Disney's Tomorrowland Trailer ⋆ My Sparkling Life

My little toddler just loves to play pretend. He loves getting his action figures and peoples and build houses for them. So he was super excited when VTech sent him the Go-Go Smart Friends Busy Sounds Discovery Home to play with. I tell you what, he plays with it EVERY day since we got it almost two weeks ago!
VTech’s Go! Go! Smart line lets little ones discover cause-and-effect learning as they engage in imaginative role play and develop fine motor skills with help from fun, friendly vehicles, animals and figures.
The Go! Go! Smart ranges each feature colorful, interactive playsets includes a variety of track pieces that easily snap together and connect to other playsets in the lines.
For even more excitement the Go! Go! Smart Friends figures can be placed on MagicPoint™ locations found throughout the playsets. They will respond with phrases, music and lights while teaching cause and effect, first words, letters and more. The sets and characters are completely interactive and ready to fuel your child’s creativity!
His favorite feature of the Go! Go! Smart Friends Busy Sounds Discovery Home…the elevator..you place the Go! Go! Smart Friend Norah on the elevator, and it goes up, you take her off, then place her back on and it goes down…pretty simple..but he loves that he can make it do something cool like that! He giggles every time Norah goes potty, because the toilet flushes…But don’t try to put your figure to bed…you will get knocked out of bed and across the room..lol..He also really likes the slide, and always has someone going “weee”. He tends to bring in his little batman figures to play with her as well. Norah likes having her super friends to play with
The house itself wasn’t too hard to put together…but I will say, find the page with sticker placement and put those on before you piece it together…it will save you time.
As he grows we can get more into the lessons that Norah gives on each MagicPoint™. This teaches while still giving him the ability to use his imagination.
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One lucky My Sparkling Life Reader is going to win a Go! Go! Smart Friends Busy Sounds Discovery Home! This giveaway is open to residents of the US who are 18+ until 11:59 PM EST Oct 7, 2015.
The Fine Print: Entering this giveaway means that you accept both my rules & disclosure. I will notify winner via e-mail and they will have 48 hours to reply before I am forced to redraw winners. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Each household is only eligible to win this prize via blog reviews and giveaways once. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Many will enter, few will win! Please allow 8-12 weeks for delivery of prizing. My Sparkling Life is not responsible for any lost or misdirected packages. Prizing provided and shipped by VTech. In the rare occasion that a prize does not arrive (which has happened), please notify me and I will try to contact the sponsor.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

If you’re looking for some really special maternity clothing – even though it’s nine months, why not look fab!, I suggest you check out BellaBlu Maternity – a premier online maternity store. Browse their online store for high-end brands like Japanese Weekend, Maternal America, Olian, Prego, and more! Their line of maternity clothing is vast!! And with fall coming, I have been checking out their huge selection of Maternity Sweaters, Jeans, and cute everyday tee’s… BellaBlu sent me this Rock the Bump Maternity Tee to review, and it’s one of my favorites!! This shirt screams pregnant, and not just bloated, or fat…lol! The shirt is super soft and fits well, it has a snug fit that clings to your expanding belly. I love worn lettering, and Heart & Crossbones…It’s very different from your typical “adorable” maternity clothes..it add so much more personality! I can’t wait to order some of there other fall clothing line…Here are a few I’m looking at:
Just to show a few…I could go on and on….
BellaBlu Maternity stakes their reputation on the quality of the products they carry and their customer service. Every time I emailed them, I got a prompt and courteous reply – so I have no doubt customers are getting answers and communication quickly to meet their needs! If you’re looking for something specific, just email them! What kind of maternity clothing do you need to add to your wardrobe? I bet you’ll find some lovely items at BellaBlu Maternity! ________________________________________________________________________
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You can find BellaBlu Maternity Online at www.bellablumaternity.com
Disclosure: I received a product(s) for review purposes only, however I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. BellaBlu has not influenced the editorial nature of this post, and No other compensation was received. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.

From the innovative minds of Disney•Pixar comes a hilariously heartwarming adventure about the power of confronting and overcoming your fears and discovering who you are meant to be. The Good Dinosaur asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? Pixar Animation Studios takes you on an epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of.
You Might Want To Check Out:
The Good Dinosaur Printables | The Good Dinosaur Activity Sheets
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One (1) lucky My Sparkling Life Reader is going to win a Digital Copy of THE GOOD DINOSAUR. This giveaway is open to residents of the US who are 18+ until 11:59 PM EST March 15, 2016.
THE FINE PRINT: ENTERING THIS GIVEAWAY MEANS THAT YOU ACCEPT BOTH MY RULES & DISCLOSURE. I WILL NOTIFY WINNER VIA E-MAIL AND THEY WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO REPLY BEFORE I AM FORCED TO REDRAW WINNERS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. EACH HOUSEHOLD IS ONLY ELIGIBLE TO WIN THIS PRIZE VIA BLOG REVIEWS AND GIVEAWAYS ONCE. ONLY ONE ENTRANT PER MAILING ADDRESS PER GIVEAWAY. IF YOU HAVE WON THE SAME PRIZE ON ANOTHER BLOG, YOU WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO WIN IT AGAIN. WINNER IS SUBJECT TO ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION. MANY WILL ENTER, FEW WILL WIN! PLEASE ALLOW 8-12 WEEKS FOR DELIVERY OF PRIZING. MY SPARKLING LIFE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LOST OR MISDIRECTED PACKAGES. PRIZING PROVIDED AND SHIPPED BY My Sparkling Life. IN THE RARE OCCASION THAT A PRIZE DOES NOT ARRIVE (WHICH HAS HAPPENED), PLEASE NOTIFY ME.
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I know you have all seen me post about the new Disney movie The Hundred Foot Journey…well now Cost Plus World Market has partnered with Disney and their upcoming movie The Hundred Foot Journey in their Gourmet Getaway Sweepstakes. In case you are not familiar with it, “A Hundred Foot Journey” is based on a best-selling book, and is directed by Lasse Hallstrom (the director of “Chocolat”) and produced by Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey. It tells the story of an Indian family who move to France and open a restaurant a hundred foot away from a michelin-starred French restaurant run by Madame Mallory, who is played by Oscar winner Helen Mirren. It’s in theaters on August 8th. To celebrate the release of the film, Cost Plus World Market is giving away a dream culinary trip to Paris for 2, including • A trip for 2 to Paris courtesy of Delta Vacations ® • Dinner at the Eiffel Tower and Cruise • One day private cooking class at Le Cordon Bleu Paris • $1,000 World Market gift card • Plus, 3 First Prizes: $500 World Market gift card
CONTEST RUNS 7/18 – 8/15
Plus, they’ve partnered with two celebrity Chefs – Ryan Scott (host of Food Rush) and Aarti Sequeira (host of Aarti Party) to create Hundred Foot Journey inspired French and Indian cuisines that will be featured on their new microsite worldmarketrecipes.com You can get in on the culinary goodness at home with “The Hundred Foot Journey” inspired recipes brought to you by Cost Plus World Market and two celebrity chefs, French Cuisine Chef Ryan Scott & Indian Cuisine Chef Aarti Sequeira. Looking at the recipies makes my mouth water! I can’t wait to try a few of them out…The Chai Coconut Ice Cream with Curry Chocolate and Gingersnap Ripple looks amazing! Go to WorldMarketRecipes.com to get the recipe for this dish and many other tasty treats by chefs Ryan Scott and Aarti Sequeria. The dishes include… French Cuisines (created by Ryan Scott) – Berry-Ricotta Crepe Layer Cake – Chicken Roulade Provençale with Whole-Grain Mustard Bearnaise
– Orange-Chocolate Almond-Nougat Champagne Trifle
Indian Cuisines (created by Aarti Sequeira) – Channa Masala Hummus – Masala Moules Frites
– Chai Coconut Ice Cream with Curry-Chocolate & Ginger Snap Ripple
Which of these amazing dishes would you like to try? Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links with fund the Mom of 4 Boys blog. All opinions seen in this publication are those of the writer and may differ from your own. Momof-3boys.com received compensation as a condition of this publication. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. For questions or to have your product featured on Mom of 4 Boys, email Becky at fryrebecca3@gmail.com..

This post may contain affiliate links which fund the My Sparkling Life blog.
Disclosure of Material Connection: This travel was #Hosted which means The company who sponsored it compensated me via all expenses paid trip, cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
San Antonio welcomes millions of visitors each year that come to enjoy the hot Texas sun, Tex Mex, the River Walk, and a few theme parks that make this city a must visit for anyone traveling through the lone star state. San Antonio has been a city that I’ve visited at least once a year since I was 5. I love visiting the River Walk, it’s one of my favorite places…but even out of all that time I hadn’t been during the holidays until last year. We absolutely LOVED it so much that we decided it would be an annual trip….Holidays In San Antonio.
Instead of just a one night trip, this year we decided to make it a weekend. We packed our R2D2 suitcase from American Tourister and headed out of town Saturday morning on our two-hour trek to a weekend of fun and adventure!
We stayed at the Red Roof Inn Plus Downtown…it was fairly easy to find and had plenty of parking with the included garage. The lobby was beautifully decorated for the holidays and the staff was super courteous and got everyone their rooms quickly. We took our things up to our two rooms which were across the hall from one another. Our room overlooked downtown where we could see the last of the runners from the Rock N Roll Marathon finishing their last mile. Both room were furnished with two full sized beds, a chair, a built-in desk & dresser and a flat screen tv. I loved the farmhouse sink that was in the bathroom, I would love one of these in my bathroom at home!
After we got everything settled in the room we headed off to Sea World for their Christmas Celebration. The boys were so excited to see the place decked in lights and do the many things we had on our itinerary. First off we took our picture in front of the tree up front. Every time we visit Sea World we have to get our picture taken here (normally it’s a fountain). We had a full day of adventure and fun, after which we had to swing by Target because someone forgot their toothbrush…yep, that would be me…I can grab everyone else’s, but can’t remember my own!
The next morning we woke rested and headed down to the free breakfast that is served from 6-9 every day. We grabbed some bagels, danishes, fresh fruit and waters then headed back up to the room to get ready for our day. Today we were exploring the downtown riverwalk area & Alamo. Since it was early the river walk was quite dead so we started off by walking the river center mall, enjoying a massage “kiosk” and taking photos in a photo booth.
After checking out a few stores (like the Disney Store..a must do for us since we don’t have one in Corpus) we headed over to the Alamo…another one of my favorite places in SA…perhaps because I used to come here all the time as a kid. Out in front in the plaza they had a large Christmas tree decorated with SA Spurs decor. The Alamo was buzzing with tourists like always. We headed on inside to remind the boys about the battle and all that the missionaries and soldiers sacrificed.
NOTE: Please DO NOT TOUCH the walls of the Alamo! It is quite old and just your touch could affect the mortar and stones. Please be respectful of this historic site.
Yes, I say this because I saw a man talking on the phone just walking along and touching the walls as he talked…I’m assuming it was just fidgeting like we all do on the phone, but finally a volunteer went over and asked him not too…he looked confused and said “all I’m doing is touching the walls.” I used that as a lesson for the boys of course and went on our way through each room viewing the beautiful found wall murals in some of the rooms then on to the “museum” part to view all the weapons and memorabilia from the period. My husbands family bible is located there. His Great Aunt Nancy Gage was a nurse at the Alamo and this is the page that is viewable in the case.
About the end of our walk through the Alamo, we were all getting hungry so we headed over to Rita’s On The River, who would be hosting us for lunch. This spot on the river walk is just gorgeous! So many large trees, greenery, small waterfall and of course the river.
“Rita’s on the River is a Tex-Mex restaurant on the Riverwalk known for the Texas-sized Margaritas, ice cold beer and delicious, sizzling fajitas with Texas-sized portions and beautiful Riverwalk views!”
As soon as you walk up to Rita’s you really get that TexMex feel with the music, bright decor and heavenly smell. We decided to sit outside and enjoy the view and people watching. Our waiter was friendly and knowledgeable about the food. We all quickly found what we wanted to eat even though there was so much goodness to choose from.
While we waited a lady came around letting us sample some homemade tortillas! OMG! It’s been so long since I’ve had homemade tortillas…the hubby and I were in food heaven!
After that a mariachi band started making their rounds from table to table working for tips…after hearing La Cucaracha, Labumba and a few others it was our turn…since after all it was the holidays I requested Feliz Navidad.
I just love the sound of a Mariachi and we couldn’t help but sing along. It wasn’t long after that that our food arrived. The aroma was overwhelming and had our mouths watering. The portions were quite large, I knew most of us wouldn’t finish, but we tried, just because it was so good! The tacos were cooked with peppers and onions which I usually don’t care for (weird I know, I hear it all the time), but the way this was cooked, it just added to the deliciousness and I didn’t mind at all! As we sat there eating and discussing how good it was we all started to realize we were getting full and would have to leave a lot of the food behind. Normally I would take it home, but we didn’t have a fridge or microwave in the room so there was no point…trust me, it killed me!
After that deliciousness, we were quite full so we headed back to the hotel for the boys (ok all of us) to take a nap before finishing the afternoon fun. After the nap, we decided to hang around the room a little since the boys were a little worn out from walking everywhere.
After a while, we headed back out as it was just about dinner time, but we wanted to see some of the lights along the way. We went by the Alamo to see the tree lit up then walked along the river walk a bit before arriving at our host for the evening, The Hard Rock Cafe.
The Hard Rock Cafe has always been one of my favorite spots to eat. In the past we’ve sat outside with the boys, but this time I really wanted them to experience what makes the Hard Rock…the Hard Rock! The were so excited to see all the musical instruments on the walls…although my youngest two didn’t understand that they were from someone famous they still enjoyed looking at them.
I was quite surprised that they were pretty slow, normally it takes so long to get a table and they have all floors and outside full. They only had the downstairs and outside open, so I was free to walk around upstairs and take pictures without bugging people. There were some pretty awesome things to see from artists like ZZTop, Elvis & Eddy Van Halen to name a few. The restaurant was decorated for the holidays as well with garland lights and a tree next to the stairs…we were definitely in a happy place.
Our waitress was like one in a million…(I believe here name was Hollie)…I can literally count on one hand how many time I’ve had a waitress as knowledgeable and fun as her. She talked us into adding the Nachos as an appetizer along with our potato skins and we were so glad she did..they were delicious! The entrees were to die for too…I had the Little Rock Burger…and even through it was a smaller portion, it was still almost too much for me! My little guys LOVED their guitar shaped plates. The ketchup was in spots in the neck and their fries and pizza were in the body. My oldest who usually devours anything in site didn’t even finish his meal…he actually got full!
After dinner we walked along the river walk to enjoy all the beautiful lights and luminaries, as we headed back to the hotel for our last night in SA. If you have the chance, be sure to take a night “cruise” on the river walk boats. You’ll learn a little history about San Antonio and get to see the beautifully lit River Walk.
The next morning we packed up our things enjoyed some breakfast and checked out of the hotel. We really enjoyed our stay and was a little sad to go. Before we headed back home we decided to take the boys to the Missions in San Antonio. Even though they were missing school for it, I felt it was a great excuse as they were learning about Texas History, hands on. My 10 yr old and 6 yr old even earned their Jr. Ranger badges at the second Mission. The boys were very well behaved in each mission we went into, very respectful and in awe of the history and stunning beauty inside the churches.
I want to give special thanks to Red Roof Inn Plus, Sea World, Rita’s on the River & Hard Rock Cafe for helping make this weekend a one of a kind.