A night out with the Murder Mystery Company

In case you missed it, we officially welcomed August Edward in to our family a few weeks earlier than expected on December 6! We are all doing amazing, and I promise a birth story very soon. You can also check out all kinds of pictures on my Instagram. In the mean time, enjoy this post that was supposed to be posted before the arrival of our sweet babe. :)

A few weeks ago, in what turned out to be the last date night we had before Gus arrived, Matt and I went to our very first murder mystery dinner. For those of you who have never attended a murder mystery dinner, but have wanted to, here's my advice: Do it and do it now!

The show (Crime & Pun-ishment) was hosted by the Murder Mystery Company at the Astor Hotel. The Astor Hotel was THE perfect location for a 1920s-themed show. When we received our tickets, it did encourage us to dress the part for the show. To be honest, I was a little nervous about that. What if no one else was dressed up? Would we look like we were way too in it? Plus, I was 8.5 months pregnant. I've never seen a flapper in her third trimester ;) In the end, not wanting to miss out an opportunity to wear a costume overruled any fears of being the only ones dressed up. I decided to just go for it and got some simple accessories for Matt and I. As soon as we got there, I immediately wished I would've gone all out on the costumes! Just about everyone was super decked out. And, if they weren't, they honestly looked out of place. So, if you decide to go to a Murder Mystery Company show, my first piece of advice would be to dress up and do it big! It honestly seems to unite everyone at the show and makes you feel like you already know them. 

We arrived at the Astor a little early, so we grabbed something to drink at the bar while we waited. We ended up running in to a friend (Hi Erin!) and her husband, along with a couple of their friends. It was so nice to see some familiar faces as we speculated about what the night would hold for us. 

As soon as the ballroom doors opened and we were able to get in, we already felt like we were a part of the show. The actors were already in character as they checked us in and showed us to our seats. The murder mystery had begun! 

I love seeing all the flappers and mobsters in this picture.

We ended up sitting at the same table as our friends and one other couple. As we were being introduced to the events for the evening, we learned we had to work as a team with our table. So, it was so nice to already know some of the people we were sitting with! A night out with the Murder Mystery Company would be such a fun time with a large group (bachelor/bachlorette party, birthday, etc.).

Before we knew it, someone had been murdered! I was sort of waiting on the edge of my seat until this happened. The murder turned out to be a bit more comical than dramatic, which I totally appreciated.

As we all were introduced to the game and our roles as detectives, some of the audience members turned in to suspects. Here was my one little critique from the whole evening: Most of the audience members who ended up as characters did so well! They were in to their roles and totally played the parts. However, some of them were just not as outgoing and seemed a little embarrassed about their parts. It would've been great if these people would've been vetted a little bit more. I'm not entirely sure how that would've happened. Maybe we could've said whether we were interested in participating or not when we bought our tickets? Or, maybe the actors could've quickly asked as they chose roles? Like I said, most of them were great, but others were just not it to it, which sort of took away from the experience.

Someone was just MURDERED! ;)

I should mention, as all of this was happening, dinner was also being served. We were able to choose our meals when we got our tickets. (It was included in the ticket price.) Matt and I both went for a roast beef, and it was really good. In addition to the main course, we also had salad, bread, and dessert. I was definitely stuffed after it all. Drinks were not included in our ticket, which is totally understandable.

Once all of the suspects were introduced, it was now our turn to go around and talk to everyone. We had some fake money for bribery and were told that everyone had to answer every question asked of them honestly. This is where everyone got so in to it. It was so much fun! Everyone at our table was working together, taking notes, and splitting up who we should talk to in order to make sure we interviewed all suspects.

Here's Matt listening intently as suspects are interviewed.

Money that doubled with some possible leads for solving the murder.

Once we had a little bit of time to talk to everyone, a few more clues were introduced. Then, more time to interview suspects since more information was given. Finally, one more round of clues and more time to talk. After a little bit more time for discussion, it was time for our table to write down and submit who we thought the murderer was. It wasn't enough to name the suspect, we also had to write down all the clues that led us to our decision. The table that had the most detail in their answer, in addition to the correct murderer, would be the winners. Our table successfully guessed the murderer! We were not the overall winners because I guess someone had just a little more detail than we did. But, if you ask me, we totally were the winners. ;)

When I asked my husband his overall opinion of the night, his response was, "Dinner, entertainment, suspense, involvement, what more could you want?" And, that just about sums it up. It was a great night out, and definitely way different than anything we've ever done! If you're looking for a special date night or planning an event for a group of people, I would highly recommend a night with the Murder Mystery Company. It will not only provide an entertaining night, but something to talk about for weeks to come. It definitely left us with a bunch of fun memories to look back on and a night we'll never forget. 

Thanks to the Murder Mystery Company for having us! We'll definitely be back.

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Sesame Street Live Giveaway

Updated: Congratulations to Lauren Hankins! She's won the four tickets to a Sesame Street Live show in Milwaukee.

Last year, we took Callum for his very first Sesame Street Live experience. To be honest, I was not really looking forward to it. I thought it would be a situation where I would be desperately searching for a cash bar. But, it was totally the exact opposite.

We had such a wonderful time and we all enjoyed the show so much. In fact, we left with the soundtrack and I am not even joking when I say that we listen to it every single day in the car. I can not wait to go again this January. The songs were so much fun and the I could not believe the dance moves of the actors in those big (and I can only imagine, very hot) costumes.

I am so thrilled to once again have four tickets to giveaway to one of you to the upcoming shows in Milwaukee! Sesame Street Live's "Elmo Makes Music" will be at the Milwaukee Theater on Saturday, January 14 and Sunday, January 15. In "Elmo Makes Music," the new music teacher’s instruments go missing. Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Big Bird, and more come to the rescue and discover instruments they never knew existed. Children learn that everyone can make and enjoy beautiful music together! 

The show runs for 90 minutes with a 15-minute intermission. When we went last year, Callum was just over two and was definitely entertained the whole time. He had no problem at all sitting through it. In fact, I'm pretty sure he clapped and danced the whole time. In addition, after we saw the show last year ("Make a New Friend"), we had so much to talk about with Callum. What I thought would just be a fun couple hours of entertainment, turned in to an educational opportunity that we still talk about today.

I really can not say enough wonderful things about these shows, and if you've ever taken your kids to one, I'm sure you'd agree! If you're interested in winning a four-pack of tickets to a show on either January 14 or 15 in Milwaukee, enter using the Rafflecopter below. Giveaway closes next Monday!

To learn more about the show or to purchase tickets, click here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sesame Street Live Giveaway

Last year, we took Callum for his very first Sesame Street Live experience. To be honest, I was not really looking forward to it. I thought it would be a situation where I would be desperately searching for a cash bar. But, it was totally the exact opposite.

We had such a wonderful time and we all enjoyed the show so much. In fact, we left with the soundtrack and I am not even joking when I say that we listen to it every single day in the car. I can not wait to go again this January. The songs were so much fun and the I could not believe the dance moves of the actors in those big (and I can only imagine, very hot) costumes.

I am so thrilled to once again have four tickets to giveaway to one of you to the upcoming shows in Milwaukee! Sesame Street Live's "Elmo Makes Music" will be at the Milwaukee Theater on Saturday, January 14 and Sunday, January 15. In "Elmo Makes Music," the new music teacher’s instruments go missing. Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Big Bird, and more come to the rescue and discover instruments they never knew existed. Children learn that everyone can make and enjoy beautiful music together! 

The show runs for 90 minutes with a 15-minute intermission. When we went last year, Callum was just over two and was definitely entertained the whole time. He had no problem at all sitting through it. In fact, I'm pretty sure he clapped and danced the whole time. In addition, after we saw the show last year ("Make a New Friend"), we had so much to talk about with Callum. What I thought would just be a fun couple hours of entertainment, turned in to an educational opportunity that we still talk about today.

I really can not say enough wonderful things about these shows, and if you've ever taken your kids to one, I'm sure you'd agree! If you're interested in winning a four-pack of tickets to a show on either January 14 or 15 in Milwaukee, enter using the Rafflecopter below. Giveaway closes next Monday!

To learn more about the show or to purchase tickets, click here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Trip to the Jurassic

For those of you who do not personally know my kid, he is officially dinosaur-obsessed. He was a T-Rex for Halloween, loves to run around "roaring" everyone, and could spend hours watching Dinosaur Train. In fact, the other day he actually asked me to teach him how to read his dinosaur book. (If only it was that simple.)

So, when I saw that Jurassic Quest would be in Milwaukee (for the very first time!), I knew we had to get there. Last weekend, Matt, Callum, and I did just that. You guys. I am not even kidding you when I say I felt like I was in the movie Jurassic Park. It was so unbelievable!  It definitely put our one T-Rex at the Milwaukee Public Museum to shame.

Jurassic Quest dubs itself the largest exhibition of life-size, moving, museum-quality dinosaurs in North America. The exhibit features more than 50 animatronic dinosaurs that you can interact with. You can even ride a few of them. It was just so cool. The dinosaurs were moving, roaring, and even swinging their tails back and worth. Plus, they were most definitely life-size. Many of them made my six-foot-plus husband look like a little ant.

When we first walked in, Callum was waaaaaay overwhelmed. Like way overwhelmed. We quickly found some baby dinosaurs that he could ride and get close to. That helped a little bit, but he was still a little nervous of the huge roaring, moving dinos, and I totally can't blame him. So, we made our way to the back of the expo hall where they had a bunch of activities geared just towards little ones. I look forward to going back when he's a little older and we can really get in to the different types of dinosaurs and learn so much more about all of them.

We spent most of our time there with the friendlier dinosaurs. There were dinosaur-themed bounce houses and slides, an area to do some excavating, little jeeps for the little ones to drive, and even the opportunity to ride a real-life moving dinosaur. We easily killed a couple hours here and totally wore Callum out. (Thank God for bounce houses! Amiright?) P.S. Watch a video of Callum riding a triceratops here. How cool would it be to have one at home and just ride it around the neighborhood?

I will say that the line for some of the activities was looooooong. I would stand in line while Matt and Callum would go do something else for a bit. The line was especially long to ride the dinosaurs. I think I waited for 45 minutes, and the place didn't seem especially crowded. So, I would definitely recommend getting there right when everything opens and getting in those lines right away.

This post would not be complete without a huuuuuge shout out to all the staff at Jurassic Quest! These awesome people lifted kids on top of dinosaurs and strapped them in, were literally run over by the jeeps with the tiny (very inexperienced) drivers, and were so patient with all the kiddos.  Everyone had a smile on their face and respected the fact that this was a new, exciting experience for every one of the kids, even though the staff was spending their ENTIRE day doing it. I really don't know how they did it. I was beyond impressed.

They also have two shows that run regularly throughout the day: one featuring baby dinosaurs and one featuring walking dinosaurs. We were able to catch the end of the baby dinosaur show, and it was so worth it. They talked about all about the different types of baby dinosaurs they had, and then they walked around with tiny animatronic dinosaurs that you could pet. It was so crazy! The baby dinosaurs seemed so real! They would nuzzle you or nip at your clothing. They weren't puppets because the people carrying them had both of their arms wrapped around them. I was pretty convinced that they were actual baby dinosaurs. It was pretty exciting, even for me, to suspend reality for a bit and imagine they were real. 

We spent about three hours exploring Jurassic Quest before nap time called and we had to get our tired toddler home. But, I totally wish we would've had more time. If Jurassic Quest is back next year, we will definitely be there! With Callum another year older, I'm sure he'd be a little less afraid of the larger dinosaurs and even more in to everything. 

Long story short: Jurassic Quest is an awesome experience for kids and adults of all ages. There was more than enough to do to keep everyone busy for a long afternoon or even the entire day. Even if your kid is not super in to dinosaurs, they'll have a great time at Jurassic Quest.

Friday Favorites {23}

Happy, happy, happy Friday! One short week until day light savings time. I am so excited to start getting so more daylight in the evening. Spring will be here before we know it. Thank goodness!

Any fun plans for the weekend? We've got a pretty low-key one over here and I'm definitely looking forward to it. My one goal is to catch up on a few Oscar movies that I have yet to see. What should we rent? I'm leaning towards 'Room.' I read the book and loved it.

Without any further ado, here are some things I'm loving this week. Check em out. We've got some good ones!

1. Today, I'm heading to Shedd Aquarium with two of my favorite moms and all of our boys. I have loved Shedd since I was a little kid, and I absolutely love taking Callum now. We were last there about a year and a half ago, and I think Callum is going to enjoy it so much more this time around. Stay tuned for a post on our trip!

Photos from our last trip to Shedd. Callum was so little!! #thosecheeks

2. My mom's birthday is tomorrow and Callum and I worked on something really special just for her: stepping stones for her garden. The project was surprisingly easy and I love the way they turned out. We used this tutorial. I got plates and Scrabble tiles from Goodwill. Callum loved smashing the plates with a hammer (between a towel so pieces didn't go everywhere, of course). Now, who knows how I can dispose of the extra concrete?

Callum calls my mom "Oma," hence Oma's Garden.

3. I got a couple new pairs of sunglasses from Sunglass Spot and I love them! If you're looking for a new pair, check them out. The glasses are super inexpensive, so I love getting my trendier sunglasses from there because you never know how long you'll like them. Plus, I lose or sit on so many pairs, that I hate spending too much money on them. Tell me: Are you on board with the cat eye's or not? I love them, but I feel sort of ridiculous wearing them. I need to just own them.

4. I had not one, but two posts go up on MKE Moms Blog this week: Apps for Toddlers that Save the Day and Why Running Makes Me a Better Mom. Head on over and check them out!

5. Costco does it again! I was walking through the store this week, minding my own business, when one of Costco's amazing employees asked me if I wanted to sample some dark chocolate covered coconut chips. Is there a question?! you guys, they were more amazing than I could've imagined. They were like those really like coconut chips from Trader Joe's, but covered in chocolate. In the cart they went. If you're a coconut fiend like I am, find yourself some immediately!

Have a good weekend, everybody! If you're in the Milwaukee area and looking for something to do, check out one of these fun things going on in our wonderful city. 

• Build a Toy Wagon (for free!) at Home Depot
• Free day at the Milwaukee County Zoo on Saturday
• Tap some maple trees at Riveredge Nature Center
• Check out a Kids Matinee at Comedy Sportz

A Day in the Life {2}

Tap, tap, tap. Is this thing on?

Hey, there. It's me, Megan. Remember me? I know it's been a long time, too long. Life has just been crazy busy lately, and I haven't been totally motivated to write about anything specific, so I thought a little break wouldn't hurt. And, you know what, I think it did me good. I feel like I have several fresh ideas rolling around, and I am looking forward to writing about them soon. Stay tuned.

In the mean time, I thought it would be fun to share a day in the life post. These are my all-time favorite posts to look back on. Callum changes so, so much in such a short period of time, that I so often just forget what a certain stage was like. These posts help me freeze frame this period.

So, here's what our day looked like last Thursday, February 25. I must say, this was a very, very busy day. Callum and I definitely get out of the house a lot, but this day was especially packed. I promise most of our days aren't quite this exciting.

5:45 - I woke up to Callum crying in his room, about an hour earlier than he should be up. He's definitely still tired since he didn't wake up happy. I head to his room and snuggle him back to sleep. He falls back asleep quickly, but unfortunately I don't.

So, I get up, make some coffee and watch some news. I also catch up on a few days in my Mom's One Line a Day diary. I love, love, love this journal, but I rarely write in it everyday. I tend to write three or four days at once.

7:30 - Callum's up and ready for breakfast! He loves to stand at the kitchen island and just chat away while he slowly, slowly eats. He also tends to eat his cereal with both his spoon and his hands. I guess it's just easier for him to get it in his mouth that way. :) He's also been inhaling cuties like crazy lately. 

8:30 - We're off to the gym. Any time we're driving in my car these days, we're listening to the soundtrack from the Sesame Street Live show we went to. Callum asks for it every single time I start the car. I actually don't mind it at all, and love to make Callum smile as I ridiculously sing along to it. 

A few weeks ago, I was driving around in the car by myself and it took me about 20 minutes to realize I was listening to Elmo and singing along. #momlife

I get in a run at the gym while Callum hangs out at the gym daycare. He loves it there! And I love that I can get my work out down right away in the morning. Here. Enjoy my first, and most likely last, gym selfie. Also, I had my pants on backwards the whole time I was at the gym. I thought I was really making progress on that mom tummy. Turns out, that extra room was actually for my butt. 

10:00 - After the gym, we headed to my friend, Abbey's house, for a playdate with her son, Otto. The boys had a great time playing with trains, planes, and cars, and I had a great time talking with Abbey over some coffee.  Love me some play dates.

1:30 - After a quick lunch (He was asking for more Rice Krispies, but I was able to distract him with some mac n cheese and veggies.), Callum's down for his nap and I get a little work done. Thankfully, Callum still naps in the afternoons for a good 1.5 - 2 hours. When his bedroom door is open, he can see me sitting in the dining room while he's laying in his bed. So, I get started at the computer, and he falls fast asleep. 

3:00 - With about an hour left before Matt gets home, I decided to pull out some markers and paper. Callum traced his hand, while getting more marker on the table than the paper. Thank goodness for washable markers!

3:30 - After coloring for a bit, we spent some time showering our new foster pup, Max, with some attention and cuddles. He's the all black one in the picture below. Max had a rough beginning in his life and is pretty scared of people. We've been basically forcing our love on him, and he is slowly, but surely, starting to warm up. We just have to show him how great being in a loving home can be!

I should've mentioned this earlier, since we stopped to do this many times during the day, but we've slowly started potty training. We're not forcing anything or taking Callum out of diapers yet, but I try to frequently ask Callum to sit on the potty, especially when we're at home. We've been doing the old one M&M for a No. 1 and two for a No. 2, and it seems to work really well. After we've been doing this for several weeks, Callum has actually started heading to the bathroom a couple times without us asking him if he has to go. Progress! In a few weeks, I hope to have him in diapers 100% of the time. Like I said, I'm not forcing it, so if it doesn't work out, we'll just wait a little longer.

4:00 - Matt gets home and we all head outside to play for a bit. And, here's where things get real exciting. Sweet Max managed to get out of the yard and we spent the next hour or so trying to convince him to come back. Since the poor guy is so scared of us, the last thing he wants to do is come to us when he's called. With the help of some neighbors and their dogs, we managed to safely bring him home. While we were Max-tracking, Callum played with our amazing neighbors. Such life savers!

5:30 - I had plans to meet my friend, Danielle, downtown for dinner and a drink, but we quickly changed our plans after I was stuck corralling Max back home. So, we went just down the street from my house to Hue for wine and pho. It was so great to catch up with Danielle and was the perfect opportunity to unwind after a crazy busy day.

8:00 - I got home to a quiet house. Everyone was fast asleep! After letting the dogs out one last time, I snuggle up with some Netflix and veg out until bed time.

Just recounting this day makes me remember how exhausting it was. But, it was a good one!

Friday Favorites {22}

Come one, come all! It's time for Friday Favorites.

Sorry.

I don't mean to be so wound up.

It's just the combination of an amazing trip last weekend, the ground hog not seeing his shadow, and maybe a little wine, that are making me all jazzed up for this weekend. I. Am. Ready for it! I haven't posted any favorites in awhile, so I'm very excited to be back doing just that. Check out what I'm loving this week.

1. You know those guilty pleasure books that make you stay up way-too-late because you can't stop reading? That's totally what I'm sucked in to right now with Anything Goes on a Friday Night. It's a super easy read, and one you just can not put down. It's about Elena, who is in high school, and her seemingly-perfect life falls apart when her mom kicks her out of her house, her parents separate, she catches her boyfriend cheating on her, and just about everything else that could go wrong. It's filled with so much teen drama. I love it. Think Pretty Little Liars. Check it out if you're looking for a good read.

2. I love these ideas for valentines to make with your kids from What's Up Moms. So many sweet, cute, and simple ideas. Check em out.

3. So, earlier this week, something pretty amazing happened in a little ole Kidcycle group on Facebook. You know, one of the private groups where you can buy and sell used stuff, sort of like Craigslist? Long story short, the #LoveTrainMKE was inspired and people just started giving away things. Seriously. All kinds of things: $50 gift cards to Target, home cooked lasagnas delivered to your door, two train tickets from Milwaukee to Chicago, diamond earrings. Seriously! It was so inspiring and encouraging and uplifting. I was the lucky recipient of a stack of locally-made soaps and candle melts from Halo Soaps. And, the amazing mom, whom I never met, simply dropped them off for me after I was the lucky one picked as the recipient. These small acts: They seem so, so small, but they have the power to make someone feel amazing. You can learn how to get involved in Love MKE here. It's time to love our city by loving on its people.

4. I can't stop making this Chicken Enchilada Soup from my friend and neighbor, Alyson. It is so good and so easy! Top it with some tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream, and #imdead. I like to get a rotisserie chicken from Costco and use the chicken in a bunch of meals for the week, and this is a perfect recipe for that. Seriously. The fact that it's ridiculously easy to make and is just so delicious makes it a front runner for my favorite soup of all time. Make it now! You can thank me later.

5. If you have a little one that loves trains, be sure to get to the Domes this month. Their current special exhibit is a huge trains show. We went a few weeks ago and it was amazing. Callum and I both could've stayed there all day. Plus, this weekend, they will also have a bunch of train sets and layouts displayed in their lobby. I plan on checking it out Saturday morning so we can also hit up the indoor farmer's market.

I hope everyone has an amazing weekend! According to the groundhog, only a few more of them left in winter. Woohoo!

Here's what's going on in Milwaukee if you're looking for something to do. If nothing else, get out there and #LoveTrainMKE.

• Train exhibit on the Domes on Sat and Sun (Plus the Winter Farmer's Market on Saturday.)
• Kids Dream Winter Film Series at Marcus Theatres - This weekend features the Minions movie!
• Free day at the Milwaukee County Zoo on Saturday.

Have a good weekend!

The Everyday Struggle with a Twonanger

I'm not really sure how to say this without sounding like a terrible person, so I'm just going to get right to it: I love Callum like crazy with every single part of me, but, these last few weeks, I haven't really liked him. My sweet, quiet little boy has transformed in to some sort of stubborn, crabby, defiant monster.

We've moved in to a whole new territory over here, ladies and gentlemen. My two-year-old now has a big personality and lots of opinions, and he wants them heard now! See that face above? The side eye and the pouty lip. I've been seeing that one a whole lot more than the smiley one I much prefer. I'm well aware of the fact that these are growing pains as we move in to a whole new stage of development and independence. But, man, it has been hard.

It feels like I'm struggling with him every day over the littlest things. It's a fight to get him dressed in the morning. I can't get him to stop hitting the dogs. He throws a fit if I don't let him watch another episode of Thomas the Train. Every mole hill is turned in to a mountain. Callum is pushing his limits any chance he can get, and I just feel like I'm a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off.

The other day, I came in to his playroom and asked him to start picking up his toys. He looked me straight in the eyes, held his hand out like a stop sign, and sternly said, "Stop talking, Mama!"

Whhhhhhhaaaaaattttttttt? How do I even respond to that? How do I explain to him that's not ok?

I am just starting to feel so overwhelmed by this new stage of defiance. Am I am discipling too much, or not enough? Am I damaging his psyche permanently by ignoring him when he acts out? Does he even understand that he's doing anything wrong? I am just so unsure of how I should be handling this sort of behavior. On one hand, I'm worried that I won't be able to get this behavior in check and I'll dealing with a badly behaved child until he's 18. On the other hand, I'm trying to relax, take a deep breath, and just remember that he's two and a half, and this storm shall pass.

So, tell me, mommas: Tell me this is normal, and all the screaming and tantrums and "Nos!" are to be expected. Also, what did you do? How should I be handling my difficult "twonanger?" What books did you read and advice did you listen to? I feel like I read a million books about what to expect the first year, but have no idea what to expect for the next 17.

One of my favorite pieces of parenting advice I've ever heard is: Just give them a hug. Through the tears and the screaming and the yelling, just give them a hug. Because, when it comes down to it, that's probably what they need the most. So, that's where I'm going to start.

Sesame Street Live: A Review of Make a New Friend

Yesterday morning, we took a trip down to the Milwaukee Theatre to see Sesame Street Live. You guys. It was so much fun! The show was so happy and upbeat, we all left just feeling so great on our Sesame Street high. I thought I would find the music sort of obnoxious or just down right annoying, but it was not at all! The songs and story were so great, and left us smiling for the rest of the day.

The show, Make a New Friend, followed all the Sesame Street favorites as they welcomed Grover's new friend, Chamki, from India. The concept was perfect and a good reminder for everyone in the audience: No matter where you're from or who you are, everyone is special and deserves to be treated as such. They all celebrated and shared their cultural differences through fun songs and dance. They talked so much about being nice and welcoming to new friends that you meet, including everyone as you play. Also, the story line touched on how scary it can be to make new friends and how everyone feels a little shy at first. I wish the real world was a lot more like Sesame Street and we all just celebrated our differences through song and dance. (It would definitely make this upcoming election year so much more exciting.)

When the show started, I'm not sure who was more excited: me or Callum. It was so fun to see Elmo, Grover, Big Bird, and, my personal favorite, The Count break out in song and dance with the first number. And, then, they started walking in to the audience and I almost lost it. Seriously, it was so fun. Callum was in heaven, too. He clapped and danced the entire time! His eyes did not leave the stage. The dancers were so amazing! I can't imagine dancing the way they did in those costumes. But, they were beyond! Pretty sure I caught a whip-nae-nae or two along the way.

And, the music! The music was so much fun. We ended up leaving with the soundtrack, because  I honestly wanted to listen to all the songs again. (And, at just $10, I thought it was the perfect show souvenir.) My personal favorite was "Moves like Bert," which parodied Maroon 5's "Moves like Jagger." Seriously. It was so cute.

The show was 90 minutes long, with a 15 minute intermission, which was just long enough for Callum. We brought a few snacks, too, which helped to occupy him for the final few minutes. Even if you are worried about your child being able to sit through the show, just remember that there is always a kid or two a few rows away that is way more obnoxious than your child will be. I promise. Everyone's in it together.

Since the show, all Callum has been asking for is Elmo and Chamki. He's been carrying the CD pamphlet from the soundtrack everywhere and talking about all the characters in it. I think it's safe to say he really had a good time. 

All in all, we very much enjoyed Sesame Street Live's Make a New Friend. It was such a good family outing, and definitely a good learning experience for Callum. I know there will be many, many opportunities in the future for us to use Make a New Friend as a good reminder for how to treat your friends. We will definitely be attending any future Sesame Street Live Shows in Milwaukee.

And, until then, we'll be dancing our butts off to the soundtrack. If you need me, I'll be doing my best to learn the moves like Bert. 

(To keep on eye on future show dates, or, if you're not in the Milwaukee area, to find an upcoming show near you, be sure to check out the Sesame Street Live website for shows and dates.)

Friday Favorites {21}

Happy, happy Friday! Did everyone survive the first week back after the holidays? Personally, I was so ready to get back to our routine. I very much enjoyed the time off, but was happy to get everyone back to our regularly-scheduled program.

Since it's back to the usual round here, I thought I'd jump in today and share a few things I'm currently loving. Enjoy!

1. I know I'm super late to the game on this one, but I finally bought a spiralizer. (I actually found it at Aldi for $1.99! I love that place.) Anyways, I've been making a ton of zoodles (noodles made from zucchini). They are so good! Callum loves them, too. They are super easy to make. You just add the spiralized zucchini to a skillet with olive oil over medium heat, cook and stir zucchini in the hot oil for 1 minute. Add a little bit of water and cook until zucchini is softened, about 5 minutes. Then, I'll season it with a little bit of salt and pepper. They are delicious just like this, but my favorite way is to eat them is in marinara sauce with sautéed mushrooms and some parmesan. Seriously amazing. So, if you don't have a spiralizer, get to Aldi now! It will be two dollars very well spent. (Also, I don't want you to think I'm pretentious and added that accent to 'sauté' all by myself Good ole autocorrect did that for me.)

2. THIS article. It's so true. As a mom, I definitely think you have to learn how to go with the flow and take everything in stride. It's impossible to make your kids conform to that perfect child all the parenting books talk about, and it can be extremely stressful to attempt to follow all the "parenting rules." (Warning: There's a fair amount of F-bombs. If swearing isn't your thing, you want to skip it.)

Raising my baby to be perfect is impossible. He was born perfect. My task is to try to keep him as close to that innate perfection as possible by giving a finger to what everyone says he should be. So I’ll read him a story, but if he’s not interested, I’ll toss that motherf*er and we’ll cuddle in my bed watching a movie and eating ice cream. I’ll iron and match his clothes, but when he doesn’t like what I’ve picked out, I’ll let him pick out his own outfit even if it consists of more color than a 64-count crayon box. I’ll work on him, but I’ll let him be. And most of all, I’ll continue to do this mommy shit as carelessly as possible, not giving a damn who thinks I’m too lenient, too indulgent or too hood.


3. So, every time a new season of the Bachelor or Bachelorette starts, I'm faced with a huge dilemma: Should I watch it or should I not watch it? I know if I start it, I'll get sucked in and will be invested for the whole season. However, if I don't watch it, I'll be able to spend two hours of my week doing things that are much better for my well-being. Well, there's officially no going back: I started the Bachelor on Monday and can honestly say I'm very happy with my decision. Are you watching? Can we talk about it?? Every single season, my first question is always, "where in the world do they find all these crazy people?!?" The chicken enthusiast? Lace? The woman with the flower on her head? They were all so crazy. I don't have a favorite yet, but I'll be sure to keep you posted in coming weeks. I'm sure you can't wait.

4. Have you guys heard of air plants? They are essentially plants that don't need to be potted in soil. I saw this DIY from Homey Oh My and thought it would be the perfect way to add plants to a house with toddlers. I've already ordered a few air plants from here.  I'll keep you posted on my results.

Photo from Homey Oh My.

And, that's all I wrote! (How have I not used that one before?)

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! I'm sure it will fly by since it'll be the first one since the holiday season. If you're looking for something to keep you busy, here are a few things happening in Milwaukee this weekend.

• Sesame Street Live at the Milwaukee Theatre on Saturday and Sunday (We'll be going Saturday morning, so keep an eye out for a review.)
• Free day at the Milwaukee County Zoo on Saturday
• Storytime at the Milwaukee Art Museum, Saturday at 10:30 AM

A Milwaukee Tradition: NYE with the Globetrotters

The Harlem Globetrotters have been in Milwaukee on New Year's Eve for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, my family would spend NYE watching the Globetrotters almost every year. I have such fond memories of watching the games with my parents, and I could not wait to be able to take Callum. This year, we decided it was time for Callum's first NYE with the Globetrotters.

Before the game, we went to the Old German Beer Hall for food and a few drinks. We decided to go there because they were doing a count down at 5:00 PM, which was midnight in Germany. We didn't want to keep Callum that late, so we thought this was a fun way for him to experience a NYE countdown without actually staying up until the ball dropped. (Plus, Matt and I were doubtful that we'd be up until midnight, since we're basically 85 years old.) Old German Beer Hall also ended up having live music and plenty of room to sit. It was just the place to sit and enjoy a beer, while Callum was totally entertained. It was perfect.

Old German Beer was just a block away from the Bradley Center, so we were able to walk right over when it was game time. From the moment we walked in to the arena, Callum was just in awe of everything. It was pretty amazing to watch him take it all in.

The moment we sat down, Callum was totally entranced. He clapped, he danced, he pointed, he laughed. He totally loved it. Matt and I really enjoyed the game, too. The players are not only ridiculously skilled basketball players, they are also such good entertainers. In exciting news, the Globetrotters have a female player on the team for the first time in their 90-year history. That was pretty cool to see. There was also a player who was 7'4" tall! It was seriously unbelievable. He could stand with his feet on the ground while still holding on to the basketball hoop.

Callum made it until about half time before he couldn't sit still anymore. But, hey, I'll totally take an hour and a half of Callum being able to sit still. That's super impressive for him. Not to mention, he didn't nap during the day and was definitely tired. So, Matt and I took turns walking around with him to keep him busy.

After a bit of running around, we were all able to sit down for the last few minutes of the game and watch the Globetrotters win. Not like we were surprised. Do they ever not win? ;) When the game was over, all of the players hung out on the court to sign autographs for a while, which I thought was really awesome. If our kid wasn't on the verge of a major meltdown, we would've stayed around for a few autographs. But, since it was pushing 9:30, we decided it would be best to hit the road. It took all of 30 seconds for Callum to be in the car before he was out like a light. 

All in all, it was the perfect New Year's Eve. We all had such a great time. The best part was definitely watching Callum enjoy himself so much. Kids really do make everything more magical. Harlem Globetrotters, we'll see you next year!