2/27/14: Circus Oz From the Ground Up

We love going to all types of shows and I love exposing the kids to all kinds of shows.  Recently we were invited to see Circus Oz: From the Ground Up.  It was presented at the Citi Shubert Theatre and presented by Celebrity Series of Boston.  I didn't really know what to expect as I had never really seen a circus in a theatre but we all loved it.

It is inspired by a construction site which was really cool.  It was fun to see them using a giant swinging steel beam and the whole cast as construction workers on this high girder.  

The show started even before the show.  The performers were all amongst the audience.  One of the performers was in our area telling us he was checking how sturdy the chairs were and then proceeded to do a handstand on one.

Then he was balancing this on his nose.  It is always fun to see the performers up close.  The kids thought this was really cool.

There are some really cool parts of the show.  There is one performer that juggles with her feet which I had never seen before.  There was even a guy that did baton twirling with two batons.  Lauren and I both are twirlers so we were excited to see that part!  There are acrobats, aerialists and the show is very fast paced.

Action Photos during the show provided as Press Photos.

I love seeing people balance on these cans.

 So fun to watch.  All of the performers were such athletes and so talented.

 Circus Oz was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1978 and their 35th birthday year marks decades of mounting extraordinary shows and successfully touring both nationally and internationally. As Australia’s National Circus, they have toured from New York to South American rainforests and Madrid to outback Australia. Circus Oz has taken its self-crafted performances of wit, grace and spectacle to 26 countries across five continents, to critical acclaim. Credited with revitalizing a traditional art form in a uniquely Australian way, Circus Oz is a rock ‘n’ roll, animal-free circus that has influenced the development of circus arts around the world since its foundation. Circus Oz promotes the best of the Australian spirit: generosity, diversity, death-defying bravery, and a fair go for all.

I personally also enjoyed the music.  At one point they even used one hand to play each other's instruments which I thought was really cool.  The first leading person juggled with one hand and the person next to her played her instrument as she blew in to it.  It was really neat.

Artistic Director Mike Finch states, “Making a Circus Oz show is always three parts getting the right group together, two parts experimentation, four parts saying yes to absurd ideas, while trying not to injure anyone along the way. This year we have a continuing ensemble who have seen the inside of lots of theatres, thrown a multitude of tricks, stunts, and gags, and brought a lot of people to their feet. This mob have a totally unique mix of physical, musical and comic skill with the feel of a family of friendly weirdos all trying to outdo each other.” Circus Oz Artistic Director, Mike Finch About Celebrity Series of Boston Celebrity Series of Boston was founded in 1938 by pianist and impresario Aaron Richmond.  The Celebrity Series has been bringing the very best performers–from orchestras and chamber ensembles, vocal and piano music, to dance companies, jazz, and more–to Boston’s major concert halls for 75 years. The Celebrity Series of Boston believes in the power of excellence and innovation in the performing arts to enrich life experiences, transform lives and build better communities.

The show is so much fun for the entire family, I highly recommend it.

Find Circus Oz Online:  http://www.circusoz.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/circusoz

Twitter: @circusoz

Find Celebrity Series of Boston Online:  http://celebrityseries.org/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/celebrityseries

Twitter: @celebrityseries

Disclosure:  I was provided tickets for my family and I to attend Circus Oz.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

2/25/14: LEGOLAND Discovery Center Boston Inaugural Junior Construction Panel

LEGOLAND Discovery Center is opening in Boston in May at Assembly Row in Somerville!  I couldn't be more excited for this wonderful fun activity center coming to our area.  We visited LEGOLAND in California and absolutely loved it.  All pictures in this post are from that visit.  I also want to share a contest with you that they are running to find their inaugural Junior Construction Panel. 

Twelve LEGO® fans, aged 5 to 12 will have the opportunity to become junior ambassadors and help resident Master Model Builder Ian Coffey with tasks and events at the new attraction.  Parents/guardians can submit applications for their child now through March 14.  As part of the application, young candidates must include a video or photo and written response that answers the questions: “What makes you the biggest LEGO fan and why should you be on the Junior Construction Panel?”

Entries will be judged on the creativity and enthusiasm exhibited in their submission, and the imagination conveyed in their LEGO model.  Complete contest rules and submission requirements can be found online here and can be submitted until Friday, March 14th at noon. Twelve LEGO fans will be selected by Coffey, and the inaugural Junior Construction Panel will be announced Monday, March 17 on LEGOLAND Discovery Center Boston’s Facebook page.

The LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Boston will be the first and only one in New England. The 44,000-square-foot indoor attraction, geared toward children aged 3 to 10 and their families, will feature millions of LEGO® bricks and will offer a fun, highly interactive and educational two- to three-hour indoor experience. The attraction will feature interactive LEGO experiences, LEGO® Rides, LEGO® Studios 4D Cinema, LEGO® MINILAND featuring replicas of Boston landmarks made out of LEGO bricks, LEGO® Factory Tour and birthday rooms.  The pictures below are from the LEGOLAND in California.




 We loved visiting LEGOLAND in Carlsband, CA and we can't wait to get a small taste of it in our hometown.

Find them online here:

http://www.legolanddiscoverycenter.com/boston/
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/legolanddiscoverycenterboston

Follow them on Twitter: @LDCBoston

Disclosure:  I am providing this information as per a press release received from LEGOLAND Discovery Center Boston.  I will be working with them more in the future.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

2/19/13: Chuck E. Cheese's Let the Good Times Rip Game

Since it is school vacation week we decided it would be the perfect time to head to Chuck E. Cheese's.  Plus we go to play the Let the Good Times Rip Game where you can Rip It, Sip It and Win It!

The kids knew right away about the game and as soon as we got our cups they started tearing away.  To play, just peel off the game piece on your 18-ounce adult-size cup to see what you won.  We had two cups with 10 tickets and two cups with 5 tickets.  

 You could win a $5,000 Disney® Cruise Line Vacation, XBox One™ Console, Razor Crazy Cart™, PlayStation® 4 Console, Chuck E. Cheese’s gift cards, board games, tickets and more. This in-store game is going on now until March 31st so don’t miss out! 

We got to see Chuck E. himself!  He comes out every half hour and dances with the kids and then throws a bunch of tickets in the air.  

 The kids dancing and then excited to get some free tickets.

 

Check out how Chuck E. has changed.  Here he was on one of our past visits.

We were there with our neighbors so the kids decided to take some cute pictures in the photo booth.  We are very fortunate that our neighbors have kids the same ages as mine and they love playing together.  

 I was amazed they were able to all get in the picture.  It took a couple tries and silliness.

 This is one of my favorite things at Chuck E. Cheese's.

The boys. 

Of course we played lots of games.  This is the kids favorite part of going to Chuck E. Cheese's.

I love to save up our tickets and go back multiple times and use our tickets for higher priced items. 

 Here are my tips to get the best value out of your Chuck E. Cheese's Visit:

-  Go on to the Chuck E. Cheese's website and sign up for coupons.  These will get emailed to you periodically and are great deals on tokens and food.  

-  Bring a copy of your child's report card.  Each Report Card will give you 15 tokens of play.  Note this can only be done with a food purchase.  

-  Print out Rewards Calendars and get 10 tokens of play per child.  Can also only be done with a food purchase.

-  Play Games online and earn up to 50 tickets.

Right there I just told you how to get 25 tokens per child and 50 tickets!

 Evan usually does really well and wins big.

 Lauren loves to play the other fun games too.

 Race time.  I love these games because they get to play for a while on one token.

Plus did you know that the Pizza is a new recipe.  My kids love it.  I opted for the Salad Bar for a healthier option.  Great to know you have options.

When you run out of tokens the kids can crawl through the play area.

 Everyone's a winner.

Like them on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/OfficialChuckECheese

Follow them on Twitter:  @chuckecheese #RipItSipItWinIt! 
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/chuckecheese/

Disclosure:  I received a gift card to Chuck E. Cheese's to facilitate this review.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

2/16/14: Disney Side At Home Celebration Fun

I love all that is Disney!  We go to Disney Parks every year, we love watching Disney movies and most of all we love sharing our Disney enthusiasm with all of our friends.  I was extremely lucky to be selected by Disney Parks and MomSelect to host a #DisneySide @Home Celebration.

 We received lots of goodies to facilitate our party.  It included HP Paper, Ocean Spray treats, Luggage from American Tourister, recipes and measuring cups from The Chew, Mickey cookie cutters, Muppets calendars, a Story app iPhone Case, Disney Parks DVD, Run Disney Posters and bracelets, Party supplies, balloons, Mickey and Minnie posters, activities, and recipes.

Here you can see the Luggage.  It is so beautiful.  I love the color!  American Tourister has some beautiful luggage that lets you show your Disney Side.  Plus they are the official luggage of Walt Disney World and Disneyland.

Here are Evan and Lauren all dressed up and ready to party.  We decided to have the kids dress up.  So here is Princess Belle and Woody.

This could be one of my favorite pictures, the kids put Mickey at the door looking out waiting for the guests to come and Fred our dog joined him.

Here are some images of the cupcakes, table and cool balloons.  I had these balloons from another In Home Celebration I held for Disney.

Here you can see the full setup of our table ready to go.

I like this overhead view.

I made these super cute cupcakes.  They were so easy to make.  I just used one large oreo and two smaller oreos to make them look like Mickey.  I did red and pink to signify Mickey and Minnie.

Here is the adults table.  I put out my Disney scrapbooks for people to check out.

We even had juice and snacks that had Disney characters on them.

We decided to also incorporate Disney Infinity in to the party.  The kids love playing it.

They were very excited to show their friends all of their characters and show them the game.  My kids play Disney Infinity a lot.  They love it!  See this post for more information on the game.

I was able to customize this super cute picture of all the kids at:  http://www.disneysidecelebrations.com/HP/

There were princesses every where.

Plus pirates and a cowboy.

I put on the Disney Parks video and we went around the room and said what our favorite Disney character is and talked about our favorite ride.

The kids were having a great time playing together.  Plus we had the Frozen soundtrack playing in the background which is such a popular movie and we all love the songs.

I loved listening to their answers to the questions.  I learned many like Minnie Mouse, and many like Space Mountain.  Space Mountain is my favorite ride but Mickey will always be my favorite.  See this post on how Mickey Mouse will always have my heart.

Watching the video and learning about Disney Parks.

The kids decided to hide eggs for the boys and girls.  The boys had to find a Cars egg and the girls had to find a Princess one.

I love that the kids came up with their own games.

Then it was time for some snacks.

What a great excuse to get the kids together for some fun.

Then they got to eat the Mickey and Minnie cupcakes.

The kids had so much fun.  I hope they got to feel a little of the Disney Magic at my house.

Make sure you show off your #DisneySide online by tagging #DisneySide.

http://www.disneysidecelebrations.com/your-disney-side/

Disclosure:  I received all the items provided above except for food in order to facilitate this party.  This party was sponsored by Disney Parks and MomSelect.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.