Queen Mother Blog

I don't know if I can put together a recap in any kind of logical order, as 1. It was our first new Lost in..how long? Not sure if my brain is back to thinking at Lost-level, 2. I'm trying to get my house & packing in order for Blissdom which is just a DAY away pretty much, and 3. I have some type of wicked sinus infection that is working against me. Well anyway, here goes:

- Now we know that Juliet didn't really set off the bomb, it was just a time flash that moved them all forward in time. So how did Juliet (or Miles) get the idea that everything is "right"? I believe it, but that was extra confusing to me.

- I think the "new" plane sequence is really what happens after whatever on-island struggle is completed. I do think that what we're seeing is the end (or the beginning of the end) with everyone alive. That would make for some awesome sequel opportunity, no?

- If that last statement of mine is true, then I'm perfectly fine with Desmond being on the plane. He's on the plane just by 'chance' because he's not down in the hatch pushing a button. (Randomosity: how cheeseball were the graphics of the island underwater? Lost has cheaped us out on some underwater graphics before, I wonder why they can't seem to show them without making them cheesy) Anyway, the only thing that threw a wrench into my being at peace with Desmond on the place is that Jack never saw him leave. True, he might have slipped back up to a seat in first class, but the way they left his appearance mysterious is nagging at me. I also didn't like how he didn't recognize Jack at all. When Jack blows up the hatch, the first thing Desmond says is "You!" and recognizes him on sight. Hmm...

-What was the cut on Jack's neck? I don't know if a screencap is up yet, but it looked kind of like a dart hole (like The Other's crazy blow darts).

-When "Pilot Norris" landed the plane, it was weird to me. I kind of wanted to hear that it was Lapidus who flew 815 this time.

-I cannot claim original ownership of this, because I am just not that smart, but I read on a message board that Sayid coming to life was Jacob inhabiting his body. Duh, that seems so right on. Just the way Alpert was blown away by seeing Locke come back alive, the Templies (you heard it here first, lol) were shocked at Sayid's resurrection. I love it!

-Speaking of Templies I really liked the kick-ass Japanese guy. Just sayin'.

-I am so impressed with all the fans that "got" that Jacob's dark-haired nemesis really was the Smoke Monster. That scene was fascinating!  Love when he says "I'm sorry you had to see me like that" =)  Where do you think his "home" is?  I want to say the Temple, but I don't know if it could be that "easy"?

I'm sure I could ramble on for way longer, but I'm going to go check more message boards. My favorite part of the night:

Jack saying "Nothing is irreversible" to Locke. It just blew me away. It was awesome to hear Jack have some faith again & the thought that he could possibly help Locke from being wheelchair bound in the (hopefully, future) real world was awesome.

I'd love-love-love to hear your comments! & leave me your link if you have a Lost post!

Friday, January 22 I had the privilege of attending a press event at The Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia.   The Please Touch Museum was unveiling the new traveling exhibit "Exploring Trees Inside and Out".  This interactive exhibit, sponsored by Doubletree Hotels & the Arbor Day Foundation, encourages visitors to explore trees, well, from the inside and out!


There were various activity stations which appeal to a variety of ages and learning styles:

• The "become a forest creature" area lets kids don costumes of birds, squirrels, butterflies, etc. in front of a green screen which projects them onto different backgrounds.  This was a big hit with the kiddos because who doesn't want to see themselves on tv?
• A giant acorn where you can help a seed grow (Rayna loved hiding in the acorn, it was like a private little house for someone her size)
• A station for smelling & guessing various tree-related scents and another for hearing & guessing tree-related sounds
• The coloring station--sit on mini acorn-shaped chairs and draw a picture of a tree (of course the simplest thing would be Rayna's favorite, right?)
• A little spot perfect for toddlers to make a "nest" out of soft twigs
• And of course a tunnel and slide area to let out some steam

This exhibit was designed for ages 2-10 & gives kids a multi-sensory way to learn more about the great outdoors.  It gave us a little taste of both spring and fall smack in the dead of winter.  Exploring Trees Inside and Out will be at the Please Touch Museum until May 2, 2010 & is included in the price of regular admission.


On an extra note, this was our first trip to the Please Touch Museum. I have always wanted to go, but I'm not a fan of driving into the city in general, especially with Rayna in tow. Sarah from Chester County Moms had mentioned this event & nothing motivates me like trying something for free. :)

We were able to check out the whole museum while we were there and Rayna had a blast. She is just about two years old, so she was thrilled with every little thing at Please Touch. It was larger than I imagined, with lots of areas to explore, such as a train station, an Alice in Wonderland area and the big hit, the ShopRite Supermarket.  It didn't take long for Rayna to "lose it" however, and we had to leave sooner than I would have liked, so I definitely want to go back soon.  In addition to all the different areas, there is also a carousel (which is not included in admission) & I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the Please Taste cafe, which had reasonably priced lunch items & lots of healthy options.

To learn more about the Please Touch Musuem, click here to visit their website. For more information about Exploring Trees Inside and Out, click here.

Disclosure:  I was granted free admission to the museum as part of the preview for this exhibit.  I was also given free parking and carousel tickets while I was there.  I was not under any obligation to write this post.  All opinions are mine. 

Phew! What a busy week!  I have a bunch of posts coming up in the pipeline, but I didn't want to wait any longer to share my good news with you.

As you probably already read, I am a part of the Mrs. G TV & Appliances "Very Important Bloggers" program.  This is a great series of networking events hosted by Mrs. G's.  At the kick-off event, Mrs. G's CEO Debbie Schaeffer announced a contest to win a gorgeous Electrolux dishwasher.  All the bloggers had to do was try to drive some traffic to their Mrs. G's VIB blog posts.

I've been linking to my post here on the blog, tweeting it out on Twitter and emailing it to friends & family, asking them to check it out.  Well, all that work paid off on Wednesday when, at the second VIB event, Debbie announced me as the winner!

I'm still so excited, I never win contests and this one is an awesome prize!  Thank you to everyone who checked out my post & stopped by the Mrs. G's website.  Debbie said that Queen Mother Blog was right under the Trentonian as a referring site.  Isn't that awesome!?

I'll post more about the second Mrs. G's VIB event soon.  Thanks again to Debbie Schaeffer & Mrs. G's, Electrolux for sponsoring the series, Hilary from Mrs. Mo's New Jersey and everyone who helped me win!  (That sounded like an acceptance speech!)

I'm so excited to host a giveaway especially for readers here in my area! Sesame Street Live is coming to the Philadelphia area March 4-7 at the Susquehanna Bank Center Indoor Theater!

If you're not familiar, Sesame Street Live is a larger-than-life, musical touring stage production featuring your favorite Sesame Street characters: Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Bert & Ernie, etc! Each performance is 90 minutes of singing, dancing and audience participation, including a 15-minute intermission to get the wiggles out! :)

This particular show is called "Elmo's Green Thumb":  "When Elmo’s sunflower, Sunny, outgrows his flower pot, Big Bird’s garden seems to be the perfect place for Sunny to flourish. An excited Abby Cadabby, Sesame Street’s fairy-in-training, casts a spell to make Sunny grow faster. The spell does just the opposite and, instead of growing, Elmo and his friends shrink! As Abby tries to reverse the spell, Elmo, Zoe, Telly and friends explore Big Bird’s garden from a smaller perspective and learn some big lessons about patience, overcoming fears and appreciation of nature."

I think that sounds like such a fun show! There are lots of show times and different price ranges for seating.  Click here for more details on the show dates and times.  I'm giving away a FREE family 4-pack of tickets that you can use towards whichever date and time works best for you!

Here's how to enter:
Just leave a comment letting me know which Sesame Street character is your favorite! Be sure that you leave a valid email address either in your profile or in your comment so that I can contact you if you win. You can enter it like queenmotherblog(at)gmail[dot]com if you are worried about spammers.

Optional:  If you'd like additional entries you may:
Subscribe to my blog (either by feed or email)
Follow the blog (see "My loyal subjects" :)
Follow me on Twitter
Tweet about this giveaway (leave link to your tweet, 1x per day, max. 3 tweet entries)
Blog about this giveaway (leave link to your post) = 5 extra entries!
***Just be sure to leave a separate comment for each extra entry, so that you get all the chances you've earned when I do the number generator***

Looking to purchase tickets right away?
Click here to purchase from LiveNation and use passcode: ERNIE to receive $3 off tickets!

This giveaway is for the Philadelphia show only, therefore this giveaway is US only.  Contest will end by 8PM on February 8th and will be a random drawing.  Good luck!

Disclosure:  This giveaway is sponsored by The VEE Corporation & Sesame Street Live.  I was not compensated in any way to host this giveaway.

Make that a box of Honey Nut Cheerios!  A while back I had a post as part of ShopRite's Bloggers in Caring program, where each comment I received would equal a box of cereal donated to area foodbanks.  Since I participated in this program, my little face (along with the faces of many other area bloggers) is part of a collage on the back of specially marked "Bloggers in Caring" boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios available exclusively at ShopRite.  You can click the picture below to open a larger version.  It's kind of like Where's Waldo, but there's one pic of me (my usual profile pic) under the right eye (there's a few reused in there):



I was sent a box, but I'm going to run to my local ShopRite and pick up some more...I mean, how often can you say your picture is on the back of a box of Cheerios?!

But wait, here's an opportunity for you to be on the back of a box!  Shoprite Partners in Caring is teaming up with General Mills for an "Expressions of Hunger" contest.  This is a video contest that challenges you to submit a video "using song, poetry, dance or dramatic reading that creatively express the plight of the hungry or offer solutions to the issue of hunger." Up to six grand prize winners will have their stories and photos featured on a special-edition Cheerios box available exclusively at ShopRite stores in September 2010! Visit www.ExpressionsofHunger.com to view all of the details. Entries are being accepted now through March 1st, so start taping!

Disclosure:  I was not paid to participate in this program or compensated to have my picture on the box.  I did receive a thank you gift which included a free box.  This post was not obligatory; all opinions expressed regarding this program are mine.

I mentioned in an earlier post some of the cool blogging-related events that I'm going to in the near future.  One has already passed (The Martha Stewart Show trip), I had another one pop-up that I went to on Friday (a trip to the Please Touch Museum--review coming soon!) and my Mrs. G's event is this week.

And then I also glossed over a couple biggies.  Blissdom & The Disney Social Media Moms Conference.  I am insanely excited about both of these.  And I mean insanely.  Is it terrible to admit that I find myself completely preoccupied with them lately?  Well here's the scoop on them, in case you don't already know.

According to their website, Blissdom is "the premiere conference for women who find and express their bliss by publishing online."  This conference is a fun way to finally meet a bunch of online friends whose blogs I currently love & to also make new connections.  Then there's the actual conference sessions.  I'm so excited to learn more about how to grow this little blog into something that will be more fulfilling & rewarding for both me and you, my darling reader.  Right now I have a bunch of blog-related thoughts and questions swirling through my head that I can focus on during the conference & absorb all the information I can in the presence of others who have done the same.  Last night Marc & I actually used a babysitter and got out of the house together (a small miracle) and I feel like I bored the man to death with blog & twitter talk.  I am also pretty sure I'm boring the heck out of my friends and family on a daily basis, and I'm looking forward to chatting with others who know that there's a difference between Blogger & Wordpress.

Ok, so those are serious-sounding reasons to want to go to Blissdom, but it's going to be just plain fun, too.  The conference is being held this year at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN & thanks to my friend Yukline (who has regaled me with tales of how much she loves it there) I have been wanting to experience that hotel for a while.  So after we're session-ing it out in the amazing hotel, there's also parties...including a party with Harry Connick Jr.  Wait, what?  Yes. Harry Connick Jr. will be performing for us & I might even be getting a little photo op!  Swoon!  If you want to check out more about the Blissdom Conference, click here.

Before I had decided to bite the bullet and book the Blissdom trip (ok, I just have to acknowledge the alliteration there) we had been thinking about booking a little family trip to Disney World sometime in February.  I absolutely love Disney World and am always trying to scheme a way for me to get back there.  Well, for one reason or another the Disney plans were tabled and I signed up for Blissdom.  We then thought about making a little family trip out of that, but Marc thought being alone with Rayna while I was in the conference sounded like no fun at all & that I would get the most out of the sessions if I didn't feel like I had to rush back to them.  So there went the family trip altogether.


Flash forward a couple of months and I see all this talk swirling around online about a Disney Social Media Moms Conference.  Some other mom-bloggers had gotten invites to the conference & then it suddenly was opened to the rest of us.  I excitedly (or frantically, rather) read Marc the details from this post and we were giddy over the insanely good deal. How could we pass up a Disney trip for only $350?  To make a very long story a tiny bit shorter, after waiting on pins and needles I was confirmed for the trip and we were able to book the airfare exclusively using frequent flier miles!  The airfaire was going to be pretty steep, so to cash in our miles for this was really worth it for us.  If you're interested in reading the itinerary for the Disney conference you can do so here. 


I feel so super blessed to be able to attend both of these amazing conferences.  I am expecting to get so much out of both of them, but of course they cost quite a bit of money.  (Bay, you mean your blog isn't supplying you with a steady stream of income?! hehe)  This is where the term "sponsorships" comes into play.  If you know of any relevant companies who would be interested in sponsoring me to these or future conferences, please let me know.  In exchange for sponsoring any level (travel costs, registration fees, etc.) I could put together a personalized marketing plan that could include sidebar advertising, tweets, blog posts, etc. just drop me a line at queenmotherblog(at)gmail.com.

Of course I can't wait to tell you more when the time comes.  If you are going to be at either of these events, please leave a comment so I can look for you!

Ok, I'm hardly an inspirational blogger, but my mom passed a copy of this little bookmark on to me this Sunday & I wanted to share it with you.  It's probably not the first time you've heard this, but for some reason it was timely for me (a bit insecure these days? or always? lol) so I'm sure it will be for some of you as well.