Mommy Bits

Going For His Brown Belt

ShannanB — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 23:00:47 +0000

SM has been working really hard, and today he tested for his Brown Belt in karate.
A proud mama, I thought I would share this video of him doing his Kata during the test.
He is the one on the left side of the screen.

Date Night With Billy Elliot

ShannanB — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:32:20 +0000

Last night my husband and I had the chance to see Billy Elliot the Musical at the Aronoff Center downtown. Working in the arts, I have a slight obsession with theatre, and musical theatre in particular.

I went into it not really knowing much about the show, other than it had received a Tony Award or two and that Elton John wrote the score. Wow, was there so much more to know.

Billy Elliot The Musical is a touching story about a young boy, growing up in England during the miner’s strike in the 1980s. While Billy’s father and brother want him to focus on boxing as a hobby, by chance he ends up attending a ballet class where he soon discovers he has a hidden talent for the craft. Throughout the show you experience a range of emotions, from laughing at the silliness of numbers like “Express Yourself,” and “Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher,” to tears during the song, “Dear Billy.”

While all of the actors are amazing, I was particular fond of the performances by Kylend Hetherington, the young actor who played the role of Billy, Ben Cook, the actor who played his quirky best friend Michael, Rich Hebert (Dad) and Leah Hocking who played the fabulous role of Mrs. Wilkinson, the ballet instructor.

Here’s how promoters describe the show:

Based on the Academy Award nominated 2000 film of the same title, Billy Elliot is the story of its namesake star, a young boy in a depressed working-class mining town in the North of England. Set during the history-making 1984 miner’s strike, the show follows Billy, the youngest child of a blue-collar family that has recently lost its Mum, as he discovers his unlikely and extraordinary gift for ballet. While Billy’s father and brother take to the picket lines of the violent and life-changing strike, Billy secretly begins to study the art of dance with the help of a hard-drinking, chain-smoking local dance teacher. But as Billy blossoms and thrives, the world and lives around him continues to wither—and his only escape may be the prestigious Royal Ballet School, a place no working-class boy has ever gone, or been allowed to go to, before.

Billy Elliot is brought to life by a phenomenal cast and the Tony Award-winning creative team (director Stephen Daldry, choreographer Peter Darling and writer Lee Hall) along with music legend Elton John, who has written what the New York Post calls “his best score yet!”

I would recommend seeing Billy Elliot the Musical – it was a roller coaster of a ride emotionally, but inspiring. If you are thinking of taking the kids, please note that there is a LOT of swearing in the show (much of which comes from the mouths of the children). While it’s nothing you wouldn’t hear on Showtime or HBO (Piss Off, etc.), I probably would limit it to teens and up.

Billy Elliot the Musical is playing at the Aronoff through January 29th. Click here for information on getting tickets.

Thank you to organizers with Broadway Across America for providing me with a pair of tickets to see Billy Elliot the Musical. It’s an experience I’ll remember for years to come. Photos courtesy of the Billy Elliot The Musical website.

Social Media and Celebrity Encounters

ShannanB — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 21:41:14 +0000

When I was a child, I can remember taking the time to write a letter to Alyssa Milano. Who’s the Boss was one of my favorite shows and I just idolized her. Back then when you tried to reach out to a celebrity via mail, the odds of ever getting a response were slim to none. And actually, the odds that the celebrity ever even saw your letter were probably pretty slim too.

Today, with the advent of social media and with social media tools like Twitter and Facebook, things have changed. Not only are we able to “peek” into the worlds of celebrities by becoming a Fan of their Facebook Page or following them on Twitter, but we can also reach out to them in a way we were never able to do in the past.

Last night I was laying on the sofa watching bad TV when actor Sean Hayes Tweeted that GRIMM was about to come on NBC. Now this is a show that I had not yet seen, but had heard a lot about. I quickly clicked over to NBC and decided, “What the hell, I’m going to respond to his Tweet.” Thinking nothing more of it, imagine my surprise when a few minutes later, I got the following alert in my inbox:

Sean Hayes responded to my Tweet……….

No longer are celebrities unreachable. No longer are they only accessible through cable network talk shows or entertainment magazines. Have a question for Chelsea Handler? Tweet her. What to know where the band Cowboy Mouth loves to eat in New Orleans? Post your question to their Fan Page. Odds are, you’ll get a response. Oh, and think celebrities aren’t monitoring the social media space for mentions? The smart ones are.

Here’s another example:

Back in August of 2010 E! Network debuted a new TV series called The Spin Crowd. It followed Jonathan Cheban and his public relations business in LA. As a PR professional I was excited for the premeire. Unfortunately as I watched the first episode, rather than pride, all I felt was embarrasment. Embarrassment for the way that they were protraying my field and the people in it. Like many, I took to Twitter to share my frustrations. Not directing my comments to anyone in particiular, but just saying how horrible the show was. Much to his credit, Jonathan must of had a search set up on Twitter for “Spin Crowd” because within moments he responded to my Tweet. While I still loathed the program, I was impressed with his social media savvy.

In this day and age, celebrities have to think of themselves as Brands and the smart ones will take advantage of social media applications and the ability they provide to engage with fans (brand advocates).

All this has me thinking…… perhaps I should try Tweeting Alyssa Milano now

Randomness

ShannanB — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:40:36 +0000

I’ve been on a bit of a blogging hiatus due to the craziness of the holidays so I thought I’d give a quick update on some of the more exciting things we’ve been up to.

First and foremost, I became an aunt! That’s right, my brother and his wife had a little boy earlier this month. He’s the sweetest, most amazing little guy and I can’t believe how wonderful he is. I am completely smitten with him. This is me with my brother at the hospital.

Next up, my husband celebrated his 37th birthday. This year the boys made him gifts at Color Me Mine in Crestview Hills. Here’s Sean painting a fish-shaped picture frame that he picked out for his Dad. One of his favorite things to do with his dad is fishing and so he thought it was the perfect gift (and it was). It’s cut off a bit, but if you look closely you’ll see he painted the number ’37′ on the tail

Our family is a Food Network family. When we do watch TV, you’ll typically find us on this channel. As such, over the winter break the boys challenged my husband and I to compete in a little “Iron Chef” competition. They gave us 20 minutes and we had to prepare two dishes using Ritz crackers. While I feel that I was the obvious winner…. The results were a tie! My dishes, seen here, were mini-smores and mini pepperoni pizzas (I of course was playing up to dishes I know the boys love….). We had an absolute blast and I am sure this won’t be the last Iron Chef challenge at our house.

Finally, this year we started a new Christmas Eve tradition and it was awesome. Rather than just do a big Christmas Eve dinner or watch movies, we did a fire pit and spent the evening outside, making smores, sipping hot apple cider and just talking about the year we’d had. We invited my parents over and it was lovely. I can’t wait to do it again next year. It’s something I think the boys will always remember.

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Making Ornaments at Brazee Street Studios

ShannanB — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 21:00:41 +0000

Today the boys and I had the best time making glass ornaments at Brazee Street Studios in Oakley. Each Saturday they have open house hours where kids (and parents) can come in and make that months project. Cost was just $15 per ornament.

This is definitely something that we’ll be adding to our “to do list” each month.

Snow White at Ensemble Theatre

ShannanB — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:18:38 +0000

Over the weekend the boys and I had the chance to attend a preview showing of Ensemble Theatre’s new production, Snow White. Now, this is not your traditional version of Snow White, it’s not only a twist on the original, but it’s a little darker. The story contains some of the main characters from the original – you have the Queen, the prince, and of course snow white. The seven dwarfs have been replaced with seven “halflings” - characters that are half human, half animal. This is actually the first time this version has been performed on stage.

The show is a musical and follows the story of the queen’s journey to be the strongest, smartest, most talented and fairest of them all in her country. I won’t give it away, but it’s a fun twist that will have your attention the entire length of the performance. Note: If you have a skiddish child, there are a few “scary” effects with regards to lighting and loud noises.

The show runs about 1 hour 40 minutes and there is a ten minute or so intermission. You can catch Snow White at Ensemble Theatre Nov. 30 – Dec. 31.

“Snow White at ETC Show“

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Thank you to Ensemble Theatre for inviting the boys and I to preview Snow White.

Photo Credit: Three production photos included in the slideshow above were provided by Ensemble Theatre. Photo credit belongs to Ryan Kurtz.

Adventures in Columbus – COSI

ShannanB — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:30:23 +0000

Yesterday we spent the day in Columbus, checking out COSI for the first time. What an amazing place. It blew our minds. If you get a chance to head up that way, I’d definetely recommend making COSI part of your agenda. We spent more than 5 hours exploring the center and could have spent many more. The boys had so much fun interacting with all of the stations and LOVED the toy experience in the lobby where they had a chance to learn how to Yo-Yo from a Duncan Yo Yo Champion!

“Picnik Show“

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Pumpkin Evolution

ShannanB — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:45:45 +0000

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A Little Bit of Iowa… in Kentucky

ShannanB — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 12:38:09 +0000

If you didn’t know this about me, I grew up in a small town in Iowa. While we lived “in town,” farm life was a big part of my youth.

While its been more than 20 years since my parents moved us to Kentucky, a big piece of my identity feels rooted in my time growing up there.

This weekend I had a chance to give my children a little peek into that world when we headed out to visit Farm Haven in Union, KY. While I thought it would be jut another trip to a pumpkin patch, it was so much more.

One of the things that sets Farm Haven apart is its corn maze. Walking into that maze brought back a flood of memories for me. It was a little overwhelming (not the maze part) to be in the field, talking to my children about how I grew up, the things I did as a child, how it was same/different from their experiences.

The next thing that stood out and took me home was the hayride, which was not your typical hayride. Farm Haven actually takes you out into the cow pasture where you get to feed and pet the cows. Not cows in pens, but cows roaming free. To watch the faces of the boys as the herd approached the wagon, as the cows licked their hands as the fed them corn, it was priceless and blew me away.

Farm Haven also had an area with hay bales that kids could play on, something I did as a child. It was surreal to watch my boys playing on them, and I could almost see myself again at their age, playing with my friends.

If your looking for a farm experience that’s “real,” I’d suggest heading out to Farm Haven. For this Iowa gal, they hit it on the nose.
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Under the Catholic School Influence

ShannanB — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 22:13:52 +0000

On my computer I have a sticky-note program that let’s me create digital post-it reminders and I can “stick” them on my desktop.

Today when I sat down at my desk I found the following note, left by my 9yr old. Looks like he’s paying attention in Religion class!