The Circus is coming! Ringling Bros. presents Fully Charged playing Feb. 8-12, 2012

The Circus is coming! Ringling Bros. presents Fully Charged playing Feb. 8-12, 2012

I know that for many of you, taking the kids to see the Circus is a yearly family tradition. The Circus is coming! Ringling Bros. presents Fully Charged playing Feb. 8-12, 2012 here in Raleigh!

Don’t miss Fully ChargedSM, the all-new surge of circus entertainment from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® where megawatts of thrills explode off of the arena floor with breathtaking dare-devilry, superhuman stunts and never-before-seen performances that energize Children of All Ages!

The most electrifying edition ever of Ringling Bros.® celebrates performance power that boosts circus-goers excitement. The amazing acts, which can only be seen at The Greatest Show On Earth®, include Tabayara, a dynamic animal trainer whose rare ability to communicate with animals allows him to ride rearing stallions at a fully charged gallop and orchestrate majestic four-ton Asian Elephants in a symphony of dance. When he stands inside a cage, eye to eye with twelve ferocious tigers, Tabayara sees family where others see danger.

Audiences will feel the earth shake when the Ukrainian strongman duo of Dmitry Nadolinkskiy and Ruslan Gilmulin, who are as wide as they are tall, enter the arena. The brawny twosome give the word manpower a whole new meaning as they lift large cumbersome telephone poles, which weigh up to half-a-ton, and twirl them above their heads while acrobats balance atop.

The Fearless Fernandez Brothers dial up the thrills as they perform daring feats of athleticism on the Twin Turbines of Steel, including, extreme jumps and twists inside the moving wheels! Audiences will crackle with excitement as they watch Guillermo perform a three hundred sixty degree flying forward somersault, three stories in air, a feat so difficult it has only been attempted by one other person in the 141-year history of Ringling Bros. The Human Fuse, Brian Miser, sets the arena sky ablaze as he rockets through the air from his self-made human crossbow. Don’t blink as he flashes across the sky in less than a second, and travels 80 feet at 65 miles per hour.

Ever wonder how many clowns it takes to change a light bulb? The hilarious hoopla continues to flow as the clowns from the world-famous Ringling Bros.® clown-alley, charge-up the audiences’ funny bones with hysterical silly antics and clownish comedy.

You can only experience this current of excitement at Ringling Bros. Fully Charged! Get your ticket for high-voltage fun today!

Discount: 4 for $60. Has to be bought in groups of 4. Code is “MOMR12” and is only valid on non-vip tickets and these select shows. Thursday night (7pm), Saturday morning (11:00am) and Sunday night (5:30pm). Valid on the internet only.

Sounds like this years show will be a great one!

See you there!

Don't Forget - Disney on Ice is Coming to Town! Disney on Ice presents Dare to Dream!

Disney On Ice presents Dare To Dream playing Dec. 7-11, 2011!!

Get tangled up in the newest thrilling show to hit the ice, Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream. Experience Disney’s hilarious hair-raising escapade, Tangled; as Rapunzel, her unlikely companion, Flynn, and Maximus, embark on an uproarious journey that takes adventure to new lengths!

Boogie to the beat of the bayou with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen in a magical, musical journey that all begins with a fateful kiss. And fanciful dreams become reality as Cinderella meets her Prince Charming, with a glass slipper fit for an unforgettable fantasy come true. All your favorite princesses take to the ice in a spectacular finale at the ultimate Disney Princess event of a lifetime!

Experience the beauty, sparkle, and spirit when Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream comes to your hometown!Discount: 4 for $60. Has to be bought in groups of 4. Code is “FLYNN” and is only valid on non-vip tickets and these select shows. Thursday night (7pm), Saturday morning (10:30am) and Sunday night (5:30pm). Valid on the internet only.

We see the Disney On Ice show every year - always a real treat for the entire family!

See you all there!

Disney On Ice presents Dare To Dream playing Dec. 7-11, 2011

Disney On Ice presents Dare To Dream playing Dec. 7-11, 2011!!

Get tangled up in the newest thrilling show to hit the ice, Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream. Experience Disney’s hilarious hair-raising escapade, Tangled; as Rapunzel, her unlikely companion, Flynn, and Maximus, embark on an uproarious journey that takes adventure to new lengths!

Boogie to the beat of the bayou with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen in a magical, musical journey that all begins with a fateful kiss. And fanciful dreams become reality as Cinderella meets her Prince Charming, with a glass slipper fit for an unforgettable fantasy come true. All your favorite princesses take to the ice in a spectacular finale at the ultimate Disney Princess event of a lifetime!

Experience the beauty, sparkle, and spirit when Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream comes to your hometown!Discount: 4 for $60. Has to be bought in groups of 4. Code is “FLYNN” and is only valid on non-vip tickets and these select shows. Thursday night (7pm), Saturday morning (10:30am) and Sunday night (5:30pm). Valid on the internet only.

We see the Disney On Ice show every year - always a real treat for the entire family!

See you all there!

LunchBots - an Eco-friendly lunch storage solution!

LunchBots - Eco friendly food storage solution!!!

My son's school is always teaching about healthy lunch ideas for our children - but what about eco-friendly and smart choices for containers? Last year, I switched from those terrible disposable juice boxes to a reusable Rubbermaid drink container - my son and his teachers love it! But what about the lunch container itself?

I am so tired of plastic baggies and plastic boxes that eventually crack! Even worse - squished sandwiches and crushed crackers!

As a BzzAgent, I was just introduced to the steel LunchBot! What a terrific idea! Eco-friendly as they are reusable and great for transporting and storing lunches! These natural stainless steel food storage containers product. , making them eco- offer up a smart alternative for moms freaked out by plastic these days!

I so hope that BzzAgent allows me to try a LunchBot so that I can share my personal experience with you all!

How to make Perry the Platypus Cakes for a Disney Phineas and Ferb Party!

How to make Perry the Platypus Cakes for a Disney Phineas and Ferb Party!

On August 5th, we were fortunate enough to be selected to host a Phineas and Ferb Across the 2d Dimension movie party by Child's Play Party!

For the party, I came across a way to make some cute Perry the Platypus cakes. These are adorable! I received several wonderful comments and even more recipe requests!

For all those interested...here is the way the I made the Perry cakes. I will include how to make a large Perry cake and the modified Twinkie Perry cakes that I made.

Cake recipe...
http://dabbled.org/2010/06/perry-the-platypus-cake-tutorial-the-prep-work.html

This is part 2 of the cake recipe...
http://dabbled.org/2010/06/perry-the-platypus-cake-part-2-assembly.html

Adapted for Twinkies...
http://dabbled.org/2010/07/perry-the-platypus-mini-cakes-made-from-twinkies.html

Fondant recipe is here...Youtube step by step video...part 1...make sure you add 3 tablespoons of water and 2 of vanilla for great taste!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yj4KGtBaDg

Second part of fondant video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHbpquC3IEA&feature=related

These were very easy to make...I do not consider myself good at this type of thing, so I was pleased with the end result...for coloring...divide the white fondant after you've made it...put in mixer with teal dye (I used gel) and then do the orange...let rest on counter for about 1/2 - 2 hours....instead of making my own creme cheese icing...I cheated and used store bought! So...

1. make fondant
2. color fondant
3. let fondant rest
4. lightly cream cheese icing the twinkies
5. roll out teal fondant and cover twinkie
6. make arms, legs, feet, beak and tail and attach
7. add eyes...I use store bought from AC Moore
* Don't forget the hair...I used Tootsie rolls for this!

P.S. I did mine on parchment paper so the Twinkie bottom wouldn't stick to the plates...hope this helps... let me know if you need anything else!

Also...if you are adding water and vanilla for fondant (which you really should for a better taste)...you will need a little more than 2 lbs of sifted flour...it will be wetter so you will need an extra couple of cups to get the right, non-sticky consistency!

My son thought that I should have made fondant hats off to the side so that Perry could double as Agent P!

Hope this helps! Again, let me know if you need anything else! Enjoy!

Phineas and Ferb Across the 2nd Dimension!

Last night we were fortunate enough to be selected to host a Child's Play Party for the new Phineas and Ferb Across the 2nd Dimension movie! My son and his friends love this Disney show and have all been eagerly awaiting this television movie event!

I received some great party goodies for the children from Child's Play and took the theme from there. I created some adorable Perry cakes for our guests and they were a HUGE hit! We served chips, Slushie Dogs (aka mini-corn dogs), blue rasperberry juice and had popcorn to munch on during the movie.

As a parent. I really appreciate a show that the entire family can enjoy - good, clean fun! Even the adults loved the movie. The movie plot is:

When Phineas, Ferb and Perry follow Dr. Doofenshmirtz through his "Otherdimensionator", they find themselves in an alternate universe where a second, truly evil Dr. Doof rules over his Tristate area with an army of iron-fisted robots. To save his friends from certain doom, Perry makes the ultimate sacrifice by revealing his secret identity as Agent P. Phineas and Ferb escape, meet their second dimension selves, and begin their own mission to rescue Perry,

As they undercover his plot to travel back to their dimension and take over their Tri-state area,the gang, as well as their alter-egos, must band together to stop him!

So begins an epic battle as our heroes try to save their home from the clutches of Alt. Dr,Doof...and his sidekick Platyborg! Will evil Dr. Doof succeed and achieve dual world domination? Will Candace finally bust her brothers? Find out in this action-packed, epic adventure - so huge that it crosses over time and space!!!

If you are a Phineas and Ferb fan there a loads of fun things on the Disney website...and be sure to like them on Facebook too!

Let your kids try something new! Kanki Sushi Bar!

Let your kids try something new this summer! We have always been very fortunate in that Owen loves to try new things and even more...new food! We decided to take him to the Kanki Sushi Bar at the Crabtree Valley Mall on Glenwood Ave.

His father and I both love Sushi and decided that it was time for Owen to try it out. First

step...mastering the tools. Showing Owen how to use Chopsticks for Sushi was fun! He really enjoyed sitting up on the high stools and watching the Chefs make his food. We have eaten at the Hibachi part of this restaurant before...where you sit and watch the Chef cook your meal and that is also a great dining experience for children! Watching the Chef make and roll our Sushi was wonderful!

Owen had a California roll - no real raw fish...but there are so many flavors to choose from! The Sushi rolls start at about $5, so this can be a great, inexpensive lunch. It was a great way to introduce Owen to Sushi!

Go to: www.kanki.com/sushi.cfm for their Sushi menu.