Xiaolin Mama Reviews

Disneyland Trip Giveaway

Update:  The winner of the Disneyland Giveaway is... Gail of @microblogginmom.  You can find her on twitter ALOT!  Looking forward to get to know her and her whole family better.  Thanks to everyone for entering!

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I love Disneyland. I love it even more when my family and I get the VIP treatment. Last month, the team at Disney were kind enough to fly me and my family down for the weekend. We flew, the kids missed a day of school and we took a much needed vacation. The whole place was decked out for Halloween and it was simply awesome. Along with 20 other mom bloggers, the family and I were treated to a VIP tour of the Magic Kingdom - including our favorite rides new and old - Pirates of Caribbean, the Tea Cups and the Haunted House!

One of our favorite rides was Space Mountain, which was transformed into Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy for the Halloween weekend. Ghosts appear out of the starry darkness and swirling galaxies of Space Mountain, reaching out as if to grab guests as they speed through space. My 9 year old LOVED it. My 6 year old thought it was fine, and would be okay with never having to go on it again. LOL! It had been years since we went on that ride and it simply kicked butt!

If you are thinking about checking out the park for Halloween, you CAN NOT miss the fire works show. Take a nap in the middle of the day if you think you will be too tired. Just don't miss it. I grew up in the shadow of Disneyland park and could see the show almost every night out of my bedroom window.  Honestly, this show is nothing like I have seen before! The “Halloween Screams - A Villainous Surprise in the Skies" fireworks spectacular did not disappoint. The kids and I drank hot chocolate and were awed by the entire presentation! To start the show, “Master of Scare-omonies” Jack Skellington appears in a flash of fire above Sleeping Beauty Castle. There is fire, scary music, laser lights and fireworks. You have GOT to see this. We are going back next year (yes, even with the 7 hour drive!) to see this again. Really- it rocked that much!

So who wants to go to Disneyland??   The kind folks at Disneyland are hosting me and my family again for a trip to Disneyland the weekend of November 20th to 22nd. If you live in the Bay Area and want to go with us, then you and three guests can come along!! The park will be all decked out for the holidays, so it will be extra fun without the crowds!  woot!

The prize includes: Flight for 4 people from San Jose Airport to Orange County Airport on Friday, Nov. 20 returning on Sunday, November 22nd, accommodations at the Disneyland Hotel and Park Hopper passes for 4 for all three days. On the 22nd, you and your group MUST attend a VIP tour and dinner with us (me and my family) hosted by the Disneyland Parks staff. You are on your own to enjoy the park before and after this part. Dinner is included and mandatory on the 22nd, but you are own your own for food and other expenses before and after the official Disney tour. You also don't have to hang out with me and my family the whole time except during the tour: ) But you are more than welcome too! We don't bite - I promise!

YOU MUST BE ABLE TO GO TO DISNEYLAND ON NOV. 20-22, 2009. THE TRIP CAN NOT BE USED ANOTHER WEEKEND AND IT IS NOT TRANSFERABLE TO ANYONE AND CAN'T BE SOLD TO ANYONE. YOU MUST BE WILLING TO FLY OUTTA  SAN JOSE AIRPORT. 

MOST IMPORTANTLY, YOU MUST BE NICE TO MY KIDS AND BE FUN TO TAKE ON A TRIP! :)

How do I enter? You do not have to be a blogger or on twitter, just a fan of me or my blog and LOVE Disneyland as much as I do.

1.) Leave a comment by 10/27/09 midnight on the xiaolinmamareviews.com site. Tell me what you'd look forward to the most if you won the trip or your favorite memory of going there. You must leave a valid email for me to contact you. If I can't email you, you can't win.

2.) I will choose a winner using www.random.com and announce the winner here on Wednesday, 10/28/09 afternoon. I will email the winner directly, so make sure your email is valid.

Extra chances to win:

1.) Follow me on twitter @xiaolinmama.  If you do already, leave me a comment telling me that and I'll count it as an extra chance.

2.) Tweet the contest, you can use this language or make up your own, Copy/Paste: "Bay Area peeps only - @xiaolinmama is givin' away a trip to Disneyland! Contest ends 10/27  Enter now! http://bit.ly/ZzxGO "

I will track the tweets through Tweet Grid, so no worries about sending me the permalinks.

3.) Blog about my giveaway- with a link back here. (Share the link in my comments section AFTER it is live.)

FULL DISCLOSURE: Disneyland Parks paid for my family and I to visit the park in September 2009 and are sponsoring the trip in November 2009 for my family again.  They are also paying for one of my readers and three guests to check out the park, flights and a room at the Disneyland Hotel. They did not pay for me to do this review. Thanks Disneyland Parks!

Disneyland Memories 2009 Part One

Having grown up about 15 minutes from the park, going to Disneyland wasn't a "vacation" destination.  It was the place where my parents took visiting relatives for a day or simply dropped off for the day.  A trip to the Magic Kingdom was the incentive for all the kids who sold 3 cases of chocolate for the school fundraiser - 90 chocolate bars!  It was the place I went on dates with boys in high school or college where we snuck kisses in the "People Mover" ride or held hands as walked through Fantasy Land. I knew at least a dozen friends who had summer jobs at D-land. I could see the Disney fireworks in the distance from my bedroom window and could set my watch by the 9pm show.  Disneyland has long been part of the fabric of my childhood.

With two kids in tow, my husband and I have taken the kids to Disneyland quite a few times.  I remember my daughter was in the midst of her princess obsession and HAD to wear her Cinderella dress to the park.  We stood in line for what seemed like hours for the chance to meet/take photos of Princess Jasmine, Aurora and Ariel.  When Kiley, then 4 and 1/2, met Cinderella, she was positively entranced.  My normally outgoing confident daughter was dumbstruck and immediately became shy and awkward.   Cinderella, being wise, quickly drew her in, signed her autograph book and made my little princess feel like she was on cloud 9.  My son, on the other hand, was obsessed by the Toy Story movie. He had the same experience when he met Woody and Buzz Lightyear.

This trip was different, in that neither child was interested in waiting in line for hours to see characters this time.  The whole parked was decked out for Halloween, so everything was new and exciting! They were rabid over the fun rides and my 9YO boy wanted to do nothing more than ride Space Mountain or the Indiana Jones ride all day.  My daughter discovered rides besides "Dumbo" and the "Tea Cups" and was the first to stand in line at the Pirates of Caribbean.  She woke me up at 6:30 a.m., so we could be at the Nemo ride when the doors opened.

It is fun to see how our trips to Disneyland have evolved over the years.  From spending all our time in Fantasyland to now exploring the roller coasters of Adventureland.  The entire family could get on the rides together and enjoyed them, sharing memories we'll have for a lifetime.  The kids could read their own map and had opinions about what they wanted to see. No one had to be carried or pushed in a stroller - yet we all felt like little kids at the "Happiest Place on Earth".

Full Disclosure: This trip was paid for in full by Disneyland Parks - Thanks Disneyland!!

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". 

My love affair with San Jose's The Dance Affair studio

I have written a million times about my daughter - the ballerina princess.  This weekend was the year end recital of her dance studio, The Dance Affair, in San Jose.  It was a 2 hour extravaganza with varied acts featuring 3 year olds who look just adorable in their costumes to 18 year olds who are graduating and heading off to college.  There were over 150 dance students and their parents with cameras ready to document their stage debuts.  My daughter and her class mates were adorable (yes I am biased!).  They knew their steps, were in sync and most of all were confident.

Erica Fairfield, school founder and her entire staff (including her daughter, Indie) are excellent.  They are the epitome of patient.  Like pied pipers, they magically lead all these energetic kids into learning tap, jazz and ballet while having fun.  My daughter simply loves her class and wishes she could spend every free moment there.  I remember the first day we took classes there and that I had to pry her clinging hands and feet off my leg.  Now after several years, she hops up the stairs and into class without looking back.  My baby is growing up.  (Aw shucks!)

I can not sing their praises enough. Thanks Erica and Team!

The Dance Affair
850 No. Winchester Blvd.
San Jose, CA. 95128
http://www.thedanceaffair.com