Seattle Mom Blogs

Congratulations to Elizabeth!!  She and her family are the winners of the 4 Cirque du Soleil tickets!!    Elizabeth, just send us an email at to claim your prize!!

We hope you enjoy the show as much as we did!!

A few of us here at SMB were lucky enough to be able to preview the amazing show KOOZA by Cirque du Soleil for you!  If you have never been to a Cirque du Soleil show, you are truly missing out on a fantastic feast for the eyes!  Music, singing, dancing, acrobatics, illusions, humor- these shows have it all, and SO much more!

Here is what we thought of our KOOZA experience- in our own words:

LAURA:

Kooza was our first introduction to Cirque de Soleil shows.  It was everything I had hoped Cirque du Soleil would be.  All of us were very entertained during the entire show, including my 5 year old son.  Every seat in the big tent is a great seat.  We were 3 rows from the last row and we were still very close to the stage.
My son keeps talking about it and asking me what my favorite part was.  He hasn’t quit talking about it since we went.  I honestly can’t pick a favorite act, because I really enjoyed it all.  His favorite was the skeletons and the men walking, jumping and flipping on the big huge wheels.
My family loved it and we look forward to seeing another Cirque du Soleil show again in the future!

MICHELLE:

My family and I saw the Cirque du Soleil show Kooza this past weekend.  While my husband and I have seen 2 other Cirque performances, this was our son’s first introduction.  It is so nice that Kooza is appropriate for the entire family!  There were people of all ages there and the whole thing is entertaining to young and old!  I love that Cirque du Soleil tells a story in between the acrobatic performances.  The story caries throughout the whole show and keeps you entertained and laughing while they gear up for the next set of stunts.  The audience participation is hilarious and keeps you guessing if you might be their next on-stage “victim”.  Very funny.  The music is beautiful- performed live on-stage during the show.  As far as my favorite acrobatic performance goes, I would have to say that the teeter-totter flippers are really fun to watch!  The extreme flexibility of one of the acts made me cringe a little- but, of course, it was truly amazing!  When I asked my son what his favorite part was, he replied, “Everything!”.  We all enjoyed ourselves immensely and can’t wait until another Cirque du Soleil show rolls into our area!

LESLIE:

This venue was so unique!  The entire show site is comprised of several huge tents.  The show arena was very intimate and there isn’t a bad seat in the house! All four of us thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  It really is hard to pick one act that we loved the most.  The guys on the spinning wheels and the flipping acrobats on stilts were ones that stood out for sure!  One tip: Get there early!  They do restrict your entrance if you don’t arrive on time- ahem, not that we would know anything about that.

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When your week starts out like mine did on Monday, it’s hard for it to get any better. What I’m trying to say is that I’m still riding the high from the Cervical Cancer Awareness event at Grey Gallery that SMB co-hosted with The Yellow Umbrella (spear-headed by the lovely Christine Baze and her celebrity makeup artist co-hort, Debra Macki). If you weren’t able to make it, you truly missed out. It was an incredible evening of music and friends with an even more incredible message, that being SAVE THE HOOCH!

We were spoiled by our very own local professional photographer, Sarah Alston (of Sarah Alston Photography of course) who brought a ton of yellow props for us to play with as well as her enthusiasm for our group and the cause. We posed for silly photos in the photobooth that she lovingly set up and had no time at all coming out of our shells, as you can see. The night definitely would not have been the same without her and I know that she’s just as committed to spreading The Yellow Umbrella’s message as we are.

Now, if you’re unfamiliar with the term “SAVE THE HOOCH,” prepare yourself to be educated. The purpose of Christine’s non-profit, The Yellow Umbrella, is to educate, empower and inform women about the 3 very simple things that could one day save their lives, their fertility, and their cervix: the Pap test, the HPV test and the HPV vaccine.

At the age of only 31, Christine was diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer. It all started with an “abnormal” (how many of us have had one of those?) pap result and quickly turned into a diagnosis, a radical hysterectomy, laproscopy, daily pelvic radiation, chemotherapy and brachytherapy. In Christine’s own words, “Nothing hurts worse than having these things done to your body, not a shot, not a pap smear.”

Christine Baze and Debra Macki are in Seattle to spread the message, that cervical cancer is preventable. Through education and music, Christine sends her message to all women, everywhere, so they don’t have to go through what she did 10 years ago. With her uplifting lyrics that encourage us to live our lives while we can and her passion for this cause, she speaks to all women – as she spoke to us Monday night, telling them, telling us that cervical cancer IS preventable!

To accompany the message, Debra has designed an exclusive eye color palette for The Yellow Umbrella representing the 3 tools every woman needs in order to prevent cervical cancer. One of our lucky readers who wasn’t able to attend the Girlfriend Gathering will have the chance to win one of these palettes (valued at $36) just for doing one simple thing: telling us what she will do to prevent cervical cancer for herself, her daughter, her mother, her friend or her neighbor.

All you have to do is comment to win!  The awesome eye shadow palette is just the proverbial icing on the cupcake (a YELLOW one of course) in our effort to spread information and awareness of cervical cancer pevention.  Won’t you please join us?  Winner will be chosen by random draw on Monday, May 24th.  Best of luck and remember ladies (and gentlemen) SAVE THE HOOCH!

 My boys are just over 18 months apart, although you probably wouldn’t guess that now – looking at them – because my 11 year-old stands approximately 3 inches (maybe more) over his 13 year-old brother.  But trust me, they are close in age.  Which basically boils down to the fact that during their “toddler” years, I was one busy mom.   My house was never quiet, there were always little dirty footprints somewhere, and the constant buzz of toy cars crashing into one another never ceased.  NEVER CEASED.  Looking back, I have no idea how I survived.  I wasn’t even a big coffee drinker back then.

This weekend, we had a 4 year-old boy in our house.  Lucky for me, he adores my older boys (and Katie too) so I knew that he wouldn’t be following me around asking me to play Hot Wheels with him, but I knew that there would be a few things I’d have to do to prepare for his visit.  First, I’d have to clear the decks of anything a 4 year-old might trip over because HE NEVER STOPS RUNNING.  And second, I’d have to bring down the arsenal of toy vehicles (pick a vehicle, any vehicle, and I bet we have it in our toy car bucket) for him to play with.  But I knew that at some point, he’d tire of running and driving his cars all over the place and I needed something more…

Which is where the Handy Manny comes in.

I kid you not, after running nonstop for almost 3 hours (and my twitter page can attest to this ) I thought nothing would slow him down.  Not even the “breakfast for dinner” meal that I was cooking.  But Handy Manny came to my rescue. 

Now, I may have mentioned before my aversion to children’s programming that annoys the spots off a giraffe (a’hem), and the same holds true with the Handy Manny series.  I do not find one single thing about Handy manny annoying.  In fact, I kind of like Manny’s voice – it’s soothing, and agreeable, kind of like Anthony Bourdain after a really long day…

I digress.

Handy Manny’s newest DVD, “Handy Manny:  Big Race,” is a lifesaver, even for parents with very busy little boys and girls.  When I declared, “Time for a movie, and guess what?  It’s about race cars!”  The battle was over.  The running stopped,  quiet returned, and one very special 4 year-old’s eyes grew big with excitement as he watched the cars Vroom Vroom on the screen, clutching his “Mater” car the entire time, of course.

Seattle Mom Blogs has FIVE copies of “Handy Manny:  Big Race” to give away to our readers.  Please comment and leave a working email address at the bottom of this post by midnight on Tuesday, May 11th, for your chance to win.  Winners will be notified via email following a random draw and the DVD will be shipped, new in package, to your front door (or address of choice, within reason).

Edited: The giveaway has been extended to May 15th! Please comment for your chance to win or help spread the word! Thank you!

Comments are NOW CLOSED.  Thank you for entering.  Winners will be notified by email. 

 

Carrie Blankenship is the author of the blog Stop Screaming I’m Driving, where she attempts to tell her story of motherhood. She likes long walks in the park, dancing in the rain, and can be bribed to do just about anyting with a vanilla latte, extra foam. Contact her with column suggestions or just say “hi” at carrieb[at]seattlemomblogs.com. Or, .

When choosing what children’s entertainment to allow into our home, I’ve always relied on two very important criteria. 1) That said children’s entertainment not make me want to poke forks into my eyeballs upon listening to it. Hence, the absence of any and all episodes of “Caillou” or cds containing “Caillou” content because seriously? Does a child get any more annoying than that? And, 2) That said children’s entertainment be somewhat positive. I don’t mean that we have to be all “Veggie Tales” all the time, but when it comes to young children and the entertainment I want them to connect to, I’d kind of prefer if it be somewhat uplifting. No violence – but for the occasional SPLAT! on “Bugs Bunny” cartoons, which are exempt because they are classics.

Winnie the Pooh certainly always passes the test. A classic. A good, kind-hearted bear with good, kind-hearted friends. No super annoying voices…you get the picture. Although my daughter is just about finished with her first year of kindergarten, I’m happy that she still clings to the little girl stuff – babies, cups w/lids (saving me tons of money on Resolve for the carpet), bubble gum flavored Lip Smackers, crayons, Goldfish crackers and preschool programming, like “My Friends Tigger and Pooh.”

In fact, she loved the newest DVD, “My Friends Tigger and Pooh: Super Duper Super Sleuths,” so much she asked to watch it every day of our Spring Break. Which was nice, because if you weren’t lucky enough to be on the first plane out of the Pacific Northwest to a more tropical (and less rainy) part of the world, you know all too well how much rain we had. To put it simply, we were spoiled with it! So, the gift of having a brand new DVD to watch was especially appreciated (thank you Disney folk) and the added bonus? The “Super Duper Super Sleuths” movie encourages healthy eating! It was a win-win situation.

In other words, this DVD saved our Spring Break. Although aimed at the preschool audience, my 6 year old loved it and I even caught her older brothers, aged 11 and 13, sitting through the entire, full-length adventure (but don’t tell them I told you, they would die). And from the kitchen, where I spent a lot of time rearranging my pantry, I heard no annoying voices, no name-calling, and no bad language – from my kids or the DVD. It was a Spring Break miracle!

Seattle Mom Blogs has FIVE brand new “My Friends Tigger and Pooh: Super Duper Super Sleuths” to give away to FIVE lucky readers. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, telling us what your favorite form of family entertainment during our soggy Seattle Springs is, and you could win! All entries must be recieved by Tuesday, April 20th. Winner will be selected by random draw and notified via email.

Good luck!

*Comments are now closed.  Our five lucky winners will be contacted by email.  Thanks everyone!

 

Carrie Blankenship is the author of the blog Stop Screaming I’m Driving, where she attempts to tell her story of motherhood. She likes long walks in the park, dancing in the rain, and can be bribed to do just about anyting with a vanilla latte, extra foam. Contact her with column suggestions or just say “hi” at carrieb[at]seattlemomblogs.com. Or, .

Thank you for such a HUGE response to Marne’s first EVER Housecleaning Give-Away!

After reading so many submissions, Marne found it nearly impossible to choose just ONE winner!  So…while your nomination may not appear as the first winner, stay tuned!  She will be doing more give-aways in the weeks to come.

Many of you nominated a friend or relative facing a difficult callenge.  Others of you thought about the people having a positive impact in our communities. All were very heartfelt descriptions of individuals that deserve a little pampering simply because of who they are!

That said…the winner of the Housecleaning Give-Away from Marne’s Housecleaning goes out to a Bothell Dad and his 2 teenage daughters! After losing their wife/mom to an incredible fight with cancer, they are doing their best to find their “new normal”. Her story is one of amazing strength and Marne and her team are excited to give them a DAY OFF from cleaning!!!   Congratulations!!

Thank you to all the SMB readers and members who nominated someone who they felt was deserving!

Seattle Mom Blogs has teamed up with our friend, Marne, of Marne’s Cleaning to bring you (or a friend of yours, really) a chance at an awesome giveaway!

Do you know someone who could use some extra hands around the house?   Did they make a New Years resolution to finally attack all those dust bunnies, but now they want someone else to do the dirty work?!  Did they have an especially rough 2009 and you want to lighten their load a little?  Did they just have a baby?  You get the idea…tell Marne why your person deserves some help in this area.

So pay it forward and nominate a friend or family member* today to win a complimentary cleaning!  Tell Marne why the person you nominate should win the prize and have Marne and her team come into their home and help them start 2010 fresh and clean!

Email your nomination BEFORE January 15th to (if you reference SMB in your email, then we will be able to post an update here if someone from our site nominated the winner!)

*If you are in cahoots with a friend and you want to team up and agree to nominate each other- go for it!

** Disclaimer- Nominations must live in Marne’s coverage area- Seattle Northward or on the Eastside (sorry South Sounders).

When my husband and I were set on having just one child, I gave away about 85% of all my baby clothing and gear to a dear friend of mine. I arrived at her doorstep with bags, bags, and bags of the wardrobe I had amassed for my son. She moved away and parceled out what I had given her to another person who moved to a tropical island and gave everything to Goodwill. Now two years later, here we are: six months pregnant and scrambling to rebuild that large collection that had served us so well.

Luckily, I have clothing up to six months, a fancy stroller (yay for craigslist), and other necessities: bottles, breast pump, a crib, mattress, Bose headphones (to block out the crying!). But I feel like as prepared as I become, I will forget something and that something will make me want to jump out the window at 3AM because SOMEONE DOESN’T LIKE COLD WIPES.

So do you have any advice on newborn essentials for this pregnant woman who has forgotten everything? Were there some items that just saved your life or neat baby gadgets you wish you had? Let me know in the comments and enter to win a $20 Target gift card! If you win, I might see you around the clearance rack! Contest runs from 7AM on 12/22 and ends at 7AM on 12/31. Good luck!

Time’s up! Thanks for entering!

Rules:
1. No duplicate comments.
2. You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
3. You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
4. This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older.
5. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
6. You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Mona is a pregnant blogger and budding comedienne who is not sponsored by Target, but loves it enough to gift it to you. You can read her blog, .

Thank you everyone for your comments!

The winners have been chosen randomly for the “For Those About to Hop” CD’s!  They are as follows:  Kathryn, Angie (Half Assed Kitchen), Angie, Lisita and Amie!  I”ll be emailing you with the instructions for you to redeem your CD.

Congratulations!  I hope you and your families enjoy listening to this CD together – and even try dancing around the kitchen to it, or whatever tickles your fancy.

And remember, The Imagination Movers will be at The Moore, here in Seattle, TODAY!  But you can also find them on the Disney Channel, weekdays at 9:30am.

Long before I started having children of my own to expose me to the wonderful world of kids music (think Barney here, and don’t run for the hills screaming and holding your head), I was really into music. I blame the great folks of Sesame Street for drilling that “sugar beet” song into my head and other catchy tunes. I remember spending countless hours huddled over my record player, lining up the needle just right to hear my favorite song again and again. And then came the musical “Annie,” which I completely and utterly lost my mind to. My grandparents took me to Seattle to see the live show. I wandered up to the orchestra pit and peered over the edge…finding out where all that music really came from. I hoped, deep down inside, that because I too had red hair, that people would mistake me for the actress in the movie and ask for my autograph…

Well, that never happened.

But, a love for live performance was born. It went nicely with my love of music and to this day I never turn down the offer to see a great band, singer or live show.

Seems I’m passing this along to my kids, which, despite my inability to help them with their math homework, makes me feel like I’m not messing up too bad in the parenting department, on a good day.

Well, let me tell you – not all childrens music is created equal. Not to sound negative, but I’ve had about all the Wiggles, Barney and Chipmunks that I can take – even on a really, really good day. And I struggle to find childrens music that we can all enjoy and appreciate (without the whole bleeding ears thing going on). It isn’t easy. But when I heard The Imagination Movers for the first time, I thought hey, these guys aren’t too shabby.  When their show held my daughter’s attention for more than 2 minutes so I could actually take a shower alone, I was ready to pledge my undying love to each one of those men in the blue suits on the Disney Channel. No kidding.

And now, after talking to Rich Collins, proud “mover” and father of five (yes five) on the phone, my status in my daughter’s eyes has risen to an all time high. I fear the day when I’ll have to top it because I know that day probably doesn’t exist. I’ve never spoken to a real, live childrens programming celebrity before and I didn’t know what to expect. Turns out I had nothing to worry about. Rich was polite, funny, smart and hey – he likes music even more than I do! He told me the story about how he and the other “movers” got started – they were all friends who enjoyed messing around with and listening to music and found themselves at that place where kids start happening and life starts happening (you know, when you’re done with your 20’s) and their group and concept was born. He told me how they had their first “musical performance” at a friend’s wedding shower, where they sang their own version of “Jack and Diane,” which immediately brought me back to a moment in my own childhood when my mom wouldn’t let me listen to that song because of the whole “got his hands between her knees” lyric.  But I didn’t mention that to Rich.

I asked what kind of movers the Imagination Movers were, because Katie really wanted to know.

“We move our minds, using our imaginations to solve problems,” Rich said, “encouraging kids to think, move around and figure things out.”

What other response would you expect from a father of five that tells Warehouse Mouse stories to his 3 year old daughter Sophie on a nightly basis?

The Movers music stems from a variety of genres and Rich explained how each member, Scott, Dave, and Smitty, contribute to the groups songs.  “We are just normal guys who love music,” he stated.  But “normal” is hardly what the Movers are.  When you listen to their latest cd, “For Those About to Hop,” you notice right away that this isn’t just any old kids music and these aren’t just your run-of-the-mill childrens performers.  The fresh beats and funky rhythms jump out from songs that are just the right length for kids, not too long and not too short.  Perfect dancing around the kitchen music, if you ask me.  I was a bit skeptical that they wouldn’t live up to the description that they draw some influence from bands like the Beastie Boys and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but I was more than surprised.  This is music that we can all listen to, move around to, and even groove to in the car – which is where a lot of our time is spent.

The Imagination Movers are coming to Seattle on December 12th.  They are playing 2 shows at The Moore – click HERE for details and ticket pricing information.

And this is your lucky day!  I have generously been given 5 cds to giveaway.  The lucky winners will receive a copy of the Imagination Movers latest (and most awesome) release, “For Those About to Hop,” which will both thrill and delight any young fans you may have in your home and would make a terrific stocking stuffer.  Just leave a comment here and the winners will be randomly chosen by 12pm, Pacific time, December 12th – just in time to see the show.  Please either include your contact information (ie a working email address) in your comment or make sure it’s accessible via your profile.

Carrie Blankenship can be found most days wading through motherhood, fueld by vanilla lattes with extra foam, at her blog Stop Screaming I’m Driving.  She can also be found dancing around with her kindergartner at the Imagination Movers  concert this Saturday, December 12th.