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Toy Story on Ice – December 2010

Posted on December 19, 2010 6:17 pm by TheAngelForever

Last night, we took the boys to see Disney on Ice – Toy Story 3. We had an amazing time. This show gave me the opportunity to explore with my new camera. I took two short videos and one of them came out quite nice. I thought I would share some of the magic of the finale with you.

Of course, now I wish I had taken more video since the boys keep asking to watch this over and over. Next time (and there will be a next time), I will do just that. Thank you Disney on Ice (Feld Entertainment) for another fantastic show. More photos and information coming soon.

Categories:
Disney fun show video weekend

Toy Story 3 on Ice – Family Night

Posted on December 18, 2010 10:24 pm by TheAngelForever

Dear NHL and JSL,

Tonight we went to see Disney on Ice. The two of you had seen the commercials on TV for quite some time. Papa mentioned that he had gotten you tickets, so you both knew it was only a matter of time.

NHL, this was the third Disney on Ice show that you have been to. You were a pro and knew what to expect when we walked into the arena. I think JSL was a little overwhelmed. He was mesmerized by all of the merchandise for sale when you walked in, the people selling items at the seats, and then the show itself.

Daddy and I decided to get both of you some Toy Story hats that came with cotton candy. They were cute and I think both of you will enjoy them more at home. Here are a few pictures:

Now we just have to hope that Daddy can rescue the photos from his new camera. Something went wacky during the show and they may be gone. Thank goodness I took my camera along.

I can not wait to talk to both of you in the morning about the show. I just hope you sleep in a little since you were up so late. Looking forward to more magical memories with both of you in the future.

Love,

Mommy

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Dear Kid Saturday Disney fun jl jsl milestone nhl photos show

Hot Potatoes! The BEST of The Wiggles (Review & Giveaway)

Posted on August 19, 2010 12:56 pm by TheAngelForever

It’s confession time again. Seven years ago, when I was a first time mother, I was introduced to The Wiggles. At that time, they were part of Playhouse Disney and on several times a day. Now, The Wiggly Waffle is part of Sprout, which we sadly do not have on Time Warner Cable – BOO!.

When I first saw Greg, Anthony, Murray and Jeff, I didn’t know what to think. As a teacher, I was familiar with other children’s musical groups, but not this Aussie sensation. The true confession is I was not a fan at first. I would quickly turn off the television when The Wiggles would come on because I just did not get them.

My tune (pun not intended) changed when my son perked up and wanted to dance to their music. As a curious new mother, I looked at the background of the group. It was interesting to see that The Wiggles are educators. After a few shows, I was hooked. I liked the messages in their songs, and I especially enjoyed how the group managed to get kids and parents up off their rears to dance together to fun and catchy songs.

Fast forward seven years and we have been to three Wiggles concerts (and counting – I hope), own a lot of Wiggles DVDs and CDs, and frequently go to Wiggles World at Six Flags. We were at a concert just weeks before the official announcement of Greg handing over the yellow skivvie to Sam. These were big changes for kids and parents alike. We mourned losing Greg and wished him a speedy recovery, but looked forward to the future with Sam.

Recently, TechyDad and I were contacted by The Wiggles PR team to check out their new DVD called Hot Potatoes! The Best of The Wiggles (Amazon Affiliate link).

About Hot Potatoes! The Best of The Wiggles:

The most successful children’s entertainment group in the world has finally released a collection of their most loved songs, Hot Potatoes! The Best of The Wiggles. The Wiggles’ songs have drawn millions of people over the years to see their live concerts. The New York Times called The Wiggles, “the band that rocks the cradle” and this is certainly true. They have set records for their sold out performances everywhere from Madison Square Garden in New York to the Hammersmith Apollo in London to their home town of Sydney, Australia. Their songs are instantly memorable and get you wiggling in seconds! Those same songs have seen music royalty line up to record music with the fab four of fun! We’ve picked the best for you to listen to, but snap it up as this DVD will go like….hot potatoes!

The songs/videos included on this DVD are: -> Hot Potato, -> Can You (Point Your Fingers And Do The Twist?), -> Fruit Salad, -> Rock-A-Bye Your Bear, -> Toot Toot, Chugga Chugga, Big Red Car, -> Wake Up Jeff!, -> Wiggly Party, -> Captain Feathersword Fell Asleep On His Pirate Ship (Quack Quack), -> Wiggle Bay, -> The Monkey Dance, -> Get Ready To Wiggle, -> Go Santa Go, -> Dorothy (Would You Like To Dance?), -> Ooh It’s Captain Feathersword, -> Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport, -> Dressing Up, -> Move Your Arms Like Henry, -> Lights, Camera, Action, Wiggles!, -> Do The Owl, -> The Zeezap Song, -> Play Your Guitar With Murray, -> Rockin’ Santa!, -> To Have A Tea Party, -> Here Come The Chicken, -> Getting Strong!, -> Murray Had A Turtle, -> Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, -> I’m Dorothy The Dinosaur!, -> You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, -> Dr Knickerbocker, -> The Shimmie Shake!, -> Over In The Meadow, -> Wags The Dog Is Chasing His Tail, -> Monkey Man, -> Hot Poppin’ Popcorn

In addition to the songs listed above, there are a lot of special features on this DVD. A few of them include interviews with The Wiggles’ Mums, Original clips from 1991, and Growing up with The Wiggles (Clare and Larissa). Some of the special guests that are on the DVD are Kylie Minogue, Leo Sayer and Steve Irwin.

What we thought:

As I mentioned before, we have a lot of other Wiggles DVDs at our house.

Still, I think we have a new favorite Wiggles DVD. From the moment we put the DVD on, both of the kids were actively engaged. Hot Potatoes! The BEST of The Wiggles is chock full of Wiggly classics. As a parent, I really loved that before each song one of the familar Aussies comes out to introduce the songs. This really worked well with the flashback style that was used on the DVD. Yes, each of the songs is in the original format from their television show, DVD or live performance. Thanks to this, we are able to see both Sam and Greg in the yellow skivvy.

The other items that I really enjoyed were the extras. It was so much fun listening to the Mums of The Wiggles talk about their little boys. The women really were a hoot and we were able to learn a lot about Anthony, Murry, Sam and Jeff. My older son also enjoyed the section with Clare. Clare is Anthony’s niece who has grown up around the Wiggles. She appeared on earlier shows with them and now travels as one of the Wiggly Dancers. NHL recalled seeing her long ago and when we went to the Go Bananas show last fall.

There was no doubting what JSL thought about the DVD. Here is a glimpse of him in action at Nana and Papa’s house:

From the moment the DVD went on, he was non-stop singing, dancing and running around. He loved each and every song and asked for it again. When I asked what his favorite was, he said Popcorn.

If you are a Wiggles fan, we highly recommend adding this to your Wiggly collection. The best part, you could win a copy here!

Giveaway:

Thanks to The Wiggles, one lucky winner will receive their very own copy of Hot Potatoes! The BEST of The Wiggles DVD.

Rules for Giveaway:

MAIN RULE – Answer the following question: What is your all time favorite Wiggles song? Yes yours, not your childs (will be asking another bonus question below).

The following Bonus Entries may also be done. Please be sure to leave separate comments for each that you complete below to make sure you get the right number of entries.

1 Bonus Entry – Who will this DVD be for and what is their favorite song by The Wiggles?
1 Bonus Entry – Tweet about the giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include @TheAngelForever and The BEST of The Wiggles DVDGiveaway in the Tweet. Please leave a direct link to your Tweet in a separate comment for each daily entry. Example Tweet (feel free to use): Get ready to Wiggle. Chance to #win The BEST of the Wiggles DVD from @TheAngelForever http://bit.ly/cAh1al. #Giveaway #kids
1 Bonus Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
1 Bonus Entry – Who is your favorite Wiggle or character from The Wiggles and why?
1 Bonus Entry – Leave a comment on any of my non-giveaway posts from the month of July/August. Leave a comment here to let me know which one. This Bonus entry may be done only twice per person.
3 Bonus Entries – Add my blog button to your website and leave a link with the location. Be sure to give yourself 3 comments for credit.
5 Bonus Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog about the giveaway. Be sure to leave 5 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra entries.

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. Contest starts today August 19 and ends at 10:59 EST on September 2 , 2010. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you for mailing address once the giveaway is over. I will select the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to U.S. and Canada residents only. Also note that TechyDad is having a giveaway on his website where you increase your chances for another DVD there.

Disclosure: I received this DVD complimentary of The Wiggles PR agency in order to facilitate this review. They were also sweet and sent a few other Wiggly surprises for my sons that included a T-shirt, CD and Henry the Octopus doll. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own and you can see we have been long time Wiggles fans. The Wiggles are also providing the giveaway item to my readers.

Categories:
fun giveaway jsl looking back Music photos Product review show TechyDad

Diving penguins and the boys

Posted on June 23, 2010 8:20 am by TheAngelForever

Categories:
fun jsl laughs nhl show Six Flags weekend

Our Curious George Live Adventure

Posted on June 3, 2010 10:06 am by TheAngelForever

Ten years ago, I used to travel all around the northeast going near and far to hockey games. One of the places that we frequented a lot was Glens Falls. Their AHL hockey team and ours had a HUGE rivalry. Friends and I would go to see the hockey games there since it was so close and a fun, intense experience. Glens Falls is a small town and the Civic Center reminds me of old style arenas before the giant monsters were built. This building was made to house a hockey team and games and it shows.

Last night, the boys and I went back to the Glens Falls Civic Center to see Curious George Live. This was not only my first trip back since getting married/having two children, it was the first time I have gone there for something aside from hockey. When we walked into the front doors, I knew it would be different.

The boys were so excited to be able to go and see Curious George. JSL and I watched Curious George 2 early in the morning to get ready. Two Curious George stuffed friends also accompanied us on our adventure to see the live show.

What I had forgotten about the Civic Center is how steep the incline is and that there are NO railings to hold onto. This is no problem for most adults. TechyDad picked JSL up and carried him down the stairs to our front row seats. NHL and I walked slowly down together since neither of us wanted to accidentally knock the other off balance on the way down. When we arrived at our seats, we realized we had done well. We were not on the floor, but the area in front of us (by the hockey boards) was huge. The kids would be able to stand up and not disturb anyone throughout the show – SCORE!

Before the show started, we looked at the Curious George merchandise. The kids did not really need a hat or shirt (which were reasonably priced for a kids show). We toyed with a program, but knew NHL and JSL would fight to look at it. We said we would watch the first half of the show and see if we liked the music and possibly get the soundtrack from the production.

When the show started, both of the boys were ready. JSL stood up clutching his Curious George and did not move a muscle. He was leaned up against TechyDad’s leg and smiling away. It was funny listening to the audience react as familiar characters, like the Doorman, arrived on stage. Everyone cheered when The Man in the Yellow Hat came onto stage. I am sure they were excited to see him, but we all knew who would be coming soon afterward. Speaking of that, NHL cheered when the mischief making monkey made his way onto the stage!

TechyDad and I immediately noted to each other that we really liked the catchy tunes from the show. The people that created the show did a fabulous job in several areas.

They used the narrator’s voice from the PBS show. It was like we were watching a giant, in-person episode of Curious George.
The dance choreography was great. Thanks to the actors and their bright costumes and props, it was nonstop fun for the entire audience.
Lots of subtle jokes/one liners tossed in that would go over kids head, but were definitely appreciated by adults paying attention.

When the first act was over, the boys all went up to buy the CD soundtrack. JSL was so excited about it, he would not let go of it and demanded to hold it the entire second act.

The second act was a great wrap up of the adventure that George went on to Rome for the meatball contest. With a quick change of curtains, we went from the back of an airplane to the streets of Italy, and then into the meatball contest.

The fun costumes really were distinct in the second half. There was a Japanese style chef – a la Iron Chef, along with an Irish inspired one. Of course, Frankie and The Meatball Girls were hilarious. Nothing like an announcer with slick backed hair and dancing plates with spaghetti and meatballs.

The show ended just before 8:30. It was just under a 90 minute show and perfect length for the kids. NHL and JSL were both exhausted when we arrived into the car. Both slept for part of the ride home as they fell asleep listening to our new Curious George Live Soundtrack. Thank you to Curious George Live for a fun filled family evening out!

Disclaimer: Last week I read about a giveaway on Albany Mommy’s website. I entered to win 4 free tickets and found out Saturday that I had won. A huge thank you to her for meeting up with me to get the tickets. No review of this was expected, we just wanted to share the fun family night that we had.