Coast 2 Coast Mom

Milk Mustache Breakfast In Bed GIVEAWAY #GotMilk #MilkToastToMom

I’ve been working over Mother’s Day weekend with The National Milk Mustache “got milk?” Campaign to promote their milk with breakfast initiative, and the launch of the new Katie Couric Breakfast Project ad campaign. They’ve sponsored this giveaway and given me an inside look at the making of the ads with Katie Couric and her daughters.

Mother’s Day morning can feel a lot like Christmas morning: filled with anticipation, whispers, and when little kids are involved, proud li’l helpers. After an hour and a half of laying in bed listening to the Kiddo and my husband in the kitchen, I was antsy and attempted to creep downstairs to start the day when the Kiddo ran up to block my descent yelling, “We’re almost done! Go back to bed! We’re bringing you breakfast in bed!” So back I went, to complete another Sodoku puzzle or two.

When they did come up bringing breakfast on a tray, it was beautiful and de-lish! :-D Here’s what my first ever Mother’s Day breakfast in bed looked like:

GIVEAWAY: You can win your own items to toast yourself or someone you love with breakfast in bed, thanks to the Milk Mustache campaign. The breakfast in bed giveaway set includes everything you see here:

That's 1 breakfast in bed tray, 1 decorative plate, 1 cereal bowl, 1 milk jar, 1 mug, 1 spoon, and a fun fresian aerolatte moooo milk frother - a pretty set to make anyone feel special!

ENTER TO WIN: Just leave a comment below by Monday, May 20, 2013 at Noon EST. I'll pick the winner using random.org, and contact the winner that afternoon to get his/her shipping address. The breakfast in bed gift basket will be shipped directly to the winner from the Milk Mustache campaign.

Good luck!

 

 

 

Hilton Times Square Family Holiday Getaway

Without a doubt, there’s more energy and action in and around Times Square than any other part of New York City, so when we had the opportunity to stay at the Hilton Times Square in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, we immediately planned a fun family weekend in NYC.

We’ve stayed at the Hilton Times Square before, so we already knew it was a great location, within walking distance of a lot of great things to do, places to shop, and restaurants to eat. It was a particularly perfect place to stay around the holidays, as we’ve developed an annual family tradition to see the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade - both of which are short 5-10 minute walks from the hotel.  Even the famed windows on 5th Avenue aren’t much of a hike if you’re up for a brisk walk in December.

But outside of holiday activities, we recently saw the Lion King on Broadway and checked out the Harry Potter Exhibit at Discovery Times Square. The Discovery Times Square museum is one of our favorite places as there’s always great exhibits to see, like the Spy Exhibit also currently showing (which we also highly recommend).

The rooms at the Hilton Times Square are clean and accommodating, and competitively priced for a hotel in the heart of New York City.  Depending on which direction your room faces, there's generally some great views. The last time we stayed here, we had a prime view for people-watching down on 42nd Street. This time, we were on the 42nd floor on the Executive Level.



Which gave us some amazing views....

The view from our room - The Empire State Building, Hudson River and Freedom Tower

While still relatively new having only been built in 2000, starting in January 2013 the Hilton Times Square began a “guestroom only revitalization project” which should make the hotel even more appealing. 



We loved the amenities in the bathroom....


And what's a hotel stay without chocolate on the nightstand...



The hotel lobby and all public areas are open and up to date, and include a bar area on the second floor along with a restaurant area that offers sit down meals as well as a breakfast buffet.


The second floor lobby area and Front Desk


The restaurant and bar area off the main lobby of the Hilton Times Square

The result of our efforts from the Hilton Times Square breakfast buffet

Posted in the main lobby was a woman representing Hilton who was offering guests the opportunity to receive a significantly discounted future stay if we booked right then while staying at the hotel. Knowing how much we enjoy getaways and staycations in the city, and given what prices could run you in New York we took advantage of it, and will plan to spend another holiday in a hotel later on this year.

Thank you to the Hilton Honors card from American Express for allowing us to stay in NYC at the Hilton Times Square to #hotelfortheholidays and establish some memorable family holiday traditions.

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Harry Potter: The Exhibition at Discovery Times Square

ANNIE the Musical on Broadway in NYC

ANNIE the Musical premiered on Broadway in NYC recently, and I was invited to preview the show a couple of weeks ago. I was stoked to attend ANNIE on Broadway as I'd only seen the movie before and wanted to see how they compared - and I was excited to introduce the Kiddo to the songs and story that led to his Aunt Annie being named Aunt Annie.

ANNIE the musical delivered pure enjoyment. The characters I remembered from my childhood embodied the lyrics and era. I remain in awe of the ability of the kid and teen actors to nail their performances and lines both on their own and as the ensemble of orphans. They rocked their comedic timing, physical humor and vocals. 

And Sandy! The rescue dogs performed so well, and created aisle-to-aisle smiles throughout the audience when they appeared on stage.

The post-war Depression era setting provided a lot of teaching opportunities throughout the musical. People living in cardboard shanties? Why? Who's Herbert Hoover? Why does Daddy Warbucks live in a mansion? Why do these kids not live at home with their parents?

Of course, the highlight for me was the music. It made me smile while driving home across the GW bridge as my son was singing "It's a Hard Knock Life" from the backseat. He had never heard the song before, and picked up the catchy chorus enough to sing it on the way home unassisted. It was incredibly sweet, and speaks volumes to just how delightful the musical was - even for those not familiar with the characters and story.

There were songs in the musical that I was hearing for the first time: "Thank you Herbert Hoover," and another sung solo by Daddy Warbucks. I was slightly bummed to not hear "We Got Annie" - one of my favorite songs from the movie.

We got Annie

So, back to the Kiddo's Aunt Annie. Annie was the first movie I saw in the movie theater as a kid, and I received the soundtrack soon thereafter. My other sister, Holly, and I played that record over and over on our Fisher-Price record player in the toy room. I'm sure even my dad could recite a few lines from the songs himself he overheard us singing and performing along to the ANNIE movie soundtrack enough, eventhough it was 25 years ago.

So when my parents told Holly and I we were going to get a sister, they let us help pick her name. The list was short, and we ALL agreed on Annie. I can't remember how many times after she was born that we teasingly (and admittedly - straight out earnestly. Hey! We were kids!) danced around singing "We Got Annie!"

I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to see Annie the musical on Broadway, and am grateful that I had the chance to take the Kiddo to experience it too, thanks to MamaDrama. I recommend every family visiting NYC for some family holiday fun see Annie on Broadway this season. #AnnieonBroadway #AnnieonBway #MamaDrama

And yes, there are souvenirs and gift ideas to remember the experience at home. . .

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Hilton Honors AmEx Card Helps Families “Hotel for the Holidays”

As Generation  X and Millennial families leave their hometowns to settle down in distant cities, more and more families find themselves traveling over the holidays. When all of the siblings head home, there may not be enough “room at the inn” for everyone to comfortably stay under your parents’ roof, (hello air mattress, pull-out bed, sleeping bag!) so you head to a hotel. Or, sometimes the road trip home to visit family may seem too long for a weekend trip, or too expensive to fly home for every holiday, but you still want to make memories and establish traditions for your own new family and plan a hotel stay closer to home.

That’s exactly what we did over Thanksgiving. Courtesy of Hilton HHonors Card from American Express, we’re able to stay three nights at the Hilton Times Square over Thanksgiving and create our own holiday memories in NYC.

The Hilton Honors program is working with American Express for the holiday season to make it easier to find a hotel by using HHonors points - with no blackout dates! - which could land you a hotel room and save you money in the process (perhaps to spend on gifts or to donate to charities).

If you don’t already have a Hilton HHonors Card, through the end of November new Cardmembers can get up to 65,000 bonus HHonors points when they sign up for the card which is phenomenal considering that you can get a free night for 25,000 points, or even less with points + cash, so you could get 2-4 nights just for getting the card!

If you’re like us and travel a lot, there’s something called the Hilton HHonors Surpass Card that may be more attractive for you. It costs $75 per year (as opposed to the HHonors Card which is free), but you earn 12 points for every dollar spent at Hilton Hotels, and 6 points at select supermarkets, drugstores and gas stations.  So you can accumulate points faster, and that doesn’t even include a 60,000 point bonus if you’re a new Surpass Cardmember

Either way you look at it, if you're going to be travelling this holiday season, then the Hilton HHonors Amex card may be something to look into before you hit the road.

Thanks to American Express for letting us know about the program and for offering us the opportunity to #hotelfortheholidays at the Hilton Times Square over Thanksgiving.

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New Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies Coming Soon

New Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies are coming to a grocery store near you! While visiting Trumpeting Media's R&R Suite at the Four Seasons New York last week, I was introduced to a few new Pepperidge Farm varieties arriving on store shelves beginning at the end of August 2012. Meet the Milano Melts and Milano Slices:

I tasted the Vanilla Creme Milano Melts and Salted Pretzel Milanos (those are pretzel bits on the Milanos) which should both be available in grocery stores within mere weeks . . .

 . . .but my FAVORITE new Milano cookie is the Peppermint Milano with li'l peppermint bits. YUM!! I think we ate the entire bag over the weekend. Even the Kiddo liked them, saying they're "not too spicy" as he doesn't like super minty flavors. The sample bag of Peppermint Milanos has me itching to buy a bag as soon as I spot 'em in stores. The Peppermint Milano cookies will be available for a limited time this holiday season.

 

 

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The Children's PLACE Holiday Preview 2012

The Children's PLACE offered a sneak peek at their 2012 holiday baby and kids' clothes last night in NYC. Yes, that's right - HOLIDAY 2012! While we're just beginning back-to-school shopping now, it was nonetheless inspiring to see the winter trends for kids' outfits - and to see what we need to pick up to ensure that the Kiddo's sporting some style this next school year.

 

Overall, the Loft Suite at the Bryant Park Hotel was bustling and it was interesting to hear The Children's PLACE's own Michael Giannelli discuss some of the winter trends for kids with Nicole Feliciano, of MomTrends. The must-haves for the 2012 fall/winter are sparkles, monsters, and critter hats, and Michael even hinted at some things they're working on for next spring (hint: neon). The clothes I previewed will roll out beginning in September through November, with all of the new lines available by November 1st.

 

Here's a look at The Children's PLACE holiday outfits featured at the preview event:

A PBS KIDS Cat in the Hat-A-Thon To Celebrate Dr. Seuss's Birthday

PBS KIDS is hosting a two-hour Cat in the Hat-A-Thon in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday on Friday, March 2nd. This year would have been Dr. Seuss's 108th birthday!

PBS KIDS will air two new episodes of "The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That!" during the Cat in the Hat-A-Thon:

• “Seasons – Spring and Summer/Fall and Winter,” which takes the Cat, Nick and Sally on a journey through the four seasons, and
• “When I Grow Up/Doing It Differently,” in which Nick and Sally explore what it means to grow up and learn that trying a different approach can sometimes be the best way to solve a problem. 

The marathon will also include encore presentations of “Hooray for Hair/Ice Is Nice” and “Chasing Rainbows/Follow the Prints.”

Kids can play "Cat in the Hat" games and watch video content online or via mobile for free - plus, there's a new Birthday Parrty Builder Tool for parents on the PBS KIDS Shop online.

Here's a taste of the PBS Kids Dr. Seuss party with the Cat in the Hat-a-thon:

 

We'll be watching with you!

Dylan's Candy Bar Easter Egg Hunt with Jelly Belly in NYC

Dylan's Candy Bar is prepping to host the ultimate Easter Egg Hunt with Jelly Belly in NYC in a few weeks and the Kiddo and I are so excited! An Easter egg hunt in such a legendary candy shop!! Tickets go on sale tomorrow Wednesday, February 29, 2012 on GiltCity.com for the candy-riffic Easter Egg Hunt that'll take place Sunday, March 18, 2012.

The event includes a continental breakfast, the opportunity to explore Dylan's Candy Bar in search of eggs, and games and activities like photos with Dylan's Chocolate the Bunny and Mr. Jelly Belly, and playing with the Jelly Belly BeanBoozled Spin Wheel. Kids will leave with a Jelly Belly gift bag.

Tickets will be available in 3 tiers:

• 9:00 am -10:00 am for ages 2-4
• 9:45 am -10:45 am for ages 2-4
• 10:30 am -11:30 am for ages 5-8

Star Wars Holiday

We decided to celebrate our own Star Wars holiday this last day of vacation (yes, I know it's Jan 2nd and not May 4th, or "May the Fourth Be With You" day). The Kiddo's been such a trooper throughout our travels, errands and home organization the past two weeks that we wanted to spend the day doing something special just for him.

We were inspired last night by his Star Wars pj's, and the fact that we hadn't yet watched Star Wars The Complete Saga, which would be phenomenal to watch on our new TV and Blu-Ray player. Besides, we were sick of catching the Star Wars movies on Spike and having to suffer through their low budget commercials.

We started the day with Star Wars character-shaped pancakes, using the William-Sonoma pancake molds that the Kiddo received last Christmas.Then when we were ready to slide the Blu-Ray disk into the player, the Kiddo ran for his Star Wars reference books:

TiVo "Rewarding" Recording with Toys for Tots Donation Campaign

I'm excited to share that your TiVo DVR will soon be "rewarding" your recording with an oh-so-easy way to be charitable this Christmas! TiVo will make a $1 donation to Toys for Tots for each individual recording of It's A Wonderful Life airing on NBC on Saturday, December 24th at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT. It's A Wonderful Life was the most "TiVo'ed" holiday movie last year.

Just as “every time a bell rings, an angel gets their wings,” this holiday season every time a TiVo® DVR “Badoops,” a child in need is closer to receiving a new toy. . . .

Guess this means we'll be responsible for a $4 donation via TiVo this year. ;-) We'll have to set it before we head to the grandparents. Now if only they'd reward my GetGlue check-ins. ;-)

While you have TiVo on the brain, check out their holiday singing TiVograms. . . kinda cute! I already sent one to @c2cdad.