Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Thomas The Train

On the 18th, my sons got a huge treat: we were able to see Thomas The Train Live on Stage!! I have to send a HUGE thank you to the wonderful people at Mom Select and BSM Media for giving me the tickets. Since JR was young enough to not need a ticket we let Little Dude choose a friend to bring, and so his friend Cole got to come. Little Dude was SO excited to have his friend along!

The show was so wonderful and the Progress Energy Theater here in Raleigh, NC did it right. The kids had booster seats for the theater chairs and popcorn and soda was allowed in the theater during the performance. The Thomas The Train performance was all about a Circus coming to the Island of Sodor, so the popcorn and soda made the atmosphere just perfect.

The whole show was very interactive, and we were lucky enough to have seats in the very center, front section, (THANK YOU!!) and some of the train drivers, circus performers, and other cast characters came out to be interactive with the audience right around us. They did a great job of spreading the interactive characters out too, so that all the seating areas got to get up close with them. It was just GREAT. I can't express enough how much all three boys loved it.

Little Dude was just losing his mind at the show and all the fun and, oh my, the popcorn and SODA and the great circus tricks. Yes, the Thomas performers actually put on a little "circus" at the end, complete with some real circus type acts-it was just fantastic.

JR was even entertained the whole time and the best part for him was that every other kid in the audience was encouraged to sing along, yell out to the trains, and answer questions asked to the audience, so whenever JR decided to yell out, it fit right in and instead of interrupting (as I had feared) his little yells and babbles became quite a hit with the other parents around us who decided that JR trying to participate was the cutest ever.

My husband and I loved how interactive the whole Thomas and Friends show was and how very kid friendly the theater worked at being for the show. It is a show I would defiantly pay money to see next time it comes around-not only did my children LOVE it because they are IN LOVE with Thomas, but it was entertaining for me, and the great interaction the cast created with the children was just infective. You couldn't help but pick up on the joy and energy the cast and children feed to each other.

My only complaint? That the parking decks in downtown Raleigh don't take debit on the weekends...who knew? That lead to a nice little journey to find an ATM, but no fear, we made it in plenty of time to get all the kids with us popcorn and settled in time for the amazing journey to Sodor.

Would you like to see if the Thomas and Friends Live on Stage shows are coming near you? You can check here to see, and trust me, it is well worth the money to see the show at least once while you have children because it is so smartly geared to the whole family and so very fun for everyone.


Sunday, May 10, 2009

Cystex

When I became a Mom, it was a most wonderful, amazing, and painful moment of my life. Though I loved giving birth naturally, I did not enjoy the tearing that happened....or the many Urinary Tract Infections I got as everything healed up either!

I had a pretty bad tear during birth (all moms know what I mean, anyone that doesn't, be glad, but feel free to ask if you really want the details) and I didn't heal up so well or so quickly. On top of it I kept getting UTI's, which, since I had not had any before, ended up getting out of hand since I thought the pain was just, well, normal when healing from the kind of tear I had.

So, when I was contacted by one of my marketing friends to offer a giveaway of Cystex, a medicine that offers Urinary pain relief, I figured I was a pretty good candidate to share my UTI experiences and to offer my opinion on the Cystex product.

While I have, thankfully, NOT had any UTI's since my run in with back to back to back ones, I can vouch that there is nothing quite like the pain UTI's cause. Yes, even birth was not as bad, in my humble opinion. So I am very happy to find out that there is a great product out there you can now get OVER THE COUNTER that fights the pain and burning AND can control the infection until you are able to get to the doctor. OH HALLELUJAH!

If you have the feeling you are getting a UTI, or suspect you have one, all you have to do is take 2 tablets with a full glass of water 3 times daily (12 yrs and up) until you are able to get an appointment with your doctor to get medication to kill the infection. How very wonderful is that? AWESOME!

You can learn all about the signs and symptoms of UTI's, as well as, more information on the Cystex product at www.cystex.com. To help women better understand UTIs and how they can be avoided and treated, Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler, a board certified Urologist, is taking part in the new Cystex “Know Your Bladder Better” video series where new video topics will be posted and available to download, post on blogs/Web sites or share.

Women can also visit www.cystex.com to:

Connect with Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler, directly by visiting the new interactive feature “Ask the Urologist” and submit an informational question about bladder health
• Enjoy the Cystex Ladies Room Blog where Dr. Kavaler answers questions about UTIs and provides the latest news on bladder health
• Learn more about Cystex Urinary Relief Tablets and “where to buy” information


I hope you all enjoy the information and I'll keep my fingers cross that none of you ever get a UTI; however, if you do, thank goodness Cystex is now here! If you would like to win 1 box to save for future needs, leave a comment below! You will win one box (40 tablets) of Cystex Urinary Pain Relief Tablets!


*You should read all directions on and about before taking AND please remember that I am only a third party passing on products that I enjoy and think are great, so if you find that Cystex does not work for you or has side effects you don't like, I am not responsible. I think the product is amazing and wonderful for the time between getting a UTI and getting to a doctor; however, it is not meant to replace going to the doctor or taking UTI medication-it is only meant to give relief from the pain.*