How To Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular hits Chicago!

Edited to add:

We SAW it and it was AWESOME! If you have the chance, you really must go and see this live show. It's unlike anything you've ever seen and the dragons were BEAUTIFUL and thrilling and SO realistic!


Have you seen the commercials for this amazing show? Have you watched the trailers for the live action creation based on the hit movie from Dreamworks?

With 23 different dragons of varying wing spans of up to 46 feet, the massiveness of this production is one that is sure to impress even the most critical of live show-goers. In fact, Toothless (the main dragon character) flies a total of 1.2 miles through the duration of the show. I find that AMAZING. The technology and precision involved in configuring that must be so specific!

It's been a hit in Australia and New Zealand and it's sure to be a hit across the United States. With effects and action like the snippets I've seen, I imagine it will be a fanTAStic experience!

Details on the Chicago show are below, but if you are located elsewhere in the States, be sure to check out their home page for information on your nearest city's shows!

We can't wait! 

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DREAMWORKS HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR will appear at the United Center on Wednesday, July 25 at 7:00 PM; Thursday, July 26 at 7:00 PM; Friday, July 27 at 7:00 PM; Saturday, July 28 at 11:00 AM, 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM; and Sunday, July 29 at 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM with free parking at official United Center parking lots for all performances.

Photo credit: Jeff Busby

Across the nation, for all shows on Monday through Thursday, you can save 25% off all tickets by using the code MOM at the checkout through Ticketmaster (see the promotions and special offers box).*

*certain restrictions may apply.  

* disclaimer: I will be receiving complimentary tickets for my family in exchange for reviewing the show and spreading the word but all opinions remain, as always, my own.

An Even BETTER Cedar Point Giveaway!

Updated at bottom with winner's information!

Did you miss my first Cedar Point giveaway? Did you enter and not win? I'm sorry about that. Because the park is definitely worth the effort it takes to enter giveaways for the chance at being pulled.

How about we try and make one of you feel better about not winning last time? How about an even BETTER giveaway?

Cedar Point would like to offer one reader 2 one-day passes for entry into Cedar Point. AND they are adding two FAST PASSES to that offer, as well!

For the uninformed, Fast Passes are the magical* passes that a person can purchase in addition to their regular ticket so that they may enter near the beginning of the line for most of the rides in Cedar Point. Want to ride Millennium Force AND Maverick AND Top Thrill Dragster AND Raptor, all in one day? Without the Fast Pass, it may not be possible. Those lines are generally 1-2 hours, depending on the day of your attendance. But WITH the Fast Pass, you can not only ride them all, but ride them as many times as you want!

The thought of that just made my heart go pitter-pat...

HOW TO ENTER:

Please be sure to include your valid email address. If I cannot get a hold of you, I will have to choose another winner. 

Please be sure to enter a separate comment for each entry. I will be using Random.org to randomly (heh) select the winner based upon comment #. If you only comment once, you will only have one chance to be picked. If there is a duplicate comment, it will count in the line up, but cannot win. The next comment with a valid entry will be the winner.

Ways to enter:

1. Comment and tell me who you'd take on this awesome experience.

2. Tweet about this giveaway linking back to @justanothermom and @cedarpoint . Please use a separate comment for each tweet. Limit of 5 tweets, please!

3. Share this giveaway on Facebook or any other social media site being sure to link back in the comments.

4. Follow me on Twitter @justanothermom

5. Subscribe to my blog via Google Friend.

Best of luck to you all! Contest closes at 12:00 midnight CST on Thursday, July 5.

*They're not really magical. Though it will feel like they are; trust me!


Disclaimer: I was provided with passes to Cedar Point and Soak City in return for writing a review and giveaway. But ALL opinions are, as always, my own!

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Updated with winner on 7/6/12:

Using Random.org, the winner of this drawing is #22:

Congratulations to David Lobner! I hope you have a fabulous time at Cedar Point!


If you didn't win this drawing, be sure to keep tabs on Just Another Review Blog for possible giveaways in the coming weeks.


Thanks for entering!

Be Our Guest... a giveaway to the Chicago Shakespeare production of Beauty and the Beast

The Chicago Shakespeare Theater is providing yet another fabulous source of live entertainment for your family this summer! My family has been privileged to attend several shows over the past few years at the Shakes and are so excited to catch Beauty and the Beast which will run from June 28 through August 26th. With a run time of about 75 minutes, it's the perfect length for the smallest of all theater-goers with a show topic that will interest both the young and the young at heart.

You can purchase tickets via their box office or enter below to win a packet of 4!

To Enter Giveaway:

~ Comment below about who you'd bring to see the show!

~ Tweet about this giveaway and link back.

Best of luck to all! Contest ends at 12 midnight CST on Sunday, June 24.
______

Edited with winner:

The winner is #2, "newhere6303". Congratulations and enjoy the show!



*winning 4 tickets may only be used from June 28 through July 13 and are subject to availability. I have been given tickets in exchange for a giveaway but all opinions of the Shakespeare Theater are my own.

Cedar Point Giveaway!!

Some of you may know that my family is a bunch of adrenaline junkies. We ADORE amusement parks and consider ourselves roller coaster experts. One of our favorite spots to go is now Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.

2011

 If you've never been to Cedar Point, you simply Must. Go. First of all, the park is so CLEAN. This is a huge accomplishment for an amusement park...

 But most importantly, the rides are phenomenal. Even the smaller coasters which are geared for the more vertically challenged are fast-paced and exciting.

 This little ride surprised the heck out of me. Don't walk past the smaller coasters, folks; they will definitely give you a thrill for a much shorter waiting time.

We haven't told the younger kids (my teenager overheard us planning) but we're going to Cedar Point in a few weeks! EVEN BETTER is the fact that Corinne is now over 48 inches and Evan is 55 inches which allows him access to Every. Coaster. Even the Top Thrill Dragster!!

If you are planning a trip, I suggest checking out Cedar Point's event calendar for special ticket prices and packages.There are ALWAYS ways to save money on purchasing tickets to Cedar Point!

OR, Another option would be to enter this giveaway for a Family Four Pack of tickets (to be used in the 2012 season. Some restrictions may apply)!!


To Enter to win a packet of 4 tickets to Cedar Point (be sure to leave a SEPARATE comment for each item you do):

~ Tell me, have you ever been to Cedar Point? What was your favorite ride? If you've never been,  what would you like to try first?
~ Follow my blog on Google Friend
~ Follow me on Twitter @justanothermom
~ Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this page and to @justanothermom
~ Follow Cedar Point on Twitter @cedarpoint

Giveaway will end at midnight on June 17!

Good luck!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edited to add winner:

The winner was chosen via Random.org

#7 is the winner! Congratulations to Christina and her family! Hope you guys have a fabulous time!

*Disclaimer: We are receiving tickets for our family in exchange for this review and giveaway but ALL opinions remain my own!

Trop50 Review and Giveaway

Tropicana is one of those brands that you just trust and love. Their Trop50  brand is delicious and I was thrilled to try it out when it first appeared on the market. I was even happier to review the Trop50 Tea juice beverage because this family LOVES tea!

First up on the family reviewers is 13 year old Justin; our #1 Tea connoisseur. (Seriously. He loves tea.)

Justin, how do you feel about the Trop50 Tea juice beverage?
How do I feel? What do you mean? I like it. It's good. Is that what you mean?

What is refreshingly different about this product?
I like that it has tea in it because tea is one of my favorite drinks.

What was your favorite flavor so far?
The Raspberry was my favorite.

Would you recommend this line of drinks to your family and friends? Would you like for me to buy it again?
Yes and Yes!

(This is what happens when you interview a 13 year old who is watching Family Guy while drinking his Trop50 Tea. Sigh...)
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And there you have it. The Trop50 with Tea juice beverage is approved by our household. And it was easy to find at our local store using the Product Locator Trop 50 website. If you'd like to receive your own coupon for 1 FREE Trop50 with Tea, enter the giveaway below.

We'll pick the winner on Thursday, May 31. 

Good Luck!

To Enter (each entry must have a separate comment to count)

~ Tell me what flavor you'd like to try in the new line of drinks.
~ Tweet about this giveaway linking to this post and @justanothermom
~ Like my blog(s)
~ Follow me on Twitter

Best of luck!!

EDITED WITH WINNER: #3 Sagessa! Congratulations and enjoy!

FYI: Sagessa, I cannot find your email address to contact you about winning. Please contact me at mctrickyb at sbcglobal dot net by next week or I will have to send this coupon to another winner!

A collection of Affresh for you!

I have a confession: I am not a good housekeeper.

My family is laughing right now, because, well, DUH.

Anyway, it is a given that my household and the items within it suffer because I find little joy in cleaning, especially in the kitchen! I hate kitchen grease and gunk.

When I agreed to try out the new kitchen/household cleaners by Affresh, it was with an ulterior motive. I knew that if I had to try out new products that I would be forced to, well, CLEAN.

Today found me scrubbing appliances with the Affresh Kitchen and Appliance Cleaner. My blender (which normally sits beside my stove) was filthy. I didn't really want to put my fruit into anything so gunky...

This does not do it justice. It was that slimy goo that gets all dusty. You know what I'm talking about. GROSS.

I kid you not when I say that every bit of gunky, gooey kitchen grime wiped off after just a few sprays of the Affresh. Product #1 is a HIT!

I am currently running the Affresh Washer Cleaner in my washing machine which was, not surprisingly, getting kind of foul-smelling... Before I know it, my kids will actually have clean-smelling clothing! Will wonders never cease?

You can win a box of the same awesome cleaning products that I am testing, too!

Prize will include:

Affresh dishwasher cleaner
Affresh washing machine cleaner
Affresh stovetop cleaner
Affresh appliance cleaner
Affresh stainless steel cleaner
Fresh Flow produce preserver

To win your own box of goodies, follow the directions below and I'll pick a winner via Random.org on May 24.

Ways to Enter (please write a separate comment for each entry):

1. Comment about which product you are most interested in.
2. Tweet about this giveaway linking to @justanothermom and @WhirlpoolCorp. You can do this          twice a day but be sure to comment for each entry!
3.  Follow me on Twitter
4. Subscribe to my blog(s)

Good luck and thanks for reading!

Updated with winner #11, Vicky! Congratulations and enjoy your cleaning supplies!

Disclaimer: I was given these products to review but all words and opinions remain my own.

Musselman's Applesauce giveaway

 Giveaway is closed. The winner via Random.org is #3, Sagessa.

Thank you all for entering and look for the other giveaways I currently have going!
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Yes. That IS an almost empty jar of Musselman's Natural Applesauce. And yes, I was supposed to use it to make tons of delicious, transportable goodies to show you the versatility of applesauce and how healthy it can be when used as a baking substitute. But my children got a hold of the jars and I swear to you, that applesauce disappeared like candy from a pinata.

I DID manage to wrangle this jar away from them to concoct one of our favorite, transportable treats: Muffins! Did you know that you can use applesauce in place of oil for most of your breads and muffins? I usually divide the oil requirement in half. For example: if your recipe calls for 1/2 oil, use 1/4 C of oil and 1/4 C of applesauce. OR, you can just get rid of the oil altogether. Your call.

I have a banana bread recipe that I basically use for all muffins that we make. We just dumped the remainder of the applesauce, a banana, and an apple cut into bits into the batter and they were moist and delicious!

Musselman's Applesauce would like to send one reader a box of goodies to start your summer off on a healthy start! Follow the directions for the giveaway below and we'll pick the winner on May 14th!

Good luck!

Ways To Enter (please provide a separate comment for each entry):

~ Tell me how you usually use applesauce. Any tricks I may not know about?

~ Tweet this giveaway and link back.

~ Follow me on Twitter @justanothermom

~ Subscribe to my blog(s).