And that’s why finding any outlet to laugh at parenting is so damn important.

And that’s where “Motherhood, The Musical” comes in.

I was asked to review this musical, now playing at the Straz Center in downtown Tampa, last week. And, since I am sucker for musicals (don’t even get me STARTED on my obsession with “Wicked”) and since I just really like the folks at the Straz, I was 100% down for some funny mom theater. Plus, I’ve seen lots of Facebook statuses raving about the show: “I laughed! I cried!” So, I was excited to check it out.

I rounded up two very deserving moms from my work to come with me and we set out for the Straz after a particularly crazy week at work.

The show was in the Jaeb Theater which is a smaller, cabaret style theater. We found our seats around a small table, surrounded by (no surprise here) many other mothers gathered for the show. The space was intimate — which meant a comfortable, more connected experience. I was impressed right away as the theater staff began the evening by reaching out to pregnant moms in the audience. They also sold pins with the profits going to autism research. And they even had cute “Motherhood, The Musical” postcards on the table which we could fill out and they would send for us if we dropped it in a mailbox in the lobby. (I sent one to my mother-in-law.) I have to say, the people who work at the Straz are just nice. They smile, they ask you how you are, they take pictures for you, they just make the whole vibe comfortable and welcoming. And, being a theater dork from way back, I think that really helps set the vibe for the show itself – so “cheers” to them…

Now, what did I think of the show itself? It was really great. Truly. But let me start with a couple negatives first.

Admittedly, they touched on a few cliches. You know, “we’re not gonna take cooking and cleaning anymore”  kind of thing. The naive pregnant mom, and the “knowing”, jaded other mothers hell bent on scaring the crap out of her. Mini-vans, grocery shopping, and husbands that have very little to do with parenting at all.

However. They took these typical motherhood cliches (which are only cliches because they are common experiences, by the way) and turned them into gut-busting, musical hilarity. The women who played the four mothers in the show were FANTASTIC. I kind of want to be friends with the divorced mom and the working mom. No, really. I want to have drinks with them because they have to be that awesome in real-life. (Hey ladies, email me! I can try to be awesome too!)

Also, the lyrics and the music in the show are both excellent. The lyrics are very well written, just FUNNY. Cliche or not, the mini-van song was hysterical. They took the sagging and leaking experiences of so many mothers and made anthems out of them. Even the “no more cooking and cleaning” thing was awesome. They rocked out. And I laughed. A lot.

And so did the women around us. Seriously. Women were howling, and stomping the floor, and standing, and cheering. Clearly, this show connected with the majority of the audience.

I also cried a little. No, I did. The song about “Every Other Weekend” in which the divorced mom sang about what it is like to be alone every other weekend. And how the kids come home spoiled by their fathers and she has to be the bad guy, and how she manages… well. I totally boo-hooed and said a little thankful prayer that I don’t have to experience weekends like those.

I don’t think this is a show for the majority of husbands. (Maybe some, but certainly not mine. His eye-rolling would have annoyed the hell out of me.) And, I don’t think this is a show for women who have no interest in parenting yet. I know one woman who saw it, but who isn’t anywhere near ready for children, and she said it “scared the crap out of her”. That said, bring your mother. Bring your mom friends. Bring your pregnant daughter. Bring the moms at work and the moms on your block and the teachers of your children. I suspect they will love it.

Also, if you’re going to get hung up the cliches and parenting generalizations, just check those at the door. Relax. Have fun. Let yourself laugh. Don’t take it too seriously. This isn’t supposed to be heavy stuff or some wildly prophetic social commentary. Its fun, and very funny. And it’s obviously something many, many, MANY mothers just “get”.

Cheers to the Straz and the awesome actors who rock that show out night after night (I kind of want your life). You did a fantastic job. Thanks for reminding me to laugh at this mothering stuff and then leave me ready to get back home and hug my boys super tight. Laughing like I did that night made me take a step back, accept the good and the ugly of this motherhood thing, and simply appreciate it so much more.

Want to go see it now? Get $29 tickets to see “Motherhood, The Musical” at the Straz Center through August 28th. Use promo code TIX29. The offer ends August 12th, though!  Restrictions and charges apply.

Awhile back, the Straz asked me if I would review “Shrek the Musical”. Being a freak for musicals (but that’s ok, “freak” works for this show, but I’ll come back to that later), I jumped at this opportunity. So, with our media passes in hand and a couple booster seats tucked under our arms, we settled into fantastic seats to watch the show.

What did I expect? I’ve seen a lot kids shows, you know. “Disney on Ice” stuff and the rest. They’re fun. Enjoyable enough. Certainly all about the kids. And I’ve seen every Shrek movie made so I already knew (and certainly already loved) this musical’s story line. So I was expecting what I already knew: the Shrek storyline, some fun costumes, some singing and happy tra-la-la usual kid-show carrying on. Weee.

That said, I had heard great things about the show too. It’s a big time musical, after all.

So I had kind of set myself up for failure. Nothing about kids shows would amaze me at this point, right? AND I had heard this would be good, so it had BETTER be.

So… how was it?

Folks, I loved it. It was better than I expected. I literally laughed out loud during every scene. I mean, lordy, where do I begin?

Yep, Shrek was funny. Oh and the Donkey was AWESOME. Really, really good. He managed to maintain – if not amp up – an insane energy level throughout the show. Fiona remains a fantastic brand of princess, no doubt. Her song about the morning, where she tap dances with the Pied Piper’s Mice, NEEDS to be my blog theme son.

Oh. But Lord Faquaad? He nailed it. I was dying. His carrying on, his delivery and his character were, I think, far better than what I remembered from the movie. And the thing about his height? The costumers decided to put him on his knees with fake legs hanging down in front. It doesn’t translate right here but, I swear to you, it was hysterical. He played off of it so well which made his “shortness” an absolute riot throughout the show as he navigated the stage, the dancing scenes and his horse.

But who stole the show? The dragon. I wanted to leap out of my seat and cheer when her number was over (my four year, who had crawled onto my lap, kept me anchored, however). They did a fantastic job making her character come to life even for the short period of time she was on stage. And her voice was to die for. I think the dragon was my favorite part and I only wish they could have brought her back in the end again. She really was wonderful.

And so was Lord Faquaad.

And so was the Donkey and the Three Blind Mice who crooned a soulful Barry White/Marvin Gaye-esque love jam to Shrek and Fiona over a campfire.

And so was the end when we were all up out of our seats dancing.

“Shrek the Musical” totally captured the vibe of the movie – and then went a little further with it. It was just a bit funnier and different enough to make it surprising. The songs were all original (apart from the very final scene) and there were some new twists and turns in the plot along the way which only made the story better.

And of course I adored the overall moral of this fairytale. I think it was summed up best by the storybook characters who adopted the phrase “Let Your Freak Flag Fly” as their way of celebrating each of their unique fairytale traits. It was clearly the anthem of the show – and one I kind of want to adopt myself.

My only complaint? (Apart from not enough Dragon time?) It was a long show for little kids. Mine was asking me “Is it was over yet?” throughout the last last fifteen minutes. I don’t blame the show itself (even though a few singing numbers went on a bit), it was just late for them. I would suggest matinee shows for the really younger crowd. Nevertheless, both kids were glued for the majority of it and the Fiona vs. Shrek Fart/Burp contest? My kid almost slipped off his booster seat from laughing so hard.

Not to mention the fact that he felt inspired enough to let one rip himself later in the show leaving the audience members around us in hysterics. Way to feel the theater moment, kid.

Anyway, go with your kids if you can. If you don’t have kids, go anyway. I don’t really see it as a kids show with adult humor, but it seems more like an adult show with kids humor that they get and are able to watch without picking up on the adult themes.

Go. Love it. Let ‘er rip (it will only add to the show). And let your freak flag fly.

Oh I almost forgot. I have promo code info:

Save 50% off select tickets to see SHREK THE MUSICAL this week.  Use promo code SWAMP and you can save on performances Thursday and Sunday evening.  This offer is available in price levels 1-3 only and is limited to 4 tickets.  All offers are not applicable to prior sales, cannot be combined with any other offer and are subject to availability.  Service charges apply.

FTC stuff: I received four complimentary tickets to review the show however I was not paid in anyway for my opinions in this post.

(Note: These cups are on a window sill that never gets direct sunlight. The Insect Lore directions explain that direct sunlight could kill your caterpillars. So far so good here.)

In fact, as you can see from the caterpillar hanging upside down, some of them are already in position to start crafting their chrysalises!

We’re so proud. I’ll post again once we have an actual chrysalis.

Oh and after winter froze and killed all my butterfly friendly shrubs, I need to get cracking and replant my garden. These guys are going to need a new home soon!

EXCITED.

And nothing yet from our Praying Mantis egg sack. It’s due to hatch soon though so I’ll post once they emerge and chaos ensues as I try and round up and release most of them before they eat each other.

…Can’t wait! I think.

(What am I saying. Of course Mickey does magic. Disney World is only the “most magical place on earth”. What kind of Florida resident am I? These are things I should just KNOW, right?)

Well. OK, but did you know that Mickey does magic ON TOUR? I know, pretty cool right?

And here’s the really magical part. I have been offered tickets to Disney Live! Mickey’s Magic Show when it comes to the Bay area in early March. That means tickets for me – so I can review it and tell you all about it – and tickets for YOU so that you and three family members can just go and have fun and be amazed with your kids!

Again, cool right?

The Magic Show is coming to the Lakeland Center March 2-3, the Mahaffey Theatre March 4 and the St. Pete Times Forum March 6. Tickets start at $15 and complete details are at DisneyLive.com. Oh! And if you’re buying tickets, be sure to use the $3.00 discount code: MAGIC.

The four tickets I am giving away are for the 5:30pm, March 6th show at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Want to go?

Just leave a comment telling me what kind of magic you need in your life right now. Because we all need a little magic in our lives. Seriously.

You can enter up to three times by leaving comments here, tweeting (feel free to copy and paste: I just entered to win four tickets to the Disney Live! Mickey’s Magic Show at @sptimesforum here. http://wp.me/ptpXZ-13H #Tampa #Giveaway) or by sharing this on facebook. Just come back here and tell me that you did. And don’t forget to leave your email when prompted so I can contact you if you win.

The giveaway closes on February 17th and the winner will be selected at random.

Anyway, I’m really looking forward to taking my kids to see the show. If you’re curious to see what the show might be like, check out a quick preview below.

Update: We have a winner. Congratulations Kelly! I hope you and your fam enjoy the show!

We opened up our package to find well over 30 painted lady caterpillars collected into a small jar. However, the directions noted that we should separate them into small dixie cups right away. Ok then, we had some work to do. So we pulled the folding table out of the garage and into the driveway, invited over the neighbors kids and spent our after school hours gently rehousing caterpillars.

But before I did, I jumped onto the Insect Lore Facebook page. Why? Well, the caterpillar food we had to transfer into the cups too looked suspiciously like peanut butter. And with one kid allergic, I had to ask – so I did. They responded right away and said:

“All butterflies’ larvae eat from unique host plants, so the diet is a ‘smoothie’ of malva, hollyhock and thistle plants – no goober peas involved at all.”

Phew. Good to know. And we were off. My 7 year old did great as he carefully spooned and smooshed the food into the bottom of the cups as instructed. I spent my time carefully picking up caterpillars using an included paintbrush. Before we knew it, we had them all put safely into their new homes.

And I have to say. Those little caterpillars were pretty darn cute.

We passed a handful over to the neighbors who took them home to watch. And then brought the rest of ours indoors and set them up on a ledge which gets no direct sunlight.

So now we wait.

In the meantime, another rather large beast has decided to upstage all of my new creatures. A total diva. Laying there, thinking he’s all that.

Yes, this new addition is sunning himself on a bank off my backyard. But really, this pic is zoomed in. He’s not that big, only three feet or so. Still big or small, we love all beasites around here.

As always, I’ll keep you posted.

Come to find out, in 3-6 weeks, we will be hatching a nest of Chinese praying mantises in our home. Yep. You heard me right. When we opened the package, we had an egg sack and a pagoda to house our new creatures.

After some careful construction (and a little McGyvering, I added some small paper edges to keep it from slipping out), our egg sack is resting carefully on it’s hanging platform in the pagoda.

So 3-6 weeks, and we have babies. Of course, the directions said we should release all but one or two or else they will eat each other. This is good news for my garden since they eat pest bugs. However that begs the question, what will our praying mantis eat? And then I read:

“Be prepared to find very small insects such as aphids, fruit flies, small caterpillars, moths, or other soft-bodied insects for them to eat. Your mantis will eat almost any live bug.”

Um. Soft-bodied?

*shiver*

Ok.

But then I also read you can pick up pin-head crickets at a pet store and they like those too. So perfect. I can handle that. I think.

(…visions of escaped crickets all over the back seat of my car and screaming, swatting children and hungry mantises waiting patiently at home…)

In the meantime, our mantis has already been named by my 4 year old. Copernicus. I swear. He picked it. I couldn’t even make that one up.

Until then, the egg sack is quiet in its new home.

I’ll keep you posted of course.

You see, ants and I have never been friends. We get fire ants here in Florida. Lots of them. And they bite and leave big welts. And I had some run-ins with some over-sized scary mean ants in Africa as a child. So ants, in abundance, were not something I wanted in my home particularly.

Fast forward  to a few weeks ago when I learned we were getting the same Insect Lore Ant Hill to review here. Being “professional” and all, I sucked it up. I can handle it. I assured myself there was a way to “enjoy” ants while educating my children. Plus, what kind of animal, wildlife lover was I if I couldn’t handle a few ants? Sheesh. So I awaited their arrival. …I was excited! Swear.

We got the Ant Hill first. But then I learned that the ants come separately. In fact if you purchase an Ant Hill, be prepared to send away for your ants with an additional $4.00. In the meantime, you are instructed to set up your Ant Hill and have it ready to go as soon as they arrive.

A week or so later, my ants arrived safely in my mailbox tucked into a puffy envelope. I ignored the heebie jeebies running up and down my spine and ripped it open while my son cowered behind me (I’ve done a nice job protecting him from my ant issues it seems). Luckily, the ants were carefully secured in two tubes. We still had to transfer them into their new digs, however (which we translated as “setting them loose”). Thank goodness for instructions because Insect Lore suggested that we refrigerate the ants for five minutes which will “calm” them. Because these ants bite too. So into my frig they went. Once they were good and “calm”, I popped open the Ant Hill lid, slid the ants inside, and shut it. No ant escapees and we were in business.

To my astonishment, these ants have become my family’s most recent obsession. We are utterly fascinated with their daily progress. They are always busy. We’ve found new tunnels, ants carrying and depositing sand, ants eating and carrying food, interacting, job sharing – it’s all pretty amazing. After school, my son rushes through the door and into the kitchen to see what they’ve done while he’s been gone.  I think we all have a new appreciation for ants and all that they do. I never thought I would say this but our Ant Hill is one of the most interesting and educational products we’ve had in our household in a very long time.

One bit of advice, however? Read the instructions carefully. They are very thorough and will help you understand and care for your ants best. The instructions also include some fun activities and facts for your kids so that you can continue to make this project as educational and interesting as possible.

Oh and I almost forgot! As I do with every item I review for Insect Lore, I get to give some away. Insect Lore will send one winner two Ant Hills – one for you and one for your child’s school. Yep, you too can suck up the courage to bring some ants into your home. Because, take it from me, you and your kids will find yourselves more mezmerised by their comings and goings than any all day The Santa Clause movie marathon. As will your child’s class.

Giveaway Rules

What do you need to do? Between now and Monday, December 20th, leave a comment below telling me about how excited you are to share an Ant Hill with your kids. OR you can comment about how fearful you are to bring a bunch of ants into your home but are willing to come to terms with those heebie jeebies for the sake of your children’s educational development. Of course. (I promise, as an ant fearing parent myself, they aren’t so bad!)

A tweet can count as an entry too (maybe something like: “I entered the @MorningsideMom @insectlore Ant Hill #giveaway here because she swears that ants are a good time. http://wp.me/ptpXZ-10N “). Just leave a comment here saying you tweeted.

UPDATE:

Congratulations to Jen and her six year old son! They have won the ant hill giveaway. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have! And thanks to everyone else for your entries. This contest is now closed.

And in the meantime, are you curious to hear what my seven year old thinks of this Ant Hill? Here is a quiet conversation between the two of us while we watch our ants. It’s a little blurry but you can see them hard at work, carrying sand and moving through tunnels. Also, I called this product a “toy” in this video. Upon later review, my son corrected me. “Mom, it’s NOT a toy. It’s ants living in their house.” Right.

Full Disclosure, as always: I am a paid Blog Ambassador for Insect Lore since they do advertise on my site. That being said, my reviews for their products are entirely my own unbiased opinion.

For three nights a week during the summer, Adventure Island opens its doors to families late into the evening. Guests are welcome to cool off at night on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from June 10th – August 14th.

And why would anyone want to hit a water park in the evening? If you’re asking that question, you’re obviously not from Florida. The sun here is HOT. Floridians are constantly concerned about sunburns and sunscreen reapplication. Also the heat of a summer day in Florida, water park or not, can be a bit overwhelming. Even when the sun sets, the air stays very warm in Florida. So being able to soak our summer weary bodies without the intense sun makes an evening visit to Adventure Island a very cool and refreshing plus.

So what did we think? My boys and I had a fantastic time. Truly. There are water rides for every age: splash pools for toddlers, age appropriate slides, climbing fun, water guns and dumping buckets for bigger kids, and then every combination of water slide for the oldest kids.

And by oldest kids I mean adults. Because there is something about a water park that makes every adult a kid again.

There are good deals for Florida and Georgia residents so check their website for ticket prices. However, be prepared to pay an extra $12.00 for parking. And if you want to rent a locker (which is very convenient) they cost $12.00 a day too. Also, I’ve heard that you need to get to the park early during the day to stake out a spot. We didn’t have any issues with a place for our things during the evening (we also rented a locker) but it is something to be aware of as the park gets busy.

Here is a quick video of our visit. It’s quick because I spent most of my time having fun. But it should give you a feel for the place during the evening. Plus my very sad seven year old at the end of the video (he did NOT want to leave, he had the time of his life, truly) cracked me up. Poor kid. But his tears are a sincere indication of how much fun he really had at Adventure Island that night.

Enjoy!

FTC Disclosure: Adventure Island paid for my family’s parking and admission.

Fanning self, staring lustily at hard drives, boot them up, watch them run, look at my blog go, open pictures, speed, plug ins, lots of clicking and dragging. Dang, I need a cold shower.

While I am disclosing this all right up front however, you should already know by now that I am no computer guru. I don’t know the benefits of one processor from another. But I am a user. Obviously. I am also running my own blog which some might consider my own business. I have kids using computers everyday. I have a husband reviewing film for work on computers on many evenings. I have family members who come over and log on and friends who are curious about what we use and a brother who actually is a computer guru kicking the tires on every PC he comes across. We’re users and we’re shameless about it. So let me tell you about this particular PC and how I think it could be, well, used.

The lust-worthy PC that was magically dropped on my doorstep a couple weeks ago is a Lenovo A70z All in One PC. I know, a PC! So many of us use laptops these days. They fold up and go with us. Easy. So why would anyone want to invest in a stand alone PC?

Well, here’s the thing about the Lenovo. It has a lot of the benefits of a laptop, and maybe a few more.

Pros and Cons

1. The hard drive is built into the back of the monitor. The advantage?

• It takes less than 5 minutes to pull out of the box and set up
• It saves a ton of space
• It’s easy to put just about anywhere – you could even mount it on the wall

2. The screen is big – 19″. I don’t know about you but sometimes I just miss a nice big open screen when I use my lap top. Also this makes for great display use since it’s something everyone standing around you can see.

3. It’s easy to pack up. All it has is the monitor, the keyboard and the mouse. If you want to bring it on vacation with you, technically you could without much fuss.

4. It boots up fast. Really fast. Just push the button and it turns on like a TV. Nice.

5. Six USB hook ups, 500 GB of space, CD/DVD drive/burner, a web camera, optional Wi-Fi, and great speakers make this usable right away.

6. It’s Energy Star 5.0 compliant – which matters to this user for sure. Not many PCs can compete with that. Plus it came with a reusable bag instead of the usual extra plastic packaging which is their bit to do something more for the environment.

7. It’s affordable. Depending on the type of processor and other features you select, you can buy it for as little as $500 or for as much as $729.

Some disadvantages? Many users are getting used to thinner screens. While this PC is great in that everything is IN the monitor, it still feels a bit bulky. I think it would feel better if its mounted rather than relying on the kickstand in the back. There is also no SD card slot. My brother (aforementioned computer guru) argued that small businesses wouldn’t need this feature. But I do. Just saying.

Please note that said computer guru gave this PC the thumbs up. He mumbled all sorts of positive sounding words about core processors and nice speed and decent space – I think he even called it a “nice little box”. (Now that I think about it, perhaps he too needs that cold shower. But I digress.)

Who can use this?

Well, obviously this would work very well at a business with a kiosk for customers to use. It would work well for small offices needing to save space and money. It would work well for offices that need to move their equipment efficiently.

But I’m a mom and blogger at home with my kids. So let me tell you how I think this works well for a family too.

This PC is ideal for children. Why? It’s easy to set up in a family area without taking up much room. I like the idea that I could have this set up in a public space and WATCH my children online. The screen makes it easy for me to see what they are doing. It’s also very sturdy and seems to stand up well to children pointing, using, typing, putting disks in, skypeing with Grandpa, playing games online, checking scores, watching movies, doing homework and the rest.

And you know which other family members would do well with this PC? The grandparents of the household. This PC is very easy to set up. It’s user friendly. Everything is built in. Plug in and go. My father certainly doesn’t know much about processors either but this nice big clean screen, fast boot up time, built in webcam for skype (a priority for him) with easy to use Windows 7, and regular sized keyboard would make his user experience much more intuitive and comfortable compared to the day to day frustrations he has with his old, cranky, hard to read laptop.

All in all, I’m impressed. It feels very dependable, fast, quiet and easy to use. It’s got what you need, it is practical, it takes up very little space, it’s energy efficient, it’s no fuss. All of these things make this user happy. For all that it does for the price, it makes an ideal family work station.

So that’s my two cents. I get to keep this puppy around for awhile on a long term loan so if you have questions, feel free to post them. Thanks to Lenovo for the chance to check out this fabulous PC.

By the way? Stay tuned for a giveaway. Yep, get your cold showers ready. One of these may just be yours soon. So check back here later.

In the meantime, some other great reviews of this PC can be found here:

Gear Diary

Slash Gear

FTC disclaimer: A Lenovo All in One A70z PC was sent to me on long term loan for review purposes.

“It’s very far away.”

“Far away” translated in my child’s mind as far as anyone could go, maybe even as far as China. And so for years I thought Sesame Street was in China.

No longer.

My inner five year old was thrilled to learn that Sesame Street has arrived here in Tampa Bay. Elmo, Big Bird, Burt, Ernie, Grover, Cookie Monster… they’re all part of the new Safari of Fun at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

This past Thursday, I loaded my youngest into the car and drove down to Busch Gardens for a special media event kicking off the opening of Safari of Fun. After being under construction for some time, I have been dying to see the new updates so we were there and ready to go at 8:30am that morning.

As part of media day, all of those attending were assigned a personal escort for the day. We were lucky enough to meet Rick, a wonderful guide and patient host as my son ran here and there around the grounds of the  newly updated Safari of Fun.

So what’s it like?

Safari of Fun is an upgraded make over of the old “Land of the Dragons” area – but with more to offer. The entire area has been adapted to a “Sesame Street” theme for which I give a thunderous round of applause. The age of children visiting this area adore Sesame Street – pairing the two makes a lot of sense. All of the old rides are there still, plus a few more. They have added a new kiddie sized swing ride, an echoing exploration area, a spacious new splash park and the brand new Air Grover – a junior coaster perfect for brave preschoolers and young elementary school aged kids.

There is also a new theater show starring the Sesame Street characters which is presented several times a day, there is a new space for daily Sesame Street character breakfasts, and across the park in Timbuktu there is a new 4D Sesame Street movie now being shown.

But what did my kid really think of it all?

Well, I took video so that you can see his reaction for yourself. He even gave me a little wrap up interview the following day. But in a nutshell, he adored it. Sure he was a little nervous around the characters but he could not get enough of the rides and climbing areas which are perfect for his age. He was too scared to try out Air Grover but my friend Maria was kind enough to share her video experience with her three year old. We can not wait to get back and bring my six year old (who is itching to try out Air Grover). Next time we’ll bring our bathing suits too and try out the new splash park.

I also have to point out how professional the staff there are. Rick was a great help and each staff member assisting children on and off the rides could not have been kinder or more patient. They explained they have a “no cry policy” and will stop the ride in an instant if any child is upset. Thanks to all of the staff for making my child’s experience so much fun.

The only slight disappointment was the 4D movie. While funny and well done, the extra “effects” were a little much for the preschoolers in our group. There are quite a few surprising direct sprays of water which caught the kids off guard. We were fairly soaked by the end of the show and one kid was in tears (mine had his hands over his face asking if it was over yet). Older children might love these surprises, I know my six year old would crack up at them. However, Sesame Street is more appropriate for younger kids so I’m just hoping they tone down the scary water sprays but crank the fun, more gentle effects like bubbles, etc. My three year old doesn’t want to try that again but we’ll be taking my six year old for sure.

Finally, check out the video I made of our day at the Sesame Street Safari of Fun. We truly had a blast and we can’t wait to get back there in a couple weeks.

Sesame Street’s Safari of Fun at Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay from Morningside Mom on Vimeo.

Here is Maria Melee from Your Mama Reviews riding Air Grover with her three year old son. (By the way, how cool is this set up? Many props to the Busch Gardens folks to bring this video option to all of us on Media Day.)

Air Grover at Busch Gardens from Your Mama on Vimeo.

Oh and don’t forget! Children 5 and under can register here for a free Busch Gardens Tampa Bay pass for the rest of 2010. Please note that your child does need to be a Florida resident to register.