Listen to Lena

Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion

#DisneyJuniorMom

Making a (Must-See TV) List, and Checking it Twice

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If I sit back and think of my parenting style, the words “unapologetically old-school” come to mind. You see, I’m a firm believer that if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, and both my husband and I somehow survived 30+ years with simple little things like good values, respect for elders, and a fear of God.

So, I’ve adopted that parenting style when it comes to my own kids, and hence, they receive a small glass of pop at parties, copious amounts of outdoor play, and a swat on the behind if they do something with malice or wrongful intent. And during the holiday season, it means they’re allowed unrestricted time in front of the tube to indulge in holiday specials.

Thinking back to my own upbringing, I fondly remember my mom creating Christmas goodies while my brother and I camped in front of the TV. Back in the day, in addition to the classics like Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Coming to Town! and The Year Without a Santa Claus, it was also the cartoon specials such as A Garfield Christmas Special, The Smurfs Christmas Special and Care Bears Nutcracker Suite that filled us with good cheer. Today, my boys wait in anticipation for Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas, Tickety Toc Christmas Special and A Very McStuffins Christmas.

And as a #DisneyJuniorMom, I’m pleased to share with you their holiday programming schedule!

Disney Junior will be filled with the excitement of the holidays, with many new holiday-themed episodes, movies and specials! Highlights include:

– Every weeknight at 6pm ET from December 2nd to 24th, families can enjoy holiday episodes and specials.

– Sunday,December 8th at 10:30am ET, be sure not to miss Mickey’sMagical Christmas: Snowed In at the House of Mouse. In this special, extended episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Mickey and the gang throw a party to help Donald get into the holiday spirit, after a snowstorm leaves them stranded in The House of Mouse. The magical episode features extra-special guest appearances by favourite Disney characters including Snow White, Aladdin, Winnie the Pooh and many more!

– All day on Christmas Day from 6am ET until 11pm ET, enjoy holiday movies,episodes and specials.

During the holidays, my husband and I *conveniently* forget about “Disney Junior On Demand” and “PVR”. You see, we want the boys to experience the same sense of anticipation and contentment as we did, years ago: scrolling through the guide, finding the holiday specials, writing down the show times and keeping an eye on the clock. It’s a small tradition, but one we’re happy to carry out – although we sorely miss the printed TV guide! There’s nothing to circle when all the guides are on-screen!

What were some of your favourite television holiday specials growing up?

I’m part of the Disney Junior Mom program andI receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group.
The opinions on this blog are my own. 

A Royal Cameo: Belle Visits Sofia the First!

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Last December, while at Walt Disney World for the New Fantasyland media trip, we were treated to a very special sneak peek: the first episode of Sofia the First – a whole month before its official debut!

Okay, so the truth is, we weren’t invited to a fancy screening that was hush-hush or otherwise “exclusive”. The first episode was part of the in-room entertainment rotation, and let me tell you… it rotated. Like, 8 times per day. So by the end of the 5-day trip, I had a pretty decent understanding of Sofia the First.

And, I had a pretty good idea that the show would be a HIT.

Think about it. Here’s a lovably humble, kind and courteous little girl who becomes a princess after her mother marries King Roland II of the kingdom of Enchancia. She has the incredibly powerful magical Amulet of Avalor that grants her the ability to talk to and understand animals (huzzah!), but the amulet is coveted by the evil sorcerer Cedric who wants its great magical power so he can use it to take over the kingdom (boo!).

However, Sofia the First is about so much more than just entertainment for wee ones; the entire series focuses on character qualities such as kindness, generosity, loyalty, honesty and grace. And even though I have two little boys, the lessons taught by Princess Sofia are not lost on them; when I asked Ryder why he loves the show, he said – and I quote – “Sofia is nice. Sometimes, when a person does something wrong, she doesn’t make them feel bad about it. And she always helps if she can. I wish she was in my class. Can I go to her school?”

On Sunday, November 10th, Disney Junior will feature a very special new episode of Sofia the First with a guest appearance by Belle (from Beauty and the Beast)! This episode,called “The Amulet and the Anthem” will premiere at 11:30am ET on Sunday morning.

“Sofia’s magical amulet bestows a curse upon her after she becomes a bit too boastful about being chosen to sing the Enchancian Anthem at the Harvest Festival. Sofia gets a special visit from Princess Belle who offers her some advice.”

BONUS: If you’re looking for extra entries for Disney Junior’s Princesses & Heroes contest, you can snag 25 entries by catching the Bonus Code, which will appear during the special episode!

(Enter it right after the premiere by clicking here. In Disney Junior’s Princesses & Heroes contest, you and your family could travel to Toronto to experience Disney On Ice! The grand prize includes round trip flights for a family of up to 4, a two-night hotel stay for a family of up to 4, rinkside seats to Disney On Ice presents Princesses & Heroes, the opportunity to meet a star from the show, plus a special $1,000 shopping spree experience from The Disney Store!)

We’ll be tuning in on Sunday morning – I hope you will too!

I’m part of the Disney Junior Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group.
The opinions on this blog are my own. 

Our Very First Halloween

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I know what you’re thinking: “Lena, your boys are 3 and 5. How can this be your first Halloween?”

Well, it’s simple. This is the very first year that both boys equally, unequivocally and enthusiastically understand what Halloween is all about… and couldn’t be more excited for it! It’s Halloween this, Halloween that, Halloween EVERYTHING day and night. And the best part – they don’t even care about the treats. I don’t think they recall the element of trick-or-treating at all – which in my book, makes their excitement even better.

Halloween has been a month-long celebration for us. As soon as October hit and the spooky decor made its way into stores, we’ve been indulging in all things Halloween-related. Yes, we have uncarved pumpkins on our porch, waiting to be prepped. You can bet we’ve visited Party City once or twice, deciding on the perfect costumes for the boys.  And you just know we’ve been PVR’ing all the kid-friendly Halloween specials in anticipation of the big day.

As a #DisneyJuniorMom, I’m pleased to share with you some spooktacular news: Disney Junior celebrates Halloween weeknights at 6pm ET all month-long!

There will be brand-new, Halloween-themed episodes of Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Sofia the First, Stella and Sam, Henry Huggle Monster and Bananas in Pajamas… along with some classic favourites from these and other hit Disney Junior series. And to help crank up the spooky factor another notch – Disney Junior will be airing Halloween episodes ALL DAY on October 30th and 31st!

Also, be sure to check out the Big Halloween Party section on Disney Junior’s website, for tons of great Halloween games, crafts and colouring pages. We’ve been printing sheets daily – did you know that my boys are obsessed with colouring? It’s true! We literally have hundreds of colouring pages strewn across our family room floor. Sigh.

Of course, the question of the day – what will my boys be for Halloween? Well, they had big plans to dress up as Mike and Sulley from Monsters University. In fact, we scoured many a costume store to find the matching set. And while we were successful in locating a Sulley costume for Ryder, we’re still on the search for a Mike costume for Reid. They seem to be sold out wherever we look! Ack!…

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Reid and Ariel… United At Last!

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It’s been a while since I chatted about my little guy’s obsession with Ariel from The Little Mermaid. In truth, at one time, it was all “Ariel this” and “Ariel that”, but recently, he’s been otherwise distracted. Which is actually a good thing, because it’s allowed the months to fly by in anticipation of October 1st,  when Disney’s The Little Mermaid: Diamond Edition will splash into homes for the very first time in Blu-ray Hi Def.

And we can’t wait to get our hands on the movie! Bonus features include an All-New Music Video, Part of Her World: Jodi Benson’s Voyage To New Fantasyland, Deleted Characters and more. Translation: Reid will soon be reunited with his lady love! That’s almost as exciting as finding a “banded, bulbous snarfblatt” :)

Last month, you may have noticed that I chatted about programming on Disney Junior. Well, I’m proud to announce that I’ve joined the #DisneyJuniorMom program for the remainder of 2013. It’s a great group of bloggers and made total sense for me as: a) my boys are Disney fanatics, and b) we love a good cartoon or two (or ten).

Of course, it’s even more wonderful that my very first communication is centered around the The Little Mermaid – here’s some amazing news for fans of all ages!

First, in anticipation of the Blu-ray Hi Def release, Disney Junior is giving a lucky viewer the chance to win a round-trip to Toronto to experience Canada’s Private Red Carpet Screening of The Little Mermaid, complete with an Under the Sea Adventure experience at the TIFF Bell Lightbox for the little one before the show. Can I get a “Whoa… Dinglehopper!”

The winning family will be flown to Toronto to enjoy the event, along with a 2-night hotel stay, transportation and $1,000 in spending money.  Plus, children will receive a special gift as well. Click here for the grand prize details.

So, the truth is, I’ve kind of been entering every day. Fingers and toes are crossed! And if the contest isn’t your cup of tea, I won’t be mad if you enter every day, happen to win, and then defer your prize to me. Oops! Did I just suggest that out loud?

Okay, so my second tidbit of Mermaid news is just as awesome for little ones – the series is coming back exclusively to Disney Junior, weekdays at 8pm ET starting Monday, September 16th! OMG. The Little Mermaid on demand? I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Other news for Disney Junior:

  • The Doc is in, with new episodes of Doc McStuffins premiering Sundays at 11am ET, starting September 15th.
  • Justin and his imaginary pals, Olive and Squidgy, are back in the second season of Justin Time premiering Sundays at 8:30am ET, starting September 8th.

Well friends, it looks like the fall season is off to a fabulous start! 

I’m part of the Disney Junior Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group.
The opinions on this blog are my own.