American Girl is one of my daughter’s favorite brands. As a mom, it’s one of my favorites as well. Not only because I love the dolls and all of the adorable products, but also for all American Girl does to empower and encourage girls to be whatever they dream of and to pursue their goals.
My daughter loves to read the American Girl books, especially the ones that come with the historical dolls and are representative of that doll’s time period. Even more fun is when the stories are taken from the written form to the onscreen versions. Have you watched any of the movies on Prime yet? 
I’m excited for the third and newest American Girl Story – Ivy and Julie 1976: A Happy Balance to stream on Prime Video. Starting March 24, this Amazon Original Special will be availalbe to stream on Prime Video in the US, UK, Germany and Austria. 
The first two original American Girl specials for Prime Video, An American Girl Story – Melody 1963: Love Has to Win and An American Girl Story: Maryellen 1955: Extraordinary Christmas, were based on the characters Melody Ellison and Maryellen Larkin from the BeForever historical-inspired character line. Both specials are also currently available to stream on Prime Video.
I was excited for the opportunity to stream the latest Amazon Original Special, Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance and I absolutely adored it. Without posting any real spoilers, I can share about some of the elements in the film really resonated with me.
Here’s a brief synopsis of Ivy and Julie 1976: A Happy Balance:
A story set in San Francisco in 1976. Ivy Ling (Nina Lu, BUNK’D) is a 10-year-old Chinese-American girl who struggles with finding a balance between her two cultural identities: Chinese and American. With her family’s Chinese traditions and obligations, she wishes to be like her all-American best friend, Julie Albright (Hannah Nordberg, General Hospital). When her gymnastics tournament and family’s big Chinese New Year dinner land on the same day, Ivy relies on Julie to guide her with a difficult choice. The special also stars Gwendoline Yeo (American Crime) and Lance Lim (School of Rock).
Watch this preview of American Girl Story –Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance:
First of all, I loved the fact that the story was set in 1976 but presented what still seem to be common “modern day challenges” for families. As a mom of a pre-tween daughter, I, too, encounter the struggle between getting my daughter to do what our family is going and wanting to do what she wants to do. I feel like my own daughter can really relate to Ivy’s character because they are both at the age where girls tend to struggle with trying to fit in.
I love the friendship between Ivy and her best friend, Julie, and how much they care about one another and are a support system for each other. In the story, they are each dealing with different issues but really listen to each other for advice when it comes to their uncertainty about what to do about each of their own unique situations. These are the kind of girls you want your own daughter to hang around with. (Too bad they’re fictional characters, right?)
It seemed as though people, especially other children, in the 70’s weren’t quite as sensitive and accepting of different cultures they way they are now. Ivy was very hesitant to share about her own family’s culture with the other girls in her gym. It was understandable though because the other girls seemed unfamiliar with these other cultural traditions, like when “Chinese School” was mentioned and none of the other girls knew what that was. while her parents and grandparents want her to become more educated about her Chinese roots. She reminds me of myself, as a kid, when she fights almost every cultural influence in her family, the way I fought my parents at her age when they wanted me to be more educated about Judaism. I felt like I could personally relate to Ivy and her struggle with trying to be a “typical” girl in the 70’s because I hid the fact that I was Jewish when I was younger for fear of being teased. How awful is that?
Ivy’s grandparents are so much more than just typical grandparents and the scenes where they appear with her really warmed my heart. While her mother is attending law school full-time, in addition to her father working to support the family, Her grandparents go beyond their traditional role as they lend a hand with the children on quite a few occasions.while her mother is attending law school, in order to achieve her own dreams. Although the grandparents seem so “traditional”, Ivy comes to know that deep down, they really “get her”.
I cried a lot of happy tears watching An American Girl Story – Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance, which most likely stems from my being a mom. My daughter also loved the film. Also, it has a happy ending and those are my favorite kinds of endings.
Prime members can now stream this special at no additional cost to their membership. Enjoy using the Amazon Prime Video app for TVs, connected devices including Amazon Fire TV, and mobile devices, or online at http://www.amazon.com/originals. Customers who are not already a Prime member can sign up for a free trial at http://www.amazon.com/prime. For a list of all Amazon Video compatible devices, visit here.
Since I grew up in Southern California, I’ve always associated Knott’s with Boysenberry Punch, Mrs. Knott’s Boysenberry Pie, and Boysenberry everything!. 
This year Knott’s Boysenberry Festival begins on April 1st and will offer park guests 23 days of special boysenberry offerings, After attending a media tasting and getting a sneak peek at this year’s menu, I’m pretty sure this year’s Boysenberry Festival is going to be the best one by far!
Knott’s has a line-up of over 70 mouthwatering boysenberry-inspired foods and drinks to choose taste this year. You’re not going to want to miss out on any of it! I was absolutely wow-ed by some of the new offerings this year’s Boysenberry Festival! First of all, they’ve got an incredible Boysenberry Pizza that will drive your palette crazy! 
It’s made with arugula, smoked ham, and goat cheese, and topped with Knott’s very own boysenberry Sriracha sauce. It was delicious!
Another new menu item is the boysenberry ravioli! Who would’ve thought? This ravioli dish is packed with boysenberry flavors and so savory! Also new for this year is the freshly-baked boysenberry fry bread! Mmm!
Some other guest favorites from years past, which will be offered again this year, include:
Guests who want to take home the exquisite Boysenberry BBQ sauce, Boysenberry Butter, Boysenberry Dressing and Boysenberry Chipotle Sauce can do so by stopping by the Berry Market located in the California MarketPlace and General Store located in Ghost Town. *Select items are available on the online Berry Market store.
One of the best ways to experience the Boysenberry Festival is with a Boysenberry Bites Tasting Card. For only $25, the tasting card includes generous portions of six delectable treats:
Guests at the Boysenberry Festival can also visit the Wine and Craft Brew Garden, which is located inside of Ghost Town’s Wilderness Dance Hall. Those guests who are 21 years of age and older can enjoy 4 craft brews and over 50 different wines from 36 producers including boysenberry beer and boysenberry wine. There’s also a tasting card iavailable for only $25, which includes 6 tastings paired with snacks.
As you can see, there is lots to see and do at Knott’s Boysenberry Festival this year! In addition to all of these food and beverage offerings, there’s also an entire lineup of live entertainment during the festival, which I’ll be sharing more about once it begins. To see a schedule of the live entertainment, go 
Despicable Me 3 is directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda and co-directed by Eric Guillon. It’s written by Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio and the animated film is produced by Illumination’s Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, and executive produced by Chris Renaud.
Are you as excited for Summer now as I am? DESPICABLE ME 3 is in theaters June 30! Get the latest news about the film by following along on 
Guests staying at the resort and media were in attendance and got to hear from Great Wolf Lodge General Manager Phil Cunningham. 
To celebrate their 1 year anniversary/birthday, Great Wolf Lodge Southern California collaborated with artist Linda Mihara and had her create the world’s largest origami cake, which was unveiled at the ceremony. The details of the artwork were incredible and my favorite piece of the “cake” were the origami animals on top.
During my visit to Great Wolf Lodge Southern California that afternoon, I was also treated to a very special lunch, prepared by Great Wolf Lodge Executive Chef Hany and his team. They put together a menu for lunch that was absolutely amazing! Chef Hany prides himself on using only the freshest and finest ingredients to resort guests.
A majority of the produce is locally grown and I appreciated how sensitive they were to special dietary needs and allergies of guests when preparing the dishes.
Great Wolf Lodge does an amazing job at catering to guests of all needs and sensitivities. We feasted on a variety of foods which are included on the resort’s menu during Spring-a-Palooza.
Spring-a-Palooza will take place at Great Wolf Lodge locations, March 10 through April 16, 2017 this year, the Spring-a-Palooza event is offered at all of the Great Wolf Lodge resorts to families visiting, as a way to commemorate the turn of the season.
During Spring-a-Palooza, Great Wolf Lodge will offer additional entertainment options for guests to enjoy, with special spring-inspired activities and events taking place daily. Some of the scheduled events include:
For more information about Great Wolf Lodge, please visit 
I’m also excited to see it because I’m a huge Emma Watson fan. Not only is she a talented actress, her voice is amazing too! Have you watched the “Beauty and the Beast” Official Trailer yet? (Be sure to grab a tissue.)
My favorite invitation from this Evite collection is the Girls’ Movie Night Out design and I’m planning mine already so I can use it. My plan is to invite several of my closest girlfriends over, along with their kids, and host a Beauty and the Beast potluck dinner, prior to going out all together to see the film in the theater. I love that Evite allows you to include a list, when you send one of their invitations, so each of your friends can choose something to bring your party. Evite makes party planning so much easier especially access on my phone via the app. To view the entire collection of Beauty and the Beast invitations, go 
In honor of Disney’s newest “Beauty and the Beast” film and one of my favorite characters from the animated version, I decorated a Beauty and the Beast-Inspired “Chip” cup. I love Chip! He just holds a special place in my heart. The mug is perfect for cocoa or coffee and is pretty durable. It was very simple to do and is something you can easily recreate on your own.
Although “Beauty and the Beast” opens in theaters everywhere on 3/17 in IMAX & 3D, you can now purchase your tickets on pre-sale by clicking 
Don’t forget to follow Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” on 
On March 18, 2017, this popular attraction celebrates its 50th anniversary and guests at Disneyland Park are invited to celebrate this special occasion with pirate-themed entertainment, exclusive merchandise and special food and beverage offerings, all beginning March 16.
Guests may feast upon special, pirate-themed food at French Market Restaurant, Mint Julep Bar, Harbour Galley, Royal Street Veranda, Cafe Orleans and Blue Bayou Restaurant. (Blue Bayou also celebrates its 50th anniversary on March 18).
Food items vary by location and will include:
Limited-edition, anniversary merchandise will be available for purchase in New Orleans Square, while supplies last. Pirate Speak! collectible cards will be available for guests who wish to talk like a pirate. Guests may discover additional special surprises on March 18.
Eric Carle stories included in the exhibit are:
Interactive exhibit activities include:
The Very Eric Carle exhibit is designed for children 2 to 8 years of age, their families, and pre-school and school groups ages 2 to 8 years. Very Eric Carle: A Very Hungry, Quiet, Lonely, Clumsy, Busy Exhibit was co-organized by Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. The exhibit is included in the price of regular admission.
For more information about the Very Eric Carle exhibit or to purchase tickets, go 
As you enter the restaurant, you’ll find subtle,decorative changes inside that vibe with the movie’s theme. I was there before it was fully finished so I only saw a few of the touches. (I can’t wait to visit again now that it’s all done.)
On my visit, I didn’t have the chance to eat a full meal, although I did try the desserts. (see below) I cannot wait to go back and sample some of these other menu offerings:
Now let’s talk about the desserts because that seems to be the most important part. I promise that you’ll want to stop by and enjoy one of each for yourself on your next visit to the Park!
Next, I tried the Lemon Rose Cake, which is a lemon mousse cake with strawberry-rose filling. This one was bright, colorful and oh-so-tasty.
I also took home one of the Mrs. Potts Krispy treats so I could enjoy it the next day.
I’m really excited about everything going on right now at Disneyland Resort surrounding the upcoming release of Disney’s “Beauty & the Beast” in theaters on March 17th! Did you know that you can catch a special 8-minute sneak peek of the film right now in Disney’s California Adventure Park through March 26th?