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Here are some the stories making Disney News this week…

Disney Premier Passport

Today during the annual Disney shareholders meeting, the Disney Premier Passport was announced. For a mere $700+tax you will truly get the best of Disney east and west coast. It combines all of the benefits of a Disneyland Premium Annual Pass with a Walt Disney World Premium Annual pass including all of the following for a period of one year:

• Unlimited Admission into all 6 major themeparks-Disneyland, California Adventure, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom including park hopping
• Unlimited Admission to DisneyQuest, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex (valid only on event days; some events require an additional admission charge) and Disney’s Oak Trail Gof Course (green fees only)
• Parking at all the major theme parks
• Subscriptions to The Mickey Monitor, Backstage Pass and Disney’s Family Fun magazine

Disney’s Give a Day Get a Disney Day Program is Closed

“Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” – a first-of-its-kind program of Disney Parks – reached its goal of inspiring 1 million people in 2010 to give back to their communities through volunteer service in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada.

Since the program started just 10 weeks ago, on Jan. 1, a million people already have volunteered or have committed to volunteer in their communities, according to Disney Parks and HandsOn Network, the nation’s largest volunteer network and a facilitator of “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day.”

To celebrate the good deeds of these individuals, Disney Parks offered each volunteer who completed an eligible project a free one-day admission to one theme park in Walt Disney World Resort in Florida or Disneyland Resort in California. Although registration is now closed and the program has ended, those who volunteered have until Dec. 15, 2010, to redeem their free park ticket (certain block-out dates apply).

D23 Announcements

Disney’s D23 Celebrates Disneyland’s 55th Anniversary With Destination D September 24-25, 2010.

The Next D23 Expo is set for August 19-21, 2011 with tickets going on sale August 19, 2010.

You can read all about the D23 announcements on their website.

Adventure Island kicks off another season of fun in the sun with preview weekend Saturday and Sunday, March 13-14, and daily operation starting Saturday, March 20 with even more space for guests to relax and unwind, and two awesome ticket deals.

The Adventure Island Weekday Pass offers incredible value for again-and-again Adventure Island excitement:

• Pay for a Day, and Play Weekdays All Season.
• Enjoy unlimited weekday access to Adventure Island during the 2010 season with no blackout dates
• Mondays through Fridays, March 22 through Sept. 6

Purchase at AdventureIsland.com, 1-888-800-5447 or at Adventure Island or Busch Gardens front gates
The Adventure Island Weekday Pass is $41.95 for adults and children

With the Online-Exclusive Florida Resident Offer guests receive a FREE day at Adventure Island when they purchase a Busch Gardens ticket Buy Busch Gardens, Get Adventure Island for $74.95, children and adults. Must be purchased at BuschGardens.com or AdventureIsland.com

NEW! MORE CABANAS, MORE SANDY BEACHES
There’s more space for your family to settle in and enjoy the sun and fun all day long. Eleven new cabanas have been added to Adventure Island, making available a total of 15 shaded, exclusive spots for your family to enjoy the water park. Each cabana includes four chaise lounges, a locker, a mini-fridge with assorted drinks and four souvenir towels. Daily rental prices range from $149.99 to $179.99, based on the time of year.

In addition, a new beach has been added at the south side of Riptide, creating more space to relax, dig your toes in and soak up the sun.

OPENING WEEKEND ONLY! Celebrate Tampa Navy Week during Adventure Island’s opening weekend. On March 13 and 14, guests can swim with Navy divers at Paradise Lagoon, listen to the sounds of the Navy Rock Band from 1 to 4 p.m. each day and challenge Navy volleyball teams for great prizes. A Blue Angels flight simulator will be stationed at the park, completing the Navy Week experience.

From the moment guests enter Adventure Island, they are immersed in a Key West-themed paradise. The 30-acre water park features thrilling slides and tube rides including Riptide, Wahoo Run, Key West Rapids, Runaway Rapids, Everglides, Calypso Coaster, Aruba Tuba, Caribbean Corkscrew, Water Moccasin and Gulf Scream. Guests can also kick back on the beach or in the 17,000-square-foot wave pool, play on professional sand volleyball courts, breeze through tropical gift shops or let the current sweep them through a half-mile of lush landscapes and tropical waterfalls on the Rambling Bayou.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit AdventureIsland.com for Spring Break’s extended hours and deals. Single-day admission tickets for Adventure Island are $41.95 for adults and $37.95 for children. Children ages 2 and younger are free, and all children must be accompanied by an adult. All prices are per person, plus tax. Park hours are subject to change. Visit www.adventureisland.com for more information and out-of-state visitor deals.

When should my child start music lessons? Is one of the questions I am asked a lot. The real answer is…When he is ready. I know that may seem like a lame answer but I am going to give you a readiness list so don’t worry.

Children should have their first musical experiences while they are still in the womb and they should continue throughout their lives. Children learn a lot about music by experiencing it at home. Having music playing in the background while they are playing with their toys, singing with you in the car and banging on pots and pans are all important musical milestones in a child’s life. I had one 10 yr old voice student who I first honestly thought she may have a hearing problem, never had I worked with someone who had so much trouble matching pitches. I did some research before approaching the parents and the next week I asked the mother if she played music in the house when her daughter was young, the radio, cds? The mom said “No”. This girl, had missed out on some basic musical neural connections that are made when young children experience music. We had a lot of re-training to do to teach her brain how to listen and respond to music.

Informal music lessons like those offered by Music Together where children from birth-preschool experience music and movement classes with their parents. It is a wonderful informal, non-threatening music program. I start children as young as age 4 in formal music lessons on piano; though I would rather start them at age 8-10. The important this is are you and your child ready for formal music training?

Can your child:

• recognize the capital letters A-G?
• recognize the numbers 1-4?
• know their left from their right?
• sit and focus on one activity for at least 15 minutes at a time?

Does you child show an interest in music and playing an instrument?

Do you have the time to sit with your young child (ages 4-8) every day while they practice?

Do you have time to commit to a weekly lesson?

Do you have the finances to commit to lessons, books and a musical instrument?

If you said yes to all of the above then your child may be ready for formal music instruction. I recommend all children start with piano as their first instrument because almost everything you learn on piano is transferable to other instruments but the reciprocal is not always true. Your next step is finding the right teacher and I’ll cover that next week.

Please feel free to leave me questions or comments. I love comments.

Save Big on the Procter & Gamble Products You Use Most And Help Children Get Safe Drinking Water at the Same Time

Procter & Gamble will release its biggest brandSAVER coupon booklet ever THIS SUNDAY, MARCH 7, with more than $160 in savings! This money-saving booklet will be included in newspapers delivered to more than 55 million homes across the country and features coupons from numerous brands including PUR Water Filtration, Gillette, Pantene, Tide, Venus, Olay, Pampers, CoverGirl, Febreeze and Swiffer, to name a few.

Plus, for every coupon redeemed, P&G will provide one day’s worth of clean drinking water to a child in need through the Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) Program, P&G’s philanthropic cause aimed at saving lives by providing clean drinking water to children in developing countries.

Click here to find the local paper carrying your $160 in savings and make a difference!

Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Field Nearly Doubles in Second Year

Increased field underscores event’s instant popularity; runners from every state and 16 countries make up one of nation’s largest women-specific endurance events

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (March 4, 2010) – Nearly twice as many runners as last year are rushing to bring out their inner princess this weekend at Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend presented by Lady Foot Locker at Walt Disney World Resort.

More than 18,000 runners, including 13,000 for the half marathon, are registered for the three-day event aimed at women’s health and wellness, making it one of the largest women-specific endurance events in the country.

“Every woman wants their chance to feel like a princess and this event allows them to embrace the attributes Disney princesses embody: commitment, courage, determination, fantasy, perseverance and strength,” said Disney Sports Area Manager Kathleen Duran. “This event is all about princesses and spreading the message of health and wellness to women of all fitness levels while incorporating the glamour and grace of the Disney princesses.”

Disney’s Princess Half Marathon, which attracted over 11,000 for the inaugural weekend a year ago, involves Disney’s Fit for a Princess Expo as well as two road races – Disney The Princess and the Frog Royal Family 5K and the signature 13.1-mile half marathon – through multiple theme parks. Kids in attendance can also participate in Disney’s Royal Family Kids’ Races.

Disney’s Fit for a Princess Expo, free and open to the public, takes place at the newly
re-launched ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on Friday and Saturday. The expo, geared toward women’s health and wellness, features celebrity runner appearances, Disney characters and seminars on training, racing and nutrition, along with the opportunity to experience the latest in running and fitness equipment.

Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend benefits The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), an organization dedicated to the fight against blood cancers. With the support of thousands of volunteers and participants in LLS’s Team In Training program, Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend will help blood cancer patients live better, longer lives.

Registration for the 2011 Disney’s Princess Half Marathon begins this summer at www.disneyprincesshalfmarathon.com

Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend is part of the Endurance Series at Walt Disney World Resort, which gives recreational athletes of all ages and abilities the chance to walk, jog, run, bike and swim their way “around the world.” From marathons to road races to triathlons, athletes from across the country and around the world compete to stay in shape, achieve personal best times and raise donations for charitable causes. Popular Endurance Series events are Expedition Everest Challenge (June 12, 2010), Inaugural Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend (Oct. 1-2, 2010), Walt Disney World Marathon and Half Marathon (Jan. 6-9, 2011) and Champion 5k at ESPN the Weekend (February 2011).

FYI-TheMomMaven is hoping to run in the 5k during the Wine & Dine Half Marathon weekend…more about that tomorrow though.

Yesterday Disney announced that after its success at the Downtown Disney® District in Disneyland in California, RIDEMAKERZ® will open a new retail entertainment experience on the West Side of Downtown Disney for a limited engagement. This store will integrate full-sized cars and a supercharged interactive experience that lets guests build, customize and trick out their very own radio-controlled vehicles. Kids of all ages will be able to satisfy their need for speed with over 649 million ways to create a mean machine. RIDEMAKERZ will open March 25 through fall 2010.

photo courtesy of Disney

About a year ago we saw an ad for RIDEMAKERZ and Jordan, my Chip Foose wannabe wanted to visit one, unfortunately there wasn’t one in Florida. Yesterday he saw Disney Park’s announcement of the new store on Twitter and he came running into my office to tell me about it. I am pretty sure we will be making at least 1 trip to RIDEMAKERZ during its limited stay at Downtown Disney.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of AccuWeather. All opinions are 100% mine.

Like it or not, the weather effects us every day. We need to know how to dress our kids, plan our day so we miss the rain while getting the groceries out of the car and know if we need a plan B for Susie’s birthday party at the park. This winter has shown us that we need to know in advance what is coming so that we can be prepared.

Here in Florida we have had an unseasonable long, cold winter. Last week we hit 70 degrees one day and then it was back to the 40s. This Saturday I am heading to Epcot for the Flower and Garden Festival, I hate lugging a sweatshirt around the park all day if I don’t need it so I went to AccuWeather to check on Saturday’s forecast for the Orlando area. Unfortunately, I’m going to need that sweatshirt because the high is only expected to hit 65!

While I was on the AccuWeather website I looked around at all of the cool new features on the site. It has four new lifestyle areas Weather and Travel, Weather and Home & Garden, Weather and Outdoor Activity and Weather and Health. They have new forecasts that allow you to plan business, recreation, travel, exercise, medication, and more. Next time you need to plan your day according to the weather check out AccuWeather.

I am not a coffee drinker but I know a lot of moms who are. With our demanding schedules and sometimes sleepless nights, it’s no wonder that some Moms set their coffee makers to automatic brew. If you’re one of the many Moms who rely on a caffeine boost to jumpstart your day, you might be familiar with an organization that consistently delivers quality java- 100% Colombian Coffee.

100% Colombian Coffee is found in numerous brands of coffee because demanding consumers the world over are aware of the importance of its origin. So next time you are shopping for coffee, look for the 100% Colombian Coffee logo – your guarantee to the “richest coffee in the world.”

Coffee drinker or not, you definitely don’t want to miss out on the 100% Colombian Coffee “See What’s Behind the Best” sweepstakes. By visiting www.whatsbehindthebest.com, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about the philosophy behind 100% Colombian Coffee and enter to win great prizes. The grand prize is $10,000! While you’re there,  check out the map to see when Juan Valdez and his trusty mule, Conchita, will be in your area!

I have been a music educator for 20 years. I have taught music in public and private schools from pre-school through high school. I’ve directed bands and choirs as well as taught private and small group lessons. Currently I teach piano, clarinet, flute, recorder, voice, beginning trumpet and musical theatre.

Investing in music lessons for yourself or your child is a big decision. I am going to be writing a series of Music Lesson Monday posts to help you make more informed decisions on choosing an instrument, a teacher and a teaching style. I will also be writing posts on the parent-teacher relationship, establishing a practice routine and more. If you have questions about music lesson please leave the questions as comments here on this post so that I can answer them in my posts.

We have the winners of the last two Chicken Soup for the Soul Books.

The winner of Chicken Soup for the Soul:Devotional Stories for Women is…Debbie J. She said she and her girlfriends like to go bargain hunting together.

The winner of Chicken Soup for the Soul:Power Moms is Denise and this is what she had to say. “I love being a stay at home mom because my children bring me great joy. One of my children has a chronic illness and it would break my heart to leave him in someone else’s hands(other than Gods). I love that they teach me just as much as I teach them.”

Congratulations to both winners! Keep checking back I have an awesome new giveaway going live later this week.