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

CVS.com has an awesome deal on sunscreen this month, and it’s a great time to stock up. If your family slathers it on several times a day all summer, you know how quickly the costs can add up.

Now through July 18, tons of sunscreen is on sale during the Summer Essentials sale at CVS.com – all the national brands and the CVS /pharmacy-exclusive products. I love CVS-brand products. I use many of their OTC medicines, first-aid products and many other items with the CVS label. They save money, and everything I have tried has been high quality.

CVS sent me three of their new suncare products to try, and we love them all:

• CVS/pharmacy Sheer Mist Sunscreen SPF 70 – The spray sunscreens are truly a mom’s best friend, because they are so quick to apply. This one is especially great because it it not greasy at all. CVS says it uses new Solatec technology for long-lasting, photostable sun protection, and that it has been dermatologist tested and provides protection from both UVA and UVB rays.
• CVS/pharmacy Sport Sunscreen On-the-Go SPF 50 – I love, love, love this small tube for travel. At 1.5 ounces, it can be packed in your quart-size bag for liquids at the airport security checkpoint, and it doesn’t take up as much room in your daypack when you are hiking, beaching it or spending time at a theme park. Plus, it has a carbiner clip to attach it to your purse, belt loop or even your key ring. CVS says it is hypoallergenic, water- and sweat-resistant.
• CVS/pharmacy AfterSun Aloe Vera Cooling Gel with Soothing Lidocaine – As much as we try, sometimes sunburns still happen. This gel with lidocaine can take the sting out of a sunburn quickly. This product can also serve double-duty and give quick relief for minor scrapes or bug bites.

More discounts and free shipping

Now through July 11, you can save even bigger on sunscreen by using the coupon code “SUMMER10″ at CVS.com. It will get you $10 off a $50 purchase, as well as free shipping. I was able to order 14 tubes of our favorite CVS brand sunscreens for $50.80.

Win it!

CVS.com will give away one of each of the new suncare products listed above to one lucky Theme Park Mom reader. To enter, leave a comment below telling me why you need free sunscreen.

This giveaway ends at 9 p.m. EST on July 20. I will choose the winning comment using the random number generator at Random.org. I will announce the winner through 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.

The Bamboozle Roadshow, with headliners Good Charlotte, Boys Like Girls, All Time Low and Hanson, is headed to Texas this weekend. The show will stop at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington on Saturday, May 29, and Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio on Sunday, May 30.

The music will last all day on two stages and includes many more acts. Tickets are $15 plus park admission. Discounted admission is available if you buy in advance online, so check out the links to the two park’s Web sites above and get them before you get to the gate.

While you are at the Bamboozle Roadshow, be sure to look for this tent:

That’s the Coke “Swelter Stopper” tent, and it’s going to be a cool respite from the Memorial Day weekend heat at the theme parks.

Inside, you can chill out with ice-cold Coca-Cola and a DJ.

Now, that DJ is key, because throughout the day, concertgoers can win Bamboozle Roadshow meet-and-greet passes by answering random questions the DJ asks. The questions will be based on the info provided by Coca-Cola below, so study it now so that you can win:

Many of the factors that make a summer concert so awesome – the warm weather, bright sun and dancing – can take a lot out of someone. Enter “Swelter Stopper” – one of Coke’s secret ingredients that, when combined with the others, make Coke the uplifting refreshment that it is.

To help concert goers make it from the opening to closing acts, Coke will have the “Swelter Stopper” experience stocked with ice-cold Coca-Cola.  Get refreshed with blasts of frosty air, snow falling, and a delicious Coke from the perfect serve sampling bar, along with uplifting interactive games, a DJ and a photo station.  Once their “Swelter Stopper” experience ends, they’ll be ready for crowd surfing at the main stage.

To give you a better idea about what it’s like inside, you can check out some of the images taken from previous events: http://www.flickr.com/photos/coca-cola/

For more details about Coca-Cola’s Secret Ingredient Formula, please go here: www.MyCoke.com

And TODAY, you can win tickets to the Bamboozle Roadshow right here! Coca-Cola is giving away a pair of tickets to the concert at either Six Flags Over Texas (on Saturday) or Six Flags Fiesta Texas (on Sunday) – your choice!

To enter, just leave a comment below, telling me which act you most want to see at the Bamboozle Roadshow. But hurry! Entries will close at 11:59 p.m. Eastern tonight!

Because the concert is happening this weekend, I will be notifying the winner overnight tonight, and you will have to get back to me by noon Eastern on Friday, May 28 to win.

Disclosure notice: This prize was provided by The Coca-Cola Company.  The Coca-Cola Company is not a sponsor, administrator or connected in any other way with this giveaway.

UPDATE: We have a winner! Comment No. 8 was the winning number, according to Random.org. So, Stephanie Shaffer will be going to see Good Charlotte and all the other bands this weekend!

The 40th anniversary of Earth Day is just 10 days away. For Disney fans, Earth Day means the opening of Disneynature’s newest movie, “Oceans.”

It also means there’s some great shopping ahead, as the Disney Store has introduced a new line of “Save Planet Earth” products.

The three-eyed green alien from Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story is the mascot for the environmentally friendly products, so this exclusive new plush has been introduced for the Earth Day anniversary. So adorable, right? He sells for $16.50.

Next up is this recycled tote. It is made from seven recycled bottles that were cleaned, smashed, melted and then reused to make this woven fabric. It has a burlap-like texture and look.

The tote is huge. I will be using it to carry my purchases home from the farmer’s market. That is, if I can hang on to it, it’s so cute that my daughter is jockeying to be able to carry it to school.

The recycled tote sells for $19.50.

There’s also this reusable aluminum water bottle, emblazoned with the “Save Planet Earth slogan. Have you switched to reusable water bottles? I like this one because it has a clip that makes it easy to fasten to a backpack or tote and carry with you.

The bottle sells for $10.50.

This recycled journal also features the little green alien. It is sturdy with a cardboard cover and is priced at $7.50.

A new line of T-shirts made from organic cotton is also part of the new line. The T-shirts say “Love” and “Save Planet Earth,” and there are sizes available for both children and adults.

Good News!

This new line of Save Planet Earth products is available at Disney Stores today through Earth Day, April 22.

You can find a Disney Store in your area online or by calling (866) 902-2798.

Better News!

If you shop at the Disney Store on Earth Day, you can get a free Disney’s Friends for Change and Disneynature’s “Oceans” hat. All you need to do is bring in six aluminum cans or water bottles for recycling.

The free hats are made from recycled bottles, and they will be available on April 22 while supplies last.

Best News!

The Disney Store is going to give away a package of Save Planet Earth products to a lucky Theme Park Mom reader!

Here’s what you need to do to enter to when this box of fun:

Leave a comment telling me one thing you do at your home to “Save Planet Earth.”

Here’s how to get extra entries (Be sure to leave an additional comment for each thing you do):

• Follow me on Twitter.
• Tweet about this giveaway. (Sample: Enter to win new “Save Planet Earth” products from the Disney Store @themeparkmom’s blog: http://bit.ly/barKoM)

I will use Random.org to choose a winner for this Disney Store giveaway at 9 p.m. Eastern on April 22.

UPDATE: The winner is comment #11 – Kelly Ann T. Congrats!

(Disclosure notice: The Disney Store gifted me with the products pictured in this post. The company is providing the same set of products for this giveaway.)