Monthly Archives September 2009

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Tours/Discounts

It’s hard to believe, but I never went to see The Greatest Show on Earth until I was almost in college. I still remember feeling like a kid as I went into the arena with my Aunt S and two cousins to see the show. We arrived early to see the pre-show and everything was amazing. Each performance topped the next. The clowns made everyone laugh and we all had an amazing time. Last year the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus was visiting, but we were not able to go. Sadly, they were in our area just a day or two before we left for our week long vacation at Walt Disney World. We would have loved to go, but it was just too much. This year we have already promised the kids and ourselves that we will be there if they come to our arena.

Once again Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Baily Circus is gearing up for another season of new shows that hopefully will be visiting an area near you. To make it an even better deal, Mom Central is offering discount codes to select locations! 

Ringling Logo

Mom Central is excited to extend the following special family offers; look for the box marked "MC Promotion" when purchasing tickets:

  • *Offer #1: Get 4 tickets for just $44 by entering the code "MOM" at select ticketing channels. Offer good on all weekday performances, which includes all weekday evening and Friday matinee performances; minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each.
  • *Offer #2: All weekend performance tickets will be $4 off the original price.
  • Offer #3: Get the best Circus Celebrity, Front Row and VIP seats available – We have  reserved seats in these sections just for you! Enter the code MOM. No discounts available on these sections.

* Not valid on Circus CelebritySM, Front Row or VIP seats and may not be combined with other offers including special Opening Night pricing.  Other fees may apply.

The above offers are good in the following cities:

  • Denver: September 30 – October 11, 2009
  • Boston: October 14-18, 2009
  • St. Louis: October 15-18, 2009
  • Cleveland: October 21-26, 2009
  • Rosemont/Chicago: November 5 – 29, 2009 *available for purchase on Sept. 8. 2009
  • Auburn Hills: November 18-22, 2009
  • Charlotte: January 27-31, 2010 *available for purchase on Sept. 12, 2009
  • Atlanta: February 12-21, 2010 *available for purchase on Sept. 12, 2009
  • Cincinnati: March 10-14, 2010 *available for purchase on Sept. 21, 2009
  • Dayton: April 29 – May 2, 2010 *available for purchase on Sept. 21, 2009

Shows coming this fall & winter:

Over the top

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Over The Top, an all-new live entertainment extravaganza featuring the ultimate tug of war between Ringmaster Chuck Wagner and clown eccentric Tom Dougherty over a magical top hat that controls the circus. When the Ringmaster dons the hat he conjures stupendous spectacles for his circus, like the stunt riding Royal Cossack Cavalry while the clown uses the hat to summon silly and whimsical acts for his circus, such as a cavalry of goats riding on ponies in a Barnyard Bonanza.  They continue to top one another until the Ringmaster and clown realize that the magic of the circus is not in the hat but in the hearts of everyone. The show culminates in an amazing display of gigantic glowing rainforest flowers surrounding Chinese acrobats swinging on vines and propelling through the air. Over the Top is two circuses in one providing excitement for the whole family.

Audiences will see nearly 100 animals including flying dogs, Asian elephants that skip, hop, and groove, miniature horses, llamas, pigs, and even a performing porcupine. In a daring feat, the courageous Daniel Raffo stands eye to eye with a pack of powerful Bengal tigers. Circus celebrities help rev-up the motorcycle madness featuring one cycle on a high wire and seven speeding riders in a Globe of Steel. Extraordinary aerial acts fill the arena sky with a rare double-decker trapeze and the Bombastic Bouncers who combine gigantic inner tubes and awe-inspiring acrobatics in a high-energy performance never before seen in America. And with the audience’s participation, this circus really goes Over The Top

 Zing Zang Zoom

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents ZING ZANG ZOOM®: Through the mystery of magic and the mastery of skill, audiences will be spellbound as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents ZING ZANG ZOOM®, a thrill-filled, mind-blowing circus spectacular where family fun is no illusion.

Magical Zingmaster Alex and his assistant, the alluring Levitytia, lead audiences through a kaleidoscope of color and imagery revealing extraordinary worlds of fantasy, flight and phenomena that celebrates the uplifting spirit of the circus and wards off a cynical Mr. Gravity and his team of "heavies" who try to bring everyone down.

Be mesmerized when a four-ton elephant disappears before your eyes, and a gravity-inducing nemesis transforms across species into a ferocious tiger.  Stand in awe as a dazzling trapeze artist performs a perilous, anatomically unimaginable one-arm speed-spin high atop the arena floor, and two formidable, female human cannonballs are blasted through the air in a daring, awe-inspiring display of bravery.  Become electrified as the dangerous double wheel of steel, the gasp-inducing high wire and soaring gigantic swings defy both gravity and logic.

Fun-filled magic merges with traditional circus arts to create a world of infinite possibilities where apprentice illusionists levitate their parents with a wave of a wand, and audience spirits keep rising as the high flying circus is (literally) turned upside down.  Perhaps the most magical of all, watch in amazement as an incomparable array of exotic animals including a herd of majestic Asian elephants, magnificent Bengal tigers and elegant Arabian and Friesian horses join forces with our human performers to create an experience that will surprise and delight Children of All Ages, rendering us speechless and reminding us that the magic of The Greatest Show On Earth® lives forever in our hearts and imaginations.

 

To learn more about Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey shows touring the country this year and to find shows in your area, visit the Ringling website.  Do not forget to use the special discount code when purchasing tickets online. I can not wait to see Zing Zang Zoom with my family when it travels here in the spring of 2010!

TheAngelForever

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Feld Entertainment. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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Never forget – 8 years later

Today, we must all remember the lives that were lost eight years ago. It was the morning that made our country stand still, come together and vow never to forget. I wrote about my experience on September 11, 2007 here.

This year, my mind will still wander back to that day eight years ago, but my focus will be different. My oldest son is now in first grade. That is the age of the children that I was substitute teaching on September 11, 2007. I sat with them knowing how the world around us was changing, explaining to them the next day that their teacher was safe and trying to keep them calm.

Now, I wonder about how we will explain this event to our children. How do we tell children that were not even born, like my boys, what this day was like. No doubt, they will see the haunting images from that day. Sadly, they will never know of life in the pre 9-11 days when things like traveling on planes was easier.

So, my questions to you this week are in honor of all of the lives lost and families forever changed:

Where were you on the morning of September 11, 2007?  Did you sit in front of your television after the day trying to take it all in, or did you turn it off because you could not watch?  If you have older children,  how have you explained the events of 9-11 to them?

TheAngelForever

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the MckLinky there if you are participating.

Aloha Friday by Kailani at An Island Life

Aloha #65

 

 

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Have you heard of BrainFuel?

As an educator and mother, I am always looking to find new and exciting online resources to use with my boys. I am a firm believer that integrating technology is crucial with children these days. Recently, I was asked by Mom Central to explore and review a website called BrainFuel. To participate in this Blog Tour, I was given a one month trial to use the Brain Games on Luminosity.

BrainFuel

When you go to the website, it is broken down into four sections.

Brain Food:

In this section, a lot of attention is put on how certain foods are important to help your child maximize their brain, concentration and memory during the day. Articles are available to read about different topics and research is integrated into them to explain the rationale behind the findings. A few examples are:

  • Mom Was Right – why breaskfast is the most important meal of the day
  • Why Vitamins –  research from studies that show how vitamins from a balanced and healthy diet can make kids perform at their best and do better in school.

Brain Health

This portion of the website is broken down further into areas that talk about Brain Facts, Exercise the Brain, Protecting the Brain. There are a lot of facts and ideas in this section to help to understand your brain better. Some examples:

  • Family Walk – Do you know why a simple walk after dinner can be beneficial to your brain? This little article explains why.
  • Avoid Brain Drain – Admit it, you have suffered from this more than once in your life. This explains what you can do to prevent it from happening.

Brain Games

We all know that it is important to exercise our body, but it is also crucial to train our brains. This section points readers to Luminosity.com which hosts the special games. These have been developed to help and increase:

  • Quicker thinking
  • Improved memory
  • Increased alertness
  • Elevated mood
  • Better concentration

You do have to be a member to use the games and track your program benefits. The nice part is you can sign up for a free 14 day brain training trial and if you like it then get 50% off a one year subscription by using the promotion code 50BRAINFUEL. I just activated my month long complimentary membership (part of the Blog Tour) and hope to start letting my son use it more. I have to say that many of the games look like something that would keep my brain moving.  Some game examples are:

  • Word Bubbles –  Works on Processing Speed, Verbal Fluency    Head on over to test this out!
  • Speed Match – Helps to focus on Processing Speed   Another game that you can test out on their website.

So far, I like what I see in these games and hope to explore them more with my son. He loves these types of items and will be intrigued with the concept of helping to make his brain bigger and better. I am interested in seeing if we will notice an improvements in his scores.

Brain Forum

In this portion of the website, you have the chance to connect with others to ask question, look for advice and see what others are doing. There are four main branches that people can leave topics/questions within. These are:

  • Ask a registered dietitian  – Submit a question regarding brain healthy nutrition to our registered dietitian.
  • Food and Diet – Submit your child’s favorite brain food breakfast ideas/recipes
  • General Discussion – General Discussion is a place for General topics that do not fit into the categories of other forums on Brain Fuel.
  • Share with us

The forums look like they will be a nice resource as more people learn about this website. At this point, there are not a lot of posts and it is pretty quiet. The perk with that is if you post a question people respond to it rather quickly.

As previously mentioned, I am still exploring all that there is to offer on BrainFuel and Lumosity. I believe that helping children to be the best that they can be is part of our responsibility. This website has a lot of information that will be a nice resource for many parents.

TheAngelForever

Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of BrainFuel and received an insulated lunch bag from California Innovations to thank me for taking the time to participate. 

 

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Off to first grade

This morning NHL officially started first grade. He was up at 5:30 thanks to being anxious about the start of school. I tried to explain to him that even when I was a teacher, I got nervous on the first day of school. We talked with him about things and soon it was time to head out the door. Everyone brought NHL to school today. Once we were all dressed and ready we went out the door. Here is NHL all ready for first grade. 

Heading out of the house

Heading toward the car NHL mentioned that he was really scared. JL went to walk and talk with him some as they got into the car. 

Going to the car with Daddy

Once we arrived over by school and parked everyone got out of the car. This is when NHL decided that it would be best to walk super slow. He also requested a trip back to Disney World on the slow trek in. We eventually got him to walk faster along with Daddy and JSL. 

The boys walked into school together

When we got into school NHL really held onto my hand. The noise level, all of the excitement, the new place to meet for first graders and all of the kids/parents/teachers was a little overwhelming. I can not say I blame him. I caught myself trying to stop tears a few times.

Looking a little worried

Soon after this, NHL’s teacher came over to say hello and introduce herself to all of us. I took a minute to let her know that NHL would not be taking the bus that afternoon. At that point the district had never sent us bus information, so I had to make a call. NHL was a little more at ease at this point. When his teacher called all of the children to line up NHL followed along into the line. 

Ready to go to classroom

We watched and waited as the class slowly walked out and toward their classroom. Poor JSL started to sulk at this point as he saw his big brother leave.

Here is to hoping for a great day and year in the first grade. We all hope that this year and new teacher will be just what everyone, especially NHL, needs.

So how was your back to school so far?

TheAngelForever

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