Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Little Toby and his Little Watch!

BabysWatch is a cotton bracelet that's gentle and cute!


Add this to the list of things that Toby doesn't need but Mommy can't live without: a small fabric bracelet made to look like a wristwatch to fit an infant or toddler's tiny wrist.

It's called Baby'sWatch and it's too darn cute to pass up if you have a little one!


When I put it on Toby for the first time, my son had a smile that I won't soon forget. 
He was thrilled!
It wasn't long before my rascally child tried yanking it off his wrist (he was extremely curious about it). His desire to explore the BabysWatch and take it off was just a sign that he loved it!
Babyswatch offers a lineup of designs for boys and girls.
It's a cotton bracelet made of 100% organic and chemical-free long fiber balanced weave cotton fabric that is ultra soft, breathable and nonirritating against your baby's skin.
The graphics are printed with a non-toxic dye that doesn't fade, rub off or rinse out. 
The company says it has served over a million customers so far. 



"We’re all about the spreading of goodwill, humor and innovation, because we want the world to stay awesome," their website states.

Currently, the BabysWatch designs retail for $14.99 and can be purchased online. You can even buy the product wholesale.

They're totally adorable.
Your kid will love BabysWatch unless they're anything like my 15-month old Toby, who was intrigued at first and eventually figured out how to unsnap it!


BabysWatch is available here.
I received a free product for a review on my blog.

Happy Thursday!

Monday, July 24, 2017

A Minnie Mouse Luau in anticipation of Minnie's Happy Helpers DVD!

Bring home the adventures of Minnie's Happy Helpers coming to DVD on July 25! #sponsored


 A few weekends ago, we attended an LA Mamacitas event for local bloggers at Griffith Park, in anticipation of Minnie's Happy Helpers DVD.
It was extra cute because taking two boys to a luau filled with adorable Minnie Mouse loving girls made for plenty of smiles and chuckles!


Benny and Toby started wrestling inside a Flamingo inflatable, then they ran off in the distance making me panic for a brief moment.
Eventually they came back and had a jam sesh with a small bongo-type drum. Once Benny had enough of the drum sounds, he left to play with other kids. When I looked to see if Toby was still there, he was hugging a large Minnie Mouse plush...aww!



Minnie's Happy Helpers is on the way to Disney DVD tomorrow, July 25, 2017!
The DVD description is so cute, you'll want to rush and buy it for your little girls:
"When Minnie and Daisy aren't racing around Hot Dog Hills, they're helping their friends with fun odd jobs as the Happy Helpers. And no task is too big or too small for them to tackle! With a quick spin in their Turn-Styler, the Happy Helpers are ready for anything that comes their way."


The DVD includes a total of seven episodes and my favorite is the one titled "Egg-Xasperating" which is when the Happy Helpers are babysitting an egg that's about to hatch...(teehee).

Total running time: 77 minutes.

You can connect with Disney Junior on Facebook and/or @DisneyJunior on Twitter.

Happy Monday to all!

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Pure Disney Fun & Excitement at D23!

Every Disney Lover's Dream Convention! 


I had never attended a D23 Expo before...until Friday.
When I got to the Anaheim Convention Center and walked through the doors into the Exhibit Hall, I was flabbergasted.
I knew I would be surrounded by Disney loving folks and cool Disney-themed displays but I wasn't ready to be confronted with a world of pure Disney Magic at every corner!
Welcoming guests into the show floor was a big stage with a live music band, playing high energy tunes.
Signs, displays, props, and products with colorful Disney characters and other details decorated stands, booths, tables and floors.
There was a Minnie Mouse van, a princess and villain couture dress display, an virtual reality Lion King experience.


Ethan Allen, the furniture store, had an entire Disney-themed "home" with Mickey chairs, sofas, wall art and Star Wars furniture in the kids' bedroom showroom.
There was a display of a giant pair of special edition (and sold-out) Mickey Mouse Ray-Ban sunglasses as well as Donald Duck luggage, special edition Oswald merchandise and a section where Baristas made lattes with Disney designs.



Then there were the costumes. Oh my God. The friendliest, happiest people were at the D23 Expo donning the most creative Disney character costumes. Every single person I approached was more than happy to let me take pictures and enthusiastically talk about their cosplay designs.



This incredible convention was also extremely crowded. If you wanted to get a sandwich for lunch, you'd better wait in a super long line. If you wanted to listen to the panels, people were standing in line three hours in advance. That's because Disney uses the D23 Expo to announce many new & upcoming projects, attractions, experiences and movies... and Disney fans from around the world are anxious to be first in line to find out!
I was happy to see one of my fellow Disney Parks Moms Panelists, Lindsey Morris, who was in town from Texas.


And even though mommy and family obligations prevented me from staying longer than a day, or sitting through an entire panel, or seeing Oprah Winfrey, or hearing Bob Iger speak, I now understand why Disney fans make plans two years in advance to attend the D23 Expo (the expo is held every other year). It was a dynamic and exciting experience full of good music, friendly attendees and Disney charm and if I didn't think before, now I know to plan ahead for the 2019 D23 Expo.
By the way, the "D" stands for Disney and the "23" represents the year 1923 when Walt Disney founded the company.


This year's D23 Expo will continue through Sunday but as you can imagine, tickets are sold out.

Check out many more D23 costume pictures on www.MommyInLosAngeles.com

Thanks for reading!

Thursday, July 13, 2017

Do Tell, Anabel! Gets an Awesome Shout-Out!

Exciting & Unexpected!

Toby and I at a recent "Mommy & Me" Swim Lesson hosted by Olivia+Ocean for mommy bloggers & influencers.

Friends, I haven't been nearly as active on my blog as a dedicated and committed blogger should be.
I've been super busy with work, the kids, the Disney Parks Moms Panel, and my new venture, www.MommyInLosAngeles.com
It's a project I've launched with my sisters and we're very excited to see where it goes. It's basically an online magazine for moms and mostly about LA Moms. We will have a single yearly print edition and a big launch party next year.
Our slogan is "Every Mom Has a Story" and we promote it as a magazine that covers "the movers, shakers, doers & makers, the real LA celebrities: The Moms!" This is our logo:
Needless to say, in the middle of all the madness, I was pleasantly shocked when I recently received a blogger recognition from Care.com, a support network for families that offers resources for parents and children.
They listed this blog, Do Tell, Anabel!, as one of the "Best Five Los Angeles Mommy Blogs You Need to Read Now".

I was ecstatic!
Los Angeles is a huge city, with a ginormous pool of mommy bloggers so to have someone actually read through many of them and decide my lil' ol' blog is worthy of such recognition is a big honor! As a result, I've developed a newfound drive to continue blogging and sharing personal stories about my life and motherhood in Los Angeles (with occasional brand collaborations). Thanks, Care.com!

On a separate note, I'm sharing a few other personal updates: My husband and I recently celebrated our 10-year wedding anniversary in Vegas! It was a simple little getaway where we enjoyed each other's company and vowed to make the next 10 years even better...Awww.


Benny and Toby continue getting bigger and giving me plenty to laugh about. My sons are my daily dose of inspiration and the two "traviesos" (Spanish for brats), have the cutest brotherly love/hate relationship ever! Most recently, my dad tried dressing them as young boys completing the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain (read all about this pilgrimage here). They wore the traditional pilgrimage hats decorated with a shell, blue t-shirts and even had a walking stick equipped with a miniature gourd which is commonly used as a water container. It was all too hilarious because they were completely uncooperative when it came to smiling at the camera...and the only thing abuelo wanted was to have a single shot of the three smiling!


 Thanks for reading friends!
Please reach out if you have thoughts, ideas, comments.
And check out www.MommyInLosAngeles.com for stories on inspiring LA Mommies!

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Review: Marvel Universe Live! Age of Heroes

Make it a point to catch Superhero stunts and live action in LA, Ontario or Anaheim!


When Spider-Man came swinging into the Staples Center Friday Night to challenge a mean, rude "bad guy," my sons Benny and Toby either got really excited or went along with the collective excitement that was expressed throughout the arena.
Kids were cheering and clapping to see their favorite half-arachnid, half-human character come to the rescue and my two boys were no exception.


Benny was enjoying an ice-cold lemonade sold inside a Marvel Hero-themed cup and Toby was extremely attentive to the bright lights and stunt fights in front of him.
The Marvel Universe Live! Age of Heroes show has arrived at the Staples Center with plenty of action battles, familiar Superheroes (and villains) and loud-thumping sound effects, bright lights, smoke and props (like a taxi cab that arrives looking flawless and ends up getting wrecked by the special powers of the characters).


It's definitely an action-packed show, suitable for boys and girls and very thorough with the number of Marvel heroes that audiences get to see (twenty-five to be exact).

There were a few scenes where Toby was scared but then again, he's 14 months old, quite impressionable and a total mama's boy.

Benny, my 4-year old was beyond excited. When Groot and Rocket Raccoon made their first appearance, he nearly jumped out of his seat. Further, I was very surprised to learn he knew so many of the characters that I was unfamiliar with, like the villains Yondu and Rhino. 


Overall, the show makes for a great family outing and your kids will be thrilled!
The Marvel Universe Live! Age of Heroes show will be held at the Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles through tomorrow night (get your tickets here).

Next Stop:Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, CA from July 13-16

Honda Center in Anaheim from July 20-23

Have fun and enjoy the show!