If you’ve ever dreamed of taking your photography hobby and making it into a business, you’ve got to hear about the Soar! Scholarship with Me Ra Koh. Basically, Me Ra is giving three women the chance of a lifetime. Applicants can and have submitted two minute videos explaining why they should be given this scholarship which gives them a full page of prizes including a new Sony dSLR camera, lenses, flights for training and a whole YEAR worth of stuff and time and help. It’s amazing.

Amazing.

I know that as a photographer I have thought of starting up my own business. I work for a newspaper now and really don’t feel that portraiture is really want I want to work on at this time in my life. I do know, however, the amazing opportunity that is being presented to these women by this scholarship. Especially in this difficult economy, it can be so hard to start up a business. When you think about how much photography equipment and the editing software can cost, it can seem almost impossible to a woman with a dream. Thanks to Me Ra, it’s not impossible.

The winners will be announced tomorrow. You can see ALL of the video entries right now on the Soar! Scholarship website. There are 30 pages of videos. THIRTY! That’s amazing. I know I’ll be logging on tomorrow to see who won. In fact, I’ll be following the winners on their websites over the next year to see what they learn and come up with from their training. While I may not be going into the photography business, I am a photographer and I can always learn!

Photo Credit: Jenna Hatfield, 2009.

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I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of the SOAR! Scholarship and Me Ra Koh Photography. In addition, I received an Amazon gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Today I had the pleasure of visiting Cheryl&Co, a premiere cookie company that makes my mouth water. I should also probably rephrase. Not only did I get to visit the company but both BigBrother and LittleBrother got to mingle with other Ohio bloggers’ kids. If you’re not familiar with Cheryl&Co, you might be living under a rock. Or you’re my mother. Or you’re living with my mother under a rock. They are, in fact, my mother-in-law’s very favorite thing. Ever. So she’s jealous that I got to visit the company and take the grand tour.

And eat lots of buttercream frosting.

I will be honest and say that I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. I prefer salty things. But I do like Cheryl&Co’s cookies. And brownies, which was the main point of today’s adventure as it is National Brownie Day. But more on that later. Let’s look at some pictures.

We were treated to a fabulous lunch and then we took the grand tour. I don’t have many pictures from the tour itself as we weren’t supposed to take pictures of the super secret equipment… like the automated ramp that large chunks of cookie dough went up and then dropped into another thing that made them into teeny-tiny balls to be frozen and cooked later. (As Vanessa Druckman said, I wanted a spoon so I could just dig in. So good.) I did capture a picture of some Christmas tree cookies as we walked by.

And we saw the brownies. It would take me eight years to make them that smooth on top. EIGHT. YEARS.

And then we got to have a turn at making fancy stuff!

When I say we got to have our hand at making fancy things, I wasn’t referring to the things above. I mean, you’ve seen my cakes. Does that really look like something I could do on my own? Not likely. Those were out for us when we walked into the test kitchen. We did, however, get to have our hand at icing our brownies and learning how to make cutouts out of white chocolate dough.

This looks more like my handy work, doesn’t it?

The best part of the day for me, aside from sugar and (ZOMG!) free babysitting, was hanging out with Christina (of A Mommy Story) and Heather (of Domestic Extraordinaire). They’re goofballs. I can say that since Christina posted a twitpic of me in my lovely (green!) hairnet. So here they are. In theirs.

Snort. Too fun.

So, yes, we had a lovely day. We came home with goodies, which included far too many cookies for this family to eat and these really, really adorable jingle-jangle-y ears for the boys.

If I didn’t already have a Christmas card, that would be it. And, yes, BigBrother is holding LittleBrother’s face so he’ll look at the camera. No, it probably wasn’t nice of him but, darn, it was cute. (Don’t be surprised if you see this on the main blog come Christmas day. I love it. There are others.) But, yes, they had a lovely day, too. Why? Apparently they watched Toy Story. It’s almost as if Cheryl&Co researched my family.

Anyway, I tell you all of this not to gloat. I tell you all of this because today is National Brownie Day. Cheryl&Co is offering 30% off of orders. TODAY ONLY. Go place your orders. Quickly. Promptly. But please don’t send any more to me right now. I’m kind of drowning in cookies. And that’s a perfectly acceptable way to drown, don’t you think? If you miss today’s 30% off sale, you can use code BRN10 on their website through January 31, 2010 for $10.00 off any purchase. Splendid.

But wait, there’s more!

We’re giving away a Cheryl&Co Ultimate Brownie Assortment. Sounds yummy, doesn’t it? What does the Ultimate Brownie Assortment Entail? 18 individually wrapped Cheryl&Co brownies with the new buttercream frosted peanut butter, classic vanilla and new hot fudge. And even toffee crunch, classic fudge, blondie and oatmeal scotchie. It’s a huge bunch o’brownies! See?

Mmm.

So how do you win? Three ways:

1. Visit Cheryl&Co, poke around and come back and tell me what you think your favorite edible product would be. Cookie? Brownie? Sugar free products? Kosher ones? Let me know. Leave your favorite product in a comment on this post. Drool that ruins your keyboard is your own responsibility. You may do this once.

2. Follow @FireMom (me!) and @CherylandCo and then tweet about this giveaway by copy/pasting this into your twitter stream: Win $50 worth of brownies from @CherylandCo and @FireMom! YUM! http://bit.ly/4wkjSg . Please come back and leave me the individual URL of your tweet. You may do this as many times as you so desire.

3. Blog about this giveaway on your public blog with a link to this post and Cheryl&Co. Please come back to leave your link. You may do this once.

A winner will be chosen one week from today, Tuesday, December 15, 2009, at 9pm EST. The winner will be contacted via email for their shipping information. The prize will be shipped from Cheryl&Co!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. In the meantime, I’ll be eating my cookies. And brownies. And the big cup of buttercream frosting that I brought home. Because I can.

But forget the tiny spoon. Large spoon. Or directly into my mouth. You know. Either way. I’m classy that way.

Also, I will upload all of my photos to twitter and make them public for other bloggers and readers to look at. I will tag them “cheryl&co” and “National Brownie Day” and I will link here when they are all online. (But I have to run.)

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[Full Disclosure: I paid for nothing today. Except for my gas. I received free cookies, brownies, an apron, some chocolates, a gift card, BABYSITTING (ZOMG!), fun, lunch, laughter and I think I ate $500 worth of frosting. I was not required to blog about this event but, duuuuude, wouldn't you?]

I know I’ve told you about the discount codes for the Cincinnati shows of Disney on Ice already. I’ve even told you about the whole tour. But I’ve got to tell you about our experience with opening night in Cincinnati last night.

We were treated to a special pre-party by Mom Central and Feld Entertainment. After that, we made our way back downstairs in the US Bank Arena to find out seats. Ours were in section 106, row E, right on the end. We were in the fifth row of stadium style seating. The best part was that there were only two rows of expensive, flat seating in front of that meaning… we were practically on the ice. Our seats were amazing. Simply amazing.

I was worried as to how the boys would handle the event. Their first live show earlier this year didn’t go particularly well because the volume was ridiculous. FireDad and I both found the volume to be too loud at that event so it makes sense that BigBrother, who has some sound sensitivities, found it intolerable for the first half. Not so at Disney on Ice. While the volume was louder than talking, it was still acceptable. I didn’t walk away with ringing ears. I want to hug Disney and Feld Entertainment for understanding little ears. Making it loud enough to hear doesn’t mean deafening people!

BigBrother kept telling me that “waiting is hard” as we sat and waited for the show to begin. But when it did? Well, see for yourself.

I had two very happy boys on my hands last night. Two happy boys made me very happy. Thankfully, they have a bunch of female gendered friends and were even familiar with a few of the Princesses. For the moms of boys, let me assure you, the Princesses did not get more ice time than the gender neutral or more boy focused shows. This made me immensely happy. The Princess focus was limited to Beauty and the Beast (which BigBrother found interesting because the Beast was “cool,” he said) followed by a group skate with all of the various Princesses. And then that focus was done.

BigBrother’s favorite part was when the Green Army Man came out ahead of everyone else from Toy Story. I wanted to go touch his costume because it totally looked like green painted plastic. Shortly thereafter, he was joined by the rest of the Green Army Men, Woody, Buzz Lightyear and eventually Jessie. If you know my family, you know that Toy Story is what rules our house for the past year, one or two. (And yes, we’re going to see them in the theater next month.) As such, both BigBrother and LittleBrother were enthralled by big skating Buzz and Woody. I’m just amazed that they could skate with big heads on. I can’t even skate with my own head on.

LittleBrother’s favorite part was the Finding Nemo scenes. In fact, he was a bit bummed when that was over, asking, “Where Nemo go?” The two of them probably placed The Incredibles section as their second favorite, making their super hero noises and poses all during that scene. I maintain that The Incredibles and Nemo both have fantastic scores. I was humming along in my seat as well! The most “uninteresting” part for our family was the It’s A Small World scene. While I “got it” as I’ve been to Disneyworld and through the ride, neither my husband or my children knew what was going on. I understand its inclusion but it just wasn’t our favorite part.

Can I tell you something? My kids weren’t overly familiar with Mickey and Minnie prior to last night. In fact, FireDad had to tell them who Mickey was when they got him in their goodie bag at the pre-party. However, they fell in love when Mickey and Minnie walked in the door so we could all get pictures taken with the characters. While we love Disney movies, we’ve never really indulged the Disney channel. I do know that Mickey and Minnie just earned two new fans though. Good job, Feld Entertainment.

In the end, we had a lovely time. In fact, BigBrother is asking to go back to “Disneyworld” next year. I’ll be honest: I didn’t correct him that the show was not Disneyworld. We’re not planning on going there until he’s six so he’s got over two years left to figure out that his parents are awful liars. Right?

I strongly suggest hitting up the Cincinnati show before it ends. The remaining shows are as follows.

Thursday, September 24 at 7:30pm
Friday, September 25 at 7:30pm
Saturday, September 26 at 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
Sunday, September 27 at 11:30am, 3:30pm

Don’t forget that Mom Central has brought you a discount code for the event. Simply use the pull down menu next to MC Promotions and select the ticket price you want and enter the code MOM.

Offer #1: Get 4 tickets for just $44 by entering the code “MOM” at select ticketing channels. Offer good on all weekday performances, which includes all weekday evening and Friday matinee performances; minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each.

Offer #2: All weekend performance tickets will be $4 off the original price

Offer #3: Get the best Front Row and VIP seats available – We have reserved seats in the Front Row and VIP sections just for you! No discounts available on these seats. Use the code MOM.

It’s really a lovely time. I love seeing my children so happy. I’d go again if I wasn’t exhausted from last night!

Thanks to Mom Central and Feld Entertainment for a lovely night.

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[Our family received four free tickets and admittance to a pre-party in exchange for our honest review.]

We’re a Disney loving family. While we don’t know much about the Princesses, we can probably quote you every line of both released Toy Story movies, sing you all the songs on the Cars soundtrack and can bust a move like Mr. Incredible. That’s why we’re excited about Disney on Ice this year. In fact, we’re giving away tickets to the Cincinnati opener. If you can’t attend that show, however, you’ll be pleased to know that Mom Central has a great offer for you to save on tickets.

In fact, they have quite a few good offers to save on tickets to the shows in various cities. Read on.

• Offer #1: Get 4 tickets for just $44 by entering the code “MOM” at select ticketing channels. Offer good on all weekday performances, which includes all weekday evening and Friday matinee performances; minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each.
• Offer #2: All weekend performance tickets will be $4 off the original price.
• Offer #3: Get the best Front Row and VIP seats available – We have reserved seats in the Front Row and VIP sections just for you! No discounts available on these seats. Use the code MOM.

*Not valid on Front Row or VIP seats or combinable with other offers including opening night offers. Other fees may apply.

While some of my friends have families larger than four people, it’s still a great deal to get tickets for four (or more) for 11 bucks a pop. We pay more to attend baseball games. In fact, we pay almost as much per ticket for my husband to attend my music performances. At least the kids don’t have to be as quiet at Disney on Ice! Win!

The above deals are valid for the following dates and cities.

* St. Louis: September 3-6, 2009
* Chicago: September 8-13, 2009
* Sunrise: September 17-20, 2009
* Dayton/Cincinnati: September 17-27, 2009
* Miami: September 23-27, 2009
* Auburn Hills: September 30 – October 4, 2009
* Charlotte: October 8-11, 2009
* Philadelphia: October 14-18, 2009
* Atlanta: October 14-18, 2009
* Oakland/San Jose: October 14-25, 2009
* Fairfax: October 21-25, 2009
* Sacramento: October 28 – November 1, 2009
* Baltimore: October 28 – November 1, 2009
* Uniondale: November 10-15, 2009
* Houston: November 11-15, 2009
* NYC: November 17-22, 2009
* East Rutherford: November 24-29, 2009
* Denver/Broomfield: December 3-13, 2009
* St. Paul: December 9-13, 2009
* Los Angeles: December 17-20, 2009
* Toronto: December 18-27, 2009
* Anaheim: December 22-27, 2009
* Philadelphia: December 23 – January 3, 2010 (available for purchase on 10/12/09)
* Boston: December 26-29, 2009
* Ontario: December 30 – January 3, 2010
* Cleveland: January 8 -18, 2009 (available for presale on 10/2/09)

That’s a lot of cities. And the cities that are closer to Christmas might make a very good present for grandchildren! (Or for parents to send their own children off with their grandparents just before Christmas so “Santa” can finish shopping for and/or wrapping presents. Just saying.)

Again, the FireFamily will be at opening night in Cincinnati and . Try to win those first and then, if you don’t win, save your self some money thanks to Mom Central!

I love a circus. I also love a good deal. That’s why I was so excited that Mom Central paired up with Ringling Brothers to bring us a good deal on the circus. It’s a double win! If you’re unfamiliar with Ringling Brothers and their amazing circus, I encourage you to take advantage of the below detailed deal and treat your family to a night of fun, laughs and general awe by young and old.

What’s this so-called-deal? Mom Central is bringing you quite a few good offers with this deal. Read on. l

• Offer #1: Get 4 tickets for just $44 by entering the code “MOM” at select ticketing channels. Offer good on all weekday performances, which includes all weekday evening and Friday matinee performances; minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each.
• Offer #2: All weekend performance tickets will be $4 off the original price.
• Offer #3: Get the best Circus Celebrity, Front Row and VIP seats available – We have reserved seats in these sections just for you! Enter the code MOM. No discounts available on these sections.

Not valid on Circus CelebritySM, Front Row or VIP seats and may not be combined with other offers including special Opening Night pricing. Other fees may apply.

Simply throw these tickets in your cart and select the box that reads “MC Promotion” from the pulldown menu and, voila!, you have discounted tickets! I don’t know about you but with the economy as it stands, saving money but still managing to have a good time is important. $44 for a night of fun sounds like a good time to me!

The discounted prices are available for the following cities and dates:

* Denver: September 30 – October 11, 2009
* Boston: October 14-18, 2009
* St. Louis: October 15-18, 2009
* Cleveland: October 21-26, 2009
* Rosemont/Chicago: November 5 – 29, 2009 (available for purchase on Sept. 8. 2009)
* Auburn Hills: November 18-22, 2009
* Charlotte: January 27-31, 2010 (available for purchase on Sept. 12, 2009)
* Atlanta: February 12-21, 2010 (available for purchase on Sept. 12, 2009)
* Cincinnati: March 10-14, 2010 (available for purchase on Sept. 21, 2009)
* Dayton: April 29 – May 2, 2010 (available for purchase on Sept. 21, 2009)

Even if you have to spend a little money for gas to get to one of the cities, it might be worth it! Let me know if you end up catching a show with the deal from Mom Central!

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[I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Feld Entertainment. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.]

Attention all Ohio moms, especially those who can drive to Cincinnati or Dayton with ease, have I got a giveaway for you.

Disney is coming to town! On ice! If Disneyworld is not currently in your budget, trust me, this will be. I’ve seen the commercials and I’m so excited. Why? You see, I’ve got two boys that think they’re, on any given day, either Buzz Lightyear or Woody from the movie(s) Toy Story (1, 2 and 3 is coming out in June 2010!!!). I don’t think they know what ice skates are just yet but they’re going to go absolutely insane when they see their favorite characters, larger than life.

If you’re interested in bringing Disney to your kids without leaving the state, I’ve got good news about cost. Thanks to Mom Central, discounted tickets are available for you and your family! First of all, let’s look at the show dates and times.

Dayton:
Thursday, September 17 at 7:00pm
Friday, September 18 at 7:00pm
Saturday, September 19 at 11:00am, 3:00pm, 7:00pm
Sunday, September 20 at 11:00am, 3:00pm

Cincinnati:
Wednesday, September 23 at 7:30pm
Thursday, September 24 at 7:30pm
Friday, September 25 at 7:30pm
Saturday, September 26 at 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
Sunday, September 27 at 11:30am, 3:30pm

If one of those available dates works for you, I’ve got even better news: a discount code! That’s right. Here’s the Very Important Information.

Offer #1: Get 4 tickets for just $44 by entering the code “MOM” at select ticketing channels. Offer good on all weekday performances, which includes all weekday evening and Friday matinee performances; minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each.

Offer #2: All weekend performance tickets will be $4 off the original price

Offer #3: Get the best Front Row and VIP seats available – We have reserved seats in the Front Row and VIP sections just for you! No discounts available on these seats. Use the code MOM.

Whatever works best for you, there’s a little something available to save you some money (or score you great seats) thanks to Mom Central.

Even better? We’re giving away tickets to the Cincinnati show on September 23rd. Four tickets! Free! For your family! I must note that the tickets must be used in Cincinnati for the September 23rd show, not a different show. So don’t enter if you cannot go. The winner will be able to pick up the tickets at the Box Office with a picture ID so don’t forget it!

Want to enter? Read how:

1. Leave a comment below. Tell me which Disney character is your child’s favorite. (Or yours, you know, because I lovelovelove Woody!) You may do this once.

2. Blog about this giveaway! I’m hoping that even those Ohio moms who can’t attend on the 23rd will blog about it! Please leave another comment with the link to your blog entry. You may do this once.

3. Tweet about the giveaway. Copy/paste the following into your twitter stream: Go see Disney on Ice care of Mom Central & @FireMom – Enter here: http://bit.ly/8HKau . (Please leave a comment with your tweet link. You may do this as many times as you think your followers will accept without blocking you. Moderation is key!)

4. Submit this post to StumbleUpon or Digg. Leave a comment with your username on either so I can see it!

If you have any questions about entering this giveaway OR the discount codes OR Disney on Ice, please use the contact form to send me a note. (Don’t worry: most comments will be initially moderated. I push them through in the evenings after TheBrothers have gone to sleep.)

We’re excited about this giveaway as we’ll see the winner in Cincinnati on September 23rd! Hooray for Disney on Ice!

June 21st is when Father’s Day falls this year. June 21st is also the first day of summer. And when I think of summer, I think of hot weather. And hot weather makes me grumpy. And the only thing that makes me un-grumpy is something that cools me down (swimming, air conditioning or a cool treat). What better way to help the dads in your life cool down this Father’s Day than a nice, cool Frosty from Wendy’s?

Cool, chocolatey goodness isn’t enough for you? For every Frosty sold on Father’s Day (and the day before, Saturday the 20th), Wendy’s will donate 50 cents to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. (As you know, we’re a family touched by adoption.) They’ve gone another great step this year and have created a site that allows you to make a free e-card to send to a dad in you life… and for each one sent, they will donate 25 cents to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Hooray!

If you’re unfamiliar with the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, here’s a quick look at their mission statement.

MISSION: The Foundation will dramatically increase the number of adoptions of waiting children from North America’s foster care systems.

As you know, we’re strong supporters of ethical reforms in adoption. One of those reforms that our family believes in is that there are too many older children waiting for homes in our foster care system. It’s heart-breaking. Something needs to be done. The fact that their mission is to do something about it is something we can support.

In short, don’t forget to get the dad in your life a Frosty at Wendy’s on Father’s Day weekend (June 20th and 21st) and go send some e-cards as well at Frostycard.com. We’ll be going to buy one for FireDad on the 20th (as he works on the 21st). See you there!

[Thanks to Mom Central for letting us know about this yummy, worthy cause!]

I reviewed the Yanni Voices DVD a few months ago here on the blog. When I was contacted again by the One2One Network to ask if I wanted tickets to the concert and the Meet & Greet afterward, I about fell out of my chair. I had not been expecting such a thing. I excitedly replied that, yes, I would love to go. I was told that two tickets would be waiting for me at Will Call along with the information for the Meet & Greet.

Fast forward to last night: I was blown away by the music. I grew up knowing of Yanni and listening to various pieces. And I fell in love with this new project of his upon first listen. But there is simply nothing like a live Yanni performance. I don’t think I’ll ever miss another concert that comes near me. The caliber of the musicians on that stage was like that I have never seen before in all my days of music appreciation. That’s not to say that I haven’t seen some amazing musicians. I have! I’ve been to many a symphony, orchestra performance and various musicals, concerts of varying type and small, local jazz fests. I simply love music. It is and, I believe, always will remain a vital part of who I am and how I express myself. But those instrumental musicians? I was wowed. I was awed. I was stunned. I was overjoyed to be in the same room with such a talented group.

Of course, the vocalists (which is my side of music making) were phenomenal. First and foremost, as I love a man who can sing, I would have run away with Nathan Pacheco in a heartbeat. Every time he came on stage, he captivated me with his Italian. (I sang in Italian through high school vocal training and in college as one of my two majors was vocal performance.) The sound that came from his mouth each time he opened it was simply the epitome of what any vocalist should strive to be: full, open and pleasing to listen to even if you didn’t know a word of Italian. (Though I picked up the gist of each song thanks to my years of training.) Ender Thomas, on the other hand, made my heart flutter in a different way. His voice, of course, was just a fabulous but his energy and stage presence were outstanding. I don’t think I have that much energy! Some of his notes were amazing! Leslie Mills, though I think I could have fit her in my pocket, was also another powerhouse type of voice. Watching her sing was a beautiful moment. And, of course, Chloe, who I claimed as my favorite back when I initially reviewed the DVD… having watched her perform on stage, I keep that opinion. I was humbled to even be in the audience as she sang. Her voice filled the entire stadium. Her dancing was beautiful. And her smile could win world peace for all. A few of her notes gave me chills. She remains an inspiration for me.

And what can I say about Yanni himself? I don’t think he ever stopped smiling. And it’s such a warm and inviting smile! I felt like he really cared about how we received the music, that he wanted us to enjoy our time in the audience. (And we did!) He was a force to be reckoned with as well. I was in awe of his sheer talent.

Of course, Yanni made me get teary-eyed at one point. That’s not particularly hard as I am known for such thing but he spoke directly to my heart and the hearts of everyone else at one point. Before he launched into an amazing live version of “Marching Season” which featured his talented and humorous drummer, he talked for a bit. And he gave us this little bit of advice.

“Don’t forget to dream.”

Well, excuse me while I snot all over myself, Yanni. But sometimes I need to be reminded of such things. Thank you.

The Meet and Greet afterward was equally lovely. We got some special attention as we were there courtesy of One-to-One. We enjoyed that little bonus time. I learned little things about each of the three singers we met. I also got to meet the amazing violinist (and learned that she has not washed her (stunning) dress since Aculpulco because she’s afraid of the beading falling off. She was just as beautiful as she was talented.). I loved the warmth that each of them gave off. And, of course, I took pictures.

Us with Ender Thomas.

Us with Nathan Pacheco.

Us with Leslie Mills.

(See the sunburn? Wear sunscreen.)

Speaking on a fully personal level, let me tell you what this experience caused in my life. This experience allowed me to get to better know someone I met on a musical performance level and has now become a friend. This experience allowed me to catch up with an old friend as we discussed what PR reps and companies are doing right (like One2One) and how they’re really harming their own reputations with bloggers as of late (not One2One). It allowed me to have a night of beautiful music, something my soul needs every so often. It allowed me to remember the beauty of a live performance. It allowed me to believe that dreams really do come true.

I may never be on a stage that big. I may never release a CD. Or write the book everyone is pushing me to write. Or be featured on the front page of our local newspaper like my hot husband. But, perhaps, I will still dare to dream that beautiful (and musical) things will continue to happen in my life. That doesn’t seem like such a bad thing at all.

In short, if the Yanni Voices tour is coming to a venue near you (through the end of June), see them. You won’t regret it. (Even if you don’t know what Yanni is all about.) If you simply love a good show and appreciate musicians and vocalists who own what they do, you will not be disappointed by attending. Remaining dates as follows:

6/9/09 Kansas City, MO
6/10/09 Wichita, KS
6/12/09 Austin, TX
6/13/09 Houston, TX
6/14/09 Dallas, TX
6/16/09 Denver, CO
6/17/09 Salt Lake City, UT
6/19/09 Sacramento, CA
6/20/09 San Diego, CA
6/21/09 Anaheim, CA
6/23/09 Los Angeles, CA
6/25/09 Oakland, CA

As a side note, it was just announced that for the remaining stops of the tour, a limited number of tickets will be on sale for ten dollars. (Read more.) I’m sure the seats won’t be as great as ours but just being in the building will be enough to awe you. Trust me.

[Once again, many thanks to One2One for making this possible for myself and my friend Barb who was in attendance with me. We had a delightful time and I'm sure we will remember it for a lifetime. We are quite grateful.]

We like most things Disney in this house. I will admit that BigBrother has no idea who Mickey Mouse is because, well, he doesn’t have a laser on his arm or rev his engine loudly. He does know some girly things, however, like Ariel from The Little Mermaid because some AWFUL Mommy forced him to be Sebastian for Halloween. And LittleBrother was Flounder. Oh, the cuteness was overwhelming. See?

Cute overload, right? Sebastian costume courtesy of my grandmother’s sewing in 199…3? Flounder costume courtesy of my Mom’s ebaying skills and some lady in England. Oh, yes.

Anyway, as we have no plans to go to Disney world until BigBrother is six (or seven), we are fully aware that Disney comes to the backyards of many of us every year. That’s right: Disney on Ice. Deliving most of BigBrother’s favorites: Buzz Lightyear, The Incredibles and if I am to believe YouTube videos, Mater and Lightning McQueen as well. To boot, some great ice skating to keep me entertained.

And the best thing? Affordable. No, really affordable. And even more affordable with the coupon code that MomCentral wrangled up for readers. In fact, there are two different offers for you to decide upon.

Offer 1: You can get 4 tickets for just $44 by entering the code “MOM” (no quotation marks) at Ticketmaster. Offer good on all performances, minimum purchase of 4 tickets required. Furthermore, additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each (meaning that the deal still stands for my readers with bigger families… I know you’re out there… I have coffee with you every week). Offer not valid on Gold Circle Seating, Front Row and VIP seating or combinable with other offers. (Other restrictions may apply. Don’t they always?)

Offer 2: Offer #2: A select amount of Front Row and VIP seats have been reserved for you to buy before they go on sale to the public – just enter the code “MOM” when purchasing those seats.

Dates and cities where families can use the national MOM code are as follows:

Houston
Disney On Ice presents Mickey and Minnie’s Magical Journey
April 15-April 19

Dallas/Ft Worth
Disney On Ice presents Mickey & Minnie’s Magical Journey
March 18-March 29

Sunrise/Miami
Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy
March 26-April 5

Toronto
Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy
March 18-March 22

Kansas City
Disney On Ice presents Mickey & Minnie’s Magical Journey
April 1-April 5

Denver
Disney On Ice presents a Disneyland® Adventure
March 12-March 15

Phoenix
Disney On Ice presents a Disneyland® Adventure
April 9-April 12

Chicago/Rosemont
Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic
Sept 8-Sept 13

If you are unsure of whether your child can handle it, visit the website with your child and see if it seems like something that would hold his/her interest. Those children without any inkling of a Disney character might still be mesmerized by the sights, sounds and general “big-ness” of the characaters. As it is an event put on specifically for children, no one will be (or should be) uppity if there is singing, dancing and general fidgeting. In fact, it’s encouraged!

As you’re saving money on tickets, you should buy a little trinket on your way out. Like this Ariel cup and frame.

Oh, but wait! I’m giving it away along with a little cardboard frame. How can you win it? Simply leave a comment on this post letting me know your favorite Disney character and why. Villains accepted but be prepared for me to poke fun at you!

After commenting, don’t forget to head off to Disney on Ice online and figure out if there is a show near you. Something tells me it will be a memorable experience for your whole family.

I’ve only been to one circus in my day. But, oh, I remember it well. I was so amazed with the animals, especially the elephants. At that age, I even liked clowns! I remember being so enthralled with the sights and sounds. I remember talking about it with my parents for weeks after our trip.

And do you know that you can now create those same memories with your children? In fact, the Ringling Brothers Circus wants you to create those memories and, as such, they’re offering you a deal on tickets. I don’t know about you but the word deal, even before the economy took a turn for the worse, always piques my interest. Well, this is a deal for sure. In fact, there are two deals.

Here’s the scoop.

1. You can get four tickets for $44.00! I don’t know about you but going anywhere with all four of us rarely runs us less than $50.00. (Sure, you’ll need to buy popcorn but, still, in the door for under fifty bucks is phenomenal!) Simply enter the code “MOM” (no quotation marks, just the word MOM) at checkout for the promotional price. (The good news is that additional tickets above the initial four can be purchased for $11 each if you are one of my friends with five or six or seven or eight of you in your family!) One should note that the 4/$44 deal isn’t available on “Celebrity Circus Seating, front row seats or “VIP” seating. But, wait, about that VIP seating…

2. A number of Front Row and VIP seats have been reserved for those reading the blogs on this blog tour. Before they go on sale the the rest of the eager public! That’s right: You can be a VIP! Just enter the code “MOM” (again, no quotation marks) while purchasing those seats online and you’ll be golden.

Dates and cities in which the MOM code can be used are as follows:

Newark/East Rutherford/Uniondale/NYC
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents ZING ZANG ZOOM
March 5 – April 13
Offer not valid on performances from April 10 – 13 at Madison Square Garden

Washington D.C./ Fairfax, VA/ Baltimore, MD
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® proudly presents Over The Top
March 18-April 19

Philadelphia
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents ZING ZANG ZOOM
May 13-May 25

Phoenix
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents ZING ZANG ZOOM
June 24-June 28

Houston
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® proudly presents Over The Top
July 15-July 26

Anaheim/LA/Ontario
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents ZING ZANG ZOOM
July 8-August 2

San Francisco
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents ZING ZANG ZOOM
August 12-August 23

Dallas/Ft Worth
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® proudly presents Over The Top
July 29-August 16

Sacramento
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents ZING ZANG ZOOM
August 27-August 30

Kansas City
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® proudly presents Over The Top
September 16-September 20

Don’t see your city listed? Head over to the Ringling site and see if they are coming to a city near you. Sadly, when they come to Columbus, Ohio (May 14-17), I’ll be performing with my chorale in our Spring Show. (Singing all of Kim’s parts in the Miss Saigon medley!) Thankfully, when Mom Central asked if we wanted to let our readers know about this awesome deal, they sent along some clown noses for TheBrothers. As such, BigBrother now runs around the house in his firefighter helmet… with a clown nose on.

I share that with you to encourage you to spend the few dollars on a clown nose. Look at the memories you will have! I mean, you’re saving some money on tickets, so why not grab a clown nose in the process!

Wait. You’ve never BEEN to a circus? And you’re scared of clowns? That’s okay. Because this circus is more than clowns. It’s high flying trapeze artists. It’s tigers! It’s some crazy contortionists that will make you wonder if the human body should really bend that way… and will probably cause your child to attempt such feats. It’s a crazy guy on a motorcycle! It’s acts you’ve never thought of! And horses! And bubbles! And dogs! And (my favorite) elephants! And, yes, the clowns. There’s something for everyone. The bright colors and engaging sounds are sure to keep even the youngest among us (and, really, the oldest among us) interested for the duration of the show.

Really, I wish we could make it to the Columbus show. However, since we can’t, I encourage you to find a show near you and use the above “MOM” discount and then tell me all about it. Hopefully in the next year or two we’ll be able to catch a show with our kids. I can’t wait to make memories like that with them… perhaps I’ll even drag my parents along and make it multi-generational. I’m such a sap, no?