What an awesome event that was today! I'll be honest - there could have been more kiddies there and I WAS kinda sad about that...but I do know that everyone who DID come thought the Happy Moon Show was awesome and thought the whole event, in fact, was pretty special!
Special thanks to our Sponsors:
The Toy Space Inc. brought out their very fun Alien Mascot and did an awesome raffle for $100 gift certificate,
Beauticontrol brought amazing samples of their hand scrub (my hands are SO grateful!),
The Ultimate Kitchen showed us their Epicure and Tupperwear Selections,
Camp Gems Science Camp for Girls! ...omygoodness, my girls were fascinated by their demonstrations -
Fangs'n'Hiss brought out their very special books
Magnificent Creations showed us their uplifting messages
and Red Pearl Homeopathy also displayed their healthy wares...
and Irina Photography will be sending us pictures of the whole thing poste-haste! Whew!
Red Pepper Spectacle let us use their screen and decorated the space for us with their beautiful puppets and art...and Model Citizen couldn't be there cuz it was a pretty big day for his 264 Augusta Street Store at the kick-off for PS Kengsington (We'll be there next month!)
And A HUGE THANK YOU to the staff at the Gladstone Hotel who helped us with so much light and joy, and made the whole process pure bliss, really.
And the VOLUNTEERS - so many cool people - Samantha, Tamara, Ashley, Maxine, Ollie, Kofi and Rodney and Desmond...Omygoodness, I have a list more of people but I need to grab all the names from JERRY JEREMIAH - who launched his book today: SOMETIMES, THAT's ME!
And not to forgot the rocking, swaying music of I Eat Kids! who were a huge delight!
I AM THRILLED! SOMETIMES, THAT'S ME! :D
I'll be back shortly with some pics and other cool info from the Dance Party. Obviously - NOBODY palyed my video game (boo hoo! it's fun, y'all!), so I just left it at that but I DO owe you a video of Songs Are Not For Circles! I just couldn't find the time before this, (especially when I realized that the site (CircleSing.com) was, actually- after it's re-write, in need of a massive reorg to make it tighter, cleaner and easier to navigate). This week is all about adding this video (actually, I auctioned off the one copy I had but I did recieve THREE orders:) and will use one of those in the video) - and links for all our generous sponsors on the front page...look out for all that. You know I do all this stuff by myself, right? ;p Well, I do! Same as I raise my girl! (Well, I get a lot more help with that than this, actually - I have great friends!:) That's why, sometimes, things take a little longer...just so you know:)
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Sunday, May 31, 2009
The Family Dance Party!!!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Thank you SPONSORS!...(and FREE STUFF)
Omygoodness, I'm getting so excited! This totally is promising to be one of the hottest events I've ever been part of and I can thank my sponsors for it's extra awesomeness! These people will be showing their wares and providing even MORE opportunity for fun times at the event (click to enlarge):
| Camp Gems |
| Steve's Music Store |
| Model Citizen |
| The ToySpace |
| Irinaphotography |
| Zen . Tai Wellness Centre |
| Fangs'n Hiss Ltd. |
| Tupperware c/o The Ultimate Kitchen - Ingrid's Team |
| BeautiControl |
We'll have a little loot for everyone who joins us on that day!!! and
Raffles for a Free SongBook (Songs Are Not Just For Circles!) and storybooks (Not-So-Only-Child) as well as gift certificates from Dominoes, candy(!!!) and MORE!
(your first chance to win is FREE with admission!)
More information to follow - I was just SUPER excited to say THANK YOU! to all the awesome, smaller, Canadian owned and run businesses sponsoring our event!!!
THANKS!!!
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Click Here to Read More...
Friday, May 15, 2009
WIN TICKETS with Desktop Tower Defense!
This strategy game is one of my all-time favourites - for many reasons...they're all listed here in my little article below. I challenge you to beat my high score. But don't worry if you don't. The highest score (regardless of whether it beats mine) will win a full Family set of tickets to the Family Dance Party on May 31st at the Gladstone Ballroom - Click Here for that information.
Here is an example of how the game is played:
This guy is much better than I am (but still not the best) - I still juggle and I haven't yet reached this score.
Click HERE for the written instructions.
Click HERE to see the scoreboard.
It's called: The CircleSing! Challenge
(you have to be careful to type it EXACTLY as it is here or you won't find it.)
Also important: I still play version 1.5 MEDIUM (I do play to relax, after all) - if you play HARD, you won't find the scoreboard either. The PRO version is still very new and I haven't had a chance to check it out yet (Video game designers are constantly improving themselves at an alarming rate!)
Once you've finished the game (the whole thing lasts about 5 minutes), it will ask you to add your name to the High Scores. Choose a name and enter it. (You don't have to enter every score! Feel free to practice first:)
A page will open asking you to Add Score to Group. THIS is where you enter: The CircleSing! Challenge. Again - make sure to type that EXACTLY the same as it appears here. (no period)
Up there now is my score (jennielea!) and my friend's score (AnonymousOne) - just so you know you're in the right place. You can also click on our names to see the maps we used.
THEN: Send me an email at circlesing@sympatico.ca
Include your name, phone number and the name you used on the scoreboard.
This is important so I know for whom I'm saving the winning tickets at the door!
Also - even if you don't win the tickets, a lovely consolation (sur)prize will be waiting for you at the Family Dance Party JUST for having played.
Ready!? GO! : Desktop TD 1.5
The deadline for scoring is Friday May 23rd. I will call the winner on Saturday May 24th.
Why play a video game???
Recently there was a long and involved email chat between parents at Alpha Alternative (where Allegra attends) about video games. People get worried about these things. I can understand that. SO many video games encourage violence, there is the concern that children pull away from the real world in favour of the one on the screen...(I, myself, worry about screen addiction in general), there is a lack of physical involvement (which, I guess, Wii and DDR are trying to solve) and, many are concerned, understandably, with the "dumbing down" of our precious youngsters.
I don't entirely agree with all of these worries. But then, I really like video games - I always have. It's very natural to me - I grew up in a home where the PARENT was obsessed with every new system and game that emerged and started, myself, in the classroom of all places (although the teachers did put limits on it), with Space Invaders. Ha! 'Member that?! And while I feel that the obsession in my childhood home bordered on the unhealthy at times (we NEVER turned off the TV in our house, for instance), I'm also still able to see the merits of video games.
I find video games can be helpful for stress relief, particularly. Sometimes I NEED to get away. It's really hard for me to stop the whirring in my brain, and to step away from gathering the energy of any person sitting near me; to just pull away and rest. And I really need to rest far more often than my mind will allow in this busy world - I found that out the hard way. Eep!
I remember reading somewhere that brain waves are even slower when watching TV than they are when sleeping. Which makes sense to me, because sleeping can cause the mind to try and deal with issues from wake time on an unconscious level...especially if the issues are overwhelming. When watching TV, the mind doesn't have to create scenarios or solve problems or do anything really - just absorb. Video games, IMO, offer a nice balance there. They set up scenarios away from real life but require the mind to actively deal with them.
So, while Yoga is still my number one method of finding calm, video games come a close second - especially when I don't want to pull away for a long period of time but just need a moment or two to sit back and recoup. Or when I need more time but my body is tired from cycling and working. Also, sometimes the whirring gets the better of me and I have difficulty organizing my thoughts (particularly when I'm dealing with UGH! bureaucracy!) and I need something to set my brain straight STAT!
With regards to Allegra - I feel it's important for her to have this time to do what pleases her and also to practice getting up and walking away from it when it's time. I limit the amount of time she's allowed to play (no set limit, it depends on the circumstances of the day) and what she's allowed to play. Sometimes there is violence (in Role Playing Games (RPGs), mostly) - and I see that as an opportunity for us to discuss what is appropriate In Real Life(IRL) and what, clearly, only makes sense in a fantasy world. Also, I'm impressed with the skills she gathers during these games such as problem solving, math, language, strategizing, and the ability to take a failure and turn it into a success.
Video games are generally well-structured with regards to skill development, offering levels of increasing difficulty that make perfect sense. Each level increases the difficulty JUST enough so that boredom doesn't ensue and frustration is limited. Unlike school or other activities, "failures" don't have to be shared with everyone, they can be acknowledged and let go, thereby allowing room for improvement, limiting embarrassment and therefore discouragement. And the significance is ultra-low, it's not real life; there's nothing REAL to lose in failure...and there is ALWAYS another chance. That can make all the difference to a burgeoning self-esteem, right there.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
HAPPY MOTHER's DAY!
This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf saying, "It's okay honey, Mommy's here." Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can’t be comforted. This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse. For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON’T. This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they’ll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes. This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors. And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars. And that when their kids asked, "Did you see me, Mom?" they could say,” Of course, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world," and mean it. This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens. This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the (grand) mothers who wanted to, but just couldn't find the words. This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat. For all the mothers who read "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then read it again. "Just one more time.” This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school.
This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach aches, assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away. This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them. For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their14 year olds dye their hair green. For all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting. For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely. This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray they come home safely from a war. What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time? The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby? The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 A.M. when you just want to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in your home? Or the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying? The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation... And mature mothers learning to let go. For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. Single mothers and married mothers. Mothers with money, mothers without. This is for you all. For all of us...Hang in there. In the end we can only do the best we can. Tell them every day that we love them. And pray.” Home is what catches you when you fall - and we all fall."
~Anonymous
PS...That thing about the songbook was SUPPOSED to say next month...it's almost done! And the show's almost here! 3 weeks! Wanna win tickets? Stay tuned. Wanna Buy tickets? Paypal on my site at http://www.circlesing.com/events.html
