9/29/11: Dance Classes at GymStreet USA

I love Dance!  I think it is a wonderful skill to learn at a young age, and believe it or not I have kept it up as an adult.  I now take Tap and have fun each week.  GymStreet where we go for Gymnastics has brought in a new Dance Studio named Center for Performing Arts Dance Studio to teach in their facility.  You can come and meet their New Instructors and Sign Up TODAY for a FREE Two-Week Dance Class which will be followed up by a 4 week pro-rated session!  This Two-Week Session just started on Monday, September 26 and runs till Saturday, October 8.

Dance Schedule and descriptions here, you can also find the schedule here on their website.

HipHop/Jazz Combo: Jazz leaps & turns/ Hip Hop routines

Ages 6 & 7

Mon, Sept 26th 3:30p and Mon, Oct 3rd 3:30p

OR Wed, Sept 28th 4:30p and Wed, Oct 5th 4:30p
Ages 8+

Mon, Sept 26th 4:30p and Mon, Oct 3rd 4:30p

OR Wed, Sept 28th 5:30p and Wed, Oct 5th 5:30p

Ballet/Jazz Combo: An introduction to rhythm, flexibility, leaps and turns

Ages 4 & 5

Tues, Sept 27th 9:00a and Tues, Oct 4th 9:00a

Ages 4-6

Sat, Oct 1st 9:00a and Sat, Oct 8th 9:00a

Ballet/Movement: Independent dancers (class uses musical instruments, scarves and hula hoops)

Ages 2 & 3

Tues, Sept 27th 10:00a and Tues, Oct 4th 10:00a

Following this 2-week session will be a PRO-RATED 4-week session!
Classes will run:

Saturday October 15- Saturday November 19

$65 for 1 class/week

$110 for 2 classes/week

10% sibling discount!

The Center for Performing Arts Dance Studio is pleased to be bringing fun, quality dance training to GymStreet USA!

Each week of the session a professional dance instructor will bring quality dance training to our new location at GymStreet USA. Center for Performng Arts Dance Studio has been in business for 10 years and is associated with Dance Masters of American, the National Dance Teachers Council of America and American Academy of NYC to name just a few. We are excited to begin a new venture here at GymStreet!

To register for this FREE 2-week session and other Dance classes/sessions please call (978) 694-9678 or (978) MYGYMST

or Register at the Front Desk at GymStreet USA!

visit us on the web at www.gymstreetusa.com

Disclosure: I receive a free month of my daughter's Gymnastics in exchange for posts for GymStreet USA.

9/28/11: Max and Ruby Bunny Party at the Hanover Theatre

Max and Ruby, Ruby and Max!  Ok, now that song is in my head just thinking about this show.  Your kids will love the Max and Ruby Bunny Party coming up at the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts in Worcester, MA on October 19th at 6:30 pm.  Tickets are $19.50 to $31.50.  We have been to the Hanover Theatre for other shows and it is a beautiful theatre.  You can learn more about the show here and see other dates and locations in the tour.

It's a surprise party for someone special, and bunny siblings Max and Ruby have a-million-and-one things to do before the big event. Join in the fun as they embark on a musical bus ride to East Bunnyhop General Store, where they deliberate on what to buy for the Super Duper Special Birthday Guest. Max & Ruby never quite want the same thing and their plans always collide - with hilarious results.

I love Max and Ruby.  Bunny Cakes was given to us at the Hospital when I had my son Evan, and we love reading it.  We are really looking forward to the show.

You can buy tickets by selecting on this image:

Hope to see you at the show!

Disclosure:  I received a family four pack of tickets for the show to promote it.  All opinions are my own and no other compensation was received.

9/27/11: Discount Code for Barnum 200 Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents Barnum 200, a new jumbo-sized un-miss-able event celebrarting The Biggest Bash in Circus History!  The kids always love going to the Circus and we always have a great time at the Ringling Bros Circus.  See my post from last year.  Another cool thing is the pre-show an hour before the show.  You can get right on the floor and see Circus performers up close and be part of the action.

From the moment that you arrive, the momentum explodes as The Greatest Show On Earth® comes to life in a way that can only be inspired by the greatest showman who ever lived. At BARNUM 200, the funtastic and funbelieveable experience answers "What wonders create The Greatest Show On Earth?" so get your tickets today before this train leaves the station!

Check out this Amazing Family 4-Pack Deal for a limited time only 
A $115 Value for Only $70!!!

Four (4) Tickets to The Party Plus a FREE Commemorative Family Circus Portrait

To Buy Your Tickets NOW, use Discount Code: SMILE
More details here:  http://www.ringlingtickets.com/newengland/

Worcester / DCU Center – October 6th – 10th

Thursday October 6th, 7 pm

Friday October 7th, 7 pm

Saturday October 8th, 11 am, 3 pm, 7 pm
Sunday October 9th, 1 pm, 5 pm
Monday October 10th, 1 pm

Boston / TD Garden – October 12th – 16th
Wednesday October 12th, 7 pm
Thursday October 13th, 7 pm
Friday October 14th, 7 pm

Saturday October 15th, 11 am, 3 pm, 7 pm

Sunday October 16th, 1 pm, 5 pm

More details about the show:
Ladies and Gentlemen…Children Of All Ages… The Greatest Show On Earth® just got Greater with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents BARNUM 200℠. Featuring 130 performers from six continents, almost 100,000 pounds of performing pachyderms, cowboys, pirates, and mermaids, BARNUM 200℠ is a super-sized spectacle so massive you just can’t miss it!

This monumental, once in a lifetime event celebrates The Biggest Birthday Bash in Circus History that can only be experienced at The Greatest Show On Earth®, Barnum’s living legacy!

Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson invites the audience to leap aboard the Ringling Bros. Express and go on a family FUNtastic adventure to meet exotic characters and witness thrilling performances that attempt to answer “What special wonders create The Greatest Show On Earth?”
Step right up and see the Flying Caceres attempt to complete the elusive quadruple somersault on the flying trapeze; a feat that hasn’t been mastered in over three decades. Watch the Puyang Troupe from China dazzle with a stunning display of dexterity as they bounce, flip, and twirl to new heights on a two tiered trampoline. Be amazed as you witness the impossible contortions of the body benders who fit three humans in a cube the size of a milk crate. Enjoy the wondrous ability of the Mighty Meetal, the strongest man in the world as he lifts over 1,200 pounds. And savor the stupendous skills of the hand balancers featuring Duo Fusion, a married pair of performers with a twist; the wife does the heavy lifting.

The thrills continue as you cast your eyes above at the Sky High Ice Gliders who take the high wire to new extremes and in new directions, from horizontal to nearly vertical, combining intricate acrobatic skills and extreme agility as they execute flips, perform splits, and even walk while balancing their partners on their head. Rev up the energy as the Torres Family blast around inside a 16-foot diameter steel globe with seven motorcycles at speeds up to 65-miles an hour with only inches to spare between them in The Spherical Miracle.

In addition to treasured Asian elephants, the most of any circus in North America, BARNUM 200℠ features a dazzling array of exotic animals you cannot see together anywhere else including horses, ponies, llamas, Pygmy and Nubian goats, tigers and even a rare Watusi.

So get your ticket today and hop on board the Ringling Bros. Express at BARNUM 200℠ for an un-miss-able, colossal, historic extravaganza.
Disclosure: I received a family 4 pack of tickets from Feld Entertainment to the Opening Night performance in Boston to promote this show and review it.

9/24/11: Animals at the Library?

As I have posted before, we love our local library.  Not only can we get great books there, but we can also attend children's events and get passes to area museums.  Over the past weekend, there was a Barnyard Friends Petting Zoo at our town's library.  We are members of the Friends of the library so we were able to attend.  What a lot of fun with the kids.  It was just Evan and Lauren with a bunch of animals they could pick up, pet and brush.

 There were bunnies.

 Goats.

Chicks

  Lauren loved this bunny.

 And this was adorable.  There is one bunny on top of another bunny, and the pig came over to lick them.  So cute.

 Evan even got to help getting the Ducks back in their crate.

Thank you again Billerica Library for having a wonderful event for the kids.

9/23/11: Christmas is only 100 Days Away, Tiny Prints Has You Covered!

I know, I know, you are thinking "I haven't even decorated for Halloween Gilda and you are talking about Christmas!"  Well yes I am.  If you know me, you know I am a planner (this is an understatement).  It is in my blood being a Project Manager to plan ahead.  Christmas is my FAVORITE holiday and it is 100 days away!  Every year I obsess over our Christmas Card, trying out a zillion different fonts, layouts and pictures.  You can feel bad for my husband now and friends who I send 5-10 versions to asking for their favorite.  Usually my husband can't even figure out the difference between several options and I have to point out the font, or the phrasing, or one changed picture.  One thing I do know is that this year Tiny Prints has me covered with their large assorment of photo cards.  You might have read my post about Back to School With Tiny Prints, well you will love their holiday collection!

Every year I make sure to have a card that has multiple pictures on it as I like to showcase the picture of the family that we go to Picture People to have taken.  I also like to include some other pictures of the kids by themselves, maybe a picture with Santa, or maybe a picture from our trip to Santa's Village.  These are very typical of the 5X7 photo cards cards I would pick:

Modest Snowflake:  Firecracker

And Winter Chic. 

Another feature I love of this website is you can change colors.  I LOVE options!

You can see mine last year is very similar to this.

I always pick something with Red as that is what we generally wear, and something with more than one picture.  Though checking out their website they had some really cool cards that might be leave the normal card I usually do and branch out.  I think this one which is called Berry Wonderful: Cranberry is adorable:

I think this one called Stylish Memoirs is really cool and different.  I am always looking for something different as everyone sends out photo cards for the holidays and I love to have something that stands out in the pile.

I also love this tri-fold one.  We did something like this for our Birth Announcements for Evan and they were a huge hit with the family.

Check out their wonderful assortment of cards.  I love that they have a heart option to help narrow down your favorites.  If you are really prepared now and can order by 9/28/11 at 11:59 pm (PT), if you use Code:  NEWHOL11 you can save $20 off holiday card orders of $99 or more or $50 off orders of $199 or more.

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post on behalf of Tiny Prints however all opinions are mine.

9/21/11: JumpStart.com Virtual World Review and Giveaway

I recently learned that in addition to the CD games my kids love to play from Jump Start they have launched a browser-based virtual world at http://www.jumpstart.com/, for kids 3-10 years old.  This is perfect for my two as they are 4 and 6 and my son's favorite class in school right now is Computers!  What better way for them to learn than using something they already love and to learn some computer skills along the way. 

Kids can create avatars called Jumpeez for themselves and explore magical worlds, discovering and unlocking games, videos and storybooks that teach everything from math to reading.  You can see Lauren creating her Jumpeez here.  They are able to customize and name them. 

Most areas in JumpStart are great for all ages. However, some areas are designed with specific age groups.  There is:  StoryLand for Ages 3-5, AdventureLand and MarineLand for Ages 5-8, and FutureLand and Poseidon’s Hangout for ages Ages 9-12.

Both of the kids had fun playing next to each other but I learned also that they can play together in their virtual world  by using the tools provided under Manage Kids in the Parents section to exchange and input buddy codes.  So far they have played around in many areas including StoryLand and AdventureLand.  Evan especially liked racing in Shipwreck Lagoon as he loves racing games.

And Lauren played around in Windy Hollows which she said looked like Harry Potter and had fun flying around.

For parents there is also a JumpStart Blog at http://blog.jumpstart.com for information about the latest additions to the game. A great place that I started out with was the JumpStart game guide.  This way I could find the areas that have skills we should work on including pre-reading, reading, math, and writing. 

I only wish I had tools like this when I was a kid.  What a fun way to learn.  The kids are going to have a lot of fun exploring.

You can join JumpStart.com, so your family can start enjoying the great learning fun.  In the Parent’s Area you have your password and can enter kids to the account.  It’s also where you will decide whether or not to allow them to interact with other kids in the virtual world and if so, to create their “buddy list”, the only people they will be able to interact with. When you sign up for a membership, it includes access to JumpStart.com, Learning Adventure’s other virtual world, MathBlaster.com AND four downloadable games to play right on your own computer. 

You can try it out and explore JumpStart.com for free, but to use all the areas, levels and other worlds, you’ll need a membership. The membership is good for up to six kids and you can decide if you want to take part month-to-month (only $7.99/mo), annually ($74.99/yr) or the best value, a lifetime membership ($149.99).

Want to win a 3 month membership to JumpStart.com? Here is how to enter:

1 entry for each item:

- Comment here on this post as to what land in JumpStart.com your child will want to enter first. (comment section at the bottom). Note if you are logging in anonymously please include your email so I can contact you. Also if you have problems, just Preview the comment and it should work. Make sure you see Comment posted.

Additional Entries:

- Subscribe to Evan and Lauren's Cool Blog (and verify the subscription to be valid) and leave a separate comment that you did.

- Subscribe via Google Friend Connect to Evan and Lauren's Cool Blog (on the Right hand side)

- Already a subscriber (thank you) then leave a comment stating you are

- Share this link on your Facebook page and leave a comment here stating you did.

- Follow me on Twitter @galiberti If you already follow me, just leave a comment here that you are a Follower.

- Tweet this Giveaway (you can do this daily): Win a three month membersip to JumpStart.com from @galiberti and your kids will have fun learning. http://bit.ly/oYtsHw  #Giveaway

Contest closes Friday, October 7th, 2011.

Winner will be chosen by Random.org and contacted.

Disclosure: I was provided with a JumpStart membership at no cost by Knowledge Adventure in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.

9/19/11: Mega Bloks Blok Squad Construction Unit Mission Review

It's Mission Possible with the Blok Squad Construction Unit Mission! 

This set provides endless fun for kids (and me too as I helped put it together) as they can build and pick up in Bloktropolis.

I was lucky enough to receive the Blok Squad Construction Unit Mission to review.  Evan had a great time playing with it.  He loves trucks and construction vehicles so this was right up his alley.  I helped him put it together.  Here he is all ready with all the pieces separated.

This toy is for 5+. Generally when you think of Mega Bloks you may think of the larger blocks for smaller children, but this is intended for a bit older kids transitioning to micro blocks for more detailed builds. It comes with two vehicles and two figures, including a 4X4 and Front Loader. Kids can collect them and combine Blok Squad vehicles to build heavy-duty machines. You can see other Squads here including Fire Patrol, Police and Construction.  This is what it looks like, you can find more pictures here. 

 Here we were starting to put it together.  Included were 218 pieces and I found the directions easy to follow.

The finished product.

Evan figured out right away how to flip the top to put the person in.

What fun, I didn't take video but there was a lot of beeping and truck noises involved.

 

 He likes it!  And of course, what boy wouldn't.

Lauren getting in to the fun.

This set retails for $9.99 and is available at Toys "R" Us, toysrus.com, Walmart, walmart.com, Amazon.com. 

Also check out their Family Club webpage at:  http://www.megabloks.com/familyclub/

Disclosure:  I received Mega Bloks Blok Squad Construction Unit Mission for this review.  No compensation was received, and all opinions are my own.

9/18/11: Truck Day - Year 6

The kids love Truck Day at the Burlington Common every year.  This is our 6th year attending it, here are pictures from year 5.  Here is Evan having fun.

 And Lauren too.

Both of them pretending to race.

 Hanging out.

Evan on his favorite truck, a Fire Truck!

 

Having fun ringing the bell.

 Lauren driving an old truck.

Cool view of some trucks.

Trying out ATVs and again pretending they are racing.

 Look out Evan is on his way.

Those are some big tires.

Lauren being scooped up.

 And Evan too.