Posts Tagged ‘events’

Take Us Out To The Ball Game

Thursday, July 2nd, 2015

I love minor league baseball. I mean, I love major league baseball too, if I get to actually go to the game in person. But major league baseball games are a) expensive b) far away and c) expensive, so I mostly stick to local minor league games. Our team here in town has changed names at least 3 times since we’ve lived here. First they were the Gators (maybe?), then they were The Defenders (I’m sure about that one), now they are the Connecticut Tigers. I appreciate that they make it family friendly. And cheap. Sitting in the first row right on the 3rd base line make the game much more fun for the big kids.

Poor Linc though. Baseball stadiums aren’t exactly baby-friendly, especially for a baby who just started walking and climbing steps. I felt like I spent most of the game wrestling an angry, wet badger. He did seem to like the baseball food, which kept him partially entertained. I mean, who doesn’t like licking the salt off of soft-baked pretzels?

After the game the kids got to run the bases, which they thought was neat. At the end they each got a coupon for free Ben & Jerry’s, which I think is neat, because I can make them share one scoop while I eat the other. Win win.

Photographic proof of our fun and/or eating:

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Running away…

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Linc thought this game was super fun.

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I think that mascot was hitting on my husband.

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Linc also thought this was a fun game (despite his face not looking so fun).

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Happy 30th Birthday Cabbage Patch Kids!

Thursday, October 10th, 2013

A couple weeks ago the kids and I took the train into NYC to celebrate a special birthday with some old friends – the Cabbage Patch Kids turn 30 this year and boy do they know how to celebrate!

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The same people who organized the amazing Playdate in the City last fall threw this party too, so my hopes were pretty high – and absolutely exceeded. It doesn’t happen very often, but this is the kind of thing that makes being a blogger seem like a super cool job.

The party was at the Eventi Hotel, which was a few blocks from Grand Central Station. I was lucky my friend Sarah was going too, since she was smart enough to look up walking directions BEFORE showing up in NYC. Plus she had her daughter Avery with her, and my kids looooove “Baby Avery”.

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Caroline might be the only 2 year old who LOVES people dressed as giant characters.

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The party had an adoption station where each child got to pick out a Cabbage Patch Kid that the “nurses” opened up for them to start loving right away. Then there were stations where you could listen to a story about where the Kids come from, learn how to change their diapers, get a Cabbage Patch makeover, rename your baby (Each CPK comes with a unique name and birth certificate but we had new ones printed with the names Caroline and Evan chose – Peanut and Emme), take the Oath of Adoption (Caroline doing the Oath might have been the cutest thing ever), and other fun stuff.

I MIGHT have strongly steered Caroline towards the red-headed Kid, but it wasn’t exactly hard. “That looks like me!” she said. Why, I didn’t even notice! (I totally noticed.) There were also boy Kids, but Evan chose a blond girl and insisted that was HIS baby so I couldn’t argue.

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“Peanut” came with a bowl and food, so Caroline spent the rest of the party force-feeding her.

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Diapering her baby. Even the “nurse” thought it was adorable.

Of course, what would a party be without food – and cupcakes?! Caroline was thrilled that scrambled eggs were on the brunch menu, since she ate two giant plates full of them. Evan ate bagels and “cupcakes”, which were actually corn muffins, until he realized there were ACTUAL cupcakes.

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The punch was orange juice and Sprite with cherries in the bottom. I think I drank more than the kids. And how cute are all those details – custom cups?!

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Party animal!

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We need to work on her table manners. And sitting.

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It was so much fun seeing the display of vintage Cabbage Patch Kids and the new Cabbage Patch Kids Celebration ‘Kids in honor of their 30th birthday. Does that make you feel old or what? I remember desperately wanting the a Cabbage Patch Kid when I was little, and how exciting it was to see the new ones come out every year. I’m such a fan of vintage toys that are still going strong, since you know in another 30 years our grandkids are going to be feeding and changing and tucking in their Cabbage Patch Kids too. Best part – they still smell EXACTLY the same as they did when I was little.

In addition to Peanut and Emme, the kids brought home a couple of Cabbage Patch Kids Cuties – one dressed as a rabbit and one dressed as a kitty I think. They’re the perfect size  for a preschooler, and ours have come with us lots and lots of places since we adopted them. I wish I had hidden a couple more in my bag for stocking stuffers.

It was a really fun day and totally worth the train ride plus the craziness that was dragging two kids and a bunch of balloons through the city because my children insisted on bringing them ALL home.

Huge thanks to our friends at JAKKS Pacific for letting us attend the party and for our very own Cabbage Patch Kids.

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Meet Harvey Ice Cream Playdate

Sunday, July 21st, 2013

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Last Tuesday the kids and I headed up to East Hartford for a fun blogger playdate sponsored by Hood Ice Cream and their new Harvey Bars. If you live in New England you’ve probably seen their commercials (Who put the bar in the bar-di-bar-di-bar…)(It’s actually pretty cute) but I hadn’t seen them at my grocery store yet so I was excited to give them a try.

It was 90+ degrees which I think is perfect weather for ice cream. Especially free ice cream.

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A++++ will buy again. The kids loved the cookies and cream but the toffee crunch was amaaaazing.

It was also great to see some of the Connecticut bloggers I’ve met over the past year again, plus put actual faces to the names I see online. Everyone was so nice and Evan declared at least five kids to be his new best friend. Even Caroline had a good time blowing bubbles for a “baby friend.”

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The question was: Who wants fore ice cream??

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The Hood Company was founded here in Connecticut and has been making ice cream for more than 100 years. The Harvey Bar is named after Harvey Perley Hood, who started the company and always wore a bow tie (it’s the tie on the bar wrapper a cute tribute?) We love local companies, plus we love ice cream, so it was a great event for us. Thanks to Hood, Shift Communications and Julie for inviting us!

I was invited to the Hood Playdate by Julie, who is in my local Facebook group. We receives snacks, ice cream, and coupons in exchange for attending, with no obligation to share our experience.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Friday, June 28th, 2013

Right before the kids and I took off for our road trip, I got an email that said “Boston Red Sox Invite You to a Game at Fenway Park” in the subject line. I almost, almost deleted it, since obviously it must be spam. I am so very glad I didn’t.

I have no idea how I ended up on a list of “thought leaders” in New England, but because they stumbled over my blog somehow the marketing department for the Red Sox invited me and my family up to the park for a tour, a game and a focus group to talk about what would make us more likely to come back.

The whole thing was so professional, I almost cringe at the fact I even there. I wore flip flops and brought my four year old. No one else had their kid there (I asked! They said beforehand it was OK!) and he was kind of…a four year old. There was an agenda and a white board and notepads.  It was a small group. There was a seat marked with my name and blog name on a printed and branded place marker. They had individual bottles of Perrier for us while we chatted about family events at Fenway and their Kid Nation program. Perrier is way above my class level. It was 90 degrees and my Spanx were the only thing keeping me from literally melting into a puddle on the floor, but there I was, unable to shut up. I ramble when I’m nervous (shocking, I’m sure) and in the moment my brain seemed to think all my ideas were BRILLIANT. Gah. Gaaaaaaaaah.

Luckily I must not have totally embarrassed myself, since they sent a follow up email and invited us back to the Futures at Fenway event coming up in July. At the focus group we discussed in detail what sort of things we’d like to see at a family day event…and then POOF! Turns out that event is ALREADY SCHEDULED. And has been for the past eight years. I probably should have known about that already. Oops?

The real best part of the whole thing was the ballpark tour. I’m not the world’s greatest Red Sox fan (and if you are, feel free to hate me for being invited to this thing when you weren’t), but I am a huge nut about history and Fenway is all about history. Getting to walk around the park when it was empty, visit all the fancy and private levels, see the framed jerseys going all the way back to the very first one with actual red socks printed on it…it was amazing. Especially because I got to bring E and Evan. I choked up a little just editing my photos from the day – they don’t get to spend a lot of time together doing father-son stuff, but what can be a better memory than Evan’s first trip to Fenway? Magical, for real.

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Look at that empty, empty field!

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There are vintage-style and exposed brick signs everywhere in the park. I love the way they make it FEEL like a historic place.

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Some of the fancy memorabilia in the uber-swanky season ticket holder club.

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So, so, so, SO many food choices in the park.

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I had to bribe him with one of those smooshed pennies to sit next to Wally.

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The view from on the field.

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Discussing batting practice.

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Hello Rockies. Sorry not sorry you lost this game!

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Watching the actual game (we only got to stay a few innings)

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Delivered right to my seat, hot and delicious

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I’m a little obsessed with the way the light-up boards for the scores and stats all use green backgrounds, so they match the rest of the stadium. Plus the graphics have fake drop-shadows, so they look just like the old hand-operated score board (That they still use! There are guys in there!)

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PACKED stadium on a Tuesday night!

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Goodnight Fenway! See you again soon!

Wordless Wednesday: Potato Planting

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011