At first I was disappointed.

by Jayda I was delighted to receive a message asking if I wanted to attend the opening show of Beauty and the Beast. Um ya! Eight pm start, yikes a bit late for my kiddos, but worth the late night right? DH was not up for a night at the theatre due to a case of shingles. Great so DS4 can stay home with DH and I will take DS6 and a friend to the show. Perfect. A Mommy and older kid date night. I love it. A quick text and our night was planned.

One small hitch, DS6 doesn’t want to go.

What?

Nope, not at all.

At this point I am pretty disappointed.

Me: Jack, we are going to go watch Beauty and the Beast with E and S!!

DS6: I don’t want to go?

Me: Why?

DS6: I just don’t. Besides I need to get some rest for Halloween.

(Who’s the parent here?)

Me: That’s ok. This is a special opportunity so we can make an exception.

DS6: I don’t want to go. I know what happens. A girl falls in the love with a beast. The end!

Plan foiled. No big deal, my friend can bring her 5 year old daughter, who was devastated that she couldn’t come, according to the initial plan.

Hours before we are scheduled to depart for the National Arts Centre I get a phone call. Another change of plans! My friend’s daughters are no longer able to attend the show. Initially, I have to admit I was a little upset. But my friend had a back up proposal; GIRLS NIGHT OUT! Three (adult) friends and one friend’s 12 year old daughter threw themselves together in record time and hit Beauty and the Beast.

When we arrived at the NAC I was relived to see that there were very few children attending the show. Of course, I was still disappointed that DS6 didn’t want to come.  I was really looking forward to sharing this experience with him.

We weren’t 10 minutes into the show and I was relived DS6 was peacefully snuggled up in bed sound asleep. He is a very sensory sensitive child. The sights and sounds coupled with tiredness would’ve been a one-way ticket home. At this point, I was able to relax and thoroughly enjoy the rest of show.  In the end, despite my disappointment, it turned out to be a fantastic Girl’s Night Out.

Beauty and the Beast was fantastic! Everything, the set design, the music, the costumes, the special effects, everything exceeded my expectations. My inner child has been satisfied.

I look forward to being able to share the theater with my children...when they are ready.

Jayda Siggers is a Mom of 2 ( JWS, 6 and LLS, 4), a nutritionist, a coach at Clean Plate Cleanse, a master mediator living under a co-dictatorship, whole food advocate, trying to live a little greener everyday.

A night at the National Arts Centre

by Ali One of the most fascinating things for me as a mom is experiencing the world through my daughters’ eyes. I remember the first time they met princess “Belle” in Disney World. They were literally speechless. But that was quite a few years ago, so when I won tickets to see the Broadway touring company’s production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, I was a bit hesitant to suggest that we all go together.  But, since it was a Broadway musical, I did suggest it and despite a few eye rolls, I think both girls were pretty excited to go.

While both my daughters have been to the National Arts Centre before, it’s always quite an experience. From getting dressed-up, to taking the escalator up from the parking garage to the bustle of movement in the lobby pre-show, it always seems a bit like an otherworld occurrence. Walking through the lobby, watching all the different types of people coming together to see this show, I could sense the anticipation building as we entered the buzzing theatre to find our seats.

I love that moment when the lights dim and the curtains go up. No matter what show you’re seeing, the excitement of possibility is palpable in the air. From the moment the music started, I think I spent more time watching my girls faces than I did the stage. Based on the 1991 Disney animated film, Beauty and the Beast has been adapted from a movie fairy tale to stage production that is a mix of color, music and song. From the opening stanzas until the last strains of music ended, both my 10 and 12 year old were mesmerized by the whirl of color, the flurry of dancing and the captivating music.

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is the classic story of Belle, a young woman in a small town, and the Beast, who is really a prince spellbound by an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved by another, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity. The play is pretty much the same as the movie, which was a staple in our household about 6 years ago.

Despite the fact that we have all seen the movie over and over again, it was so different seeing on stage. One of the best parts for me was seeing my daughters’ astonishment at the confetti falling on the stage during the “Be Our Guest” scene. My eldest called it a “fireworks of confetti.”  My younger daughter’s face light up every time Lumiere’s hands did. We all loved watching the performers on stage in right front of us. They thought it was pretty cool that one of the performers was even a kid. Thanks so much to Kids in the Capital for giving me and my girls this incredible opportunity. It’s something that we will all cherish for a long time to come.

Have you taken your kids to see any full length shows at a theatre? 

Ali is a psychotherapist, blogger, social media enthusiast and chocoholic. She is also a Dance Mom to two awesome girls. She is the owner of Second Act Consignment Dancewear and creator  of Therapy Stew. She blogs at AliGoldfield.

My Little Pony at St Laurent Shopping Centre (giveaway CLOSED)

Last year we were lucky enough to get to partner with St Laurent and Kidomo when they brought My Little Pony to town and we're excited to be doing it again this year! Since my kids were all young, these mall appearances by their favourite tv celebrities (we've seen Toopie and Binou, Miss Spider and Cars) have been fun (and free!) activities for the kids.  You get excited along with all the kids as you're sitting on the floor watching these cartoons characters come to life to entertain you kids.

My Little Pony will be at St Laurent this coming weekend, at 11 am and 2pm on Saturday October 27 and Sunday October 28.  Stop by (get there early to get good seats) and enjoy the fun show and kids' activities.

GIVEAWAY

3 lucky Kids in the Capital readers will get a special VIP family pass to visit with the ponies!

Simply leave us a comment telling us if you've ever attended a show like this at one of our local malls or not and you're entered.

And watch our Facebook page because we'll be giving away another 3 passes there this week!

Contest closes October 24 at 11pm.

Good luck!

A trip to the pumpkin patch

by Kamerine A trip to the pumpkin patch is a great fall activity.  My family visits Miller's Farm and Market in Manotick every year.  Miller's is a family-run farm with a personal touch.

Miller's is smaller than some of the other pumpkin patches in the city but it has everything you need for a fantastic visit with great photo ops, hay rides, things for the kids, and, of course, perfect pumpkins.  It was really busy on a beautiful fall day recently when we took the fam.

There are signs for pictures and the challenge is getting one where everyone is looking at the camera.  A difficult task for sure.  My kids aren't the sitting type, but if they were, we'd take them on the popular hay ride.  The highlight, for my kids at least, is an area set up with bundles of hay in a semi circle.  The kids can jump from bale to bale or jump off a bale into the pile of lose hay in the middle.   This would be hours of entertainment if only we'd let them stay.

Miller's sells pumpkins and other squash and fall favourites like corn stalks, mums and cider.  We settled on a medium pumpkin and a little one for each kid.  We let the kids do the choosing and then they rode with the pumpkins to the cash in one of the many wagons available.

If you get a chance, head out to a local pumpkin patch for some fun this fall.  I recommend Miller's.

Kamerine is mom to 3 year old Little J and 1 year old Baby K.  She documents her life with two toddlers, a husband and a cat at followk.blogspot.ca.

Visiting the Agricultural Museum

by Kamerine

Fall, with its cooler weather and beautiful colours, is the perfect time to get out with the kids.  We love this time of year for visiting Ottawa's museums.  Recently we went to the Agriculture Museum. Have you been?

IMG_5522 (Medium)

My kids love seeing the animals and race around checking out all the stalls.  First we see the cows and horses, stopping to gawk at the size of Goody, the bull.  We then check out the outside animals and the chicken coop.  This leads to a stop at the playground which is always packed on a nice day.  I drag them away to go see the goats and sheep, the bunny and pigs.  Finally we get to the back building to see the cows and calves, but we always end our trip with another stop at the playground.  There is more to see and do but that's our usual circuit.

IMG_5517 (Medium)

We love going to the Agriculture Museum so much that we bought a two-year membership.  The thing with having a membership is if my kids throw a huge fit and we have to leave after only having seen the cows, so be it.  We can always come back.  If we spend our entire trip at the playground, that's fine too.

IMG_5472 (Medium)

Membership is great and gets you in to not only the Agriculture Museum, but the Science and Tech Museum and the Aviation Museum too.  These museums are all perfect for kids - lots to see and do and quite stroller-friendly.  We save the Science and Tech and Aviation museums for rainy days.

There are other benefits of being a member such as a discount in the gift shops and admission to museums elsewhere in Canada.  If you're still debating, let me tell you about the members Hallowe'en party coming up.  The Agriculture Museum is hosting a fun party for the kids the weekend before Halloween with crafts and treats and and costumes and more, but you need to be a member and you need to RSVP.

Hopefully I convinced you to get out to the Agriculture Museum.  You can check it out and if you love it put your admission towards a membership.  How nice is that?  Say hello to Goody for us.

Kamerine is mom to 3 year old Little J and 1 year old Baby K.  She documents her life with two toddlers, a husband and a cat at followk.blogspot.ca.