday night was bad even for New York City. Add to that a new traffic pattern blocking right turns on streets…and the group of bloggers in my van found ourselves getting farther and farther away from our destination by the minute. We eventually made the decision to get to the premiere on foot.

Yes, a dozen of us set out in search of the Avery Fisher Hall, running as fast as we could in heels and formal gowns. We all made it to the premiere on time, Amazing Race style.

The walk down the red carpet, despite my aching feet, was fabulous. It’s not too often that a mom of five like me gets to feel glamorous. I searched for celebrities as I made my way down the red carpet, but in the crowds of people and the rush to get inside, I didn’t see anybody.

Just the idea that I walked the same red carpet as Steven Spielberg is enough for me.

The biggest thrill of the night was when Steven Spielberg walked out on stage, just a few feet away from me. He introduced the film and the actors, and all of us bloggers sitting so close in the 3rd row were dying that we couldn’t take any pictures.

The movie was spectacular. Breathtaking. Epic. Emotionally powerful. But I’ll have more on that later.

After the movie was over, we were able to attend the after-party, where I had the chance to meet and speak with several of War Horse’s fabulous actors. My favorite celebrity meeting? That’s a toss-up between the gorgeous Jeremy Irvine, who plays that main character Albert in the movie, and Tony Danza, who I hung out around after getting a drink of ginger ale at the bar. I guess being a child of the 80s really came out that night!

I will have more details on the movie as it gets closer to the release date (War Horse comes out on Christmas Day, 12/25/2011, in theaters everywhere). All I can say now is make plans to see it this holiday!

Disclosure: Disney/Dreamworks sent me to New York City to attend the world premiere of War Horse. I am eternally grateful that I was able to go on this trip. It was both an adventure and a deeply moving experience. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and I did not receive any monetary compensation for the time I took to go to New York or write these posts.

Written by 5 Minutes for Mom managing editor, Lolli. You can find me blogging at Better in Bulk and tweeting at @1momof5.

Note: Photos are official War Horse red carpet photos (except the shot of the bloggers).

Today I am getting on a train and heading to New York City where I will spend the next three days with Disney/Dreamworks and a small group of bloggers for a weekend jam-packed with the kind of activities only Disney and Dreamworks could dream up.

Here’s what we’ve got on the agenda:

• DreamWorks Pictures’ WAR HORSE Red Carpet Premiere & After Party

 

• Mary Poppins on Broadway (This will be my very first Broadway show!)

 

• Advance screening of Beauty and the Beast in 3D

 

• Private Tour of the New Amsterdam Theatre (home of Mary Poppins on Broadway)

 

• Interview with Steve Fickinger, VP of Creative Development and Licensing (Mary Poppins and Newsies on Broadway)

 

• Interview with Academy Award nominee, Emily Watson (“Rose Narracott” in War Horse)

Of course, I will be taking my camera and will be reporting back about the shows, the interviews, and the simple magic of being in New York City during the Holidays. But until then, here’s a little preview of what I’ve got in store:

About War Horse

DreamWorks Pictures’ “War Horse,” director Steven Spielberg’s epic adventure, is a tale of loyalty, hope and tenacity set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War.

• Cast: Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Peter Mullan, Niels Arestrup, Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irvine, Benedict Cumberbatch, Toby Kebbell
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Opening in theaters: December 25, 2011
• Rated PG-13
• On Facebook: facebook.com/WarHorseMovie

About Mary Poppins – The Musical

MARY POPPINS has astonished over 8 millions people with its own brand of pure Broadway magic.

Featuring the irresistible story and unforgettable songs from one of the most popular Disney films of all time, plus brand-new breathtaking dance numbers and spectacular stage-craft, MARY POPPINS is everything you could ever want in a hit Broadway show!

• Now in it’s 5th successful year on Broadway!
• Mary Poppins official website: MaryPoppins.com
• Mary Poppins – The Musical on Facebook: facebook.com/MaryPoppins

About Beauty and the Beast 3D

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ magical classic “Beauty and the Beast” returns to the big screen in Disney Digital 3D, introducing a whole new generation to the Disney classic with stunning new 3D imagery.

• Opening in theaters: January 12, 2012
• Rated: G
• Beauty and the Beast 3D on Facebook: facebook.com/DisneyBeautyAndTheBeast

 
Disclosure: Disney/Dreamworks is sending me to NYC to see these shows, but the excitement and opinions are my own.
 
Written by 5 Minutes for Mom managing editor, Lolli. You can find me blogging at Better in Bulk and tweeting at @1momof5.

Between school, work, sports, and play dates, we are always running around. Being pulled in a million directions definitely takes a toll on family time, so it’s important to reconnect over a fun family meal.

Try these tips to help create memorable fun family moments at mealtime:

• Get everyone excited about dinner, have the whole family in the kitchen to help prepare dinner and talk about their day

• Let your kids pick out a favorite dish – like chicken nuggets – that they will enjoy but you will feel good about serving

This week’s Disney D-Lightful video is here to help you create fun mealtime memories with your family. I’m just sad because this is the last weekly D-Lightful challenge with Disney. These last 12 weeks have been a wonderful journey!

Enter to Win!

Enter now for a chance to win this week’s featured “Fun family meals” products. To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post answering the question “What are some entertaining topics your family likes to delve into at dinnertime?” The prize pack includes:

Perdue Chicken Nuggets
Method Hand Soap
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
Campbell’s Soups

This giveaway will end on December 13, 2011 at midnight ET and a winner will be chosen at random and announced on Sunday in the weekly Around The Blogosphere. Please see our site’s terms and conditions for more information.

D’Lightful Living Grand Prize Sweetpstakes

Getting kids to become animated about healthy lifestyle habits is not always easy. To thank families for striving to embrace healthy habits and following the 12-week D-Lightful Living program, Disney Consumer Products (DCP) invites fans to enter to win the ultimate grand prize – a trip for four to a special Disney Magic of Healthy Living experience at a Disney resort in 2012. Fans can enter now through Dec. 11 by visiting the D-Lightful Living portal on DCP’s official Facebook page, Disney Living.

Please note that we are compensated Disney Brand Ambassadors, but as I said, our love of Disney and all of our opinions are completely our own!

Written by Janice Croze, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom.

Wanna chat? Find me at: @5minutesformom, @janicecroze and Facebook.com/5minutesformom.

This week I’m giving thanks for a little piece of nostalgia that hits theaters today in the form of The Muppets.

As a huge fan of The Muppets of years past, I didn’t know what to think when I heard it was coming out. I wasn’t sure Disney could pull it off (which really is just sillytalk). I wasn’t sure if it would be one of those movies that could transcend generations. But in the end I figured it out: the previews just don’t do the movie justice.

The Plot

The Muppets starts out in Smalltown, USA, literally, where Gary (Jason Segel) and Walter, his puppet brother (which was a little confusing until I remembered that this was a world in which humans and puppets could actually be brothers), are best friends. Gary is all grown-up with a girlfriend (Amy Adams) and the couple decide to go on a trip to LA for their 10 year anniversary (of dating, since Gary still lives at home with his puppet brother).

Walter is a huge fan of The Muppets since he is just like them, so they decide to bring Walter along to visit the old Muppets studios.

However, the studio is all decrepit, the gang’s all split up –Fozzy’s doing stand-up in Reno, Gonzo’s into the used-toilet business and Animal is in Anger Management  — and an evil oil tycoon (Chris Cooper) threatens to tear down the old studio unless the gang can get back together and save it.

The Movie and The Sum of its Parts

First of all, how can you not like a movie in which the characters randomly burst into song? And better yet, where the songs are so silly they’re hilarious? Like Amy Adams having a “Me Party” (“There’s no one at this party that I don’t already know...”) or Jason Segel singing about whether he’s a “Muppet or a Man?”

There are cameos, – The Muppets sing a Nirvana song, the bad guy’s evil laugh is just him saying “meniacal laugh, meniacal laugh”…OK, I’ll stop spoiling all the best parts. (Don’t worry – there are more.)

My Thoughts

If you’re wondering if it’s the classic Muppets we’ve come to know and love as kids, it is. They are all in it, every one of them, even the ones I had forgotten (sorry, Muppets!). But Segel, who wrote the screenplay along with Nicholas Stoller (Get Him to the Greek – HILARIOUS!)  brings to it a humor that I think was missing from the earlier versions.

While I loved the classic Muppets because  it was sweet and silly and I grew up with the characters, it wasn’t the kind of funny that makes you outburst. And this movie was truly funny. I actually outbursted. Ya know when there’s a movie that you’re watching and all of a sudden the humor catches you so off guard that you outburst? That’s when I know it’s funny. So therefore, it gets my “Outburst Seal of Approval.” The writers actually had guidance from the original Muppets writers, so it was a big collaborative.

On the flip-side, there were the touching moments, like revisiting the song “Rainbow Connection” and clips from the original show with the original open. Those are the parts that literally transported me back to childhood and Thanksgivings and Christmases at my aunt’s and grandparents’ house. It was so long ago but it still feels like yesterday.

And that’s what “The Muppets” does for you. It brings your favorite characters back to life, even funnier than they were before, and set them in the relevant and present day, which makes sharing them with your children that much more special. My sons listening to the Rainbow Connection and seeing what the original Muppets opening used to look like, those were really special moments for me sitting in the theater with them.

That’s how a movie is supposed to feel.

Go see it. If you miss The Muppets, if you loved The Muppets once, if your kids love them, fall in love with them again. And laugh out loud. It’s perfect for families.

The Muppets opens today (11/23) and is rated “PG.” And be sure to check out the Roadtrip Game you can download HERE.

Written by 5 Minutes for Mom contributor, Christie O, author of the blog Average Moms Wear Capes.

Of course, keeping my kids active is a huge priority. I want them to have plenty of exercise and be able to enjoy being kids. Bumps and bruises here and there are part of the game.

Typically, their bumps and bruises are made better with a kiss and hug from me, but every once in a while a boo boo requires a little extra love and attention.

Disney to the rescue!

This week’s Disney’s D-Lightful video challenge is here to help you banish the boo-boo blues.
 

Try these tips to help keep your kids smiling when a bump or bruise occurs:

• If your child gets hurt, be sure to explain how you’re helping each step of the way – knowing what is going on can bring him or her comfort.
• Ask your kids what their favorite Disney character would do favorite Disney characters when they aren’t feeling well. It might even bring out a giggle!

 
What are some ways you inspire your growing kids to stay physically active, especially when the TV and video games beckon?

Enter to Win!

Enter now for a chance to win this week’s featured “Growing Stronger” products. To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post with a tip to keep your kids physically active. The prize pack includes:

• Band-Aid Brand Adhesive Bandages

• Kobayashi Fever Relief Ice Patches

• Kobayashi Be Kool Soft Gel Sheets

• Boo Boo Buddy Reusable Cold Packs

• Yoplait Go-Gurt

• Yoplait Kids

This giveaway will end on December 6, 2011 at midnight ET and a winner will be chosen at random and announced on Sunday in the weekly Around The Blogosphere. Please see our site’s terms and conditions for more information.

D’Lightful Living Grand Prize Sweetpstakes

Getting kids to become animated about healthy lifestyle habits is not always easy. To thank families for striving to embrace healthy habits and following the 12-week D-Lightful Living program, Disney Consumer Products (DCP) invites fans to enter to win the ultimate grand prize – a trip for four to a special Disney Magic of Healthy Living experience at a Disney resort in 2012. Fans can enter now through Dec. 11 by visiting the D-Lightful Living portal on DCP’s official Facebook page, Disney Living.

Please note that we are compensated Disney Brand Ambassadors, but as I said, our love of Disney and all of our opinions are completely our own!

Written by Janice Croze, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom.

Wanna chat? Find me at: @5minutesformom, @janicecroze and Facebook.com/5minutesformom.

I would love to be the kind of mom who had a healthy, colorful snack waiting on the kitchen table when the kids come home each day….but that’s just not me. More often than not, the kids snack on something quick and easy (and not always healthy!).

What do your kids love to snack on in between meals? Do they grab an apple to munch on or do they reach for a cookie? Are you the kind of mom who bakes new snacks each day or stock the kitchen shelves with snacking staples?

This week’s Disney D-Lightful Living video challenge is all about helping kids snack in moderation. Kids are going to snack….how do you find the balance between healthy alternatives and those snacks that your kids want to eat?

Try these tips from Disney to guide your kids to enjoy treats in moderation:

• Treats in moderation are a great way to celebrate and bring smiles to the faces in your family

 

• Kids love to use their imagination, get your kids involved with making delicious treats so they feel accomplished

Enter to Win!

Enter now for a chance to win this week’s featured “Right Road to Treat Street” products. To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post with your kids’ favorite mid-day snack. The prize pack includes:

• Cookies by Design Cookie Arrangements (Edible custom cookie arrangements)
• Lofthouse Cookies (Bite-sized sugar cookies with creamy frosting and butter vanilla cookies topped with colorful sugar crystals in the shapes of Disney characters)
• Frankford Candy Disney • Pixar Cars-inspired Dig ‘n Dips
• PEZ Dispenser
• I3’s – Disney•Pixar Cars-Shaped Gummies
• Insignia Snack Bags (Disney·Pixar Cars- and Disney Princess-themed snack bags)

This giveaway will end on November 29, 2011 at midnight ET and a winner will be chosen at random and announced on Sunday in the weekly Around The Blogosphere. Please see our site’s terms and conditions for more information.
 

D’Lightful Living Grand Prize Sweetpstakes

Getting kids to become animated about healthy lifestyle habits is not always easy. To thank families for striving to embrace healthy habits and following the 12-week D-Lightful Living program, Disney Consumer Products (DCP) invites fans to enter to win the ultimate grand prize – a trip for four to a special Disney Magic of Healthy Living experience at a Disney resort in 2012. Fans can enter now through Dec. 11 by visiting the D-Lightful Living portal on DCP’s official Facebook page, Disney Living.

Please note that we are compensated Disney Brand Ambassadors, but as I said, our love of Disney and all of our opinions are completely our own!

Written by Janice Croze, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom.

Wanna chat? Find me at: @5minutesformom, @janicecroze and Facebook.com/5minutesformom.

Olivia is only four, but she is such a little lady. She loves her Disney Princesses and dressing up in fancy clothes and shoes. And she loves it when we paint our nails together.

I love this age. I’ve been trying to figure out how I could bottle her innocence up and keep her this way for a long, long time.

I’m not ready for the day when Olivia asks me to wear make-up or when she starts to have her own ideas about the clothes she wears or the way she styles her hair.

Luckily, Disney is right behind me, ready to bridge that gap when it comes.

Help kids embrace age-appropriate beauty

With the help of this week’s video challenge, Disney will help you get your kids to embrace age-appropriate beauty products and learn to feel good from the inside out.

Check out the tips below on ways to help your kids develop age-appropriate beauty habits:

• Let your daughter experiment with different clothes and makeup and always communicate with her during the process
• Stay connected with your children as they figure out their personal style
• Take a moment each day and let your child know how you feel about them– give positive reinforcement about the child as a person

What are some ways you encourage your kids (whether they are teens, tweens, or younger) to be beautiful from the inside out?

D’Lightful Living Grand Prize Sweetpstakes

Getting kids to become animated about healthy lifestyle habits is not always easy. To thank families for striving to embrace healthy habits and following the 12-week D-Lightful Living program, Disney Consumer Products (DCP) invites fans to enter to win the ultimate grand prize – a trip for four to a special Disney Magic of Healthy Living experience at a Disney resort in 2012. Fans can enter now through Dec. 11 by visiting the D-Lightful Living portal on DCP’s official Facebook page, Disney Living.

Enter to Win

Enter now for a chance to win this week’s featured products including Crackle Nail Polish featuring favorite Disney Channel characters, Color-Changing Nail Polish Colors that feature popular Disney Channel stars, three sparkling nail polishes inspired by Disney Princess characters, and Princess Lip Gloss – all from Townley.

To enter to win the above Age-appropriate Beauty pack from Disney, leave a comment below. We’d love for you to share a tip about how you encourage beauty from the inside-out!

This giveaway will end on November 22, 2011 at midnight ET and a winner will be chosen at random and announced on Sunday in the weekly Around The Blogosphere. Please see our site’s terms and conditions for more information.

Please note that we are compensated Disney Brand Ambassadors, but as I said, our love of Disney and all of our opinions are completely our own!

Written by Janice Croze, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom.

Wanna chat? Find me at: @5minutesformom, @janicecroze and Facebook.com/5minutesformom.

Mother-daughter toe nail image from 123RF Stock Photos.

Jackson, Olivia and I adore Halloween, and I admit that we love candy as much as the next family. But buckets of candy? My teeth are starting to ache just thinking of all that we collected!

After the trick-or-treating bounty each year, I try to set limits, including letting the kids chose a handful of their favorite treats. Everything else goes into a pot that is controlled by Mom. Otherwise, I think I’d have two over-indulging kids.

We all know kids and sweets go hand-in-hand during Halloween. How do you help little ghosts and goblins find a treat balance during this scary season?

Once again, this week’s Disney D-Lightful Challenge is right on target. Learn the tricks to a happy, festive Halloween when you tackle this week’s video challenge and then check out these great Halloween treats from Disney:

• Fan Stamp’s Instant Press-On Face Paint

These Disney Princess- and Disney·Pixar Cars-themed face paints allow you to create fun and unique designs perfect for any Halloween occasion. The face paint decals are easy to apply and easy to remove, making them a treat for kids and parents alike.

• Frankford’s Halloween Candy Mix

A little candy is always a sweet thing. Who doesn’t love candy featuring favorite Disney characters?

• I3 Flix’s Mater Teeth

For a quick costume change, bite down on these Disney·Pixar Cars Mater Teeth. Featuring a fruit-flavored lollipop, the Mater Teeth are bound to create a laugh just like fans’ favorite tow truck.

• Brother-All-Natural Freeze Dried Fruit Crisps

These crispy 100% fruit snacks are available in an array of flavors, offering a great fruit alternative to sugary Halloween treats. And the Disney-themed packaging will bring a smile to small and big alike!

• Kellogg’s Fruit Snacks

Fruit snacks, a longtime favorite of kids, meet up with Phineas & Ferb to bring a fun and tasty treat that comes in all shapes and flavors.

• Utz Pretzels

These delicious pretzel snacks bring their favorite Disney·Pixar Cars characters to your kids’ plate. These snacks will be a hit in the lunchroom that everyone will be trading for.

Enter to win!

We’re giving away a prize pack from Disney featuring all of the products listed above. To enter, simply leave your best post-Halloween survival tip.

This giveaway will end on November 15, 2011 at midnight ET and a winner will be chosen at random and announced on Sunday in the weekly Around The Blogosphere. Please see our site’s terms and conditions for more information.

Please note that we are compensated Disney Brand Ambassadors, but as I said, our love of Disney and all of our opinions are completely our own!

Written by Janice Croze, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom.

Wanna chat? Find me at: @5minutesformom, @janicecroze and Facebook.com/5minutesformom.
 

Halloween candy image from 123RF Stock Photos.

Susan struggles to get her girls to wash their hands enough but she finds that a fun soap does the trick. It’s amazing how quickly Sophia stuck out her hands to get the “Mickey Mouse” soap and scrub her hands clean.

I say whatever it takes to get kids washing their hands is for the best. The more they wash their hands, the less we all get sick.

Stamp out the sniffles with the help of this week’s video challenge

Head over to the DCP’s official Facebook page, Disney Living, to find out more about this week’s challenge and tips from the “Go-To Mom,” Kimberley Clayton Blaine, who has partnered with Disney to bring weekly video parenting tips.

Try these helpful tips to fight the cold and flu this season:

• Help keep your kids comfortable in their bed or on the couch
• Make sure your kids use tissue when they sneeze and blow their nose
• Remind kids to wash their hands regularly

We all know that it’s important to not only avoid the nasty bugs that go around this time of year, but also fight back the bugs that make it into our homes. Disney makes fighting the bad bugs fun for kids and easy for Moms with the help of these great Disney-themed products:

Giveaway!

If you’d like to win a prize pack of the fun products shown above (including Disney-themed Method Hand Soap, Peach Tree Facial Tissue Pocket Packs, Campbell’s Soups, and Citrus World Orange Juice), leave a comment telling us What are some of YOUR family’s tips for helping your kids to fight the cold and flu?

This giveaway will end on November 4, 2011 at midnight ET and a winner will be chosen at random and announced Sunday in the weekly Around The Blogosphere. Please see our site’s terms and conditions for more information.

Please note that we are compensated Disney Brand Ambassadors, but as I said, our love of Disney and all of our opinions are completely our own!

Written by Janice Croze, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom.

Wanna chat? Find me at: @5minutesformom, @janicecroze and Facebook.com/5minutesformom.
 
Hand-washing image source

My daughter Olivia is a regular bath loving little kid. She loves to have a variety of fun toys… of course the Disney toys are top pick… and she’ll play happily until her fingers and toes turn to raisins.

Susan’s two girls were different from each other in how they spent their bath times. Julia would often have to be enticed by toys to get into the bath and then would usually stay in only as long as Susan was actively playing games with her.

But from an early age Sophia loved her bath time and often asked to get in the bath and then would play with her toys by herself singing along and making up stories for herself. She would be in ultimate bliss and as a mother and aunt watching her happily play by herself we were in equal bliss.

Whether your child likes to shower like Jackson or lounge in the bath like Sophia, they all love fun bath/shower toys and soaps/shampoos with their favorite characters. It just makes getting clean so much more fun.

Week 6: Have a Blast in the Bath

After a long day of classes, recess and after-school play, kids need to clean up – and wind down.

The key to getting your little ones to love the tub is to make it a treat, not a task. Shampoo, body wash and bath sponges with their favorite Disney characters promise that when it comes to fun, bath time is never a wash!

Tips to help make bath time fun:

• Transition play time to bath time by allowing your kids to pick out which bath toys they want to play with
• Let your kids pick a shampoo or body wash with their favorite Disney character and create a story to make bath time more fun

Head over to the DCP’s official Facebook page, Disney Living, to find out more about this week’s challenge and tips from the “Go-To Mom,” Kimberley Clayton Blaine, who has partnered with Disney to bring weekly video parenting tips.

Giveaway!

If you’d like to win a prize pack of the fun bath products shown above, leave a comment telling us “What bath time games make the biggest splash with your kids?”

This giveaway will end on Friday October 28, 2011 at midnight ET and a winner will be chosen at random and announced Sunday in the weekly Around The Blogosphere. Please see our site’s terms and conditions for more information.

Please note that we are compensated Disney Brand Ambassadors, but as I said, our love of Disney and all of our opinions are completely our own!

Written by Janice Croze, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom.

Wanna chat? Find me at: @5minutesformom, @janicecroze and Facebook.com/5minutesformom.

I eat a ton of fruits, raw veggies and salads, and my son would devour a plate full of raw veggies almost every night before I gave him his “main course” of dinner.

But now, getting fruits and vegetables into my kids has become… difficult. Very, very difficult.

Jackson has become quite picky, and now only has a handful of vegetables that he will eat. And the crazy monkey even resists fruit!

My daughter Olivia will only eat her carrots if they are raw, but she is not as picky as Jackson. She will eat a variety of fruits and veggies, but it can be a challenge for sure!

So, when it comes to getting my kids to eat more fruits and veggies, I am ALL for Disney helping me out with a little marketing…

My kids love the Disney themed snacks like the Crunch Pak Apple Slices and Brother-All-Natural Freeze Dried Fruit Crisps.

And when I pack them with the Disney themed Insignia Sandwich Bags, Snack Bags, Lunch Bags and Ice Packs, it adds to the fun. Olivia especially loves to color in the designs on the Lunch Bags!

Week 5: Eat More Fruits and Veggies

This week’s Disney D-Lightful Living challenge is to encourage our families to eat more nutritious foods.

Tips for getting kids to eat more fruits and veggies:

• Presentation is everything so make a plate of fruits and veggies look attractive for kids to try
• Replace traditional play date or party snacks with festive food like a Disney themed-bouquet of fruit
• Grab a juice box with your kid’s favorite characters on it – they’ll have so much fun they won’t even know it is also nutritious

Head over to the DCP’s official Facebook page, Disney Living, to find out more about this week’s challenge and tips from the “Go-To Mom,” Kimberley Clayton Blaine, who has partnered with Disney to bring weekly video parenting tips.

Please note that we are compensated Disney Brand Ambassadors, but as I said, our love of Disney and all of our opinions are completely our own!

Written by Janice Croze, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom.

Wanna chat? Find me at: @5minutesformom, @janicecroze and Facebook.com/5minutesformom.

Yes, it is paradise and I’m dreaming of bringing my girls there one day.

If you’re looking for a premium vacation resort to enjoy with your family, check out how Aulani will keep your little ones happy.

In these videos, I take you inside Aunty’s Beach House, where you can let your children play safely and securely while you enjoy the beach, the spa or a relaxing dinner.

Did you see these photos of the resort and listen to the beautiful Hawaiian music in this video slideshow.

So tell me…

Have you been to Hawaii before? Have you taken your children for a beach vacation?

Written by Susan Carraretto, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom.
Wanna chat? Find me at: @5minutesformom, @susancarraretto and Facebook.com/5minutesformom.

Disclaimer: Disney covered my expenses for a 4 day press trip to Aulani for the grand opening.