Review: Another Fabulous Disney on Ice Show! (Discount Code for Phoenix!)

Last night, we attended the opening night performance for Disney on Ice's Let's Celebrate show in Phoenix. 

It was fabulous!  It seems that each show is better than the last, but they are all so good that it doesn't seem fair to say that it was better.  They are all different, and enjoyable, and so well-done.

There are plenty of laughs, as well as amazing skating. I'm always impressed by the athleticism and professionalism of the skaters who take on the Disney character personas.  Of course, you expect the princesses -- but last night we were also treated to Toy Story characters and the pig character was hilarious and so well done!  The pig had skates on his (her?) hands as well as feet, so he looked just like the character in the movie.

It's hard to choose a favorite part of the show, but I think I loved the sequence with Mickey as the Sorcerer's Apprentice and the brooms.  The brooms were all skaters, in costumes that glowed under black lights and they were great!  Another favorite for me was the Hawaiian summer celebration segment.  Fun music, as well as a ring of fire on the ice!

This show even had fireworks to highlight some of the celebrations!  And, of course, Mickey and Minnie Mouse were there to host the entire show.  Which just reminded me of another favorite -- the depiction of a Japanese celebration to welcome spring with a cherry blossom tree and pink LED fans.

Lydia liked seeing all of her princess friends -- including Snow White who was the only princess we didn't have a chance to meet while at DisneyLand last year.  The princes threw and flipped and spun the princesses with no fear of the skates on their feet!  It was a delight to watch them skate.

We grinned throughout the entire show and had a great time.  The show is in Phoenix until January 23rd, so if you're looking for something to do with the family, head on down to US Airways and take in a fabulous show!  It's obviously kid-friendly, but also entertaining for adults.

As a special to my readers, I can share the special discount code of "MOM" so that you can purchase 4 tickets for $44 - good for the Thursday, Jan 20th 7:30pm show, Friday, Jan 21st 10:30am and 7:30pm shows, Saturday, Jan 22nd 7:30pm show, and the Sunday, Jan 23rd 5:30pm show (excluding Front Row and VIP seating).  This is the best discount in our market, so please take advantage of it!  You can use the code online at Ticketmaster or over the phone.

And -- if you buy one of the snow cones in a special cup -- know that even though they're pricey (the Tinkerbell cup was $12) they do come with a 2 year warranty in case they break.  It made the cost a little easier to bear last night knowing that. 

*Disclosure: I received tickets for my family for the opening night show.  No additional compensation was provided, and all opinions and words are my own. Many thanks to Feld Entertainment for allowing my family to enjoy another great show!*

Tell Me Thursday - New Toy

For a few years, Bo has wanted to get quads to ride out in the desert.  The boys are finally old enough, and he's managed to find some great deals, so we now have a go-cart and 2 quads. 

The one pictured is the smallest, purchased so that the kids can ride alone, and most recently acquired.

This shot is from our neighborhood, but they have gone out in the desert a few times now with friends to ride.  All the boys in my house have a great time!

Wordless Wednesday - New Toy

Tell Me Thursday - From the Sups

If you looked carefully yesterday, you may have noticed that the boys are dressed exactly the same in this picture, and in the picture in my blog header. 

It was taken in February, 2008, on the trails for the Superstition Mountains near our home.  I didn't climb this high that day with Lydia, but the boys (Bo included) enjoyed the climb and the view!

You can see how green the desert is in this picture.  People often assume that deserts are brown and dry, but the desert is often green.  In the spring, this mountain range is covered in colorful wildflowers. Of course, it helps that we happen to live in the wettest desert in the world.

A friend recently asked about the mountains in the header, and since she's coming to visit (yea!!) in February, I thought I'd post this shot.

Wordless Wednesday - From the Sups

Update in Bullets

• I have only one open giveaway going on right now -- it's the Disney on Ice one for Phoenix area residents and that closes on the 12th.  Every other giveaway has closed and the winners have been notified. 
• We got through the stomach flu that never seemed to end (well, that's not exactly true.  Every time I thought for sure that nobody else would get it, someone would.  It took a month to make it all the way through our family . . . and that sucked!)
• Just in time to enter into winter cold/cough/laryngitis fun.  Lydia and I seem to have it the worst (at least at the moment)  It feels like it's been an unhealthy fall/winter so far, but I guess that's to be expected with the boys in full-time school and Lydia in part-time daycare. This may be a year for building up immunities.
• We attended a rock & mineral show on Sunday and had a great time looking at all the different rocks and minerals.  The kids got some neat rocks and it was a lovely afternoon.
• I really want to go see The Kings Speech and Tron, but haven't been able to figure out when.
• Work is a bit slow, but not unusual for January.  I may have a large project in the near future which will eat up all my free time, so I'm coasting a bit until I hear if the project (and my role in it) are a go.
• For work, Bo spent a couple days in Vegas last week, is headed to Florida next week, and I have absolutely no travel on my horizon.  I'm jealous, yes I am.
• We had parent/teacher conferences for the boys today.  They are both doing well.  Colin earned honor roll again this quarter, but his teacher wants him to strive for principal's honor roll next.  They don't have honor roll in third grade, but Nate's overall scores are higher than Colin's -- so I imagine next year we'll have 2 on honor roll.
• Soccer starts up next weekend, the boys are running in a kids run, Lydia starts dance in 2 weeks, chess club begins again at the end of the month and the boys are going to take karate one/day week after school.  It's been quiet for a bit, but that's about to end.
• Colin is working on learning a number of Star Wars pieces for his viola.  He got a book for Christmas that includes a bunch.  
• Nate is in a "good" stuttering phase.  I think a very laid-back Christmas break helped. Which makes me re-think all the extra-curricular things.  When I asked him, though, about giving up the various sports, he replied "Mom, I just couldn't do that.  I need to move!"  So, we'll keep an eye on it and be sure to build in enough down time for him, while still meeting his physical needs.
• The other thing that may have helped is that I got very strict about bedtimes again.  It's hard to make sure they're tucked in by 8:15 each night, but 6:30AM comes early.
• Bo traded an XBox for a small ATV.  I can't remember what he traded the XBox for (maybe a phone?) but we've had it for a while in anticipation of using it as a trade (we already have an XBox)  The kids are excited about riding.
• I'm doing great about reading -- but haven't touched the garage yet. I love my Kindle, and love all the free books I find to add to it.
• I'm worn out from this cold, so I'm off to an early bedtime as well!

Tell Me Thursday - Unlikely Love

This is Fred (zombie adventurer - click to read his not-so-frequently updated blog) and Lydia's Baby Ariel doll.  They seem an unlikely pair, but Lydia insisted that they had to hug during a recent outing.  They don't see each other often as Fred lives with my sister.

The picture just cracks me up.

Wordless Wednesday - Unlikely Love

Bowl Giveaway

Sometimes, I get pitches that just make me laugh.  This was one of them -- Clorox is sponsoring a "Toilet Bowl" that will happen on January 13 to correspond with some of the big football bowl games.

To liven things up, they're sending me and one of my readers a gift box that will include not only an autographed football from Jessie Palmer, but also some Clorox toilet wands! 

You all know I have boys.  Boys who love sports of all kinds, including football.  I have a secret.  I have 2 bathrooms (well, that's not my secret, that's just fortunate) but my secret is that I tend to avoid the 2nd bathroom.  Lydia stayed in our room until she was almost 2, and I still give her baths in our master bath.  I don't give the boys baths anymore, so I don't have much reason to go into their bathroom (which we call the boys' bathroom, but I've been trying to switch and call it the kids' bathroom ever since Lydia was born. I'm still working on it.)

ANYWAY, I walked in there just today and thought "Oh, I can't wait until those Clorox toilet wands show up because I'm teaching the boys how to use them!"  They may be able to aim a football, but their personal aim is not so great.

Clorox is offering to send one of my readers a prize package that will include:

• An autographed football by Jesse Palmer (ESPN analyst & former football player)
• VISA/AMEX gift certificate to go towards snacks to create the perfect game day spread
• Clorox Toilet Wands
• Clorox Toilet Bowl Cleaner

To enter, you need to enter the information on my GIVEAWAY FORM (please do not leave a comment to enter - the only valid entries are those on my Google spreadsheet, which the giveaway form feeds into).  Pay special attention to the next 2 lines so you can enter the correct information:


Giveaway Name: Toilet Wands
Mandatory Question: Least favorite bathroom chore?

I will choose a winner using random.org on January 6, 2010.  Good Luck!!

2011 Resolutions

First post of a new year, new set of resolutions.  I'm going to keep it short and simple again this year.

Our main family resolution is to plan a country-themed dinner each month.  We have already chosen the 12 countries we want to explore this year, and the boys are excited about being responsible for at least one dish for each meal.  I think it'll be fun, and help boost the kids' cooking skills as well.  And, hopefully, we'll find some new family favorite recipes to add to the regular rotation!  First country up for January? China!  (Colin said that was awesome -- we could just go to Pei Wei's and call it done.  Nate was very irritated with his brother, as he was looking forward to trying some new foods.)

I resolve to clean out the garage.  This is a huge task, that is long overdue, and maybe by posting it here we will finally just get it done.  There are boxes in there that we haven't touched since 2001 (when we moved in.)  It needs to be done, and it will be done.

I am going to re-read some classics I haven't read in a while and read some other classics for the first time.  My Kindle is perfect for this, because so many classics are free to download.  I just finished F. Scott Fitzgerald's Beautiful and Damned and think I'm going to dive into Joseph's Conrad The Secret Agent next.

What about you?  Any that you're willing to share? We can look back next December and see how we all did!