Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Road Rally

School’s in and busy moms are now even busier. Where’s the time to plan a family night that the kids will love? Don’t stress and skip the guilt. Disney has planned a fun-filled evening that’s complete with healthy and easy dinner recipes.

Join Mickey and friends as they rock, ride and rally in “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Road Rally” (premiering on Disney Channel, Tuesday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. ET/PT) while noshing on tasty food the kids can help make and enjoy an evening together.

“Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Road Ralley” will also be available on DVD from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on the day of the premiere.

But wait, you can enter to win the music-filled episode of Mickey and pals revving up their engines for the Road Rally right here! All you have to do is share your favorite memories of Mickey Mouse in the comments below. Winner will be chosen at random and notified via email. (This contest is open.)

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Recipes

Road Rally Race Flags/ Courtesy of Disney

Road Rally Race Flags: Made from stacks of sautéed or grilled veggies cut into squares. Stack squares with ricotta cheese in between, red and green bell peppers to make the squares. Cut a piece of whole wheat tortilla into a rectangle and bake until crisp then stack the veggie/cheese flags on top. Serve warm. These could be made with the bell pepper squares of different sizes (red is biggest and green is smallest, and the tortilla is cut into a rectangle with the top end wider than the bottom so it looks cartoony).

Pluto's Veggie Skateboards/Courtesy of Disney

Pluto’s Veggie Skateboards: Made with sliced small zucchini rounds as the wheels, shaped carrot for the board, can decorate with cheese slices cut into shapes. Cut the carrot in a flat shape of the board and the zucchini into circle “wheels.” They would be resting on the wheels, very 3D.

Pete's Sandy Sandwiches/Courtesy of Disney

Pete’s Sandy Sandwiches Made from tuna salad and cut into any shape desired. Round for wheels, big and small circles for Mickey’s Markers, triangles, ovals, quarter moons for the bushes etc…

Mickey Park Cheese Fruit Plate/Courtesy of Disney

Mickey Park Cheese and Fruit Plate: Cheese and apple slices cut out to look like the bushes in stars, quarter moons, triangles, squares, ovals, and diamonds.

Special Surprise that Flies! Snacks: “Balloon” snacks. Movie snack mix can be made with dried fruit, raw nuts, air popped popcorn. If preferred, it could be served in small brown bags or small bags made with colored paper to look like the special surprise balloons released when Mickey Markers are found in the movie. You could even include cut-out character faces for guests to glue to bags to be exact matches from the movie.

Toodle’s Mini-Pizza O’s — decorate mini pizzas to look like Toodles.

Mickey Markers: Whole wheat bread cut into Mickey’s Markers, bush shapes, or balloons, toasted and served with a dip (red bell pepper hummus).

For full recipe details, visit www.Playhousedisney.com/Mickey.

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Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Road Rally/ Courtesy of Disney

Want a sneak peek of the episode? Starting on Tuesday, August 31, a full-length preview becomes available on Disney Channel on Demand. And, for you cool kids, in conjunction with the premiere, the special will be available on iTunes and Xbox Live, and simulcast on mobile providers Sprint TV, FloTV and MobiTV. For those of you with AT&T CV, Sprint TV, and Verizon V Cast the episode will be available beginning Sept. 8.

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Baby lust and infertility prompted writer Matthew M. F. Miller to blog. Later his blog was published as “Maybe Baby: An Infertile Love Story.”

Maybe Baby

Miller speaks plainly from the emotional impact of male infertility to
the marathon sessions of baby making and get-us-pregnant treatments.
His writing is straightforward, honest and laced with dry humor. (My
favorite kind.)

“Infertility treatment is a carrot-on-a-stick with tight brown curls
and a paisley onesie that tempts you to run harder and faster while
always dangling the coveted two-line pregnancy test just out of reach.
Constance and I keep chugging along with the expectation that one day
we will open our eyes to an effortless downhill track, a clear view of
the sun, and nothing but momentum and forgiveness at our backs. So far
the only things at my back are a few more errant hairs in need of
waxing.” – Matthew M. F. Miller, Maybe Baby

This book is a great read for anyone going through this experience.
You’ll feel like you have a friend who ‘gets it’ after. If you’re a
friend or family member and want to be supportive, get this book. Read
it. Now. (Especially before you say something like ‘oh if you just relax,’ ‘why don’t you just adopt’ or ’some people aren’t meant to be parents.’)

You also have the option of entering to win a well-read, slightly worn
copy of this book located on my shelf.

If you leave a comment on the post about trying to get pregnant, surprised to find out you’re pregnant, or infertility experience, yours or someone you love and support, you’ll be entered to win.  Winner will be chosen at random and notified via email.

This contest is open. Winner will be announced here and contact via email. The winner will receive the book through the USPS mail.

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On Saturday, August 14, Macy's Fresno Fashion Fair invites kids and shoppers to Dance with the Rockettes at 2:00pm as the ladies will share free dance instruction (just how DO they synchronize all those high kicks?) as well as secrets on what it takes to be a world-famous Rockette. There also will be plenty of opportunities for photos following the Dance with the Rockettes experience and each young dancer who joins in the fun will receive an "Honorary Rockette" certificate.

The Radio City Rockettes kicked up some early holiday sparkle at my place of employment yesterday. Dressed in matching candy-striped outfits with glittery gold skirts and bangles, they wowed the audience with shuffle-kicks and personal tales of being a Rockette.

What does it take to become a Rockette?

“Lots of practice. Lots of repetition. We practice six days a week for six hours a day for about month before the show. We work very hard for a short amount of time,” said a dancer.

Another Rockette shared that the perfect line was an illusion. The tallest dancers stood in the middle and then graduated to the shortest dancers on the ends. Each Rockette kicks about 300 times per performance and, with several shows a day, there are between 900 and 1200 kicks before the high-heels come off at night.

With as many as seven costume changes per show for each woman, the 100-member crew backstage has to be just as choreographed and precise.

“How old do you have to be to join?” asked a young girl.

“You have to be at least 18 to audition. Then after that we don’t have a cutoff age. Lots of people will ask us how old the oldest Rockette is and, honestly, we don’t know. We have this saying that once a Rockette always a Rockette.”

They’ve been around since 1933, so you do the math.

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Macy’s $50 Gift Card Contest & More

It takes an incredible talent and lots of hard work to become a Rockette, but don’t let that stop you from DANCING with the Rockettes this Saturday at Fashion Fair Mall. That’s right, you can eye-kick with the best of them after learning their secrets. OK, that might be a bit much – but photos of you with the dancers trying? Priceless.

Also, any shopper who spends $50 at Macy’s  tomorrow will receive a free pair of tickets to the Rockettes Radio City Christmas Spectacular coming to SaveMart center on December 14! You can also enter a drawing to win a chance for an exclusive VIP Meet and Greet with the Rockettes as well as 4 tickets to the show.

Wait, it gets even better! Readers of MotherofConfusion.com, particularly this post, can post a comment below about why they love Save Mart Center or the Rockettes and be entered to win a Macy’s $50 Gift Card. Memories of actual events at Save Mart Center count too.

Winner will be chosen at random (double entry to those who post a photo of themselves kicking with the Rockettes!) and receive the gift card through the USPS mail. I realize it’s not in time for tomorrow’s event, but plenty of time to use it on a great sale or for holiday shopping!

Contest will close  Monday afternoon and the winner announced after.

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via rollaramp.co.uk

Looks like the incline on my driveway. If my car won’t make it up something like that …

Posted via email from MotherofConfusion.com’s Posterous

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Where should we live? My husband, Jimmy, and I were losing our home in a foreclosure and needed to find a place to rent.

“I’m done with the idea of white-picket fences and the exact-right school district,” I said while scrolling through ads on Craigslist. “We should live somewhere for the experience of it.”

Jimmy agreed.

An old dream wiggled, jiggled and then forced its way into my conscious: What about the Tower District? In theory it captured the diverse, creative and cultural experiences we wanted our children to value. The neighborhood was at the heart of town and each house had individual character and charm. There was also the wonderful mix of restaurants, art galleries, book stores and coffee shops within walking distance.

So what was the drawback?

“What about the crime rate?” Jimmy asked. “And schools?”

He had a point. Typically you lived in the Tower District as a college student, moved when you had a family, and, perhaps, moved back when the kids were grown. Who moved into the area with school-aged children?

Still, I couldn’t shake the idea. Jimmy researched crime stats and I conversed with people who lived there. We were surprised. The district had less crime than our current area, and the residents loved it. The one thing we couldn’t overlook was the school ratings, but there were options. We could look at magnet and charter schools, or request an inter-district transfer.

With that input we decided to make the move.

We found a gorgeous 1924 Tower Bungalow that was re-vamped with all modern amenities, like central air and an updated kitchen and bathroom. Yet, I was nervous when it came time to sign the rental agreement. South of McKinley, were we crazy?

On moving day, our new neighbors came over. One offered a dolly to help move furniture, another brought over homegrown and 100% organic summer squash, zucchini and tomatoes. On evening walks, everyone waves or says hello. That and there are many families with young children, as well as, residents of all generations. Last week we attended the grand opening of City Arts Gallery, Photography & Art Studio with the kids and were greeted by friends who now feel like family.

Sure there are downsides, like the Ghetto Bird and more frequent police sirens, but the upsides are so positive and good we can’t imagine wanting to live anywhere else. It’s crazy that it took us so long to realize the Tower District can be a great place to raise a family.

You know what the best part is? For the first time in my native-Fresno life, I feel at home.

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via cbsnews.com

Love the first comment after the story — a wise perspective.

Posted via email from MotherofConfusion.com’s Posterous

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