Llama llama holiday drama.

*** Congratulations SHERI EVERS GROSS! You are the winner of a 4-pack of tickets to see "Llama Llama Holiday Drama" at Stages Theatre Company in Hopkins, MN. Please email us (minnesotababyinfo@gmail.com) with your address and phone number, so we can verify and get you the tickets! Thanks again for participating everyone, and stay tuned for another giveaway coming up very soon! ***

There's two ways to enter for a chance to win a family 4-pack of tickets to Llama Llama Holiday Drama at Stages Theatre Company in Hopkins, MN:

1. "Like" the Minnesota Baby Facebook page, and share the contest post with your Facebook friends (you must click "share" under the "Llama Llama Holiday Drama" contest post on our Facebook page).

2. Comment on this blog post (below) with your first and last name, along with the city you currently reside in.

Two simple ways to enter, and if you complete both ways, you'll double your chances to win! You must enter by Thursday, November 28th at 8 p.m. to be eligible, and this contest is only open to US residents. One winner will be randomly selected to win four tickets to see Llama Llama Holiday Drama at Stages Theatre Company, which runs November 22nd - December 29th, 2013. The winner will be announced on this blog on Friday, November 29th, 2013. Good luck everyone!

MORE ABOUT THE SHOW:

This show is SUPER cute! I braved the first big snowstorm of the season this week, and took our 2-year-old to see Llama Llama Holiday drama. Although she got a little restless a couple times during the show, there was a song and dance number every few minutes to keep her entertained. Our favorite part of the show was the "Llama-Dazzle Parade". The characters were dressed in lit-up costumes as the theater lights were turned down, and SANTA even made an appearance!

Llama Llama holidays. Jingle music. Lights ablaze. How long till that special date? Llama Llama has to wait. A favorite chronicler of llamas, Anna Dewdney, has created another magnificent story around little Llama Llama, who has so much trouble waiting for anything. Stages Theatre Company presents the world premiere of this brand-new musical adaptation for its holiday audience. Run time is 60 minutes, on stage at the Hopkins Center for the Arts in Hopkins, MN.

Llama Llama Holiday Drama

Hopkins Center for the Arts
1111 Mainstreet in Hopkins, MN

November 22nd - December 29th, 2013

Tickets are $15

(952) 979-1111

info@stagestheatre.org

GIVEAWAY: Disney on ice.

*** CONGRATULATIONS TO SARAH MCGOWAN KUYKENDALL! YOU ARE THE WINNER OF FOUR TICKETS TO DISNEY ON ICE AT XCEL ENERGY CENTER. PLEASE EMAIL US (MINNESOTABABYINFO@GMAIL.COM) WITH YOUR ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER, SO WE CAN VERIFY AND GET YOUR TICKETS TO YOU. THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING EVERYONE, AND STAY TUNED FOR ANOTHER GIVEAWAY COMING UP VERY SOON!!! ***

There's two ways to enter for a chance to win tickets to Disney on Ice presents "Passport to Adventure" at the Xcel Energy Center:

1. "Like" the Minnesota Baby Facebook page, and share the contest post with your Facebook friends (you must click "share" under the Disney on Ice contest post on our Facebook page).

2. Comment on this blog post (below) with your first and last name, along with the city you currently reside in.

Two simple ways to enter, and if you complete both ways, you'll double your chances to win! You must enter by Friday, November 22nd at 8 p.m. to be eligible, and this contest is only open to US residents. One winner will be randomly selected to win four tickets to see Disney on Ice at the Xcel Energy Center, which runs December 12th - 15th, 2013. The winner will be announced on this blog on Saturday, November 23rd, 2013. Good luck everyone!

MORE ABOUT THE SHOW:

Embark on the ultimate sightseeing holiday with all your favorite Disney characters in Disney On Ice presents Passport to Adventure. Join Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Daisy on a journey to the magical worlds of Disney’s The Lion King , The Little Mermaid , Peter Pan and Lilo & Stitch. You’ll explore the Pride Lands with Simba, Timon and Pumbaa; voyage under the sea with Ariel and all her aquatic friends; tour London with Peter Pan and Wendy, before flying to Never Land; and travel to Hawaii to visit Lilo and Stitch. Enjoy upbeat music, your child's favorite characters, and exciting destinations. Show tickets start at $11 (plus taxes & fees).

Disney on Ice: Passport to Adventure

Xcel Energy Center

December 12th - 15th, 2013

Tickets start at $11 (plus taxes and fees)

651-312-3486

grouptickets@xcelenergycenter.com

Minnesota baby favorites.

For the littles, and for the mamas, here are a few products we're loving right now...

FOR LITTLES:

MAM Air Pacifiers

Yes, our two-year-old still uses a pacifier... but only during nap time and bed time. She's still napping 2-3 hours each day, and sleeping 12 hours at night, so I'm not in a rush to get rid of her "wah" anytime soon! We recently started using the MAM Air Pacifier, and Linna seems to be a fan. The "anatomically correct" pacifier allows for healthy jaw and teeth development, and they ensure a maximum level of comfort for babies of all ages. I like them because Linna doesn't get little red bumps around her mouth, like she did when she used a regular pacifier.  MAM has glow-in-the-dark pacifiers too that I need to get for Linna!

Cost: $5.50 online, or at Target

The Safe Sippy

There's nothing worse than a sippy cup that doesn't last... and I think we've gone through dozens of crappy cups in Linna's two years on this planet. We used to deal with Linna biting through the spout of her sippy cups, and/or the cup leaking all over my purse... but not anymore! We've been using the Safe Sippy 2, the world’s first and only 2-in-1 convertible sippy to straw bottle, in stainless steel. So far, Linna has dropped, thrown, and tried to chew her way through this sippy cup, to no avail. It's incredibly durable, and Mama Saigh has even been using the Safe Sporter for a few months now. Oh the money I could have saved if I had only found this cup sooner!

Cost: $15.99 online, or at Baby on Grand in St. Paul, MN

Tumblewalla

Linna was asked to model for Tumblewalla's new fall line, and now I can't stop putting her in this organic line of clothing. The designs are by a Minnesota mom, made from super soft 100% organic cotton, and the clothing is bright and colorful! It's designed for little ones' busy movements, so you won't find any hoods, footed outfits, or hard fabrics in their collections. Not only does your purchase support a local company, but 5% of sales from every item goes directly to supporting one of Tumblewalla's featured non-profit projects. We can't wait to watch this company grow!

Cost: $8.50 - $32 online



FOR MAMAS:

Divine Brightening Mask

Yes, you're going to look funny wearing this mask, and you have to invest 30 minutes to get the full effect. But let me tell you... it works! The Perfective Ceuticals Divine Brightening Mask Botanical Formula for Uneven Skin Tone is an intensive facial treatment, that helps brighten your complexion, and replenish moisture. It has seven proven brightening ingredients, Hydrolyzed Collagen, and this new paper mask instantly enhanced my skin tone, leaving my skin soft and healthy-looking. I used the mask at night, but next time I'll use it before an event (and by event, I mean the rare night I'm outside the house and actually wearing make-up), because I really did notice a difference. There are five masks in each box.

Cost: $39 online

Tiny dancer.

She's not even 2 1/2 yet, but Linna took her first tap and ballet class this week. If you know me at all, you know I have been waiting for this moment since the day we found out I was having a baby girl:) I was a little worried that Linna wouldn't be into it as much as Mama Saigh is into the idea of having a tiny dancer, but Linna LOVED it!

Her class is on Thursday mornings at The DanceXchange in Edina, MN, and there are four other little girls in her class. Linna is the tiniest one, and it's so cute to watch. The class is very affordable (about $12/class), since she's only taking classes while we're home in Minnesota, and each 45-minute class is a ballet/tap combo. It would obviously be more expensive if we signed her up for the year, and had to pay for costumes, recital, etc. But this short-term dance class experience is a perfect introduction for us! I didn't want to invest a ton of money on dance shoes, clothes, etc., in case Linna didn't like dance class, so I bought her dance shoes second-hand ($6 tap shoes from Once Upon a Child, and $1 ballet shoes from a mom in Singapore). Let's be honest, she's going to grow out of them in a month anyway. We spent about $25 on a leotard, tights, and legwarmers for Linna at Target too. Auntie Lisa and Uncle John got Linna a backpack that she uses as her dance bag:)

(She might march to the beat of her own drum, but she marches!)

Stretch and warm-up.

Parents aren't allowed to be inside the dance studio during class, so I watched from a one-way window. I totally thought Linna would be looking for me, in tears, and wanting to bail on her class, but it was completely the opposite. She LOVES her teacher Kyle, and followed along the entire time. I was in "dance mom heaven" watching my little bug tap and run around! I only wish Papa Saigh would have been able to see it. I'm sure he'll get his chance very soon, because I'm sensing YEARS of frilly costumes, dance recitals, and dance classes in our future.

Could. Not. Be. More. Excited.

Weekend in new york.

Uncle John, Auntie Lisa, and Linna wearing
clown noses at the Big Apple Circus in NYC
in November of this year. The four of us
had so much fun!

I was just sitting down to write a blog post about our weekend trip to New York, when we got a very sad phone-call from Linna's Auntie Lisa (AJ's sister). Earlier this month, Linna and I flew from Singapore to New York to spend a few days with my sister-in-law Lisa and her husband John. Between the wonderful time we spent with Uncle John and Auntie Lisa, and the upsetting news that we received just a couple days ago, I am fully convinced that everything happens for a reason. Let me explain...


For those of you who don't know us very well, we are extremely close with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law (John and Lisa). But we don't see enough of them, as we currently live on opposite sides of the globe. Lisa and John are Linna's Godparents ("Jesus parents", we refer to them as), and they have a Pomeranian named Rosco (or "RoRo" as Linna calls him). As far as I am concerned, RoRo is my nephew, as well as Linna's cousin. He's our tiniest, furriest relative. Sadly, on November 11th, RoRo passed away.

Lisa has had RoRo for as long as I've known her, and RoRo was her baby. RoRo and Linna are the best of friends, and although we knew the end was near for our furry little family-member, it doesn't make his death any easier on anyone.

Our whole family is very, very, sad.

Linna and RoRo when Linna was just a few months old.

RoRo and Linna on Nov. 2nd, 2013 at Uncle John and Auntie Lisa's house in Brooklyn.
Linna was the only person that RoRo would take his medicine from:)

But getting back to my point that "everything happens for a reason" (a motto that has really become my "religion", if you will)... our weekend in New York completely solidified this thought. There's a reason Linna and I flew to New York on the weekend that we did. It's been years since I visited John and Lisa in New York, Linna has never been to their house in Brooklyn, and we got to spend some quality time with our RoRo before he passed away just one week after we left. Our weekend in New York also made me completely confident in our decision to choose Lisa and John as Linna's guardians (God forbid, should anything ever happen to both me and AJ). Lisa and John treat Linna as if she was their own child, and they love Linna more than two people without their own children could ever love a child. Linna LOVES her Uncle John and Auntie Lisa, and AJ and I couldn't be luckier to have these two in our lives. Lisa is not just my sister-in-law, but she's one of my best friends. We really are like carbon copies of each other (give or take a 10-30 lbs... the skinny bitch)... har har! Lisa and John share the same beliefs as AJ and I do, understand our parenting style, and we couldn't ask for two better "Jesus parents" for Linna.

RoRo has been a part of the Saigh family longer than I have. This is
a photo of Lisa, RoRo, and AJ 10 years ago at their parents' house in Mankato.

I am not a religious person, but I do believe in God, and I truly believe that God put us in New York last weekend for a reason. For this, I am very thankful. We are so sad for Lisa and John's loss, and our whole family will miss RoRo every day. Pets become members of the family, and RoRo was no exception. I'm in tears as I write this. It breaks my heart to not only think of how much Lisa and John are hurting right now, but the thought of Linna asking Lisa where RoRo is, when Lisa flies to Minnesota next week... it's going to be really hard for everyone. Linna has no idea that RoRo has passed away, and she's probably too young to understand, but I know she is going to miss her furry little cousin. We all are.

Rest in peace little RoRo. We love you!

My favorite photo of RoRo.

Two easy, healthy, inexpensive & yummy side-dishes.

We ate very well this weekend, while Linna and I were at my in-laws house. My mother-in-law, Pammy (AKA "MeMaw") is a fabulous cook, and she made these two side dishes for dinner last night (served along-side some grilled pork chops). They were definitely good enough to share the recipe... and easy enough to possibly get me in the kitchen to cook them for my little family. Enjoy!

Brussles Sprouts:

Chop up some raw brussles sprouts and saute them in a little bit of olive oil. Add in some browned, slivered almonds, and dried cranberries. Yum!

Harvest Grains:

Saute some chopped onions, then cook the Harvest Grains mix (from Trader Joes) with chicken broth. So delicious!

So easy, no exact amounts, and you can probably come up with your own spin on these delicious side dishes.

GIVEAWAY: Monster jam tickets.

*** Congratulations to LEA YOUNG (a Minnesota Baby Facebook friend)! She has won four tickets to Monster Jam's December 7th show at the Metrodome. Lea, please email us (minnesotababyinfo@gmail.com) with your address and phone number by December 5th, so we can verify and get you your tickets. Thanks for participating everyone, and stay tuned to another giveaway coming up very soon! ***

There's two ways to enter for a chance to win tickets to Monster Jam's final show at the Metrodome:

1. "Like" the Minnesota Baby Facebook page, and share the contest post with your Facebook friends (you must click "share" under the Monster Jam contest post on our Facebook page).

2. Comment on this blog post (below) with your first and last name, along with the city you currently reside in.

Two simple ways to enter, and if you complete both ways, you'll double your chances to win! You must enter by Friday, November 15th at 8 p.m. to be eligible, and this contest is only open to US residents. One winner will be randomly selected to win four tickets to the December 7th Monster Jam show at the Metrodome. The winner will be announced on this blog on Saturday, November 16th, 2013. Good luck everyone!

MORE ABOUT THE SHOW:

Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam, starring the biggest performers on four wheels: Monster Jam monster trucks! The twelve-feet-tall, ten-thousand-pound machines will bring you to your feet, racing and ripping up a custom-designed track full of obstacles to soar over or smash through!  Monster Jam provides a massive night’s entertainment tailored perfectly for your family’s budget, and these colorful, larger-than-life beasts are sure to capture the hearts of both young and old.

Monster Jam 2013

Metrodome

Saturday, Dec 7th

Gates open at 5 p.m.

Tickets start at $10

651-312-3486

grouptickets@xcelenergycenter.com

The many emotions of linna.

(Linna at 27-months, showing us a range of emotions.)

Shadow entertainment.

Linna was completely memorized by her shadows on the table while we were having lunch in NYC yesterday. She loves seeing her body-shadow on the ground when we are walking outside, but the whole hand-shadow thing had her completely blown away! So cute...