Travel

This past Sunday the Friends of Fair Park hosted it’s annual Dog Bowl. Apparently it’s been going on for a few years and this is first I’ve heard about it. However, it could not have come at a better time. Since I have an puppy fanatic on my hands, the Dog Bowl peaked my interest.

The dog bowl is a FREE event open to the public and held at the historic Cotton Bowl Stadium inside Fair Park. For those not from the area, Fair Park is the home of the famous State Fair of Texas, Cotton Bowl Stadium, Dallas Childrens Aquarium, Dallas Music Hall, Amphetheater, several museums,  and lots of events held year round.

If you are in the Baltimore area or will be in the Baltimore area this November, the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra & Enchantment Theatre have something special for you!  Conductor Ken Lam of the newly-formed Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras and the Enchantment Theatre present Wizards & Wands: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Apprentice at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall on November 3 at 11 a.m. Unlocking key scientific concepts, discover the natural versus supernatural and link science, music and magic. Musical delights include John Williams’ award-winning music from the Harry Potter films, Paul Dukas’ spellbinding Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Stravinsky’s Firebird and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. 

Please see below for complete program details. This program is suitable for audiences aged 5 years and up!

Patrons can additionally enjoy the BSO Family Fun Zone starting at 9:45 a.m. in the Meyerhoff’s lobby. Attractions include a face painter, the Music & Arts instrument petting zoo and the Maryland Zoo’s ZOOmobile, where parents and kids alike can learn about exotic animals.

Enchantment Theatre Company

Enchantment Theatre Company has produced original theater for school groups and families since 2000, when it was established as a non-profit arts organization in Philadelphia. The company presents only original work based on classic stories from children’s literature, using its signature blend of masked actors, pantomime, magic, large-scale puppets, and original music. Building on the more than 30 years of theatrical experience of its artistic directors, Enchantment has quickly become known for high quality imaginative productions, not only in its home city but throughout the United States and the Far East.

Enchantment has toured its original productions all over the world, appearing each year in 30-40 states. It has performed in such sophisticated urban arts venues as New York’s Lincoln Center, Washington, D.C.’s John F. Kennedy Center, and Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center and Annenberg Center, as well as in small town high school auditoriums and performance tents. The company has also toured the Far East six times, performing in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. Enchantment has shared the stage with more than 60 orchestras nationwide in its special symphonic works that pair great stories with great music for the benefit of school and family audiences.

An important aspect of Enchantment’s commitment to the Philadelphia area is its Arts in Education Program, The Magic of Masks. This program introduces high quality professional theater to elementary school children; reaches out to special community populations, such as the disabled and those for whom English is a second language; and conducts in-school residencies through which young children learn performance and life skills.

COMPLETE PROGRAM DETAILS

Wizards and Wands: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Saturday, November 3, 2012 at 11 a.m. – Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

Ken Lam, conductor

Enchantment Theatre

John Williams: Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Suite

Mussorgsky: Baba-Yaga from Pictures at an Exhibition

Paul Dukas: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

John Williams: Main Title from Star Wars

Stravinsky: Berceuse and Finale from the Suite from Firebird Suite (1919 revision)

Tickets are $12-$20 and are available through the BSO Box Office at 410.783.8000 and online at BSOmusic.com

Remember playing with K’NEX? Well K’NEX Brands, the only US construction toy company focused on Building Worlds Kids Love™, has announced the launch of K’NEX’S “Win a trip to Philadelphia and visit K’NEX” Sweepstakes!  From October 16, 2012 at 9:00 am EST through October 30, 2012 at 3:59pm EST, K’NEX fans can enter for their chance to win a trip to Philadelphia and a visit to K’NEX.

The winner will receive a trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and a visit to K’NEX with four people.  The approximate retail value of a two night hotel-stay, coach airfare for four, and round-trip car service to K’NEX is $3,200.  Potential winners can enter once per day either through the K’NEX Facebook page (which links to the K’NEX 20^th Anniversary Celebration page of the Knex.com website), or directly through KNEX.com.  Contestants must be 18 years or older to enter.  Please see official rules for details. http://www.knex.com/20thanniversary/20BigPrizes/trip-to-philly.php

“We are happy to give back to our K’NEX fans who have shown such great support for us over the past twenty years,” said K’NEX President and CEO Michael Araten.

For more information on the 20 Big Prizes, to view official rules, or to enter the sweepstakes visithttp://www.knex.com/20thanniversary/20BigPrizes/trip-to-philly.php.  No purchase necessary.

More about K’NEX: K’NEX was founded in 1992, K’NEX Brands, the world’s most innovative construction toy company, was established to make and sell what has become one of the world’s leading integrated construction systems for children. Winner of over 200 international awards and recognitions, K’NEX is America’s building toy company focused on Building Worlds Kids Love, and encourages youngsters to “imagine, build and play.” Since 1992, The Rodon Group, a subsidiary of K’NEX Brands, L.P., has manufactured over 30 billion parts for the K’NEX building toy system. For more information, please visit www.knex.com or www.rodongroup.com.

Did you play with K’NEX growing-up or do you have a child who loves to play with K’NEX?

Come visit sweet Chicagoland this summer!

We’d love for you to come visit our town-> Chicago! Chicago has so much to offer and of course the Tots to Teens headquarters is tucked in the surrounding burbs ☺{Westside}

There are plenty of festivals to plan for this summer, take a look:

Let’s start with food shall we– 
Taste of Chicago is the nation’s premier outdoor FREE food festival showcasing the diversity of Chicago’s dining community. Taste of Chicago July 11-15, will be serving up a delicious array of food, which will be complemented by live music entertainment and exciting activities for the entire family at its lakefront home in Grant Park. Taste of Chicago is HUGE here, and trust that Chicago has plenty of yummy awesomeness to share.

Do you love music? If so you will heart heart heart xoxoxoxo Lollapalooza (August 3-5 ) this festival is packed with AMAZING live music and local eats {there we go with the food again}, as well as interactive fun for all ages. Lollapalooza has a diverse array of 130+ artists from hip-hop, electronica, indie, rock and more.

Take in the sights of the 54th annual Chicago Air and Water Show rocks the lakefront August 18-19 with the largest FREE show of its kind in the United States.

Dance Lover? Yes, we have you covered come see the FREE Chicago Dancing Festival, which features the best of Chicago and national dance companies through a diverse showcase of works. August 20-25.

Jazz it up with Chicagoland at the Chicago Jazz Festival Labor Day August 30-September 2. Known for its artistic creativity, the festival promotes awareness and appreciation for all forms of jazz through FREE, quality live musical performances at venues across the city including the Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park and Grant Park.

There are many festivals going on the surrounding areas please check out www.ExploreChicago.org for more fun festivals.

Chicagoland museums will keep you entertained and fascinated this summer here is what is going on now:
Kids can experience the tricks and trades of the circus business with the exhibit Circus Zirkus at the Chicago Children’s Museum at Navy Pier. Kids can learn to juggle, become a clown or work the ticket booth at the family-friendly exhibit. Through August 12.

In partnership with the Discovery Channel and its Emmy®-nominated series MythBusters, the Museum of Science & Industry presents the world premiere of an exhibition which uncovers the truth or myth behind everything from toast landing butter-side down to blowing a brick house down. At MythBusters: The Explosive Exhibition Uncovers Truth or Myth, find hands-on experiments, explore props and gadgets from the show and watch live demonstrations by myth-busting facilitators. Through September 3.

The Art Institute of Chicago presents Roy Lichtenstein: Retrospective of a Leading Pop Artist, the first assessment of the full scope and breadth of the foremost Pop artist’s career since his death in 1997. The exhibition features over 130 paintings and sculptures, as well as over 30 little- or never-before-seen drawings and collages. Through September 3. 

Learn the story of Genghis Kahn – his life, his land, his people, his culture – and his enduring legacy as a ruthless Mongol warlord at Genghis Kahn: The Exhibition at the Field Museum. Through September 6.

Come take in a show at Loop Historic Theater District and off-Loop neighborhoods locations
• Broadway in Chicago presents Rock of Ages at Broadway Playhouse, June 5 – August 5
• Lookingglass Theatre Company presents Eastland, June 6 – July 29
• Goodman Theatre presents Crowns, June 16 – July 22
• Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents Three Sisters, June 28-August 26.
• Black Ensemble Theatre presents One Name Only (A Tribute to the Ladies of Soul), opening July 29
• Million Dollar Quartet at Apollo Theatre, through September 2

While the weather is warm come take in the beauty Chicago has to offer. 
Discover a state-of-the-art collection of architecture, landscape design and public art that provide the backdrop for hundreds of FREE cultural programs including concerts, exhibitions, tours and family activities at Millennium Park.

   A little spit never hurt anybody :- )

Pack a picnic for the Jay Pritzker Pavilion Great Lawn and interact with the iconic Cloud Gate and Crown Fountain sculptures.

Learn about the history, design and plants on FREE Tours of Lurie Garden Fridays from 11am – 1:30pm and Sundays from 10am – 1:30pm.

Historic Navy Pier is Chicago’s lakefront playground and the Midwest’s top leisure and tourist destination, attracting more than 8.6 million visitors a year. Enjoy 50 acres of parks, promenades, gardens, shops, eateries and attractions open year-round and always FREE to the public.
Bike along the pier or play at Pier Park; the outdoor amusement area features a 150-foot-high Ferris wheel, musical carousel and miniature golf course. Visitors can also enjoy a spectacular fireworks show overlooking the lakefront when the FREE Navy Pier summer fireworks shows illuminate the skies on Wednesday (9:30pm) and Saturday (10:15pm) evenings throughout the season. Special Independence Day fireworks celebrations are scheduled for July 4 (9:00pm).

Lincoln Park Zoo, nestled along the lakefront in the heart of Chicago, is one of the country’s last remaining FREE admission zoos (what’s not to LOVE about that). Walk amongst the various habitats, from the interactive Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo to the state-of-the-art Regenstein Center for African Apes, and connect with the natural world like never before at one of the zoo’s newer features, Nature Boardwalk – an oasis of wildlife, native trees, prairie and wetland plants

So are you coming? If you’re thinking of visiting our city and would like more information visit, www.ExploreChicago.org. For daily alerts about things to do and see in Chicago, follow Explore Chicago on Twitter at twitter.com/explorechicago (COTC’s free Twitter Concierge service @explorechicago) and on Facebook at facebook.com/explorechicago. Discover fun itineraries on the Explore Chicago blog at explorechicagotourism.com and on Foursquare at foursquare.com/explorechicago.

We’d love to know that you’re here!

First off congratulations to Jay-Z and Beyonce on the birth of their daughter Blue Ivy.  Jay-Z marked the birth by releasing a new song entitled “Glory“,  which is a tribute to his daughter.  Jay-Z has been known to use some harsh lyrics in the past, and making many upset with his lyrics especially feminist groups.  Why, because he uses the word B*tch {99 Problems but a B– ain’t one}. However, with the birth of his daughter his tune has changed:

Being a first time mommy and going back to work I could not wait for my first family vacation with my child.  Every morning my 2 year old son and I would watch an episode of Sesame Street before we start our day.  Before each show I would see as commercial for Beaches family resort.  The commercial shows a mom happily drinking a mimosa at breakfast with her husband and the child looks even happier, as the family frolic on the beach together.  Inevitably, I would look at the clock and realize I am going to be late for work.  Each morning I would imagine myself in this commercial.  Finally one day I went on the website and decided that would be me.

After extensive research into other vacation options we decided to book at Beaches Turks and Caicos all inclusive family resort.  This place truly is heaven on earth.

Location:

One of the main reasons we chose Turks and Caicos is because of its location.  Turks and Caicos is a 3 ½  hour flight from New York I thought that would be important since it was my child’s first trip on an airplane. The trip from the airport to the resort is only 15 minutes.  That is so important. Most resorts take almost 2 hours to get to there from the airport.  NOT FUN WITH A TODDLER!!!!!

I also appreciated the fact that a member of the beaches staff would greet us at the airport and bring us to the resort. The short trip to the resort was a breeze and by the time we got to paradise my son was still happy and ready to take on the trip.

Service:

We were greeted by Keisha Gordan, who made sure we had the vacation of a lifetime.     As an aside, we were originally supposed to travel in August but due to Hurricane Irene we had to postpone our trip.  Keisha knew rescheduling caused some difficulties for us, so she upgraded us to a suite in the Italian Village.  This place was amazing.  We checked into our room, which had a separate bedroom with bunk beds and an Xbox for kids We overlooked the beautiful pool and the ocean, which was a perfect way to start our day.

Jason the Concierge in the Italian Village treated us like family and more importantly went out of his way to make my son happy.   The first morning we were there, we woke up to two chairs by the zero entry pool with a towel made into an animal by Jason.  When Jason realized that my son liked dinosaurs, he went out of his way to make sure that the next day there was a dinosaur towel waiting for us on our beach chairs.  Keisha and Jason are truly the reason we will be booking next year.

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Sesame Street:

The Beaches resorts are the proud sponsor of Sesame Street so the resort is Sesame street world.  If you child has any interest in Sesame Street, this is the place for you.  The camp for infants and toddlers is called Camp Sesame.  And that it was.  Every day they had an itinerary of events that would occupy the children.  You could bring you child there for the entire day or you could drop in for one of the many activities.  Each day they had a letter of the day with a character.  Throughout day, the kids would interact with at least three of the sesame street characters.  This was the best part of the trip for my son.  He would beam with excitement every time he was near one of his Sesame Street friends.  He would call out to them and run over and they would turn around and give him a big hug.  He still wakes up and says, “Let’s go see big bird”.  Every night they have a live Sesame Street show or Parade.  It was like going to see Sesame Street Live every night.

All of the characters have a handler that walk around with them and they are amazing.  They help facilitate the show and activities that the character participates in.  My son baked cookies with Cookie Monster and read a story with Elmo. Guirline, one the handlers, in particular was the best.  Each and every time she saw my son; she remembered his name and made him feel so happy.

For the time when my husband and I wanted to private time or to go off on an adventure as a couple, we left our son at Camp Sesame.  All of the camps and group activities for the kids are included in the price but if you want more one on one care for your child they have ultra certified nannies.  Being a child abuse prosecutor, I was skeptical about leaving my son anywhere out of my sight.  So I did my own investigation.  I talked to the director of the camp and learned that all of the rooms are recorded, so there is constant accountability.  I watched how the counselors interacted with the children.  One of the biggest factors for me were all of the parents that I talked to who have been to the resort over three times, continue to use the camp and each year the counselors remain the same.

The Pools:

There are at least 6 different pools.  The pool in the Italian village had a zero entry section, which is great for small children to walk in on their own and develop a sense of confidence in the water.  Each day my son ventured a little further in the water, by the end of the trip he was jumping in.  All of the pools have a swim up bar and my husband and I enjoyed a frozen cocktail while the bartender made my son a frozen chocolate milk.

They also have a water park, which had a lazy river, 4 water slides and an entire section devoted to toddlers.  The swim up bar in the water park even served ice cream and milk shakes.

The Beach: 

The Beach at the resort is the best beach I have ever been to in the Caribbean (and I have been to a lot).  The sand is white powder that extends all the way into the ocean.  I could not find a rock or a piece of seaweed the whole trip.  The water was the most beautiful shade of blue that I have ever seen.  When you were looking that the ocean you wanted to jump in and when you were in, you didn’t want to get out.

The other thing that I thought was amazing was there were spots in the water that you could snorkel right off the beach.  For us that was fantastic.  When you have a child you may not want to commit to a 3 hour snorkeling tour when your child is on land.  This gave us the option to snorkel but feel that if we needed to be with our child we had that option.

I finally gave in and hired a babysitter during naptime.  I hired her for two hours and asked her to stroll my son around the property.  She was great.  I learned that she is a doctor in her home country and she was so nurturing with my son.  The best part of the camp or the babysitting is that they give you a cell phone and you can stay in constant contact with them (if you desired).  I, being the nervous mom, took the cell phone.  Those two hours have my husband and I an opportunity to do some of that off shore snorkeling.  The fish were amazing.  While I was in the water, I realized I would not be able to hear the cell phone, so I swam back to shore and asked the lifeguard to signal to me if the phone went off.  He was happy to help.  The phone never rang and my husband and I got to enjoy our time worry free.

The Food:

The restaurants were five star.  We went to Barefoot on the Beach which is a restaurant steps from the beach.  It even has small tables for children.  My husband and I ordered a filet Mignon.  I have eaten at many New York steak houses and this steak was cooked to perfection.We loved it so much my husband and I ordered another one to share.  The service was great, Unojay, took great care of us and we can’t wait to go back.  The attention to service and friendliness of the staff make it so enjoyable.

Most mornings we ate at Mario’s. This was a great restaurant that had a buffet breakfast.  The food was fabulous.  The service was even better.  They go out of their way for you and make each child feel equally important.  This restaurant was my son’s favorite because they had a section called Bambino’s, where the tables were kid size and they had beautiful statues of the Sesame gang.  The beauty of this was that my husband and I could enjoy our breakfast and sip our mimosas, while my son was happy to finish his breakfast so he could walk around and say good morning to all of the statues.  Our servers, Emeliano and Junel went out of there was to make each meal a happy one.  Junel came over to my som every few minutes to give him a high five when he ate like a “big boy”.

We also ate at Gordon’s, a pizza, Panini and hot dog place.  It was great, you could go there and sit and have you meal with a glass of wine or you could pack it up and take it to the beach or pool with you.  My son loved the cheese pizza and my husband and I splurged with prosciutto and ricotta pizza with a glass of chilled chardonnay.

The bottom line is that this place has something for everyone, especially children.  The reason I find this place a cut above the rest is that you really do get the best of all worlds.  Kids are busy and happy and catered too but you don’t feel like the place is over run with kids.  You are pampered just as much as the kids.

Every morning we now watch the Beaches commercial and remember our vacation and my son yells out “Vacation! Vacation!” See you next year Beaches!!!