Disney on Ice

by Amanda I took my son to see the show on Friday night at 7:00 pm.  It was such a wonderful event!  First of all, I myself am a huge fan of Disney.  You just can't go wrong.  It is truly fun for the whole family.  If you follow me on Twitter you would have seen my tweets throughout the show.  I didn't intend to Tweet like that during the show, but, I was excited, and my 4 year old was even more so!

When we walked in the front doors to Scotiabank Place we were immediately bombarded by the souvenir stands.  Immediate eye candy, for both him and me.  Of course I let him have a look, and of course I let him have an Incredibles spinning light toy!  It is his favourite Disney movie!  He is a particular fan of Dash because "he runs really fast Mommy!".  I bit my tongue and just paid the $20 for it because it made him happy.  I did not spring for the $12 popcorn or the $15 snow cones, however the mugs they came in were very cool!!

Off we went to find our seats a few minutes before the show started.  We ended up having really good seats.  We were able to see everything with no difficulty and close enough to make out facial expressions!

The show itself covered many wonderful Disney movies, they played out on the ice the most beloved scenes from each movie that was part of the show while Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy narrated between scenes.  I will give you some highlights from each scene.

Act I

Alice in Wonderland:  The playing cards had amazing choreography.  It was fairly intricate group skating with a lot of intersecting lines where the skaters had to be quite close together.  It looked so good!

Peter Pan:  The crocodile costume that the skater wore was incredible!  He skated on his hands and feet with picks on the front and his blades in the back to maneuver around the ice.  The Lost Boys set was very true to the movie with a tree house and slide.  Tinkerbell was a little firecracker and got to be suspended by wires, how cool was that?

Act II

The Lion King:  Again, wonderful costumes, skaters with billowing 2 piece costumes, one part was carried overhead and they looked like a herd of what I think were meant to be buffalo, they were just gorgeous!  They also did the giraffe in the same style, very visually appealing.  And what can I say, I LOVE Timon and Pumba.  I sang every word of Hakuna Matata.

Snow White:  Snow White and her Prince were beautiful dance style skaters.  I really enjoyed just watching their skating solo.  They were expressive and to me their skating was quite good.  Again, fantastic costumes on the dwarfs and the witch.

Aladdin:  Amazing job on the set in this scene.  Jasmine's balcony was just like the movie.  I was disappointed they didn't have Rajah, Jasmine's tiger in this piece!  He was such an important part of the movie!  Or  Abu, the monkey!  ("Kiss the monkey, Blech, hairball!")  They of course had Genie and the magic carpet ride, but I honestly think this one could have been better!

The Little Mermaid:  Ariel, Sebastian, and fish of many beautiful fluorescent colours.  It really looked like it was Under the Sea!

The Frog Princess:  I have never seen this movie, but I am glad to see that Disney is embracing multiculturalism more and more.  Princess Tiana had a gorgeous dress and I enjoyed the skating the most in this scene.

The final group skate incorporated many characters from movies they didn't cover during the show.  We saw Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Mulan and so many more!  What an enjoyable evening.  My son was very well behaved, he was enthralled by the show, and he smiled and danced throughout the performance.  He also amused himself with his spinning light toy, just like a boy!  It was all said and done just before 9:00 pm and of course, my son fell asleep in the car on the way home, surefire way to tell the evening was a success!

Check out this link for clips on the official website! http://disney.go.com/disneyonice/

Did you go? Are you going to the show?

Amanda was born and raised in Ottawa where she continues to live with her husband and son “J”. Amanda is bilingual and interests include reading, blogging, socializing, and advocacy on children and teen issues.

Season of Giveaways: Sens Skills {CLOSED}

Looking for a great stocking stuffer this holiday season? Sens Skills presented by Metro is coming up on Wednesday December 28 at 1 p.m. at Scotiabank place. Tickets start at just $7.50 and are on sale now at capitaltickets.ca. Don’t miss out on fun for the entire family!

See your favourite Senators compete against each other in fun skill-testing events similar to what will be seen during the 2012 NHL All-Star Skills competition.

Events include hardest shot, fastest skater, accuracy shooting, and break away drills.

The event is a fun and relaxed atmosphere. In the past players have worn funny wigs or skated the wrong way, all for laughs.

The Skills Challenge is a great opportunity to explore ScotiaBank Place and check out the newly installed scoreboard. (don't laugh this is a big deal)

Proceeds from the event go to the Sens Foundation and the NHLPA’s Goals and Dreams Fund.

More great reasons to get tickets:

-          Fun for the entire family

-          Great stocking stuffer

-          Free parking

Have you voted? NHL All Star Voting:

Ottawa is hosting the 2012 NHL All Star game for the first time in franchise history. Let's make sure our Ottawa Senators are well represented on the starting line-up. Wouldn't it be great for Daniel Alfredsson, currently the longest serving captain in the NHL, to be the starting forward on home ice.

How to vote:

• Head online to www.nhl.com/vote and register to vote 30 times for your Ottawa Senators!  It’s quick and easy!
• Grab your web-enabled mobile device -> Text the name of your selection to 81812

Currently on the ballot are Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, and Michel Michalek as forwards and Erik Karlsson and Sergei Gonchar on defence.

You can write in the name of another Sens player that doesn't appear on the ballot. Maybe Craig Anderson, our starting goalie, deserves a chance.

All those who vote are eligible to win tickets to the All-Star game.

SENS SKILLS GIVEAWAY

We're giving away a set of four tickets in the 300 levels and a set of two tickets in a suite for the Sens Skills Competition on December 28 at 1pm.  To enter just leave a comment telling us who you've voted for to be a part of the all-star game lineup. Contest closes December 26 at 5pm. Winners will be responsible for picking up the tickets from an agreed upon location.

One entry per family. Tickets for the 300 levels will be drawn first.

Winners will be selected using And the Winner Is plugin. In the event of a plugin failure, we will use Random.org.

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Our tenth winner of a Family Pass to the Canadian Mint is Brenda A.!

If you leave a comment on any post for the duration of the giveaway, you are entered to win. Additional comments are not required and won't increase your chances of winning (though they are always welcome).

HOW TO ENTER

We are going to be giving out one pass a day for the next 2 days. To enter leave a comment on any one of the giveaway posts or tweet about the giveaway:

I’d love to win a family pass to the @canadianmint from #kidsinthecapital this holiday season! http://www.kidsinthecapital.ca/?p=6655

Only one entry will count and you can only win once.

Winners will be picked each day from all comments and tweets received by 8:00pm. If you'd like to know more about this giveaway and the Canadian Mint, please read our introduction post.

Family Fun with the Ottawa Senators

by Anna When I was asked if our family would like to attend an Ottawa Senators game and share all about it, I was thrilled. Neither of our children had been to an NHL game but both loved the idea of it. We were invited to watch a preseason game where Ottawa played Montreal. The kids were excited and my Husband treated our son to a very special privilege. He brought out his Ottawa Senators Jersey that his own Father had bought at the very first game of the New Ottawa Senators 20 years ago, when Ottawa played Montreal on October 8th, 1992 and won. That being said, our daughter had outgrown her jersey so we did make a purchase that night so both kids would be decked out in all their finery.

We made sure to arrive early as there was lots to be seen an do prior to the game. There was a tent set up with a band, a bounce house and blow up slide. There was face painting and 50/50 tickets. We made sure to enjoy all of it! Since it was their first experience we wanted to make sure it was memorable. After our turn on the slides we made sure to head inside early so we could could have a slice of pizza for supper. While enjoying out pizza we actually had a lady come up and talk to us to see if we needed anything. She was part of the hospitality team and was there to make sure our visit to Scotiabank place for a Sens game was all we wanted it to be, this was a nice touch. We also made sure we bought 50/50 tickets because you just never know when your number might come up and the other 50 goes towards such great causes through the Sens Foundation.

The kids quickly chose their favorite players from the roster that was handed out that night and decided who they were going to cheer on. And cheer they did! We actually thought that our daughter might fall asleep, but she made it to the very end before crashing in the car on the ride home. The Senators started out strong at the beginning and were leading for quite sometime then Montreal showed up and the game ended in a tie. And unfortunately when there is a tie game it goes to a shoot-out and Montreal happened to win the shoot-out. So for our first hockey night for the family we didn't get to see the Sens win. But that's ok, it just means that we will have to go back again soon to watch another one.

A family can easily afford a night out at a game in Ottawa, although not quite as inexpensive as a movie, I would say that you get a lot more bang for your buck! You can purchase tickets in the Coca-Cola Zero Zone starting at $15 each. If you bring your car you will need to pay for parking which was $11 in the lot we parked in. And if you would like to get a drink or some snacks, I would say to bring at least another $30 depending on what you would like to have. So a family of four can easily attend a game for $100.

We look forward to our next family adventure with the Ottawa Senators.

Anna is a Mom of two (4 & 8 ) and Step-Mom to one (19), owner of Anna Epp Photography and also blogs at Life is Good...At the Beach.

Hockey: Senators Puck Drop

by Amy My kid likes hockey.

She’s not even two but she’s been well exposed. We’ve taken her to two Sens games so far, we watched the Olympics with her, I’ve taken her to the rink to watch her Daddy coach. She owns three jerseys (Sens, Team Canada and the Jets, if you’re wondering).

We were in Canadian Tire not that long ago and she pointed to a picture of a kid in goalie equipment and said ‘hockey!’ We were listening the Sens Hockeyville game on the car radio on the way home and she pointed and said ‘hockey.’ Any time she sees a Senators logo, she points and says ‘hockey.’

Her Daddy taught her to say Alfie – It was one of her first words.

So when we heard about the Senators Puck Drop, a season kick-off that included an open practice and the unveiling of their new heritage jersey, we decided it was a nice way to spend a Saturday morning.

When we drove into the parking lot and Maggie started yelling ‘Hockey! Hockey!’ and then ran through the parking lot yelling ‘Hockey! Hockey!’ we thought just maybe it was a good decision.

Outside Scotiabank Place, there was a tent set up with used equipment for sale. Inside, Sensations was open so people could look at the new jerseys. Upstairs on the second concourse there were activities for kids: accuracy shooting; face painting; an inflatable slide shaped like Spartacat and even a man making balloon animals.

There was no charge to get in, but the team was collecting donations for the Food Bank.

We went straight out to the first concourse and found some seats right behind the net and waited for the jersey unveiling and the open practice. There were quite a few people in attendance and Maggie had a good time just looking around at all the activity before the team came out on the ice. She did start getting a little impatient, we had to wait about half an hour from the time we arrived, but once the players came out and started skating around she was drawn right in.

The Senators don’t hold a lot of open practices, so it’s not something I’ve ever gotten to see either and I had a good time too, watching the drills and seeing the new players and my old favourites.

Before we left we stopped in the front entrance where they had camera and bright green cloth set up, so you could get a picture of your kids ‘in action.’ We got a pretty great one.

For future Ottawa Senators events, check their web site events listings here. I highley recommend the Sens Skills which will take place in mid to late February. Tickets are inexpensive, the players have a lot of fun with it and the ticket money goes to charity. It's a great time to get out and see the team in person if you can't afford tickets to a game.

Amy is mom to 20 month old Maggie and a 5 year old schnauzer named Henry. You can read her blog at amyboughner.ca where she writes about motherhood and anything else that’s on her mind. She also shares a blog with her husband at boughner.ca where they talk together about parenting a daughter.