Built to Amaze! The Greatest Show on Earth!

Copyright ©2014, Feld Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.  Used with Permission from Feld Entertainment

Feld Entertainment has provided me with a 4-pack of tickets to take my family to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Built To Amaze!® in exchange for this post and a review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

My favorite circus acts have always been the aerialists and balancing acts, but my girls are allll about the animals! Which makes the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Built To Amaze!® shows perfect, since they have a fantastic mix of both, plus so much more! My family and I will be attending opening night at the Showare Center - will I see you there?

Copyright ©2014, Feld Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.  Used with Permission from Feld Entertainment 

The all-new Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Built To Amaze!® plays the Showare Center in Kent, WA from September 24 – 27 and XFINITY Arena in Everett, WA from October 1 – 4, 2015.

Use code MOM5 to take $5 off on $25 and $20 tickets for the Sat 3:30 and Sunday 1:00 performances ONLY, in Kent and Everett. Six ticket maximum…valid online and by phones until Friday, Sept. 18th.

Here are the websites and phone numbers for each venue:

Kent’s Showare Center (9/26 3:30pm and 9/27 1pm for the MOM5 discount showings)

www.showarecenter.com, charge by phone at 866-973-9613

Xfinity Arena at Everett (10/3 3:30pm and 10/4 1pm for the MOM5 discount showings.) 

www.xfinityarenaeverett.com, charge by phone at 866-332-8499

Copyright ©2014, Feld Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.  Used with Permission from Feld Entertainment

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Built To Amaze!® is an extraordinarily engineered circus experience where Children Of All Ages find out what it takes to build The Greatest Show On Earth®. Ringmaster and Master of Construction Andre McClain works alongside award-winning comedic clown Davis Vassallo to create an up-close and interactive family experience. An international cast of circus artists sets the foundation with high-energy hijinks and hilarity as they assemble The Greatest Show On Earth right before the audience’s eyes. 

Copyright ©2014, Feld Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.  Used with Permission from Feld Entertainment 

Custom-built for family fun, this show features horsepower with an exciting blend of traditional and modern showmanship on horseback. There is also a high-flying single trapeze that will have audiences cheering with each grab of the bar. The nail-biting crossbow act and legendary elephants, this time featuring a little and a big elephant, will also grace the ring. 

Copyright ©2014, Feld Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.  Used with Permission from Feld Entertainment

Fans will get the chance to meet four-year-old April and 47-year-old Asia and see the adoring relationship between these performing pachyderms. Incredible athletes continue to build the energy throughout this production with the only basketball game of its kind on unicycles, a graceful husband and wife hand-balancing duo that displays the true strength of a woman, and a powerful aerial display with high-flying trapeze artists flipping and swinging through the air without the use of a bar or net. 

The party starts at Ringling Bros. Presents Built To Amaze! an hour before show time with the All Access Pre-show, where everyone is invited to join the fun on the arena floor and meet the international cast. Audiences can pick up hip dance moves during the dance party, try on custom costumes, learn circus skills like juggling from the famous Ringling Bros. Clown Alley, walk the low wire and even have the opportunity to witness and win a one-of-a-kind pop art masterpiece created by one of the world-famous Ringling Bros. painting pachyderms. 

Ticketholders can purchase an upgrade and go backstage with a VIP Behind the Scenes Tour of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. The backstage experience includes an insider look at props and wardrobe, an up close and personal encounter with the animals and a chance to meet stars from the show. Fans will also have an opportunity to take pictures and learn educational fun facts. 

To take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime experience, just log on to ringlingbros.expapp.com from your iPhone or Android smartphone and provide your name, email and phone number to become a VIP circus insider. Tickets for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents Built To Amaze! are available on Ringling.com.

The Sun'll Come Out... Next Sunday!

I am so excited that Annie is coming to the Paramount Theatre in Seattle next weekend! STG Presents is providing me with 4 tickets, so I will be taking my mom, my 7-year-old Z and since I was worried E would be too young, and she didn't want to go anyway, hopefully one of Z's school mates will be coming too (haven't heard back from her mom yet.)
My mom and I saw Annie at the theatre when I was younger (a LOT younger! Hahahaha!) with her friend and her friend's daughter, and although I don't remember all the details, I do remember enjoying that day immensely. I'm hoping to give my own daughter a wonderful memory, and make new Annie memories with my mom!

Annie will be playing in Seattle from Sunday 9/20 through Saturday 9/26, so it isn't too late to get tickets! And there's a special Family Night promotion to take your kids for free on Wednesday the 23rd, to create a fun memory with your own kids! See below for details!

Annie Family Night
Wednesday, Sept 23rd at 7:30 pm
Buy One Adult Ticket, Get a Child Ticket Free
Use promo code: FAMILY
 *Not valid on previously purchased tickets and cannot be combined with any other offer. Must be 18 years old or younger for child’s ticket.


Log in to this site, click on GET TICKETS, then click on the Wednesday, Sept 23 show and plug in the code!

The Good Dinosaur Lunch

I'm a huge fan of Disney-Pixar, pretty much no matter what they do. Most of the other "kid movies" out there are either all about the princesses, are "too scary" for my sensitive little girls, or have concepts that go way over their heads! Or are just flat-out inappropriate for young kids, and don't even deserve a PG rating, in my opinion. So I'm really looking forward to THE GOOD DINOSAUR this Thanksgiving! And HELLO! Did I mention it's from Pixar! Just take my money already!

Stock images and files copyright Disney-Pixar. Used with permission. 

What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct?  On November 25 2015, Pixar Animation Studios takes you on an epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo (voice of Raymond Ochoa) makes an unlikely human friend. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of.

Peanut-butter and honey on gluten-free bread, organic green beans, broccoli, and strawberries, PBJ Funagrette dressing

I made this fun little Arlo lunch for my preschooler in one of our EasyLunchboxes. I couldn't find my bigger Apatosaur-looking cutter, so I used an old vintage one from a thrift store. Not the best with gluten-free bread... I thought the neck and tail were going to break for sure! It's not a ton of food, but she's very small, and also gets two separate snacks at school.
I arranged some green beans and broccoli to fill the space and look like greenery, and included some of her favorite "dip," a PB and J flavored vinaigrette for kids. The little container for portioning dressing from my 21-Day Fix kit was perfect, and kind of looks like a sun up there! I added Arlo's name in the strawberries using some alphabet picks, which are one of my favorite tools of all time!

[This post contains affiliate links.]

Are you excited for the movie too? Get your dino on with these fun printables from Disney-Pixar!

Download Coloring Page

Download Printable Hexaflexagon

 Download Memory Cards

Download files for personal use only. Please do not replicate or distribute.

Like THE GOOD DINOSAUR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PixarTheGoodDinosaur

Follow THE GOOD DINOSAUR on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thegooddinosaur

Follow THE GOOD DINOSAUR on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thegooddinosaur/

Follow THE GOOD DINOSAUR on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/disneystudios/the-good-dinosaur/

Visit Disney/Pixar on Tumblr: http://disneypixar.tumblr.com

Follow Disney/Pixar on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/DisneyPixar

Visit the official THE GOOD DINOSAUR website here: http://movies.disney.com/the-good-dinosaur

THE GOOD DINOSAUR opens in theatres everywhere on November 25th!

Tools of the Trade

  

This post was not compensated or sponsored in any way, although Disney-Pixar provided the stock images and download materials shared here. 
#GoodDino

M-I-C-K-E-Y... Why? Because We're Hungry!

My 3-year-old E got to do an all-day camp at her new preschool for the last few weeks of Summer. Since it would be her first drop-off experience without Big Sister or a cousin along to keep her company, I made an effort to "cuten" up her lunches to help brighten up her day and let her know Mama was thinking of her.

Mickey Loves You!

PB honey on GF bread, salted popcorn, organic green beans and carrots, blueberries and blackberries from our garden

I cut her sandwich with a Mickey cookie cutter by Wilton - it's the perfect size for my tiny preschooler! I had a Mickey hand fork pick which was perfect to stick in her garden-picked berries (we grow blueberries on purpose, and the blackberries kind of took over the back yard while we were busy packing and moving this summer!) And since I had them, I used some Mickey silicone cups to hold the blackberries and organic popcorn. (Mine came from my Disney Cakes and Sweets magazine subscription.)

My little girl was totally jazzed over this simple Mickey lunch - and thanks to the extra rigors of her day, it came back completely devoured!

Tools of the Trade

   

A Lunchbox Far, Far Away... #ForceFriday

Toys are already being released for the highly anticipated upcoming release of the new movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens on December 15, 2015. To launch this toy release today, fans and stores are celebrating #ForceFriday on social media and with "unboxing" videos on Youtube! It just so happens that this also coincided with the arrival yesterday of my new Thermos jar and drink Funtainers with Star Wars designs that I bought on impulse! Wahoo! So my Second-Grader got a lunch that was "out of this world!"

[This post contains affiliate links.]

Water, goat cheese quesadilla, DF ranch, organic carrots and strawberries

While my girls aren't big Star Wars fans (yet!) I just HAD to have the R2-D2 insulated drink bottle and C-3PO insulated food jar. They aren't old enough for the movies, but Z recognizes all the main characters now, thanks to the Vader and Son and Jedi Academy book series from Jeffrey Brown. Good enough for me!
I always send water in our Funtainer drink bottles. I can just refill them every day and only wash on the weekends. Z likes her water cold, so I fill with ice water and keep it in the fridge the night before. The ice is melted, but the water stays nice and cool all day!

In the C-3PO insulated jar, I heated up a leftover goat cheese quesadilla with sliced olives (her favorite) on a gluten-free corn tortilla. I cut it into thirds to help it fit better.

In a Stormtrooper sandwich box (from Target's Dollar Spot a while ago,) I packed her carrots with a Darth Vader cupcake ring, and some dairy-free ranch dressing in a brick dip container. Her strawberries have a green lightsaber cupcake pick mostly because the red and blue ones blended in too much.

Tools of the Trade

    

Snuggle #ShareABear for National Teddy Bear Day!

One of the few toys I still have from my childhood is a teddy bear given to me by my great-grandma Ruth before I can even remember anything. My Grandma Virginia (who lived with us) named him "Cry-Bear" because I would snuggle him whenever I was sad or upset. My dad called him "Rumba-Tumba" and used him to act out a bedtime story he had made up about a bear that couldn't fall asleep. Both names stuck, and now I share him with my girls, and tell them the stories of his names and why he is special to me. His fur is no longer soft or fluffy, he has ratty edges and missing stitches. He's dingy and stained... and yet other than my children, that bear is the one thing I would save in a fire. (My husband can save his own self!)

September 9th is National Teddy Bear Day, making "SeptemBEAR" a very special month for Snuggle and the Snuggle Bear mascot! This year, Snuggle is launching a special #ShareABear campaign on National Teddy Bear Day to help make the world a softer place - one teddy bear at a time.

Do you remember your first teddy bear? Maybe you still even have your teddy bear from when you were young, like I do. Teddy Bears provide people with rare companionships that very few things can match. Teddies are best friends, guardians, cuddle-buddies, secret keepers, and anything else you would like them to be. Snuggle believes that everyone should be able to experience this companionship, no matter what!

Snuggle provided me with several bears to give away, and I couldn't NOT choose my girls! Literally. They saw me open the box and instantly fell in love. They threatened to find a new mommy, since clearly I no longer loved them when I suggested we give the bears away to other kids...

I am proud to participate in raising awareness for this campaign. While my kids certainly have no shortage of stuffed lovies, because of our dietary restrictions, they do know what it is like to feel excluded and to watch from the sidelines as other kids get basic treats or privileges that are denied to them. I love supporting causes that help kids feel special and "normal" by providing simple joys that most of us take for granted.

#ShareABear is a movement to show the world that something as small as gifting a teddy bear can brighten one’s day! On September 9th, Snuggle will be launching its #ShareABear campaign video where Snuggle Bear will be making the world a softer place by personally donating 5,000 teddy bears to children in need. 

Help us raise awareness by sharing your own memories, photos or videos with a special Teddy Bear in your life using the hashtag #ShareABear. Learn more and join the movement at

the Snuggle Facebook page!