You all know how much I LOVE Disney, so I’m so excited to tell you all about this very special show coming to SoCal, and I’m even more excited to share the discount code that will get you 20% off of your tickets for it. So get ready to create unforgettable memories and become part of the story when Disney On Ice presents ‘Mickey’s Search Party,’ coming to Southern California this holiday season!  This brand-new immersive ice skating experience brings the magic closer to fans than ever before through engaging elements that take place on the ice, in the air and in the seats, as performer athleticism mixes with acrobatic and aerial stunts to bring skating skills to new heights.  An exciting participatory adventure told through multi-leveled performances that immerse fans into the fantastic worlds of Disney-Pixar’s Coco, Frozen, Moana, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Toy Story and The Little Mermaid, this all-new show will be skating into the Southland playing L.A, Anaheim, Long Beach and Ontario from December 12^th – January 5^th!

Embark on a quest with Mickey Mouse and his pals as they follow Captain Hook’s treasure map for clues to find Tinker Bell after he attempts to capture her magic.  Journey across the Marigold Bridge with Miguel from Disney-Pixar’s Coco into the magnificent and mystical Land of the Dead and discover a vibrantly colorful performance with skeletons atop sway poles dancing over the audience in a beautiful cultural celebration of family. 

Travel to the wintry world of Arendelle and sing along with Elsa as video projection creates a kaleidoscope of crystals to help build her ice palace.

Witness Belle lift into the sky as the enchanted chandelier comes to life high over the ice for onlookers seated above and below.  Board the Jolly Roger and laugh hysterically as the hilarious pirates flip, tumble, and twist on air tracks, stilts and more in an effort to showcase their talents for Captain Hook.  Sail away with Moana on her daring voyage across the ocean and bravely encounter the fiery wrath of Te Ka.   And make memories with your whole family during Aladdin, Toy Story and The Little Mermaid as the search party becomes an all-out magical celebration!

Join this magical search and help look for clues to unlock an epic journey when Disney On Ice presents Mickey’s Search Party delivers an unforgettable experience with your family!

So don’t miss out on this spectacular show. Go to www.DisneyOnIce.com to see the full schedule and to purchase your tickets and make sure to use the code MOM20 to get 20% off, which expires 1/6/20.

Also make sure to follow Disney On Ice on Social Media at

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DisneyOnIce

Twitter: @DisneyOnIce #DisneyOnIce #MickeysSearchParty

YouTube: www.youtube.com/DisneyOnIce

Instagram: @DisneyOnIce

Photos Courtesy of Feld Entertainment.

The post Disney On Ice presents ‘Mickey’s Search Party!’ appeared first on Michelle Rivera Lifestyle.

Several of you don’t really understand what I am doing too, but even with that I am still being supported by you.  That is so kind, so I want to explain to everyone my personal quest with ‘Mommyhood to Hollywood,’ what exactly it is that I am doing, and share my hopes and dreams for it with all of you.

For several years in my life I spent time as a singer/songwriter and performer.  I loved this passionately….you know the way a 23 year old loves their boyfriend or girlfriend passionately…it’s usually a clueless and blinding love, but yet you throw yourself into it wholeheartedly anyway.  Well that was me.  However, after years of performing, almost getting signed to major record labels, and then being absolutely disappointed by the biz, just like you get disappointed by that relationship in your 20’s, I decided to move on with my life.  So I broke up with the music business.  Now I still love music and singing, but I am just not as interested in being in the business of it anymore, that’s all.

Anyhow, I have always been interested in television, in reporting and TV Hosting specifically, and so although I already had a BA degree in English Education, I decided to go back to school to get another degree in Film and Television with my option being in Broadcast Journalism.  After I graduated, I got my first job in Denver as a Production Assistant at a sports network.  I hate sports.  Ha! Ha!  But I tried my best to like it while I was there.  However, I did manage to find the one entertainment/lifestyle TV show this network had and I assisted on it for awhile and then eventually got the opportunity to report on the show.  This was a great first reporting experience for me and it became even more great when I won an Emmy Award for it!  WAIT!  REWIND…

Before I won the Emmy two major things happened to me in my life: First the network canceled the show I won the Emmy for, and second, I found out I was pregnant.  OK!  FAST-FORWARD….

At the Emmy Awards I was almost 5 months pregnant and I had won the Emmy for ‘On-Air Talent Rookie of the Year.’  It was awesome.  My mom said that if I had a girl I should name her Emmy because she was my good luck charm during the Emmy Awards.  So I did end up having a girl, and yes she is my good luck charm, and no I did not name her Emmy.

When I had my baby girl I fell absolutely in love with her of course, and I really enjoy being a mom.  Yes being a mommy does have its challenges like anything else worthwhile doing in life, but you quickly learn how to deal with those challenges and for me it made me start looking at a lot of things in my life in a different perspective.

First off, I hated my job, especially since I was no longer getting the opportunity to do on-air work there, second I missed my family and friends in California, and third I missed California too.  I missed the entertainment world and to me that world was specifically in Southern California.  I knew I had to get back there as soon as I could, so when my daughter was 8 months old we moved back.

Since I’ve been back in Cali I’ve been a stay-at-home mom.  It seemed to make the most sense for our family, but it was always meant to be a temporary situation.  It’s been a blessing to be at home with my little one, but just because I’m a mom doesn’t mean my passion for entertainment or my dream of continuing a career on television has died.  Therefore, I was itching to get back into it again.  I also had this nagging feeling to write again, to be creative.  I used to always keep a journal and  write songs, so I was racking my brain about possibly writing a book or creating a blog, but about what?

In March of 2010, I decided to take Marki Costello’s ‘Become A Host’ bootcamp.   I had no idea of what to expect from it, but I was ready for it though…..or so I thought. For those of you who don’t know who Marki Costello is, she is the granddaughter to the comedy legend Lou Costello of Abbott & Costello. However, besides that interesting fact,  Marki is also one of the leading casting directors in the television industry, as well as considered to be one of the top talent managers for TV Hosts as well.  In addition she runs this TV Host Academy, ‘Become A Host.’   The weekend bootcamp that I participated in was jam packed with TV Hosting exercises and I was so out of practice that in my opinion I sucked, BIG TIME!

Also, Marki pushed the importance of finding your brand and I was unsure of what my brand was.  I knew I loved entertainment/lifestyle television, but that was too broad and too common, so basically I was clueless. Then at the end of the weekend I kept thinking, “I’m a mommy who loves entertainment and celebrity/pop culture” and then the phrase ‘Mommyhood to Hollywood’ kept running through my mind.

Finally, the last day of bootcamp, Marki said she wanted us to write a 30 second show open that demonstrated our brand and then she wanted us to perform it in front of her.  This would be the audition to see if we would be invited by Marki to join her host academy.

Since I felt that I had sucked so bad during that weekend, all I wanted was just to do well in front of Marki and trust me when I say that she can seem quite intimidating when you first get to know her.  She is definitely a force to be reckoned with, but in a good way.  So I went in and performed my brand “Style Trial.”   Uh……WTF?  Yes, that’s what I came up with, I fully dropped my ‘Mommyhood to Hollywood’ idea and did something that was so NOT ME!  Okay, I went in and did my show open and I did pretty well and I was happy with my performance and yes I got invited into the program, but I was invited into the beginners class.  I didn’t care though, I was just relieved that I had gotten in, however, I knew ‘Style Trial’ was not my brand and you know what, I’m sure Marki knew that wasn’t my brand either.

During my first month of class ‘Mommyhood to Hollywood’ was still nagging me in my mind.  I talked about it with my husband Mark, but at first he didn’t seem to understand the concept.  He had a concern that I was at the risk of becoming an annoying TV Host who always talked about her kids.  He referenced the early days of Kathy Lee Gifford on Regis and Kathy Lee.  I didn’t really agree with him about his concern or about Kathy Lee!

Anyhow about 2 weeks passed after the conversation with the hubs and I attended my  first industry night.  This is a night where students have the opportunity to perform and leave their press kits with a big industry professional. Then that industry professional stays and chats with us afterwards about the business. That night a casting director Tara Flanagan was our guest.  She said that one of the performers that stood out most to her that evening was a mom (I did not perform, I just went to watch that night).  She then went on to say that there was a huge demographic in television for moms.  That’s when the light bulb went off in my head.  Ding! Ding! Ding!  Yes I heard a bell too. I thought to myself, “Why in the world have I been denying my ‘Mommyhood to Hollywood’ idea?”  The importance of a brand is that it is true to who you are.  A brand must be the authentic “You.”  I am a mommy! ….And not only am I a mommy, but I’m a mommy who has been a part of the entertainment industry for many years and is passionate about entertainment and celebrity/pop culture.  Thus, ‘Mommyhood to Hollywood’ made total sense for me.  So then it was on this night that ‘Mommyhood to Hollywood’ was born.

I wish Tara Flanagan knew how she changed my life that night.  I hope one day I’ll be able to tell her.

That night when I was driving home from industry night my blood was pumping with excitement and I could not wait to get home and talk to my hubby.  I had all these ideas running through my head of what I wanted to do.  I knew I wanted to dish about celebrities, but then I also knew that I wanted to get inside the lives of celebrity moms and their babies.

Then eventually the idea grew even bigger.  Look I am not a celebrity mom or anything, but I always want to try and give my daughter the best of everything the best way I can, like most moms do.  Therefore, the idea of giving your child the A-List life without paying those A-List prices seem to become a wonderful and practical philosophy I wanted to share with all moms, especially in today’s challenging economy.

Before I knew it I was blogging, tweeting, and developing my ‘Mommyhood to Hollywood’ website…..And it keeps growing!  I’m in the process of developing a ‘Mommyhood to Hollywood’ webisode and I’m developing a mommy resource page too!  It’s become such an exciting thing!

My hope someday is to have a TV show called, ‘Mommyhood to Hollywood’ so that I can reach moms by the millions!

As a quick side note, I have to say that Marki Costello knows her shit!  I have grown in so many ways as a host and as a business woman since joining ‘Become A Host.’

I also have to give my hubby Mark props too.  He has ended up loving the idea of ‘Mommyhood to Hollywood’ and has been in full support of it.  He even did the website for me.  I gave him all my ideas and he helped me bring them into fruition.

Some wonderful friends have helped me also, like my pal Craig K., thanks Craig!  I know all of you out there don’t know Craig, but trust me when I say he’s a great person to know.

Okay, done with the shout outs…..So there you have it my new baby ‘Mommyhood to Hollywood’ in a big nutshell.  Now my hope is that you will all join me on this new journey that I am on and continue to watch my baby business grow.

Recently I auditioned to be in an industry showcase and I made it in.  So now in about 2 weeks I will have the chance to present myself as a TV Host and also to present my brand to a bunch of television agents, casting directors and TV network executives.  It’s a very exciting and scary event all at once.  Maybe something great will come out of it or maybe nothing at all.  No matter what happens I will continue to nourish my baby ‘Mommyhood to Hollywood’ and I hope you will all continue along with me through this interesting, unknown road that I am running and sometimes tripping on.

So with all this I will leave you with some shameless plugs so that you can join me on ‘Mommyhood to Hollywood.’  The first one is to please subscribe to this blog, it’s free or I wouldn’t ask-lol!  The next is to follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MichelleRivera5.  The last thing is to please join my ‘Mommyhood to Hollywood Facebook page at http://bit.ly/ckxelb.

Thank you so much again everyone.  I send you all love and positivity always!

Marki Costelli Audition Tips: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nST6aaE6C6I]

Michelle Rivera’s TV Hosting Reel:  [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywh6tWlnQ8I]

The post The Birth of ‘Mommyhood to Hollywood’….Michelle Shares Her Personal Quest appeared first on Michelle Rivera Lifestyle.

So last weekend I went to the movies to see ‘Sex and the City’ 2 with three of my girl friends (of course there had to be four of us)!  As I was getting ready for the ‘Girls Night Out’ evening I was actually thinking, “Wow, I haven’t done a girls night out in a long time.”  Being a wife and a current stay-at-home mommy of a 17 month old, outings like this don’t occur often, probably because I’m usually too tired. Now, although I was thinking about my long over-due ‘Girls Night Out,’ I also had something else on my mind too.  I was thinking about my role as a wife, my marriage, and my new identity as a mommy (okay, I guess 17 months of being a mommy isn’t that new anymore).

Now I adore and love my husband of almost 3 years, and with whom I have been with for almost 6 years, but I had something really bugging me that night and no it wasn’t my husband himself. It was the feeling of the monotony of daily life that was bugging me that night.  See, I’m the kind of girl who always has a million things on my mind and a million more that I want to do or accomplish.  I will literally stay up until 1:00 am figuring out my life in my head and what my next move will be.  You would think with a 17 month old I would cherish sleep more…nah, it’s like that old saying, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

Now don’t get me wrong, I feel very blessed in my life, but it doesn’t mean that I’m not afraid of getting into a rut or that I don’t get bored with my day-to-day routine sometimes. Anyone would be lying if they didn’t admit to feeling this once in a while, especially if you’re married with children.  Some of you may be saying to yourself, “Michelle, I have no idea what you’re talking about, I’m 100% satisfied with my life and couldn’t be more content.”  To those people, I say “Liars!” And really if you’re 100% content with your life, then my next question to you would be, “What else is there to look forward to then when you have nothing left to strive for in all of your content?”

Looking back, I remember a time when I was in a club every night, Thursday through Sunday. I was either partying at it, singing in it, or cocktail waitressing. That was my life in my 20’s, that and school.   Then I grew up; I graduated college and eventually I got married.  But guess what?  I thought I grew up when all this happened, but I didn’t really, it was when I had my baby, that’s when I truly grew up.

Having a baby changes your world completely.  My daughter is my world and my life revolves around her 200%.  Everything I do is based on her needs, her schedule, and her happiness and safety….and you know what, I wouldn’t have it any other way. She is my number 1 priority.  However, I’m still a young woman who wears many hats, not just the mommy one, and so it becomes a fine balancing act between my daughter’s needs and my own.

I used to be the woman who couldn’t go to the mailbox without my make-up on. Now I’m the mommy at the park with my hair in a ponytail, with no make-up and in my gym clothes.  Why is this?  Because my daughter doesn’t care what I look like, all she cares about is getting in our daily stroll to the park.

So now my days are filled with playing, preparing meals, cleaning messes, singing songs, dealing with temper tantrums, diaper changes, Gymboree, strolls to the park, reading stories, and of course lots of hugs, snuggles, and kisses.

Mommyhood has most definitely been the most challenging and rewarding role of my life……..but sometimes……dare I say it………..Here I go…..”I need more.”  By the way, I literally felt guilty when I just typed out those three words, but when you become a mother you quickly learn that feeling guilty about things comes with the territory.

I try to keep up the glamour, at least when I’m out for the most part, I do it for my own sanity and for my own self-esteem, but I would be lying if I didn’t say that there are literally days when I do not get out of my sweat pants and I do not do my hair, or put on any make-up for that matter.   That’s when I think to myself…”My poor husband, the least I could do is go get some hot velour suit to wear around the house,” you know, like the ones that the Real Housewives of Orange County wear.

Now my husband and I do attempt to do date nights once a week and I absolutely love it, especially if it involves sushi, but even our date nights are different now as we find ourselves in the role of parents.  We are not out all hours of the night, and we can’t go out any night we want either like when it was just us, and nights out sometimes require careful planning as well.  That just comes with the territory of parenthood.  So as you can see, it is easy to get caught up in the  monotony of daily life for the both of us.

If you have already seen ‘Sex and the City’ 2 then you will know where I’m going with all this.  Without being a spoiler, I’ll just fill you in a bit.  Carrie finds herself now married to “Mr. Big” for 2 years and now that they are settled into their relationship she feels that their daily life is getting a little mundane, you know their getting caught up in a monotonous daily routine, like most married couples do after a couple of years.  Charlotte finds herself getting overwhelmed with the demands of motherhood, Miranda is having problems at work, and Samantha….well….she’s just busy being her usual slutty and fabulous self.  Now every woman who is a fan of the ‘Sex and the City’ series finds herself relating to at least one of the characters. In my case I would say that I’m smack dab in the middle of Carrie and Charlotte.  I’m the wife of 2 years trying to break the routine, and I’m the woman trying to be Super-Mommy, who often questions herself.

If you have read some of the reviews for ‘Sex and the City’ 2 it has been accused of not having a story line, I say bullshit to that!  It’s my story line, and every other married couple, and/or parent out there trying to balance it all and trying to break out of the monotony.  And I hate to say this, but I think the people who are giving this movie poor reviews, fall under the category of the single, straight man who can not relate to women or walk in their Manolo Blahniks on any level.

If you’re a married woman and/or a mother you will enjoy this movie and understand the story line completely.  If you are a gay man you will enjoy it as well. If you’re a straight married man, especially if you have kids, then maybe you won’t love the movie, but I think you will definitely appreciate it.  If you’re a single woman and a big fan of the show then I think you will like it as well.  This movie has heart, but it is still a lot of fun.

In the film, both Carrie and Charlotte in particular, seem to be trying to reconnect with their individual selves.  They are facing their wants, their needs, their fears, and their fantasies and realities.  It really is a quest that they are on, that in my opinion anyone can relate to.  In all this they try to figure out how their new roles in their lives fit in with the women they once were and how they can bring back “The Sparkle” as Carrie calls it.  Carrie specifically says that her and Big need to work on “The Sparkle,” in their daily lives, and don’t we all?

Life without sparkle, well it’s just boring.  However, in the midst of jobs, family life, bills, and just the everyday set-backs of life in general, bringing back “The Sparkle” within yourself, within your relationships, and just within your life can be a difficult task.  It is something that we all need to work on.  However, I’m up for the challenge. I’ve never considered myself the typical woman.  I like “The Sparkle,” as a matter of fact I need it, and it is my belief that we all do.  So I challenge you to ask yourself, when was the last time you felt “The Sparkle” in your life?

The post ‘Sex and The City’ 2: How It Relates to My Life and Yours’, Why I Think The Critics Are Wrong, And Why We All Need “The Sparkle!” appeared first on Michelle Rivera Lifestyle.