The Absolute Coolness of Disney on Ice Princesses and Heroes

Disney on Ice is a holiday tradition.  It's way up there with fruitcake.  Every child should be able to have a taste of it at least once in their lifetime.  Well, we started our boys on it today.  Disney on Ice, I mean.  Not the fruitcake. :P

And they had a blast!

This year's theme:  Princesses and Heroes.  A fine Disney production that features romantic classics and newer mushy love stories. So it's cold and warm at the same time.  Perfect!

Since a brilliant ice skating doubles competition between Snow White, Cinderella, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and the Frog Prince is already expected, let me go through the other 'almost unexpected' spectacular highlights of the show.

 

Fantastic storytelling!  True to Disney form, this show's scriptwriting flows like silk.

Nostalgia and comedy.  It's Snow White's 7 Dwarves!  You could almost hear the parents in the audience sighing their flashbacks.

Breathtaking action.  The foot race and fight scene at Aladdin's marketplace was just fabulous!  The spotlights ruining my shot, not so much.

Spot-on Choreography.  What you saw at the Beauty and the Beast movie is mirrored onstage.  Incredible!

Glam.  Cinderella's battery-operated carriage got into every little girl's wish list tonight.  I'm sure of it.

Stunts!  Backflipping, rope swinging, catapulting ... in ice skates!  Who woulda thunk it?!

Free boat ride.  This is neat!  The Little Mermaid's mer-nymphs got kids from the audience and pushed them along for a sweet ice ride.

Coolest costumes.  Uh, is this really a surprise?

Dramatic entrances.  I love Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent!  My favorite villain ever!  Judging from the visual fanfare, I think Disney secretly digs her, too.

DRAGON!  Props to the props! This huge-ass dragon just breathed fire on the ice!  Graaaahhh!!!!

Fireworks galore!  Leave it to Disney to end the show on a high, festive note.

Acting par excellance.  I demand a whoop-whoop for Tinkerbell.  Seriously!  This girl IS a fairy.  Perkiness, fun aura, and the fact that she almost flies on ice... yep, fairy!!!

Ridiculously expensive merchandising!  Ok, I kinda expected that one.  It's the horrific red eye in this photo that's making me scratch my head.  Tsk.

Disney on Ice Princesses and Heroes is running until January 3, 2012 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.  Do not miss it.  It isn't a holiday until your kids say in a rather disturbing Mickey Mouse voice, "OH BOY!"

YES! Home-made Snow!

This year's Christmas post is brought to you by Weird Science Lab!

It's called The Snow Factory, and for good reason.  A holiday must for deprived tropical island folks like me who will never see snow unless they travel, or unless the Earth's wonky weather finally flips over. 

Snow is fairly easy to make, apparently.  All you need is a cup of water (preferrably cold water... because... snow is cold) and a stirrer.  We're using a plastic pancake knife simply because we did the experiment after breakfast.

Pour half the powder in one of The Snow Factory's test tube.

Stir!  It's gonna be messy.  But it's an experiment for kids so that's a given.

Well, whaddaya know --SNOW!

Perfect for a Lego snow party.

And Squiddy snow angels.  Yeeeeah...!

Now if you wanna go large scale and fill up your entire tropical backyard with this wonderful Winterland magic, you'll need about ...mmm, say, a million Snow factory test tubes.  Better start now. 
The Snow Factory from Weird Science Lab.  Available at Fullybooked for Php245.  Don't let this once in a lifetime opportunity melt away.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Gift Of Happy Even After, Now Available HERE!

Last year, I bought this original, finely crafted journal from a single mom (my best friend living in the Philippines) and gave it to another single mom (my best friend living in the U.S.) as a Christmas present.  These are two of the strongest, happiest women I know.  Not only because they managed to live lives as their own person, but because they wonderfully brought up two of the most beautiful little girls I love. Together, they've inspired me to be a better mom.

The Happy Even After hardbound was the perfect gift between these two.  It's an expert (it contains tips on child care), an ally (it shares encouraging stories from prominent solo moms), a confidant (it has pages where one can write down her own true-to-her-own-life fairytale come true).

I bet you know a solo mom whom you'd want to give the gift of Happy Even After to this Christmas.  She can be your friend, your sister, or your tita who was never married, was once married, widowed, or raising other people’s children as her own.

Well, guess what --NOW YOU CAN!  That's because I am giving away 3 (yes, THREE) Happy Even After journals to three of my blog readers who can tell me how a solo mom has touched their lives.

Has a solo mom inspired you to be more independent?
Has a solo mom taught you the value of great parenting?
Has a solo mom made you realize how capable you are of so many things you never even dreamed?

Do your sharing in the comment box below.  And I'll be more than happy to ship you your Happy Even After copy for FREE!  Well, if you live in Metro Manila, that is. :P

Solo moms can be the best inspiration, and the Happy Even After can be your way of saying thanks and Happy (Even After? :P) Holidays to her.

So comment away, and win!


UPDATE:  I've received some really cool sharing in both my comment box and Nuffnangx convo box!  Thanks!  You can share some more until December 30.  

The Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center: A Rediscovery

It's been a while since our last trip to the Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center in MOA.  We've gone there a couple of times in the past when it first launched and we loved the place.  Imagine the thrill when we found out that it was relaunching with brand new galleries.  Our inner geeks completely beamed!

Anyhoo, we finally went last Saturday and it was --as expected-- awesome!  If your family loves science and discoevry as much as we do, then you'll never get enough of these 8 spanking new galleries.

FLORA AND FAUNA
Here, our boys got to sit alongside a replica of Lolong, the largest crocodile in captivity in actual size.  They also learned a lot about plant and animal life with a choice of flipbooks and interactive video podiums.

HUMAN BODY
This area got our boys discovering the inner workings of their own bodies with the funnest animated human anatomy that you can move according to your will.  Kenji got his skeleton to dance Gangnam Style.  Lol!  They loved listening to the sounds of their internal organs, too.

SCIENCE AND STUDY OF MATTER
The biggest thing about this place is that famous scientists donned the walls.  My boys were particularly interested in their experiments and geeked out on the hands-on activities in the area.

TRANSPORTATION NATION
Boys will indeed be boys.  This gallery totally hit home.  Miro and Kenji loved the engine tutorial, the little car exhibit, and the build-your-own-car game.  Sweet!

ENERGY VALLEY
Energy can be generated by so many things.  Our boys have always known this, but it's cool re-learning it all over again with the help of virtual demos.  They even got to meet the Trash Monster!

VIRTUAL REEF 
If there's one thing I liked about this gallery, it's the underwater-like tunnel.  It feels almost like Ocean Park, except it's peppered with technology.  Interactive podiums lined the area.  And the sea creature photo wall connects to Facebook, so you get to see your pictures online.

THE EARTH AND THE UNIVERSE
Welcome to Miro's world!  I don't think this boy will ever tire of watching a documentary on the creation of the universe.  This gallery has more than that though.  How about a huge-ass orb that changes surface according to different planets?

COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY
There's a camera exhibit with a gigantic vintage camera display.  THIS is definitely my husband's geek spot. :)  The live and loud communication set-up between two points on a wall was a fun way to get attention, too. :P

PLUS, THE SCIENCE OF CARTOONS
This is a running special exhibit.  And I flopped here a little. :( There was no Cartoon Network event happening on the gallery that day.  But it was still open with tiny activities like the Gumball animation cells you can take pictures in, and the manual Finn animator.  Note to self:  next time, plan a trip here when there's a Science of Cartoons event.  And make sure that the Finn and Jake mascots are there (Kenji added).

Still, fun, fun, extra productive day!  We'll definitely come back.  You and your kids should hop on over to the Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center, too.  There's nothing more fulfilling than rediscovering Discovery.

Joy Overload: The SM Mall of Asia's Toy Wonderland Grand Festival of Lights!

A visual spectacle such as this is better seen than read.  So, I'm taking a moment to shush myself (and you know how difficult that must be) to let the following pictures speak for themselves.

Just a brief intro though (because I just can't help myself).  The SM Mall of Asia's Toy Wonderland Grand Festival of Lights brings together huge brands such as Kids Universe, Toy Kingdom, Watsons, SM Department Store, the Science Discovery Center, Ace Hardware, SM Hypermarket, SM Appliance Center, Kultura, Akari and NXLED, and Storyland in a breathtaking parade like no other.  And, it's for free.  For me and my family, that's awesome on so many levels!
Ok, shutting up now...

Presenting the High-Quality Floats.

The High-Octane Performances.

The Highly Popular MOA Star Appearances.

The Highly Christmassy Parade Give-aways.  Lol!

Now, THAT is how you celebrate!
Catch the SM Mall of Asia's Toy Wonderland Grand Festival of Lights every Saturday this December at 5:30PM.  It's more than eye candy.  It's a whole feast for the senses!