Are you a FUN and UPBEAT family who loves pop-culture and playing trivia games?  Is celebrity gossip a normal topic of conversation at your family gatherings? Put that knowledge to work and WIN MONEY for the whole family!

NBC is currently casting a brand new game show where families answer pop culture and general knowledge trivia questions as well as predict how their favorite actors, musicians, sports stars, politicians, and socialites answered those exact same questions.  

They are looking for high energy super-star teams of four to six family members (MUST BE 18+) who love taking risks and having fun!

They are holding live interviews in Dallas  on July 27th-28th! 

SUBMIT TODAY!

1. The names, ages, current city, occupation, phone number and email address of you and your family members

2. A few words about yourself and your family

3. DON`T FORGET to include a recent photo of your family!

Please email them at: olgagsd@gmail.com

For immediate consideration, you may also call them at 323-822-7376. 

The Nightmare Before Christmas is in my top 10 most favorite movies of all time. I have loved Tim Burton movies since Beetlejuice. He is so unique and innovative. Now that I have children they have taken the torch of love for all that Tim Burton makes. I am so excited about this! 🙂

Celebrate the 20^th Anniversary of Tim Burton’s cult-classic phenomenon The Nightmare Before Christmas on Blu-ray Combo Pack.  

Bored with the same old scare-and-scream routine, Pumpkin King Jack Skellington longs to spread the joy of Christmas. But his merry mission puts Santa in jeopardy and creates a nightmare for good little boys and girls everywhere!

Trick-Or-Treating Into Homes September 10, 2013

3-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy), 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD) & DVD

Feature Run Time: 76 minutes
Rated: PG in U.S. & Canada
Aspect Ratio: BD 3D: 1.85:1; BD & DVD: 1.66:1
Sound: BD: English 7.1 Dolby TrueHD, English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital; DVD: English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
Languages: English, French & Spanish
Subtitles: English, French & Spanish

My girls love Phineas and Ferb!

After Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s latest “-inator” scheme accidentally removes the powers of some very well-known Marvel Super Heroes (Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor, and Hulk), the heroes enter the world of Danville and team up with Phineas and Ferb to relocate their powers, defeat the Marvel Super Villains (Red Skull, MODOK, Whiplash and Venom) – who have also shown up to steal Doofenshmirtz’s power-draining technology – and save Danville from ultimate destruction! 

Own Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel on Disney DVD – October 1, 2013

Each DVD comes with a FREE collectible comic book inside with an Exclusive Mission Marvel poster

This is an upcoming event that I think would be great for families, kids, and
people of all ages!

Enjoy free admission Tribute Day on Sunday, July 28 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in honor of Lady Bird Johnson and all she did for our nation’s treasured environment.

Visit the Wildflower Center for special activities for the whole family. Create a Bluebell flower craft or visit Pam Penick as she signs her book Lawn Gone! Explore the grounds and interior of the center during guided tours. Take a photo with our life-size Lady Bird portrait. Also, don’t miss story time or the chance to meet watercolor artist Jan Heaton and hear her talk. Stop by the Wildflower Café noon to 4 p.m. for lunch and more.

Learn more at the Wildflower Center’s website here or call 512-232-0100.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
4801 La Crosse Ave., Austin, TX 78739

512.232.0100

http://www.wildflower.org/tributeday/
Sunday, July 28
Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: Free

To commemorate the 50^th Anniversary of the assassination of former president John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Mill Creek Entertainment is releasing an exclusive, historical documentary – JFK: A New World Order.  This brand new eight – part commemorative documentary series, which also contains over three hours of bonus content, is available as a BD+DVD combo for $14.98 MSRP.

Insightful and comprehensive, this documentary series is an in-depth chronicle of John F. Kennedy’s life from barely surviving birth to the years leading up to his decision to enter politics to the tragic events in Dallas on November 22, 1963 to the legacy he created.  Journey through the pivotal moments that created one of America s most beloved, influential and controversial figures through interviews with historians and archival footage that commemorate the man and the myth that is John F. Kennedy.         

“This documentary was created to honor John F. Kennedy, his life and legacy.  We recognize that their was a void in available content about JFK’s entire life, and are proud to release one of the most in depth-documentaries available about our 35^th president,” says Jeff Hayne, Vice President Content Acquisitions for Mill Creek Entertainment. 

Over Six Hours Of The Myth And Memory of JFK The Man Who Captivated A Nation!

Fifty years after his death, President John F. Kennedy’s life and legacy continues to capture the hearts and minds of an entire nation.  Experience the history all over again as a new generation of Americans is introduced to the compelling story of this unforgettable leader, and the political dynasty that he left behind.  Insightful and concise, this eight – part documentary series covers the life of JFK, from his perilous birth to his dramatic assassination in 1963.

When we brought the baby home from the hospital, I had no idea how hot she would get. Since our little one was barely 5 lbs we had to buy the head support pads for her so her tiny head would not flop around all over the place in her car seat. But no matter how long we cooled the car off before we left the house we still ended up with a super hot and cranky baby. I do not blame her! Who would not be cranky in that uncomfortable and hot car seat! I felt really guilty not being able to keep her comfortable.

One day we were browsing at Babies”R”Us and I saw this fan, but the price was kinda high for a little fan and the reviews were not all that great. So I left without the fan and thought about it more when we got home. Once the temp hit almost 110 degrees I decided it was worth the money to at least give it a shot.

As the reviews say on the Babies”R”Us website, the fan does not blow hard. However, who in their right mind wants a fan blowing a lot of air on a baby and chances are you are going to need to point it in the baby’s face! I will be honest, when we put the batteries in my husband complained that the fan did not blow enough air. This is not an issue at all! Once we attached the fan to her car seat, she was comfortable and has been cool ever since! It is amazing and well worth the money.

I feel so strongly about this Babies R Us Stroller Fan, I am posting this review without compensation or contact from anyone 🙂

Alamo Drafthouse is pleased to announce its newest Austin venue, Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline. Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline will celebrate its grand opening in July 2013.  Located in the new Lakeline Market Shopping Center in Austin, Texas, Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline is a from-the-ground-up, ten-screen theater with combined seating for 944 moviegoers, and will be the largest of any Alamo theater yet. 

Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline’s ten screens will feature new release movies, family and independent films, as well as the Alamo’s unique signature repertory programming. Each of the auditoriums will be equipped with state-of-the-art Sony 4K digital projection as well as excellent screen size-to-room ratio and Dolby digital surround sound.  In addition to the superior AV equipment, the layout of each auditorium has eliminated the traditional front row, ensuring that every seat in the house allows for an optimal viewing experience.  Two of the ten auditoriums at Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline will be equipped with RealD 3D projection, and one auditorium will be equipped with a 35mm projector.  Additionally, each auditorium accommodates full bar and restaurant service with seats featuring attached tables and large aisles that allow for service before and during the film without disturbing the movie viewing experience. The theater will serve an extensive menu featuring many items made from scratch.

All seating is assigned and can be reserved at the time of ticket purchase online or in-person at the box office.  Customers are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy Alamo’s pre-show entertainment of rare clips, videos, and shorts that are custom-curated to complement each feature film or event.  Additionally, Alamo Drafthouse protects the sanctity of the movie watching experience with a zero tolerance policy towards disruptive behavior such as talking or texting during the film.

Alamo Drafthouse is also pleased to introduce the new kitchen up-design in Austin, which will make service more stealthy and efficient.  Built within the ten thousand square foot Mezzanine, Lakeline’s upstairs kitchen will cover nearly three thousand square feet.  Servers will enter from the rear of the auditorium, rather than the hallways downstairs, allowing moviegoers to receive their food and drinks faster and with as little distraction as possible.

With the Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline will also come the opening of the first Glass Half Full taproom in Austin, following the opening of locations at Alamo theaters in Colorado and Virginia.  Glass Half Full is a full service bar focused on craft beer and quality original and classic cocktails.  Draft offerings at the Lakeline Glass Half Full will draw heavily from local and regional Texas breweries with a total of 32 different beers on tap. Additionally, there will be a seasonal cocktail menu curated by award-winning Alamo Drafthouse Beverage Director Bill Norris that will draw inspiration from the beer focus of Glass Half Full.

Alamo Drafthouse is now accepting applications for kitchen staff, bartenders and waiters for the upcoming Lakeline theater.  Employment applications can be downloaded at drafthouse.com/careers.

Stay tuned for more information on the Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline’s July 2013 Grand Opening festivities and special programming. 

Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/AlamoAustin
Twitter:         https://twitter.com/drafthouse
Website:       http://drafthouse.com/austin/lakeline

Austin’s most adventurous rock band, The Invincible Czars, will bring all the wit, humor, patriotism and fun they can muster (and that’s quite a bit) to the Scottish Rite theater on 6/30 with their annual Olde Fashioned Pre-Fourth of July Indoor Picnic.

The event will feature free face painting, a roaming photographer, a mobile exhibit by Austin’s Museum of Natural and Artificial Ephemerata, dancing, hula hoops and beach balls and (best of all) prizes for the best-dressed olde fashioned girl, boy and adult.  The event is BYOB and BYOPicnic Basket.  Austin-based Sweet Ritual will be on hand selling dairy-free ice cream and Austin physical comedians Schave and Reilly will open the show with juggling and gags galore. 

The event centers on a performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, which the Invincible Czars released last year for the bicentennial of the events that inspired it – Napoleon’s defeat at Borodino by the Russian army in 1812.  This year, the band will keep that tradition and add instrumental material from their recent silent film projects as well as compositions by Sousa, Satie, Ravel, Mussorgsky and Ween.

The Invincible Czars’ ever-revolving personnel door has also spun in an interesting fashion for this performance – the band will be 50% women with the additions of drummer Sarah Norris (Bee vs. Moth, My Education) and Houston’s Erin Rodgers (Glass the Sky) on keyboards and clarinet.

The event is sponsored in part by Fairy Godsitters – a professional child care service in Austin – who will be on hand with information on their in home and on-site event services.

WHO:              The Invincible Czars

WHAT:            Olde Fashioned Pre-Fourth of July Indoor Picnic – a family-friendly live music event

WHERE:          Scottish Rite Theater 207 West 18^th St Austin 78701

WHEN:            Sunday June 30, 2013 at 12:00 PM

WEB:               www.invincibleczars.com, www.scottishritetheater.org

TICKETS:        $5 kids, $10/adults or $20 for a family four. 

Barton Creek Resort & Spa’s Darrell K. Royal Ballroom and Wildflower Atrium will be hosting a Mother’s Day Brunch  Sunday, May 12 from 10:30am-2:30pm.

Celebrate a special Mother’s Day brunch at Barton Creek Resort & Spa in beautiful Texas Hill Country where you will enjoy a menu full of the freshest fruits, vegetables, salads and seafood, not to mention Carved Peachwood Smoked Prime Rib, Tequila Lime Marinated Chicken Breast, and Spinach & Wild Cannelloni to name just a few. Also, you can’t forget about the chocolate covered strawberries for Mom!

Adults $62.95 + tax & service charge / Children Ages 6-12 $21.95 + tax & service charge / Under 5 – $1 per year of age

For reservations call 512.329-7906 or email at holidaybrunch.reservations@bartoncreek.com

Check out Central Texas Mom’s review of Barton Creek Resort & Spa 🙂

We love going to local plays! It is so exciting. ZACH Theatre in Austin is a wonderful place for the whole family. I can’t count the times we have gone there to see a play or musical in the past years. My parents took me as a child and now I am taking my children 🙂

ZACH’s Theatre for Youth Debuts New Production of
THE LITTLE MERMAID

Full of fantasy and delight, perfect for all ages.

Hans Christian Andersen’s THE LITTLE MERMAID
Starring MEGAN RICHARDS • Directed by NAT MILLER

This original retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic combines modern technologies and the ancient art of storytelling to put a new twist on this well-loved fairy tale.  Using projections, fabric and theatrical magic, the ocean comes to life – along with your imagination – in this one-person journey of love, sacrifice and courage.  For ages 6 and up.

“I am very excited to be doing this play at ZACH Theatre,” said Nat Miller, Education Director for ZACH Theatre.  “This piece will be done with one actress telling the original Hans Christian Andersen tale.”

“We want to be very clear – this is not the Disney version,” he noted.  “It is heavily influenced by work I have seen from Europe, Asia and Australia at international festivals.  In the United States, children’s theatre has had a long history of performing fairy tales in giant ‘theme park’ style shows that are big and over the top.  The international work I have seen is much more nuanced, theatrical, and takes risks.  Austin is the perfect place to experiment with new ways of telling a classic tales, and I can’t wait for families to see it!”

WHEN:

Saturday Public Family Shows: April 6, 13, 20 & 27 and May 4, 10 & 11, 2013
Shows are at 11 am and 2 pm

WHERE:

ZACH’s Whisenhunt Stage, 1510 Toomey Road.

TICKETS:

Tickets are $14, available at ZACH’s box office: 512-476-0541 ext. 1 or visit www.zachtheatre.org. Lobby opens 1 hour before show time. Drinks are welcome inside the theatre. Group Discounts are available for groups of 20 or more. Please contact Amanda Adams at (512) 476-0594, x221 for details.

ZACH’s Family Series Presenting Sponsor:  AT&T

For real-time updates on ZACH Theatre news, events and happenings, visit http://www.zachtheatre.org/blog, be a fan of ZACH Theatre on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/zachtheatre, and follow ZACH on Twitter @zachtheatre http://www.twitter.com/zachtheatre.

Disclosure / Disclaimer: No monetary compensation was obtained for this post. I received 2 complimentary tickets to give to one Central Texas Mom reader. 

Lemonade Day Austin is a fun, free, event where kids get to make and keep the money that they earn. Kids of all ages learn to set goals, develop a business plan, establish a budget, seek investors, provide customer service and give back to their community. The foremost objective of Lemonade Day is to empower youth to take ownership of their lives and become productive members of society – the business leaders, social advocates, volunteers, and forward-thinking citizens of tomorrow.

Each child who registers receives a yellow backpack with an Entrepreneur Workbook that teaches them the 14 lessons of Lemonade Day, including creating budgets, setting profit-making goals, serving customers, repaying investors, and giving back to the community. Along the way, they acquire skills in goal-setting, problem solving, and gain self-esteem critical for future success. They keep all the money they make and are encouraged to spend some, save some, and share some.

Last year, more than 20,000 kids participated in Lemonade Day Austin, and over the past four years, more than 60,000 kids have participated, raising more than $1 million and donating more than $500,000 to local charities.

“Lemonade Day helps kids begin to think like entrepreneurs,” says Eugene Sepulveda, president of the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Central Texas, sponsor of Lemonade Day Austin. “All successful business persons started out with a small business: mowing lawns, delivering newspapers or running a lemonade stand. By setting up and operating their own business, kids get to experience success and learn valuable lessons about how businesses operate. They’ll also learn about the value of saving and investing money, and giving back to the community.”

There were several exciting special events leading up to this year’s Lemonade Day Austin, including The Texas Round-Up 5K and the YMCA Healthy Kids Day, The Schlotzky’s Bun Run, and the Best-Tasting Lemonade Contest. This year, The Best Tasting Lemonade Contest, which was held on April 22 at the Austin Children’s Museum, had its biggest turnout ever. To see photographs and more, please go to http://www.facebook.com/lemonadedayaustin.

Lemonade Day Austin is sponsored by Entrepreneurs Foundation, Trilogy, HEB, Charles Schwab, Capital One, Bazaarvoice Foundation, 7-Eleven, Build-A-Sign, Ginny’s Printing, Gap, GoodPop, Reagan Outdoor, RunTex, Round Rock Express, Jason’s Deli, Jack & Adam’s Bicycles, Austin Children’s Museum, Communities in Schools, YMCA of Austin, Austin Fire Department, PeopleFund, Con mi Madre, GenAustin, Girl Scouts of America, Breakthrough Austin, A Glimmer of Hope Austin, Austin Zoo, Austin Public Library, City of Austin, Foundation Communities, Austin Habitat for Humanity, Helping Hand Home for Children, Austin Sunshine Camps, GirlStart, and Austin American-Statesman. Lemonade Day was founded by Prepared4Life and takes place in 40 U.S. cities.

Click here to download and print locations and times!

Have you seen Parental Guidance? My husband and I went to the movies to see it and really enjoyed it. If you have not seen it I really think you should.

Billy Crystal, Bette Midler and Marisa Tomei prove that laughter is relative in this hilarious comedy that’s fun for the whole family!

Old-school grandparents Artie (Crystal) and Diane (Midler) get more than they bargained for when they get stuck babysitting their type-A daughter’s (Tomei) overprotected kids. But things go from hectic to hysterical when Artie realizes the kids are running the house with their newfangled technology. By playing by his own rules, which include sugary snacks, old fashioned games and tough love, Artie manages to outsmart the kids and achieve the impossible- bring the family closer together!