Yes, the time has come. Ready or not, Passover begins tonight at sundown. TechyDad, NHL, JSL, and I will sit down with family for the first Seder of 5771. It is a chance to retell the story while reading our Haggadah. This is a time where our boys will see the traditions that have been passed along for generations.
While looking for something fun to share, I found this really great Passover song all about the Seder symbols.
To all of my family, friends, and readers that celebrate Passover – Chag Sameach.
Previous Passover posts can be found here – lots of fun over the years.
Before we left for Disney World, we were all really curious about the relatively new collectables called Vinylmations. Basically, artists have created art pieces on a standard Mickey Mouse vinyl figure. The results are a multitude of series of these fun critters.
When we looked at them online, you were really interested in the Muppets, Toy Story 3, and Animation options. Daddy was curious about the Star Wars one (which we never saw in person). I wanted to see the Nerds and figure out which one to begin my collection with.
When we switched resorts, you were an amazing helper. Thanks to being really great at the conference, we offered to buy you your first Vinylmation at Pop Century before we went back to our room. We asked you to wait to open it in our room so I could capture it on video. I wanted to do this since Scott on InnerMouse had featured a video of a little girl doing something similar. I figured it would be fun to capture this memory for all of us. Here is what happened:
As you can see, you were VERY happy with the Swedish Chef Vinylmation – thank goodness! By the end of our trip, you had a few additional friends to add to your new collection.
What I love about Vinylmations is that all four of us enjoy looking for them, reading about them, and saving our money to get more. I can not wait to see which one you add next. I love your passion for Mickey collectables – you should be proud of being NDK78!
Love,
Mommy
Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World, we were given an incredible deal thanks to Disney. The sweet conference fee included 3 nights at the Grand Floridian, several meals for the entire family, 7 day park hoppers for everyone, conference/meals for me and some other items to take home. Also note that Disney never asked us to blog about this event. As a long time Disney fan, it is my pleasure to share my experiences from the event.
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My oldest son has been fascinated with lions, tigers, and all big cats for years. The first time we went to Animal Kingdom on the Kilimanjaro Safari he got upset that we did not see the lion awake. The next time around, we saw the king sitting up on top of his rock.
Much to my son’s surprise, while walking around Epcot a few weeks ago, he came across some sand cats. Check it out:
Yes, these amazing sand sculptures were made to showcase the new Disney release coming to theaters on Earth Day. Here is a bit about the film from the Press Release:
An epic true story set against the backdrop of one of the wildest places on Earth, “African Cats” captures the real-life love, humor and determination of the majestic kings of the savanna. Narrated by Oscar®-nominated actor Samuel L. Jackson, the story features Mara, an endearing lion cub who strives to grow up with her mother’s strength, spirit and wisdom; Sita, a fearless cheetah and single mother of five mischievous newborns; and Fang, a proud leader of the pride who must defend his family from a rival lion and his sons. Disneynature brings “The Lion King” to life on the big screen in this True Life Adventure directed by Keith Scholey and Alastair Fothergill (“Earth”). An awe-inspiring adventure blending family bonds with the power and cunning of the wild, “African Cats” leaps into theatres on Earth Day, April 22, 2011.For more information about the movie and the “See ‘African Cats,’ Save the Savanna” initiative, check out Disney.com/AfricanCats.
During the film’s opening week (April 22-28), a portion of the proceeds from that week’s ticket sales will be donated to the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund to ensure the future of lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras, giraffes and a host of other animals in the vibrant African savanna. The AWF will be working to protect the Amboseli Wildlife Corridor, a passage between the Amboseli, Tsavo West and Chyulu National Parks that is frequently used by a variety of wildlife.
Fans pledge to see “African Cats” opening week by logging onto http://eventful.com/africancats. Participants can watch how honoring that pledge can effectively save the savanna. A real-time counter will show how many people have participated, and there will also be a graphical map representing the number of acres across the savanna that are being conserved based upon the number of pledges received. Upon arriving at the theater, fans can check in via their mobile device to win special prizes.
The teacher in me can not wait to see this for the educational experience. The mom, can not wait to take her son for a special treat to watch all of these magnificent creatures on the big screen.
What is your favorite African Cat that you can not wait to see in the movie?
BTW, if you are interested in some fun activity sheets, an educational activity guide, and a 135-page expanded educator’s guide that would be great for teachers or homeschoolers – you can get them and additional items from the African Cats media page.
Disclosure: Information was sent to me from Disney PR and no compensation was received. As a life long Disney fan, I love to share this information with my readers.
As a child, I have many memories of celebrating Purim with my family. My mother, father, brother and I would go to Shul with my Mimi and Poppy. I often dressed up as Queen Esther since this was her big day. For years I would not go near our rabbi because he scared me in his Megillah Gorilla costume one year. I am happy to report I was able to get over it since he was also the one that married us almost ten years ago.
TechyDad and I have also taken our kids to synagogue for Purim celebrations.
The boys adore dressing up and taking part in the Megillah reading celebration. Groggers to make noises each time we hear the name Haman uttered, only adds to the fun and excitement for a child.
Today, the boys and I will be celebrating Purim a little differently. To help get you in the mood and tell you the story, I wanted to share the Maccabeats Purim Song video. Enjoy!
For previous Purim related posts that I have written, you can check them out here.
Lately our family has sunny and warm Florida on our mind. More specifically, Orlando is the target location. Narrowing it down even further to Walt Disney World. Yesterday, while spending some time playing at Nana and Papa’s house, JSL asked to go on my old Tony Pony. He told me he had to go quickly because he needed to get to Disney World now.
Yes, my three year old planned on Riding Tony Pony to Disney World and kept yelling “Yee Haaa Boy!” The best part was JSL let me record some of his ride to Disney World. He’s a bit hard to hear thanks to Whiskers the cockatoo in the background and the noise from Tony Pony. Still, I think you will see that he has a plan all set for when he arrives at Disney World.
This reminds me, I do not think I ever had my kids counted on The Disney Driven Life. I think I need to take care of this ASAP since it is pretty clear they are hooked.
