MelissaStuff

I confess the details of some things have slipped by me as of late. So, literally up until the week of the screening, I thought Mary Poppins returns was a remake of the original Mary Poppins movie. My boys were quick to inform me that it was actually a sequel…and, boy, were they right! The movie starts with a grown-up Michael and Jane with their own set of grown-up problems and three little kids stuck in the middle. I also have to confess I wasn’t prepared for the beginning of the movie to center around the death of Michael’s wife and the children’s mother. There are several very poignant moments, and I found myself crying… Yes! Crying at Mary Poppins.  BUT the joy of the movie far outshines any solemn storylines. One of my favorite things was to look to each side of me throughout the movie and see my boys' faces beaming as they watched all of the silliness and shenanigans that we associate with Mary Poppins.  You will see many of the same things you remember from ...

Last weekend we had the opportunity to visit Gattitown in Frisco. We had been to the smaller location in Mckinney, but I didn't know what to expect from the larger Frisco location. My boys were excited the minute we walked in the door. I was quite glad that the food was the first thing we encountered because I'm pretty sure if not, we would never have gotten them back to sit down and eat. We ate first. The salad bar was very well-equipped and my boys - both big and little - were pleased with the pizzas, including the dessert. You can request your own type of pizza and we, of course, had to test that out. The only thing that was slightly disappointing in the food area was that there were two Icee machines, but neither one worked. However, the disappointment was short-lived as we left the food area and entered the game midway. Since all of the boys are 7 and under, we have spent many hours in Chuck E Cheese and the like . . . I dread those visits and can't leav...

Just popping in to share a really good offer I found. Been super crazy in my life for the last couple of weeks . . . but it's ALL good, in fact miraculously good. But I didn't want to forget to tell you about the new GattiTown offer. If you haven't visited GattiTown with your kids, you should try it out. They have an unlimited pizza buffet, pastas, and freshly made desserts in addition to the salad bar and all kinds of drinks. Those of us with small children know that one of the worst mistakes you can make when you go out to eat with small children is to pick a restaurant that takes forever to make your food and get it in front of the kids. But at GattiTown the food is ready when you walk in the door. There's NO waiting . . . and therefore no whiny kids. GattiTown also has a lot of fun things for everyone to do; it's fun for the whole family!  The Midway is filled with countless family-friendly games including multi-level video and interactive games, bumper c...

Have you heard about this? I think my boys will eat it up . . . All Aboard! The Polar Express comes to life this holiday season as the Texas State Railroad rolls out of the station bound for the "North Pole!" Come early and climb aboard with your family to cozy-up and enjoy our festively-decorated vintage train cars. Dancing chefs deliver hot chocolate and a cookie to each guest to savor while music from the Polar Express movie plays en route to the North Pole. Make sure to have your tickets handy, because your conductor will be by shortly to punch each child's ticket. Before arriving at the North Pole, the iconic book, The Polar Express is read as your Chef turns the pages to share the beautiful illustrations in the original book. With the station far away, The Polar Express magically arrives at the outskirts of Santa's North Pole village, where Santa Claus himself and his elves joyously welcome the train! As you stay comfortably settled and warm in your seat, Sant...

ScoreBig offer is back! This time pay just $2 for $20 in tickets to your favorite sporting event, concert or musical.

If you haven't used your ScoreBig credit that you purchased from Plum District, this weekend is a great time to do that. You don't want to let them expire. They're far too valuable. #1 - Make sure you're registered at ScoreBig . #2 - Find the event you would like to attend. #3 - Decide what amount you would like to offer. The value that works is usually 10-20% less than the "retail" value ScoreBig shows, but feel free to try more. I've gotten tickets up to 70% off before. #4 - Enter your voucher number. Your card WILL NOT be charged if your offer is not accepted. But you will not be allowed to make another offer on those same exact tickets until 24 hours have passed. If you do not have a voucher, you can use the code MDS10  and you'll get $10 FREE towards your first purchase. Or you can purchase a new voucher right now at Plum District - just $6 for $30 !

I have to say I'm a bit surprised by this new game show being put out by The Game Show Network. The American Bible Challenge will challenge teams of three in their knowledge of the Bible. Hosted by Jeff Foxworthy, this game show will be a bit different because the teams will win money for their favorite charity. Producers are looking for teams of three people who have competitive spirits, great personal testimonies, a familiarity with pop culture—and, of course, a vast knowledge of the Bible. They will be in the following cities on these dates: Sacramento: May 18th - 19th Los Angeles: May 18th- June 3rd Atlanta: May 25th - 26th Chicago: June 1st - 3rd Dallas: June 1st - 3rd So local peeps you better be representing our city well! Apply here today . . .

Today I watched my middle child walk down the aisle to the sounds of Pomp and Circumstance for the first time. My arms held my 2 1/2 week old niece who weighs less than 7 lbs. and her twin sister was being held just down the row. I didn't think I would cry, but when they put up a picture of my almost 5 year old little boy next to a picture of him in the first few weeks of life I couldn't help it. Oh how people try to tell you that time flies, but the dirty diapers and the tearful days, the screaming that interrupts your sleep and all the body functions that inevitably end up somewhere on you make each day seem like an interminable lifetime of its own. And then weeks, months, years go by and you look up and realize you don't have any babies any more. And what you wouldn't give for one more time to kiss their cheeks, or see their gummy smiles - to hold them fast asleep in your arms and know that in that moment all the world is perfect for them. It's crazy to...

If you are looking for a fun outdoor event that is different than what you do every other weekend - here's a great one! We attended the VIP kickoff for the Cottonwood Art Festival tonight. We weren't quite sure what to expect, but we were VERY pleased. The Cottonwood Park where the event is held is gorgeous - large beautiful trees shade all of the tents and the entire event sits on the banks of a calm, peaceful tank of water. Not all of the sculptures, paintings, and artistic renderings were on display tonight but the ones we did see were amazing. If you are looking for any kind of home or yard decor this would be the ideal place to see a variety of options and find something that would be perfect. While the kids are looked inviting and I think my children would enjoy it, I did realize while we were there that the events cost 1 to 4 tickets. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anywhere where it told me how much those tickets cost. The events are fun so hopefully the co...

I'm not supposed to be on the computer blogging as we should be leaving for date night in a little over an hour. The house isn't clean for the sitter. The kids haven't been fed. I haven't gotten dressed, done my hair or my makeup . . . but I wanted to tell you what we're doing tonight. Recently I blogged about the Cottonwood Art Festival in Richardson - tomorrow and Sunday. It's a FREE event and they have lots of fun activities especially for the kids. You can read more about that here . But tonight hubs and I are headed over for a special VIP party at the Cottonwood event. The invitation said - Dining. Drinks. Dancing. Since that's way fancier than any of our date nights usually, we decided it would definitely do double duty. I'll report back and let you know about it, and we plan to take the kids in the morning to the actual event where they can paint, draw, create, work with pottery and much more. I really think they're going to LOVE it. ...

  $18 for Tickets to FC Dallas (Games on 4/25 or 5/6) $35 for Tickets to Both Games (4/25 or 5/6) If you're a soccer fan you don't want to miss out on this deal. It ends Monday night so grab these $18 tickets while you still can. Previous Plum District customers can use this link - I'm a Plum District member .

We took our kids to the circus tonight. We've been to Ringling Brothers at the American Airline Center before . . . and if it wasn't for my blog, we would never be able to afford that circus. It's not only fairly expensive for tickets but everything they sell there is an arm and a leg. $12 glow necklaces and $7-$8 cotton candy. Seriously C~R~A~Z~Y expensive for a budget like ours. But tonight we attended the Carson & Barnes traveling circus at its Garland location. I wasn't sure what to expect. You could see the carnival lights and the big top as you approached the intersection of Shiloh and 635. Garland must have strict signage policies because there weren't a lot of signs pointing in the right direction. As a result, we parked behind the circus and took our own personal backstage tour trying to find the front entrance. LOL We arrived early - about 6:50 - and the circus wasn't officially open yet. Glad we didn't come any earlier than that, althou...

If you're looking for a good deal on some local attractions . . . here are a couple I think look good: FC Dallas Tickets + Promotional Items and On The Field Pre-Game Experience April 25 or May 6 - $18 each ticket Both April 25 and May 6 - $34 together This Friday through Sunday (April 20 - 22) the   Carson & Barnes  Circus   is coming through town. You can ride elephants and camels, watch the acrobats, clowns and jugglers, or visit the Midway games and rides.  This is a great way to get up close and personal to the circus the way it used to be. You can get   2 adult tickets, 2 children's tickets, 2 rides on an elephant or camel, and $20 in Carson Cash good on the midway for just $39!

If you're looking for something to take your kids to do - I have a great option. Next weekend, the Carson & Barnes Circus is coming through town. You can ride elephants and camels, watch the acrobats, clowns and jugglers, or visit the Midway games and rides. This is a great way to get up close and personal to the circus the way it used to be. In addition, you can get 2 adult tickets, 2 children's tickets, 2 rides on an elephant or camel, and $20 in Carson Cash good on the midway for just $39!

Seriously. There is such a thing. This week I had the incredible opportunity to go out to the SeaLife Aquarium in Grapevine Mills Mall to see their new Octopus Garden. It was amazingly beautiful. This is Eleanor - the main attraction in the Octopus Garden. She is a giant Pacific Octopus - at only about a year old, her "arms"(not tentacles) extend about 5 feet in each direction. Eleanor is stunningly beautiful when she extends her arms in every direction and exposes her underbelly up against the side of her aquarium. I can't wait to take my boys out to the aquarium to see the amazing sights there. The sunken pirate ship theme will draw them and I have no doubts the wonderful aquarium staff and the fascinating sea life will keep them enthralled. With an ocean tunnel that allows you to see aquarium life in a full circle surrounding you, 30 incredible tanks and more than 5,000 sea creatures the Sea Life aquarium is the perfect stop for your family. Admission is $19...

We have a fully booked summer . . . . no one has any extra time off after we blocked out the days to go to Africa. (Which is pretty cool, I know.) But if I was looking for vacation plans , I would be all over this deal. This is a STEAL for what it includes. You get two 2-day Hopper passes to Legoland along with a 2-night stay at the gorgeous Grand Pacific Palisades Resort . You can purchase up to four of these in order to extend your trip, or you can hire a babysitter and put the kids in the other room! One day, we will this kind of trip. I sure hope there are more good deals like this available when we do.

Mary P oppins is playing at Bass Hall from March 28 through April 8. Right now you can get 4-pack of tickets for just $25 a ticket. That's a savings of over $200! Use the code RADIODISNEY at www.basshall.com/promo to get this deal. 

Here's another deal I have running on Plum District right now that I wanted to share with you.  $35 for Two Days of Summer Camp at My Gym in Frisco - a $70 Value Use code VISA10 to get 10% off at checkout. This deal isn't made for someone like me who has three children, one still not potty trained and lives more than 20 minutes away. But if you live in or near Frisco and have one child that you are looking to occupy a couple of mornings or afternoons, then this would work well for you.