A favorite pastime around here. 
Secondary pastime: nomming on chubby cheeks.
Disney on Ice Giveaway Winner! December 1, 2012
I used good ol’ Random Integer Generator to choose our winner again, and it was entry #2, Kay! Congratulations, Kay! Hope you enjoy the show!
Giveaway! Disney on Ice at the Xcel Energy Center November 25, 2012
It’s giveaway time again, friends! This is a super-fun event. We have gone the last two years and loved it. And my children have only seen two Disney movies! They know about the other characters, though, and love watching them on the ice. I have a four-pack of tickets to opening night (Thursday, Dec. 6) of Disney on Ice Celebrates 100 Years of Magic.
To enter, simply leave a comment and a valid email address so I can contact you if you win! Enter by midnight on Friday, Nov. 30, and I will announce the winner on Saturday, Dec. 1.
SHOW OVERVIEW
Join the celebration as 65 of Disney’s unforgettable characters from 18 beloved stories come to life in Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic! You’ll be captivated by the one and only Mickey Mouse, the irresistible Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio and all the Disney Princesses. Be thrilled by exciting moments from The Lion King; Mulan; and Disney/Pixar’s Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Toy Story films; in a skating spectacular filled with magical Disney moments you’ll remember forever as Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic!
Dates: Dec. 6-9, 2012
Tickets: $18 / $24 / $46 / $69 – Opening Night Tickets Just $11!
Tickets are available at the Xcel Energy Center Box Office, Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, by calling 800-745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. To charge by phone using Ticketmaster TDD/TTY, call800-359-2525. Certain fees may apply. (Groups 12+ call 651-312-3486.
——–
Disclosure: Feld Entertainment, Inc. also provided me with a pack of four tickets to help circulate information about this event.
Monster Jam Giveaway Winner November 21, 2012
Thank you to all who entered in the Monster Jam Giveaway. I ran a Random Integer Generator thingy last night before bed, and here was the result.
So our winner is Heather! Congratulations!
Giveaway! Monster Jam at the Metrodome 2012 November 13, 2012
Hi Blog Friends! Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is providing me with a set of four tickets to give away to Monster Jam on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Metrodome. This is a family-friendly event, and half the audience is usually female, so don’t think that you have to have a son to win. Just leave a comment by midnight on Tuesday, November 20th, and I’ll announce the winner on the 21st. Leave a valid email so I can contact you if you win!
————-
MINNEAPOLIS (September 2012) – The Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam®, the world’s premier monster truck series and part of the SUBWAY® Motorsports Series, will invade the Metrodome on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012 at 7 p.m.
Monster Jam® events showcase freestyle and racing competition among custom-designed machines that average 12 feet tall by 12 feet wide, sit atop 66-inch-tall tires and weigh a minimum of 10,000 pounds. Built for short, high-powered bursts of speed, monster trucks generate 1,500 to 2,000 horsepower and are capable of speeds of up to 100 miles per hour. Monster trucks can fly up to 125 to 130 feet (a distance greater than 14 cars side by side) and up to 35 feet in the air.
Tickets start at $15 for adults and $10 for children age 12 and under. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, online at http://www.ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 800-745-3000. Coupons for $5 off adult tickets are available at participating Advance Auto Parts locations from Nov. 12 – 30, or while supplies last. Tickets will be available at the Metrodome Box Office beginning November 19, box office purchases are cash only.
A SUBWAY® Party in the Pits will be held from 2 – 5 p.m., prior to the 7 p.m. show on the Metrodome floor. The pre-show pit party gives fans (with a pit pass and event ticket) the chance to see the monster trucks up close, meet drivers, take pictures and get autographs. Pit passes will be available for free at all participating SUBWAY® restaurants from Nov. 12 – Dec. 1, or while supplies last.
Monster Jam®, sanctioned by the United States Hot Rod Association®, attracts over 100,000 fans annually in the Twin Cities area and more than 4 million fans each year at arenas and stadiums throughout the world.
For additional information, visit http://www.MonsterJam.com.
———–
Disclosure: Feld Motor Sports, Inc. also provided me with a pack of four tickets to help circulate information about this event.
Minnesota Summer/Fall Fun September 21, 2012
I had a lovely package sent to me this summer by the “More to Explore” team. The package included goodies and passes from Explore Minnesota Tourism, the Minnesota Zoo, the Science Museum of Minnesota and Valleyfair.
The first items we used were the Valleyfair tickets. My mom was visiting at the end of July, and the five of us went together. We thought it was a great value, especially for the kids. For less than what they would pay at a county fair, they could ride to their hearts’ content. And the rides are a bit safer, too. 
They have added a new four-acre park just for the little ones called Planet Snoopy. We had a blast there! And Husband made me try a new “big kid” ride, even though I’m not great with heights.
In August, the kids and I went to the Dinosaurs! Exhibit at the MN Zoo. We are already members there, but we hadn’t yet been to that part of the zoo. They were pretty nervous about all the lifelike dinosaurs at first (Markus got really jumpy when I turned him around for a picture and the dinosaur was behind him), but after awhile they relaxed and enjoyed learning about the different species.
Then, just before it ended, Husband and I had a date night and got to check out the Real Pirates exhibit at the Science Museum. It was much more exciting and interesting than we expected. We thought we would blow through it in an hour and be off to dinner, but we spent so long looking that we had to hustle through the last part of the exhibit before it closed! We had a membership at the Science Museum for about 3 years prior to and after Anja was born, and we’ll probably get one again once the kids are both a little older (for now we stick with the Children’s Museum).
Thanks again to the “More to Explore” team for giving us some great summer fun!
Minnesota State Fair Food 2012 August 29, 2012
It’s been a few years since I’ve posted my reviews of the MN State Fair Food, so here was our experience from TODAY!
On the ride home I had each family member tell me their favorites from the day. If you know us at all, it is no surprise that Husband’s are mostly savory and mine are mostly sweet.
Husband’s Top 5:
1. Pork Chop on a stick
2. Honey lemonade
3. Vegie Fries
4. Moe & Joe’s Banana Sandwich
5. Fried Green Tomatoes
Heidi’s Top 5:
1. French Meadow Bakery Scone with strawberries and cream
2. Moe & Joe’s Banana Sandwich
3. Blue Moon Sweet Corn Ice Cream
4. Wild Rice Specialties Burger
5. Chocolate PB Cup Fudge Puppy
Anja’s Top 5:
1. Mini-donuts
2. Cheese curds (she called them cheese bundles)
3. Chocolate PB Cup Fudge Puppy
4. Strawberry malt at the Dairy Building
5. Moe & Joe’s Banana Sandwich
Markus’s Top 5:
1. 1919 Root Beer
2. Strawberry malt at the Dairy Building
3. Roasted Corn on the Cob
4. Pronto Pup
5. Honey Lemonade
The kids went on some rides with friends on the Kidway, and their favorites were the Ferris Wheel and the Super Slide.
Other highlights:
- Running into people we know. I know it’s MN, so it’s likely, but when there are over 100,000 people ANYWHERE it’s unlikely that you’re going to find a friend, right?
- Husband saw Gene Simmons. I asked him why he didn’t snap a picture, and he said “because he’s not really a celebrity.” ??
- State Fair Bingo. We got two Bingos, almost three. A couple of my favorite things on our card were “someone using an electric cart who clearly doesn’t need to be” (which we did spot) and “man wearing overalls with no shirt” (which we didn’t spot).
- The miniature rooms and quilts in the Creative Activities Building.
- Getting to vote on the art we liked best in the Fine Arts Building. We peruse every single piece of art every year, but this is the first time we recall getting a ballot. Nice touch!
Things we missed that we’d like to do next time (mostly because they were on a schedule and we would always find ourselves at the opposite side of the fair when they were supposed to be going on):
- Flippenout performance
- The lumberjack show
- Meeting Curious George
- San Felipe Tacos Carnitas Asian Fusion Taco (it’s been on our list for 2 years but yet to be tasted)
Morning Play in March August 25, 2012
I just got around to editing some of my family photos from 2012, so I might be playing catch-up here for awhile. Here’s some fun photos from a morning playing in our jammies.
“This seems questionable, Sister dear.”
Took awhile to get some smiles out of him that morning, but here they come…
Tips for Camping with Preschoolers June 25, 2012
This past weekend, our family went camping together for the first time! Husband and I used to camp several times a summer before the kids were born, but let me tell you…it’s a different story with littles! My packing list was 3 pages of 2 columns typed! My husband thought that was nuts, but I don’t feel like we over-packed. Here are some of the things we did/learned; hopefully they can be useful to others planning to do this with small ones. Our kids are 2 1/2 and 4 1/2, if that is helpful to know.
- Go somewhere near home. If there are storms or noisy fellow campers (see next tip), you won’t feel like you have to stay and tough it out. We were within 20 minutes of our home and knew we could skidaddle in a moment’s notice if needed. As the kids get older we’ll probably venture further out, but staying close while they are young gives us peace of mind.
- Check the location of your campsite in relation to others before booking. We booked a walk-in site that was fairly private, but what we didn’t know was that it was also very near a group campsite. There were a bunch of very loud, drunk 20-somethings within a couple hundred feet of us that kept the kids awake until after midnight the first night. None of us were happy about that. Next time I’ll make sure to look at the full map, not just the one of our site area.
- Bring lots of snacks. There were times when dinner was cooking (and it’s hard to know how long it will take sometimes to get the fire just right), and the kids were hungry. We were able to pull out a granola bar or fruit or trail mix and water bottles, and they made it to mealtime without getting crabby. Eating trail mix while we unpacked the car and set up.
- Stock up on glow-in-the-dark stuff. I brought glow sticks/glow bracelets/flashing toys from the dollar store and their toy bin. They enjoyed playing with them a ton, plus it helped us keep an eye on where they were.
- Go to a campsite that has a park. It wasn’t right near where we were camping, but within a half mile walk. We took the kids there one morning to play.
- If you have room, bring an all-terrain stroller (we didn’t have room). Husband was fine with carrying the kids on his shoulders in turn, and we had paved trails which worked great for our umbrella stroller, but if we’d planned on doing any long walks, Markus wouldn’t have made it with his short little legs!
- Do a lot of your cooking in advance. We had these excellent Campurritos, pre-marinated fajitas that just had to be heated in a grill basket, hobo dinners, and pancakes, all which were made in advance, stuck in the cooler, and just had to be pulled out and cooked at the site. Most of them were in heavy duty foil that we just stuck in the coals (wood), and the pancake batter I kept in two separate bags–wet and dry, then mixed the two and shook it up, cut off a corner of the batter bag and squeezed it into the pan. Easy peasy! And hobo dinners are basically a hunk of hamburger, some spices, onions, potatoes, and veggies (I used carrots and green beans) wrapped in foil and tossed in the coals to cook, too. Tongs were helpful to have along to rotate the foil packets. Since I didn’t have to spend a lot of time doing meal prep or clean-up, I was able to engage with the kids and even have some time reading in the tent during nap time!
- Plan activities for the kids. I had about 10 different activities at the ready: play dough, coloring, the glow sticks, scavenger hunt, bubbles, hiking, playground, paper boast, leaf/nature rubbings, singing around the fire, ghost stories, board games. We only ended up using about half, but it was nice to know we had things to fall back on.
- Make your own hand-washing station. I read this in the comments on someone’s blog, and it proved to be a very valuable tip! We put this jug at the end of our picnic table along with a bar of soap and a towel and we didn’t have to use hand sanitizer (which neither husband nor I like) all weekend.
- Bring your own potty. It was SO NICE to not have to use an icky outhouse with the kids. I get hives thinking about public bathrooms, so outhouses are like a living nightmare for me. We brought Markus’s little toilet and both kids used it. Between that and our hand-washing station, we only had to leave the campsite for fun and to get wood or drinking water. It’s over there…on the right.
So, what are your favorite camping-with-children tips? We enjoyed ourselves and wouldn’t mind going again sometime, and I love learning from others!
Sidenote: For anyone wondering what happened to Anja’s nose, she tripped over the fan in her room last week during a power outage and split open the bridge of her nose. It was terrifying to be in the dark, not knowing what had happened and trying to stop the blood (we’re still trying to get it out of the carpet). Ended up in the ER and got 12 stitches, including some sub-dermal. She was very brave and continues to handle it well.
The Rainbow Game March 7, 2012
What do you do when you have some colorful paper and a long-ish morning with the kids? Make up a game, of course!
I cut a bunch of 1″ strips of paper and glued a “rainbow” of them onto 3 white pieces of paper, labeling the colors because I want Anja to start identifying written words with everything.
I grabbed the nearest receptacle, which happened to be a paper bag, and tossed the rest of the scraps in. We took turns drawing paper strips out until someone covered all their colors and completed their rainbow. Anja got frustrated that a couple of her colors had a stack of strips five high and she wasn’t drawing the color she wanted, but it’s a lesson learned in patience, right? Both kids loved it, and it was a nice little departure from our usual Candyland-Go Fish-Memory-Hi Ho Cherrio routine.
I was surprised how well Markus did with this, neatly stacking his colored pieces on top of the correct color. He knows all his colors and has for some time, but the fact that he was able to get them pretty much lined up made me very happy for him.
