From left to right-Selena BlissfullyDomestic.com; Sara BabyCenter.com; Whit DadCentric.com; Lee MySentimentExactlee.com; Cindy TheMomMaven.com; Stacey 5MinutesForMom.com

Several of you have asked for more information about my Narnia Experience as a whole so I thought I’d try to give a few more details…without boring you to death

This was a crazy adventure. I was gone from home from 9am Thursday thru 11pm Saturday 62 hours and 15 of those hours were spent in airports or airplanes. When I arrived at LAX I was greeted by my driver (yes he was holding a sign with my name on it and I did resist the urge to take a picture of him hee hee). He carried my luggage to the town car, gave me a bottle of chilled spring water and drove me to the hotel (yes I felt like a princess!)

I have stayed at lots of hotels, in lots of price ranges in my lifetime, but I have never been as impressed with the customer service offered at the Sofitel LA. The room was classy yet comfortable and had the best shower I have ever used! About an hour after arriving I headed down to the lobby to meet the other bloggers and Dina from Big Honch Media who coordinated this trip. We all piled in a van and went to the 20th Century Fox lot for a sneak preview of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. We saw several clips from the movie, 30 minutes in all and I can’t wait for December 10th so I can see the entire movie!

After the screening we returned to the hotel for dinner at Simon LA courtesy of 20th Century Fox. We had a lot of great conversation and food during our 3 hour meal! We ordered several appetizers to share-the creamy crispy rock shrimp was my favorite. I ordered the 10oz filet mignon for my entree and it was divine! For dessert we ordered the Junk Food Sampler. It was a platter that included cookies, cupcakes, rice krispie treats, doughnut holes, ice creams, carmel corn and…cotton candy! It was delicious and a lot of fun. That was a long day! I headed back to my room at 10:30pm PT which was 1:30am to my body.

Friday was our busy day. We had breakfast as a group outside the ballroom before going into the Round Table Interview with Will and Georgie. That was a great time and you cane hear some of that interview if you click the link. After the interviews and photos we had a break. I went back to my room to relax and get some work done. I ordered room service for lunch…that was an expensive treat! It was $54 for penne pasta with chicken, creme brulee and a bottle of water! I was glad I wasn’t paying that bill.

In the afternoon we headed to the Beverly Center for the Ice Palace event. We were part of the press line before the actual grand opening took place and then we took part in the official lighting ceremony. After the ceremony our official duties were over and some bloggers had planes to catch. Mine didn’t leave til Saturday morning so I spent some time wandering the mall before heading back to the hotel for more room service for dinner and another great night’s sleep in the very comfy bed.

Saturday I traveled all day. When my plane touched down in Sarasota, FL at 9:35pm I received a text asking if I could be at TheJoyFM studios to talk about my Narnia experience during the 10-11pm hour on Lightforce! Luckily the studio isn’t far from the airport so we stopped there for a bit before heading home.

My Narnia experience will continue on December 10th at 12:01am when a group of us meet in Sarasota to watch The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader at the midnight showing opening day. If you are in the area please join us.

I had a great time and made some new friends. I want to thank 20th Century Fox for the wonderful weekend and Dina Vathis from Big Honcho Media for coordinating this exciting experience.

The post My Narnia Experience appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Mandatory 1st Entry: Leave a comment telling me which Narnia book is your favorite and why.

Bonus Entries: Leave a separate comment for each.

• “Like” The Voyage of the Dawn Treader on Facebook and leave this comment on their wall “Enter to win an autographed movie poster from TheMomMaven http://bit.ly/e0DQCW “
• Follow @MomMaven on Twitter
• Tweet this “Enter to #win and autographed #Narnia #DawnTreader poster from @MomMaven http://bit.ly/e0DQCW ” you may do this 2x a day
• Blog subscribers, GFS friends, Networked Blogs followers and Facebook Likers each get 1 entry
• “Like” this post on Facebook using the button on the bottom of this post.
• Put my blog button on your blog 5 entries-leave a link to where it is on your site-leave 5 separate comments
• Comment on any non-giveaway posts on this blog. You may do this up to 5 times. Tell me which post you commented  on in your entry.

This giveaway is for US entries only and will end at 9pm on December 10, 2010. Any entries not following the above stated rules will be deleted. Winner will be chosen by Random.org.

The post Autographed Poster Giveaway The Chronicles of Narnia:The Voyage of the Dawn Treader appeared first on The Mom Maven.

This is Will’s first trip to the United States and Georgie’s first trip to Los Angeles and they were both really enjoying the experience.

Instead of telling you about the interview I thought I’d let you listen to some of it instead. Click this link to listen:
Blogger Roundtable Interview with Will Poulter and Georgie Henley.

So, what did you think? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Special thanks to my audio-engineer son Aaron for editing the audio for me.

The post Narnia Cast-Blogger Roundtable Interview appeared first on The Mom Maven.

The post The Grand Opening of the Narnia Ice Palaces appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Click here to see how easy it is to pack a shoebox for a child in need.

Leave me a comment and let me know how many boxes you filled.

The post Operation Narnia appeared first on The Mom Maven.

The post The Voyage of the Dawn Treader appeared first on The Mom Maven.

The young stars of the all-new motion picture  event The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, are set to kick off the holiday season in grand fashion by hosting a nationwide 16 city lighting ceremony for the groundbreaking, multi-sensory, new Ice Palaces created by Taubman Centers. The Ice Palaces will feature scenes from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.  The ceremony will illuminate Taubman malls across the country simultaneously as families and fans everywhere gather together in celebration.

On Friday, November 12 at 4 p.m. Pacific/7 p.m. Eastern, actors Georgie Henley (Lucy Pevensie) and Will Poulter (Eustace Clarence Scrubb) will give holiday revelers the first look at the Ice Palaces and their highly anticipated film at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles.  The Beverly Center event will stream live to 15 other Taubman shopping centers across the country where children will wave LED wands to simultaneously illuminate the Ice Palaces from coast to coast. The celebration opens the free exhibit for all to experience, ushering in the holiday season and the arrival of Santa Claus.

The Ice Palace Offers a Memorable Narnia Experience for All

Shoppers can experience the enchantment of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in the Ice Palaces at 16 Taubman shopping centers nationwide from November

12 through December 24.  The exhibits, inspired by the magic of winter, feature a color changing 30-foot Ice Palace, encircled with a series of majestic arches and smaller globes that appear to be carved from ice and will immerse visitors with magical vignettes from the land of Narnia.  As they walk through falling snow inside the structure, guests will encounter life-like figures portraying scenes from the film and exclusive movie footage integrated in an exciting video show.  When visitors enter the Ice Palace’s largest dome, they will be greeted with falling snow and a captivating light show. The journey continues as guests can sit on the Ice Palace throne that’s cool to the touch, and leave their handprint on the interactive ice arch, which features the paw prints of famed Narnian creatures.

The Ice Palace was designed and produced for Taubman by Global Experience Specialists.  The all-audience 3D movie from Twentieth Century Fox and Walden Media unfolds on the high seas and on magical islands, as Lucy and her brother Edmond, along with their cousin Eustace, embark on an incredible adventure aboard the ship the Dawn Treader.  The movie opens nationwide on December 10.

Finally, guests can take home a piece of their Ice Palace adventure with a photo on the Ice Throne. As with holiday tradition, Santa Claus will also be on hand for photos. Photo Packages will be available for purchase at individual shopping centers which will include special promotional offers from SeeHere.com, Fujifilm’s photo printing, gifting, and sharing website

The Ice Palace experience will come to life at the following shopping centers:

• California

o   Beverly Center (Los Angeles),

o   Sunvalley (Concord),

• Colorado

o   Cherry Creek (Denver),

• Connecticut

o   Westfarms (Farmington),

• Florida

o   Dolphin Mall (Miami),

o   International Plaza (Tampa),

o   The Mall at Wellington Green (Wellington),

• Illinois

o   Woodfield Mall (Schaumburg),

• Michigan

o   Fairlane Town Center (Dearborn),

o   Great Lakes Crossing Outlets (Auburn Hills),

o   Twelve Oaks (Novi),

• New Jersey

o   The Mall at Short Hills (Short Hills),

• North Carolina

o   Northlake (Charlotte),

• Texas

o   The Shops at Willow Bend (Plano),

• Virginia

o   Fair Oaks Mall (Fairfax),

o   MacArthur Center (Norfolk),

Special for Opening Day

The first 200 visitors to the Ice Palaces at each shopping center on November 12 will receive a voucher for a free commemorative photo with Santa that can be used that evening or any time prior to November 24. The first 400 children will also be given LED wands to help light the Ice Palace.  American Airlines is the official airline sponsor for this event.  For more information about the Ice Palace opening event at a specific Taubman shopping center, please visit: www.Taubman.com and click on the Center Website tab.

The post Narnian Ice Palaces appeared first on The Mom Maven.

The parent bloggers on the panel are:

Selena Cochran BlissfullyDomestic.com

Sara McGinnis  BabyCenter.com

Whit Honea DadCentric.com

Cindy Schultz TheMomMaven.com (me!)

Stacey Heneveld 5MinutesForMom.com

Lee Allport MySentimentExactlee.com (my Florida friend)

I’m excited to meet the rest of the panel and share this amazing experience with them.

About The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Return to the hope and wonder of C.S. Lewis’ beloved world, via the fantastic Narnian ship, the Dawn Treader.  In this new installment of the blockbuster “The Chronicles of Narnia” motion picture franchise, a stirring tale of empowerment and adventure, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their cousin Eustace, their royal friend King Caspian, and the warrior mouse Reepicheep, find themselves swallowed into a painting and on to the Dawn Treader.  During their mission – on which rests the fate of Narnia itself – they overcome their greatest temptations and shortcomings, as they travel  to mysterious islands and a pool that turns anything it touches into gold; to confrontations with magical creatures; and to a reunion with their friend and protector, the “Great Lion” Aslan.

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