Walmart Highlights the Season’s Hottest Toys with Meghan Trainor & DJ Khaled

by Jennifer SwartvagherOctober 23, 2020

America’s Best Toy Shop is coming to your screen. DJ Khaled and Meghan Trainor are hosting Walmart’s first-ever nationally broadcast 2020 Top Rated by Kids Toy Awards Show, airing Sun., Oct. 25 on FOX immediately following the NFL game. The show will also stream live a 4:30 p.m. ET on Walmart social channels including YouTube with co-hosts Collins Key, TikTok with co-hosts WeWearCute as well as Instagram and Facebook with co-host Laurie Hernandez.

Matthew McConaughey, basketball star Chris Paul and pro skaters Tony Hawk and Ocean Brown will all be presenters for Sunday’s program joining the hosts for an hour of hilarious skits and family-friendly fun. Also, Trainor will be performing a new song off her upcoming holiday album, A Very Trainor Christmas, for the first time ever.

Walmart wants to offer customers special, exciting experiences that bring them together while spending more time at home, and the 2020 Top Rated by Kids Toy Awards Show will bring the hottest holiday toys to customers’ living rooms in an exciting, family-friendly way Walmart has never done before.

Viewers are in for a fun-filled night that celebrates the top toys of the holiday season and supports The Salvation Army Angel Tree Program, which provides new clothing and toys to more than one million children in need each year. Visit WalmartAngelTree.org for more information.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

All photos courtesy of Walmart

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It’s a…! Meghan Trainor Reveals Sex of First Baby with Daryl Sabara

by Jennifer SwartvagherOctober 21, 2020

Boy or girl? Meghan Trainor and Daryl Sabara announced they were expecting their first child a few weeks ago. Now the happy couple revealed the sex on the latest episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show.

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So happy we got to share this with you FIRST on your amazing show! @kellyclarksonshow #MOMGOALS @darylsabara 💙🤰🏼

A post shared by Meghan Trainor (@meghan_trainor) on Oct 20, 2020 at 2:13pm PDT

“Do you know the gender of the baby yet?” Clarkson asked Trainor in a clip from the episode airing on Tues., Oct. 27.

“We’ve never told anyone … I saved it for you, Kelly, I love you,” Trainor replied. After she admitted all the old wives tales were wrong in predicting the sex, she let her husband deliver the happy news.

It’s a boy!

Sabara posted the same clip to his Instagram account with the sweet caption, “IT’S A BOY!!! 💙 You’re gonna be the BEST mom @meghan_trainor I love you!”

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: DFree via Shutterstock

12 LA Moms Facebook Groups Worth Joining

by Shannan RoussSeptember 13, 2020

Working (and parenting) from home during a pandemic can be isolating and overwhelming. Whether you’re looking to vent, get practical advice or even give away gently used baby and kids gear, there’s an LA Facebook group for your to join. Read on to find that support and camaraderie are just a few clicks away in a local online group for parents.

Groups for Mom Support

LA Mommies
With 59 thousand members, this group is the biggest of the bunch, offering plenty of differing opinions and insights which can make for spirited discussions. LA Mommies is intended to be a supportive group and community for parents and caregivers. You can search for popular topics like giveaways, reviews of Covid-19.

NICE Los Angeles Moms Supporting Each Other
As the name says, the most important rule governing this LA group is BE NICE. This group is a place to vent (no politics allowed), share and ask questions. The goal of the group is to help lift up other women, and the group's admins promote a spirit of kindness in their posts.

LA Moms Uncensored
This group takes a more irreverent approach to motherhood. It's a place for moms in the LA area to receive support, laugh, vent and connect. As they say of themselves, "Controversial topics are ok but don't be a dick."

Groups for Finding Expert Advice & Services

LA Peds and Parents: A Covid Kid Forum
When covid 19 first became a public health crisis, a group of Los Angeles pediatricians came together to figure out how to serve patients and their community. The doctors spent months supporting each other, and are now here to support parents! Ask your questions and they'll do their best to answer.

LA Tutors and Related Professionals
Overwhelmed with at-home learning. LA Tutors and Related Professionals is designed to connect families with local tutors, teachers, instructors and even healthcare professionals. If you're looking to form or join a learning pod, the group also helps connect like-minded families.

Los Angeles (LA) Nannies & Babysitters Exchange
This is a group to connect LA parents with caregivers, nannies and babysitters. Members can post if they're looking to hire a caregiver or babysitter, or want to recommend one to others. Worried about spam overload in the posts? No au pair agents, nanny agency, sales or personal business posts are allowed.

Groups for Selling, Donating & Swapping

Moms Helping Moms
This group is for donations only! Giving, helping, trading, receiving. This page is not a forum for airing personal problems of your own or another.

Los Angeles Moms Sell & Swap
Here is your chance to sell all those items you have laying around your house that you do not use! You can sell, trade, and swap to your hearts desire.

LA Parents Swap
This group is for Los Angeles parents living in the Westside LA, Mid City, and South & West Valley to buy/sell/give away baby and kid products they no longer need or would like to purchase.

Groups by Neighborhood

Westside Moms
This group is very strict about its Westside requirements—your profile must share what exact city you are in or you will need to message an admin to be approved. With regular meetups (during non-social distancing times), the group aims to create real friendships among moms and their kiddos. It's also a great local resource for anything parent- and kid-related in Los Angeles.

Pasadena Moms
The group is a place for moms in the Pasadena-area to connect, ask questions and support one another. You can use this group to get recommendations, tips and learn more about the area. And while it may be called Pasadena Moms, dads are welcome too!

San Fernando Valley Moms
All SFV moms welcome to join this group. It's the kind of place where you can ask for private swim instructor recommendations, and find the latest information on LAUSD school board initiatives (like a resolution to create public childcare pods on campus for homeless and foster youth and kids of essential workers).

For more hyper-local mom groups, search for your neighborhood on Facebook.

–Shannan Rouss

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Freeform Is Hosting “3-Day Disney Weekends” All September Long

by Karly WoodSeptember 8, 2020

Got weekend plans? Well, now you do with Freeform’s 3-Day Disney Weekends! The network is airing Friday through Sunday showings of your favorite Disney flicks that include classics like Chicken Little to newer films like Finding Dory.

In addition, Freeform is hosting an Instagram sweepstakes from Sept. 7 to Sept. 11 9/7 to 9/11 where fans can enter for a chance to win a pair of Mickey or Minnie Ears and a caricature of themselves! To see the schedule for this weekend, keep scrolling.

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A post shared by Freeform (@freeform)

Fri., Sept. 11

7p/6c – 101 Dalmatians (1996) 9p/8c – Freaky Friday (2003)

Sat., Sept. 12

8:30a/7:30c – Freaky Friday (2003)

10:30a/9:30c – 101 Dalmatians (1996)

12:35p/11:35c – Disney’s Hercules

2:40p/1:40c – Disney and Pixar’s WALL-E

4:50p/3:50c – Disney and Pixar’s Finding Nemo

7:20p/6:20c – Disney and Pixar’s Finding Dory

9:25p/8:25c – Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 3

11:55p/10:55c – Disney’s Bolt

Sun., Sept. 13

8:30a/7:30c – Disney’s Chicken Little

10:30a/9:30c – Disney’s Hercules

12:35p/11:35c – Disney and Pixar’s WALL-E

2:45p/1:45c – Disney and Pixar’s Finding Nemo

5:15p/4:15c – Disney and Pixar’s Finding Dory

7:20p/6:20c – Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 3

9:50p/8:50c – Disney’s Bolt

12a/11c – Disney’s Chicken Little

––Karly Wood

Feature photo: Quick PS via Unsplash

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Dax Shepard Welcomes Parents to the “PAW Patrol Years”

by Jennifer SwartvagherAugust 29, 2020

Do your kids watch PAW Patrol? Any parent of a preschooler can tell you that there is time when their kid has become totally obsessed with something, more often than not, a popular television show like PAW patrol. Keira Knightley called it ‘toddler crack’ and Ryan Reynolds threatened to sell his kids after an 11 episode binge.

Armed with the knowledge that preschoolers are totally PAW-obsessed, and parents are along for the ride whether they like it or not, Spin Master, the creators of PAW Patrol, enlisted the help of honorary PAW Patrol club member Dax Shepard to welcome parents to The PAW Patrol Years. Currently in the thick of it with two children in The PAW Patrol Years, Dax is hopeful it is just a phase. PAW Patrol, as he describes it, is a show about ‘an emancipated minor who hangs out with some talking dogs and together they put out fires, rescue chickens and do other cool stuff’.

Filmed while under quarantine and shot entirely on an iPhone in Dax’s home with Spin Master’s creative team joining virtually, he shares a series of hilarious warnings, tongue in cheek references, sage advice and product reviews in 15, 60 and 90 second clips for a fall targeted social campaign.

Created by Spin Master Entertainment and airing on Nickelodeon, PAW Patrol, is currently in its 7th season. The powerhouse franchise is heading to the big screen with an animated feature film slated for theatres in August 2021 (a Spin Master Entertainment production in association with Nickelodeon Movies, distributed by Paramount Pictures).

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: PAW Patrol Official & Friends via YouTube

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The Blackbeard Treasure Launches $10 Million Treasure Hunt

by Jennifer SwartvagherAugust 9, 2020

Are you ready for an adventure? With a total of $10 million dollars in cash spread out across 10 states, The Blackbeard Treasure is launching the only treasure hunt of its kind on a scale this large. In California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas, there will be hidden and buried across cities and towns one treasure in each state containing $1 million in cash.

The Blackbeard Treasure hunters will be given a digital map to download, clues, and riddles—all of which will lead to the treasure chest. To join the treasure hunt, participants must purchase a map on The Blackbeard Treasure website. Each map costs $49.99, and only a limited number of maps will be sold for each treasure chest. Treasure maps will be available for purchase starting Aug. 8, 2020.

“With The Blackbeard Treasure hunt, our goal is to get people excited about getting outside, either by themselves or with friends and family, in order to have the adventure of a lifetime,” said Justin Cohen, managing director of The Blackbeard Treasure. “And in the process of having the time of your life, you may just unearth a fortune.”

Each treasure chest contains $1 million in cash, a location beacon, and a hidden camera pointed at the precise location of the chest. Once the treasure chests are found, the winners will remove the key taped to the side of the chest, and open it. Inside, the winners will find their treasure money and a phone number to call to officially claim their treasure.

Additionally, starting Nov. 21, The Blackbeard Treasure will be following and filming select treasure hunters on their journey in search of the hidden treasures. They will be featured on an upcoming reality show, titled The Hunt for Blackbeard’s Treasure. The company is currently in negotiations with three networks in regards to airing the show.

For more details on participating in The Blackbeard Treasure hunt, please visit TheBlackbeardTreasure.com/Rules.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: N. on Unsplash

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Dive into Shark Week with Discovery Channel & Build-A-Bear

by Jennifer SwartvagherJuly 30, 2020

Shark week is coming! Discovery, Inc. just announced its exciting list of merchandising partners for Discovery Channel’s Shark Week 2020 airing Sun. Aug. 9 through Sun. Aug. 16. This year the consumer products program includes new and returning partners including Build-A-Bear.

Build-A-Bear is back for a third year with their Shark Week collection.

Great White Shark is available now and will arrive in stores throughout July. This powerful predator is known for its huge size and sharp teeth. This Great White Shark looks extra cool thanks to the official Shark Week logo on its paw pad.

Saw Shark is the newest online exclusive from Build-A-Bear. Known for their long, saw-like snouts and barbels that look like a mustache, saw sharks often swim in coastal waters. With plush fins and shiny blue fur, this smiley shark also features the official Shark Week logo on its paw pad.

You can personalize your sharks outfits, sounds and scents.

“Every year, we look forward to enhancing our viewers’ love for Shark Week by providing them with an appealing and diverse slate of merchandise,” said Carolann Dunn, Vice President, Consumer Products Licensing, Discovery, Inc. “Our goal is to allow shark lovers to go beyond watching shark-themed programming by wearing or playing with shark-themed products, and this year’s consumer products programming provides the opportunity to do just that.”

For up to date information on Shark Week as well as photos and videos, follow #SharkWeek on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

All photos courtesy of Discovery Channel

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Listen to Build-A-Bear Radio’s Story Time Featuring HarperCollins Children’s Book Authors

by Jennifer SwartvagherJuly 15, 2020

Enjoy story time at home. Build-A-Bear Radio today announced a story time program featuring a few HarperCollins Children’s Books authors. Grab your little one’s favorite furry friend and tune in for some new adventures.

New York Times Bestselling Margaret Peterson Haddix, Soman Chainani, and more children’s authors will be reading excerpts from their biggest releases all summer long exclusively on Build-A-Bear Radio.

Build-A-Bear Radio is available to stream for free through iHeart Radio and iHeart Radio Family apps and enabled devices with Story Time airing weekdays at 2 p.m. CT/12 p.m. PT beginning Jul. 20. New authors and books will be featured each week.

Visit www.buildabear.com/radio to download a free reading list to follow along all and track your progress.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: Jelleke Vanooteghem on Unsplash

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Spend Some Time with The Wiggles This Summer

by Jennifer SwartvagherJuly 11, 2020

Over the past few months The Wiggles have been busier than ever helping parents keep their toddlers entertained. We have enjoyed videos, concerts and even the launch of a new album. Now in honor of Summer, The Wiggles are hosting a Virtual Summer Camp.

Beginning Jul. 14 The Wiggles will be partnering with Rascal + Friends to present a two-week virtual summer camp for toddlers and their parents, simply called, “Virtual Summer Camp with The Wiggles and Rascal + Friends.” The program will be hosted by Emma Wiggle and Captain Feathersword, and promises to keep little ones entertained with arts, crafts, singing, dancing, and some special pirate-worthy prizes.

The Virtual Summer Camp is being offered for free. The live 20-minute sessions will take place Jul. 14, 16, 21 and 23 at 12:00 p.m. ET. All sessions will be available to families throughout North America on both The Wiggles and Rascal + Friends Facebook pages. After airing live, all the Virtual Summer Camp sessions will then be available on both pages for the duration of the summer.

“The Wiggles have been trying to provide as much entertaining and educational content for families as possible throughout this pandemic,” said Emma Watkins, the Yellow Wiggle. “We are extremely excited to reimagine the summer camp experience with a virtual twist.”

—Jennifer Swartvagher

All photos courtesy of The Wiggles

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Disney+ Releases a Special Look at the Film Version of “Hamilton”

by Jennifer SwartvagherJune 23, 2020

Don’t miss your shot! Disney+ has just given us a new exclusive look at Hamilton, the film of the original Broadway production.

During the 2020 ESPY’s airing on ESPN and ESPN2, Disney+ debuted the trailer for Hamilton which will premiere on the streaming service on Jul. 3.

The filmed version offers some of the best elements f live theater, film and streaming to bring this unforgettable performance to homes around the world. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, Hamilton has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theater. This musical has had a profound impact on culture, politics and education.

Filmed at The Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway in June of 2016, the film transports its audience into the world of the Broadway show in a uniquely intimate way. With book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and direction by Thomas Kail, “Hamilton” is inspired by the book “Alexander Hamilton” by Ron Chernow and produced by Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeffrey Seller, with Sander Jacobs and Jill Furman serving as executive producers. Filming was produced by RadicalMedia. The 11-time-Tony Award-, GRAMMY Award-, Olivier Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning stage musical stars: Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson; Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler; Jonathan Groff as King George; Christopher Jackson as George Washington; Jasmine Cephas Jones as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds; Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton; Leslie Odom, Jr. as Aaron Burr; Okieriete Onaodowan as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison; Anthony Ramos as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton; and Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

All photos courtesy of Disney+

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