For the insatiable airplane or history buff, nothing beats a Fantasy of Flight Annual Pass, good for unlimited year-round visits to the world’s largest private collection of rare and vintage aircraft, where immersion experiences and meticulously recreated historical exhibits take guests back in time to see, hear and feel what it was like to fly some of America’s greatest wartime airplanes.

The Annual Pass includes unlimited entry to the attraction as well as all most Fantasy of Flight special events and festivals, including the “Legends & Legacies” symposium series, featuring live appearances from World War II heroes and their family members including the Tuskegee Airmen, WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) and American Fighter Aces, among others.

During some special events, Annual Pass holders also enjoy a very special member experience – “Open Cockpit Days” -at which they are invited to get up close and personal with some of America’s most rare vintage aircraft, such as the P51C, T6 and the B25. Annual Pass holders also receive a complimentary lunch at the Art Deco Compass Rose Diner on the day of their birthday, balloon flight discounts, exclusive monthly specials in the gift shop and diner, and a variety of other discounts. The Annual Pass is $69.95 for adults, $39.95 for children ages 6 to 15, plus 7 percent sales tax and is valid for one year from date of purchase

Be the first to give your flight buff a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, offered exclusively at Fantasy of Flight during the “Legends & Legacies” Tuskegee airmen event. Friday, February 11, from noon to 1:30 p.m., Fantasy of Flight will host a special, reservations-only luncheon with limited seating in honor of three of the original aviation veterans, the first African Americans to be trained as WWII military pilots.  The luncheon will feature Dr. Roscoe Brown, Lt. Col. Leo Gray and Lt. Col. Hiram Mann and will be held at the Orlampa Conference Center at Fantasy of Flight. Tickets are $65 plus 7 percent tax per person and reservations are required. For tickets, call 863-984-3500. Corporate tables and individual tickets are available.

The Fantasy of Flight gift shop also offers a variety of flight and aviation-themed merchandise for all ages, including the award-winning children’s book “All of Life is a School”(KWIP Publishing, $19.95) by Fantasy of Flight founder and creator Kermit Weeks. Weeks won a Bronze IPPY Award from the Independent Publisher Book Awards for his charming tale of an eager little yellow monoplane named Gee Bee Zee. Characters from the book are also featured on children’s sweatshirts, T-shirts, hats and backpacks.

Weeks’ reality show-style DVD,“The Wizard of Orlampa, The Yellow Brick Road,” also makes a great holiday gift for budding pilots and anyone who has a dream. It provides an inside look at the life of Kermit Weeks, an aviator, vintage aircraft collector, theme park creator and visionary business man, as he pursues and lives his dream, which was to create a place where others can discover theirs. A variety of aviation-themed DVDs as well as inspirational CDs are also available. Fantasy of Flight also offers men’s, women’s and youth apparel; posters and prints; souvenirs such as pins, magnets and key chains; mouse pads, banks, snow globes, bumper stickers, toys, games, books, and more.

A biplane ride makes the perfect gift for the thrill seeker who has everything, while a hot air balloon ride provides the ultimate romantic gesture or family adventure. Biplane rides, provided on-site by Waldo Wright’s Flying Service, start at $69.95 plus tax per passenger while balloon rides start at $175.

Of course, tickets to the attraction also make great stocking stuffers, and are available for $28.95 for adults and $14.95 for youth ages 6-15.

For more information, call 863-984-3500 or visit www.fantasyofflight.com

The post Holiday Gift Guide: Biplane and Balloon Rides appeared first on The Mom Maven.

“I would use the $25 to get some clothing and accessories for my daughter’s brand new and 1st ever Build A Bear (She got Frosty the Snowman) that my mom so kindly got her last night!”

Congratulations Becky!

This is the last of my Holiday Gift Guide Giveaways but there are plenty more giveaways in the works. Make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed so you don’t miss anything!

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“We’re giving families who want to visit the theme park extra incentive to plan early with this incredible pre-opening offer,” Director of Marketing and Sales Kim Isemann comments.

LEGOLAND Florida’s Standard Annual Pass is being offered at a discounted rate of $99.00 + tax. The purchase of an Annual Pass during this promotional offer will allow pass holders entrance to LEGOLAND Florida the first three months the theme park is open in 2011, and will also include unlimited admission the entire 2012 year.

LEGOLAND Florida will be unlike any other theme park in Florida offering more than 50 rides, shows and attractions within ten lands. The ten different lands of LEGOLAND Florida are The Beginning, Fun Town, Miniland USA, Castle Hill, Land of Adventure, XTreme, LEGO City, Imagination Zone, Pirate Cove and DUPLO® Village. Activities abound in each of the ten lands where kids can get their own driver’s license or become the captain of a ship, take charge on a LEGO-themed dragon coaster or even become part of the action in a pirate live-action water stunt show

The limited-time pre-opening discount on all ticket and pass products for LEGOLAND Florida will be available for a limited time and may be purchased online now at www.LEGOLAND.com.

The post Give LEGOLAND Florida Annual Passes this Christmas appeared first on The Mom Maven.

The winner of the much sought after Udderly Smooth Prize Pack is #116 @hiann88 on Twitter! Congratulations!

The winner of the LEGO Universe game and 1 month subscription is #3 @chrisworthy on Twitter! Congratulations!

Make sure you enter the Build-A-Bear $25 gift card giveaway it ends December 18th.

The post Holiday Gift Guide: Winners appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Their cotton/spandex blend make all of The Girls clothing comfortable…and machine washable. I love the boot cut pants and the lace capris! There is something for every woman with sizes ranging from XS-3X.  I think the short sleeve tummy control top is my favorite top on the site…but there are so many to choose from.

You can wear these clothes to the gym, running errands, to work or out on the town…they are that versatile. Now-December 22 you can use code “holiday20” at checkout to get 20% off your order and they offer free shipping on orders over $75. If you don’t trust your man to pick out the right clothes for you…no problem, ask him for an eGift Card from The Girls and then you can do the shopping later!

The post Holiday Gift Guide: The Girls appeared first on The Mom Maven.

The winner of the Short Cut Carabiner Keychain is #7…Christina S who said she also liked the Keychain Knife: Royal Crest 15 Function Multi-blade Key Ring.

The winner of the Despicable Me prize pack is #55…Shala_Darkstone.

Congratulations to the winners and don’t forget to enter my other giveaways:

Udderly Smooth Lotion 12/15

LEGO Universe 12/15

Build-A-Bear $25 Gift Card 12/18

The post Winners from this Weekend appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Back: Shadow, Shadow, Middle: Mr Huggles, Foster, Princess Cuddles Front: Big Bruiser, Little Bruiser and Brown Sugar

We are a Build-A-Bear family! We have been making them since we came upon our first Build-A-Bear Workshop when we were vacationing in Gatlinburg, TN in 2001. There we made a beautiful black bear named Gatlin as a Christmas gift for my mother-in-law, and the rest…is history.

One of the things I have always admired about Build-A-Bear is all they do to give back to the community. I had the chance to meet Chief Executive Bear Maxine Clark this fall at the Type-A Mom Conference and one you meet her and hear her heart and passion, you know why Build-a-Bear is such a caring company. Each year for the past seven years, Build-A-Bear Workshop has recognized young leaders who make a difference in their communities through the Huggable Heroes program. To date, more than 100 Huggable Heroes have been honored for their outstanding community service efforts. Know an outstanding young person? We’d love to hear about them! Visit buildabear.com/huggableheroes in January for information on how to nominate someone for the Huggable Heroes Class of 2011.

There are lots of ways you and your family can give back while shopping at Build-A-Bear this holiday season and throughout the year!

• During December, Guests can add a $1 donation (or more if they desire) to support Toys for Tots when they check out either at the store or online at buildabear.com®. Last year, through the generosity of its Guests, Build-A-Bear Workshop raised nearly $400,000 for the Toys for Tots program.
• Give back online at buildabearville.com®, the Build-A-Bear Workshop virtual world. Guests purchasing Build-A-Bearville® game cards can choose to direct 5 percent of the price to support Toys for Tots.
• Purchase a  World Wildlife Fund Gray Wolf and $1.00 of each purchase goes to the WWF to help protect endangered animals.
• Purchase a Turner Owl and they will donate 50¢ to First Book to provide new books to children from low-income families & 50¢ to the Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation to support other literacy & education programs.
• Purchase a Pujols Bear and $5 from the sale of this friend will be donated to the Pujols Family foundation which promotes awareness, provides hope and meets tangible needs for families and children who live with Down syndrome; provides extraordinary experiences for children with disabilities and/or life threatening illnesses; improves the standard of living and quality of life for impoverished children in the Dominican Republic through education, medical relief and tangible goods.
• Purchase a Black Lab, Beagle, Boarder Collie, Boxer, Golden Retriever, Husky, Westie, or Yellow Lab and $1 from the sale of these Bearemy’s Kennel Pals^® friends will be donated to the Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation to help real animals.
• Purchase a Champ Bear, like my friend Mr Huggles and $1 from your purchase is donated to the Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation which makes grants to pawsome causes that support children’s health such as juvenile diabetes, autism, children’s cancer research or other important wellness causes for children.

It feels good to shop with a company that sews a portion of its sales back into worthy charities and foundations.

It also feels good to win a $25 Bear Buck$ Gift Card!
Mandatory First Entry Leave me a comment telling me something your family does to give back to the community during the holiday season.

Bonus Entries: Leave a separate comment for each entry.

• Visit BuildABear.com and look around, Come back and tell me what you would buy with your $25 gift card
• Like Build-A-Bear on Facebook
• Follow @MomMaven and @BuildABear on Twitter
• Tweet this Dear @MomMaven I want to #win a $25 @buildabear giftcard for Christmas http://bit.ly/fO9Syw
  (you may do this 2x a day)
• Blog subscribers, Networked blog followers, GFC friends and Facebook likers get 1 entry each
• “Like” this post on Facebook

This giveaway is open to US residents only and ends at 10pm ET on December 18, 2010. The winner will be chosen by Random.org.

The post Holiday Gift Guide: Build-A-Bear Giveaway appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Mandatory 1st Entry: Visit LEGO Universe online and click on the “Parents” tab and read about the game and its safety features. Then come back here and tell me something you learned or found interesting.

Bonus Entries:

• Follow  @MomMaven on Twitter and tweet this @MomMaven I want to #win LEGO Universe “
• Subscribers, GFC friends, Networked Blog followers and Facebook Likers each get 1 entry.
• Comment on any other non-giveaway post that I posted this month. (1 entry for each comment-max 5 different comments)
• Like this post on Facebook using the “like” button below.

This giveaway is open to US residents only. The winner will be chosen by Random.org on December 15th at 9pm ET.

The post Holiday Gift Guide: LEGO Universe Giveaway appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Easy2Pick Wireless Luggage Finder System uses a tag attached to your luggage and a keychain receiver. Attach the luggage tag to your luggage and turn it on. When you get off the plane turn on your keychain receiver and it will beep and vibrate when your luggage is within 100 feet of where you are! No more rushing to the baggage claim to wait in the mob with everyone else.

The Easy2Pick Wireless Luggage Finder is also great for kid’s backpacks or anything else that gets lost regularly. Are you always misplacing your keys? Put the luggage tag on your keychain and keep the receiver in a special place then when ever you can’t find your keys just activate the receiver!

Once you’re at the baggage claim do you have trouble finding your suitcase in a sea of look-alikes? The Easy2Pick Flashing Luggage Tag is the gift for you! The patented electronic device uses the latest super bright LED technology so travelers can pinpoint their bags in a crowded baggage claim. Four different LEDs flash a selection of 16 fully customizable color combinations so there is no mistaking which bag is yours.

Simply attach the tag to your suitcase and turn it on. By measuring factors like light, altitude and noise, the flashing LED tag’s built in photo electric sensor senses when it is in the cargo hold of the plane and won’t flash, thus saving your battery.

Whether traveling by plane, boat or bus the Easy2Pick Flashing Luggage Tag makes travel easier, and at $11.95 it makes a great gift too.

The post Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for Travelers-Luggage Locators appeared first on The Mom Maven.

The Original Christmas Classics (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer / Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town / Frosty the Snowman / Frosty Returns) on Blu-Ray!

I will say if you already own these on DVD then I don’t think buying the Blu-Ray version is worth it. Yes, Blu-Ray is updated technology but the quality difference between the two are minimal. Also, I usually purchase Blu-Rays for their bonus features and there are none in this collection. In my opinion this collection is missing my favorite Rankin-Bass Christmas Special A Year without a Santa Claus.

That being said, if you don’t own these Christmas classics on DVD you should own them on Blu-Ray so that you can continue to share the magic with your children.

Disclosure: I received a set of the videos for the purpose of this review. All opinions are 100% mine.

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