After becoming a parent, all phobias you might have related to germs will disappear. This is not by choice. No, the ongoing barrage of bodily fluids OUTside the body is something that quickly nulls your sense of what ‘clean’ and ‘gross’ actually mean. To celebrate this part of having kids, Clorox has created the Clorox Ick-tionary. This collection of words bonds us as mothers and fathers as we talk about pee, poop, vomit, flatulence, etc. in everyday conversation.

I was also invited to share a couple of terms in the Ick-tionary so I submitted the words/definitions of “Tor-POOP-do” and “SODAplosion”.

• Tor-POOP-do
  A brown bomb that is dropped into the toilet at high velocity, spreading smelly remnants across the underside of the toilet seat.
  Variation: tor-PEE-do, an ongoing barrage of yellow droplets, creating a similar pattern around the toilet rim.
• SODAplosion
  A violent expansion of gases caused by curious people who decide to shake a carbonated can/bottle and then open it, resulting in sticky residue all over the floors and cabinets. Can also be done unintentionally.

Both words were inspired by events in our personal family life

Tor-POOP-dos and Tor-PEE-dos are generally discovered after the fact, when it’s time to clean the toilet. The worst ones to discover are after you’ve had company over and have no idea who did them! The mother of all such toilet bombs are when someone has a combination of both due to a a sick stomach. I don’t really have to spell that one out to you do I? Let’s just say that it starts with a “D”.

As for SODAplosion, I have my lovely tween daughter to thank for that. One day, she somehow felt the urge to shake a bottle of carbonated soda before opening it. Seconds later, sticky, sugary, liquid was all over the kitchen floors, cabinets, counter, and refrigerator. When asked about her motivation for doing this, she simply said, “I don’t know. I just wanted to see what happened.” Kids, we’ve gotta love them. At least that’s what I kept telling myself as we were wiping everything down.

With experiences like this, Clorox Wipes have been our friends for years and we’ve largely contributed to the mass selling of their other cleaning products. Picking up wet poop from the bathtub? Done it. Having mushy, yellowish poop blow out a diaper leg? Been there. Had pee bleach the color out of a new dress? Many times. Had to get vomit stench out of a new car you just bought? Sadly, yes. Child had an ‘accident’ while riding on my shoulders? No, but it happened to one of my brothers-in-law and I couldn’t stop laughing. Ah, parenthood really provides us with unforgettable experiences…

Can you relate to any or all of that? Check out the other Clorox Ick-tionary entries or even add your own. I’m sure you’ve built up a good set of ‘ick’ words yourself. You HAVE  to share anything you come up with!

To give you some ideas, like the Facebook page below and see what other parents have thought of!

This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Clorox blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own. To read more posts on this topic, click here.

During my trip to Destin, Florida, we saw an unusual sight – the dolphins were actually playing with the seagulls flying overhead! The seagulls would gather above the dolphins hoping for some food. When they would near the water, though, the dolphins would jump and spin. It was as if we were watching a little game of tag, sea (gulf) versus air.

It was tough to get good photos but this one turned out pretty well. Here’s some video footage so you get a better idea of just how fun it was to see!

Thanks to Destin Snorkel for taking us out on the water (out of the generosity of their hearts) and for pointing out all the dolphins for us to watch. All opinions were 100% my own.

For the first time, I was able to join 24 other bloggers at Brandcation 2013 in Destin, Florida. We were able to learn more about each other and, of course, blogging. However, the amazing time we had was made even more special thanks to several generous sponsors.

 
I was excited to be introduced to so many great companies and products. My favorites so far are the singing toothbrush that plays “Gangnam Style”, the O-Venture keyring, Neutrogena products, and the CoTZ Mineral Sunscreen. Don’t forget to check out these companies out yourself – I know you’ll be bookmarking several of them

Complimentary products and/or deep discounts were provided for Brandcation attendees. All opinions are 100% my own.

How’s your Monday going so far? If it’s been a bit tough getting going today, here’s a super cute motivational quote reminding us to never give up. Who know? It may just be what you need for a little extra ‘oomph’ to get you through the day.

During my visit to the Monsters University campus at Pixar, my group had the chance to talk with the film’s producer, Kori Rae. Our discussion shed a lot of light on behind-the-scene processes so, despite being a bit lengthy, I’m sure you’ll find the following interview extremely interesting as did I

Q: Was a second movie planned due to the success of the first one or was it that years later it came up?

Kori Rae: I think it’s always the creative that drives the films and the ideas. It was more how much WE loved the movie. Not even the success of it but how much we loved that world of Monsters and we loved those characters so much. After the dust settled, I think Pete had always thought about revisiting and seeing if we could come up with something great…and they did.

Q: What was the thought process of making a prequel instead of a sequel?

Kori Rae: It was decided pretty early on when Pete and John and Dan and Andrew Stanton all got together and Pete wanted to throw out some ideas for another film in the Monsters, Inc. franchise. There was a two or three day offsite with them just bantering about ideas. The idea of a prequel was mostly just meeting Mike and Sully before Monsters, Inc. and getting to know them and how they ended up becoming who they were. That idea was kind of born at that time. It was kind of like “Let’s go backwards!” and then they just thought the college setting would be fantastic in a world that we hadn’t really explored before. So it came out back then.

Q: Do you think there will be a sequel to Monster’s, Inc. where they focus on the Laugh Floor?

Kori Rae: I don’t know. If a great idea comes around and Peter and somebody wants to make it, sure. But there hasn’t been any talk of it thus far.

Q: Do you feel like there’s any portion of the film that you relate to?

Kori Rae: I think that when we started to discover and really get into the story of Mike and how he overcomes the failure and not getting his dream and how he comes out of that and how Sully helps him. It’s just the story about what do you do when that one door really closes, and it closes hard. How do you kind of find what the next thing is or what you were really meant to do. Sometimes you think you’re meant to do something and then you discover that wasn’t really the thing and you find another route. That part of the story is really meaningful to me and I love that.

I’m super happy that we’re telling that story and that we’re telling a different version of the story that if you work hard enough, you can achieve anything. Sometimes that’s true and sometimes you hit that brick wall, and you have to figure out where to go from there. I just, I think that’s really, really cool. It’s happened to most of us and when we talk to our friends, and our co-workers, most of the people working here, a lot of them, had other dreams and ended up here in a circuitous way. I love that part of the story.

Q: Last night you were talking about how this is such a special film with the whole Monsters Inc. for both you and for Dan. Now, were you approached to be the producer for this or did you kind of think that you wanted to be a part of it?

Kori Rae: The latter. As soon as I knew that they were thinking about it, I said I really want to work on that movie if I can. Yeah, luckily that worked out.

Q: I really love seeing Mike as the child. Is there any way we’re going to see a series, or maybe another little movie with them as children?

Kori Rae: We’re so focused on getting this one done that not a whole lot of thought has been given to anything else. But, yes, he is adorable. We love him, too.

Q: Did you work on the original Monsters, Inc.?

Kori Rae: I did. I was the associate producer on that.

Q: Were there a lot of people that worked on the first one that worked on this one?

Kori Rae: There were a fair number. I would say it was probably at least 30 or 40 people.

Q: And how many total work on the whole process then?

Kori Rae: The crew size stars small, then it ramps up, and then it ramps back down. At our peak we’re about 260-270 working just on the movie here. Departments kind of come in and out. It’s kind of a linear process. You have story and editorial and art up front when you’re designing and creating the film, and then all of the other departments come online. So at a point, probably about five months ago, we were at our peak at about 270 or so, and then it kind of ramps down.

Q: So how close are you to having the movie ready for theaters?

Kori Rae: Very, very close. We’re working on the mix right now. We have a little bit of score left to do, we have a couple of score days the end of this month. The picture will be done this week, and then all of the assembly of those bits and pieces happen, and it will have a finished product by mid-May.

Q: We’re getting close.

Kori Rae: Always. Always.

Q: Are there just different endings you decide to do or do you change decisions? How is it that it comes right up to that month?

Kori Rae: The truth is that we back into our release date, so we’re actually right on schedule. We were scheduled to finish picture this week, everything’s on schedule. This is kind of how it goes.

Q: It seems that you had a background in education. What was that before you came?

Kori Rae: I majored in secondary education in English. I taught and coached right out of school for a little bit and then decided to change directions and do other things and that led me here, to Pixar, after a few years. Producing is definitely a lot like teaching and coaching, I think.

Q: What did you teach in English?

Kori Rae: It was eighth grade English. Then I coached volleyball, softball, and basketball.

Q: What made you change directions?

Kori Rae: I wanted to go explore a little bit. I had been an athlete all my life, I’d been involved in sports and everything. I wanted to travel a little bit and to explore other things. I did editing for a while and journalism and stuff like that. There was a period where I just did a whole bunch of things, and it was fantastic. It was really great – I just wanted to discover more, I wanted to see what else was out there, and ended up here. So that worked out…

Q: I’ve always been curious at what point the voices of the actors come together with the animation and do they come here to do the recording, or do they do that elsewhere .

Kori Rae: Good question. So, the last part first. We record both at the studio, we have a recording studio over in the other building. Sometimes talent comes here if they can. A lot of it is dictated by schedule, honestly. Sometimes if we’re really jammed and we can’t afford to fly to New York or LA, wherever the town is, we ask them to come here. Sometimes they can swing by on their way to LA. A lot of the actors travel for their own career.

So, sometimes it works out. It worked out a lot. We had a lot of the talent record here, which was fantastic. But, generally, a lot of our talent on this film was based in LA. So we did the bulk of our recording in LA and we went to New York a couple times and then the rest here. It was really quite easy.

Q: So do you do the voices and then put it to the animation, or do you do the animation first and then say, “Okay, guys, try to match this”?

Kori Rae: We cast the film even when it’s just in story reel form. That’s when we start thinking about casting the characters. As soon as we cast them and record them, we cut it in and we start working. Sometimes it’s still in the storyboard phase, and sometimes it’s in the layout stage, which is where we’re just laying out the camera. Then we have to get it all in and locked before it goes to animation. All of the voices are in and final, and edited in before animation. They use that to animate to. They have to have those voices in there to animate to.

Q: So they can add facial features?

Kori Rae: Yeah, and kind of just get the emotion and get the character through the animation, the intonations that they use. It’s amazing how much you can see coming through, not even just in the facial expressions, but even in their body and their movements all comes through the voice, and kind of what the emotion of the character is for a certain scene.

Q: Do you ever try to match the actors’ expressions?

Kori Rae: No, not really. If they’re laughing, they’re laughing, but it’s not something the animator tries to. They very seldom even look at the footage of the actor. We record it but they usually are just listening to it and that voice is the character that they’re animating.

Q: In the whole process, is there a department you like working with more than another?

Kori Rae: Um, probably not necessarily more. Again, the good thing is that, because our process is fairly linear, you get to spend a good amount of time in each department. It’s totally satisfying in that way. For this film, we were in story a lot – I think the challenges of doing a prequel were so intense. I really loved being in story on this film and we had an incredible team dealing with really challenging problems and it was also a little bit new for me. As a first-time producer, it was the first time that I had really been in the story room every single day, all day. I really loved that part of the film.

But I always love animation. My first gig on A Bug’s Life was managing the animation department, so my heart is always with the animators. I love that department – it’s where the film really comes to life. It’s always great to go to dailies and see what people are doing when they animate a scene and how much they ‘plus’ it and make it its own thing. That’s always great.

Q: But you love all your kids equally…

Kori Rae: Exactly.

Q: Pixar has been so consistent about producing a high quality experience, an emotional, a story-based experience. Film industry is typically sort of up and down, like a studio will put out something that will do well and then it will flop. What would you attribute this to? Is it personnel? Is it a dedication to a specific part of the process that allows you to do something so consistently well?

Kori Rae: I think it’s both. I think it’s personnel. We do have incredibly talented people here. John Lassiter kind of brought in Andrew and Pete to begin with and has continued to bring in really talented people. I do think it’s also a lot about the process and the fact that we are willing, the directors and the filmmakers, are willing to put something up, have it torn down completely, go back to the drawing board, put it back up, have it torn down. That’s the thing you have to be willing to do, in my mind.

Especially with story, you have to be willing to let go. You have to be willing to throw stuff away, and not get too attached to it. You have to do that over and over again in order to get to the right place. The things that you’ve loved at one point that got picked out often make their way back in. It’s the willingness of the directors to do that, in a collaboration and the fact that it’s done in a collaborative spirit. It’s not done in a mean-spirited way. It’s like, hey, everybody here wants to make the best film. The filmmakers that are working on that and then every other person who’s involved, the whole studio, wants to make it a great film.

Q: Everybody’s so passionate that I’m sure at some point they’ll fight for their ideas, and things like that.

Kori Rae: Yeah, and then the filmmakers have to make those choices when it comes down to that, because you have to.

Q: No room for egos!

Kori Rae: No, and that’s the real beauty of it. I think that is why we’re successful because it’s not about that. It’s really about putting the best thing up on that screen.

Q: You’ve been alluding to some of the challenges. Can you identify a few of the challenges? Just going backwards basically to do a prequel?

Kori Rae: Yeah. Story, definitely, again – just trying to make a prequel, without being predictable. That is the challenge when you know how a movie ends, how do you make it interesting enough for an audience to sit through 90 minutes of the film and still be surprised, and still even root, for something that they know isn’t necessarily going to pan out. One of the other challenging things on this film was just the scope of the film and the sheer number of characters. We knew, being set on a college campus, we were going need a ton of characters for this film.

So, one of the first things we did in production was we started with the background characters before even a lot of the primary characters were designed. We started, creating, designing, and making the background characters. The volume and the number of characters goes all the way into animation. Animating a shot with seven primary characters, when it’s the misfits of Mike and Sully and it’s the whole group, and then you have background characters behind them. It’s incredibly challenging, just scene after scene, to have that many characters in all the shots. Animation-wise it took us a little bit longer and was a little more challenging than we anticipated. Well worth it but it definitely was one of the things because it’s well populated, this college.

Q: Do you have to set hard, fast deadlines for all of your teams? How do they see you?

Kori Rae: We really, really collaborate on that because in production you set deadlines, you set milestones and schedules, and then they change. The minute you make a schedule for any department on a film, the next day, within 24 hours, things have changed. You have to be able to roll with that. Again, it’s really, really collaborative. We meet with departments a few times a week and talk about what inventory is and what their deadlines are, what their schedules are, and just how to help them stay on track.

But it’s never, like, “Oh, here’s your deadline and you have to stick to it”. It’s not tenable. It’s really just figuring out, it’s problem solving every single day. Just how to deal with the changes because, not only is the story iterative, but every single department, animation, the characters, shading, all of those departments are iterative. So some things are easy, some things are hard in different departments, and so they never line up. You’re constantly just trying to figure out how to make the puzzle work for that particular day or week. In the heat of production when all departments are going, as far out as you can look is a week or maybe two. Everything else after that is just too impossible to tell what’s going happen. So you have milestones, you have goals, and you know what the brick wall is. But within that, it changes, and is fluid the entire time.

Q: I’m a very impatient person and I like to see results instantly, so I can’t imagine working on a project that takes this long. Do you ever get really antsy and eager for it to be finished so you can see it all come together?

Kori Rae: Even if you have those proclivities it’s like, at every step, it changes. So you’ll have one shot, and you see it in the story board and then a month later, a week later, you’ll see the the rough characters with camera. And then a week after that, you’ll see a more advanced version of that. Then you’ll hear it with the character voice.

It’s always layering on top of each other, it’s never the same. You’re really never looking at the same thing. It’s always evolving. And then you get to see it animated and then you get to see it lit, and then you get to see it lit with effects. It’s kind of the thing that keeps the director and everybody sane. It’s always moving but it’s totally exciting. The middle part, and seeing it in all of those different forms, that’s the fun part. We’re privileged to be able to see all that.

Q: Super quick – who’s your favorite character?

Kori Rae: Uh, I, oh… I don’t really have a favorite character – I love them all. No, you know who I do really love is Dean Hardscrabble. As a character and as a character design, I just love that she’s this strong, powerful character and that Sully and Mike cause her to shift a little bit her way of thinking.

Q: Can we expect to see bloopers at the end of this one?

Kori Rae: I don’t think so.

Q: Who came up with the Dean’s name?

Kori Rae: It was probably a collaboration of Dan, the director, Kelsey, the head of story, and the writers, Dan Garson and Rob Barrett. A lot of the naming kind of happened at various times within the story process. I don’t even know who was responsible for which name, even the names are a collaboration, to be honest.

Monsters University will be in theaters on June 21st! For more info check the social links below:

• “Like” Monsters University on Facebook
• “Follow” @Disney/Pixar on Twitter

All-expense paid press trip provided by Disney/Pixar. No other compensation is being/was provided. All opinions are 100% my own.

 
On a sunny day, Destin, Florida is beautiful with its sparkling water and white, sandy beaches. Staying at the Emerald Grande added a whole other dimension to my enjoying the area. It felt like 24/7 luxury with total relaxation.

The Emerald Grande is a towering resort full of up-scale rentals and condos. It sits right along Harborwalk Village, placing you just footsteps away from dining, shopping, and water fun. If you call 48 hours ahead of time, a free shuttle can be arranged to pick you up or drop you off at the local airports. I would highly recommend this as we had some SERIOUS taxi issues while in Destin…but that’s another story to come.

The lobby is breathtaking and will likely be the best place to meet other people in your party. From here or the Grande Vista level (GV) you will be able to move between the east and west towers. Check-in was quick and easy. It was also very convenient that the Emerald Grande held my luggage after I checked out, allowing me to explore the area a bit more. I found the service to be exceptional with a friendly staff.  However, there were a select few in my group that experienced quite the opposite.

The prices are a bit high but this is nothing like a cheap economy motel you might find elsewhere. This is a great destination for one or more families as even the (smallest) one bedroom condo sleeps six people. There’s a full kitchen stocked with dishes and utensils and a combination living room/dining area. Everything felt roomy and the temperature stayed comfortable. With four bloggers, in the condo, it was so nice that there were power outlets EVERYWHERE, including in front of and behind the bar.

The huge master bedroom featured a king bed and its own television. The sliding door opened to private balcony and there was plenty of room to store luggage, including a mirrored closet (not pictured). With open suitcases and toiletries strewn about, there’s still enough room to get around and not feel cluttered.

Lighting in the master bath was great and the double sink really came in handy. Unfortunately, due to the design, the shower leaked quite a bit. So, make sure tokeep a towel handy to dry the floor after washing. There was also a notable amount of rust near the bottom door hinge. For some reason, no hair dryer was in our room and we had to call down twice before one was brought up.

The second bedroom had a queen-sized bed and was much more compact. A small closet was in one corner and a door to the other balcony was in the another. This room  did feel much less private. It had a doorway facing the hallway and another door connected to the common bathroom, making it a bit hard to stay undisturbed.

I was so happy that there was an additional room. With my snoring, I was so self-conscious that I would disturb the other women in my condo since we were originally assigned to share a room/bed. This extra area gave me my own little space to recharge after three full days of activity. There was even a small flat screen television, a nightstand, and a mirror. Well, the mirror was kind of useless since it was stuck in a dark corner. I put my big suitcase on the upper bunk and had plenty of space to get ready or to unwind with time to myself.

To up the convenience factor, a washing machine and dryer were at our disposal. This was great for those bathings suits full of salt water or to get out unwanted wrinkles.

The view, of course, scored the resort major points. I loved sitting on the balcony and doing my work, seeing the gorgeous scenery everytime I looked up. The pool, by the way, was heated and was shallow enough for young children. Waiters are also on hand to bring you any drinks you might have a taste for. Emerald Grande guests can check out towels at no charge and have access to this, the indoor pool, and the spa.

If you really need to get out, call the front desk to arrange a ride to Norriego Point. The stretch of sand you see in the photo above has an area just for Emerald Grande guests with beach chairs, umbrellas, and basic refreshments. The sand is so fine and soft!

Stays here are on the expensive side but well worth it. Some items did seem a bit dated and worn but that was trivial. The only real complaint I had was that the place was so stinking confusing. All 20+ in our party got lost, repeatedly, with way too many doors and elevators but hardly any signs. Even our main contact told us that if we got all turned around, default to the Grande Vista level. With my nonexistent sense of direction, this got somewhat unnerving and terribly frustrating. It was a good thing that we ended up getting to our destinations each time, even if a bit flustered and tardy.

The Emerald Grande really is an amazing place to stay and a vacation retreat that you won’t regret. For up-to-date info on events and specials, follow their Facebook page.

My stay was deeply discounted and activities were arranged at no charge for Brandcation attendees. All opinions are 100% my own.

If you haven’t already, clear out your schedule for this weekend so you can attend the 2013 Maker Faire! On May 18th to 19th at the San Mateo County Event Center, inventors from all over to showcase their ingenuity and creativity in tons of fun ways.
One such ‘maker’ will be Toyota, who will be having a special event featuring the RAV4 EV, the latest electric car from Toyota only sold in California. Here are just a few of the activities you’ll find at Toyota’s booth:

• Explore the RAV4 EV and speak with Executive Program Manager Sheldon Brown
• Participate in the bicycle-powered slot car track (photo below)!
• “Recharge” at The Maker Lounge with wi-fi and power outlets

I’m sure the “recharge” station will be a big hit with all the Facebook posts and Instagramming that will be going on! In previous years, the Maker Faire always fell on dates that my family had other plans.I really hope that, this time, we can take advantage of all the fun the fair will have to offer.

Thanks to the generosity of Toyota, three families will win a 4-Pack of Weekend Pass tickets. That’s a HUGE saving as these tickets are usually $55 EACH ($220 value each, 3 Winners)! As the fair is coming up super fast, you only have today and tomorrow to enter this giveaway. I’ll send the tickets out Saturday morning to make sure to only enter if you can attend this weekend at some point.

I hope to see you there this weekend!

 
I am receiving complimentary tickets to the event for hosting this giveaway. All opinions are 100% my own.

I immediately pictured this as a future anniversary card! How sad is it that my husband and I can totally relate to this quote about love and/or friends?! We’re such nerds to totally get the ‘copy and paste’ thing. It’s almost as bad when we ask each other to ‘shut down’ the light…

When I told my husband that I was invited to the grand opening of a Walgreens store, with a puzzled look he simply said, “Why?” After all, the image we had of the store was not one that would illicit a lot of press buzz. This was different though. San Francisco is the the 10th major city to get a Walgreens Flagship Store and is located in the heart of the city at Powell & O’Farrell. This location was an existing store that was totally gutted and expanded.

These ‘flagship’ stores are so much more than just a drug store. Rather, they provide a whole other experience which might surprise you. They are a one-stop shop to help you be healthy and happy featuring a unique pharmacy, fresh foods, a juice/smoothie bar, a baked goods section, souvenirs, and even a froyo (frozen yogurt) area! Here, I’ll show you what I mean.

The first thing I noticed was how huge it was! With high ceilings and a modern yet classic design, it was evident that we were in for a treat. Oh, and that was just the first floor. The speedy escalators lead to light-filled, open expanse. The sky light and wall-to-wall windows bring in a welcoming glow, so much nicer than the mind-numbing florescent bulbs buzzing overhead.

The LOOK Boutique is a place that will likely steal much of your time. Multiple aisles are filled with prestige cosmetics, skincare, and hair care brands. I love the fact that all the employees in the LOOK boutique have been trained to be helpful and knowledgeable without ‘hovering’. That can be a major deterrent to shopping.

There are plenty of ‘tester’ items including nail polish, lipstick colors, fragrances, and even makeup brushes (an area they affectionately call the ‘petting zoo’). My daughter was with me a short while until my husband could pick her up after work and it was tough to pull her way from testing all the different perfumes! You can also get a skin consultation or get your brows cleaned up. I did the consultation (it is NOT pretty seeing your skin at 50x magnification) but not the brows as I don’t have that many left

One particular brand that has partnered with Walgreens is No7, a skincare line created by Boots of UK fame. Even my husband has heard of them as a respected British company. Beauty advisors will be there every single day to answer any questions you might have about skincare and help you find the product best suited for you. I was quite impressed about the Beautiful Skin line. They have a full regimen for every skin type. They might even help you with some makeup tips and tips. I generally stay away from red lipstick but the No.7 beauty advisor helped to see that that it’s all in the application.

The pharmacy is the heart of Walgreens, as that was how the national chain started back in 1901, and the company is now getting back to that focus. You’ll notice that all prescriptions being filled are carefully hidden to draw attentions to the service instead of the products. The most interesting addition? A private clinic. The residing pharmacist will be available to give immunizations, make sure you are taking your medication in the right way, and help to identify potential risks such as diabetes. They can also immediately direct you to items you might need for allergies, a sore throat, or pain reliever. To accommodate any family, a cushy waiting area awaits with a large screen alerting them to when their prescription is ready to be picked up.

Also on this floor are other items you’d expect to see in a regular Walgreens and many you wouldn’t. Instead of just a section for travel items, there’s a monstrous display of trial-size products as well. It was pretty shocking to find multimedia accessories and even suitcases too!

Showing support of the community around it, local urban flavor can be seen in the design and architecture throughout the store. This is especially apparent, though, on the ground floor with tributes to the Golden Gate Bridge, Ghirardelli, cable cars, and more. This is also the area to get some yummies which are made fresh daily. I was most interested in the sushi, wraps, and salads that all looked delicious. Feeling a bit parched? You can order something from the in-store barista, pick from among several wines, or make your own soda mixture with the Coca-Cola Freestyle machine. By the way, the frozen yogurt is measured by cup size and not weight. That means you can load up on the toppings without paying extra!

The event I attended was actually a preview for VIP guests and was not open to the public until the following day. That meant my husband had to stand outside until I brought my daughter out to switch with him. That’s also why you’ll see tables and such set up in some of the photos above. I’m so glad we got a tour before the big event. After everyone arrived, it was crazy busy and hard to get through the aisles. Fortunately, appetizers, treats, and desserts came to the rescue until it was time for speeches by Walgreens bigwigs.

You can see more photos of the event in my #SFWAG Google+ album.

I was truly impressed by this new flagship store. I never thought I’d say this but I’m looking forward to heading up to the city again and bringing my family to this Walgreens. If anything, it’s a great place to recharge after a full day of touring or shopping in San Francisco. When will you be paying the new Walgreens Flagship store a visit?

I was invited to the opening of the Walgreens store opening by Collective Bias®.  I was compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias ™ and Walgreens #CBias #SocialFabric.  All opinions are my own.

Where do you turn for all your Microsoft needs, including technical support and training? Where can you go for your XBox gaming fix? Where are you able to rent a theater space for events such as children’s parties for free? Well, I just recently found out that you can find all that and more at the local Microsoft retail store.

Before last week, I didn’t even know that Microsoft retail stores existed and that there was even one near me in Palo Alto at the Stanford Shopping Center. It was kind of funny that it was only one store down from their competitor’s store.

Microsoft retail stores are so much more than just a place to buy ‘stuff’. You can purchase Microsoft products but that’s just one portion of the services they offer. There are oodles of items on display so you can test them hands-on including the all-new and totally awesome Surface.

Unfortunately, I was too busy exploring the rest of the store and didn’t get to play with one much. I’ll have to do that next time! There were also XBOX and Kinect games, laptops, Windows 8 PCs, phones, and their related accessories.

While I was busy working, my daughter wasted no time in entertaining herself on all the various products. By the way, the wall-to-wall screens really kept the store bright and interesting.

Already have one or more of these but need help using them? Ask an employee for help or make an appointment at the Answer Desk for, well, answers. You can get assistance in setting up parental controls, getting a tune-up on your Microsoft products, or finding out what system is best suited for you and your family.

Don’t worry if you didn’t buy your Microsoft items from this exact location. Just bring them in and the crew will be more than willing to help you out. Or, if you want, you can go online to Microsoftstore.com to get instant help from home or any other place you might be.

You’ll want to check your local store’s calendar for all the events they have lined up. These will include workshops, summer camps, gaming events, networking events, and more. Personal one-on-one training sessions are available able too – all for FREE!

Most of these are held in the sectioned off theater area. The theater area can be reserved (again, for FREE) for groups and events. Food and drinks are allowed. Just call the store’s Community Development Specialist to book the space. The only thing that concerned me was the fact that the theater area is so open and not really private at all. I’d be concerned with noise and food for the reserving party as well as other patrons.

I was really surprised at how open and inviting the store was. No one was hovering over you and trying to pressure you so they could get a sale. In fact, we found the staff to be helpful and pretty knowledgeable.

I also had the chance to hear from Melinda George, Training and Development Specialist from Microsoft stores. Here are a few highlights she shared on our conference call:

• There are 35 full-line Microsoft retail stores (stores with the theater in the back)
• There are 31 Microsoft specialty stores (which can’t accommodate camps but are still fun to visit!) – specialty stores are denoted on the locations page of the website with this symbol: ” “; the specialty stores feature a curated selection of the best Microsoft products
• New U.S. stores are opening all the time
• Since the beginning of Microsoft stores, the brand has embraced families and communities. Every store reaches out to its own community, whether it is planting trees, packing frozen foods, etc.

In regard to personal training and workshops in the theater space, Ms. George related the following:

• Train with Experts: Choose a topic that interests you and learn one-on-one with Microsoft associates at your local store. We have single hour-long classes that offer maximum flexibility, a 3-session subscription, a year-long membership for a variety of courses to buy and redeem in stores, and business training
• Workshops can either be one-on-one or a group training or workshop
• Training can be an ongoing class or a one-time specific topic of your choice (great for homeschool groups)

Tomorrow, May 14th, there’s going to be an exciting Twitter chat with generous prizes. We’ll be checking out the ways Microsoft experts can make our lives easier and how the Microsoft stores are places to shop and fun for everyone.

• When: Thursday, May 14, at 1 p.m. ET (the party will last one hour)
• Where: On Twitter using the #GoMicrosoft hashtag. Feel free to use this TweetGrid
• Prizes: Five winners will receive $25 Microsoft retail store gift cards and one grand prize winner will be chosen for a $500 Microsoft retail store gift card!
• Hosts: @theMotherhood, @CooperMunroe, @EmilyMcKhann

You can see the details and RSVP via this Twtvite: http://twtvite.com/GoMicrosoft

Lastly, here are some key links to keep you up-to-date:

• Microsoft Store Locator page
• Microsoft retail store Facebook page
• Microsoft retail store @MicrosoftStore on Twitter
• Microsoft retail store Pinterest page

I am being compensated for my participation in this campaign. All opinions are 100% my own.