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Disney On Ice Presents Treasure Trove–Magic, Tears, Princesses, and More

Christy — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 04:07:00 +0000

We first took the kids to Disney On Ice when Bug was three and Lady Bug was about two. We planned a wonderful day with the train, the show, and lunch out as a family. It was kind of a disaster, largely because Bug had serious sound-sensitivity issues. The next time, Bug was 5, LadyBug was three and we were sitting in box seats away from the chaos. We all had a wonderful evening. This time we saw Disney On Ice presents Treasure Trove. I enlisted my sister-in-law who loves Disney just as much as I do. It gave Big Guy some free time and a chance for the kids to hang out with their aunt.

I thought we left the house with plenty of time, but traffic getting into the parking garage was sloooow. By the time we got inside, picked up our tickets, and made our way to our seats, the opening music was starting. I zipped out to pick up food because there is no bigger disaster for LadyBug than to be underfed. Plus, she lives for popcorn. In all of the hurry, I dropped the ball as a mom. It was the day after a very busy Christmas. We didn’t arrive early enough for the kids to acclimate. I didn’t bring earplugs or a hat or anything for Bug. I had no idea where our seats would be and I simply didn’t prepare. And then I left right as the fanfare began. By the time I got back, Bug was curled up in his aunt’s lap and tears were still streaming down his face. In the midst of my attempt to have a fun day with the kids, I managed a big parenting fail.

The show itself was wonderful, at least what I saw of it. It was a celebration of Disney animation from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (or the “Seven Doors” according to Bug when he was younger) all the way to the 50th animated feature, Tangled. There were so many different characters… Peter Pan, the Tick-Tock Croc, Captain Hook, Smee, Tiana, Rapunzel, Flynn Rider, Simba, Nala, Scar, Rafiki, Jasmine, Aladdin, the Genie, Tinker Bell… and the list goes on. There was flying, stunts, humor, music, and plenty of magical surprises. LadyBug was captivated. She couldn’t take her eyes off the ice and the look on her face when Tinkerbell arrived was priceless. She would have stayed all day. If you have the chance to see this show, I highly recommend it. It was one of my favorites.

I’d like to say that Bug recovered, but that’s not really the case. He had dealt with a stomach bug the week before and his stomach was hurting him off and on throughout the holiday. He wasn’t really sick, but I think all of the excitement and anxiety and running around was keeping him from getting back to 100%. That, combined with the noise (or perhaps it was caused by the noise) really kept him from really enjoying himself. It’s too bad, because I think he otherwise would have loved it.

We’ve been invited to Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream over February break. I, of course, wouldn’t miss it. But this time, I’ll be armed with earplugs for my little guy who apparently hasn’t totally outgrown his sound sensitivity. Then again, I have threatened to bump him for one of his female cousins since he complained loudest over the princesses…

P.S. I’ll have a giveaway coming up for that very, very soon!

Disclosure: We received complimentary tickets to Disney On Ice Presents Treasure Trove for review purposes. There was no promise of a positive review and the opinions contained in this post are my own.

2011… a Year in Pictures

Christy — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:47:40 +0000

This was a crazy busy year full of all of my favorite things… family, travel, tech, and fun. These are just some of the highlights of my activities this year.

CES 2011 in Vegas… Danny Gokey Concert

A LOT of Snow

Trip to Disney as the Traveling Mom Food Allergies Blogger

A new room for my girly little girl

A 40th Birthday! (Yikes)

A trip to NOLA for the Mom 2.0 Conference (Thanks, Microsoft!)

Lots of baking…

Forward with Ford

Visit to GE with the lovely Charlene

Family travel

More family travel

And more…

BlogHer San Diego (with some of my favorite Boston Parent Bloggers)

Bug’s First Day of Kindergarten

A Hurricane (yeah, this is the only picture I got!)

Big Guy Turns 40 (Bug turns 6)

Freak October Snowstorm (haven’t really had any snow since…)

A visit with Walter Wick

Gaming with PlayStation Family

Happy, albeit sick, holiday season…

Going to Tooth Town

Christy — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:48:23 +0000

Bug is six and I’ve started asking him if he has any loose teeth. This past weekend, while watching the hockey game, I had to explain the purpose of the protective glass around the rink. We got onto the subject of lost teeth and then somehow stumbled onto the subject of the Tooth Fairy. I don’t love the whole Tooth Fairy thing, but whatever, I’ll play along.

Me: When your baby teeth fall out, you’ll put them under your pillow and then the Tooth Fairy will come. She takes the teeth and leaves money.

LadyBug: Where does the Tooth Fairy put the teeth?

Me: She brings them to Fairyland…

Bug: There’s no such thing as Fairyland!

And here, as I’m scrambling to get around this apparent truth, something unexpected happens.

Bug: She must take the teeth to Tooth Town!

Huh? Tooth Town? And with that, my son apparently decides that my version of the story makes no sense, but the version that he has simply conjured out of thin air is the stone-cold truth. LadyBug is easily swayed, and their now private conversation continues with all of the little-known information about Tooth Town. Honestly, I was so baffled by the turn of the events that I can’t remember anything about it, other than the baby teeth get to join all of the other teeth that were already living there.

Sound like a happy place. Maybe I’ll head on over to Tooth Town…

Pink and Purple Guns

Christy — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 15:38:00 +0000

When Big Guy and I decided to have kids, I had some ideas about how I wanted to raise them. My husband had fewer opinions, but seemed on board with the things that were most important to me. I know that you can’t really be prepared for what it’s like to have kids, but now, more than six years later, I’m pretty sure I’ve really screwed up the plan.

We have a few big philosophies, but these in particular stand out:

1. Giving girls the space to be what they want without pressure to do “girl” things. Ah, nature vs. nurture. Do girls like pink and purple because of genetics, or because everyone behaves like it’s a foregone conclusion? Do they play with dolls and favor social play because they have learned to do so from the people in their lives? I think it’s a little of both, but it was important to me to create a space where my daughter could choose her own path. We shied away from the pale pink and purple clothes that many purchase exclusively. We went instead with neutral pastels and bold colors like turquoise, plum, and red. We made sure she had equal access to blocks and cars as to dolls and and play kitchens. It’s challenging, quite honestly, because many family and friends around us still believe that girls prefer dolls over trucks. They give her everything “girly,” while Bug gets all of the engineering toys. I believe that sends a message to both of my children about what they should like and what their roles should be.

2. Guns. I am not a violent person and I don’t believe that violence is generally the best solution to any problem. Big Guy and I have struggled a bit more with this particular area. Not that my husband believes in guns or violence either, but we’re gamers and sci-fi fans, and weaponry plays a role in our hobbies. We both fondly remember Star Wars from our own childhoods and wanted to share them movies with our own kids. But it’s a slippery slope. Is a light saber a gun? Yeah, kind of. And I’m sure my husband thought I was a lunatic when I was furious with him for purchasing a Toy Story 3 Lego set with green army men. Once Bug started school, it became virtually impossible to avoid the influence of guns and a battle culture, even if we hadn’t been great about dealing with it in the first place. This past Halloween, Bug decided to go as a Clone Trooper (they were good guys before they became Storm Troopers). And when I balked about getting him a toy blaster, he counseled me, “It’s just a piece of plastic that makes noise. It’s not REAL.” This is where I had to make a choice. Do I blindly hold onto this rule, or do I make an occasional exception, but use it as a chance to talk more with my kids about the subject. I went with the latter, although it’s an uneasy decision for me. Still, Bug reminds me frequently that his battle play is pretend, while I continue to request less violent games. Lady Bug is younger and it’s hard to tell what she understands and what she doesn’t. This makes the whole situation far more complicated.

There are plenty of other decisions we have made as parents that are the same as some families and different than others. It’s not about right or wrong; it’s about making the choices that we feel comfortable with and that seem best for our family.

That brings us to today. LadyBug is making out her Christmas wish list and it has two items on it. The first is a My Little Pony play set with a slide. For the record, Hasbro doesn’t currently make any. The second? A pink and purple gun. And it is those minutes of parenthood in which you know, without any doubt whatsoever, that you have failed your children.

The good news? Guns are not typically girly, so there aren’t many toy gun options in pink and purple. Sadly, there are more pink toy guns in production than My Little Pony slides. LadyBug is going to have to come up with a new list and I have a whole new parenting challenge ahead. How do I explain that Santa doesn’t really make either of those toys?

Halloween 2011

Christy — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 02:26:00 +0000

We were without power until almost 3pm on Halloween, after the freak snowstorm that threatened to ruin Bug’s 6th birthday. And, while I don’t usually pay much attention to our electric company (largely because we rarely lose power ), I want to send a huge thank you to them and all of the employees who worked all day and night in order to get power restored. So, Kudos to RMLD for your hard work and for restoring power in time for Halloween festivities!

That said, here are my Clone Trooper and Snow Princess. Lady Bug was thrilled with her glow wand, but has requested “a gun” for her birthday. Lovely, right? And I’m not sure who designed that Clone Trooper costume, but next time could you leave room for the kids’ noses? I mean, maybe you could let a Real Child try on the costume before you start the manufacturing process.

We have a whole new meaning behind “checking the Halloween candy.” Remember how you had to hand it all over to be inspected for razor blades and such? We don’t really do that here, although I suppose I should check it a bit more closely. We’ve got a pretty friendly neighborhood, so I’m more trusting than I might be somewhere else. Anyway, we have to separate out all of Bug’s candy and it breaks my heart every year. It’s not the candy that’s really the issue – we always have plenty available for him to swap and he’s got more than he needs anyway – it’s just sad to me to see how many things he can’t eat. I easily pulled out half of his candy (maybe more) for nuts and possible nuts. We snag Lady Bugs nut candy, too, although she can keep the stuff that is just a possible contamination. They’re too young to take the chance that he won’t accidentally grab something from her bucket.

By the end of Halloween, we were all exhausted. Two days without power (and heat), the Halloween party, the birthday party, an impromptu slumber party at my in-law’s house (where it was warm!) was draining. We all snuggled on the couch for “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”

Big Guy didn’t even make it that long…

I don’t really love the costumes, but I enjoy all the decor, music, and ambiance around Halloween. And it has special meaning, because we brought Bug home for the first time on Halloween night. It was our first Halloween in the house, but we had all of the outdoor lights off. The kids saw us in the house and started shouting, “Give us candy!” We shouted back, “We just came home with a newborn!” Luckily, we had a stash of candy on hand, but it’s still a memory that makes me smile. Here he is in his first costume just home from the hospital:

And LadyBug’s first:

Seven Years and You Roll with the Punches

Christy — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:55:08 +0000

Big Guy and I celebrated our 7th anniversary last weekend. Seven years ago at this time, we were on our honeymoon… a Mediterranean cruise.

This year, we were home with our kids! But we had planned a special getaway weekend to Maine and were both looking forward to relaxation and quiet. When Friday night came, Big Guy was in bed with a miserable cold and I was at Urgent Care awaiting an x-ray to see if I had pneumonia. Lovely, right?

Despite our illnesses, we did decide to drive up and try to recover. It was worth it. With perfect weather, peace and quiet, and just some time to BE (together and apart), we came home feeling refreshed, if not all that much healthier!

Happy 7th Anniversary, Big Guy! Here’s to the next 7!

Lowes Build and Grow Teaches Kids to DIY

Christy — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 01:14:34 +0000

Every other Saturday morning, Lowes offers a free workshop for kids. The Build and Grow Clinic gives each child an apron, safety goggles and a kit with all the supplies needed for one project. You can keep all the gear. They also loan you kid-sized tools to use.

The kits are great for little people, but are most appropriate for kids in grade school on up. Younger kids will need more help with assembly. Still, the directions were clear and required little to no reading, and the holes for the nails are predrilled.

This particular craft was a wooden police car with working lights and wheels. Pretty cool. And when they finished their cars, the kids each got a mall police badge patch to sew onto their aprons. Over time, they can amass a collection of badges to show off the projects they’ve completed.

Although the Build and Grow clinics are free, it is recommended that you sign up in advance and show up early in the timeslot to ensure you don’t miss out. It didn’t seem like an issue in our store, but it did get pretty crowded!

Disclosure: N/A – This is not a compensated post.

Fearless

Christy — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 00:46:16 +0000

LadyBug’s preschool told us that she’s

their RELUCTANT one,

HESITANT,

AFRAID TO TRY NEW THINGS.

Needless to say, we were surprised.

We say she’s our FEARLESS one:

*She has been eyeing this trapeze at the Trapeze School New York (TSNY) Beantown in Jordan’s Furniture for over a year. I finally got up the nerve to let her go.

New School Year Adventures

Christy — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 18:43:36 +0000

Bug started Kindergarten this year and LadyBug returned to preschool. Just wanted to share some highlights of their first days.

“I was sitting by myself on the bus. The bus driver was singing songs, but I was too sad to sing. Then J came and sat down next to me and we became best friends.”

LadyBug shared that she had a good day, really loves her new purple sneakers (thanks, Nordstrom Rack) and met new friends at preschool.

Beginnings–Karate Red Belt

Christy — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 22:29:04 +0000

Bug started taking karate when he was three, but he battled me every time he was supposed to put on his gi. He was also reluctant to participate in class (which involved almost no karate anyway) so I pulled the plug, hoping to try again. Well, that time has come and he had his introductory class the other day. He got his gi, learned about the principles, and tried out some basic moves. He also had to prove he’s a good listener and has some self-control. He did a great job and he’ll be starting a group class this week.

Good listening.

Making a fist.

Working on a good stance.

Blocking.

Sitting up straight.

Impatient little sister.

Bow to Sensei.

Earning a red belt!

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