My first grade son Michael loves to read. After Jeff Kinney gave him a signed copy of The Diary of A Wimpy Kid back in March for his birthday, he has bought the other 4 books in the series with birthday gift cards and such. From what I understand from the little girls who are into chapter books, Judy Moody is their equivalent to Greg Heffley. (She’s a young girl whom they can easily relate to in a variety of ways.) That is one of the reasons that I’m excited to host a special summer giveaway for Relativity Media’s upcoming film JUDY MOODY & THE NOT BUMMER SUMMER, based on the popular children book series.

Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer will be in theaters nationwide beginning on June 10, 2011. This looks fun…right?

Anyway, Relativity Media wants to make sure that one lucky Mom in the City reader will have a “Not Bummer Summer”. Day trips are a fun way to break the monotony of long summer days, so they are providing four general admission passes to New Jersey’s Six Flags Great Adventure & Wild Safari including a parking pass (valued at $215) for a lucky Mom in the City family!

To win this giveaway, please tell me about one of your best summers ever in the “Comments” section below. I will randomly pick a winner on May 31st at noon. Good luck!
Thanks to Relativity Media for the post image and for sponsoring this giveaway.

National Mom’s Nite Out was just what I needed to kick off Mother’s Day weekend. I started off the evening at a “Viva La Bling” event hosted by Nichelle (STYLEMOM). Look through the video to see what I’m giving away from the generous gift bag that I received at the event. *Hint: it’s jewelry !*

To win the gift item (that was marked with “**”), simply leave me a comment sharing what you love the most about being a mom by May 31st.

A friend asked me what my ideal Mother’s Day would look like. I responded:

The perfect mother’s day would include sleeping in late; great food (that I don’t have to cook); pampering (massages – I’m not picky – my husband or a professional can do it!) and spending time with my three fave guys (my husband and two sons!)…

I’m excited that one Mom in the City reader will be able to get the “great food (that I don’t have to cook)” aspect of my wish. GrubHub, the restaurant delivery site, is giving one Mom in the City reader a $50 gift card so that you can be served breakfast in bed. They offer a variety of food types (including low-carb, organic, gluten-free and healthy options), so there is a little something for everyone.

I was actually gifted a $50 gift card to test out the site before offering you this giveaway. I gave it to a loyal Mom in the City reader, a first-time mom with a one month daughter. She appreciated it so much, because she was able to have a meal with her husband without taking time from their precious new addition. Now, it’s your turn…

I will be holding a special three-day giveaway for this $50 gift card. To win, simply leave me a comment below and/or send me a tweet (to @mominthecity) saying the restaurant where you would use your GrubHub gift card. I will pick a winner on Thursday (May 5th) at noon. Good luck!

In addition to our special “ultra date” switch that I wrote about on this post, I was also encouraged to switch to Cottonelle Ultra. I was sent one 12-pack of Cottonelle Ultra and (even better) one Mom in the City reader will be able to win a 3 month’s supply (four 12-packs) of Cottonelle Ultra.

That’s great and all, but it seems a bit unfair that I received a great date night and some nice, cushy toilet paper while one of you will just get toilet paper (as comfortable as it is). Since food was such an important part of my special date night, I’m personally throwing in a gift certificate for dinner for two at the highly rated Agave Southwestern restaurant. It includes the following:

* 2 appetizers of your choice
* 2 entrees of your choice
* 1 dessert of your choice
* 2 margaritas of your choice (excluding the Millionaire Margarita)

In any event, I want to encourage you to make the Ultra Switch and (if you feel so inclined) share your post-switch stories at www.CottonelleUltraSwitch.com. You can also have the chance to win up to 90 prizes in 90 days by entering the “Make the Ultra Switch” Sweepstakes which is taking place through May 1st on their site.

Meanwhile, to win the Cottonelle Ultra prize and the dinner for your own night on the town, leave a comment below sharing a “switch” that you have made in your life lately. The winner will be chosen on April 15th. Good luck!

Thanks to Cottonelle Ultra for providing the 12-packs for both me and the giveaway winner.

Last week, a writer for Mom in the City attended a Los Angeles press junket for the upcoming family film HOP. She will be sharing her thoughts next week about the movie that was filmed using both CGI and live action. It will be in theaters on April 1st.

I’m excited that I have a special HOP opportunity for five families of Mom in the City readers. On Thursday (3/31) the five families will receive a family four pack of tickets to see an advance screening of the HOP movie at 7pm in Manhattan. (The names of the winners will be on a list at the theater until 6:30pm, so there will be no need to wait in a long line.)

You can learn more about the movie and see clips at iwantcandy.com. To win one of the four packs, be one of the first five parents or guardians to let me know the name of your (or your kids’) favorite Easter candy in the “Comments” section below. Good luck!

Thanks to Universal for providing the tickets for Mom in the City readers.

Congrats to the winner: Mona

I am happy that I get to offer a family four pack of tickets to the opening night of Disney On Ice – Princess Wishes to one lucky Mom in the City reader. It will be held at Madison Square Garden on Friday, January 21st. Since it has not opened yet, I can’t give you a review. I’ll update you after opening night though, because I’m going with another mom and two little girls. Meanwhile, I am sharing a portion of the press release about the show so that you can see what you are entering to win…

“Believing is just the beginning in Disney On Ice presents Princess Wishes! Dreamers from Long Island, New Jersey and New York City will witness the magic when Ariel, Cinderella, Belle, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine and Mulan all make their wishes come true in this collection of celebrated tales wonderfully told through artistic skating and acrobatics. Come see your favorite princesses at Nassau Coliseum from January 6 – 9, Prudential Center from January 13 – 17, the first Disney On Ice performance in several years at Madison Square Garden from January 21 – 23 and IZOD Center from January 27 – 30.

With the help of the magical pixie Tinker Bell, the Disney Princesses embark on an adventure to find their heart’s fondest wish. Ariel dreams of a life above the sea, Mulan finds her inner strength, Jasmine discovers a whole new world and Snow White finds her true love. Cinderella, Belle and Sleeping Beauty also find happiness in this beautifully imagined ice show.

Produced by Feld Entertainment, Disney On Ice presents Princess Wishes features an incredible display of special effects, stunning set design and elegant artistry on the ice. Tickets are on sale now.

Starting one hour before each performance, families will be treated to the Disney Princess Pre-Show, an exclusive fairy tale collection of gowns and treasures from the Disney Princess stories. This bonus experience is free with ticket purchase and includes a special appearance by a live Disney Princess.

Tickets for Disney On Ice presents Princess Wishes are available at arena box offices, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster Charge By Phone at (800)-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

NASSAU COLISEUM (Uniondale, NY) – January 6 – 9, 2011:
January 6 7:00 pm
January 7 10:30 am 7:00 pm
January 8 11:00 am 3:00 pm 7:00 pm
January 9 11:00 am 3:00 pm

PRUDENTIAL CENTER (Newark, NJ) – January 13 – 17, 2011:
January 13 7:30 pm
January 14 7:30 pm
January 15 1:00 pm 5:00 pm
January 16 2:00 pm
January 17 1:00 pm*
*Newark Mayor’s Pass Performance – all tickets $11 with pass

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN (New York City, NY) – January 21 – 23, 2011:
January 21 7:00 pm
January 22 11:00 am 3:00 pm 7:00 pm
January 23 11:00 am 3:00 pm

IZOD CENTER (East Rutherford, NJ) – January 27 – 30, 2011:
January 27 7:30 pm
January 28 10:30 am 7:30 pm
January 29 10:30 am 3:00 pm 7:30 pm
January 30 10:30 am 3:00 pm

Prices for Nassau Coliseum, Prudential Center and IZOD Center: $80.00, $55.00, $32.50, $27.50, $20.00. Prices for Madison Square Garden (which include a $4.50 facility fee): $125.00, $84.50, $59.50, $40.00, $32.00. All Opening Night tickets at all four venues are priced at $12.00.”

To win the family four pack of tickets to see Princess Wishes, simply let me know your favorite Disney princess to date in the “Comments” section below by Monday, January 16th at noon EST. (Princess Tiana is my favorite!)

(Thanks to Feld Entertainment for sponsoring this giveaway and for providing the tickets for me to review Princess Wishes.)

Congrats to the winner: Sandra

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Monica attended an early screening and a roundtable with some of the actors from the Little Fockers film on behalf of Mom in the City. You can read what Monica had to say on the post Meet The Cast Of “Little Fockers”. If you haven’t seen the trailer for the movie yet, you can see it below:

Just in case you still have not seen Little Fockers yet, one lucky Mom in the City reader will win a Fandango Gift Card for a night at the movies. The winner will receive:

* $50 Little Fockers Fandango Gift Card
* Little Fockers Prize pack including: Hat, T-shirt, Blanket and Umbrella!

To win, visit the Little Fockers page on Facebook and let me know your Favorite Focker moment in the “Comments” section below by noon on January 15th. Good luck!

Thanks to Universal Pictures for providing the winner’s prize and for sending me a Little Fockers Prize pack.

Congrats to the winner – Jennifer R.!

12/16 Update: Since I have not had the time to promote the bike giveaway this week, I am extending the deadline to Monday at noon. Good luck!

Recently, a blogging friend (Danielle Friedland) introduced me to the YBIKE Balance Bike, a brand that she works with and is excited about. I had heard about balance bikes – the bikes without pedals – before, but I never really thought that they would appeal to my kids. (Besides, each of my sons already have bikes.) Danielle’s enthusiasm rubbed off on me though so I agreed to let Sean review one of the bikes. After he finished, I planned to give it to charity. That was the “plan”.

Now that Sean has had the balance bike for a couple of weeks, I can clearly see the appeal. For one thing, the bike was easy for my husband to put together. Reggie was finished assembling it in a few minutes and Sean has been riding it practically every day. Since the weather has been cold lately, Sean has been riding the bike indoors. It’s really quite cute the way he vrooms around the apartment on his little orange ride. (He acts as if it is his motorcycle. As I think about it, the YBIKE does look a lot like a motorcycle!) The bike is really stable but on the rare occasion when Sean tips it over, it doesn’t really matter because the bike isn’t too heavy. I really like that. From the start, I had told Sean that he was not going to get to keep the bike. He was fine with that before riding it. Now, he has declared “”This is the best bike EVER. I don’t want to give it away!”. He has decided to add the bike to his consistently growing “Christmas Wish List”. We will see…

In any event, the YBIKE balance bike makes a great holiday gift from mom and dad (or aunties, grandparents, etc.) for kids ages 2 to 4. (The manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $79.99.) Since Sean wouldn’t sit still long enough for me to get a good shot of him on the bike, you can look at this quick clip below to see more of the bike’s features:

Since it is the holiday season, I am excited to be hosting a special one week giveaway for the exact same orange YBIKE balance bike that my Sean now loves. To win, simply visit the YBikeusa.com site and answer the question “What is YBIKE’s School Program?” in the Comments section below by noon on Friday, December 17th. Good luck!

Disclosure: YBIKE provided the bikes for the review and the giveaway.

Last week, I had several friends over for dinner and time to play with our new Kinect. We played Dance Central, but that is another post. In between the food and dancing, I shared information about Susan G. Komen and Breast Cancer Awareness. Since the party was sponsored by Eggland’s Best, I asked a few of my girlfriends how they used eggs the most. To my surprise, the first thing that came to mind was beauty treatments – one mentioned a hair mask while another said she used eggs to make a face mask. Finally, one friend proclaimed that she loves to eat eggs – prepared in practically any way. Personally, I only eat eggs that are scrambled well unless they are part of a dish’s recipe. In any event, listen to what a few friends and my kids had to say about eggs. They are so dramatic. I love them! (Sean: “You can’t eat eggs. They taste like bananas, but I love you Mommy.” – That has nothing to do with anything, but he blew me a kiss at the end. Awww.)

My friends left with various goodies (a spatula, an omelette pan, Eggland’s Best coupons, etc.) I was also sent a Flip Ultra Video Camera (White, 4 GB, 2 Hours) to capture the memories. Since I already have a camcorder, I am giving this one away to one of you. Simply share one thing that you learned (or were reminded of) during Breast Cancer Awareness month in the “Comments” section below. I will choose a winner on November 30th.

Thanks to Eggland’s Best for sponsoring this party.

11/3 Update: Actor/Producer Mark Wahlberg announced that starting today, Xbox will be donating Kinect consoles and games to thousands of Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide!

If you have read this blog for a while, you know that my family has loved Kinect since it was the secret “Project Natal”. You can read the history on these posts. The wait is almost over and Kinect will be on sale this Thursday. I was excited when Kinect asked me to host an online Kinect launch party on Wednesday, November 3rd, from 6:30pm – 8pm. I was even happier when I learned that my super smart tech friend Heidi would be joining in on the fun. Of course all of you are invited too!

Kinect is already hosting a public all-day event in NYC’s Times Square on Wednesday to celebrate the launch. There will be Kinect experiences on the street and at the midnight opening of Toys R Us, there will be great giveaways and exclusive access to an after-party for those who are first in line. (I will be there for part of the day with Sean.) You can learn more about the New York event and RSVP on this link.

Even if you are not in NYC, you can join in the fun at my online party on Wednesday night. Since I can’t serve food online, I’m happy that I will be able to serve up some really great prizes to three special party attendees. Take a peek:

From 6:30pm – 7pm we will be talking about the Kinect being available and I will share my ideal play party. If you’re active in the party during that time, you will be entered to win…

Prize #1 Ultimate Play Party Pack Prize
-Kinect sensor + “Kinect Adventures” game
-I also received a $100 gift certificate to design my ultimate play party pack for you. Since Kinect Adventures is an “off the couch” action game, I am putting $75 of it towards a gift card to your local grocery store so that you can purchase food and drink to keep your family and friends energized. The other $25 will be a gift card to a local party supply store so that you can get all of the purple and green streamers, balloons and paper goods that your heart desires. Enjoy!

Best of all, there will be a special charitable element. From 7pm – 7:30pm, we will be talking about the charity and Kinect’s involvement. If you’re involved in the party during that segment, you will be entered to win…

Prize #2 Charitable Donation Prize
-$100 to the Boys & Girls Cubs of America branch that you choose.

Lastly, we will be talking about our favorite Kinect-related things from 7:30pm – 8pm. I know that I already have some favorites. For those who stay with the party until the end, you will be entered to win the final prize…

Prize #3 THE Kinect Prize Pack
-4GB Kinect bundle (this includes a Xbox 360!)
-”Dance Central” game
-”Kinect Sports” game

Since I won’t be serving any food, as I mentioned before, there is no need to RSVP. Simply jump on twitter from 6:30pm – 8pm on Wednesday, November 3rd. Be sure that you are following me (@mominthecity); Heidi (@c2cmom) – who will be picking the winners; and @xbox – our generous sponsor. Also, be sure to include the hashtag #KinectParty at the end of your tweets so that we will know that you are participating in our party. I look forward to “seeing” you there!

*Please note that in accordance with my Giveaway Policies, “giveaways are (only) open to US residents ages 18 and older.”*