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A review of "Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake" ran in the "Parental Guidance Section" of the Star Ledger paper this May and is up on their website as well. Thanks to Peggy for the press!
"Parental Guidance" section
"Prima Princessa Swan Lake" features the Paris Opera Ballet performing child-friendly excerpts from "Swan Lake," students from the School of American Ballet demonstrating basic steps, and scenes of little girls and an animated ballerina.
The DVD is the pas de deux of Montclair "funky stay-at-home moms turned indie movie producers" Mary Kate Mellow and Stephanie Troeller. The two had dance-mad daughters and couldn't find anything for them to watch, so they created their own DVD.
The $20 DVD can be purchased at Capezio outlets and through amazon.com and primaprincessa.com.
National Geographic World Magazine for kids just recently started appearing at our door and it has been a very good thing. I think my husband ordered it from some kids trying to raise money for a school trip or something along those lines. This magazine is full of wonderful photos and tons of interesting information. Both my 5 year old daughter and 9 year old son enjoy reading this magazine.
Hey, who would not enjoy learning that "the average person blinks 20,000 times per minute." My princess-ballet crazy daughter especially loves all the photos of the animals. We recently had some cousins come to visit from TX. The eleven year old had a stack with him which he read on the plane, my point being this magazine had broad appeal.
Mary Kate
www.PrimaPrincessa.com -find the perfect ballet DVD for kids
www.Tutuzone.com- from creators of "Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake'" -a ballet DVD for kids
Thanks to everyone at SharpMom.com for the terrific review of "Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake!"
Here's a excerpt from the review this past May 13, "This DVD is a fantastic (and inexpensive) way to introduce children to the world of classical ballet. And for families like mine, that live 100 miles from anywhere (let alone Lincoln Center), it’s a great way to introduce the kids to a classical segment of culture that they otherwise wouldn’t have seen."
Katie is the "Sharp Mom" behind this great site. You've got to be sharp to balance both working and homeschooling one's children from home. We are quite impressed! Here Katie describes her site, "Hi, I'm Katie. I’ve been successfully working at home and homeschooling my kids for the past 14 years, so I figured it’s time to get out there and start sharing what I’ve learned along the way. I'm glad you're here to join in the fun!"
-Prima Princessa Productions-
www.PrimaPrincessa.com hip, new ballet DVD for kids
www.TutuZone.com stomping ground for creative moms
Looking to save paper? Are you like me, constantly printing out tons of e-mails and ending up with lots of pages with one or two useless lines? Well, hit Print Preview next time and just choose the pages you need. I've also been making scrap pads out of leftover paper which I keep by my office phone. My little 6 year old princess is especially into drawing stars these days on these scrap pads.
I just got this tip from one of my favorite publications, Bottom Line Personal. It's a subscription only magazine chalk full of interesting info. Kind of a mix of Oprah, Real Simple and Forbes.
Prima Princessa Productions - two entrepreneur mommies having fun
www.PrimaPrincessa.com -hot spot for your little ballet princess
Happy Mother's Day everyone!
This Sunday I'll be served breakfast in bed by my husband and kids. Following that magnificent event we'll head out to the Van Vleck Gardens. The Van Vleck is a gorgeous estate which long ago was donated to the town of Montclair. Every year on Mother's Day they have a jazz band on the terrace where they serve cookies and lemonade. The wisteria is in full bloom and wraps elegantly around the outside pillars of the house. We make sure to take a family picture in front of the wisteria every year.
This year in honor of Mothers Day my dinner club which is meeting Saturday will be cooking a selection of favorite recipes from our mothers. A neighbor started the dinner club a few years back. We alternate houses and gather about every other month. The host couple chooses the theme and assigns recipes. It's tons of fun trying out new recipes and much less overwhelming than having to cook an entire meal for 10 people. This month's hostess came up with the lovely idea to cook our mothers' recipes. Our assignment is to bring the first course.
After consulting with my own mom, I'll be bringing gazpacho and mini crab meat melt sandwiches. Here is my mom's recipe for crab melt sandwiches:
Jane's Crab Melt Sandwiches
1 large can flaked crab meat (Most expensive they have. I go to Trader Joes)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 finely chopped onion
1/2 finely chopped green pepper
Mix in enough Mayo to blend
Pre-toast English muffins. Scoop mixture on top of muffins and put under the broiler until hot and bubbles.
Thanks to Katherine F. for the great photo!
Mary Kate
We just recently returned from Spring Break which was spent visiting family in Dallas with a side trip to San Antonio, Tx. If you have not been to San Antonio it is a great place to go with kids. We were there for part of Fiesta. Fiesta is a week long city wide celebration which grew out an annual parade in honor of the Alamo.
The week kicks off with the Texas Caviler's River Parade. This festive parade actually takes place floating through San Antonio's river walk. Hey, how often do you get to see an actual floating parade? And one with a "King Antonio" as well as lots of princesses! Pretty cool! This is a very family friendly event. You can purchase tickets to sit in the chairs along the river walk or a few blocks from the center of town you can join the many families with young kids sitting on blankets along the river banks. If you've got little kids try and find spot close to the start of the parade as it runs 2 hours. I did not find the crowds at this event to be too much. From what I can gather there is another parade towards the end of the week going through the town which can get much more crowded.
Even if you do not make it for Fiesta there is still tons to do in San Antonio with children. Make sure to stay in a hotel on the river walk. It is gorgeous and tons of fun for kids. My kids loved strolling down the river looking at ducks, little water falls and more. We had some lovely meals dining outside along the river as well. There is a nice 30 minute boat tour we all took which I'd highly recommend as they point out many points of historical interest.
The Alamo is not to be missed. It's a very moving experience. The grounds around the Alamo have recently been redone and they are exquisite. San Antonio has lots of wonderful museums, a fabulous zoo and some truly stunning botanical gardens. 
An old cement quarry was miraculously transformed into Japanese style gardens at the Botanical Gardens.
Just outside of San Antonio is Sea World as well as some interesting Hill Country attractions. We did the caverns in New Braunfels. They are massive and by guided tour only. My 5 year old princess and 9 year old son were equally impressed and mesmerized during the entire hour plus tour. Make sure to wear sneakers! Also make sure to check the Sea World schedule. We just assumed it would be open when we were in town but it was actually only open from Thursday through the weekend. Luckily, the kids had had such a great time at the zoo, they did not even complain about missing it.
We stayed at very kid friendly hotel. Popcorn in the lobby every afternoon, roof-top pool, self-serve complimentary breakfast and great location. We had a 2 1/2 room suite (2 bedrooms and kitchen area with sink, fridge) for under $200. It was called the Drury. (They have 2 Drurys in town. We stayed at the old fashioned one as opposed to the modern one in a former bank. I feel it was better located.) If you are looking for a more elegant hotel try the La Mansion del Rio.
Mary Kate
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