Grand Rapids Kids Blog

grkids.com’s blog has a new name and new look.  Don’t worry, all of your favorite information, contests, reviews, etc have come with us to the new blog, and we hope that you will, too!

Did you ever realize that the grkids.com blog was just named “blog?”  We did, and thought, how boring!

Our new name is Kids On the Grand…and we’d like you to register your email address when you come to visit.  We can’t do this for you, and if you don’t register then your grkids.com blog updates will STOP showing up in your email.

Why are we changing?  Basically so we can use more features.  You will be able to share posts with your friends on facebook or twitter with just one click.  We will have multiple contributors posting to this blog (Sandy from Sandy’s Spot will now make her home here.)  And that is just the start.

Come on over to Kids On the Grand where I have just announced a new blog hop, Handmade for the Holidays, featuring lots of giveaways and a chance to win $25 from Mom N Mia!

What does White Christmas mean to you?

My husband is one of those people who loves old movies.  White Christmas is no exception…he can tell you who played what role, the setting, plot, etc.  I, on the other hand, am nothing like this.  I have trouble remembering people that live down the street from me.  So when we were offered tickets to go see Cornerstone University’s performance of  White Christmas: The Musical we said “yes” for different reasons: he wanted to share a favorite old show with his son, I wanted to get acquainted with it for the first time.

Our evening started with a stop at the Twisted Rooster.  We chose that restaurant in part for its unique, awesome food and also for it’s proximity to Matthew’s Auditorium where the show played out.  I can’t give enough props to our waitress (sorry, I don’t remember your name) for expressing our food through the kitchen so we wouldn’t be late for showtime.

After a fabulous meal (did I say the food and service was good?) we made our way across the East Beltline.

I didn’t do my research and thought that Matthew’s Auditorium was on Cornerstone’s main campus.  Not so.  We drove around in the dark for awhile until I looked up the address and found we were supposed to be at 3000 Leonard (the campus of Grand Rapids Theological seminary) which was just around the corner.

Sliding in just before the show started, we were shown to our seats.  For those of you who’ve seen the movie, you know that it is set between 1944 and 1954 and there are undercurrents of WWII themes woven throughout.  I wish I would have known this…I would have prepped my 6-year old son and given him a bit of the back-story on the musical.

The performers were high-energy and skillful throughout the show.  Tap-dancing numbers made us all want to get up and try it ourselves.  Plus, Matthews Auditorium is a great place to stage a musical:  The venue is not too large, so every seat has a nice view.  A 10-minute intermission gave us time to stretch our legs and visit the concession stand.

Overall we had a really nice evening out.  The timing (7:30 pm to 10pm) was a bit much for my 6-year old, but the 9-year old friend we brought along enjoyed herself.  I would recommend this show to anyone aged 10 and over…what a fun way to get some holiday cheer, family time, and support the local arts all at once!

White Christmas is playing through December 12.  If you’d like to try and win tickets to the show, click here. If you’re interested in purchasing them, click here.

Does the holiday season inspire you to give?  For most in our community the answer is a resounding YES!  I don’t know any stats, but I bet that the Grand Rapids area would top the charts in giving.

We give when our hearts are stirred.  We give when we see a need: food to food pantries, clothes to the resale shops, time to service projects, shelter for the displaced…you get the idea.

But…there are some needs that go unmet because they are not on our radar.  The Grand Rapids Public Schools runs a program for homeless and displaced youth.

Guess what they need? Pajamas!

I think this would make a great project for kids to help out with.  They can relate to PJ’s.  They can comprehend what it would be like to sleep without that coziness.  Perhaps you can get your little Andy and Ava to tag along and pick out a pair to donate.  The Visser Family YMCA and the Horizon Complex in Jenison is spearheading this effort.  New pajamas (sizes 3  and up…no infants sizes, please) may be dropped off at Horizon Complex (corner of Port Sheldon and Chicago Drive) or the Visser YMCA.

Last year they contributed 800 pairs of PJ’s…this year, lets help that number skyrocket!

And here’s the challenge: would you go to the event’s facebook page and share it? This will post it to your profile page…and let others in our community know of the need.

Leave a comment on this blog telling us you did it.  And leave a comment here about what you’re giving…maybe that is just what’s needed to inspire another.  If we can reach (100) valid comments on this blog (one per person, please!) then grkids.com will donate (10) pairs of PJ’s!

Do you do the Christmas Card?  Or are you a Christmas letter kind of person?  Maybe you do the photo greeting kind of thing?  I personally think the photo cards are a great idea (I’m sure Hallmark detests them!)

The photo greeting card lets you show off your kiddos in their splendor, which is what the aunts and uncles and grandmas and grandpas want to see, anyhow.  And it is easy enough to pen a few lines and drop it in with the card.

I know a few people who fill up a whole door with the photo cards they receive.  (I always feel like I’m not as popular as they are, I get nowhere near that many cards!)

Last year I tried the DIY photo greeting card.  I printed them off at Walgreens, bought envelopes that didn’t quite fit and sent them out.  I still cringe….  Cute kids.  Cute picture (both smiling and looking at the camera at the same time!)….Wasted!

Dud of a card.   And after I added up how much it all cost I was dismayed…I could have paid someone to do a good job for about $10 more.  Boo!

Enter in Stephanie.  She is a graphic design artist who specializes in this kind of thing.  She will take your photos and turn them into works of art (if you recall, she is the same Stephanie that designed the new grkids.com logo.)

Anyhow, if you contact her soon she might be able to rescue your holiday greeting card.  Her business is graphic i and here is where you can find her on the internet.  And if you like coupons, we have one of those on grkids.com, right here, good for 10% off your holiday card order.

Good luck with your holiday cards, and have fun!

Graphic I designed the grkids.com logo in exchange for advertising on grkids.com.  All opinions are my own.

There is a reason Sesame Street has been around since 1969…it is QUALITY!

I’m happy to report that this quality shows up in the Sesame Street Live performance at Van Andel Arena this weekend.

Super Grover looses his “superness” and the rest of the show is dedicated to recovering his super-powers.  (Any kids that are into super heroes will love this.)  On his quest to recover his “superness,”  Grover enlists the help of his friends (who also gain “super” identities.)  The friends learn how to share and discover that naps, brushing hair, eating right, and exercising have some definite payoffs.

Many of your favorite Sesame Street friends will show up…Grover, Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Bert & Ernie…just to name a few.

The producers must have understood their young, wiggly audience.  Many songs encouraged dancing and the sound wasn’t too loud.  The lights were bright and engaging, but not overwhelming.

Lots of traveling shows will entertain your children, but this one does more.   Peppered with educational value, Sesame Street also contains snippets of humor for moms and dads, too.  I chuckled as Cookie Monster rapped and The letter “Kay” struck a vogue-like pose at the end of a super-cape fashion show.  I doubt that was for the 3 year-olds.

Of course you are in it for the kids, so here are some tips to have a great time:

• Give yourself time to park and get seated.
• Dress up.  Wear red if you love Elmo, or a favorite Sesame Street character shirt to get in the mood.  Bring your Elmo toy if you have one.
• Visit the restroom before the show (it may get crowded later on.)The show is 90 minutes from start to finish with a 15 minute intermission.  Lots of concessions and toys are available for purchase during this time.
• The show is at the Van Andel Arena through Sunday.  Have fun!

The VanAndel arena provided tickets to the show.  All opinions are my own.