Who doesn't love rice crispy squares? The sweetness and crunch are such a classic childhood treat -- but let's face it, they're kind of nutritionally void. As parents, we want every bite that goes into our kids' mouths to do them as much good as possible, but in order to even reach our kids' mouth, it has to be something he wants to eat! That's not going to be a problem with new Zbar Crispy from CLIF Kid. It's an rice crispy snack made with organic ingredients and nutrients for active, growing kids. Our family were given some samples to try, and they're a crispy, crunchy hit.
The Basics New Zbar Crispy, an organic rice crispy snack. Comes in 3 flavors -- Chocolate, Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter. Zbar Crispy also offers more calcium, iron, zinc, and vitamin D than most all-family snack bars. These nutrients are essential for kids' growth but tend to often be missing in kids' meals and snacks.
All natural: no HFCS, hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, no trans fats. 8g of whole grains.
The Bongga Yum! I'm not surprised that everyone in the family loves these new Zbar Crispies. The Chocolate was the all-around favorite; not only do you get yummy chocolate flavor in every bite, you also get chocolate chunks scattered throughout the bar for twice the yumminess!
The Blah
Neither Alfie nor I liked the Peanut Butter flavor much; I didn't see any peanuts in the bar, just peanut butter chips that didn't really taste like peanut butter, more like butterscotch. But the Peanut Butter was actually the kids' favorite flavor! They liked it much more than the Chocolate Chip Flavor (which was Alfie's and my second favorite), so maybe the sweetness appeals a lot more to kids than it does to adults. I guess I have to bow to the kids' opinion because these are Clif *Kid* bars, after all (although I actually prefer them to regular Clif bars because the servings are smaller).
The Bottom Line What a great, yummy, healthy option from Clif Kid to add to my kids' lunch box and snack time stash!
Win a box of CLIF Kid Zbar Crispy snacks One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will receive a box with one dozen Zbar Crispy snacks from CLIF Kid (4 of each flavor).
Required Entry Leave a comment on this post and tell me which flavor of CLIF Kid Zbar Crispy you or your child would like to try the most. This entry must be completed before extra entries qualify.
Extra Entries For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).
6) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Twitter and tweet this, up to once per day (1 entry per day, leave a comment with the tweet link for each tweet):
Win a dozen CLIF Kid ZBar Crispy bars from @bonggafinds http://tinyurl.com/bonggaprizes #giveaways
The Rules This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on July 30, 2011; I will draw a winner at random on July 31 and post the winner's name after the winner confirms acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!
Disclosure: I received a product sample to facilitate my review, but have not been paid to review the product or give my opinions. Product information is provided by the featured company/product and is indicated in italics. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Last week I blogged about some exciting changes going on at the Disneyland Hotel. Actually, there are changes happening all around the Disneyland Resort, and some of the biggest changes are happening at Disney's California Adventure. Disney wants to give DCA more family ride experiences, a greater immersive experience and more connections to beloved Disney characters (like with the Toy Story ride and Ariel's Undersea Adventure ride).
Last month I got a chance to speak with two Disney executives about some of those changes: Mary Niven, Vice President at Disney California Adventure Park and Guest Services at the Disneyland Resort, and Bob Weis, Executive Vice President of Walt Disney Imagineering and Portfolio Creative Leader for the expansion of Disney California Adventure.
This was the opportunity of a lifetime, and I wasted no chance to ask the question that was burning in my mind (and no doubt in many other Disneyland fans' minds): What happened to those giant "C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A" letters in front of the park?
(Remember those letters? They were still around in September 2010, the last time we took the kids to Disneyland, and as always, they enjoyed posing with the letters. I also added a follow-up question: Can I buy the "N"?)
Fortunately for everyone, Mary and Bob assured me that the letters are in storage, safe and sound. Unfortunately for me, the "N" is not for sale, nor are any of the other letters; they were removed to make way for the new DCA entrance they are constructing. Mary and Bob told me they are definitely aware of the emotional attachment that many people have for those letters, so they're not going to throw them away, but they're still thinking about where to put them.
One of the biggest changes happening is the construction of the new Cars Land, which is scheduled to open sometime in 2012. Kathy Mangum, Executive Producer and Vice President at Walt Disney Imagineering, and Kevin Rafferty, Senior Concept Writer at Walt Disney Imagineering, told me it's going to be amazing: 12 acres of pure Radiator Springs fun. Eleven of those twelve acres are pure expansion; they're using the old parking lot in the rear, so DCA is about to get a whole lot bigger! Cars Land is going to resemble radiator springs, complete with Flo's V8 cafe and a great view of the mountains, just like you see in the Cars movies.
I can't wait to get back to Disney's California Adventure once all these changes are complete!
Disclosure: I received a media invitation to attend the opening of Star Tours and other events. Transportation, lodging and park tickets were provided by Disneyland Resort Public Relations. The views and opinions expressed here are my own..
According to Phineas and Ferb, there are one hundred and one days of summer vacation -- trust me, I know. I listen to their theme song often enough! Phineas and Ferb is my kids' favorite animated series, and they're not alone; "Phineas and Ferb" is TV's number one animated series in Prime among kids 6-11 and tweens 9-14, and has been for tweens for the past 3 years. They love watching Phineas and his stepbrother Ferb cook up all kinds of crazy schemes and gadgets while their sister Candace tries repeatedly (and unsuccessfully) to get their parents to see what they're up to. I think they must feel a special affinity because Phineas and Ferb look like they're the same age -- kind of like 3Po and Jammy, who are twins -- and they have an older sister Candace -- kind of like The Pea! I never hear so many peals of delighted laughter coming out of our living room as when Phineas and Ferb is turned on!
Anyway, it looks like Phineas and Ferb are going to be busy for all one hundred and one of those days. Just look at what they have planned for the summer!
* Disney's Emmy Award-winning hit series "Phineas and Ferb," TV's #1 animated show among tweens for the past three years, has announced the premiere of the Disney Channel Original Movie, "Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension," set to debut Friday, August 5 (8:00 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney Channel XD.
* Take Two with Phineas and Ferb", a series of two-minute interview segments in which the animated stepbrothers host their own animated/live action talk show by interviewing real, live celebrity guests, is premiering its second round of interviews in July 2011 on the Disney Channel. Guests include David Beckham, Larry King, Howie Mandel, Jason Segel and Shawn White.
* Disney is launching "Perry the Platy-bus On Tour", a 27-foot long Airstream trailer decorated to look like Perry the Platypus. It will be making a coast-to-coast journey from New York City to San Diego for Comic-Con (July 21-14), then on to the Disney D23 Expo in Anaheim on August 19-21.
* The soundtrack "Phineas and Ferb: Across the 1st and 2nd Dimensions" is being released on August 2, and a two-disc "Ultimate Fan Pack", including a DVD of "Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension," will be available on August 23.
* Phineas and Ferb action figures, apparel, grocery, junior novel, novelty book, magazine and other products are appearing in stores.
Disclosure: I received a Phineas and Ferb gift pack from the Disney Channel as a thank you for posting this information. Iinformation is provided by Child's Play Communications and is indicated in italics. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
I've been a fan of Skin MD Natural Shielding lotion ever since I first tried it in 2009. I love how it glides on my skin without a hint of greasiness and I'm amazed at how it leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth. This was not one of those products that I review once and then promptly forgot: when my original supply ran out, I searched far and wide to find it, and I still use it to this day. It's not cheap, so I use it sparingly, on my knuckles, elbows, calves, all the driest, roughest spots. And of course, I use it on my son whenever he has one of his eczema flare-ups.
For all my experience with Skin MD, I've never tried their Natural Shielding Lotion with SPF 15. So Skin MD sent me a 4 0z. bottle to try, and I think it's a great option for skin care with light sun protection.
The Basics According to the makers, Skin MD is not just a moisturizing lotion or protecting cream. It's a shielding lotion. So what's a shielding lotion?
A shielding lotion is unlike any other conventional, artificial moisturizers because it works with the skin to naturally moisturize and heal. Most conventional, artificial moisturizers only add moisture to the surface of the skin, but do little to repair the skin's natural barrier against moisture robbing irritants. Skin MD Natural breaks the dry skin cycle by working to help restore skin's natural protective abilities by bonding to the outer layer of skin, strengthening skins natural barrier against toxins and irritants that can dry the skin, while locking in the skin's natural oils.
Here's more information about Skin MD Natural with SPF15:
Skin MD Natural + SPF 15 is never greasy and won't clog pores making it perfect for all over use including the face. It is formulated with out Oxybenzone, a common sun screen ingredient that made the news last year when it was found to be a hormone-disrupting chemical which penetrates the skin and enters the bloodstream. Skin MD Natural + SPF 15 is made using solar power and contains natural ingredients that are vegan and cruelty free making it the eco friendly choice for summer skin protection.
The Bongga The Natural Shielding lotion with SPF 15 feels great! To be sure, it's a bit thicker and not as silky as the regular lotion, and it doesn't absorb as easily, but it's still remarkably light when you compare it to other lotions with SPF 15 (and I'm not even going to compare it to sunscreen lotion). In fact, if it weren't for the smell, you wouldn't know it was an SPF lotion. I know many people use the icky feel of sunscreen lotion as an excuse not to apply it year-round (okay, I admit, I'm one of those people) -- but now that you know about Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion with SPF 15, there's no more reason not to be sun-safe every single day.
The Blah Like its non-SPF counterpart, this lotion is not cheap ($15 for a 4-ounce bottle). It's at the price point of department store brands like Clinique (which sells a 5-ounce tube of SPF 15 face/body lotion for $21). But in the case of Skin MD Natural, you definitely get what you pay for: a wonderfully moisturizing lotion that keeps you safe in the sun.
A final word on sun safety: this lotion is *not* waterproof, and as far as SPF goes, a factor of 15 is pretty low, so I wouldn't use it as a replacement for your regular, waterproof sunblock lotion when you go to the beach or the pool or plan to spend a prolonged period of time in the sun.
The Bottom Line Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion with SPF 15 gives you everyday sun protection without that icky greasy feeling!
Take the Pledge to Stop the Burn and enter to win Skin MD Natural +SPF 15 With more and more people each year being diagnosed with skin cancer, Skin MD has started an awareness campaign to help people become more sun savvy and find out more about the dangers of skin cancer. Take Skin MD's Stop the Burn pledge at http://www.skinmdnatural.com/pledge/ and you'll be entered to win a bottle of Skin MD Natural +SPF 15! One person who took the pledge will be randomly chosen each week.
Win a bottle of Skin MD Natural + SPF 15 Here's another chance to win a bottle of this wonderfully non-greasy sun lotion! Skin MD will give one bottle of Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion +SPF 15 to one lucky Bonggamom Finds reader.
Required Entry Leave a comment on this post and share a sun safety tip. This entry must be completed before extra entries qualify.
Extra Entries For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).
1) Take Skin MD's Stop the Burn pledge at http://www.skinmdnatural.com/pledge/ then leave a comment on this post telling me you took the pledge (1 entry).
5) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Twitter and tweet this, up to once per day (1 entry per day, leave a comment with the tweet link for each tweet):
Win a bottle of @Skinmdnatural lotion with SPF15 on @bonggafinds http://tinyurl.com/bonggaprizes #giveaways
The Rules This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on July 30, 2011; I will draw a winner at random on July 31 and post the winner's name after the winner confirms acceptance. US addresses only. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!
Disclosure: I received a product sample to facilitate my review, but have not been paid to review the product or give my opinions. Product information is provided by the featured company/product and is indicated in italics. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Wow, summer is already halfway gone, and it won't be long before we go back to the daily school routine and all the craziness of homework, playdates, soccer practice and dance class.
Having my online calendar synched to my phone is a lifesaver, but now that the kids are getting older, I want them to start taking responsibility for their own schedules. At the very least, I want them to know what activities they have for the day, week and month! I'm not about to get all 3 of them smart phones, so paper calendars and planners and notes still very much a part of our lives.
Blue Sky, makers of stylish planning and business products, recognizes the role that paper-based organizing products still play in family organization -- which is why they've created the new Blue Sky Home Series, a collection of calendar-based organizational products for modern households. The series offers 14 products, with designs from Susy Jack* Contemporary Paper, all under $10. It's available at Target stores nationwide.
I was given a few of the items from the Blue Sky Home Series product line to review, and I love their clean design (each product comes in a warm pink or cool blue color tone so you can pick one that doesn't clash with your decor).
My kids love the Door Notes, with its unique door hang design. My husband frequently writes notes to himself and tapes them up on the cereal cabinet door, so with these Door Notes all he has to do is hang the note on the cabinet knob!
Their mouse pad is a multi-tasker, just like a mom! It doubles as a tear-off note pad. I'm always searching for notepads to jot things down on, so this is ideal for me.
I really like all the products with magnetic backings (Activity Tracker Board, Family Weekly Board, Grocery Checklist Pad) because they stick on our fridge, which is where everyone ends up looking anyway.
I like that their Weekly / Monthly planner starts in July and ends in June -- it's perfect for the schoolyear -- but it doesn't work for me since it doesn't hang on the wall and it's too big for my purse. But that's the beauty of this Blue Sky Home Series. You can just pick the products that make sense for you and your lifestyle.
Win It! One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will win an assortment of Blue Sky Home Series products.
Required Entry Leave a comment on this post and tell me which product in the Blue Sky Home Series product line is your favorite. This entry must be completed before extra entries qualify.
Extra Entries For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).
I entered the Blue Sky Home Series giveaway! http://ow.ly/5A7Pd
4) Write this on the Blue Sky Facebook page wall, telling them Bonggamom sent you, and telling them which of their new card designs you love the best (1 entry).
I entered to win an assortment of Blue Sky Home Series products on Bonggamom Finds! http://ow.ly/5A7Pd
7) Tweet this, up to once per day (1 entry per day, leave a comment with the tweet link for each tweet):
Win an assortment of #blueskyhomeseries planning products on @bonggafinds http://ow.ly/5A7Pd #giveaways
The Rules This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on July 28, 2011; I will draw a winner at random on July 29 and post the winner's name after the winner confirms acceptance. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!
Disclosure: I received assorted product samples to facilitate my review, but have not been paid to review the product or give my opinions. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
As if that weren't enough reason to stay at a Disneyland Resort hotel, here's another one -- the Disneyland Hotel is better than ever. Their brand new pool area with an amazing slide, poolside restaurant and poolside bar are so nice, you may not want to leave the hotel.
Here are the deets: As part of an exciting renovation project, the Disneyland Hotel gets a retro theme with a contemporary twist. Along with beautiful new decor in the rooms, guests will enjoy historic and nostalgic elements of Disneyland park, circa the 1950s. In keeping with that spirit, the new Tangaroa Terrace restaurant will open this spring, along with the new bar called Trader Sam's. The tiki-inspired design and storyline for this restaurant and bar tie in thematically with the mid-century modern architecture of the Disneyland Hotel and the adjacent Dream Tower, soon to be renamed Adventure Tower.
I first saw the new Disneyland pool in early June, when I was invited to a poolside party there. This was my first view of the slide:
It was absolutely spectacular. The wall of water flowing all the way from the top of the retro-style Disneyland sign, down to the bottom of the pool, was impressive indeed. I went back to the pool area in the morning and was even more impressed:
The structure is designed to resemble a Disney Monorail station. It contains two corkscrew water slides (you climb up the stairs to the top of the structure to get to the start of the slides). I love how they incorporated the two Monorails into the slide design!
It's quite ironic: I was staying at the Grand Californian, which is something I have always wanted to do, and now that I was actually there, all I wanted to do was stay at the Disneyland Hotel again so I could try out that amazing slide! When my kids saw these photos they were so excited, it was all I could do to stop them from booking a stay at the Disneyland Hotel themselves!
Disclosure: I received a media invitation to attend a party at the newly renovated Disneyland Hotel pool and was given a tour of their special themed suites. Transportation, lodging and park tickets were provided by Disneyland Resort Public Relations. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Have you ever felt like Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde? Do you have a secret personality that can't wait to burst out? Here's a new, fun toy that knows exactly what you're going through! Check out these unique line of transformable Freaky Pets:
About Freaky Pets Freaky Pets are the first-of-its-kind line of transformable plush creatures that come to life in an online virtual world. The cute creatures turn into creepy critters just by turning the animals inside out, two toys in one! Kids will love to collect and play Freaky Pets with friends! Freak Pets can be purchased at select Hallmark stores and after purchasing you receive a code which allows you access into the fun online virtual 3-D world where your stuffed animals come to life! Kids can let their imagination run wild while caring and training their Freaky Pet. After their pet learns enough tricks, kids can put them into a competition with other users. They can also play mini-games winning coins which can be used to personalize their pet. The plush pets and 3-D game combine the timeless fun of collecting stuffed animals with age-appropriate content online.
My kids adore the Gweek we received to review. They fight over him all the time! They call him Gweeky, and he's a firmly established member of their stuffed toy family. I find him kind of hilarious, because in many ways Gweeky is just like my kids.
Most of the time, Gweeky is meek and mild-mannered. So adorable and soft!
Occasionally, he reveals a different side of his personality. Just open up the velcro closure on Gweeky's back and turn him inside out to see Gweeky when he's cranky!
Meet the evil-tempered Gweeky. You do NOT want to mess with this guy. Chocolate ice cream and a good night's sleep will help sweeten his temper. Oh hang on, that's Jammy, not Gweeky.
There are just 2 quality issues I have with this toy. First, Cranky Gweeky's fangs are pretty crumpled and rumpled from being squooshed up inside Cute Gweeky most of the time. Second, the velcro closure doesn't shut properly, so Cute Gweeky always has a bit of Cranky Gweeky popping out of his butt. But the kids don't care about that, they only care that Gweeky is the adorable little guy they can play with in real life and online.
Freaky Pets releases first single and album Freaky Pets just released the first single called ‘I Feel Good’ featuring the Black Eyed Puffs, from the album ‘New Pets on The Block’ which is filled with 5 kid friendly tunes! ‘I Feel Good’ is a fun, pop dance tune which celebrates feeling good, feeling positive, and knowing that even when things get a little rough, they will get better! The first 5,000 people get a free download by visiting www.FreakyPets.com. The full album filled with fun music for kids will be released on July 12th and will be sold on iTunes and Amazon.com.
Win a Freaky Pet One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will receive a Freaky Pet stuffed toy.
Required Entry Leave a comment on this post and tell me which Freaky Pet is your favorite. This entry must be completed before extra entries qualify.
Extra Entries For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).
I entered the Freaky Pet giveaway! http://ow.ly/5A9R2
4) Write this on the Freaky Pet Facebook page wall, telling them Bonggamom sent you, and telling them which of their new card designs you love the best (1 entry).
I entered to win a Freaky Pet on Bonggamom Finds! http://ow.ly/5A9R2
7) Tweet this, up to once per day (1 entry per day, leave a comment with the tweet link for each tweet):
Win a Freaky Pet plush toy on @bonggafinds http://ow.ly/5A9R2 #giveaways
The Rules This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on July 28, 2011; I will draw a winner at random on July 29 and post the winner's name after the winner confirms acceptance. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!
Disclosure: I received assorted product samples to facilitate my review, but have not been paid to review the product or give my opinions. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Disclosure: I received a product sample to facilitate my review, but have not been paid to review the product or give my opinions. Product information is provided by Freaky Pets and is indicated in italics. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Welcome to Bonggamom's Friday Finds! I'm glad so many of you are finding this to be a useful way to get more traffic to your giveaways. And as a person who loves entering giveaways, I have to admit it's a great, easy way to find out where all the best giveaways are.
So feel free to leave links to your giveaways, everyone. And don't forget to get cracking and enter everyone else's, too!
There are still six whole months left until the holiday season, but that's no reason to be a humbug. Christmas is all about celebrating with your loved ones and being thankful for your blessings, so why not keep that holiday spirit alive all year? Here are four easy ways to celebrate Christmas in July:
1) Browse through a Christmas store. When the sun is hot, the last things you may be thinking about are Christmas trees and stockings -- but all that changes once you walk into a year-round Christmas store. There are 3 that I know of in the Bay Area --Seasons at Pier 39, San Francisco, Kris Kringle in downtown Carmel and Christmas by the Cove, Pacifica . There's also one called Dorthea's in Folsom, near Sacramento. These stores sell all kinds of Christmas ornaments and decorations all year round, so you're sure to find a special one to suit your taste.
2) Volunteer at a shelter or soup kitchen When the holidays come along, toy barrels are overflowing and volunteer spots at food banks, shelters and other non-profit organizations fill up quickly -- but you can help your community any time of the year. You can spreed Good Cheer and Gill Will To All Men by serving up food at a soup kitchen, packing school supplies and backpacks for needy kids or just cleaning out your house and giving the stuff you don't need to a homeless shelter.
3) Plan a trip Down Under Don't forget, July is wintertime in the Southern Hemisphere! If it's your year to splurge, you can go skiing in New Zealand, build a snowman in Chile or make snow angels in Australia. So dig out those earmuffs and gloves and get ready for a White Christmas in July! 4) Beat the holiday card rush It's never too early to start planning your Christmas cards! I always like to send out photo cards, so around this time of the year I like to start thinking about the kind of photo I want on my holiday cards. Good photographers' schedules fill up quickly starting in September, so if you book early you get your choice of photographers, dates, times and locations. You can even start checking out card designs -- check out the ones on Storkie.com.
Merry Half-Christmas, everyone!
Disclosure:This is a compensated post, courtesy of Storkie, via Global Influence. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Bay Area Broadway fans, rejoice! Billy Elliott the Musical is playing at San Francisco's Orpheum Theatre through September 17. There are even rush seats available (30 per show, first come first served, 2 per person, cash only) that you can get at the box office 2 hours before showtime at $40 per ticket.
About the show: BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL is a joyous celebration of one young boy's journey to make his dreams come true. Ben Brantley of The New York Times calls BILLY ELLIOT "THE MOST INSPIRING SHOW I'VE SEEN IN YEARS."
Set in a small town, the story follows Billy as he stumbles out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class, discovering a surprising passion that inspires his family and his whole community. A big musical with an even bigger heart, BILLY ELLIOT will enchant the dreamer in all of us.
I was given complimentary tickets to the show, so I took the other person in our family who loves to dance -- The Pea -- for a Girls Night Out, dinner and a show.
We LOVED it. I watched the movie several years ago, and loved that, so it came as no surprise that the musical was brilliant -- but even if you've watched the movie, you'll find something new to enjoy about the musical:
* You'll laugh a lot more, because there are many more one-liners and funny scenes that weren't in the movie.
* I think you'll also cry more, because the musical explores Billy's relationship with his dead mother in much greater depth. Every time Billy spoke with his mother, she came up on stage and I started sobbing at the thought of such a young boy missing his mummy.
* The dancing was also more prominent (hey, it is a Broadway musical, after all); in the movie, most of the dancing is done by Billy, but in the musical there are all sorts of musical dance numbers featuring Billy, his best friend Michael (I don't think Michael was in the movie, but he's a big part of the musical, and he's amazing), the miners, and the little girls who take Mrs. Wilkinson's ballet class along with Billy. The dancing was absolutely amazing, and I can't say enough about Billy!
You must watch it. You simply must.
Now, some caveats. Actually, they're only caveats for people thinking about taking their kids to the show:
1) The show, including intermission is 3 hours long. It started at 7:30PM and I was expecting it to end by 9:30, but it was 11:00 by the time the applause ended and the house lights went back up.
2) The show description includes the following parental advisory:
Billy Elliot is most appropriate for children 8 years of age or older. It contains strong language and some scenes of confrontation between policemen and miners.
Take it seriously. When they say "strong language", they mean it. Shit, stupid, Jesus, Christ and the F-word are used frequently -- by children as well as adults. Kids hurl insults at grownups and grownups swat and cuff the kids. It's totally appropriate for the play -- they're uneducated miners in Northern England, and that's how they speak, after all, and hearing the kids talk a blue streak was kind of funny -- but I did feel like covering The Pea's ears half the time! I made her swear, I mean promise, that she wouldn't use language like that in the real world :)
Also, the background story is quite a mouthful for a young child, and the clashes between policemen and miners were intense. Even The Pea, age 10, had a job trying to understand what was going on. She couldn't quite understand why it was such a big deal for Billy's father to go back to work, or why people were demoralized when the strike ended, or why it began in the first place.
There was a big posterboard about the British coal miner's strike with background information in the lobby, and it was quite an interesting read, but it was still difficult for The Pea to read through. I had to explain to her in simpler terms about labor unions, strikes and demonstrations before moving on to the actual events.
So if you've got young children who love to dance, I'd suggest waiting a few years to take them to see this musical. But it's a wonderful source of inspiration to older kids, especially those who love dance. Seeing all those young kids performing on stage really showed The Pea how far you can go with talent and dedication. And it's a wonderful message for kids everywhere to be true to yourself and follow your dreams.
Disclosure: Show information is provided by SHN and is indicated in italics. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Company Kids usually has a good sale section (I've gotten quite a few bedding and home decor items for the kids' bedroom that way), and their clearance sale events (there's one going on right now) has even better bargains.
But the best bargain of all is getting Company Kids stuff for free -- and for a limited time, five lucky Company Kids shoppers per day will win the contents of their online shopping bags for free! Here are the deets:
Company Kids: Win Your Shopping Bag Now through August 8th, Company Kids will be selecting five lucky purchasers daily to receive their entire online shopping bag for FREE! All shoppers can fill their bags with desired Company Kids goodies, checkout, and complete their purchase. Once the purchase is submitted, they are automatically entered to win.
You can also enter this sweepstakes without purchase here.
Disclosure: I am receiving a gift from Company Kids as a thank-you for posting this information. Contest information is provided by Company Kids and is indicated in italics. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
These days I'm making a real effort to eat healthier foods (see my Forty Before Forty list, items #1 and #2), and although I think I might actually be on my way to breaking my addiction to junk food, those mid-morning and mid-afternoon munchies continue to be a real challenge. When you're starving and/or stressed, it's all too easy to end up with a bowlful of potato chips or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich because all you're concerned about is satisfying that hunger, and you don't stop to think (or don't want to think).
The solution, of course, is to rid your pantry of unhealthy foods -- but deprivation is never the answer, because after weeks with only celery in the fridge I'm just going to drive over to Sprinkles Cupcakes or Cold Stone Creamery and pig out. Besides, I've got kids, so I need to keep some snacks like bagels and graham crackers, which are okay in small quantities, especially for kids, but all too easy for grownups like me to overindulge in.
This summer ProBar launched a new line of adult and kid-friendly snack bars called HALO. Like the name suggests, they are a healthier snack option you can indulge in without too much guilt. They're low in sugar, only 150 calories, with zero trans fats, 2 grams of fiber, and 3-5 grams of protein. The primary sugar used is organic brown rice syrup, which has a low glycemic index value so it gives you sustained energy without a dramatic spike (and dip) in blood sugar. They're vegan, dairy-free and all-natural.
Oh, did I mention they taste great? They come in four yummy flavors -- Nutty Marshmallow, Honey Graham, Rocky Road and S'mores. Who wouldn't want to try flavors like that?
The Basics HALO- Satisfying your sweet tooth with zero grams of guilt. Introducing Halo™, the delicious between meals treat that’s designed to do your body good. With natural whole food ingredients and heavenly taste, these bars have such big flavors they take on a personality all their own.
HALO sent us samples of all four flavors so we could try them out. Here's what we thought of them:
The Bongga/The Blah I didn't think I'd like this flavor -- I thought it would be sickly sweet -- but I was pleasantly surprised at the balance struck by the sweet marshmallow and the nutty flavors. There were peanuts scattered throughout the bar, giving it a nice crunch.
The Honey Graham bar had the most indistinct flavor out of all the four bars. It was sweet and satisfying, but it didn't really taste like a graham cracker. My kids were lukewarm about this flavor, and it did sort of feel like we were eating a regular, run-of-the-mill energy bar.
The rocky road flavor is my personal favorite. Hey, who doesn't like chocolate? The bar is dark and dense, which immediately fools my brain into thinking it's a lot more decadent than it really is. It has a strong chocolate flavor with a hint of nuts, just like any rocky road bar should be. If you close your eyes, you can easily imagine that you're biting into a brownie with nuts.
This was the all-around winner! Every single person in my family loved it! It's filled with chocolate chips, so every time you bite into one you feel like you're really indulging in a treat. I must admit I did not quite taste the "graham cracker" in this S'more (that was the same problem with the Honey Graham flavor), but it's still a really great-tasting bar.
The Bottom Line HALO bars are a great between-meals option for adults and kids because they fill you up with good, healthy ingredients and taste a lot more decadent than they really are. You can actually have one without feeling guilty that you're cheating on your diet, or give your kids one without worrying that you're setting them up for a lifetime of junk food addiction!
Win a HALO Bars prize pack One lucky Bonggamom Finds winner will receive a box of HALO bars with a women’s Osprey Courier bag embroidered with the PROBAR logo. Required entry: Leave a comment on this post and tell me which HALO Bar flavor you would most like to try. This entry must be completed before extra entries qualify.
Extra Entries For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).
This giveaway ends at midnight PST on July 21, 2011; I will draw a winner at random on July 22 and post the winner's name on the comments section soon after. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!
Disclosure: I received a product sample to facilitate my review, but have not been paid to review the product or give my opinions. Product information is provided by the featured company/product and is indicated in italics. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
My thumb is blacker than black. I can barely keep a cactus alive! Still, every summer I try to grow a few vegetables or herbs -- and whatever manages to sprout never lasts the summer.
This year, I decided to involve the kids -- with a little help from the Miracle-Gro Kids ModPots set that was given to me for review.
The Basics About ModPots: Welcome to gardening with a modern twist! The Miracle-Gro Kids ModPots gardening set can be arranged again and again with snap-able, switchable plant pots. The ModPots set also includes Gro-Pod containers wtih Miracle-Gro Gro-Mix, seed packets, plant marking stakes, a planting stick, a Gro-Chart and plant care instructions. ModPots sets are available in both flower and vegetable varieties that can be combined to create an even more exciting garden design.
The Bongga My kids really took to gardening with these ModPots! I have to admit, the fact that their grandmother was visiting may have had something to do with it -- she's an experienced gardener, and taught them now to germinate the seeds in the pots and care of the seedlings once they sprouted. But while Nana provided the expertise, ModPots provided the fun. The kids loved the brightly colored pots and cute little plant marking stakes (and I was thankful the kit came with multiple pots and seeds so each kid could "own" a plant).
They experimented with different layouts for the ModPots (you can snap them together in a variety of configurations) and decided to lay them out in a line so they could use our windowsill. They were so excited when their seeds sprouted:
It only took about 10 days or so. My mother'-in-law was surprised and impressed that it took so little time! I guess that's the Miracle-Gro potting mix for you. By the way, that photo was taken just over one month ago; take a look at these babies now!
They've outgrown their Miracle-Gro pots and are ready to go outside. I'm terrified these plants will die because I don't think I've ever grown a plant from seed to this advanced stage, but the kids seem to have it in hand. They water the plants and make sure they have enough space to grow. They even did the transplanting and staking! I'm happy to see them taking responsibility for growing these plants and happy to see their sense of accomplishment with each new leaf, stem and flower that sprouts.
And what of our ModPots? I've washed them off and they are on the gardening shelf in our garage, waiting for next year's vegetable garden!
The Blah The ModPots do interlock -- but only "sort of". They do not actually snap together to become one unit. If you try to pick them up, they'll separate immediately (as we found out, to one poor little eggplant seedling's detriment).
The Bottom Line Miracle-Gro Kids ModPots is a fun and easy way to introduce kids to gardening and keep them motivated and engaged throughout the whole growing process.
Disclosure:I received a product sample to facilitate my review, but have not been paid to review the product or give my opinions. Product information is provided by Litzky PR and is indicated in italics. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Who doesn't love free stuff? Here are some deals for free treats that I discovered this week: Free ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery Northern California Cold Stone Creamery stores are offering a free Kids' ice cream (3 oz.) with 1 mix-in for every purchase of a Love It or larger size. I found out about this at our local Cold Stone Creamery store, but I couldn't find any information about this online and there was no expiration date on the sign.
Free ice cream at Walmart Selected Walmart stores are offering free samples of NESTLÉ® DRUMSTICK® LIL’ DRUMS™ Sundae Cone at your local store, while supplies last.
Happy eating!
Disclosure: I did not receive a sample or monetary compensation for this post. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
This is the first press blurb that I read about the hottest new ride at Disneyland, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue:
For those who dare to venture into the deep, dark corners of the universe, Star Tours - The Adventures Continue officially launched on June 3 in Tomorrowland at Disneyland Park, taking guests on interstellar adventurers to Coruscant, Tatooine and other destinations in the "Star Wars" galaxy. With the return of favorite Star Wars characters and the addition of more familiar faces and destinations, guests will experience Starspeeder travel in an all-new way... in 3D!
But that hardly says anything, does it? I attended the opening of this attraction at the beginning of June and had the chance to go on the ride along with other members of the press, and the ride deserves a better description! I think the summary I wrote gives you a much better bird's eye view of what the new Star Tours ride is all about:
Just like the original Star Tours, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue is a flight simulator ride that takes you on a wild flight through the deep space of Star Wars , but that's where the similarity ends. Instead of the bumbling pilot droid Rex, you now have C3Po in the cockpit and R2D2 up on top of the shuttle. The old Starspeeder 3000 is now a Starspeeder 1000 (actually the 1000 is the older version, since this ride is set earlier in time than the old one). And with all the advanced technology at their fingertips this time around, they're able to create an experience far better than anything anyone could ever dream of -- anyone, that is, except George Lucas and the Disney Imagineers. Now you experience it all in HD and 3D. There are special effects inside the cabin (lights, smoke), that give an extra degree of reality to all those laser shots and explosions. Best of all, there are alternate story lines, so you'll rarely experience the same ride twice!
If you only have five minutes, you can stop here and leave this post with my enthusiastic recommendation for Star Tours ringing in your ears. But for those of you who haven't experienced the ride -- yet -- here's a detailed description of what you can expect:
The Queue The ride itself is about 4 or 5 minutes, but given how popular it is, you can probably expect at least an hour's wait time (can you believe, the Star Tours line was 4-5 hours long on opening day??). Fortunately, Star Tours has probably the best queue entertainment and pre-ride shows of all the attractions in Disneyland. This is one of the things that I feel distinguishes Disney from any other theme park: they try to make waiting in line a little less agonizing with animatronics, videos, and decor so there's always something interesting to look at.
The first thing you see when you get into the Star Tours building is a huge replica of the Starspeeder 1000 that visitors will be boarding. R2D2 is on top of the ship, and C3P0 is beside it, and as usual, they are bickering at each other. Nearby is a big video screen playing a Star Tours promotional video, showcasing all the wonderful places that travelers can visit.
Along the way, you'll see another video of silhouettes of characters walking past -- stormtroopers, droids, people, etc.. -- making it look like they're just wandering around the spaceport and they're on the other side of a backlit window.
Further on, you'll see another animatronic droid who is supposedly scanning the people in line, entertaining people with his wit and wisdom.
Once you finally get to the loading bay, you get to see a video of droids getting the Starspeeder ready for its journey. Again, it's something you can imagine seeing if you were about to board a flight and happened to look out a window.
The final pre-ride video is their safety video, patterned after the ones we see on airplanes, but themed to the Star Wars universe. So instead of just a video of people buckling their seatbelts, you see Wookies and other creatures from Star Wars alongside humans with robes and crazy hairstyles. The droid who voices the safety video even does it in Spanish at the end! It's clever and funny and it certainly puts you in the right mood to immerse yourself totally in the experience and enjoy the ride.
The Ride Finally, after all that waiting, you're one of the lucky people who have made it onto a Starspeeder! You've fastened your seatbelts and your 3D goggles are on. The pilot's privacy screen rolls down to reveal none other than C3Po, who becomes our pilot for the journey (though not by his choice!... but we're getting ahead of ourselves). Throughout the ride C3Po will be talking to R2D2, who supposedly is on the roof of the Starspeeder.
Much has been made about the 50+ ride combinations, so let's go through the ride sequence and explore all the possibilities:
You start out in a flight hangar........
1) Darth Vader approaches your Starspeeder and insists there is a Rebel spy on board. He and his storm troopers try to prevent your ship from leaving, so R2D2 gets the Starspeeder out of the hangar, into space and jumps to light speed.
2) A droid scans your Starspeeder and identifies one of your passengers as a Rebel spy. Han Solo, whose Millennium Falcon is parked nearby, gets into a firefight, which gives R2D2 the chance to get the Starspeeder out of the hangar. Your ship follows the Falcon into space and jumps to light speed.
After you get out of light speed, you land on one of 3 worlds......
1) Your Starspeeder lands on Tattoine, the dusty planet where Anakin Skywalker was born, and joins a pod race.
2) Your Starspeeder lands on Kashyyyk, the Wookie planet, and is chased by speeder bikes through the forest (this was one of the worlds I encountered, and everyone loved it when Chewbacca hit our windshield!)
3) Your Starspeeder lands on Hoth, the ice planet, dodging AT-ATs and sliding down glaciers (this one was so much fun, it felt like we were expert snowboarders!)
R2D2 gets the ship back into light speed, then comes out in deep space. Then one of 3 holographic images appear, pleading with you to join the Rebel Alliance and help get the Rebel spy to safety
1) Princess Leia 2) Admiral Ackbar 3) Yoda
R2D2 makes the decision for everyone and takes the ship to the rendezvous point given to him by the hologram....
1) You end up in the midst of a battle on Coruscant, dodging vehicles throughout the city, finally landing on a platform, sending droids scurrying here and there.
2) You end up in the Geonosis asteroid belt, chased by Boba Fett, fly right through the Death Star, chased by Darth Vader and his TIE pilots, then meet up with the Rebel fleet and land in one of their ships' landing bays.
3) You end up in Naboo, Queen Amidala's home planet, diving deep into the ocean, where you evade sea monsters, run into Jar Jar Binks near the Gungan underwater city, then resurface and crash land in a hanger, where a Naboo starfighter's nose crashes through your windshield (this was my favorite part, it was 3D at its best!)
Sadly, your ride has come to an end. It's time to unbuckle your seatbelt and drop your 3D glasses into the bins -- although I was really tempted to steal one, because these are the best 3D glasses I've ever worn! They fit so nicely over my regular glasses so I don't have to keep fiddling with them, or settle for inferior vision that gets me even more dizzy and nauseated.
The ride is really a lot of fun. I rode it twice; the first time, I felt quite nauseous but enjoyed myself so much I had to do it again, and the second time I hardly felt any motion sickness at all. The combination of HD video, 3D effects, stereo sound, motion and special effects (lights and smoke around the cabin) really make it feel like you're really a part of the action, looking through the windshield and flying around in a Starspeeder. When you're at Disneyland, make sure you head straight to Star Tours first thing in the morning so you can ride Star Tours again and again!
Disclosure: I received a media invitation to attend the opening of Star Tours and other events. Transportation, lodging and park tickets were provided by Disneyland Resort Public Relations. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Welcome to Bonggamom's Friday Finds! I'm glad so many of you are finding this to be a useful way to get more traffic to your giveaways. And as a person who loves entering giveaways, I have to admit it's a great, easy way to find out where all the best giveaways are.
So feel free to leave links to your giveaways, everyone. And don't forget to get cracking and enter everyone else's, too!
The following is a post sponsored by Yahoo! Every time someone clicks here to make Yahoo! their homepage, they're showing their support for Girls For A Change.
You know what they say: if only women ran the world, there would be far less wars, and countries would find a way around their differences and Get Stuff Done. Sadly, there are far too few women in key leadership positions in politics and in the community. We need more females who can lead and implement real change in society, and since there aren't too many role models around, we need to create opportunities for our girls to do it themselves.
Girls For Change is an organization that does exactly that: they empower girls to create social change by helping them create social change in their own communities. Girls team up in groups of 5-10, and under the guidance of two women coaches, they identify an issue that girls face in their own neighborhood -- then design, lead, fund and implement projects that address those issues.
Here are just some of the projects that Girls For Change teams have tackled:
Team #7, Clyde Fischer Middle School, San Jose - This Stuff is Bananas! The girls at Fischer want their peers to understand that proper nutrition is a main cause for a healthy life. They handed out flyers and healthy snacks at lunch directing students and parents toward a YouTube video they produced about the importance of eating healthy and smart food choices.
Team #9, Monroe Middle School, San Jose - Communicating Job Placement Resources and Where to Find Work The girls from Team #9 want break-ins to stop! They feel that a lack of finances to job loss is the main factor contributing to theft. They created a flyer campaign to distribute in the community featuring job-finding resources. They hope that employment will help provide the finances people need to live instead of stealing from others
Leadership Public Schools College Park, Oakland: Stop the Jokes! The girls at LPS College Park are tired of hearing jokes about race and stereotypes at their school. After having a round table discussion about why people stereotype and how it has personally affected their lives, the girls decided to get the word out by making posters to combat common racial stereotypes. By starting this conversation they hope people can find common ground rather than continue to make hurtful jokes.
Amazing, huh? And you can help this organization empower even more girls with just one simple act -- change your browser's home page to Yahoo!. Yahoo! will donate $10 to Girls For A Change (GFC) for each person who switches her homepage browser to Yahoo! -- up to an amazing $10,000! To make Yahoo! your homepage browser and help raise $10,000 for Girls For A Change, click here and follow the instructions. This has to be done by July 1, so act quickly! Can we get 1,000 people to make one small change? Heck yeah, we can!
Disclosure: This is a compensated post. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
You know the old saying, you should never visit a sausage factory, because if you see how they're made -- with all the entrails and parts of the animal nobody eats, and don't even ask which animal we're talking about -- you'll never eat sausage again? (okay, it's not really an old saying but everybody says it)
Turns out, you don't need to visit the factory, all you have to do to lose your appetite is read the list of ingredients. Sausages aren't just made with meat, salt and herbs they way they were made in the old days. I did a quick internet search and listed all the "extra" ingredients that I found in four or five varieties of sausage:
At least entrails would have been part of the animal. You're no longer eating a sausage, you're eating a chemical lab!
Fortunately more and more companies are making all-natural products these days -- but price and availability is always an issue. But now that Safeway has introduced OpenNature, a line-up of 100% natural products, getting real food at a good price has never been easier.
I first heard of OpenNature at last weekend's World's Longest Table picnic, where chef Tyler Florence cooked a delicious meal with OpenNature products. Safeway sent me a gift card so I could try OpenNature products for myself, so I stocked up on some OpenNature sausages, Greek yogurt, granola and baby back ribs. The potato salad I made with the Greek yogurt was delicious, and so was the white bean and cauliflower stew that I made with the sausage for dinner tonight (Check out the recipe and photos on Finding Bonggamom). Their OpenNature Sweet Apple & Maple chicken sausage is proof that you don't need preservatives or artificial ingredients to make a great-tasting sausage. Here's the full list of ingredients:
chicken raised without antibiotics apples organic maple syrup sea salt organic evaporated cane juice organic cinnamon organic spices (nutmeg and allspice) natural pork casing
Ahhhh, much better, right? Now that sounds like something Laura Ingalls' Ma could have made in their Little House on the Prairie. Something that even I could make in my kitchen, if I had the time or talent -- but why bother, when Safeway Open Nature does it so deliciously? Win a $50 Safeway gift card Safeway wants you to try their new OpenNature products, so one lucky Bonggamom Finds reader is going to win a $50 Safeway gift card!
Required entry: Leave a comment on this post and tell me which OpenNature product you would most like to try. This entry must be completed before extra entries qualify.
Extra Entries For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).
1) Retweet my Safeway OpenNature tweet (1 entry per day, leave a comment with the tweet link for each tweet).
2) Retweet my Safeway giveaway tweet (1 entry per day, leave a comment with the tweet link for each tweet).
This giveaway ends at midnight PST on July 15, 2011; I will draw a winner at random on July 16 and post the winner's name on the comments section soon after. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!
Disclosure: Thanks to Safeway for providing the gift card for this giveaway and additional gift cards for me to try their Open Nature products for myself. Product information is provided by the featured company/product and is indicated in italics. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
When I was in elementary school, we actually had a subject called Social Graces, where we learned things like how to arrange place settings and how to write thank you cards. It seems archaic now, but good manners is as important as ever, and I'm very keen on instilling good manners in my children.
For example, after every birthday party I ask them to write thank-you notes. Even in this age of text messaging and emails I think it's important to keep the tradition of the hand-written thank you note because it tells the gift-giver that you, the recipient are taking a little bit of time and effort to acknowledge their thoughtfulness.
As you can imagine with kids, getting them to write these notes can be a tiresome task -- but it's a non-negotiable. I've found that providing them with cute thank-you cards can motivate them to write the cards, because they want to use the cute notecards. If the cards are personalized with their names, even better! The trick is finding a card they like.
Fortunately, there are sites like InvitationBox.com, which provides cute, trendy thank you cards, invitations and other personalized stationery online. They have lots of cute designs for both kids and adults. In fact, InvitationBox.com has so many cute designs, it's impossible to feature them all. Here are some of my favorites for kids' thank you notes:
I love this madras print!
It also comes in pink.
They have lots of kid-friendly animal designs that reflect your child's favorite things, like animals, pirates, cupcakes, soccer balls, construction vehicles and more. Your child will enjoy choosing his own design!
InvitationBox.com sent me some personalized notecards so I could see their designs and quality up close. Here is one of the designs they sent me:
I love the warm colors and cheerful flowers on this Tropical design! You can personalize the cards with your name, and do it all online so it's really convenient. The cardstock used does seem a bit thin, and I'm not a big fan of the glossy finish -- but the great news is, prices start at about 50 cents per card, and the minimum order is just 10 notecards, so you can get beautiful personalized notecards for your kids (and yourself) without putting a big dent in your budget. They're definitely a cut above your regular drugstore or cardstore box of generic thank-you notes, and I can't wait to use them!
InvitationBox.com summer sale InvitationBox.com has a great clearance section with lots of items on sale. They are also offering great Summer discounts with the following codes:
Use coupon code Hot75 to get 5% off any order. Use coupon code Hot85 to get 10% off orders of $100 or more. Use coupon code Hot95 to get 15% off orders of $250 or more.
These coupons expire on 6/30/2011 so make sure you use them soon. And even if you do miss the Summer Sale, you can still save with free shipping on order of $100 or more.
Disclosure: I received an assortment of personalized notecards to facilitate my review, but have not been paid to review the product or give my opinions. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
The circus is coming, the circus is coming! Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey are coming back to the Bay Area, and this year they're staying for 3 whole weeks. Their new show, Fully Charged, promises to have lots of high-voltage thrills and entertainment for the whole family. No matter how old they get, my kids never seem to cease enjoying the circus, and they can't wait to see Fully Charged when it arrives in San Jose in August. There will be strong men, clowns, acrobats, human arrows, tigers, elephants and horses -- and don't miss these pre-show activities (which are free with your ticket):
Pre-Show Party Everyone knows they need to arrive early to a show, but at Fully Charged you won't be sitting in your seat for 30 minutes, bored out of your mind. The fun begins 1 hour before show time with a Pre-Show Party, where you can meet the performers and animals up close. Don't miss the chance to see an elephant paint a picture -- you could even win the picture he paints!
Animal Open House If you're watching Fully Charged in Fresno, San Diego, Sacramento, Denver or Salt Lake City, there's even more fun awaiting your family. Arrive 90 minutes before show time for the Ringling Bros. Animal Open House, where families can see the circus elephants up close, speak to animal care team members and learn about Ringling Bros. commitment to animal conservation.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents Fully Charged HP Pavilion at San Jose – August 17-21 Cow Palace in Daly City – September 1-5 Oracle Arena in Oakland – September 8-11
SPECIAL OFFER-BEGINNING June 25, 2011 WEEKDAY SHOWS – Purchase a 4-pack of tickets for only $44 (Not valid for FR/ VIP seating. Only valid on shows Wednesday thru Friday morning) Redemption Code: MOM
WEEKEND SHOWS – $5 off tickets to all performances (Not valid for FR/ VIP seating) Redemption Code: MOM5
Disclosure: I have been given 4 tickets to see the show with my kids. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
