Two words that drive me batty...

I WANT.

I think these two words should be removed from a child's vocabulary; especially when used in combination with a whiny voice. Nothing grates on my nerves these days like hearing the words “I want” coming out of my child's mouth.

Seriously, whatever happened to: mommy, may I please or mommy, I would like...

Did I wake up one morning and suddenly went from mommy to servant? Oh wait, servants get paid and have the potential to quit if their boss is being an ass. I now rank beneath a servant.

When did my little girl become a little tyrant? Mommy, do this; mommy, I want; mommy, get me the, mommy, mommy, mommy....

And yes, though I realize that I should hold firm and say no, and make wait for her to ask politely, I am also too tired to deal with another temper tantrum or some whiny tirade. But now, enough is enough, this behaviour cannot be tolerated, and I definitely do not want it to get worse (unless mommy starts seeing some green or some sort of compensation).

So currently, neither my daughter or I are getting what we want. I think we have to settle with being miserable together.

As I am now in a whiny complaining mood myself, here is a partial list of what this mommy wants:

• I want some peace and quiet in the morning, and in the afternoon and the evening too
• I want sleep
• I want someone else to cook dinner, do laundry, and clean...
• I want my pre-baby body
• I want to have a meal without begging, or yelling, and in restaurants, I want to leave before the table that came in after us
• I want to not feel rushed to get home by 9pm
• I want to not feel that 9 pm is very late
• I want a thank you once in a while
• I want to leave the house without feeling rushed
• I want a well behaved child who does not whine and say I want...

But here is the thing I want most in life: I want my daughter to grow up to be a good person. I want her to be happy and proud of who she is.

Oh! And financial security does not hurt either.

What are some of the things that annoy you and what do you want?

Review: Disney Live! presents Three Classic Fairytales

Recently, my daughter, her friend (and friend's mom), and I had the opportunity to go see Disney Live! presents Three Classic Fairytales. If it was only me, I would not have gone to this show; I am more of a Rock of Ages gal, i.e. cheesy 80s hair rock... and I have outgrown my Disney Princess phase for a couple of years now...

However, I do not think the show was designed to awe me, the important person to impress was my four year old. And, she LOVED IT. I do not think the child blinked once after the lights went down. The two girls were completely enthralled by the show, and especially the princesses.

The show was essentially shortened versions of Snow White, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast, with Goofy, Donald, Minnie and of course, Mickey serving as narrators and guides. The costumes were beautiful, the staging was quite impressive. I was a bit worried that my daughter would find it a little boring; after all, there was only so much you could do on a stage with real people, i.e. instead of hundreds of dancing plates, dishes and cutlery, there was one fork and one knife and a few dishes (I think), but it turned out she liked it just fine. The music was great, but I already liked the songs in the movies (there were no new original songs), and there were some pretty cool 'special' effects, like when Cinderella changed from her rags into her ballgown. And, the length of the show was perfect. It was about an hour and a half long, including a short intermission, which is about the maximum amount of time that my little one can sit still.

So for parents, the show is not bad. I do not think it will win a Tony, but it will also not cause you to run to the dentist to make sure you did not get cavities from all the sweetness. It was pretty much what I expected it to be, a show targeted at children (princess obsessed children) under 7. There was one thing that was a bit disappointing: I find most Disney films had some jokes that would amuse the grown ups in the audience, but this show lacked that, granted they did have to cut the stories down to about 20 min each.

For the kids, I think as long as your children love princesses, they will love this show. My daughter's favourite part was seeing Belle, and at the end of the show when all the princesses came out with their ball gowns and princes (I shall refrain from commenting on the whole princesses' goal is to marry a prince thing).

Here are my little one's exact words on the show:

“I love it; I love it; I love it!!”

Here is a caveat though. There are some darker parts in the show which may scare the more sensitive souls in the audience – the magic mirror that the wicked queen in Snow White talks to is a bit spooky; the wicked queen turning into an old hag might be scary to some; and during the fight scene in Beauty and the Beast, there is a simulated thunder storm, so it gets dark and there are lots of flashes of light and thundery booms. Having said that, my daughter who usually gets upset quite easily, was fine for the entire show.

Now, for the thing that I definitely did not like, and had nothing to do with the show itself: the prices at the concession stands. I believe it cost $12 for a snow cone. Unless that cup, which you can keep, can sing the show back to me, there is no way I am paying that much for some ice and syrup.

So would I recommend this show?

It is hard to say; for me, it is an okay show, but at the same time, I think it is a nice treat if your child loves princesses and fairy tales (mainly princesses). It was fun, and entertaining, and the little ones LOVED it. And, I loved watching my child's face glow as she watched the show. Plus, it is always cute to see a bunch of little girls run around in costumes (it is also a great way to get more wear out of that Halloween costume).

I also think this show is a great way to introduce kids to going to a live stage show. It was a comfortable setting, full of other children, so you did not have to worry too much about constantly hushing your child. The plot was simple, and it was pretty much guaranteed the kids would like the story (why would you go if you do not like fairytales).

Oh! Using the show to get my child to behave for a week was a bonus.

On the other hand, if you are deathly allergic to pink, stay away.

Off to see the princesses!

In a week and a bit, we are off to see princesses - Disney Live! presents Three Classic Fairy Tales.

My daughter is very excited to see Belle, her favourite princess. I think my favourite was Ariel, but I never quite understood why she wanted legs, I would have loved to live under the sea.

Okay, I admit that I am starting to get a little excited about this too; partially to see the look of love in my little girl's eyes. But mainly, I am looking forward to being transformed into the role of Fairy Godmother, which is a huge promotion from the Evil Witch (okay, bitch) Queen that I have been for the last couple of days – yes, I am very much looking forward to the start of school again.

I am looking forward to the show itself too. I think even those who think Disney is some evil corporate entity will admit that Disney really knows how to put on a show. Disney is one of those things and places that for a few hours can make me believe in magic and feel like a kid again. It is like some weird drug.

Here is the description of the show from their website:

Join Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy as they bring the timeless fairytale adventures of Cinderella, Beauty and The Beast, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to life right in your hometown. Featuring dynamic storytelling, award winning music, stunning costumes and glittering special effects, audiences will be captivated by the humor, fun and adventure of these spellbinding stories. Dream with the princesses, cheer for the heroes as they conquer evil villains, and marvel as these classic tales are brought to life in an theatrical experience that’s pure magic.

And here are some more interesting tidbits about the show:

• Hours it takes to set up the production – 16 hours
• Hours to tear down the production – 5 hours
• Number of performers – 16
• Fabric used to make the costumes – 1200 yards
• Number of costumes – 100
• Number of light bulbs used on the stage set and curtains – 2,353

And do not forget the discount code: MAMA (see previous blog on information regarding code)

What are some of your favourite Disney characters or memories?

Showtimes:

Kitchener, Ontario, Centre in the Square Jan. 6, 2011

Kingston, Ontario, K-Rock Centre Jan. 7, 2012

London, Ontario, John Labatt Centre Jan. 8 - 9, 2012

Oshawa, Ontario, General Motors Centre Jan. 12, 2012

Toronto, Ontario, Rogers Centre Jan. 13 - 15, 2012

Fine Print:

Feld Entertainment may be providing me with complimentary tickets to this show, in exchange for my time and efforts in attending the show, and reporting my opinion within this blog. However, the opinions about the show, and everything else are 100 per cent mine.

pictures courtesy of Feld Entertainment.© Disney.

Another New Year!

I am proud to say that I kept my resolution about not making resolutions.

I do not really believe in New Year resolutions; I think every single day is an opportunity to make a fresh start; to try to do better; to have a somewhat clean slate. So, why not make resolutions on say January 23 instead of the 1st (granted, that is Chinese New Year...).

Anyway, last year I did make some New Year wishes and thought it would be nice to review them, and see if I can come up with a few more. Wishes are things I would like to happen, but are not a to-do list that will cause guilt if I do not finish before next year arrives.

1. Folding laundry quicker – well... I still have last year's laundry sitting in my dryer right now...

2. Cleaning the house – the house remains in a state of organized chaos, but we are all alive, no one died of food poisoning, and we do not have some weird fungus growing on us or our stuff, so I consider this a win...

3. Unpacking from the move – still have some boxes, but we did find some bed linens; so, it is a start!

4. Write more – I am writing now!

5. Read more – There is a book on my bedside table with no pictures in it, and I got to use my library card more than once this year (my daughter uses her card a lot)

6. Try be happier – I think I am a fairly happy person, most of the time, okay, some of the time, okay... occasionally

7. Worry less – probably never going to happen, I just find different stuff to worry about

8. Be the Best mother I can be – this is a goal I plan on working on for the rest of my life

So some new wishes:

1. Try to go to bed earlier

2. Try not lose my temper as much

3. Try to tell my little one I Love Her at least once a day, especially on days when she is driving me crazy, and when I want to give her to her grandparents. And, try to tell this to her when she is conscious, not when she is asleep and looking like a little angel.

4. Continue to try to be the mother my daughter needs me to be

What are your new year wishes?

Happy New Year!