When I was young and single, St. Patrick’s Day was all about going to an Irish pub. But since I started a family, St. Patrick’s Day has not been a big deal in our house.

Until this year.

This year, my kindergartener fell in love with St. Patrick’s Day: the leprechauns, the gold, the leprechaun booby-traps, and all thins green. So I partnered with Cheryl’s cookies and The Popcorn Factory to have a little fun with my boys.

We created a pot of gold out of construction paper and hung it on our front window (you know, so the leprechauns could see it).

Then, we waited.

The first mysterious package to appear on our porch (from a leprechaun of course) was a 2 gallon bucket of  premium GREEN popcorn from The Popcorn Factory. My little was amazed to see popcorn tinted green for St. Patrick’s day and could not wait to bring the bin of green popcorn to school the next day to share with his classmates.

And yes, he was convinced the popcorn came from a leprechaun.

A few days later, we received another package, this time from Cheryls that said “It’s Your Lucky Day”.  We opened the box to find a buttercream frosted shamrock cookie and $5 gift card.

Now my kindergartener loves St. Patrick’s more than ever!

Be sure to visit Cheryl’s on Facebook to see all of their springtime specials!

Click here to view TJ’s Art Studio App Now

We are so excited to be partnering with TJ & Pals, one of my son’s favorite educational websites for kids. TJ & Pals is an interactive, safe play, creative oasis. It’s hands-on digital playground where kids can play, learn and grow at their own pace, and that parents can trust.

Free Six Month Membership to TJ & Pals!

We only have 50 free Six Month Subscriptions to TJ & Pals to give away…so HURRY!

To receive your free 6 month subscription, simply enter your email address in the form below (your email address will not be used for any other purpose).

We will email you within 24 hours after you fill you out the form below…

Last weekend we hosted a Learn, Create, and Share LeapFrog Party. To prepare for the party, I had my boys experiment with the LeapPad learning tablet, the Tag Reading System, and the interactive World Map that we received from LeapFrog and Mommy Parties.

The LeapPad Learning Tablet

My kids, especially my 5-year-old, fell in love with the LeapPad. Since he already uses my iPad, he intuitively knew how to use the LeapPad, navigate the menus, use the camera, and play the games.

The best thing we have discovered so far about the LeapPad is the “All About Me Story” app where kids get to star in their very own digital books. The kids loved taking pictures, placing them on different pages, and then adding their own voice over. Allowing the kids to add their voice to their books is simply brilliant. My boys were engages, extremely creative, and absolutely cracking themselves up!

LeapPad is a tablet just for kids with a built-in camera and video recorder. We haven’t explored the video camera too much but all the kids loved this kid-friendly easy-access camera.

LeapFrog now has a library of over 100 interactive learning games and activities. According the LeapFrog, LeapPad apps focus on reading, mathematics, science, geography, art, music, language, culture, health, creativity, and more.

The Tag Reader System

After exploring the LeapPad, they used the interactive Tag Reader to read one of the Spiderman stories. And again, the 5-year-old boys were fully engaged with the interactive sounds, words, and stories.

Click here to see how the Tag Reader System works.

Here’s what LeapFrog has to say about their Tag Reading System:

“Tag Reading System brings stories to life with each touch of the interactive Reader to the pages of specially printed storybooks. Words talk, pictures come to life and stories live out loud, engaging children’s senses to make reading a rich, fulfilling experience. Children can use Tag as they begin their own personal learn-to-read journeys, then continue to enjoy it as their skills grow, from hearing an entire story read aloud to seeking help with individual words. With a library of 40+ books, maps and more, children can also take the fun beyond reading with fun play patterns that broaden curriculum experiences such as exploring other cultures, building skills in life science or even learning how to write!”

The World Map

The kids also loved the Tag World Map, which I think is so much better than a globe for young kids. The kids had a lot of ah-ha moments about the world since this map was interactive and truly brought countries to life. They clicked on almost every country to learn fun facts and were super excited to share what they were learning with the adults.

Thank you LeapFrog and Mommy Parties for this fun and educational experience!

Disclosure: Level 1 – Some or all of the products mentioned were provided to us free of charge.

Mickey & Minnie’s Magical Journey

Disney On Ice is coming back to Chicago presenting Mickey & Minnie’s Magical Journey. This show includes skits from The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Peter Pan and Lilo & Stitch.

• Discover Ariel and Sebastian’s enchanting undersea kingdom
• Visit the Pride Lands with Simba and Nala
• Soar through starry skies with Peter Pan and his sassy fairy friend Tinker Bell
• And say “aloha” to fun with Lilo and Stitch.

Where and When

• United Center
• Wednesday 9/7 at 7:00pm
• Thursday 9/8  at 7:00pm
• Friday 9/9  at 7:00pm
• Saturday 9/10 at 11:30, 3:30, and 7:00
• Sunday 9/11 at 11:30, 3:30, and 7:00*

  *Spanish

  

  Special Savings

Purchase tickets at Ticketmaster to receive 4 tickets for just $44 to the 7:00 p.m. performance on Wednesday September 7 or the 7:00 p.m. performance on Thursday September 8 at — or save $4 per ticket on all remaining performances by using code MOM1.

Regular Ticket Prices

• Front Row – weekend = $70 / weekday = $55
• VIP – weekend = $50 /weekday = $40
• P1 – $24
• P2 – $19
• P3 – $13

Purchase tickets here.

Note: FREE PARKING in all official United Center parking lots.  Go to www.unitedcenter.com for more information.  Facility and handling fees may apply to ticket prices.

I am starting a new series on Mom Renewal called Family Renewal. It’s all about playful quality time with my family and I’m kicking it off with the Cars Toon: Mater’s Tall Tales Wii game that I received from Disney Interactive Studios and Mom Central Consulting.

I thought it would something fun to do with the entire family, but in reality it was only a fit for my (almost) seven year old. Check out his first product review video below to hear his authentic review of the game.

Disclaimer:  Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Disney Interactive Studios provided my family with a Cars Toon: Mater’s Tall Tales Wii game to facilitate this review. The opinions are 100% our own.