BUT…

You need to go to the new site! 

If you already entered the contest, no fear – all original entries are still valid, and now there are even more ways to enter.  Come see the new post for more details!

TREEROOTANDTWIG.COM

PLEASE CLICK THROUGH TO ENTER

In this month’s Parents magazine, editors surveyed 50 “fast-casual” restaurant chains looking for the most family-friendly dining experiences. “Fast-casual,” as defined by Parents, is a hybrid of a pricier sit-down restaurant and a bag-it-and-go fast-food joint.

Among the criteria used to measure the family-friendliness of these restaurants were healthy menu options for children, as well as relevant conveniences for the parents (booster seats available, changing tables in the restrooms), and opportunities for children to keep themselves occupied before, during, and after the meal.

Coming in #9 on this exhaustive list was the popular Mexican restaurant, Taco Del Mar!  Parents magazine applauded Taco Del Mar for offering authentic, healthy options for kids, and for including programs like teacher and librarian-led storytimes during dining hours. 

What’s just as exciting as this honor from Parents is the promotion that Taco Del Mar is running through the end of July.  For the rest of July, the Taco Del Mar Loves Kids! special means that all children’s (12 and under) meals are free with the purchase of an adult meal after 5pm.  That’s every day, at every participating location.  Check here for a location near you.

And if that’s not enough…I have a little something from Taco Del Mar for one of you to keep handy in your wallet – a $5 gift card and 4 BOGO coupons for their famous mondo burrito.  One lucky winner takes it all!  Hey, that’s a lot of good grubbin’ for a fraction of the price.  To enter, just leave a comment on this post telling me:  what’s YOUR favorite place to take your kids for dinner?  All entries are due by midnight (CST) Friday, July 24.  Good luck!

The Grand Prize, which includes:

is going to comment number…

That’s Cher, who said, “I like the Little Scholastic games for my little guy!”

And now for our 4 runners-up, who will each receive a copy of the new I Spy A to Z:  A Book of Picture Riddles…

#68:  Tricia Z

#5:  Judy Brittle

#45:  Miranda Allen

#61:  Abby

Congratulations!  And thanks to everyone who entered – I enjoyed reading all of your comments!

My video review highlights:

• how the heck you play Guitar Hero on a Nintendo DS anyway (a question I was asked an awful lot when I mentioned this review!)
• artists who appear in the On Tour:  Modern Hits edition of the game
• features of regular play
• unique wireless capabilities of the game (hint:  you get to shred with a friend!)
• what our family thought of this game

Check it out!

It’s been a few months now since I became part of the UPrinting.com Blog Sponsorship family of blogs.  The program allows me to promote interesting giveaways to my readers, collect free samples for myself to review, and generate a modest bit of income for my blog.  Aside from all the material benefits of the program, though, what has meant the most to me is the quality of their products, the professionalism of their customer service, and their understanding and support of bloggers everywhere.  Those things aren’t just a “given” for every company that approaches me for possible coverage on my blog.  UPrinting.com is among a unique group of my contacts who are as good a partner to me as they are a professional company to their customers.  They absolutely fit with my priorities of honesty, quality, and integrity.

Now, a few words from UPrinting.com themselves….

Why UPrinting.com isn’t your average printing company:

Blog Sponsorships:
If you are looking to find a sponsor for your blog, UPrinting.com is definitely interested. We offer giveaways, advertising and more for qualified bloggers.

Non-Profit Sponsorships:
The U-Community Program sponsors hundreds of non-profits and education to improve our local communities.

Social Justice Projects:
The UPrinting Kiva account promotes small business growth in developing countries.

Green Printing:
UPrinting supports a sustainable future by recycling, using non-toxic inks, and offering eco-friendly recycled paper stocks for business cards and postcard printing.

I’m happy to take this chance to spotlight UPrinting.com, and encourage you – if you are a blogger and are interested in learning more – to check out more about their Blog Sponsorship program!

Some time ago I was contacted by the people at Primrose Schools with ideas for beating the summertime gloom, and today was the day for me to sit down with the kids and put some of these ideas into action.  It was either that, or the threat of a serious mental meltdown, so I was happy to choose the wiser route.

Primrose Schools’ Vice President of Education, Dr. Mary Zurn, has just launched a blog called Dr. Z and Me, where she includes 10 fabulous tips for overcoming summertime boredom.  Some of the tips include:

1. A “Banishing the Boredom” Jar
2. Stories Alive
3. Art Treasure Chest
4. Family Performances

…and more.  To see the entire list of 10 ideas – and to find something that will fit your family’s needs and personalities best – read Dr. Z’s blog post.

Primrose Schools actually sent me and my family the materials to make our own “Banishing the Boredom” jar.  There are no set rules for this activity – just do whatever suits your family.  The main idea is to brainstorm activities that you enjoy doing together as a family, write those ideas on index cards or slips of paper, and then collect the suggestions in one main jar.  When the mood – or boredom, specifically – strikes, take out a suggestion from the jar and get your family into gear!

I told my kids to dream big or small, no matter.  I asked them to just think of whatever they would love to do as a family, and though I couldn’t make any promises, I would do my very best to make those things happen for our family this summer.  What we decided to do with the cards is to draw three cards each Sunday night, then choose one of the three to try to make happen during the upcoming week.  If we could make two or all three of the things happen, then great!  But – because of potential cost or time requirements – we would only absolutely commit to one.

The kids came up with some great ideas:  have a family bake sale, go to the zoo, go to the new Harry Potter movie, make puppets, etc.  They decorated the index cards and the jar, and now we have it in a central place in the kitchen for all of us to look at and look forward to.

For some of us, either we toy with “crazy” all summer long, or we try to pull ourselves up and get creative with how we spend this time together.  I really encourage you to visit Dr. Z and Me and see which of her suggestions for overcoming summertime boredom and brain drain spark some interest and fun with your family.

The “Bob” in B is for Bob is Bob Marley, and with this CD, his oldest son Ziggy Marley has reimagined many of his father’s legendary hits by remixing instrumentals and creating a new listening experience for the little ones. Four songs – “Could You Be Loved,” “One Love/People Get Ready,” “Lively Up Yourself,” and “Wake Up and Live – Pt 1” – remain untouched and as they were when Bob Marley recorded them.

The result is a CD that indeed contains a cool kind of groove, and perhaps some instruments and vocal stylings that will be new to your child.  I found that some of the political/social material of Marley’s lyrics were too complex for my children to understand, but the overall message of love and acceptance is a positive one.  We listened to this in the car, but honestly, it had more of a relaxing “background” feel to it, and will definitely work as music for bedtime.

I’m not able to embed this video into this blog post, but to watch a really cool video of Ziggy Marley talking about the release of B is for Bob, VISIT THIS LINK.

The album also includes fun extras — The CD unlocks bonus online digital content including coloring book pages and a sing-a-long music video plus for Mom there’s a FREE one-year subscription to Parents magazine inside.

Five (5) readers of Tree, Root, and Twig will have the opportunity to win their own copy of B is for Bob!  To enter, just answer this question in a comment to this post:  What is your favorite music to play at bedtime for your kids?

All entries are due by midnight (CST) Monday, July 13.  Good luck to everyone!

Well, it didn’t exactly change my mind.  It BLEW my mind.  The four artists – Nathan Pacheco, Ender Thomas, Leslie Mills, and Chloe – all have different strengths as singers and all bring something powerful and passionate to Yanni’s music.  I fell in love with the Yanni Voices CD.

Promotional Photo. L to R: Nathan Pacheco, Leslie Mills, Yanni, Chloe, Ender Thomas.

Two weeks ago I found out that One2One Network had two tickets for me & my husband to see the Yanni Voices Live in Concert in Houston.  YES!

We arrived at the Toyota Center in Houston, picked up our tickets *and* our VIP “meet and greet” passes.  Our seats were amazing!  My husband and I got there early and had fun watching people file into their seats.  I couldn’t help it – I had to laugh at the many people who walked to their seats, dressed to the nines, carrying huge trays of soda, popcorn, and nachos.  All the concession stands were open, and I was totally amused on the contrast of formal wear vs. casual food.  In fact, the contrast applied to the people there, as well.  My husband commented on the many, many different nationalities present.  There were also young and old, full suits and baseball caps and shorts.  We were a very diverse crowd.

The stage was designed in an unusual fashion; it was square and compact, with an opaque ceiling-to-floor curtain on all four sides.  The concert started with a mix of music and videos projected onto the curtain.  I understood the intention to be having the audience experience the music not only audibly, but visually as well, and that was alright.  The curtain came down and the proper concert started, but they did use the curtain at several other points during the night.  My husband and I agreed that five more minutes of the curtain, and we would have been slightly annoyed – but that’s not what I REALLY want to tell you.

What I REALLY want to tell you is that the concert was un.be.liev.able.  I lost count of how many times I used phrases like, “crazy!,” “amazing!,” “such talent!”  In fact, I had to apologize to my husband at one point for talking so much; I could hardly contain my amazement and enthusiasm.  All of the vocalists were so gifted.  And Yanni was clever and charming.  His orchestra must have some of the greatest talent in the world.  Several times during the course of the night he highlighted different members of his orchestra, and often they would have little “battles” on stage (like the two dueling violinists – wow!).  I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone play instruments like these orchestra members did.

You are going to think I am an incredible sap, but a few times during the night I thought I was going to cry.  Not necessarily because of any one song, but just because of the power and the passion onstage.  I don’t know how they did it, but every one of the vocalists, every one of the orchestra members, and especially Yanni himself, pulled the entire audience into their world that night.  The energy from the stage was electric; I told my husband that you would have thought they were playing Madison Square Garden or something.  They gave us their best – they gave us absolutely everything, and it was stunning.  My heart was so full.

I heard some people around us saying how they almost didn’t come to the concert that night.  There were apparently many “classic Yanni” fans who came to see just him, and were reluctant to try to understand this new Voices project with Nathan, Ender, Leslie, and Chloe.  By intermission, even the long-time fans were convinced of the brilliance of this group.  I thought it was great at the end of the night how Yanni came out for an encore and played some of his early work – those long-time fans screamed and cheered with great appreciation. 

After the show, we were pulled aside with a small group of people for a special meet and greet with the vocalists (side note:  my husband was bummed that he wouldn’t get to meet the trumpet player – that guy rocked the house!).  Sitting in a room with maybe twenty other people, I was tickled when one of the organizers came in and specifically asked, “Do we have anyone with One2One Network here?”  We got to meet them first!  Just us!  And by “just us,” I mean myself and one other Houston blogger who I was very happy to meet – Alba of Independentmami.  We met the vocalists as they were coming off the elevator, and despite just coming off stage from a long night, they were so warm and kind and happy to see us.

l to r: Nathan Pacheco, me, my husband, and Ender Thomas. Nathan was so gracious, and much quieter than I imagined, given that he has such a huge voice and stage presence. Ender is so sweet! Very energetic and affectionate. He and my husband conversed briefly in Spanish.

I probably shouldn't pick favorites, but I have to say, I *love* Leslie Mills! She sings my favorite song on the CD - "Before the Night Ends." Her voice has this amazing tone to it that at times reminds me just a bit of Stevie Nix! She is also such a warm person, and very interactive with her fans on Twitter. (@Leslie_Mills) She knew exactly who I was when I went to meet her!

Here is Alba and her fiancee at the meet and greet, too. I have them to thank for the pictures - unlike me, SHE remembered to bring her camera!

At the end of the night, I told my husband that I think anyone who appreciates music at all would enjoy this concert.  Yanni Voices Live in Concert still has upcoming shows all throughout California, as well as one in Las Vegas and one in Phoenix.  Some of those shows even have $10 tickets available!  To see a fabulous video of highlights from the concert (as well as video introductions to each of the vocalists), visit this page on Yanni.com.

Many, MANY thanks to One2One Network for introducing us to Yanni Voices, and for sending us to the concert!

That’s why I was particularly excited when offered the chance to review the newest book, I SPY A to Z:  A Book of Picture Riddles…AND…to offer you a chance to win an AMAZING giveaway!

From the official book synopsis:

Easy-to-read riddles by Jean Marzollo are paired with forty-six object-filled photographs by Walter Wick to create I Spy A to Z, the most engaging alphabet book ever! With more than thirty titles and 36 million books in print, the I Spy series continues to win the hearts and minds of parents and kids everywhere. 

This book is simply gorgeous.  The pictures are – as usual – full of whimsy and detail.  I love being able to spend long moments focused on each page, coupling the clever riddles with the mass of objects, using my toddler’s index finger to touch and point at all the colorful items in the picture.  I think I’ve always loved how the I SPY books are just as entertaining for adults as it is for the kids in our lap!

And now, an opportunity for one of you to WIN AN AMAZING GRAND PRIZE I SPY PRIZE PACK (valued at $85.99) – which includes:

1. Wii video game “Ultimate I Spy”
2. Board Game “I SPY” Memory Game
3. I SPY A to Z:  A Book of Picture Riddles
4. I SPY Treasure Hunt

and also for 4 runners-up to receive a copy of the new book I SPY A to Z:  A Book of Picture Riddles.

To enter, you must do the following, VISIT THE I SPY WEBPAGE AT SCHOLASTIC.COM, and in a comment to this post, TELL ME YOUR FAVORITE FEATURE OF THE WEBSITE.  You can earn an extra entries for blogging about this giveaway (leave a link to the post in another comment) and/or tweeting about this giveaway (leave your username in another comment).

All entries are due by midnight (CST) Monday, July 6.  Good luck to everyone!

The giveaway for a 16×20″ Gallery Wrapped Canvas Print from Digital Room – providers of quality poster printing and canvas printing services – ended Thursday night at midnight, and according to Random.org, the winning comment was number….

Congratulations to Kris, who said:

I would either do a wedding picture or a family picture…so tough to choose which. I would probably go with the wedding though!

I hope you enjoy this unique, custom print in your home.  Congratulations, and thanks to everyone for entering!