I'm Running Off to the Circus

My life is pretty much a three ring circus filled with clowns, animals and death-defying-to-emergency-room tricks. So it seems quite appropriate that The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey (RBBB) circus is rolling into Los Angeles this week. I'm going to opening night with Chip and actually looking forward to it. I recently attended a press event for RBBB and the current show, Zing Zang Zoom! at The Magic Castle in Hollywood. I went to the press event with an open mind. I fully remember attending the RBBB circus in my youth and being really bored. There was lots of down time in the show and I recall being disappointed. That's pretty much the reason I never really made much of a point of trying to go again. But, now my eldest, Chip, just turned 3 and is of "circus age", so I figured I'd revisit the topic. I headed to The Magic Castle with Lulu in tow and an open mind. First, I met with Shanda Sawyer, Director and Jim Steinmeyer, Illusion Designer. They were both so enthusiastic about the show, it really got me fired up. First of all, the show incorporates a lot of magic. The show is in a 360 degree environment, at the Staples Center, quite a challenge for a magical show. Consider that most magic shows are on a stage with an audience in front, thus allowing for illusions to be performed taking advantage of the audience's point of view. So I'm really excited to see what it's all about. Shanda and Jim mentioned that a 4-ton elephant disappears AND a man turns into a tiger in the air! Ok, I was even more intrigued. Jim and Shanda told us some interesting facts about the circus: They still travel by train, making RBBB one of the "greenest" companies in the world. The circus train is over a mile long. All of the props, costumes, set and equipment must be able to fit into train cars--adding another layer of challenge to designing Zing Zang Zoom!

Next we met with Zingmaster Alex Ramon. Although he has 10 years of experience as a magician, Alex is only 24 years old! He is giving "ringmaster" a twist with this show by being the Zingmaster. Alex is onstage for almost the entire show, and some days he does three shows! Ah, youth. Alex told us that the show is all about fun-filled magic merging with traditional circus arts to create a world of infinite possibilities. Plus, there is a storyline that carries through the show. He even involves the audience in various ways including selecting kids to come down to the circus stage to levitate their parents.

The part I'm most interested in is the All Access Pre-show which is free with your ticket. It starts an hour before the show and allows kids to join Clown College, meet the performers up close, try on costumes and even see an elephant that paints! I think this will be something Chip would really dig.

For more information about the circus and to find out when it will be visiting your neck of the woods, visit the official website Ringling.com

Zing Zang Zoom will be in Los Angeles, Anaheim and Ontario from July 8th to August 2nd. Tickets range in price from $12-$90. Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey have been kind enough to extend a discount code to my readers in Southern California. You can get a 4-pack of tickets for $44 when you enter the promo code: Mom on Ticketmaster.com The code needs to be entered into the MC Promotion box on Ticketmaster. You must purchase a minimum of 4 tickets to get the discounted price, but, after that each additional ticket is still only $11. Not valid on Circus Celebrity/Front Row/VIP seats and facility fees do apply.

Win a Flip Video Camera!

Random.org has chosen a winner for the Flip Video Camera: Elisa from California.  Thanks to all my readers for entering.....More giveaways coming up!

Oscar Mayer Lunchables Lunch Combinations is doing a "Lunch Your Tummy Right Tour" this summer. Kids are different and have different interests when it comes to sports. But, most of all, they need some encouragement to participate in sports and get on the road to a healthy, active life. The Tour is heading cross country with stops in many cities. Their aim is to inspire kids to achieve success. Visit Lunchables to see the full tour schedule, see how your kids can enter to win a week at Camp Woodward and play Lunchables games.

As part of the Tour, kids will also be encouraged to get active by climbing a giant inflatable wall and playing a series of educational games on an interactive bus. “The Lunchables team believes that a well-lunched tummy is the key to success,” said Darin Dugan, Senior Director of Marketing, Lunchables. “The Lunchables Lunch Your Tummy Right Tour is the perfect outlet to help kids discover and enhance their talents.”

Oscar Mayer Lunchables is promoting The "Lunch Your Tummy Right Tour" with Flip Video. They sent me a Flip to try out. I love it! I'm hooked! It is so easy to use...I didn't even have a chance to read the directions and I was able to use it no problem. It's small, light and easy to tuck into my bag and pull out in a second. All those times when you wish you could catch something on video? Now you can. And the quality is amazing. The best part is that it's all digital. You record on the Flip and then you can download to your computer. This Flip Video Ultra records 120 minutes. No tapes or disks to deal with! With my life spinning out of control at times with two toddlers, the is exactly what I need. I was able to take it to Chip's last day of preschool and get some really cute clips with his classmates and teachers. Then you just slide out the USB connection on the side of the Flip and plug directly into the USB port on your computer. How awesome is that?

It gets better....The nice people at Oscar Mayer Lunchables have given me a Flip Ultra to giveaway to one of my readers! With a MSRP of $149.99, The Flip is an excellent way to capture your summer memories. Here is how you enter: Contest period runs from Wednesday, July 1, 2009 at midnight (Pacific) until Wednesday, July 8, 2009 at midnight (Pacific). Enter by leaving a comment, any comment and leave your e-mail address. If you don't leave your e-mail address, I cannot contact you if you win and your entry will be disqualified. One entry per person. Winner must provide a US mailing address. At the end of the contest period, I will utilize Random.org to randomly choose a winner. Winner will be announced the business day following the end of the contest period. Winner has 72 hours to respond to my e-mail. If winner does not respond within 72 hours, The Flip will go to the second place winner as decided by Random.org. Good luck!

Diaper Dealer

Check me out on the Los Angeles Moms Blog today: Diaper Dealer

Goodbye, Farfar

This past Thursday, my step-father-in-law, Peter, passed away unexpectedly at home in Sweden. "Farfar" is the Swedish word for paternal grandfather and what Chip called Peter. We told Chip the sad news. He responded quietly, "Farfar is my friend." Farfar was a friend to a lot of people. I expect his services to be standing room only. Ah, Peter, I will miss our debates and verbal jousts. Goodbye, Farfar. You are missed.

Earthquakes Happen

I'm over on the LA Moms Blog today: Earthquakes Happen

Walk This Way! Win a pedometer

Random.org has chosen #11 as the winner! Melissa from Virginia! Thank you for entering. More giveaways on the way!!!

Back when I was single and self-centered, I actually used to WALK to the gym, workout, and WALK back home. Now, some days, I'm lucky if I walk out to get the mail. Lately, I've been making an effort to get together with friends and do power stroller walks. I throw Chip and Lulu in the Bob Revolution Duallie and hit the pavement. As someone who is obsessed with keeping track of everything (yes, I balance my checkbook and so should you), I've always wanted a pedometer. However, which one to buy was something I just didn't have the time to look into. Lucky for me, when the offer came from Omron Healthcare to review a pocket pedometer, I leapt at the opportunity. They sent me their most technologically advanced pedometer, model HJ-720ITC, which includes software to let you track your steps and progress by downloading the data to your computer. There are some very neat features on this pedometer. One is that it has a safety leash, so you can't lose it as easily. It can be clipped to your waistband or put in your pocket, it's not required to be in a certain position like many other pedometers. It records the number of regular and aerobic steps taken, number of calories and fat burned, and walking distance. It seems quite accurate as I counted my steps and they matched up very closely. Then you can download all your data to your computer and track your stats. The pedometer stores up to 41 days of data and displays the most recent 7 days.

It's walk-a-thon season around here. In the past month I've donated to walks for: The March of Dimes, Autism and Cystic Fibrosis. This Omron pedometer would be an excellent addition to any walk, especially one for a good cause. Omron even donated a pedometer to be awarded to the mom from my MOMS Club who raised the most for the Autism walk. The Omron HJ-720ITC can be purchased online on a number of sites. It retails for $59.99. But, before you order one.....Try to win one here! Omron has given me one more pedometer to give away! Here is how you enter: Contest period runs from Friday, May 8, 2009 at 12:01 am (Pacific) until Monday, May 18, 2009 at midnight (Pacific). Enter by leaving a comment stating where you would like to walk with your pedometer and leave your e-mail address. If you don't leave your e-mail address, I cannot contact you if you win and your entry will be disqualified. At the end of the contest period, I will utilize Random.org to randomly choose a winner. Winner will be announced the business day following the end of the contest period. Winner has 72 hours to respond to my e-mail. If winner does not respond within 72 hours, pedometer will go to the second place winner as decided by Random.org. Winner must have an address in the United States. Now get walking!!!

Win a Disney Stroller!

Random.org has chosen #6 as the winner of the stroller! Congrats to Joyce of Illinois!

When Delta Children's Products contacted me to ask if I'd like to review their new Disney umbrella strollers, I didn't even have to think twice. I'm a huge fan of both Disneyland and strollers, so the offer was right up my alley. Their latest offerings are: Disney Pixar Cars, Disney Princess and Disney Fairies. Chip is a huge fan of Disney Pixar Cars and I knew he'd love to take a spin in that stroller. You can never go wrong with the Disney Princess theme which here includes images of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. However, Peter Pan has always held a special place in my heart so I chose the lavender Disney Fairies stroller featuring Tinkerbell. I've been to Disneyland twice in the last week learning a great deal about the new offerings coming up for this spring and summer. I look forward to sharing all the news with you in upcoming posts! I learned that Tinkerbell features prominently in Disney's upcoming entertainment, events and attractions so I was really pleased with my choice. A couple of days ago I headed to Disneyland with Lulu to put the new Tinkerbell stroller to the test. First of all, it's just cute! But, beyond that, the stroller actually has a canopy which is not totally common with umbrella strollers and a must for a day at the amusement park. This stroller is ideal for amusement parks because it folds up quickly and easily for hopping on and off shuttles, trams and trains. It is really lightweight and just all around good for quick trips if you are running errands and are in and out of the car. The front wheels swivel and make pushing easy. The stroller has a tall frame which allows for babies and toddlers to ride comfortably. While I certainly don't think this would be your only stroller, I do believe that this is a very good umbrella stroller and an excellent addition to any family's "stroller stable." With upcoming summer vacations, this is exactly the kind of stroller you can use to get you through the airport and one that doesn't take up much room in a car trunk. Besides, it's fun for the kids to have Disney characters on their stuff. Lulu is just tickled with it and pushes it around on her own (she isn't tall enough to reach the handles, but you know what I mean). I definitely recommend this stroller to anyone in the market for a wallet friendly, fun and capable umbrella stroller. These strollers retail for approximately $20.00 and have a maximum weight capacity of 35 lbs.

Guess what? You get the chance to win your choice of one of these three strollers! The kind people at Delta Children's Products have made a stroller available to one of my blog readers. Here is how you enter: Contest period runs from Friday, May 1, 2009 at midnight (Pacific) until Sunday, May 10, 2009 at midnight (Pacific). Enter by leaving a comment stating which stroller you would like to win and leave your e-mail address. If you don't leave your e-mail address, I cannot contact you if you win and your entry will be disqualified. One entry per person. Winner must provide a US mailing address. At the end of the contest period, I will utilize Random.org to randomly choose a winner. Winner will be announced the business day following the end of the contest period. Winner has 72 hours to respond to my e-mail. If winner does not respond within 72 hours, stroller will go to the second place winner as decided by Random.org. Happy strolling!