Family, travel, mom blog | Theme Park Mom (Leigh Caldwell)

September 4 is a big day for one of my favorite people in the Disney online community – John Frost of The Disney Blog. It’s his birthday, and it’s also the day that his dream of publishing his book gets kickstarted.

John has been using the Web site Kickstarter to raise the funds to publish his short story collection Dispatch from Disneyland.

Here’s what he says about the book:

Back when LaughingPlace.com still had that new website smell, I was asked to pen a regular column. I decided to tell a story, my story, the story of my love for Disneyland. The goal was to share a little bit of the magic with those who couldn’t visit Walt Disney’s crown jewel theme park on a regular basis.

These stories connect with the emotions I feel when at Disneyland. Some focus on the little moments of magic while others have a broader scope. Together they tell the story of the park’s history, cast members, and possible futures.

Over the years, many readers suggested I turn my series into a book. Which, I must say, is a great idea. I’ve been polishing the Dispatches to a shine for over a year now and the goal is finally in sight. There are just a few hoops left to jump through and the final bits of show quality to check before it’s ready.

I know that many of you read and use all the Disney info that John has published in thousands of posts on The Disney Blog, and you’ll want to read this book that has been a dream of his for years! There are just a few days left to help him get it off the ground, so if you haven’t done it yet, go to Kickstarter today and make a pledge.

At Kickstarter, you can give as little as $1, or you can read about the rewards for the different pledge levels that John is offering. Your pledge will basically equate to you pre-ordering a copy (or multiple copies) of his book, but it will make a huge difference if you do it now.

John has met his initial fundraising goal to bring the book to publication, and every dollar that’s pledged now will help him make the book better. He’s hoping to hire an illustrator and even get some help with orchestrating and recording a song that he wrote to accompany one of the stories.

Do it for John’s birthday! Do it for me! Do it because you know you’ll want the book!

Disclosure notice: I was not paid, bribed, begged, cajoled or otherwise coerced into posting about John’s project. I just think HE’S AWESOME, and he deserves the support of everyone who reads Disney news online.

There’s a new Nintendo DS game coming out this fall, based on the Disney Channel show, “Wizards of Waverly Place.”

The new game is called Wizards of Waverly Place:  Spellbound.

In Wizards of Waverly Place: Spellbound, players will take their Wizard skills to the next level to find out what happened to a dress designed by Alex Russo that goes missing just before her big fashion show. Fans can play as their favorite wizards-in-training – Alex, Justin and Max Russo – while interacting with familiar characters and exploring locations from the show, including the Waverly Sub Station, Tribeca Prep and others.

Players will complete various puzzles and overcome obstacles by casting spells on objects and characters. Fans will be able to move and freeze objects, turn themselves into a hamster, travel at turbo speed and more.  In addition, players can dress Alex in 25 collectible outfits and compete in bonus wizard challenges.

Disney Interactive Studios says the new video game will be available this fall. I know one Disney Channel fan at my house who will probably add it to her Christmas wish list.

f you’re like me, you’re planning your weekend menu this Friday to try to beat the crowds at the supermarket.

The Fourth of July is a day that’s filled with fun, fireworks and food for my family, but it doesn’t have to be fattening.

The folks at Frito-Lay sent along some tips for a healthier 4th of July menu that I am taking to heart, and maybe they’ll help you, too:

1. First, lighten up your dips. Sabra Hummus or Tostitos Salsa can be healthier alternatives to many mayo or sour cream-laden recipes. I’m going to try this recipe for Fresh Cucumber Dip, which uses yogurt. Frito-Lay says it’s great with Lays Classic potato chips:

• 1 cucumber, shredded
• 1 cup nonfat, plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• Salt to taste

• Directions: Mix together in a small bowl. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

BONUS: You can also use these dips as a healthier way to jazz up your burger and brat toppings — great substitutes for mayo and BBQ sauce!

2. Bring whole grains to your holiday table. Here are some easy ways to make whole grain a hit at your party:

• When serving up your dogs and burgers, choose whole grain buns – they’re just as good and a great way to sneak in those whole grains.
• Try a side of SunChips multigrain snacks, with 18 grams of whole grains in every 1-oz. serving.
• If you’re into dipping, try pairing Tostitos Scoops! tortilla chips, which have 8 grams of whole grains in every 1-oz. serving, with this Chipotle Salsa:

• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 1 ½ tbsp chipotle chilies chopped
• 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 jar Tostitos® Salsa
• Directions: Mix together and chill before serving.

3. Downsize Your Dish – When sitting down to enjoy your barbecue, swap your 12-inch plate for a 10-inch plate—you’ll have less space to pile on the calories. Aim to fill half your plate with vegetables, a quarter with whole grains and a quarter with lean protein (meat, chicken, fish, shellfish).

Win it!

Frito-Lay is offering one lucky Theme Park Mom winner a patriotic prize pack.

To enter:

Leave a comment here telling me how you eat healthier at family gatherings.

Bonus entries:

You may enter the giveaway multiple times by doing the following. Leave a comment for each:

• Tell me what your favorite Frito-Lay snack is.
• Follow me on Twitter.
• Tweet about this giveaway. “Win a Frito-Lay prize pack from @themeparkmom: http://bit.ly/boMuYW “

Prize drawing

This giveaway will end at 9 p.m. Eastern on July 9, 2010. I will use the random number generator at Random.org to draw the winning comment, and announce the winner with an update on this post.

Is there someone in your family who has some “famous” sayings that the rest of the family quotes? In my family, we have “Nana-isms.”

My personal favorite is “I don’t buy green bananas.” It’s her way of saying we don’t know what tomorrow holds, and we don’t know if we’ll be around long enough for the bananas to ripen.

When my daughter was peeing in her pantspotty-training, I heard another “Nana-ism” that she uses on all parents of preschool-age kids: “No kid ever went to kindergarten wearing diapers.”

And she was right. My daughter did eventually learn to use the potty. But during that time, Huggies Pull-Ups became a staple in our house. My daughter could pull them up and down herself when she went to the bathroom, and they kept her clothing dry without leaking when she didn’t make it in time.

This summer, Pull-Ups Learning Designs training pants are featuring some familiar characters to Disney fans – Woody and Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story 3 for boys and Tiana from Princess and the Frog for girls. There are some great tools online – like coloring pages, calendars and reward stickers – at Disney.com/BigKid to make starting the potty-training adventure more fun.

And packages of Pull-Ups even have a code that you can enter online to get a phone call from Woody or Tiana.

Giveaway!

Pull-Ups has provided me with a great prize pack for one lucky ThemeParkMom.com reader! Here’s what I have to giveaway:

• $50 AMEX gift card (so you can stock up on new Pull-Ups – while supplies last – and everything else you need to get started)
• Custom CD Rewards Tracker (to help track training progress)
• Big Kid Central Potty Training Success DVD (with techniques, tips, songs and games to help you and your child succeed)
• Toy Story 2 DVD and Princess and the Frog DVD
• Two coupons for FREE Pull-Ups

How to Enter

Leave a comment on this post telling me which of the characters (Toy Story or Princess and the Frog) your kids (or you!) love the best. (This is required to enter the contest.)

Extra Entries

After your initial entries, you can earn extra entries by doing any or all of the following. You must leave a separate comment for each extra entry you do. (These can say things like “I followed Pull-Ups on Twitter” or “I tweeted about this giveaway.”)

• Follow Pull-Ups on Twitter.
• Like Pull-Ups on Facebook.
• Follow ThemeParkMom on Twitter.
• Tweet about this giveaway: “Enter to win a Toy Story 3 Pull-Ups prize pack at @themeparkmom’s blog: http://bit.ly/dgBSoC “

Winners

This giveaway will end at 9 p.m. Eastern on Monday, July 5. I will draw the winning comment using the random number generator at Random.org and post the winner as an update to this blog post. I will notify the winner by e-mail.

Pull-Ups® training pants provided me with product coupons to try out the new Learning Designs Pull-Ups® with Toy Story 3/Princess and the Frog characters. However, my opinions are entirely my own, and I have not been paid to publish positive sentiments towards Pull-Ups® products.