Saving U.S. Drive-in Theaters - Campaign to Preserve a Vanishing Piece of Americana

Community

I'm a Baby Boomer who grew up on the family-friendly quintessential drive-in movie theater. As a little girl I've got many fond memories of watching on the big outdoor screen with my family in my dad's Chevy 4-door sedan and later in our station wagon. Then as I grew older, I went to outdoor showings with my friends. Who else remembers those good old days of seeing the latest films from the rooftop of your car under the stars?

Image provided by Honda

I guess you could say I'm hopelessly nostalgic. But seriously, I have a vested interest in saving U.S. drive-in theaters because I consider them an essential element of Americana. Sadly only 368 drive-ins remain and most are struggling to simply break even to stay open. Now they may all close forever before the end of this year because these outdoor theaters must convert to digital projectors but can't afford the $80,000 it requires to update their equipment.

That's why I'm sharing the news about Honda's current noble #SavetheDrivein campaign to do whatever it takes to save America's drive in theaters. I invite you to watch this short video and then share it with your friends and family to spread the word on how Honda is saving U.S. drive-ins one theater at a time.



FTC Disclosure: MommyBlogExpert did not receive any payment or other compensation associated with this post. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

Cans Get You Cooking Inspiring Easy, Healthy & Economical Family Meals Kids Will Love

Good Food 

This is a sponsored post

You might be surprised to learn that according to a University of California, Davis study many canned fruits and vegetables in properly sealed cans actually have the same nutrients and are as good for you and your kids as fresh produce or frozen food. 

Canning seals in farm freshness, MommyBlogExpert.com

Come to think of it, cans of fruit and vegetables -- as well as many other types of food -- also can be much more economical to buy and have a considerably longer shelf life than their fresh and frozen cousins. The best part is that no refrigeration or freezer is ever needed to store unopened cans of food so they're great whether you are home or are traveling.

Image from Cans Get You Cooking

As a brand ambassador, I'm here to tell you about Cans Get You Cooking, which runs through 2013 and is a program of the Can Manufacturers Institute that officially launched in February during National Canned Food Month. The purpose of this campaign, which incorporates labels you'll recognize like Bush Beans, Del Monte, Ocean Spray, Old El Paso and many other national and regional brand names, is meant to build awareness of the many advantages of canned food. Another goal is to inspire home cooks to creatively incorporate and serve these convenient and affordable ingredients more frequently at the family dinner table.

Me at BlogHer Cans Get You Cooking booth, MommyBlogExpert.com

This summer at the BlogHer 2013 conference in Chicago I spent some time at the Cans Get You Cooking booth. In the expo hall at McCormick Place, I learned more than I could ever imagine about the canning process and why it makes sense for us moms to try and cook with canned foods even more often.

Cans staffer's t-shirt makes great point, MommyBlogExpert.com

Can goods at BlogHer were plentiful, MommyBlogExpert.com

After touring the exhibit space loaded with information and talking to several knowledgeable representatives, my visit concluded by watching as a personalized can was made with my photo on it.

Booth staffers making personalized cans, MommyBlogExpert.com

According to a Cans Get You Cooking Survey, July 2013, 98% of America's home kitchens are stocked with cans of food.

Most Popular Canned Goods

• Corn 79%
• Beans 74%
• Broths, Stocks, Soups 71%
• Fruit 67%
• Meats & Seafood 54% 

Image provided by Cans Get You Cooking

Cans Get You Cooking invites you to visit their Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube pages for more information on how to get the most out of the bounty of canned foods available.

Del Monte Canned Fruit at my supermarket, MommyBlogExpert.com

Topping my personal list of all the canned goods I can't live without are Bush Vegetarian Beans and Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce. How about you? How do you use canned food and what are the ones that you most commonly buy? Please feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts and even link, if you wish, to your favorite recipe with at least one canned food ingredient.

FTC Disclosure: I am a Cans Get You Cooking Canbassador brand ambassador and am being compensated for this post via the Mom It Forward Blogger Network. The campaign organizer also sent store coupons for some can food products to facilitate this post. However, all opinions here are my own. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

Paper Towel Artist Holds NYC Gallery Art Show - Uses Paper Towels Not Canvas for Paintings

Culture

I get a lot of pitches for consumer product coverage on Mommy Blog Expert. By a lot, I mean I receive over 2,000 emails a day. So -- out of necessity -- a pitch subject line must grab my attention and stand out to get me even to open it.

The Paper Towel Artist w/ his work, Image from KenDelmarArtist.com

After I clicked the read button on one of those rare email jewels over the weekend, I found something that really piqued my interest. In fact, it was a story angle I've never received before: about an artist who actually uses paper towels only as his canvas for all the paintings he creates. From that point on, I had to know more, because I saw a very interesting human interest story brewing here.

Introducing Ken Delmar, a talented 72 year-old artist living in Connecticut, who produces art exclusively painted on Bounty Paper Towels. Delmar (who is the son of a Hollywood actor Kenny Delmar) paints Hollywood celebrities (Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and George Clooney, to name a few) on his unusual choice of paper -- among other types of subjects. He also has a group of paintings called Mixed Grill and another called Totems. You can see his complete gallery online on here

In this short clip hear Delmar talk about his beautiful, vibrant work and his recent first-ever NYC art gallery show opening in Chelsea made possible by Bounty Paper Towels.

I can't wait to see what Ken Delmar creates next using only paper towels as the foundation of his artwork. What do you think?

FTC Disclosure: MommyBlogExpert did not receive any payment or other compensation associated with this post. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.