• Tweet this: Win a beautiful Princess Tiana doll from @MomMaven http://bit.ly/108lfR #disney #giveaway (1x a day-leave a separate comment with the tweet URL)
• Stumble, Digg, Mix and/or Facebook this link http://bit.ly/108lfR (leave the URL in your comment)
• Subscribers to my blog get 1 entry
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The winner will be chosen on 11/3/09 at 10:15pm ET by Random.org. I reserve the right to remove any entries that do not meet the above stated requirements.

Good Luck!

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After the welcoming ceremony we were taken to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique inside Cinderella Castle where little princesses can now enjoy a new Princess Tiana makeover. The makeovers range in price from $49.95-$239.95 and advance reservations are recommended. You can make your reservations by calling 407-WDW-STYLE (407-939-7895).

Next we got to go to a meet-and-greet with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. They are both beautiful and Prince Naveen has a very fun personality, he wanted to dance with everyone he met! Princess Tiana was very humble and turned every compliment back around onto the person who complimented her, it was very sweet to watch.

The highlight of the media event was viewing “Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee!,” a rousing, colorful show with a jazz-filled Mardi Gras theme. A procession leads guests to the Liberty Belle Riverboat dock and Rivers of America shoreline. The party moves onboard and the Liberty Belle paddlewheels her way along the river with singing and dancing to the sounds of a six-member jazz band. Nearly two dozen Disney dancers join 30 randomly chosen park guests to be part of each show. “Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee!” will only be appearing through January 3, 2010 so, if you are visiting the Magic Kingdom between now and then I highly recommend you find time to view this exciting show.

Lastly we learned about all of the amazing merchandise that Disney is rolling out to go along with “The Princess and the Frog”. Everything from plush kissing frogs, to school kits, books, dolls and of course-costumes are sure to delight all of the fans of this movie. Closer to the movie’s release date they will also be releasing collectible pins of all of the major characters for all of the pin collectors.

There is a lot of buzz about Tiana being the first African-American Disney Princess and the sentiment I heard from most of the African-American women and girls I spoke to at the event was “I’ve waited all my life for a princess like me.” The movie opens November 25, 2009 in NY and LA and nationwide on December 11, 2009.

The synopsis of the story from the official press release reads;

“When the free-spirited, jazz-loving Prince Naveen of Maldonia (Bruno Campos) comes to town ,a deal with a shady voodoo doctor (Keith David) goes bad and the once suave royal is turned into a frog. In a desperate attempt to be human again, a favor in exchange for a fateful kiss on the lips from the beautiful girl, Tiana (Anika Noni Rose), takes an unexpected turn and leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana to the banks of the almighty Mississippi and back in time for Mardi Gras in New Orleans. An unforgettable tale filled with music, humor and heart where two frogs—along with the help of a 197-year-old voodoo priestess, a love-sick Cajun firefly, and a trumpet-playing alligator—discover that what they want isn’t as important as what they need.”

To view all of my pictures of this event click here.

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With the new Yamaha neoHD you can get rid of all the other remotes and just used the neoHD remote. This easy to use, intuitive media controller is an amazing tool for simplifying your home media mess.  The user simply selects Watch, Listen or Play using the remote cursor, then chooses the desired source. All the other menus, such as song lists, are also easy to view, understand and make selections from.

For me, having only one remote would mean fewer headaches when I wanted to watch television or listen to the radio in the living room. It would also mean not having to make sure you used the correct remotes in the proper sequence to access the DVD player. How would the neoHD make your life better? Leave me a comment and let’s talk.

The post Take Back Control appeared first on The Mom Maven.

from the  Teen Summit on Internet & Wireless Safety presented by Cox Communications

Want to improve the lines of communication with your children? These ten tips will help you get started immediately.

1. Listen

Listen to what your child is expressing and try to understand what’s going on with them internally. Don’t make assumptions.

2. Don’t Interrogate

Ask open-ended questions but avoid excessive questioning. Use general conversation starters like “How is it going?” or “What’s going on?” and then be silent. Most kids will tell you what you want to know if they don’t feel bombarded.

3. Be Honest

Practice honesty and respect. If a child asks something and you don’t know the answer, be honest. Say you don’t know and then find out. Conversely, if you do something inappropriate or make a mistake, be willing to apologize and admit it.

4. Keep Calm

Avoid yelling, making threats or using “labels” to describe your child or their friends.

5. Skip the Lecture

Don’t lecture your child or repeat the same thing constantly. Those tactics usually cause kids to tune you out.

6. Pay Attention

When your teen is talking, give them your complete focus. Stop whatever else you are doing and use eye contact.

7. Be Gentle

Avoid power struggles. You might hold the power, but you lose ultimately when you break your kid’s spirit.

8. No Judgements

Express your opinions without being judgmental. Remember to be concise so your comments don’t turn into a lecture.

9. Use Positive Reinforcement

Don’t dwell on your child’s mistakes. Focus on their accomplishments to demonstrate support and build self-esteem.

10. Take a Walk

Create situations that allow you to communicate with your kids. Whether it’s riding together in the car without playing the radio, running errands together or taking a walk after dinner, this one-on-one time will strengthen your relationship.

If you do not have a good relationship with your teens/tweens that is the place to start. The saying goes “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” is very true. Take some time over the next week to get to know your teen/tween, get on their level. At first don’t talk about the issues that divide you, focus on building them up. Talk about what they like, what they are good at. In my 20+ years of working with youth I see so many parents that don’t even know their kids, and it is sad.  Yes, it takes time, parenting takes time. The benefits of taking the time to get to know and build up your kids are huge.

Spend time with you teen this week. In the next few weeks we will talk about television and the media, cell phones-texting and sexting, social media and more.

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