Some of my favorite foods were pizza, rib sandwiches and peaches. I hated the cheeseburgers (they never had hamburgers) and the hotdogs. Though I did love mixing the baked beans with mustard and eating them with the hot dog bun. YUM! And I loved the chocolate milk that I had to wash it all down.

Since I go to the school on a regular basis, I’ve noticed a lot of changes over the years. There are no metal trays anymore. When I was a kid, the metal trays were used, cleaned and used again. Now there are Styrofoam trays, which I don’t agree with using since they’re not good for the environment. There’s also a vending machine in the cafeteria. Man! I wish I had that growing up. Not fair. Then again, kiddo usually doesn’t have money for the machine except for when I give it to him as a treat.

What I miss most about the school lunches was the simplicity of that time. All I had to do was go to school, get through the day (because I had a hard time) and go home. No bills, no job, no worries. At least not as many worries as I have now that I’m an adult. Kiddo and I should trade places. Lol

On the heels of receiving two Daytime Emmy nominations, a season 4 pick up from Nickelodeon and phenomenal ticket sales for their upcoming live tour in Australia, Yo Gabba Gabba! announced they will rock the preschool and young adult set in over 50 cities across North America in 2011 when today’s hottest live show returns this fall. Enthusiastic fans of all ages have the opportunity to see the characters come to life on stage for a live show experience like no other. Kia Motors America will reprise their role as presenting sponsor of the tour. The tour will kick off in Minneapolis at the State Theatre on Thursday, September 15 and will wrap on Sunday, December 11 in Fort Lauderdale at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. Citi® is the official credit card of the tour. 

Visit www.YoGabbaGabbaLive.com for complete tour, ticket and VIP package information.

 YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: It’s Time to Dance! Presented by Kia Motors promises to be a memorable experience, featuring a mix of classic Yo Gabba Gabba! favorites, as well as new songs and new performances. The state-of-the-art, high-energy production features DJ Lance Rock, Brobee, Foofa, Muno, Plex and Toodee, and a mix of music, animation, games, singing and dancing.

Dates, venues and ticket prices are subject to change.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/Yo-Gabba-Gabba/42220833615?ref=ts

Twitter: http://twitter.com/yogabbagabba

If you are in the New York City / Long Island area and would like to try to win tickets to the October 1 show at Nassau Coliseum, you can enter this giveaway!

Jennifer

Wife and mom of four!

www.mommyslinks.com

I have read about movie theaters that offer special sensory nights for children who need the lights up and the sound down and who can’t sit still due to autism or other special needs. I think this is wonderful. I am thinking of taking my oldest son to the next one I can find. Have any of y’all been to one? I am curious to see if you liked it and it was a good experience. I have also heard about cry baby matinees where moms can take babies to the movies. I never tried that but I think it’s a neat idea.

My boys love to “read” and they love to watch educational shows and movies when I let them. I think it’s part of the childhood experience to go to a movie theater and enjoy a big tub of popcorn with the family. I can’t wait to take them. Any tips for a child’s first foray into a movie theater?

I never developed a liking for Kara AT ALL, but I like Ellen, so I totally did not know what to expect for the season premiere of American Idol Season 10.  And I was pleasantly surprised!

Steven Tyler is HYSTERICAL!  So down to earth (at least MY earth… we’re a wacky family!) and very honest.  And JLo was pretty compassionate and I enjoyed watching her have a hard time saying no to the bad singers.

Overall, I am happy that our family night of watching TV together will continue.  I like the new American Idol!

What did you think?

Mom of Seven
Joan Lunden has seven children, three older daughters and two younger sets of twins.  As we both have multiple children who are close in age (her two sets of twins are only two years apart), Joan and I discussed how the children interact with each other.  She shared how her four little ones are each other’s friends and how it is like a daily play date in her house! 

Joan reminded me (and all moms!) not to be so hard on myself as a mom.  She said as moms, we can’t be everything everywhere.  Her three older daughters now say that their mother is their inspiration, and that they value how she has made a successful career and always managed to be at the important events in their lives.  One of her daughters actually works for her and helped design her new linen line!

Joan says that the topic she often discusses with women is focused around the question: “Now that we have it all, how do we do it all?” She says that women and mothers of today need to be creative and utilize all their skills, and they have to constantly reinvent themselves.  She stressed how it is never too late in life for a new venture; the key is to actually go out and do it!  And that is what Joan is doing with Joan Lunden Home.

Joan Lunden Home
Joan wanted to offer a line of home goods and linens which was affordable yet pretty like designer lines.  Just because we live in a time where ‘many American families are on a tight budget shouldn’t mean that our homes can’t be pretty! How can you get a fresh look without spending a ton of money? The best way is to change your linens or your bath towels or your tabletop.’  Joan wanted to be able to offer a line full of ‘no-brainers’ including: easy care products, machine washable products, linens that won’t bunch up in one place, oversized sheets to fit today’s mattresses, the ability to mix and match in different rooms with interchangeable patterns to suit the mood!  And this is exactly what Joan Lunden Home offers.  Because she’s made her living in television, she finds it fitting to launch the line on television.  QVC will offer Joan Lunden Home, and the bedding sets will be available in retail stores later this summer. 

Joan’s life is an amazing story.  Having been the longest running host in the history of morning television, Joan has covered so many worldwide events in 26 countries.  She has covered five U.S. presidents and five Olympics, as well as countless historical moments.  While she has spoken and written about many of these moments, there have been many private moments that she was unable to take a camera crew to.  For instance, during her interview with the Bushes in The White House, Mrs. Bush invited her into their private living quarters.  While of course she was not able to film in their bedroom, she recognizes that visits such as this is what her fans would have loved to be a part of.  Being in morning television for so long, she was in the homes of millions of Americans every morning, and the relationship with her fans has become such a “familial” one, that she wanted to be able to share more of the private moments from her fascinating life in return.  As each of Joan’s bedding lines tells a story, Joan has been able to share those moments that she was not able to capture on television.

The bright blues and yellows in the Stockholm Collection is reminiscent of Joan’s trip to Sweden and her interview with King Gustaf.  The Kenya Collection is reminiscent of Joan’s travels through Africa. 

What’s Next for Joan Lunden Home?
Joan Lunden Home will be introducing a towel line and throws, more pillows, and then adding tabletop linens.  The throws will be extremely soft and comfortable like baby blankets for adults.  The different printed pillows will be suitable to stand alone or for mixing and matching, and will be great for the bedroom, the living room or the family room. 

What’s Next for Joan Lunden?
Joan’s husband, Jeff Konigsberg, owns and operates summer camps for children.  Joan has spent a number of summers at a camp in Maine.  The rejuvenation she experienced from these summers inspired her to create a weekend getaway for women to take their own “time out” from their hectic lives for themselves.   This year, Joan Lunden’s Camp Reveille will take place Thursday, August 19 – Sunday, August 22.  We will certainly be re-connecting with Joan after the launch of Joan Lunden Home to discuss this amazing women’s retreat more in depth, as every mom can certainly use a weekend for herself!

Jennifer Nevadomski
Paul’s Wife
Mom to: Juliana, 8 – Louis and Anthony, 22 months – Joseph, 8 months
www.nevaland.com

I always thought it would be neat for stay at home moms or others on a budget to do a co-op of sorts. Women could teach mini-classes to their friends and vice versa. For example, if one mom knows how to bake a mean chocolate cake, but her newlywed friend burns pancakes, she could get several friends together and have a little baking class. In exchange, maybe her friend can knit beautiful scarves and might give her (and other friends) a little lesson in knitting. I think it would be cool for a group of six or eight friends to pool their talents and teach each other. Wouldn’t that be fun? Not only would it be free, but it would be wonderful to have some “me” time with friends. During the “classes”, everyone could chat about their day and just relax and unwind.

Maybe this is something others already do, but I was just brainstorming ways to learn new things without forking over money to the community college or paying for a babysitter (the kids can have a mini-play date while we learn or put the dads to work).

I know I’d love one of my organized friends to teach me her tricks! I’d be glad to teach my talent of changing two diapers in no time flat.

Shannon
Potamus Prefers
http://www.potamusprefers.com/

He is pretty athletic “All” around. He likes everything, not just 1 sport but all of them. He has played a little AYSO (soccer), Babe Ruth League (baseball) & our local Parks & Rec basketball league. My husband who is a HUGE basketball fan is insisting on a basketball camp. I really don’t want to sway him in any direction. But WE all know how fathers can be when it comes to their boys and sports…

Well, I will keep researching the safest and affordable camp for our family.

~Shanta

We go to the park where they swing and slide and pick up leaves and feed the turtles. They run and play and dig in the mulch. They get dirty and sweaty and come home happy, hungry and exhausted. In their world, that is a fun time and a great way to spend an afternoon. If they’re happy, I’m happy. Of course, I love the park as it is full of fun photo ops.

Another activity we are involved in is growing an herb garden on our porch. They love helping me water it and watching the birds and squirrels fly and scamper across the yard. They like riding their tricycles down the sidewalk and having picnics on the porch. They also enjoy swinging on our porch swing.

It’s starting to get warmer though. I wonder what we’ll do when it’s too hot to spend much time outdoors. Of course, we’ll go to the local swimming pool and spend time in our backyard blowup pool. We’ll also drag out the sprinklers.

All in all, though, I think I’m not all that creative with these things and would love some advice. What are your favorite things to do with toddlers when it’s hot outside and they want to do something new all of the time?

Shannon
Potamus Prefers
http://www.potamusprefers.com/

A little bit into the performance he would clap with everyone and sometimes belt out screams of enjoyment and laughter. There were so many children of all ages there, running around in their different costumes. Almost every little girl was wearing their princess outfits, or Tinkerbell costumes and they all looked so beautiful! Shaughn had his Mickey Mouse shirt, and a Finding Nemo jacket which he didn’t get to wear because surprisingly it was not cold in the arena. I figured with the ice, it would be.

Also, we went there for a hockey game and it was rather cool in there and needed a light sweater, but we didn’t need it this time. With the tickets, Ticketmaster gave a voucher for a free Disney On Ice disposable camera which we used for some candid shots. Using a disposable camera was very awkward since I am so used to digital cameras. After I would take a self portrait of the 3 of us to get in a photo together, I would turn the camera around to try and review the finished photo…only to realize there is no screen back there and I would have to wait for the pictures to develop!

In the 1st Disney On Ice blog, I mentioned the seats would probably not be so great but they were, in fact, very AWESOME seats. We were close and could see everything. I got some great pictures of the characters, and we were very pleased with our first Disney experience as a family.

If they are coming to your town, I highly recommend you pack up your kids and check it out! Just remember to eat dinner before you go, otherwise you may have to pay $10 for a chicken fingers basket! Check out the website, and hopefully they will be coming to a city near you! (http://disney.go.com/disneyonice/#/search/?country=United%20States)

-Krystle