I started this blog with one daughter, kept it up with the other, to spend time together doing something we enjoyed.
However, things change and people evolve. My daughters are older, busier, and not as interested in writing.
From now on this blog will be mostly mom with occasional contributions from my daughters and maybe even my husband.
Nothing else will change. We'll still focus on sharing fun places to go, fun things to do, and more, and we would  still love to hear your views too

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Tips for Tuesday - Books: Because of Winn Dixie and The Ultimate Book of Dad Jokes

We were not financially compensated for this post. We may have been one or more of the books mentioned below for free for review purposes. This post may also contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, we may be compensated. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.
Me - Today I am recommending Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. It is about a girl named Opal who moves to Naomi, Florida. During the summer, she finds a dog in a grocery store and after that her summer starts to get way better. She names the dog Winnie Dixie because that is the grocery store she found him in. After she finds the dog, she also makes a ton of new friends. I liked the book because I love animals. This book was funny and heartwarming. It is a great book, and I would really recommend reading it if you haven't already.

Mom - Today I am recommending The Ultimate book of Dad Jokes by Gordon Hideaki Nagai. The men in my family are very punny. If the men in your family are like that too, this book would make a great Father's Day gift for them. It is full of more than 1,000 puns on a variety of topics including Doctors and Medicine, Music and Musicians and Sports, Hobbies and Games. Any pun lover will love this book. Any pun hater will hate it. If your Dad or somebody else in your life is a pun lover or if you are a pun lover yourself, and you would like to win a copy of this book, come back and enter the Super Dad giveaway hop which starts tomorrow, June 1, 2016.

And that's our view. Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday.

Monday, May 30, 2016

Giveaway: Win a $100.00 Best Buy Gift Card in the Father's Day Giveaway!

I f you don't know what to get your Dad, give him a gift that lets him choose what he wants. Give him a Best Buy gift card. Since most Dad's love gadgets and electronics, what Dad wouldn't want a Best Buy gift card? That's why we are joining this great group of bloggers to bring you this opportunity to enter to win a Best Buy Gift Card.

Welcome to the Father's Day $100 Best Buy Giveaway!

Enter below for your chance to win $100 to Best Buy! Winner may choose an eGift Card delivered via email or a physical gift card delivered via snail mail.


Giveaway begins on 5/29/16 at 1:00 am CST and ends on 6/18/16 at 11:59 pm CST. Must be 18 years or older, open to residents of the US only (void where prohibited.) I will email the winner on Father's Day; The winner will have 24 hours to claim or I will redraw. Once winners are confirmed, they will be added to the Winner's List here.




Disclaimer: The participating bloggers were not compensated for this post. No purchase is necessary to enter. One entrant per household, per IP address. All entries will be verified. Void where prohibited by law. Winner will be contacted by email; Please add southernmomloves@gmail.com to your whitelist. Holly of Southern Mom Loves will be responsible for prize delivery to the winner. This giveaway is in no way administered, sponsored, endorsed by, or associated with Facebook and/or Twitter, Google, Pinterest, or any other social media platform.


Contact Holly at southernmomloves@gmail.com if you have any additional questions or comments.

Monthly Mash-up May, 2015 - Classic Books and Toys R Us and Times Square

Me - My topic for this month is classic books. Lately, I have been into classic books. I read Tuck Everlasting. I was inspired to read it because I saw the Broadway show which I loved. Now, I am reading Because of Winn Dixie. I was inspired to read that because I saw the movie. After I read that book I will read Alice Through the Looking Glass. I want to read that just because I like Alice in Wonderland and just because I am on a roll with classic books. I am also reading The Wizard of Oz books. I have them all on Kindle. I have just really been in the mood to read classic books lately. Some my Mom read and recommended to me. Some she hasn't read, but I read and recommend to 01her. I love reading classic books and everyone should occasionally take a break from modern books and read a classic book.

Mom - My topic for this month is Toys R Us and Times Square. Until recently, there was a huge Toys R Us in Times Square. I really miss it.  We never really shopped there even though I am sure you could have found any toy you could possibly want there. It was a great places to kill time though.They had a giant Ferris wheel. We never really went on that  though because it was too expensive. I think it was $5.00 just for just one person. There were all kinds of giant Lego creations. They were always having demonstrations of different toys and things. It was fun to see all that stuff. However, that's not really why I miss the Toys R Us.  I miss it because all the tourists spent a lot of time there. Now, that it is gone Times Square itself and all the other stores in the area have gotten a lot more crowded. Also, I miss the Toys R Us for another reason. They have a lot of people dressed up like different characters, for example, Elmo, Hello Kitty, the Statue of Liberty, and various Super Heroes etc.,  who hang out in Times Square waiting for people to pay them to have their picture taken with Elmo or Hello Kitty or whoever they are supposed to be. The people dressed up like various characters used to hang out mostly in front of the Toys R Us. Now, they are everywhere, and they have gotten more annoying than ever.  It's like everywhere you go there is somebody trying to get you to pay them to have your picture taken with them.  Since they Toys R US has only been gone a short time, they haven't put anything else its spot yet. I hope whatever they do end up putting in there is somewhere a lot of people want to spend time like they did in the Toy R Us and somewhere that the costumes characters will want to hang out so Times Square goes from being extremely overcrowded and annoying all the time to just being regular crowded..

And that's our view. What's on your mind. Tune in tomorrow for Tips for Tuesday

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Sunday Scoop Week of 5/29/16 - What's Happening This Week or Coming Up Soon

Daddy Long Legs Final Performance June 6, 2016
Davenport Theatre
354  45th St. 
New York, NY

To purchase tickets to see this "Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical" for performances through June 6th for $49.99, click here.
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Upcoming at Kelsey Theatre
110 Schank Road
Freehold, NJ

        
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Fridays, Jun. 3 & 10, 2016 at 8pm
Saturdays, Jun. 4 & 11at 8pm
Sundays, Jun. 5 & 12 at 2pm 

For more information or to order tickets go to http://www.kelseyatmccc.org/Hamlet.htm

JUNIE B’s ESSENTIAL SURVIVAL GUIDE TO SCHOOL                     
Saturday, Jun. 4, 2016 at 2pm & 4pm               
Special Daytime Shows for groups Fr. Jun. 3 at 9:45am & 11:30am

For more information or to order tickets go to
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Upcoming at iPlay America
110 Schank Road
Freehold, NJ

Saturday, June 4, 2016 
Dolan Twins 4OU Tour – in iPlay America’s Event
Doors open at 6 PM – Show at 7 PM
GRAYSON and ETHAN DOLAN are two of the most popular teenage boys in the world. With over 19 million fans between them, some of the highest engagement across social media, and a penchant for hilariously relatable skits about teen life, these 16-year-old creators with model-good looks are the hottest talent around right now. With the 4OU Tour, they have created an event for fans featuring live performances, meet & greets, and more! General Admission Tickets are selling FAST! Don't miss out! Get yours NOW! 
For more information or to purchase tickets click here
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Upcoming at the State Theatre
15 Livingston Ave.
New Brunswick, NJ
Sunday June 5, 2016
Bond and Beyond with the NJSO
For more information or to purchase tickets go to https://www.statetheatrenj.org/events
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Circle Line Summer Concert Series Announces June Line-Up

The Circle Live Summer Concert Series will create a truly one-of-a-kind music experience where all guests can enjoy the backdrop of the NYC skyline and a harbor cruise on the Hudson River. An expert at on-the-water entertainment, Circle Line knows what makes for a great experience. Every Circle Live concert cruise will be aboard boats with multiple bars serving beer, wine and cocktails, plus plenty of outdoor decks and indoor viewing space in an air conditioned/heated cabin.

Tickets are available online via Ticketfly.com and by calling 877-987-6487. Shows are all ages and take place rain or shine.  All tickets subject to applicable service charges and fees.  Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises are located at Pier 83 at West 42nd Street and the Hudson River, and is adjacent to Pier 81 North River Landing.  See event listings for additional details.

CIRCLE LIVE SUMMER CONCERT SERIES www.circlelivenyc.com
www.northriverlanding.nyc

Tuesday, June 7
CEELO GREEN
Tickets: $49.  VIP Tickets (includes access to exclusive section adjacent to stage): $99
Doors open: 7:30 Boat departs 8:00pm sharp.
60 minute cruise
Five-time Grammy Award winning singer, songwriter, producer, television personality, pop culture and fashion icon, CeeLo Green launches the second leg of his Love Train Tour performing new and classic hits.  The evening kicks off with a 60 minute pre-show party cruise of lower Manhattan at sunset then returns to North River Landing for the live concert.
Tuesday, June 14
MACEO PARKER
Tickets: $59. 
Doors open 7:30pm. Boat departs 8:00pm sharp.
Performance takes place during 2 hour cruise
One of the all-time great saxophonists Maceo Parker has been a common thread in the history of funk and soul — collaborating alongside seminal icons like James Brown, Prince and George Clinton, all the while honing his own signature brand of showmanship.
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 News from Boneau/Bryan-Brown

Cirque du Soleil Celebrates Its Broadway Debut

Cirque du Soleil - PARAMOUR Now Open

at Lyric Theatre (213 West 42nd Street)

Cirque du Soleil Theatrical celebrates the opening of Cirque du Soleil - PARAMOUR, the organization’s first show created specifically for Broadway at Lyric Theatre (213 West 42nd Street).

Cirque du Soleil began in 1984 as a group of 20 street performers and has grown to be one of the most acclaimed producers of live entertainment in the world with 4,000 employees. The organization’s 38 productions have been seen by over 160 million spectators worldwide, but never before has Cirque du Soleil had a show on Broadway.

PARAMOUR, a Cirque du Soleil musical, is a landmark production for Cirque du Soleil, blending the best of Broadway with Cirque du Soleil’s signature style. The show has many of the elements beloved on Broadway: a timeless love story, live musicians, and professional actors in lead roles; but with the Cirque du Soleil aesthetic is integrated throughout the show:  visionary production design on a grand scale, world class entertainment, and acrobatic feats that defy the imagination.


PARAMOUR features Jeremy Kushnier as A.J., the director; Ruby Lewis as Indigo, the starlet; and Ryan Vona as Joey, the composer.

For more information on PARAMOUR, visit www.ParamourOnBroadway.com.

Keep up with the latest news from PARAMOUR by becoming a Cirque Club member. CLICK HERE, and sign up today!
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Incognito Now Open  at MTC

Incognito, the American premiere of the new play written by Nick Payne (Constellations) and directed by Tony Award winner Doug Hughes (The FatherDoubtOutside Mullingar), will open tomorrow night, Tuesday, May 24, at MTC atNew York City Center – Stage I (131 West 55th Street). Performances began on Tuesday, May 3.

The cast of the limited engagement features Tony Award nominee and Theatre World Award winner Geneva Carr (Hand To God), Charlie Cox (Netflix’s “Daredevil”), Heather Lind (AMC’s “Turn: Washington’s Spies”), and Drama Desk Award nominee Morgan Spector (Ironbound).

The four actors play a combined 20 characters within Incognito’s three interwoven stories.

TICKETING INFORMATION
Single tickets for Incognito are available by calling CityTix at 212-581-1212, online by visitingwww.nycitycenter.org, or by visiting New York City Center box office (131 West 55th Street). All tickets are $90.

For more information on subscribing to MTC, call the Clubline at (212) 399-3050.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
·         THROUGH SUNDAY, MAY 29 (WEEK OF OPENING): Wednesday at 7PM; Thursday through Saturday at 8PMSunday at 7PM. Matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 2PM. The curtain time for the Tuesday, May 24 opening night performance is 7PM. There are only seven performances on sale to the public this week.
·         TUESDAY, MAY 31 – SUNDAY, JUNE 5: Tuesday at 7PM; Wednesday through Saturday at8PM. Matinees on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2PM.
·         TUESDAY, JUNE 7 – SUNDAY, JUNE 26: Tuesday and Wednesday at 7PM; Thursday through Saturday at 8PM; Matinees on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2PM.
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Broadway Bares Announces
Sizzling Fire Island Return

One-Night-Only Benefit Set for Saturday, June 4
Shows at 7 pm & 9 pm

Produced by and Benefiting

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS


The hottest burlesque show in town, Broadway Bares will officially open the summer season on Fire Island with another seductive edition of Broadway Bares Fire Island. The sexy men and women of Broadway Bares will return June 4, 2016, to Fire Island Pines, NY, for two performances, produced by and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDSThe show will be performed at 7 pm and 9 pm at Whyte Hall's Brandon Fradd Theater.

This year’s Broadway Bares Fire Island will take the audiences on a sensual romp through a world inspired by mobile apps. “We live in an age where our best friends are our smartphones and every problem has us saying “there’s an app for that,” Director Michael Lee Scott said. “Whether it’s a dating app, a streaming app or even just a weather app, all of us can relate to being glued to our smartphones. Rather than phones, our audience’s eyes will be glued to our performers as they reveal the sultry side of the techno era.”

Created exclusively for Fire Island, this intimate version of the annual New York City extravaganzaBroadway Bares (#BroadwayBares) will feature the Bares dancers performing burlesque production numbers on a runway jutting into the audience. No seat is more than 40 feet from the stage. The show will be followed by Bares' famous "rotation" where the performers step off the stage to freestyle dance for cash donations.

All tickets to Broadway Bares Fire Island include free specialty cocktails on the Albert Lepage Pavilion at Whyte Hall a half-hour before curtain. Ticket prices are $95, $150 and $225. Also available is an exclusive "Walk-on Stripper Spectacular" package, which includes an onstage - fully clothed - appearance during one of the shows, rehearsal, dinner and photos with the cast and four premium seats at either show, plus two VIP General Admission tickets to Broadway Bares in NYC.

Tickets are available online at broadwaycares.org and in the Fire Island Pines harbor on Saturdays and Sundays 11 am to 1 pm beginning May 21. The evening is produced in association with Fire Island Pines Arts Project.

Broadway Bares Fire Island is a sultry tease for Broadway Cares’ immensely popularBroadway Bares, the unrivaled evening of sexy striptease production numbers that benefitsBroadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. This year’s 26th edition, Broadway Bares: On Demand, will feature everything you love about television with a brand “nude” look. For the fourth year in a row, the show will be directed by Nick Kenkel (Catch Me If You CanPeepshow, Legally Blonde).

The 2016 edition will fill NYC's Hammerstein Ballroom on Sunday, June 19. This always sold-out annual event combines the naughtiness of burlesque and the razzle-dazzle of Broadway. More than 150 of the hottest male and female dancers in New York City take to the stage for two sensational shows at 9:30 pm and midnight. Tickets can be purchased online atbroadwaycares.org. For more information and merchandise, visit broadwaybares.com.
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 News from Michelle Tabnick Communications

LABAlive Presents
BEAUTY / BOUNDARIES
at The Theater at the 14th Street Y
June 2, 2016 at 7:30pm

LABAlive presents BEAUTY / BOUNDARIES on June 2, 2016 at 7:30pm at the Theater at the 14th Street Y, 344 E. 14th Street, New York, NY.

Crossing boundaries alters our perceptions, including our perception of beauty. Experience three new multi-disciplinary works-in-process and the teachings of the ancient text that inspired them, created by LABA Fellows Lainie Fefferman, Lital Dotan, and Shanti Grumbine and partnered with a teaching from Reuben Namdar.

Tickets are $20, and can be purchased at www.labajournal.com/boundaries or by calling 646-395-4310. A wine and cheese reception is included.

Lital Dotan / Second Floor
"Second Floor" is an immersive theater piece about an ambitious performance artist constantly testing the boundaries of her art. A violent interruption causes the line between reality and performance to become blurred.  

Lainie Fefferman / Market Day
"Market Day," a graphic novel by James Strum about a visionary rug maker in turn-of-the-century Europe whose handiwork is no longer valued in a post-industrialized world. The book comes to life in an animated film and an original score by Fefferman for the JACK String Quartet.

Shanti Grumbine / The Last Color: A Reliquary
What happens when a community is so inundated with information that they lose language completely? The Last Color: A Reliquary is a multi-disciplinary project that investigates the effects of information overload on contemporary culture.

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NAI-NI CHEN DANCE COMPANY
World Premiere of First Touch
to be performed at NJPAC
on Friday, June 3, 2016 at 7:30pm

The critically-acclaimed Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company will perform at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center(NJPAC) on Friday, June 3, 2016 at 7:30pm. The dances of choreographer Nai-Ni Chen fuse the dynamic freedom of American modern dance with the elegant splendor of Asian art. Enjoy a full evening of her work which The New York Times calls "endlessly proliferating forces of cosmic energy." An extraordinary cast of dancers and musicians takes you on a fantastic journey that blossoms with color, energy, and motion. NJPAC audiences have experienced the Chinese Lunar New Year spectacles that Nai-Ni Chen produces each year and have witnessed the power and grace of her work alongside traditional dances. This summer performance is a presentation not to be missed!

NJPAC is located at 1 Center Street, Newark, NJ 07102. Tickets are $20-$50 and can be purchased at http://www.njpac.org/events/detail/nai-ni-chen-dance-company-1 

Nai-Ni Chen Trailer for NJPAC
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Master Voices formerly the Collegiate Choral
Launches
"Bridges - Connecting Communities Through Music"
Featuring a World Premiere, Naamah's Ark
Music by Marisa Michelson and Libretto by Royce Vavrek
Performed by MasterVoices and members of the community of Lawrence, Long Island
June 5, 2016 at 5:00pm
MasterVoices (formerly The Collegiate Chorale) announces the inaugural concert for"Bridges - Connecting Communities Through Music," an outreach initiative that provides people in a New York community with the opportunity to come together to make music with MasterVoices, regardless of their abilities or backgrounds. MasterVoices provides the structure of the event, and this season, to get things started, composer Marisa Michelson has been commissioned to create a work with Royce Vavrek to showcase some unique sounds and skills of six highly diverse constituent groups from Lawrence, Long Island, along with MasterVoices.  The groups include the Lawrence High School and Middle School Choruses and Life Rhythms Percussion Ensemble, the Meshuga Daddies barbershop quartet, and two groups of Hispanic and Gospel singers. Prior to the NYC concert at Ansche Chesed, the work will be performed in Lawrence on Thursday, June 2 at the Lawrence High School.
Michelson and Vavrek's melodic and earthy new community oratorio, entitled Naamah's Ark, draws from the natural language of the body in combination with influences from the folk, classical and musical theatre traditions. Inspired by Hurricane Sandy, which united different communities in a time of strife, Naamah's Ark is set after the great flood in the story of Noah's Ark, at the crucial point in which all of the different species of animals must learn how to share the future.
Tickets for the June 5 performance at Ansche Chesed Synagogue are $30 and $45, available at mastervoices.org.
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AMANDA SELWYN DANCE THEATRE
presents
REFUGE Studio Preview
Ailey Studios, 5th floor - 405 W. 55th Street, NYC
Sunday, June 5, 2016 at 2pm
Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre presents REFUGE Studio Preview on Sunday, June 5, 2016 at 2pm at Ailey Studios, 5th floor - 405 W. 55th Street, New York, NY 10019.REFUGEis a new choreographic work by Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre inspired by Francesco Clemente's Encampment. REFUGE explores isolation, inner reflection, and the creation of sacred space. Selwyn translates this personal journey into a vocabulary of immediate, athletic, sensuous, and raw movement that has come to define her work. The piece includes a progressive series of solos and duets punctuated by group sections that magnify the personal experience into a shared one. Join the artists of Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre for a preview of REFUGE at 2pm followed by an informal reception.
Regular tickets are $15, and Patron tickets are $50, and are available at http://amandaselwyn.notesinmotion.org/?event_code=119.
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News from Waldmania PR

MISS NINA & THE JUMPING JACKS

BLOW OUT THE ALL CANDLES

TO CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF THEIR NEW ALBUM

EVERY DAY'S YOUR BIRTHDAY

WITH A ROCKING, HOMETOWN FAMILY SHOW

SATURDAY, JUNE 4

SPRINGFIELD AVENUE GAZEBO, MAPLEWOOD, NJ

Sporting three Parents' Choice® Awards in her hip pocket, beloved children's musician, YouTube favorite, and Maplewood, NJ resident Nina Stone (a.k.a. Miss Nina) and her band The Jumping Jacks will blow out the all candles and pull out all the stops for a family show celebrating the release of their new album, Every Day's Your Birthday, at 11:00 a.m. onSaturday, June 4 at the Springfield Avenue Gazebo, 1688 Springfield Avenue, Maplewood, NJ. This performance is part of the Summer Concerts at the Gazebo series.

Miss Nina & The Jumping Jacks shows are interactive from the get-go, with kids waving, clapping, stomping, shaking, jumping, dancing, and wiggling like spaghetti noodles. Hip hop and rap tunes are a part of every concert, notably on a Miss Ninafan favorite, frequently heard on SiriusXM's Kids Place Live, "The Brown Bear Rap." For this, the band brings out a giant version of Bill Martin's beloved book,Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and, as Nina Stone raps, bandmates Matt SchlatterJoan Chew, and Nate Terry turn the pages, rock the tambourine, and keep the amazing beat.
WHAT: Miss Nina & The Jumping Jacks' Album Release Show!
WHERE: Springfield Avenue Gazebo, 1688 Springfield Avenue, Maplewood, NJ 07040 (next to the Hilton Branch Library)
WHEN: Saturday, June 411:00 a.m.
ADMISSION: Free of charge
Check out Miss Nina's website HERE
Miss Nina on Facebook
Miss Nina on Twitter
Miss Nina on YouTube
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And that's the scoop. Tune in tomorrow for another Talking Topic.