Win a Day At Disneyland!

Do you read mom blogs and think, "Gosh, those mom bloggers get to do fun stuff!"?

Believe it or not, blogging is hard work. You've got to keep your schedules straight, write like crazy, keep your posts updated, Tweet and Twitter like a flock of sparrows and spend endless hours editing videos and photos. But it's not all work and no play – the best part is getting out there and learning about what's cool and fun for families in Los Angeles.

After all that, you might think you really don't "have time for this." And that's probably true. But do you have time to enter to win a fabulous day enjoying the Holiday Celebration at the Disneyland Resort on Nov. 21? That's what I thought!

I'm inviting one I Don't Have Time For This reader to walk a day in my mom blogger boots!

That's right! One very lucky winner and three guests of his or her choice will get to enjoy a little mom-blog VIP treatment while checking out the holiday decor in the park and experiencing some special activities with me and several other mom bloggers (and the winners of their Disneyland blog giveaways). Parking will be included, as will a buffet dinner and some socializing. It'll be fun. And I promise I won't make you work too hard.

All you have to do is get yourself there; Disneyland and the mom bloggers will take care of the rest!

Here's how to enter:

• Email me at carolyn.graham@parenthood.com and put “Holiday Celebration at Disneyland” in the subject line. Be sure and include your name, address and daytime phone number (if I can’t reach you by noon on Thursday, Oct. 29, I’ll have to pick another winner).


• Deadline to enter is Oct. 29.


• I'll be picking a winner at random, but just for kicks give me a couple of your family's top tips for visiting the park.


• You and your three guests must be traveling from L.A. County.


• You and your three guests must be able to attend the festivities with me on Nov. 21.

______________________________________________________________________

OFFICIAL RULES



TERMS & CONDITIONS: Your entry must be received no later than 12:00 pm (PST), Oct. 29, 2009. Odds of winning are based on the number of entries. One (1) winner will receive the prize noted above. Winners are chosen at random from all eligible submissions and will be notified by email. If the winner cannot be reached, then a new winner will be chosen. You may request the name of the winner by contacting carolyn.graham@parenthood.com. The retail value of the prize is $450. This prizes are not redeemable for cash. Dominion Enterprises is not responsible for and does not warrant the safety or quality of the prize, and is not liable for any injury, damage or death related to the prize or its use.

Eligibility: You must be age 18 or older to enter. Only residents of the state of California are eligible to enter this contest. Residents of Florida, New York and all other states are NOT eligible to enter. Employees of Dominion Enterprises and their immediate families may not enter. All applicable laws apply and this contest is void where prohibited By participating in this promotion, you become a Parenthood.com site member. Parenthood.com intends to send regular email updates and occasional promotional offers that may be of interest to you. You may opt-out of these mailings at any time upon receipt.

Shooting Stars Alert!

There's so much great stuff to report about L.A. Parent's Shooting Stars Cover Kids Contest on Saturday (10 a.m.- 3 p.m.) at the Skirball, I almost don't have room – or the time – to reveal it all.

First of all, the event itself is not a shallow beauty contest. Here at L.A. Parent, we know every kid is amazing and special, and photographer Valerie Tabor Smith is there to bring out both the inner and outer beauty of every child she photographs. It's truly an enriching experience to get to sit in front of her lens!

And it's always difficult to pick the top winner in each age category, but pick one we must. Those three will be featured on a future L.A. Parent cover (an incredible thrill indeed!) and will also receive an incredible prize package courtesy of Paul Frank Industries.

Aside from the chance to become L.A. Parent's official Shooting Star Cover Kid, for $25 you'll be getting a lot of bang for your buck. First of all, your kids get to play inside Noah's Ark at the Skirball for free (that's a $10 adult ticket and $5 child ticket savings right there!). Plus, crafty kiddos can join the drop-in art workshop or assemble funky structures in the "Ark-itecture" activity in the Family Amphitheater (again, all free!). There will even be a few props on display from the production of Where the Wild Things Are. And in about six weeks, we'll mail you the "mock" cover of L.A. Parent featuring the Valerie Tabor Smith photo taken on the day of the event.

Plus, L.A. Parent has received some amazing prizes to give away throughout the day in "A," "B" and "C" level categories. A few include:

• Wii, Nintendo DS and Playstation games from THQ, Atari and many others


• Forever Friends Dolls


• KAZAM push bikes


• Paul Frank clothing sets


• Ugly Doll & Snugaboo pkg


• Green Toys brand toys


• Blu Ray DVDs from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment


• BRAVO - Tony Hawk Huck Jam series skateboard, Pulse Kick Scooter and Slither Scooter


• WOW WOW Wubzy DVDs and books from AnchorBayEntertainment


• Kickboard USA g-bike, Kickboard Scooter and Mini Kickboard Scooter


• Mr. Toast and Shakey Bacon plush toys


• Gamewright games


• Hasbro card games


• Yo Gabba Gabba, Dora and Spongebob DVDs from Nickelodeon


• Freaky Creatures Set from Abandon Entertainment


• Roundabouts cupcake sleeves basket


• Animal Planet Nintendo DS and Wii games as well as animal totes and other toys from Discovery Toys

So don't miss out!

Gamer Guide: Blockbusters!

[Editor's Note: Since I don't, well, have time for this, today's post is brought to you by guest blogger/gamer expert/L.A. dad Allen Rausch.]

Being a dad who's also a gamer is kind of weird. On the one hand, you enjoy a particular advantage with your kids because there's an instant shared connection amongst gamers. When they talk about video games with you or their friends, you know what they're talking about. You can help them over the rough patches in their own games and you can share some wonderful gaming experiences together. As the father of a 6- and a 4-year-old, it's just a joy to genuinely share an interest with your kids.

On the other hand, I can never forget the "dad" part of "gamer dad." I'm not unique in the struggle to find a balance between work, my obligations to my family, the need for exercise and physical fitness and the overwhelming press to complete "just one more level." Add to that my determination not to allow video games to take over my children's lives. Like any other part of the entertainment universe – movies, TV, toys – video games can and should be a positive part of a child's experience. That demands involvement – setting boundaries, time limits and determining what games I'll allow in my house. Yes, there are titles out there that are just as offensive as the most hyped-up scare stories on the news would have you believe. The thing is, they're a very small percentage of games, and all it takes is a bit of diligence to find safe games that offer a great time.

September was a great month for our family in terms of our "together" time. We managed to carve out enough time to go to more movies this month than we've experienced in about a year. We caught Up and Ponyo and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, all wonderful films. That led to a discussion after the movie when passing the game store as to why we had so few games based on big Hollywood movie releases. The answer is that most games based on movies aren't very good. Game companies know that parents often will buy them based on their connection with a property they know and don't put a lot of effort into the development. That's not true of all of them, though. Here are three movie-based games that are well worth your time:

Monsters vs. Aliens

Publisher: Activision
Platform: Wii
Rating: E10+ for cartoon violence and comic mischief
MSRP: $59.99

Monsters vs. Aliens is a wonderful companion piece to the just released DVD box set. The storyline concerns a squad of legendary monsters (a 50-foot woman, the Missing Link, a genius insect and a silly blue blob) who must fight off an alien invasion of the Earth. Each of the team members has a different skill that they must combine in order to make it through the levels, and much of the game involves simple platforming challenges similar to those found in the Mario Brothers games. The game has a rating of "E10+" (Suitable for everyone 10 and up) with a "Cartoon violence" and "Comic mischief" content descriptor. The comic violence part is accurate in that the monsters fight against aliens, but there is no blood, no one actually dies and the level of violence is roughly the same as that found in the original movie. "Mischief" mostly refers to the blue blob B.O.B.'s propensity for explosive flatulence. If you have no objection to your kids seeing the movie, you'll find nothing objectionable in the game, either.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platform: Wii
Rating E10+ for "Fantasy Violence," "Mild Language" and "Mild Suggestive Themes"
MSRB: $49.99

If you have a budding wizard or witch in your house, they will love the Wii version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Like the other games in the series, Half-Blood Prince follows the storyline of the movie quite closely. Harry and his friends continue their struggle against Lord Voldemort during their sixth year at school. The real kicker in this edition is the use of the Wii's motion controls to cast spells in wizard duels. By moving the Wii remote in certain patterns, kids will have a blast casting spells against the game's enemies or enjoy a multiplayer mode where they can wizard duel against their friends. Like the movie it's based on, there is some violence (no death or blood, but people do get thrown around by magic and one boy gets kicked while on the ground), a few "Hells" sprinkled in the dialogue and lots of references to kissing  or "snogging" (the main characters are 15 and 16, after all).  While it's a game suitable for older children, it's an easy buy for any parent who is OK with their kids seeing the movie it's based on.

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga

Publisher: LucasArts
Platform: Wii, Xbox360, PS3, PC
Rating E10+ for "Fantasy Violence"
MSRP:$19.99

Saving the best (and cheapest!) for last, if you own a gaming system and have kids, you must own LEGO Star Wars. This is a brilliant adaptation of all six Star Wars movies rendered in LEGO sets. It doesn't sound like it would work, but it does. The characters and settings are adorable, and the way the game reproduces iconic scenes from all six movies is often hilarious. Gameplay consists of platforming action, solving puzzles using LEGO pieces and fighting against hordes of LEGO-ized Star Wars baddies with blasters or lightsabers. There are lots of hidden secrets to uncover and new Star Wars characters to unlock and play with, which makes the game endlessly replayable. And it's simple enough for all but the youngest players to get the hang of. The "Fantasy Violence" descriptor is necessary but the "violence" in the game is merely LEGO figures whacking or shooting each other with toy guns and breaking up into LEGO pieces. If you do get it, though, be careful. You might just find yourself playing the game late into the night after the kids go to bed.

Allen Rausch is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles. He's the parent of Lily and David who in his unbiased opinion are the cutest children in the whole wide world. He regularly blogs about videogames, culture, politics and parenting at The Angry Bear.

Mouse Mania

"What's a 'mom blogger'?"

OK, so not everyone at Disneyland last weekend had heard of this up-and-coming media power player that's taking the internet by storm with its unyielding influence and buying power.

I was trying to catch up with my mom blogger group winding through the park toward Tom Sawyer Island and had lost my way. I asked a "cast member" where I might find those hard-working, iPhone hugging, Tweeting, social-network-savvy friends of mine, but all I received back was a blank stare.

"She's making that up," I heard the cast member remark as I moved through the crowd looking for a familiar face.

But believe me, there are not only cast members at Disney but folks at big and small companies (as well as Mrs. Claus, I found out) who do know what a mom blogger is. And they are hip to the fact that we are there to get the word out about parenting trends, products moms love and places they should be (or at least know about).

Hence, the Mom Bloggers Day at Disneyland this past weekend, where we were handed the keys to the Kingdom (and Disney's California Adventure, too). And what did I learn?

• I love Halloween Time at Disneyland. Even the air feels different as the pumpkins and giant candy corn start to pop up. There's a new fireworks show called Halloween Screams – A Villainous Surprise in the Skies featuring the "bad guys" such as Oogie Boogie and Ursula the Sea Witch projected big and loud over Sleeping Beauty Castle. Jack Skellington's ghost dog Zero replaces Tinkerbell, zooming through the skies amid the showers of sparks.


• My sweet little Jack can handle a dark roller coaster. He took to the newly redone Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, where even the giant "fire man" left him wanting to go again. Kate said she preferred the original, but she's a bit of a roller coaster snob.


• Disney villians need love, too. Kate and Jack met Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook and the Old Hag, and kids clamored for autographs at the special area just for them near the It's a Small World mall.


• Even if you're local, it's good to stay a night or two, if you can. You can find good deals at nearby hotels or splurge on either the classic Disneyland Hotel, the functional Paradise Pier Hotel or the grand old Disney's Grand California. We opted for the Paradise Pier (room packages are around $300 for two-night stay). We were able to check in before the room was ready, and then the front desk sent me a text message while we played at the park when our room was ready.


• There's a brand-new way to earn a free Disneyland ticket: Do a good deed. Disney just launched its "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" program to inspire families to give a day of service in 2010. Starting on Jan. 1, folks can search for volunteer opportunities through the HandsOn Network at DisneyParks.com. Southwest Airlines in joining in, too, by providing transportation for the initiative.

Photos include: Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, Kate with an "ear" for candy, a little ghost hunting inside Sleeping Beauty Castle, Mrs. Claus addresses the mom bloggers, and both kids crashed out after the fireworks (thanks to fellow mom blogger Kathy Sena of Parent Talk Today for capturing that moment!):

Who's Afraid?

What scares you as a parent? My list is so long that it's ... well, scary.

Last week I started reading Free Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts With Worry. This book and author-mom Lenore Skenazy's blog that started it all has been excellent fodder for talk shows, parenting debates and blogs everywhere. The premise of putting some irrational worries on the back burner and giving a bit of old-fashioned freedom and fun back to our kids might not be for every mom in our very scheduled, fear-based society. But it helped open my eyes a bit and think about why I was so worried all the time.

Then today, I got to work and opened my email. It's scary, and not just because there's so many emails that I'll never, even in a couple of lifetimes, be able to read or respond to it. But many of them are trying to scare me and make me, a serial worrier, even more freaked out.

I'm sure that even if I didn't work for a parenting magazine and wasn't constantly bombarded by pitches about new products, Web sites, parenting experts and other stuff designed to "keep our kids safe" I'd still check Jack's breathing at night and sweat till Kate's school bus arrived at her field trip destination.

But I decided to do a little experiment and see if my email might be contributing to my worrisome world view. Here's a sampling of subject lines and opening sentences in some emails that I received in just one – ONE – 24-hour period:

• Could an Electromagnetic Pulse Wipe Out Civilization? New ‘End of the World’ Scenario Gets Serious Attention


• With Halloween being one of the most dangerous days of the year for children – children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than the rest of the year according to Safe Kids Worldwide – it’s important for parents to prepare their children to stay safe while trick-or-treating [this was a pitch from a cell phone company]


• Teen Attitudes Toward Smoking Linked to Likelihood of Drinking and Using Drugs


• Suffering at the Hands of a Bully


• New book uses psychosynthesis as means for families and individuals to reach their full potential


• According to the FBI 2008 Crime in the United States (CIUS) report an estimated 2,222,196 burglaries occurred in that year. 61.2 percent involved forcible entry, 32.3 percent were unlawful entries without force, and 6.4 percent were forcible entry attempts. Burglaries of residential properties accounted for 70.3 percent of all burglary offenses. (http://www.fbi.gov) [this was a pitch from a blinds/window coverings company]


• We've all heard the horror stories about bad babysitters and dangerous daycare centers.  I am sure you remember the story about the dad who found a sitter on Craigslist who then abducted his son.  And who can forget about the four toddlers who wandered away from their day care facility in the blistering July heat.  It's very hard today to know who you can trust. [this was a pitch for a babysitter-finder service]


• Forget chocolate and cookie dough, here's a great school fundraising idea that also aims to keep kids safe. The Amber Alert Registry School Program (a no cost program to the school) allows parents to sign up for this important safety tool while providing significant funding to participating schools.


• WWI Chemical Found in Air Outside 15 Public Schools

Is there any wonder I'm worried a good percentage of the time?

It's not that these issues aren't legitimate and need to be addressed. And I'm all for hearing about great products, books and other helpful items – and if we truly need to make sure parents are aware of a very real, harmful danger out there, I want to know about it. But can we please cut down on the fear tactics as sales or pr pitches? Either that, or I'm just going to stare at the ceiling all night wondering when that electromagnetic pulse is going to strike ...