Xiaolin Mama Reviews

Ringling Brothers Circus Fun for the Whole Family

When my daughter was 4 she told me she wanted to be a "clown" when she grew up.  Having grown up in the 80's and seen my share of bad scary movies with creepy clowns and carnies, I said, "nice hunny!"  and quickly said a lil' prayer that her dream didn't come true. 

This week me and the whole family had the opportunity to check out the "Greatest Show on Earth"  aka the Ringling Bros circus (Thanks to Lauren at Mom Central!).   I had a vague memory of going to the circus on a school field trip in Madison Square Garden, sitting in the nosebleed seats and someone throwing up close by.  My husband and I had not been under the Big Top in decades, nor has either of our children (unless you count time at Circus Circus, while Daddy is playing Black Jack), so I was excited to give 'em all a new experience. 

I was floored by the whole experience, this was NOT the circus of my vague childhood.  This version was contemporary, complete with upbeat hip-hop songs that my six year old could sing along to.  Before the show started, there was an  opportunity to mix and mingle with the circus characters up close and personal.  They had a station where children could try on some of the outrageous costumes and could see the clowns perform up close.   Speaking of clowns, they were pretty funny, engaged the kids and were not scary in the least.  Whew! 

I was surprised and impressed by the whole things.  It was contemporary - part magic show, part Cirque Du Soleil and part Tom and Jerry Cartoon.  There was so much to see and it moved at a quick pace.  I was surprise by how young everyone in the circus cast was - Where was the "Fat Lady"? Nowhere to be found, as it seemed everyone in the main circle was good looking and under 21.  The Ring Master himself, Alex Ramon, was from the Bay Area (woot woot) and didn't sport a sinister looking mustache.  My kids loved him.  I was also surprised that BOTH my kids had a great time.  It is hard to find something that both 6YO girl and 10 YO boys would enjoy.  One of them always seems bummed about something - but this time, there were oohs and aahs all over the place.  Now that is priceless. 

What did the kids like the best?  My six year old daughter loved the "Dog Acts".  She squealed with delight when the dogs danced in a conga line.  My son loved the tigers, in particular their cool tricks and when they sat on each other.  They also liked going to the Animal Open House, where they could check out the animals up close before the show. The $12.00 cotton candy was a huge hit, as was the pizza.  I loved the Chinese Acrobats, appreciated that beer was sold and think I am over my fear of clowns now! 

Going to the circus was awesome.  Get there early to meet the clowns, check out the animals and take it all in.  It can overload the senses, but I think we all had a good time. 

Interested in seeing for yourself?  Purchase a 4 pack of tickets for only $44.00 by logging in to www.ticketmaster.com and entering the coupon code "Mom". 

An evening with Estée Lauder

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Estée Lauder.

While I was at the BlogHer conference last week, I had the opportunity to attend an event hosted by Estée Lauder- the folks who "know" my new favorite night serum, Advanced Night Repair.

I was hoping that someone would give me the inside scoop on this little bottle of magic. I expected them to give me the full court press on Estée Lauder products, but I walked away with much more - a whole new respect for the entire line.

A Senior Vice President shared Lauder's "start up" story:

Estée Lauder waited all day for the cosmetics buyer at Sak's Fifth Avenue for the chance to sell her new product. Impressed with her spunk, he gave her a chance. She scored six inches of counter space. She dropped a bottle on the floor filling the room with its fresh scent. In two days, Sak's was sold out. The rest is history and Estée Lauder has gone on to become one of the largest and lucrative cosmetics companies in the world. Estée Lauder herself has been hailed as one of the foremost business women ever.

Something about the story of a woman ahead of her time stuck with me. Estée Lauder was smart, savvy and built a business on her own terms. She was a woman ahead of her time- not unlike many women entrepreneurs today, not unlike myself :)

Over the course of the evening, I learned more about the science behind the Advanced Night Repair

product. The Estée Lauder senior manager suggested putting it on my hands, neck and décolleté which is often ignored in my daily cleansing regimen. We both agreed that we'd rather slather on products than have plastic surgery! I often don't pay close attention to the science behind products. I admit I wholeheartedly am a sap and fall for nice smells and what my skin feels like after using it. The science is not, but I it often goes in one ear and out the other. While there is no way I could regurgitate the technicalities of it all - I do know this, the science behind using serums at night makes complete sense. It put a whole new spin on needing my "beauty sleep".

We were also given a menu of "Two Minute" treatments to choose from that anyone can get at any department store Estée Lauder counter for free. A few of these included: finding the right foundation (including free 10 day supply), facial skin health check and make-up tune up. I vowed not to buy anything - but was enamored by the Pure Color Crystal Lip Gloss that my sales associate, Magdalena, put on me that I simply could not resist. I got so many compliments on it all night, that I could not help but think that this was the best $20 I'd spent all weekend.

The evening was fun, trying new makeup and learning about the serum that in all honesty has given my skin a new tighter, texture. I left looking great and feeling even better knowing that it all started with a "ballsy woman" who went after what she wanted with gusto.