Global Tweet Chat With Marvel The Avengers Director & Cast

My son is beyond excited for this movie to come out, so I will definitely be a part of this tweet opportunity.  If you would like to chat with the director and cast of The Avengers, as well as have a chance to win some awesome prizes, be read the following information to find all the details....

Marvel Studios announced today that they will be sponsoring a Global Twitter Chat on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 11 a.m. (PST) with cast members and the director of their highly anticipated action-adventure “Marvel’s The Avengers,” opening in theaters on May 4, 2012. The 30-minute live tweeting event features writer/director Joss Whedon, and cast members Tom Hiddleston and Clark Gregg.

Fans around the world will be able to participate in the Q&A on Twitter by using the @Avengers handle and the #Avengers hashtag. Participating fans will have the opportunity to see a 10-second tease of the 30-second Super Bowl spot that will air during Super Bowl XLVI on February 5 on NBC. They will also have a chance to answer “Avengers” trivia for a chance to win “Avengers” prize packs.

International fans will be able to submit questions for the talent in their native language through a global translation tool provided by Ortsbo.com. The chat will be moderated by Marvel’s @Agent_M.

“Marvel’s The Avengers” is the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, and Tom Hiddleston, with Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson, and written and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. “Marvel’s The Avengers” is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures. The film is being produced by Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige and executive produced by Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito, Patricia Whitcher, Victoria Alonso and Jeremy Latcham. The film is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Follow @Avengers on Twitter for more details.

How Do You Do "IT"?

Can someone please (pretty please, with a cherry on top) tell me how you do "it"?  Hey...you with the dirty mind....get your head out of the gutter... by "it", I mean balance the work/life thingy, as a Mom.

I only have one kid. I only have one house. I only have one dog, one husband, one volunteer job, and one paying job. I also only have one mind, and right now I'm losin' it. Somehow, with all these "ones," I can't manage to keep up with it all.   I used to be able to handle a high-powered, stressful job, working 60-70 hours a week...I always had my act together.  But now?  Most of the time I am good, but sometimes I am fail the Super Hero Mom act big time!

I see other Moms who always seem to have their act together, even with two/five/ten kids. People, like my friend Wendy.   She has six boys under the age of 18 (who go to different schools, and each play sports), two jobs, and is finishing her college degree!   Even better?  She always has a smile on her face.  I want to hate her for being so "together" all the time, but she's so sweet and kind, I just want her to adopt me for the day.   Then there's my friend Christy.   She has six kids, two under the age of six, a successful blog, plus does consulting for a PR firm. She always has a clean house, and is thoughtful about keeping up with other bloggers, and her friends.  She is a lady who has her "stuff" together.  She is someone to be respected and admired, and yet all I think about is how much cleaner her house is than mine. 

What is wrong with me?  I only get about 4-5 hours a sleep a night, so I honestly do try to get everything done, and keep my head above water, yet somehow I'm still drowning...  Don't get me wrong...I love my life, my family, my sons school, his teachers, the other volunteers, my blog, you readers.  I just need a little "me" time every now and then, and there is no time for that!

Am I getting old?  (Don't answer that.)  Am I just a whiner?  (Don't answer that.)  Am I a pushover?  All of the above? 

So this is my week...My kid is annoyed at me for making him get braces.   I am a week behind in my work, and quickly moving toward two weeks behind.  The stuff I was supposed to get done for the school fundraiser (I am chairing) did not get done (not that I didn't beg for it to get done).  Even my dog won't sit next to me anymore, because I don't have time to play with him.  I wanted to take a class this semester, to get that infernal degree done, but it looks like it is not going to happen.  My house looks like a marching band trounced through it...three times...in cleats....while eating cookies... shedding large dust bunnies...and buckets of leaves.   I am being pulled in a million different directions, yet can't seem to muster the strength to say NO to anyone or anything, so the work piles up even more.

I would drink heavily, but I think the vodka bottle is trapped behind all my paperwork. Time for me to suck it up.  My birthday is next week, as is the Super Bowl, and our anniversary.  I have taxes to do, chili to make, a jail to build (don't ask), blog posts to write, church to attend, laundry to wash, floors to vacuum, paperwork to fill out, a fundraiser to organize, a kid to take back and forth to school, back and forth home, back and forth to RE classes, back and forth to the orthodontist, a blog to redesign, volunteer work to do at the school office....on second thought, where is that bottle of vodka???

How do you do "it'?

Celtic Woman: Believe CD/DVD G!veaways

“Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul.”  -Anonymous

 

I am a fan of all kinds of music-rock, pop, alternative, country, classical, and even world music, particularly Celtic music.  Perhaps influenced of my all-time favorite Irish band, U2, I had Clannad and Enya CD's back in the 80's, before it was considered mainstream.  There is something so enchanting about Celtic music-it relaxes me, lifts my soul, and takes me to a  magical place .  

 

My mother-in-law happens to share my love of Celtic music, and a few years ago, while holiday shopping, I found a new CD I thought would be perfect for her, Celtic Woman.  Celtic Woman, an all-female musical group, features vocalists Chloë Agnew, Lisa Kelly, Lisa Lambe and Celtic violinist Máiréad Nesbitt.  Celtic Woman preforms traditional Irish songs, inspirational songs, and legendary pop anthems, all with a Celtic twist.  I enjoyed the CD so much, I asked for one myself for Christmas!

 

 

Celtic Woman is releasing a new studio album, Believe, and a companion live concert DVD, in stores on January 24th.  The live concert was filmed for the first time in the United States, during two nights of sold-out audiences, at the famous Fox Theatre in Atlanta.    If you are not familiar with their music, here is their new commercial and a taste of what is on the CD and DVD:

 Celtic Woman will also begin a US tour on February 3rd, kicking off their tour in Nashville, TN.  To find them in concert near you, click on tour dates. (Watch for a concert ticket giveaway in Phoenix in the near future!)  

 

 To celebrate the release of their new album, Believe, I have been given a Celtic Woman Believe CD and DVD to give away as two separate prizes!   To enter the giveaways, fill out the giveaway form below, and tell me in comments if you have ever heard Celtic Woman before.  The other mandatory entry is to join A Little Bite of Life on Google Friend Connect.  There will be several other optional entries as well.  I will randomly draw two names-the first name drawn will win the CD, the second name will win the DVD!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer:  I received no monetary compensation, but did receive a CD and DVD to give away. 

What's Going On....

You have probably been wondering what is going on around here...I have not had a new recipe posted since December 31st, or a new wine or cocktail since...who knows when. I did not get my bongos for Christmas, so am not headed to Tahiti, and I have not flown the coop.   I am still here-cooking, traveling, etc. What I have been busy doing is re-designing my entire blog, including lots and lots of wonderful (note the sarcasm) coding, to "tweak" things.

I know, I know. You don't see anything different here, right?   Right!

The changes are going on "behind the scenes" so to speak. I am working on turning A Little Bite of Life into a true online magazine, complete with separate sections. I will feature all the same old goodies I have always featured, including movie and product reviews, but will have separate sections for Cooking/Wine & Cocktails, Travel, and Home, as well as a whole new feature section with more Arizona/Phoenix activities. All the headlines will roll into the home page as features, then will remain in their own sections.  So....if you come to A Little Bite of Life just for the recipes, you can subscribe to the Cooking section only. If you are here for the travel tips and hotel reviews, you can subscribe to the Travel section. Or, if you are here for a little bite of everything, as I hope you are, you can still subscribe to the main section, and get everything that is published.

Because I am tweaking HTML code (which is time-consuming) to get the site the way I want it, the re-design is taking a little longer than I'd hoped. I hope to be able to have the Cooking section finished this week, along with some wonderful Chinese New Year and Super Bowl recipes, and then roll out the Travel and Home sections over the next few weeks. 

I really think you will like the new look-the entire blog will be so much easier to navigate, and  will allow me to bring more information to you.   As I roll out the new changes, I hope that you will give me some feedback-this is here for you, and if you are not happy, I am not happy.  Okay? 

PS:  I notice there a lot of new people hanging out here lately.  If you are not receiving A Little Bite of Life's daily updates, please be sure to join by clicking on the blue "Join This Site" button on the top left side of the home page,  as part of Google Friend Connect.  You can also follow me on Twitter and Facebook. 

PSS:  As always, I want to hear from you!  Please be sure to comment on the recipes, product reviews, and other posts I bring to you.  Let me know if you have tried products, what your thoughts on a subject are, and what you want to see at A Little Bite of Life.  Your patronage is so very important to me, and I want you to feel comfortable here! 

Walgreens: Play-Off Party Cocktail Headquarters

We decided to have a little NFL play-off party this weekend...one of our favorite teams was playing a play-off game against the San Francisco 49'ers.  Normally, I would cheer on the 49'ers, as they are a great team, but we had to root for our home state team, the New York Giants!

To get ready for the party, I headed to Walgreens to grab a few supplies.  I was invited to check out the alcoholic beverage selection at Walgreens, and since I had never shopped for alcohol at Walgreens, I was anxious to see their selection.   The first thing I noticed is that my local Walgreens did not carry hard liquor.  When we used to live in the East Valley of Phoenix, the Walgreens stores did carry hard liquor, so I was somewhat surprised that my neighborhood store did not.  I found out from the store manager that there were zoning laws, which prevented Walgreens stores in my area from carrying hard liquor.  He said the nearest store with hard liquor was about 25 miles away.  The manager said that they have always carried beer, but only recently started to carry wine.   It was not a big deal for me, as I planned to buy beer and possibly wine only.  The following is the Google + story of my Walgreens shopping experience.

We invited Doll Face and husband, as well as a few other friends, but there is a bad flu bug going around, and our friends had to cancel.  We are not sick, thank goodness, so we'll have a good time hanging out together as a family, cheering on the Giants.  I started to watch the games early, while I worked in the kitchen.  Unfortunately the Baltimore Ravens were beaten by the New England Patriots.  Once Little Man finished his homework, and the Old Man finished working on a woodworking project in the garage, we settled down for some snacks and cocktails and to watch the Giants game.  Old Man had Fat Tire beer, Little Man had some root beer, and I broke into the Moscato D'Asti early.  The game was so exciting-the teams went into overtime, and I thought I would bite my finger nails off, but the Giants won their play-off game, and are headed to the Super Bowl!

I was surprised at the selection at Walgreens.  Many of their wines are lower-cost wines-some I do not really care for, but they do carry wines that I already use, and some wines I would like to try.   Their beer selection was somewhat limited-they carry the major brands, but not too many specialty beers.  They also did not carry too many of the specialty malt and mixed beverages, such as hard lemonade,  but I usually do not have too many guests that would drink them anyway.   Walgreens prices were pretty competitive to local grocery stores, but I thought the pricing for some of the wines was a little high.    Overall, I would say that for your game day cocktail shopping, Walgreens is a quick and convenient choice!


Disclaimer:  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias but my opinions are 100% my own! #CBias

A Treat For the Teachers/Living Fruitfully with Jamba Juice!

What happens when you treat a group of prep school teachers to the luscious new Jamba Juice Fit 'n Fruitful Smoothies?

Silliness?

Excitement?

Utter Bliss? 

 

All of the above!

Last Wednesday, Jamba Juice paid a visit to my sons school, bearing cups of their new Fit ‘n Fruitful™ line of smoothies, with Weight Burner Boost™.   You would think that Jamba Juice had bought bags of gold for the teachers, they were so excited!  At first, a few teachers trickled in between classes, but as word got around school that there were Jamba Juice smoothies in the front office, teachers came in droves to grab a cup before they were all gone.  Some even tried to sneak a second one!    Jamba Juice brought two flavors for the teachers-Strawberry Raspberry Banana and Peach Mango...to say they were a hit is an understatement...twenty-five smoothies were gone in about 25 minutes!  As the teachers left the office with their smoothies, all that we heard were sipping sounds and  "ohh's" and "ahh's".   Unfortunately for the students, the smoothies were a treat just for the teachers, and boy were the students jealous!  (I was able to sneak a Peach Mango Fit ‘n Fruitful™ and it was heavenly!)

As with most teachers, the teachers at my sons school have little time for a healthy lunch, so the Fit ‘n Fruitful™ line of smoothies really appealed to them.  They could grab a smoothie and take it with them, while they readied for their next class.  The Fit ‘n Fruitful™ smoothies are a healthy meal substitute beverage, chock full of 14 essential vitamins and minerals, high in protein and fiber, and contain two or more servings of fruit.   Certainly better than a slice of pizza, or a fast-food burger.  Although they don't have time for lunch, the teachers are very health-conscious...many are sports coaches at our school, and others teach sports outside of school.  One of the teachers, the sports director, walked by the smoothies, respectfully declined one, went into the teacher's lounge and heard the other teachers comments about them, and popped back out to grab one!   

 

Before the holidays, parents brought in lots of goodies for the teachers, so they "splurged" a little, but requested that all treats brought in the office for the New Year be healthy.   The Fit ‘n Fruitful™ smoothies are a perfect health option for them!  Made with a Weight Burner Boost, the Fit ‘n Fruitful™ smoothies are made with conjugated linoleic acid or CLA, a naturally occurring fatty acid derived from safflower oil.  According to Jamba Juice, CLA intake of between 1.7 grams to 3.6 grams per day for eight to 12 weeks can lead to improved weight management, when combined with a healthy diet and exercise program.  (Results will not be achieved with sporadic consumption.  Each serving of Weight Burner Boost supplies two grams of CLA.)   

Founded in 1990, Jamba Juice Company is a leading restaurant retailer of better-for-you beverage and food offerings, which include great tasting fruit smoothies, fresh juices and teas, hot oatmeal made with organic steel cut oats, fruit and veggie smoothies, Whirl’ns™ Frozen Yogurt, breakfast wraps, salads, sandwiches, California Flatbreads™, and a variety of baked goods and snacks. As of October 4, 2011, there were 752 locations in the United States consisting of 310 Company-owned and operated stores and 442 franchise-operated stores.  In addition, at October 4, 2011 there were 10 international stores.  

I was impressed to learn that Jamba Juice is quite active in the Phoenix community, as well as other communities where they have retail locations.  Just last weekend, Jamba Juice provided 20,000 of their 8 oz smoothie samples to the PF Chang Marathon and Half Marathon participants.  They are also involved in 50 other major events in the Phoenix area, including the Pat Tillman Run, the Susan B Komen Race for the Cure, and the ALS Walk.   They donated over 100,000 8 oz. samples in 2011!   

Jamba Juice is committed to promoting a healthy and active lifestyle, and one of the ways they do this is through local school fundraising projects.  As a matter of fact, when I found out about their fundraiser project, I knew we had to work with them for our upcoming spring school fair!   Jamba Juice will come to our event, set up their own booth, sell the smoothie flavors we decide, and we get 20% back for the school.  I mean, come on...could it be any easier?  I cannot wait to do our fundraiser with Jamba Juice...then the students will no longer be jealous of the teachers, as they will get smoothies too!

To find out more about the Fit ‘n Fruitful™ smoothies, as well as other Jamba Juice products, visit their website.   You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter!

Disclosure:  I received no monetary compensation for this review, however, the teachers at my sons school received  Fit ‘n Fruitful™ smoothies to try.