OZ: A Bit Too Great & Powerful for Little Ones

When a good friend texted me last week about taking our kids to see "Oz The Great and Powerful," my initial message back to her was:

Do you think it's too scary?

After doing some brief, additional research, we couldn't find much information about age appropriateness. So ... I met her at RAVE in Center Valley, Pa. Our daughters, both five, have seen the original Wizard of Oz and were excited to go the movies.

Now, this is just one mom's opinion, but I wish that we would have erred on the side of not watching this particular movie. The wicked witch (played by Mila Kunis), flying baboons, fog and fire, eerie music, broken china doll and violence were all a bit too much for the girls, and quite frankly, the moms. My daughter spent the majority of the movie scared and curled up on my lap with her eyes covered.

I've seen other sites claiming that Oz is the "biggest hit so far in 2013" (CBS News) and it's received nearly 800,000 likes on Facebook. Overall, the movie did nothing for me. As we were leaving the theater, I even overheard some young women in their 20s talking about how they were "bored halfway through it."

As a James Franco and Zach Braff fan, I'm sort of bummed that I didn't enjoy the movie. As a mom, I feel irresponsible for taking my 5-year-old to see it. I can only hope that it doesn't cause her to have nightmares.

My clan is a big Disney movie family, but this film just seemed a bit all over the place: sometimes weirdly funny, sometimes fantastically beautiful ... but then other times, down-right scary.  I asked my little one for a quote to include in this post, here's what she had to say, "It was sort of scary, but sometimes cute. I think it's OK for ... like ... 7 or 8 year olds." And, I agree. Oz The Great and Powerful is more appropriate for older children.

It's really not my style to post something negative online. However, as a mom, I feel it's important for other moms (and dads) to make informed decisions when it comes to what their children watch. My hope is that this "review" helps you to decide whether or not to take your little ones to see Oz.

Saturday Mornings are for Families at ArtsQuest

Instead of cleaning the house while the kids sit glued to Saturday morning cartoons, why not pack up the gang for some quality time at the ArtsQuest Center! There is only one weekend left to enjoy "Peas & Qs" and the St. Luke's Farmers Market (winter session).

The clarinet mesmerizes the little ones.

Peas & Qs is a free, one hour family program hosted Saturday mornings at 11:30 a.m. On March 16, I braved the wintry mix along with my husband and two girls, and headed to the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, located at 101 Founders Way in Bethlehem.  

Melissa Zirkel -- a senior at Moravian College majoring in Music Education -- was the star of Peas & Qs. She did a wonderful job of keeping a large crowd of 0 - 6 year old kids entertained. She read books, played her clarinet, and had the kids moving and singing along.

The Pennsylvania Youth Theater will host a workshop on March 30. After family hour, everyone is invited to visit the Farmers Market from 12 - 4 p.m. located in the same building.

In its second year, the Farmers Market is a great way to support local farms and have a real farmers market experience. "This is the perfect segue for families ... you go from Peas & Qs to the farmers market," said Lorraine, manager of the market. "It's a community service and the kids love it!" And, this mom agrees.

Vegan and organic produce for sale.

There are crafts for the kids and whole host of natural food options, including: vegetables and free range eggs from Jett's Produce, honey, syrup and jams from Old Mill Gourmet, artisan breads from Apple Ridge Farm, and baked goods and quiches from the Hereford Country Store. We left with a smoked bacon quiche, chocolate mousse and a chimichurri marinade. Mmm mmm mmm!

All in all, we had a wonderful morning together. Our minds, imaginations and bellies were fed. There is free parking, no entrance fee, no crowds, and ArtsQuest is just a healthy place to be for kids and parents.

Arts, Crafts & Playtime? Yes, Please!

Motherhood is a glorious, joyful experience filled with love and kindness and a lot of tantrums … both from child and mom. The only people who ever say that raising little people is easy never had any. And the only thing harder than raising kids is entertaining them especially when they are little and home all .. day .. long.

How many of you moms out there were nodding along just now?? Well, last weekend I found a little gem that you are going to love. No really.

At 52 South Main Street in Nazareth, moms (and dads too) will find the entrance to Jelly Bean Town, USA. Your children will be so entertained upon entertaining that you will actually be able to – gasp – enjoy playing with them while not arguing or bartering or pitching tantrums! You won’t find jelly beans though, so read on for the scoop.

Jelly Bean Town USA is the vision of its owner, Tara Carson. It is, at its core, an arts and crafts center; but it is nestled inside a kid-friendly ‘town’ complete with a library, mail stop, dress-up center, grocery store, tool station and train table. A town whose every colorful detail is perfect and exact; thanks largely to its co-owner, Tara’s husband (vision-realizer & architect) John Carson.

You will see a bookshelf full of Dr. Seuss, a map listing capital cities, tables covered in art paper and supplies, several Purell stations, a water cooler, a coat rack and a clean bathroom. Your child will see the clouds on the ceiling, the jelly beans on the walls, the princess hat and knight mask, the balloons, the Legos, the trains, the huge chalkboard, and the stickers, oh and the STICKERS!! Together, you and your child will spend an afternoon laughing and creating and forgetting why you hate Barney and naps respectively.

And it is not just for the ultra-mini set. I brought along my Rooks (or little Castles), who are 11 and a half (so important to a girl) and 9. I knew my daughter would love the crafts. I was surprised to see how much fun my son had banging around in Tool Time and playing with the trains.

Jelly Bean Town, USA received 2 Thumbs Up from the Rooks. What better endorsement could you need?

Details:

Open Play Times are only $5 per child no matter how long you stay. (Seriously!!)

Monday 9:30a – 2p

Tuesday 11a – 5p

Wednesday 9:30a – 3p

Friday 9:30a – 2p

Every Sunday from 1 – 3p is a themed craft and playtime. Again, only $5.

There are also several one-day and one-week camp sessions during the summer.

Best Detail:

2 words – Birthday. Party.

Oh yeah. Tara loves birthdays and has several themes from which you can choose such as Princess Royalty or Diggin’ for Dinos. She is also open to any ideas you or your birthday bean may have. Ready to break out of the boring birthday bash grind? Of course you are. So call Tara.

 

Cool Details:

Jelly Bean Town, USA offers art classes after school for the young, budding-Picasso set. There are also special Crafting Sessions for adults several times a month. In the future, look for after-work art classes for adults too!

Tara, who studied art in school and is a graphic designer, really does see art everywhere. Her ultimate vision is to help old and young alike experience it for themselves too.

Helpful Details:

Need to fulfill an art credit for your home-schooled kids? Want to earn an art-centric merit badge for your troop? Yep, Tara does that too. Shoot her a call or email to make special arrangements for your class or troop.

Quirky Detail:

Jelly Bean Town USA’s mascot, Shelly Jelly Bean, can come to your parade or event. Guess how you find out more? Yep, call or email Tara.

Necessary Details:

52 South Main Street, Nazareth, PA 18064

610.248.0549

www.JellyBeanTownUSA.com

info@JellyBeanTownUSA.com

Cash, Visa, MasterCard and Discover accepted.

It's not all about the cheeseburger...

Like most Moms & Dads out there, I use McDonald's as a back up. On a morning we are running late, drive-thru pancakes at our local Mickey D's hit the spot. When I don't feel like making dinner or we need a quick lunch, McDonald's is an easy answer. But how quick am I to admit this?

Yes, I do find myself making excuses, "why" I visit those Golden Arches. I LOVE their french fries but in "Mommy and Daddy world", going to McDonald's on a regular basis, seems to make you an irresponsible parent.

Why, you might ask, am I bringing all of this up? Well, McDonald's is working on this perception with a better menu, calorie information and options.

In addition, the folks at McDonald's reached out to bloggers in the Philadelphia region, including Lehigh Valley Family Fun, asking them to be part of the new "McCafe Moms" group. This new group will have access to information and can provide feedback about their products.

Recently, we met down at the Ronald McDonald House in South Jersey to learn more about the "McCafe Moms", their intentions, take a tour of the facility and meet the key players at McDonald's.

When I think about "McDonald's" I don't think about the faces behind the scene. But as it turns out, they are Moms & Dads too! AND they have the same concerns. They want a menu that provides healthy alternatives to that heavenly french fry. They want to change that perception that Ronald McDonald ONLY consumes cheeseburgers, fries and soda.

McDonald's also does a lot for the community and our non-profit friends. Lehigh Valley Family Fun LOVES to hear this and wants to get involved on this philanthropic journey. We will keep you posted as we learn more.

So, you see, it's not all about the cheeseburger anymore.  It is so much more and we want to get to the bottom of it.  Keep an eye out for more to come from "McCafe Moms". This topic will appear on our blog from time to time and we will have coupons to share!

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Pizza, Playtime & Prizes in Allentown

Looking for a family-friendly restaurant where you don't even watch your kids? Okay, well you can sort of watch them ... play that is. Boston's Restaurant & Sports Bar near Fogelsville is putting the fun back into going out to dinner with your kids.

No longer do you have to cringe when the kids start whining in public or have to tell them to, "sit down and eat." Just lettem' play! And, enjoy your meal while the awesome staff entertains your kids. Boston's recently kicked off their Kids' Corner and we had to go check it out.

Kids' Corner is every Thursday from 5:00 to 8:15 p.m. in their Allentown location, where I-78 meets route 100. Kids can choose from a great menu designed just for them: chicken bites, personal pizza, spaghetti and meatball, mac-n-cheese or mini cheeseburgers. The best part ... your mini-yous eat FREE with the purchase of an adult entrée. Personally, I just love the Mediterranean salad.

My daughter getting her arm painted.

"We want to have a more family feel," said Amber, a Boston's employee and organizer of the evening. And, they nailed it!

The kids played games, got their faces painted (well, my daughter actually got her arm painted), made puppets, colored, blew bubbles, and won prizes. Honestly, I trusted the Boston's team to watch my oldest while I chatted with a good friend and fed the baby. It was almost like having a GNO (girls' night out).

Coloring their puppets.

There were balloons inflated around the designated "kids' area" and our girls each plucked one on our way out. We also left with a fab goodie bag filled with trinkets, treats and coupons -- one for 20% off a catering order and the other for a free kid's meal.

The only downside to the evening was that my five-year-old barely ate and wanted to play the entire time we were there ... I suppose that's what take-home containers are for! Thank you to Boston's for hosting Kids' Corner. I have a feeling we'll be back.

Leave with a great coupon!