Girlymama

Last night we took the girls to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey all new Zing Zang Zoom circus playing at the Wachovia Spectrum! SO FUN!! You must, MUST go see it!

First, we were able to actually meet some of the performers at a party hosted by Mom Central. My kids were a little wary of the clowns, but began to warm up to the performers after the ringmaster did a magic trick for them! Mom Central provided us with these amazing gift bags which included these adorable magicians hats, which the girls had all the performers sign, which was so cute! Here's Gracie with the human cannon ball:
 
Then we went to the animal meet-and-greet, which was much, much more exciting for my little animal-obsessed children. They thought this was so, so cool. We got even closer to the animals then we do at the zoo! Ellie's favorite was the horses, naturally!
Then we went inside for the all-access preshow and saw clowns and magic tricks, met more performers and got autographs.
The kids were having so much fun!
Ellie said, "Mom, the circus is so cool!"
How fun was it to tell her that, actually, the circus hadn't even started yet!

Well, then the show began.  I don't think they even blinked throughout the opening number. I don't know what they were expecting, but it wasn't all that! There were elephants and horses and acrobats flipping around near the ceiling and dancing and music and clowns — they didn't even know where to look!
I can't decide what was my favorite part – listening to Ellie laugh hysterically during the dog performance or watching Gracie put her hands over her eyes (while peeking trough her fingers) as the man jumped through a ring of fire.
My kids were riveted – absolutely riveted – through out the entire show. It was incredible. They normally can't make it through an episode of Dora without getting bored and distracted. But they were on the edge of their seats for the entire show. It was so, so much fun for us as parents to watch their amazed faces and hear their giggles and cheers. 

We hadn't even pulled out of the parking lot when they were asking if we could go again next year! If you're in Philly, go check this show out! Thanks to Mom Central, you can purchase a 4 pack of tickets for only $44 by logging onto http://www.comcasttix.com and entering the coupon code: MOM. (Seriously, for the cost of a MOVIE you can go see the circus!! Go!! It was so fun!!) And – just so you know – this is an AMAZING deal, so take advantage!

If you do go, a few pointers:
GET THERE EARLY.Philadelphia traffic aside, there is a ton to do before the show. You do not want to miss the animal meet-and-greet and the preshow. Its all included with your ticket, so go and get your money's worth!
Be prepared to buy a hat or a program or something. I know, I know, they cost a small fortune. But all the performers will give autographs, which our kids thought was so much fun!
Go to the dollar store beforehand and buy some of those glow-in-the-dark necklaces and stuff. I meant to do that and forgot, but some other families did and – not only were my kids were totally jealous – but they looked so cool! (We are meanies who refused to buy $15 flashlight-thingys.)