I always enjoy celebrating my Latino culture and love hearing the music I grew up listening to, eating food I love, and seeing others celebrate the beauty of our culture. It’s not often I do this outside of our own home, but a couple weekends ago, I attended the Viva la Música festival at SeaWorld Orlando and shared in the joy of our culture with park attendees.

Viva la Música at SeaWorld Orlando is an annual event which honors Latino culture through food, music, and art, all included with park admission to SeaWorld. Isn’t that great?! Here’s more of what you can find at SeaWorld’s Viva la Música festival.

5 Reasons to Love Viva la Música at SeaWorld Orlando

1. Weekly concerts from popular Latino artists – we saw reggaeton star Daddy Yankee the day we attended.
2. Delicious Latin and Caribbean food spear-headed by SeaWorld Orlando’s Executive Chef, Héctor Colón. I love that the Executive Chef for the park has first-hand knowledge and experience with the Latin food he’s serving, having grown up eating it before becoming a professional chef.
3. Cultural art and merchandise available for purchase. There is plenty of beautiful artwork on display, plus cultural merchandise available to celebrate each individual Latin American country.
4. Domino tables set-up throughout the Viva la Música festival area, ready for you to sit down and play a fun game.
5. Lots of music! Plus, a dance area near a second stage where local bands play salsa, merengue, and bachata.

You still have time to catch the fun of Viva la Música at SeaWorld Orlando as there are two more Saturdays left before this annual festival ends for the year. This coming Saturday, April 27, you can catch merengue group Grupománia live in concert, and the following Saturday, May 4, you’ll be able to see classic salsa band El Gran Combo. I noticed that folks line up 2-3 hours before the concert begins in order to get good seats at the stadium, so you may want to consider upgrading your concert seating by purchasing VIP seating (starting at $14) or the Viva la Música VIP Package, which offers reserved seating plus a meal (starting at $24).

As I mentioned, all the fun of the Viva la Música festival at SeaWorld is included with daily park admission or if you have a Fun Card or annual pass. In fact, with a SeaWorld Fun Card, you can pay for a day and then enjoy unlimited admission to the park for the rest of 2013! That’s perfect for you and the kids to go back when Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin opens up on May 24.

What do you enjoy most at SeaWorld Orlando?

Disclosure: Our family was provided a complimentary 1-day visit to SeaWorld Orlando to experience Viva la Música. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™

Last year we experienced Mardi Gras at Universal Orlando for the first time and loved it. My baby girl had such a fun time collecting beads, watching the parade, and enjoying the Mardi Gras atmosphere that fills the Orlando theme park. In fact, she loved it so much that last December when we attended their Christmas events, she asked if we’d be able to come back again for Mardi Gras in the new year. Luckily, we were able to do so a few weekends ago and once again, our family enjoyed the fun and festivities of Mardi Gras at Universal Studios.

This time, our baby boy came with us as well, and it was so great to see him get into the fun of Mardi Gras. Just like his big sister, he enjoyed viewing the Mardi Gras parade, wearing a few beads, and dancing along to the vibrant music. Oh, and let’s not forget about the beignets that are available! My baby girl and I especially liked our beignets with chocolate sauce on top.

If you’re wondering if you should take your family to Mardi Gras at Universal Orlando, let me share with you a few reasons why I think you’ll love it and why the kids will have a great time!

7 Reasons to Celebrate Mardi Gras at Universal Studios Orlando

1. Mardi Gras Parade

The Mardi Gras Parade is spectacular. Huge and ornate floats parade down the streets of Universal Studios playing upbeat music and throwing beads to the crowd. I will mention that you have to watch out a little to make sure the beads don’t hit your little ones, as they can hurt a bit if they land the wrong way on your skin, but the kids truly love trying to catch as many beads as they can. Some of our favorite floats from this year included the Chinese New Year and Mexican Day of the Dead floats. I love that the theme of the parade this year is Colorful Cultures Around the World! Check out the free printable coloring pages on the Universal Orlando site for the kids to have fun with some of the parade floats!

2. Beads

Have I mentioned beads enough? I’m not sure what it is about them, but kids love collecting the Mardi Gras beads. I saw several kids wearing an insane amount of beads around their necks and it almost becomes a competition for them to see who has the most. Not only can you catch beads from the parade floats, you can also purchase fancier beads, necklaces, head pieces, and even a tie made of beads throughout the park. Another fun fact is that each parade float hands out a different color bead, which was fun for my girl to remember which bead came from which float!

3. Beignets

I don’t know where in Orlando you can get beignets (it’s not something I’ve searched for, honestly), but I know that you can purchase some at Universal Orlando during Mardi Gras. This makes for a fun treat for kids and adults alike, and though my girl and I poured chocolate sauce on top of ours, I also saw caramel and strawberry sauce as other topping options.

4. Concerts

Included with your Universal Studios park admission, Mardi Gras hosts live concerts each weekend featuring artists such as Demi Lovato, Sean Kingston, Pitbull, and many more. The night we attended, Matchbox Twenty performed, so we got to see a bit of their performance before heading out since the kids were pretty tired at that point. If you’re local or visiting Orlando in the upcoming weeks, you still have a chance to see Kool & The Gang, Pitbull, and The All-American Rejects perform before Mardi Gras at Universal Studios wraps up for the year.

5. Street Performers

All along the streets as you walk through the Universal Studios park, you’ll find street performers, including stilt walkers, dressed in Mardi Gras costumes and colors. Our kids loved this and it’s nice that they interact with guests, especially children.

6. Cajun Food

In addition to beignets, you can also purchase red beans & rice, jambalaya, and gumbo in the French Quarter Courtyard at Universal Studios. And here’s a little bonus I just found – Universal Orlando provides a recipe for Jambalaya and a recipe for Creole Gumbo so you can try them at home! (PDF files)

7. Music from New Orleans

Musicians from New Orleans also perform every weekend in the French Quarter Courtyard, bringing authentic New Orleans sounds to Mardi Gras at Universal Studios Orlando. What better way to truly enjoy the experience of Mardi Gras than by listening to live New Orleans bands?

What’s your favorite part of Mardi Gras? Will you be celebrating Mardi Gras at Universal Studios Orlando?

Disclosure: Our family was provided a complimentary 1-day visit to Universal Studios Orlando to experience Mardi Gras. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Except where noted, all photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™

Source: Singh/Flickr

I shared that this holiday season I was fortunate to work on two holiday charitable giving opportunities with the help of some really great brands that want to support local communities. You can read all about one of those opportunities where I was able to donate holiday gifts to the Harbor House, benefiting domestic violence victims. But, let me tell you about the second opportunity, a collaborative effort between myself and three other Orlando bloggers sparked by the outreach of Kohl’s that became a truly great experience.

A little back story first…Kohl’s reached out to me about a Pay It Forward effort in which they wanted to collaborate with bloggers to pay it forward in their local communities. Kohl’s was offering a gift card to shop at their store and give back to my community as I deemed fit, though they hoped deserving children would benefit, which is in-line with their overall charitable efforts. I immediately thought that instead of donating unwrapped items to a toy drive, it would be great if I could adopt a family and help them out this Christmas.

It’s funny how one thought leads to another, because soon after, my mind started racing with all the possibilities. I thought about reaching out to other brands I already work with to see if they wished to donate extra items for the family. I figured that perhaps I could go beyond the family’s wish list and provide them some extra holiday cheer. And then I wondered if this could become a larger effort and thought about how many more families could be helped if other bloggers joined the effort. If each blogger has their individual brand relationships and we each reached out to brands we know and love, just how much good could we do for Orlando families?

And that’s when it happened – Kohl’s generously agreed to provide three extra gift cards so that three more Orlando bloggers could pay it forward. One email from Kohl’s sparked a bigger idea and resulted in a wonderful holiday giving effort that ultimately helped four deserving Central Florida families! But, that was only the beginning! So many other brands jumped on board and helped the four of us (Lee Allport of mysentimentexactlee.com, Jen Burg of thesuburbanmom.com, Jessica Kirby of theunemployedmom.com and myself) to help these families. It was truly exceptional how they were all about helping our local community and made it happen – in some cases this even meant sending overnight packages to us so that we could meet our deadline for dropping off donations to the organizations.

With the help of several brands, plus the gift card money Kohl’s provided, we helped four families in total – two families were helped through Catholic Charities of Central Florida, another through the New Image Youth Center, and a fourth family came via a local public school. (By the way, I had no idea that schools identify children in need and try to find them help for the holidays and other occasions.) We were able to provide items from each family’s wish list, plus extras that came in through donations from various brands, such as food, books, health and beauty items, gift cards, and even local theme park tickets so that each family could have a fun day out! Looking over the family’s list of needs and wishes truly put a lot of things into perspective – one mom asked for kitchen towels as her wish for Christmas, and most had clothes on their lists. I am hopeful that each family will enjoy Christmas this year and only wish we could have helped out even more families.

It’s great to know that the connections and relationships developed over the last six years of being in the social media industry can be put to use for a greater good. First, local bloggers that I briefly knew from local events did not hesitate to participate and help. Secondly, brands were eager to help and came through in the most amazing way. For that, I can never thank them enough. I encourage you to give each of these brands some love, they truly deserve it!

• ALDI: Facebook, Pinterest
• ConAgra Foods: Facebook, Twitter
  • Healthy Choice: Facebook, Twitter
  • Egg Beaters: Facebook
  • Chef Boyardee: Facebook
  • Hunt’s: Facebook, Twitter
• CoverGirl: Facebook
• CVS: Facebook, Twitter
• Dockers: Facebook, Twitter
• Energizer: Facebook, Twitter
• General Mills via Qué Rica Vida
• Hallmark: Facebook, Twitter (I’ve been working with Hallmark this year on the Life is a Special Occasion campaign and was able to coordinate through that partnership.)
• Johnson’s Baby: Facebook
• Kohl’s: Facebook, Twitter – each new Facebook like of the Kohl’s page through December 24 results in a $1 donation to Toys for Tots
• Mead: FiveStar and EarlyLearning
• Pantene
• Playskool: Facebook, Twitter
• Scholastic: Twitter
• SeaWorld Orlando: Facebook, Twitter
• The Motherhood.com: Twitter
• Veggie Tales: Facebook, Twitter

Please also consider giving back to your community, if you’re able. This holiday season is a great way to begin paying it forward, but remember that families in need in your community need help year-round. I am sure local organizations can tell you how you can help best. If anything, you can help out right in your local Kohl’s store through their Kohl’s Cares program; a simple $5 purchase of  books, plush toys, and other items means that Kohl’s donates 100% of net profits to children’s health and education programs. Just think, you can help out in two ways with such a purchase if you in turn donate the item you purchase!

Be sure to also check out the posts from the other ladies who helped Orlando families this holiday season! And for a peek at some of the brand donations, check out my Instagram pics.

• Orlando Bloggers Pay It Forward To Make Christmas Wishes Come True by Jen
• Central Florida Bloggers Take Part In Charitable Giving To Help Families In Need This Christmas! by Lee
• Orlando Bloggers Pay It Forward And Adopt 4 Local Families For Christmas by Jessica

How do you pay it forward throughout the year?

Disclosure: Kohl’s provided a gift card for purchasing donation items in order to Pay it Forward in my local community. Additional donations were provided by each respective brand. No compensation received.

Source: Shimelle Laine/Flickr

This year I really wanted to give back to our community during the holiday season. I especially wanted my baby girl to be a part of it and understand there are kids and families in need and realize we can help, even if just a bit. I want her to see that she is a very lucky girl and that we should not only be grateful, but also help others when we can.

Luckily, as I was beginning to search for the best way our family could help other families in Central Florida, I was provided two wonderful opportunities to give back through my work on this site. I’ll share one of those opportunities here and the other in a separate post.

Through my partnership with Walmart and the Walmart Moms group, I was offered the chance to shop at Walmart for items to donate to a charity or organization of my choosing. There are so many places that help local families that in turn need help to make it happen; it was really hard to choose just one. In the end, though, we chose to help Harbor House with their Presents of Hope program.

Harbor House is a local organization that helps domestic violence victims and also provides shelter, among other services. I personally have never been affected by domestic violence nor do I have any close friends or family affected by such a horrendous act, but I know this is a serious problem. When I reached out to Harbor House and received information on the current ages of children living in the shelter and overall wish lists and needs for residents, I knew it would be a good cause to support.

© modernmami.com

Equipped with their list and the knowledge that most people donate for younger kids so there was a special need for older kids’ items, my baby girl and I went shopping at Walmart to pick out fun gifts for Harbor House residents. She had fun choosing items she thought other kids would like, though she was a tad nervous about choosing for older kids, saying, “I’m not sure what teenagers like, mommy.” Little does she know that a lot of parents struggle with that issue! Here’s what we were able to get (though I wish we could have gotten so much more!):

• Made by Me Weaving Loom craft kit
• Paint Your Own Dinosaurs Kit
• Board/card games like Connect 4, Yahtzee, and Uno
• Mini Lalaloopsy doll
• Make-up sets
• Chain wallet
• Girl’s wallets and One Direction small purse
• Boxed fashion jewelry and rubber bracelets
• Assortment of gloves and hat for cooler days

I combined these purchased gifts with a couple of extra items I had at home that we had previously set aside for donating and hadn’t yet done so. I hope the kids and parents living at Harbor House enjoy the items we picked out and have a great Christmas. I encourage you to find out what organizations need some extra holiday cheer this holiday season and consider purchasing a few extra items on your next trip to Walmart to donate.

Disclosure: modernmami.com and its owner, Melanie Edwards, is a member of the Walmart Moms program, resulting in compensation for this post.

We recently attended SeaWorld Orlando’s Christmas Celebration and enjoyed the beautifully decorated park and fun Christmas-themed attractions. My favorite part of SeaWorld at Christmas is the Sea of Trees – a lake full of Christmas trees that make for a wonderful view at night. My kids enjoy O Wondrous Night, a live show retelling the story of Christmas with songs, puppets, and even live animals.

There’s a lot more to see at SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration – here’s what you can find:

• O Wondrous Night: This show features more than 30 carols, angels, and live animals. New this year, you can take photos with some of the animal stars from the show.
• Winter Wonderland on Ice: a Christmas-themed ice skating show with towering water fountains and fireworks
• Shamu Christmas…Miracles: A night-time show with seasonal music accompanying the whales.
• Clyde and Seamore’s Countdown to Christmas: Clyde and Seamore, famous sea lions, plus otters, an elf, and a walrus or two, search for Santa.
• A Sesame Street Christmas: Great for toddlers and preschoolers, this show features Elmo, Telly Monster, Abby Cadabby, and more Sesame Street friends. Kids will love the singing and are sure to laugh along.
• Holiday Reflections: A choreographed light and firework show set to holiday music.
• THE POLAR EXPRESS Experience: Based on the film, this is a fun attraction that takes you through a bit of the story. You can also meet Santa Claus and see polar animals in this exhibit.
• Sea of Trees: My favorite, this display features more than 100 trees on a lake, each sparkling, lighted and choreographed to holiday music.
• Santa’s Fireside Feast: Not included with park admission, this add-on let’s you enjoy an all-you-can-eat buffet-style Christmas dinner. The kids will love seeing Santa and Mrs. Claus! Reservations are required for dinner and include reserved seating at select holiday shows.

Except for Santa’s Fireside Feast, all of the above is included with regular park admission and the rest of what SeaWorld has to offer. It really is a great bonus experience, taking place select dates through December 31, 2012.

Want to head out to SeaWorld with the family? We’re giving away a family four pack of single-day admission passes to SeaWorld Orlando! See below for giveaway details.

SeaWorld Orlando Giveaway

We want you to enjoy the holiday season at SeaWorld Orlando and see all that SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration has to offer. Enter below to win a family 4-pack of single-day passes, good through December 31, 2012!

How to Enter

Required entry: If you’d like to enter this giveaway for a family four pack of single-day admission passes to SeaWorld Orlando simply leave a comment letting us know what you think you’ll like best about SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration.

Extra entries (optional):

Each of the following will count as 1 extra entry. You’ll need to leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Follow @modernmami on Twitter.
2. Tweet the following (1 time only): Win a family 4 pack of @SeaWorld #Orlando passes from @modernmami to see #SWOChristmas! http://bit.ly/SWOChristmas #giveaway
3. Receive post updates by subscribing to our RSS feed. You can do so either via email or through a RSS reader. Leave a comment saying you did so or are already a subscriber.
4. Write a blog post on your own blog sharing the details of this giveaway. Be sure to include a link back to this post. Leave a comment with your post link.

All entries must be in by Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST. You must be 18 or older and a U.S. resident. No purchase necessary. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.) Winner will have 24 hours to respond and claim prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Prize will be provided and fulfilled by giveaway sponsor and modernmami™.com is not responsible for lost or damaged goods. Tickets are valid for one-time use before December 31, 2012.

Disclosure: We were provided complimentary admission to SeaWorld Orlando in order to experience SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration.

Christmas is a special time for Central Florida theme parks – each park hosts Christmas events and is adorned in beautiful holiday decorations. Walt Disney World, of course, is no exception and hosts Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom. This special night-time event is not included with regular Magic Kingdom admission, but is an event that you and the kids will love.

We were able to enjoy the festivities again this year via a media invitation to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Baby boy was able to enjoy a lot more this time since he’s now walking and able to partake in the fun. He and his big sister enjoyed riding several rides, meeting some characters, and of course, snacking on cookies and hot chocolate. I always enjoy seeing Magic Kingdom decorated for Christmas and just walking around taking in the sights. Christmas and Disney World make a good combination, don’t you think?

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party began on November 9 this year and continues through December 21, on select nights. A very family-friendly event, this Magic Kingdom Christmas party includes various holiday-themed fun:

• Cinderella’s Castle is decorated with Christmas lights that change color.
• Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade will be enjoyed by the little ones and they’ll love seeing Santa Claus at the end!
• Exclusive holiday fireworks – Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of the Season - can be seen during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
• Special shows and entertainment featuring Disney characters are scheduled each night of the party.
• Disney characters dressed in their holiday best are available for pictures and autographs. Special characters also tend to make an appearance that normally are not in the parks, such as Donald Duck’s Uncle Scrooge.
• Complimentary cookies, apple slices and hot cocoa are provided throughout various locations in the park.
• Walking down Main Street, U.S.A. with “snow” falling on you is always fun, especially for the kids!
• Several of the Magic Kingdom rides and attractions are open for you to enjoy with less lines.
• Kid-friendly dance parties with a DJ and Disney characters dancing too!

If you’re local to the area or plan to visit Walt Disney World this December, consider attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party; you still have time as the event will be held several nights in December this year and goes from 7 p.m. until midnight. Several other holiday events are also happening throughout other Walt Disney World parks – see Disneyworld.com/holidays for more information!

What do you enjoy most about Christmas at the theme parks?

Disclosure: We received complimentary admission to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party to experience the fun as a family.

We had fun at SeaWorld Orlando’s Halloween Spooktacular earlier this month! Check out a bit of our day!

The park is decorated with fun, whimsical, nautical decorations. There are bubbles just about everywhere along the path way, which the kids love of course!

Trick-or-treating is included with various stations set up throughout the park. Bags are provided too for the kids to collect their candy.

My baby girl wore her Scary Scarlet costume from Walmart and met up with a local blogger’s daughter for some trick-or-treating fun!

We also got to experience the new TurtleTrek attraction for the first time since it opened earlier this year.

SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular is included with park admission and is going on for two more weekends in October, so if you’re in the area you still have a chance to check it out with your family!

What do you like the most about SeaWorld?

Disclosure: We were provided with complimentary park admission in order to experience SeaWorld Orlando’s Halloween Spooktacular. No compensation received.

Photos © ModernMami.com
SeaWorld Halloween Spooktacular logo provided by SeaWorld Orlando.

Our Disney princess patiently waiting to arrive at Disney’s Animal Kingdom for a night of fun during the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration.

Today’s the day! We’re heading to Walt Disney World for the Social Media Moms Celebration!

Learning, fun, family, and friends? Yes, please! We’ll share insights with you soon, but in the meantime, follow along with us on Twitter and Facebook!

Last weekend, my family and I had the pleasure of enjoying the Mardi Gras fun at Universal Studios in Orlando. We’ve never actually been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and though I’m sure the energy and vibe is significantly different, Mardi Gras at Universal Orlando Resort was pretty fun.

As you may know if you’re a long-time reader, our family is from the Caribbean, with my husband being from Trinidad and I from Puerto Rico. Both islands have their own carnivals and festivals, full of parades, music, dancing, and fun, much like New Orleans’ Mardi Gras. So, the Mardi Gras festival was full of things we already enjoy.

As guests of Universal Orlando, we were able to see the Mardi Gras parade, up close. My daughter caught an insane amount of beads and even her abuela got into the spirit and went home with a nice collection herself. We also saw the KidZone Mardi Pardi Krewe, located in Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone, where Curious George, Woody and Winnie Woodpecker, Scooby Doo, and other characters put on a show for the kids. This was actually where the bead catching fun began, since they also throw beads to the kids.

A carnival or festival isn’t complete without food, so of course, we were able to sample New Orleans style Cajun food. Normally, this food is sold throughout the French Quarter Courtyard, with traditional foods such as jambalaya, gumbo, red beans & rice, and beignets available for purchase. As part of our tour, we were treated to a wonderful private dinner to enjoy the foods offered during Mardi Gras, including some king cake!

Our evening ended with a live concert by Big Time Rush. To be honest, my family and I only sort of knew who they were, but we had never heard their songs. Baby girl is only six years old, so she hasn’t quite hit that stage of being a boy-band fan. However, she is a party-girl at heart, much like her mami, so she really enjoyed the concert. Despite being exhausted since it was already 9 pm (past her normal bedtime), she screamed like a true fan, danced and jumped around to each song.

You can still catch the Mardi Gras fun as there are quite a few weekends left before the festival ends this year. The full concert line-up shows the upcoming performing artists, with all the concerts being included with park admission.

Have you ever been to Universal Orlando’s Mardi Gras or even Mardi Gras in New Orleans? What’s your favorite part?

Disclosure: My family and I were provided a complimentary 1-day visit to Universal Orlando to experience Mardi Gras. No compensation received.

Photos courtesy of Universal Orlando Resort