The Golden Meatball

I try to take the boys to at least one live stage show a year.  Encouraging an interest in the arts is so important to raising a well-rounded child.  That’s why we do all sorts of extra curricular things from visiting art shows, to watching dance performances/bands, to homemade art projects, to visiting the theater.

This year I decided to take the boys to see Curious George Live.  Because the show was on a Friday night, J got to go too!  The story of The Golden Meatball was brought to life right before our very eyes.  Wildman and Cutie Pie LOVED it!  J was pleasantly surprised that he enjoyed it too 🙂

The acting was over-the-top and corny as you would expect at a kids show.  The music was quite catchy.  It made for a fun evening out.  Although The Man in the Yellow Hat’s pants were distractingly high-waisted…

My favorite part of the show was The Golden Meatball Girls (not sure if that is what their name was but it fits…)  Aren’t the spaghetti plate costumes incredible?!  My gears are turning for a possible Halloween costume…

A certain son of mine spotted a special treat as soon as we entered the UCF Arena.

So, there may have been some blue cotton candy purchased somewhere along the way as well…

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The Circus is in Town!

The Cole Bros. Circus is back!  We went last year and had a great time!  When I heard the advertisements for the circus on the radio I knew we had to go again.  Steph and I piled the four kids into our cars and headed out to the 4:30 PM show yesterday.

I expected the show to be the same as last time but was surprised to find that some of the acts were new.  Like the sumo wrestling clowns (so sad the photo did not come out) and the spotted horse who could do simple math.

Of course some of our favorites were still in the show.  We loved seeing the guy balancing on the huge spinning ring apparatus again.  He almost fell a couple of times…

The tight rope act was right above our seats.  They did this crazy 7-person pyramid that was pretty nuts.  The person on top, doing the head stand, was 10-years-old.

The acrobat chicks who did stunts using only lengths of fabric were nice to see again.

Cousin B tried his hand at his own acrobatic show during the intermission…

I’m pretty sure that Wildman’s favorite part was the cotton candy.

And Cutie Pie?  He devoured half a box of popcorn on his own.

Under the Big Top

Yesterday evening found us at the Cole Brothers Circus!  It was so much better than I thought it was going to be…  I was apprehensive because tickets were pretty inexpensive, the kids were free, the tent was set up in a field adjacent to our local community college, and, quite frankly, carnies/showfolk kind of freak me out…  I mean, how do they decide that they want to make a living twirling by their hair from a wire 20 ft in the air while juggling?  How do they know they have that talent?  What do you put on your resume?  Gypsy?  Are there recruiters for circus jobs?  It’s very intriguing and freaky at the same time.

Anyway, it was exactly how I remember circuses to be when I was a kid.  Animals, excitement, popcorn and cotton candy!

The kids loved it, of course.  We went with some friends so there were 4 moms and 8 kids in our party.  Luckily, we were all able to sit together right in the middle of the tent.  We didn’t lose anybody either, so, that’s a total bonus.

Some of the performances were pretty amazing.  Like the guy on the spinning hoop thing and the girl doing tricks with hanging sheets and the acrobats on the flying trapeze.

The dog and pony show was fun to watch too.

The cotton candy was a huge hit with the kids as well.  There’s nothing like a pre-dinner sugar high!  Just look at his eyes gleaming with a sugary haze.

Cutie Pie loved the “EFFANTS!”  He kept chanting, “Effant, effant, effant” when they came into the ring.  It was so sweet.

The clowns were a tad strange but that’s to be expected.  I really don’t like clowns…  No matter how endearing they try to act.

The best part for Wildman was seeing a man get shot out of a cannon.  He couldn’t wait to get home to tell J!

It was a good time.  I’m so glad we had the opportunity to go!