Woot! Maletch will excitedly tell you about his breakdancing class! I HAD to enroll him since he has been showing off his "breakdance moves" everywhere we go from Disneyland to the fourth of July event!
He has seen a lot of styles of dance, but that is his favorite and the style that he always tries to imitate. Anytime someone does any breakdance moves, you'll see Maletch light up and he'll exclaim, "Wow, he's good!" It always really impresses him. It happens to be one of the most difficult styles to do too, since breakdancing is actually a mixture of Hip Hop dance and Gymnastics (you are often supporting your entire body weight, suspended in the air- in weird positions with one or both hands on the ground) and it is very technical.
It is definitely not something a 5 yr old can "pick up" by just casually watching, but Maletch sure does try, he gets on the floor and does his best moves and says, "Look mommy, I'm breakdancing!" It sure is cute, because he really gets into it!
So I finally did a little homework and found an awesome professional studio with some highly awarded breakdance and hip hop instructors.
He had his first class today and we loved his instructor! I was impressed with the advanced technical level they got into on the FIRST day!
They started off with a stylish but simple "toprock", then into the VERY tricky "6 step!" Hehe, I know these terms because ---don't laugh-- yes mommy knows how to break dance!! And yes, daddy does too :)
Maletch is the youngest in the class (most are 7-8) so that might explain the advanced technical stuff right out of the gate. Maletch did struggle to pick up the crossover moves, which are difficult for adults to do! It is difficult because it feels unnatural when you are on the ground, you have to support your weight on your hands and are crossing your legs around and under you. I know he'll get it with some practice, and he nailed the toprock!
The studio has a window that parents can watch- and Sariah and I definitely wanted to watch anyway-- good thing too- since the studio is so far away from home- we would never be able to drive home and back before practice is over. I really liked how professionally set up it is.
Sariah is sooooo FUNNY! I told her where we were taking Maletch and she said, "I want to go to dance school too." When I told her mommy and Sariah would watch Maletch, she said, "I want SARIAH to dance in school and learn moves too!"
Well, I gave her the wrong idea, when I told her that maybe she could go to a different class later-- she took me literally- as soon as Maletch got out of class- it WAS later- and she was ready for Sariah's class!! OMGOSH, she was upset because she felt I lied or tricked her. then I had to explain later meaning another day. I felt pretty bad for her since she wanted to participate so badly and she could see through two windows into two rooms FULL of kids dancing and having fun!
Funny, John and I were talking about how really when parents put kids under 3 in sports or dance-- it is really mostly for the parents since the kids are really too young to really want it for themselves or really even understand the instructions for most.... WELL Sariah will be the EXCEPTION to that rule- since she REALLY wants to go. I am trying to decide between Prima Ballerina (watching her twirl in a tutu would be super cute) or letting her take Hip Hop in her age group (which is more her style of dancing and more fun).
We are leaning towards the Ballet since next year, when she is 3, I would definitely want to put her in her genre of music and dance (so she would really enjoy it)- and maybe take advantage while she is 2 to get those tutu videos! :)
Only drag is that the kids classes will be on different days- which means TWO trips a week to the studio- in addition to my busy schedule!
I am very much looking forward to their recitals!
Yep a break dancing recital- woot! Go b-boy!!
It was cute, the last few minutes of class the kids got to "freestyle dance" meaning do whatever you want and Maletch did his normal showoff moves (which John and I see as "breakdancing adjacent"- but of course not actually correct) which is why I knew he would love this class. I knew he would love to be taught the breakdown of the actual moves...
SO I was surprised when a crowd formed at Maletch's class window (time for the next class) at how many kids and parents were pointing him out and talking about him (saying he was good and must have had a lot of classes). I thought that was cute since it was his first day, and the moves he was doing were ones he made up on his own at home, and his imitation of breakdance moves he's seen. They really weren't actual breakdance moves. Maybe all of those nice people didn't realize it wasn't actually correct or maybe Maletch is better than we think, hehe! I was sure to tell Maletch the compliments that Sariah and I heard :)
Meanwhile, I better brush up on my B-girl moves, like the 6-step, so I can help Maletch practice, haha- this will be fun for mommy and daddy too!!
I had my camera but I didn't take any video/pics. I wanted to, but I figured they wouldn't come out very well though the glass. I will maybe try to get a few next week.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Friday, July 5, 2013
Happy Fourth of July 2013!
We always go to the big event at the University of Redlands (U of R). We have heard that it is the largest 4th of July celebration in California and that is probably true considering how far many people travel to attend it! So much fun for the whole family!
They do a fly over with John's plane (the C-17) to kick it off! Then skydivers parachute into the center of the stadium, then a live band gets my whole family dancing for hours... until one of the best pyrotechnics shows we have ever seen! They choreograph the fireworks (like they are dancing) to a soundtrack mixed with patriotic and rock songs- great show! They also do NOT skimp on the fireworks- the show is a FULL 25 minutes packed with lights everywhere- and the 'finale' is so powerful- it vibrates your whole body!!
We came prepared with flags and pinwheels and we also brought our Disneyland after dark toys--- fundangos (spinning light-up toys) and of course their light-up bubble guns- which filled the stadium with floating bubbles! It made dozens of kids gather around in laughter! Our kids became very popular, hehe!
Maletch "break dancing"!
I like this one of Sariah holding daddy's hand!
We met a lot of nice and interesting people including a professional photographer, whom I noticed was taking photos of Sariah. Later her and her friend introduced themselves and told me she had caught some great shots of her which I am sure I appreciate.
We met several great families too- always great people at the 4th of July shindig! Had fun with all of ya!!
Too many photos to post- so I grabbed random ones!!
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Some of Our Favorite Disney Secrets
Well, for a long time we have been going to Disneyland with our annual passes and we always manage to have new experiences every visit! This is largely because there is so much more to Disney than the rides and shows.
We always enjoy talking to Cast Members because they are chock full of trivia, history, and our favorite-- insider secrets!
There is no way that we could post all of the fun Disney secrets we've learned to this blog since that is just way too much information to post. There are several blogs and websites dedicated to just that if you are interested and also plenty of books and DVD's on the subject. We thought we would share some of our favorite secrets with our friends and family. I will break it up into several posts.
First, the Hidden Mickeys:
We love that the creative Disney Imagineers have created almost a scavenger hunt across Disney attractions and all of their properties with these little hidden gems!! The kids both love discovering hidden mickeys as much as we do! We especially love the ones that are the most hidden, most hard to find, and/or that took the most planning from the initial engineering concept. There are hundreds of Hidden Mickeys in Disneyland
.....I will post photos of some of our favorite Hidden Mickeys here..............
A few easy to find favorites:
Alice in Wonderland Ride: While you pass the "painting the roses red" area, there is a paint splatter in the shape of a classic Mickey.
On the Pooh ride: look at the Heffalump swirl...
............More photos coming......... (short on time- so I will add more SOON)
We Love "Hidden Disney" too:
Since Disneyland is a park "That will never be completed..." and is always changing, Disney often pays tribute to previous attractions when they are replaced. Here are a few of our favorite Hidden Disney tributes...
Nemo Ride:
The submarine ride when I was a kid was one of my favorite rides. You probably remember the 'grand finale' of that ride was passing humps and humps of what turned out to be a long sea serpent, with the head eventually showing- being the most anticipated part. That ride was closed for almost 10 years, they had planned to reopen it with an Atlantis theme, but when that movie bombed, they shelved that idea, and eventually decided on the Finding Nemo theme.
The imagineers kept a VERY hidden, large sea serpent, towards the end of the ride, as a tribute. It is covered in rock (which blends camouflage style with the coral reef)- but is very distinctive (especially the head) which has a tongue sticking out. You have to know when and where to look for it- or you'll miss it! Start looking closely at the 'rock/coral reef' when the captain is saying, "We had better take her up before we have a run in with a sea serpent or an encounter with a mermaid..." hehe.
...........It is difficult to get a photo of it, but we do have a video clip which I will post here..........
A Fun-Fact about the Subs:
When they originally opened the ride, they had ladies in mermaid costumes swimming around the lagoon, waving, and blowing kisses! They eventually got rid of the mermaids, since the high levels of chlorine and chemicals to keep the water clean were damaging their hair and skin.
The Outpost:
Tip: We really liked this! You can request to go to "The Outpost" (The Marine Observation Outpost), which is a private room with a large screen TV, where you can view the entire video of the Nemo ride.
John and I loved several things about this:
No waiting- you don't stand in line, you walk up through the ride exit and ask a cast member to take you to the outpost.
The subs are crowded -vs.- the outpost which is a spacious air-conditioned room where you get a private screening.
The audio is crystal clear and the visual is so much better watching it on the large screen opposed to the small porthole sub window.
This is also ideal for people with mobility issues since the flight of stairs down into the subs is not for everyone
So John and I loved it and the kids enjoyed it, although, it did not replace the actual ride for the kids- they wanted to go on the ride immediately after, hehe! We understood that it wasn't quite the same for them.
Pooh Ride:
I do miss another attraction that is now long gone, the Country Bear Jamboree. In it's place is The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride. My kids LOVE this ride, and we think that it is cool that they kept the mounted heads of Max, Buff, and Melvin (the lovable trouble makers from the old attraction). They are mounted and very WELL hidden on the Pooh ride- you can only see them if you know where to look (which is behind you as you leave the Heffalump and Woozles room- you have to turn your head around and look up). The kids love to announce when they are coming. "Here they come mommy, get ready to turn around!"
I will add in more photos and video tomorrow, and I will post MORE secrets next time..............
We always enjoy talking to Cast Members because they are chock full of trivia, history, and our favorite-- insider secrets!
There is no way that we could post all of the fun Disney secrets we've learned to this blog since that is just way too much information to post. There are several blogs and websites dedicated to just that if you are interested and also plenty of books and DVD's on the subject. We thought we would share some of our favorite secrets with our friends and family. I will break it up into several posts.
First, the Hidden Mickeys:
We love that the creative Disney Imagineers have created almost a scavenger hunt across Disney attractions and all of their properties with these little hidden gems!! The kids both love discovering hidden mickeys as much as we do! We especially love the ones that are the most hidden, most hard to find, and/or that took the most planning from the initial engineering concept. There are hundreds of Hidden Mickeys in Disneyland
.....I will post photos of some of our favorite Hidden Mickeys here..............
A few easy to find favorites:
Alice in Wonderland Ride: While you pass the "painting the roses red" area, there is a paint splatter in the shape of a classic Mickey.
We Love "Hidden Disney" too:
Since Disneyland is a park "That will never be completed..." and is always changing, Disney often pays tribute to previous attractions when they are replaced. Here are a few of our favorite Hidden Disney tributes...
Nemo Ride:
The submarine ride when I was a kid was one of my favorite rides. You probably remember the 'grand finale' of that ride was passing humps and humps of what turned out to be a long sea serpent, with the head eventually showing- being the most anticipated part. That ride was closed for almost 10 years, they had planned to reopen it with an Atlantis theme, but when that movie bombed, they shelved that idea, and eventually decided on the Finding Nemo theme.
The imagineers kept a VERY hidden, large sea serpent, towards the end of the ride, as a tribute. It is covered in rock (which blends camouflage style with the coral reef)- but is very distinctive (especially the head) which has a tongue sticking out. You have to know when and where to look for it- or you'll miss it! Start looking closely at the 'rock/coral reef' when the captain is saying, "We had better take her up before we have a run in with a sea serpent or an encounter with a mermaid..." hehe.
...........It is difficult to get a photo of it, but we do have a video clip which I will post here..........
A Fun-Fact about the Subs:
When they originally opened the ride, they had ladies in mermaid costumes swimming around the lagoon, waving, and blowing kisses! They eventually got rid of the mermaids, since the high levels of chlorine and chemicals to keep the water clean were damaging their hair and skin.
The Outpost:
Tip: We really liked this! You can request to go to "The Outpost" (The Marine Observation Outpost), which is a private room with a large screen TV, where you can view the entire video of the Nemo ride.
John and I loved several things about this:
No waiting- you don't stand in line, you walk up through the ride exit and ask a cast member to take you to the outpost.
The subs are crowded -vs.- the outpost which is a spacious air-conditioned room where you get a private screening.
The audio is crystal clear and the visual is so much better watching it on the large screen opposed to the small porthole sub window.
This is also ideal for people with mobility issues since the flight of stairs down into the subs is not for everyone
So John and I loved it and the kids enjoyed it, although, it did not replace the actual ride for the kids- they wanted to go on the ride immediately after, hehe! We understood that it wasn't quite the same for them.
Pooh Ride:
I do miss another attraction that is now long gone, the Country Bear Jamboree. In it's place is The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride. My kids LOVE this ride, and we think that it is cool that they kept the mounted heads of Max, Buff, and Melvin (the lovable trouble makers from the old attraction). They are mounted and very WELL hidden on the Pooh ride- you can only see them if you know where to look (which is behind you as you leave the Heffalump and Woozles room- you have to turn your head around and look up). The kids love to announce when they are coming. "Here they come mommy, get ready to turn around!"
I will add in more photos and video tomorrow, and I will post MORE secrets next time..............
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