A Tale of a Normal Mama who felt like a Princess

Once upon a time, in a faraway land (Philly is pretty far from Disney), there lived a very normal Mama.

She worked, cooked and cleaned all day, and there was little time for play!

Some days she felt like "you know who", but without the wicked stepmother...phew! (her mother is actually the most wonderful mother ever).

One day, this Mama got an email from Disney Social Media Moms.  It wasn't an invitation to the royal ball, but an invitation to a FUN and coveted event, the Disney Social Media Moms On the Road Tour (going on in 3 U.S. cities).

She immediately smiled and had to read the invitation a few times to really believe it!

On the day of the event, Mama was bubbling with anticipation, along with all the other mamas (and a few daddies too) in the kingdom!

The mamas enjoyed a wonderful feast and tasty treats at this festive celebration.

Mama didn't meet a prince (she already has hers), but she did meet some amazing members of the Kingdom like Gary Buchanan, Jamie Langdon and Maria Bailey.

Gary was dressed in his royal garb and showing his "DisneySide".

Jamie brought out a special guest, the honorable Mickey Mouse of course! (And I wish I snapped a photo of Maria in action too)!

The royal tables were decked out with different Disney decorations. Snow White was even in attendance at this royal event! ;)

Mama learned some great tidbits about blogging, social media, and balancing her very busy life!

1. If you're at the Disney Parks and want to attend special events, make sure to check the DisneyParks Blog for fun meetups that highlight special events at the park.

2. The awesome PR team at Disney uses Google Docs for managing all their documents. Hey, that sounds like a very "normal" thing to do, and very useful for us Normal Mamas!

3. In order to take better photos with my phone, I need to try out a Smart Phone Camera Lens Kit. I didn't even know this existed until Victoria Lim gave us some GREAT tips!  

4. A blogger at the table also had this Liptick-Sized Portable Charger that can be used to charge a phone WITHOUT needing to plug it into the wall.  Eureka!

5. Finally, there were so many useful "balancing it all" tips. I learned that other mamas have trouble doing it too!  Some of my favorite quotes?  "Be 100% in the space your'e in. Be at work at work. Be truly with kids when you're with them" - The Mojo Coach. "When you're with your kids, look at the whites of their eyes when they speak to you" - Maria Bailey.

When the bell struck 12:30pm, this Mama knew that her time at the event had come to a close. However, instead of glass slipper, she was grateful to take home:

This awesome Seven Dwarfs pin (everyone got a different pin), which references Disney's new ride, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. You can even enter to "be the 8th miner" here!  http://bethe8thminer.com/

This magical creation from HP. It was a pack of photo cards to print photos, cards and GIFT CARDS at HOME. Ever forget a big event and need a card QUICK?  Well, printing cards at home would sure make life easy! Definitely check out HP TwoSmiles!

Every mama got a pack of these cards with a photo showing their #DisneySide on it (mine was a photo of Little Guy eating his food allergy friendly mickey pancakes).

And also a bag full of kid, mom and family-friendly goodies!

And what was the best part of this royal Disney celebration?  

Normal Mama felt a little like a princess that day, took a break from her daily work, and fully enjoyed the Disney magic.

Thank you to all the Disney Social Media Moms planners, sponsors and participants. This Mama surely feels grateful to be a part of the Disney magic!

3 Reasons I Miss NYC

I traveled to New York City last week for work. It was only a day trip, but I tried to soak up as much of the city as possible in my short time there. I lived in NYC for two summers when I interned at MTV and Showtime during college and I learned a lot about the city during that time. BUT there's always so much to explore.

I thought I'd post this week about 3 reasons why NYC is so great for a day trip or even longer! And this is of course JUST scratching the surface of what NYC has to offer.

1. NYC is Walkable

NY is truly an easy city to get around. It's built in a perfect grid system and it's so easy to follow a map. Of course, walking is not only great for exercise, but also great for sightseeing. As I was walking from the train to my work meeting, I walked right past the New York Public Library (Yes, this is where Carrie Bradshaw was supposed to have her wedding for all those SITC fans). It's a beautiful building inside and out. There's SO much to see and do in NY.

2. NYC is Surprising
You never know what you'll see in NYC. I guess this could be good OR bad! On my way to my meeting, I heard tubas and trumpets up ahead (remember, it was about 8:30am in the morning), and I came upon this lively double decker bus. This was a college band playing an upbeat song in preparation for the March Madness basketball game that night. I saw lots of smiles on the street though, which is something you don't always see in NYC.

You also never know WHO you'll see. As I said before, I'm a celebrity watching junkie. NYC is a great place to see random celebrities being "normal". Hey - who ever thought I'd see Martha Stewart in a Speedo shop!? I didn't see any celebrities this trip though.

3. NYC is Delicious
Oh, the food. NYC has a TON of diverse restaurants. You just can't keep up with all the options! I knew I had to seek out an awesome lunch that day, so I ended up walking outside and following a constant flow of take out bags. Yes, I followed take out bags!  There were a number of professionals carrying eye catching bags of food who looked like they were on their lunch break. I knew I had to figure out where those bags were coming from.

I finally found the source - a restaurant called Dishes. They offer a bunch of ethnic food options. I went straight for the "noodle bowls" since it was a cold day and I love noodle bowls! I ordered a noodle bowl with shrimp, rice noodles and all the veggies they could stuff in there. It was AWESOME.

We haven't taken 3 year old Little Guy to NYC so far, so I have not tried to find a food allergy friendly restaurant...yet. But I'm guessing with a little research we can find a great restaurant who can offer a tasty and safe meal.

Just take a look at this wonderful goodness! They give you your noodles and veggies in a bowl (on the right) and broth with shrimp, mushrooms and other veggies on the left.  You just put it together and.....

You get this TASTY lunch. So fresh, warming and satisfying (too bad my phone photos in bad lighting didn't capture this dish better!)

So, those are a few of my reasons I miss NYC. What do you think of New York? Love it or not?