Star Wars The Force Awakens World Premiere

Most of us try to do our part to help other and the world, and I love when companies do the same, especially when it involves the health of children. Walmart and Pampers have teamed up to donate $200,000 to Children’s Miracle Network in June 2015.
One in 10 kids in North America is treated by a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital each year, whether they suffer from common childhood afflictions like asthma and broken bones, or fight bigger challenges like birth defects or cancer. Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals provide comfort, treatment and hope to millions of sick kids. Member hospitals treat 16,000 children in emergency rooms daily and provide surgery for 97 children every hour. Member hospitals provided $3.4 billion in charity care for children in 2012, and this is why it’s so important to team up to support a charity like the Children’s Miracle Network.
We received care from 2 different Children’s Miracle Network hospitals, Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin, Tx & Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi, Tx, for different children over they years and love the care and attention they received at each. While our visits weren’t for a life threatening illness there are many children who aren’t so lucky.
Have you ever had an experience at a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital?
Meet Dylan…
Dylan is 5 and was helped at Children’s Specialized Hospital for a Right Hemiparesis.
A few days shy of her 2nd birthday, Dylan underwent a colonoscopy where polyp was removed. During the procedure, the unthinkable happened: Her colon was badly damaged and she suffered severe blood loss. It was soon discovered that a blood clot had traveled to her brain and caused a stroke, resulting in hemiparesis, affecting the use of half her body.
Dylan was then referred to Children’s Specialized Hospital, where she had to relearn how to stand, speak and eventually walk. This required intensive physical, occupational and speech therapy.
Known for her strong will, Dylan has made exceptional gains in her strength and control in just a few years and is now running and jumping. She’s expected to make continued improvements and wears foot braces to assist with alignment and gait mechanics.
Dylan is very playful, curious, full of energy and wins everyone over with her contagious laugh.
CMN Hospitals funds helped purchase some of the equipment in the therapy gyms where Dylan works to improve her motor skills.
Meet Maverick…
Maverick is 5 and from Wyoming. He is being treated at the Children’s Hospital Colorado for Noonan Syndrome, Full Tracheal Rings and Chronic Lung Disease.
Maverick has seen his fair share of challenges in his short life. While still in utero, doctors diagnosed him with tetralogy of fallot, a rare, complex congenital heart defect that affects normal blood flow through the heart.
Three weeks after entering the world, Maverick suddenly stopped eating and was rushed to Children’s Hospital Colorado. August 2009 brought his first open-heart surgery, where doctors discovered full tracheal rings. Later he received a g-tube, a c-pap, mechanical ventilation and a second open-heart surgery, among many other treatments and dozens of additional surgeries.
Though Maverick will be a lifelong hospital visitor, he remains in high spirits. In fact, he calls his vent “Goose,” referring to dynamic duo Maverick and Goose from 1986’s Top Gun, proving he doesn’t let his conditions keep him down. Those around him feel blessed to know him and cite his upbeat attitude as a lesson to live each day to the fullest.
CMN Hospitals funds helped pay for Maverick’s care providers and also helped purchase the vital equipment he needs for a chance at a normal life.
You can visit Walmart.com/cmnh for more information about donations, and to make your own donation. If you’ve ever had to use a CMNH for any reason, you know this is a great charity to donate to!
One lucky My Sparkling Life Reader is going to win a $25 Walmart Gift Card to purchase Pampers!! This giveaway is open to residents of the US who are 18+ until 11:59 PM EST July 06, 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 CoynePR. In the rare occasion that a prize does not arrive (which has happened), please notify me and I will try to contact the sponsor.
“The Walmart gift cards and information have been provided by P&G.”
Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a 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.”

It’s finally spring! Lets open the windows, get cleaning and freshin up our interior look. One of my favorite ways to freshin up my interior is to hang new pictures of my family. While I love the look of frames, I also love to mix it up and throw a canvas print in there every now and then. When buying canvas you don’t want to just go with any old company, you want a good quality canvas for little cost which can be hard to come by. I recently tried out Canvas Champ and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of these inexpensive canvas prints.
Wanna win one of your own?!
One lucky My Sparkling Life Reader is going to win an 8×10 Canvas Print listed above ! This giveaway is open to residents of the US who are 18+ until 11:59 PM EST May 18, 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 Canvas Champ. 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.”

So thing have been going swimmingly at the My Sparkling Life Headquarters, but the other day I was given a rose and things are about to get real strange. That’s right, I will be heading back to LA October 17th-19th to cover the #DoctorStrangeEvent along with #FindingDoryBluray, #BenAndLaurenEvent and#MechX4Event. That’s quite a lot to cover in just a few days, be I won’t be alone on this exciting adventure…I will be joined by 24 other amazing bloggers from around the country.
I’m so honored & excited to have been invited to this event. I’m a huge fan of Marvel and can’t wait to see the newest edition! Let’s talk about a little of what we will be doing…
Screening Doctor Strange
Opens November 4th 2016
Yes, we will be screening Marvel’s DOCTOR STRANGE which opens in theatres on November 4, 2016. We will also be attending the press junket where we will interview some of the talent from the film! We don’t know who we will be interviewing yet, but I do know any of the talet would be amazing to sit down and talk to.
From Marvel Studios comes “Doctor Strange,” the story of world-famous neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange whose life changes forever after a horrific car accident robs him of the use of his hands. When traditional medicine fails him, he is forced to look for healing, and hope, in an unlikely place—a mysterious enclave known as Kamar-Taj. He quickly learns that this is not just a center for healing but also the front line of a battle against unseen dark forces bent on destroying our reality. Before long Strange—armed with newly acquired magical powers—is forced to choose whether to return to his life of fortune and status or leave it all behind to defend the world as the most powerful sorcerer in existence.
“Doctor Strange” stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Michael Stuhlbarg, Benjamin Bratt and Scott Adkins, with Mads Mikkelsen and Tilda Swinton. Scott Derrickson is directing with Kevin Feige producing. Louis D’Esposito, Stephen Broussard, Victoria Alonso, Charles Newirth and Stan Lee serve as executive producers. Jon Spaihts and Scott Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill wrote the screenplay. Join Strange on his dangerous, mystifying and totally mind-bending journey when Marvel Studios’
The Latest Social Media about DOCTOR STRANGE.
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | WEBSITE
Finding Dory Blu-ray Release & Pumpkin Carving Party
On Digital HD on 10/25 & Blu-ray on 11/15
We will be joining master pumpkin carver, Joseph Yakovetic for a night of pumpkin carving as we celebrate the release of the long anticipated sequel Finding Dory as it swims it’s way into homes everywhere.
Disney•Pixar’s “Finding Dory” reunites everyone’s favorite forgetful blue tang, Dory, with her friends Nemo and Marlin on a search for answers about her past. What can she remember? Who are her parents? And where did she learn to speak Whale? Directed by Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo,” “WALL•E”) and produced by Lindsey Collins (co-producer “WALL•E”), the film features the voices of Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill, Kaitlin Olson, Ty Burrell, Eugene Levy and Diane Keaton.
The Latest Social Media about FINDING DORY
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM
An Interview With Ben and Lauren
“Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After” Premieres on FreeForm on 10/11 at 8/7c
You all know and love Ben Higgins and his fiancée Lauren Bushnell from season 20 of “The Bachelor” – but what happens after the final rose is handed out and normal life ensues? Join Freeform for an episode screening and special sit down interview with Ben and Lauren to discuss their new reality series “Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After?” The show will follow the happy couple as they prepare to walk down the aisle and begin their brand-new life together while navigating the real world after the splendor of The Bachelor’s exotic dates and fantasy suites has ended.
Meeting the team from MECH-X4
Series Premiere Saturday, November 12
Disney Channel also invited us to a special advance screening of the exciting new live-action sci-fi adventure series “MECH-X4.” Ryan has the extraordinary ability to control technology with his mind. When his talent mysteriously awakens a giant 150-foot robot known as MECH-X4, Ryan recruits his two best friends and older brother to help him operate MECH-X4 to defend against monsters that suddenly begin to descend upon their city. After the screening, join the cast and creators for an intimate Q&A.
As you can see there is so much happening in a few short days. You can keep up with all that is happening by following the following hashtags on Instagram & Twitter.
Any questions for any of the talent? Leave them in the comments below or tweet them to me @fmomof4boys and use #DoctorStrangeEvent
This trip is an all-expense paid press trip. I receive no monetary compensation but may receive promotional materials. My opinions are 100% my own.

Whether it’s video games, television or even smoking, there are lots of different habits that we get into which are generally perceived as unproductive and a complete waste of time. However, look past the negativity and you’ll find that each of those habits does have a productive silver lining behind it.
For instance, video games can be considered a social activity if you enjoy it with friends. Television can also be educational if you watch the right content. Even smoking can be considered something that offers you positive benefits, such as having a way to talk to others in the workplace during breaks or even having a way to calm yourself down after a stressful day. Of course, we obviously can’t ignore the health effects of something like smoking, and even video games to a lesser extent. However, we also can’t ignore that there’s a reason why we developed those bad habits in the first place.
Finding the root of your good and bad habits
Once you start to think about your bad habits in a positive light, you’re going to start looking at them differently. For instance, if the positives you get from smoking don’t outweigh the negatives, then it’s a good idea to look for a service such as a women’s addiction treatment center to help you recover from it. Once you start thinking about the possibilities and positives of quitting an addiction, you’ll be more motivated to do it.
However, you also need to balance this with your existing good habits. For instance, if you consider that your gym-going lifestyle is very healthy for your body, you also need to consider how much time it takes off your day and the opportunities that you miss from doing it. Yes, going to the gym is a far better positive habit than it is a negative one, but if you’re going every single day then you could be ruining your health in the long run by overworking your body. There are also other opportunities that you could use to get exercise and socialize, such as going for a job with a friend or working out at home with your partner instead of the gym.
In short, it’s important to consider both the positives and negatives of your good and bad habits and balance them accordingly.

Once upon a time in a far far FAR away Galaxy, 25 lucky bloggers were chosen to go to the D23Expo to get a first-hand, behind the scenes look at what the future held for the Disney franchise. While attending a very fun yet information Disney Interactive Session, there was a great revelation. A revelation that changed the course of the event and the dynamic of the day…The introduction of what was to come..The Limited Edition Star Wars PS4 Bundle!!!
There were a lot of ooohs and a lot of ahhhs, some people even drooled over this Darth Vader Console, yet it was at that moment that they all knew, a giveaway MUST happen and 1 lucky winner deserved to win this Limited Edition Star Wars PS4 Bundle. So they came together to bring YOU this amazing giveaway. One lucky reader will win their very own PlayStation 4 Limited Edition STAR WARS Bundle. You will have your choice between the Battlefront Bundle or the Disney Infinity 3.0 bundle. They include:
Star Wars BattleFront Bundle:
Fully Customized PlayStation 4 Chassis featuring Darth Vader
Fully Customized DUALSHOCK®4 Wireless Controller
Star Wars Battlefront Deluxe Edition
4 Star Wars Classics on Voucher
Super Star Wars
Star Wars: Racer Revenge
Jedi Starfighter
Star Wars Bounty Hunter
Star Wars Disney Infinity 3.0 Bundle:
Fully Customized PlayStation 4 Chassis featuring Darth Vader
Fully Customized DUALSHOCK®4 Wireless Controller
An exclusive Disney Infinity 3.0: Star Wars Edition Bundle
4 Star Wars Classics on Voucher
Super Star Wars
Star Wars: Racer Revenge
Jedi Starfighter
Star Wars Bounty Hunter
This giveaway runs from 12:01 AM CST 10/8/15 to 11:59 PM CST on 10/22/15. Use the giveaway tool below to enter. The rules are as follows, you must be at least 18 to enter and a US Resident. Winner will be notified within 24 hours of the giveaway ending and will have 48 hours to respond via mail. If response is not received by the deadline, prize will be forfeited and another winner will be chosen. Prize will be shipped on November 17, 2015, to the address provided by the winner.
May the Force be with you as you enter!!!
Star Wars BattleFront Giveaway