I’ve posted my review of the Miley Cyrus show over on my Roxiticus Desperate Housewives blog, but wanted to let all of you know about another great dinner our family (and four friends) enjoyed before the show at the Adega Grill in Newark, New Jersey.  We arrived to find the table set for eight (8), and the four girls sat in their very own throne banquet quite near the two king & queen throne chairs pictured on the left. The grown-ups shared several appetizers, including a cockles special and Chouriço Português Assado, Portuguese chouriço sausage flambé at tableside.  Maddie and her friend tried the Ameijõas Casino, baked clams on the half shell stuffed with crabmeat and bacon, but ended up eating the bacon and turning the rest of the clams over to Rex and me. I had a repeat of the Rabos de Lagosta em Molho Verde — baby lobster tails simmered in green sauce, served with saffron rice, which came with eight (8) baby lobster tails split in half so that there were sixteen little tails — that I had enjoyed on our last visit to Adega Grill before Twyla Tharp’s Movin’ Out at NJPAC…waaay too much for Roxy…so I shared with Rex, who had luckily ordered a simple salad. London and Maddie shared the Bife da Saia na Brasa — charcoal grilled skirt steak, served with crisp Spanish style potatoes and saffron rice, which was plenty for three girls, with enough left over to provide a treat for lunch today.  My friend Susan enjoyed the paella and had plenty to bring home for Mike; others enjoyed a chicken dish and a huge plate of two veal chops.  The grownups put away two delicious pitchers of red sangria, and we left Adega Grill stuffed and ready for the big event at the Prudential Center.

Adega Grill, 130 Ferry Street, Newark, NJ.  Phone: (973) 589-8830.

Back in the Spring, Rex and I were lucky enough to score two sets of four tickets to take London and Maddie and friends to see Miley Cyrus on Saturday, November 7th at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Today, I’ve wrapped up our plans to include a mother-daughter pair of friends for Maddie and me, and a father-daughter pair of friends for London and Rex.

Now, I know there are those who frown upon Miley and her Hannah Montana alter ego… in fact, at our recent family reunion I heard Grammy whispering about the upcoming concert in a way that suggested that Rex and I had made plans to take our daughters to a strip show in Vegas. However, all four of us really enjoy her music (with Rex and me shedding a few Disney tears during the Hannah Montana Movie), and I believe with sufficient “parental guidance,” our girls are smart enough to understand the difference between a “normal teenage girl” and trashy behavior that points us towards the next Britney Spears.

Checking in from the beach in Bay Head, New Jersey, at the start of a perfect weekend, I found the following note in the Roxy’s Best Of… Mailbag and wanted to share it with all of you:

Hi Roxy, I wanted to send you some info on the Newark Bears, who are currently vying for first place in the AAA division…they are on fire! The team tries to keep their events fun and affordable for the whole family – most nights offer a lot more than “just baseball.”  Tickets are only $8 to begin with, and they often offer Buy-One-Get-One deals (see Two-For Tuesday below for example), $1 dog nights, and free fun activities. The Newark Bears recently held a Firefighters Night where they honored firefighters and had engines on site for the kids to see and learn about. Upcoming the Bears have Artie Lange and Brian McKnight throwing out first pitches. You can also check out an exhibit from the Negro League Museum on site, which chronicles, among other things, Newark’s history in opening doors for minorities in sports. I was hoping that you would want to feature the Bears on your blog and share it with fellow mom and dad bloggers.  Thanks for the consideration.

Melissa

Or should I say, “paperless tickets??!!”  Have all of you heard the buzz about Ticketmaster’s latest attempt to beat the scalpers and get real fans into the seats at face value?  I’m not sure how well it will work out at the concert, when we’re all lining up with our credit cards and government issued photo IDs, but at least the fan club advance ticket purchase worked out well for our family. What does everyone else have to say about it?

We’re just past a relaxing spring break for London and Maddie, and spring is definitely in the air here in the Roxiticus Valley.  The daffodils are out, the first of the cherry blossoms have popped, and we opened our beach house in Bay Head over the weekend.  Even though Rex has been away in Chicago and Washington DC all week on business, the girls and I have been enjoying the lazy days off together and making our plans for summer camp and upcoming events.  After celebrating Easter Saturday here with Rex’s family and our annual backyard Easter egg hunt on Sunday with Grandmom and Grammy, our next big event will be Mother’s Day.  Last year, our family started an awesome new tradition with Alvin Ailey at NJPAC on Mother’sDay, and we’re making a triumphant return this year.

The Mother’s Day program includes: Hope Boykin’s Go in Grace, performed to a score composed and performed live by special guest Sweet Honey in the Rock; George Faison’s Suite Otis, set to music by Otis Redding; and Alvin Ailey’s Revelations, set to traditional spirituals and gospel. This year, Mother’s Day is also Judith Jamison’s birthday, so you never know what surprises may be in store.  My loyal readers may remember that my younger daughter, Maddie, prefers a little dialogue in her performances… while that’s not likely to be part of the traditional Ailey routine, we’ll see if her tastes have changed/”matured” over the past year.

Last year, Rex and the girls took me out for a spectacular Mother’s Day brunch at the Limestone Cafe in Peapack, NJ.  This year, we may try something a little different and make a day of it at NJPAC.  For all the time our family has spent at NJPAC, we haven’t tried the Theater Square Grill, and they’re having a special Mother’s Day Brunch, with 3 seating times:  noon, 12:30pm, and 1pm.  For $36 all inclusive, here are the details:

• Bloody Mary, Bellini or Mimosa (one drink per person)… I wonder if naughty Roxy can order a bellini for London, a mimosa for Maddie and keep them all for myself!
• Soft Drinks and Coffee Service
• and a grand Sunday buffet, including
• Muffins and pastries,
• Four salad choices,
• A pasta entree,
• A fish entree,
• Breakfast sausages and bacon,
• French toast,
• An omelette station,
• A carving station with ham and turkey,
• and lots of homemade desserts

I also have the new NJPAC season brochure, and will be posting about my faves — including The Color Purple in December – shortly.

As my loyal readers know, Rex and I have recently merged our small mergers and acquisitions firm with another Wall Street firm. The transition and my new investment banking role have taken much of my time and energy, and the longer hours and more frequent long commute have had an impact on our whole family.  The change is a positive one, but all change brings with it unexpected side effects, so we’ve been taking time to relax over the long Valentine’s/Presidents’ Day weekend, and looking ahead to the events, big and small, that lie ahead.

I can’t believe it’s been over two weeks since we celebrated London’s birthday with Cirque Eloize at NJPAC.  During the intermission, I remember looking through the program and seeing so many great shows, but knowing there was no way I could, for example, fit “Rent” into our busy schedule.  This coming weekend, we’re headed to Connecticut for a really big and exciting event:  Rex’s son, PostBoy, is marrying MathGirl… and London and Maddie will be first-time flower girls.  The girls adore the beautiful bride and are truly overjoyed to have MathGirl as their new sister-in-law.

While we’re celebrating with the happy couple in Connecticut, we’ll be missing the Golden Dragon Acrobats in action at NJPAC:  From bending into improbable shapes to forming human pyramids on moving bicycles, this internationally acclaimed troupe celebrates Chinese culture with time-honored traditions that date back 25 centuries.  One performance only, on Sunday, February 22nd at 3:00pm.  You’ll find a really cool short video at the NJPAC site (choose Golden Dragon Acrobats under “Show Titles”) so I have a clear view of what we’ll be missing.  Truth be told, after seeing (and imitating) the Cirque Eloize contortionist at her sister’s birthday bash, my mischievous Maddie doesn’t need any more ideas about bending into improbable shapes in her party dress, and it is hard to compete with a wedding…

And speaking of brides…check out The Frog Bride at NJPAC for a “ribbiting” coming-of-age story.  Musician, poet and performer/storyteller David Gonzalez presents a hip adaptation of a classic Russian fairy tale. Prokofiev’s classic work is weaved with an original jazz-funk score, while David performs every role against a backdrop of stunning live video projection and moving images by painter Wassily Kandinsky. Filled with comic sparkle, this FamilyTime performance of The Frog Bride on Saturday, February 28th at 2:00pm is recommended for ages 6 and up.  “Absorbing, funny and suspenseful, it is, in the great tradition of storytelling, enchanting.” — The New York Times.

Also on Saturday, February 28th at 8:00pm, NJPAC presents an award-winning pioneer in the emerging genre of hip-hop theater, electrifying actor, rapper, playwright and educator. Will Power delivers high-octane monologues, songs and spoken word pieces that have taken off-Broadway by storm. The winner of the theater trophy at the 2004 HBO US Comedy Arts Festival, Power’s funky, funny, genre-busting work weaves powerful narratives, dynamic rhythm and rhyme, and live beats into unforgettable contemporary theater. “His work combines the complexity of serious drama with the visual and sonic arsenal of MTV,” says The New York Times. “This is theater with the refreshing aroma of originality.”  For an additional $8 per ticket, parents and children can attend a pre-performance workshop on Self-Expression Through Poetry at 6:30pm. As an accompaniment to Power’s performance, spoken word artist Divad Sanders (of SLAM Global Enterprises, Inc.) will trace the history of rhymed language, from traditional poetry to contemporary hip hop, inviting participants to experiment for themselves with the way that words become powerful tools of creative expression.

“In an old house in Paris, that was covered with vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines… the smallest one was Madeline.” As we move into March, it’s time to join in the adventures of one of London and Maddie’s favorite heroines in “Madeline and the Bad Hat,”  an original musical based upon one of the books in Ludwig Bemelmans’s much-loved series. Here Madeline, the young Parisian girl must learn to overcome first impressions when she starts off on the wrong foot with a mischievous new neighbor. This FamilyTime performance on Saturday, March 14th and Sunday, March 15th at 2:00pm is recommended for ages 4 and up.  There’s an “Acting Out” workshop available before the show at 12:30pm on Saturday, March 14th.  We’ll be celebrating Maddie’s seventh birthday that weekend, and I considered taking Maddie and her BFFs to the show, but Maddie opted for a small “late-over” (7 to 10pm) at home with the Butter Bites, her all-girl basement band.

As much as I might like to spend every weekend there, our next family outing to NJPAC will probably be for another Andrew Lloyd Webber (and Tim Rice) spectacular, Jesus Christ Superstar. “When Jesus Christ Superstar debuted in 1971, the show’s phenomenal success made it clear that musical theater would never be the same again. This revival of the groundbreaking Tim Rice-Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, about the last seven days in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, features Ted Neeley—the star of the show’s big-screen adaptation.”  When my hot cousin Gary played Judas in a 1970’s local church production when I was 9 or 10 years old, I thought I would never be the same again… anyway, we’ll be sure to catch one of six shows running from Thursday, April 9th through Easter Sunday, April 12th.

London described it as “the best birthday party ever.” Maddie just loved having our own private balcony for ten, looking out over the crowd. Rex said, “Weird… but wonderful.” One of the other moms kept looking for Eloise from the Plaza Hotel… she didn’t find that naughty little six-year-old, but enjoyed many other surprises. I loved the trampolines, trapeze and contortionist but worried that London’s sister Maddie would be twisting herself into a pretzel during the after-party at home.

For those of you who are out of the loop, we’re talking about my daughter London’s 8th birthday party last weekend. Rex, Maddie, London and I were joined by three of London’s BFFs (best friends forever) and their moms for the Saturday matinee performance of Nebbia by Cirque Eloize at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) .

I quickly realized that I would have trouble describing the performance, so I was thrilled to find a short video (including the contortionist!) and I’ve posted it over on Roxiticus Desperate Housewives.

On December 15th, 2008, over 100 New Jersey bloggers joined forces in a Blogging Out Hunger campaign, which raised awareness of the current crisis at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, and has also raised over $7,000 in donations.  The opportunity to blog out hunger continues…

In honor of the historic inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center is opening its doors for a big-screen projection telecast of inaugural activities in Prudential Hall on Tuesday, January 20th at 10:30am. This special event is being presented in association with the City of Newark, Mayor Cory A. Booker and The Newark Municipal Council.

Tickets for the inaugural event were distributed to Newark senior citizens and schoolchildren, NJPAC friends and patrons, as well as to a variety of community, social service, educational and religious organizations and leaders in the Greater Newark vicinity with whom NJPAC has longstanding partnerships. Additionally, nearly half of the tickets were distributed on a first- come, first-serve basis to the general public and all tickets were “sold out” in less than two hours.

“This is exactly the kind of event we should be hosting at NJPAC,” said Goldman. “Increasingly, arts centers are becoming the new “town squares” of the 21st century. Historic events should be commemorated communally. We can’t wait to share this moment in history with the people that have made NJPAC a part of their lives in our first decade of operations.”

Goldman noted that admission to the live telecast is not free, “We are asking all attendees to bring canned goods as their ‘ticket price,’” he said. “All items collected will be donated to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey.”  If you were fortunate enough to receive a ticket to this event or know someone who is attending, please be generous with your donation of canned goods to replenish the supplies at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey.

“We greatly appreciate the partnership of NJPAC on this momentous occasion,” said Kathleen DiChiara, President and CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. “President-elect Obama has made dealing with America’s hungry a major initiative for his Administration. We can’t think of a more appropriate way to celebrate his inauguration than by asking New Jerseyans to remember their neighbors most in need.”

“We are grateful to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center for offering our residents and citizens who worked so hard to make history in the 2008 presidential election the opportunity to become witness to history as our first African-American President takes his oath of office on January 20th, 2009, said The Honorable Cory A. Booker, Mayor, City of Newark.

“President Barack Obama’s inauguration is not the end of the story, but the beginning of a journey. He will call upon all Americans to join him in repairing our economy, healing our environment, ending divisions, and renewing the covenant our Founding Fathers made more than 200 years ago, to make our nation truly the land of liberty. We will hear his message at NJPAC, and then, in this journey and this year, Newark will lead by effort and example, manifesting excellence to the nation and defining its course.”

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in the heart of a newly emergent downtown Newark, New Jersey, is the sixth largest performing arts center in the United States. Home of the Grammy Award-winning New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, NJPAC has been widely cited as a catalyst in the revitalization of New Jersey’s largest city, attracted over 5.5 million visitors, including one million children, in its first eleven seasons of operations.

I love it when a plan comes together, and London’s 8th birthday party is well on its way.

Since we moved out to Mendham Township, New Jersey, from Manhattan’s West Village five years ago, we’ve had large celebrations for London and Maddie’s birthdays.  In an effort to get to know the girls’ friends and their families, we’ve always invited the whole class from Westmont Montessori or Mendham Township Elementary School, plus siblings, plus old friends, plus plus plus.  With London in the second grade and Maddie in first grade, we’ve settled in to a nice group of kid friends and adult friends, so this year I vowed that the girls’ parties would be different.  I reminisced about my birthday parties as a child:  5 guests when I turned five, 6 guests when I turned six, 7 guests when I turned seven, then for several years my parents scaled it back to my two or three closest friends for a special outing to a movie or a Yankee game or the circus.  Hmm… the circus, now that’s an idea!

As London and I talked about a special birthday outing with three of her BFFs (that’s “best friends forever,” for those not up on the latest girl talk), we did some online research and considered lots of options (Yankees opening day not until April, we saw Hannah Montana on tour last year, January way too cold for the zoo) and hit upon Cirque Eloize at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark, New Jersey.

If you haven’t heard about Cirque Eloize, I’ll share a few quotes from the NJPAC, Cirque Eloize, and Nebbia web sites:

• Experience the sites and sounds of a European circus in a vibrant, fully-staged production that brings together a company of acrobats, clowns, jugglers, trapeze artists and musicians to create a rich, fast-paced tango of emotions. Last seen at NJPAC with their eye-popping spectacle Rain, this world-renowned company returns with Nebbia, a brand new acrobatic extravaganza. Cirque Eloize passionately pursues artistic perfection—and achieves absolute magic.
• Éloize: Pronounced [EL-WAZ] Éloize is a word that comes from the Magdalen Islands and means “flashes of heat lightning seen on the horizon.” An inspiration for the troupe’s seven founding members, this lightning symbolizes the heat and energy that feed the troupe’s spirit.
• At the heart of the circus arts revival, Cirque Éloize has been creating moving performances filled with magic since 1993. Continually striving for artistic perfection, it is one of the leading companies in contemporary circus arts. Based on the multidisciplinary talents of its artists, Cirque Éloize expresses its innovative nature through theatricality and humanity, and combines circus arts with music, dance and theatre in a break-through and original manner. With six original productions to its credit, Cirque Éloize has presented more than 3,000 performances in 330 cities and 30 countries located around the world. Cirque Éloize has taken part in numerous prestigious international festivals and has conquered Broadway with its show Rain.
• Nebbia, the third part of the Sky Trilogy directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, was launched in December 2007. Nebbia is a creation of Cirque Éloize in co-production with Teatro Sunil. Meaning fog in Italian, Nebbia explores the world of dreams and the imaginary. In the fog, you get lost, you find each other, but above all, you are confronted with the unexpected… Nebbia will once again plunge you into a
  poetic and sensitive universe mixing acrobatics to theatre in a subtle way…
• From Author and Director Daniele Finzi Pasca: “From my very early age, I’ve been fascinated by acrobatics. Fascinated by the movement that defies the laws of gravity, that combines strength and lightness, precision, synchronicity, confidence, surprise and risk. I like what goes unexpressed in theater, the veiled, the gesture that remains invisible. When the sky is very low, we see things we don’t normally see. We travel in a world of memories, invented images, what we call dreams for the sake of convenience. To tell my tale of a childhood that is re-invented each time, I use geometries and the lucidity of acrobatic theatre danced on stage by an extraordinary group of performers.”

London and Maddie are really looking forward to the big day… they’re playing out every moment, from who sits where in our GMC Acadia on the way to NJPAC and back, to how it will feel to have one of those little balconies overlooking the stage all to ourselves and what flavor(s) of ice cream cake we should get for the after-party. Seating arrangements in the SUV are surprisingly crucial to London’s sister, Maddie, who is 13 months younger. Turning eight is a big deal in New Jersey, as this milestone brings an end to the cumbersome car booster seats required by law. So London will have her first trip without a booster, but Maddie must wait another year to graduate. Now, back to our regularly scheduled program, London’s birthday party at NJPAC.

I designed some cool accordion-fold photo invitations at Kodak Gallery online, with photos from the Cirque Eloize web site interspersed with photos of London. The invitations look something like this:

Bring Out the Cirque… London Is Turning Eight!

Please Bring Your Mom and Join Us for

Cirque Eloize at NJPAC

2pm on Saturday, January 31st

Meet at London’s House at Noon for lunch. We’ll take two cars to NJPAC, and come back to the house for birthday cake after the show.

Our birthday group will attend the Saturday matinee, but you can choose from three performances of Cirque Eloize in Nebbia at NJPAC: Saturday, January 31st at 2pm and 8pm, and Sunday, February 1st at 2pm.

VIP Events: The Salons at NJPAC

While planning London’s 8th birthday extravaganza, I considered a sleepover at our home after the show, as well as an elegant evening of dining at NJPAC’s Theater Square Grill, but we eventually opted for the simplicity of an afternoon matinee followed by ice cream cake at home. If you’re planning a unique event for an older child or adults (an extended family Easter or Mother’s Day outing, for example), you may want to consider the “NJPAC Salons” packages.

VIP Amenities include:

• Seats in a private box for the performance of your choice;
• Exclusive access to an intimate suite adjacent to your seats for entertaining;
• Pre-paid parking; and
• Pre-paid coat check.

Fine Dining includes:

• 3-course dinner at NJPAC’s 3 1/2 star Theater Square Grill;
• Specially selected wine pairings for every course; and
• Dessert buffet in your private salon during intermission (yum!)

All-inclusive pricing:

• 6-guest package $1,050 plus the cost of performance tickets
• 12-guest package $2,100 plus the cost of performance tickets

Your VIP evening at NJPAC is just one phone call away… call Rose at 1-888-466-5722 and be sure to let her know that Roxy sent you!

Some upcoming NJPAC performances that work well for a party or event include:

• Golden Dragon Acrobats (Sunday, February 22nd at 3pm): From bending into improbable shapes to forming human pyramids on moving bicycles, this internationally acclaimed troupe celebrates Chinese culture with time-honored traditions that date back 25 centuries. Perfect for the kids, and parents won’t be bored;
• Fiddler on the Roof (Tuesday, March 10th through Sunday, March 15th): Chaim Topol returns to the role he immortalized in the Oscar-winning, big-screen version of Fiddler on the Roof. This revival of the Tony-winning musical, based on the stories of Sholom Aleichem, is driven by one of the most heartwarming scores in the history of musical theater, including favorites like “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Sunrise, Sunset.” What can I say…tradition! A great choice for the whole family;
• Steve Tyrell (Saturday, April 25th at 7pm and 9:30pm): A wonderful cabaret performer doing all Burt Bacharach. If you have never attended Cabaret at NJPAC, it is something to try — a real grown up night out. Performances are in the Chase Room. The stage is set so you and your guests look out at the lights of the city. Seating is at little tables and there is food and beverage available.
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (Friday, May 08th through Sunday, May 10th) Rex, London, and Maddie treated me to Alvin Ailey on Mother’s Day last year, and we’re making it a Mother’s Day tradition again this year… maybe we’ll see you there?!
• John Pizzarelli doing Sinatra (Friday, May 15th at 8:00pm)…a great Jersey night out.
• Rain (Friday, June 12th through Sunday, June 14th): This Beatles Tribute was the hit of last season at NJPAC. It is back in June with 4 performances. Rain is a multi-media, multi-dimensional experience – a fusion of historical footage and hilarious television commercials from the 1960s lights up video screens, and live cameras zoom in for close-ups. Perfect for corporate entertaining or a grown up birthday with a 60s theme.

Your VIP evening at NJPAC is just one phone call away… call Rose at 1-888-466-5722 and be sure to let her know that Roxy sent you!

If you’re like me, with less than a week until Christmas, you may have made a list and checked it twice, you may even have it divided into suitable gifts for naughty and nice, but you haven’t purchased and wrapped your gifts for everyone on the list….particularly if you’re still lacking the inspiration to surprise the most special people in your life.  We got our tree at Alstede Farms in Chester, NJ last weekend, and as you can see from the photo on the right, it’s a beauty.  I really started to get into the holiday spirit as we hung each ornament on the tree with care, and reminisced about which little shop in New York City’s West Village or Lambertville, NJ, each one came from, who picked it out (London and Maddie get to choose one special ornament each year) and when it came to be a part of our family’s holiday ornament collection.  We’ve been listening to Christmas songs on our iPod, pulling surprises out of the Advent Calendar every night, and London and Maddie have been wrapping up homemade gifts for everyone left and right.  Their mom, on the other hand, is a bit behind on the shopping and wrapping and I’m counting on the United Parcel man to deliver a bunch of goodies just in time.  The other members of Rex’s family — Grammy (Rex’s mom) plus London and Maddie’s three brothers, one sister, niece and two nephews — aren’t coming to celebrate with us until Saturday, December 27th, so Secret Santa has a little extra time to pull the extended family gifts together.

If, unlike me, you celebrate Hanukkah rather than Christmas, you’re just kicking back in your easy chair and waiting for the post-Christmas sales to get serious about your holiday shopping.  This year, Hanukkah starts at sunset on Sunday, December 21st and runs eight nights through Sunday night, December 28th.

For procrastinators of all faiths, I’ve got some terrific news:  NJPAC has extended the deadline to use the TREAT promotional code to buy your tickets to Giselle, Cirque Eloize, and Golden Dragon Acrobats.  Through Tuesday, December 30th, use coupon code TREAT to purchase tickets online, by phone (1-888 GO-NJPAC) or at the NJPAC box office and you’ll get one free child’s ticket for each adult ticket purchased for Giselle, Cirque Eloize or Golden Dragon Acrobats. Discount is valid for Sections A, B, C, and D (no G or P) and expires December 30, 2008. Subject to availability and not valid on prior purchase.  This holiday promotion offers grandparents, aunts and uncles, godparents or parents an amazing local opportunity to treat the young person in your life to the magic of live performance with a sweet holiday discount from the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC).. a unique holiday gift that promises a child-friendly cultural experience at a great value.

While I don’t mind explaining to London and Maddie that even Santa needs to cut back on the excessive amount of Barbies and plastic toys this holiday season, I have been searching for one or two meaningful, magical gifts that would keep Christmas special for my girls. As my most loyal readers know, Rex and I believe in encouraging our daughters’ passions (music, dance, gymnastics and tennis) and exposing them to a wide range of child-friendly art and culture. Just in case we have the next Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana or Jonas Brothers musical talent hiding in our basement, London and Maddie have asked Santa for a drum set for their girl band, the Butter Bites. At first, I thought they were looking for the modern electronic kind, but I’ve become convinced they are seeking the old fashioned make-a-lotta-noise-till-mom-says-turn-it-down drums that I dreamed of as a third grader when I had a crush on the drummer in the Branchburg Central Middle School Band.  I will sleep soundly on Christmas Eve believing that Santa will deliver. Add that to the keyboard Santa left under the tree last Christmas, a second-hand guitar that needs to be re-strung, two microphones and a karaoke machine, and the Butter Bites will be all set to explore their musical passions over the long cold winter.

I have also committed to celebrating London’s 8^th birthday with three of her closest girlfriends and their moms at the Cirque Eloize performance at NJPAC in January. We just received our tickets in the mail, and the girls are over the moon with excitement about it.  Over the past year, London and Maddie have enjoyed three different performances at NJPAC: Rex and the girls took me out to see Alvin Ailey on Mother’s Day and we were all so impressed that we’re headed back for this season’s Mother’s Day performance; we introduced the girls to a bit of Mom and Dad’s history through Twyla Tharp’s interpretation of the music of Billy Joel in “Movin’ Out”; and most recently experienced the magic of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, Cats.  So we’ll be looking down from our own little box in the Grand Tier at the Saturday matinee performance of Cirque Eloize in Nebbia, and London and Maddie invite you to join us at a discount.

Cirque Eloize at NJPAC:

Experience the sights and sounds of a European circus in a vibrant, fully-staged production that brings together a company of acrobats, clowns, jugglers, trapeze artists and musicians to create a rich, fast-paced tango of emotions. Last seen at NJPAC with their eye-popping spectacle Rain, this world-renowned company returns with Nebbia, a brand new acrobatic extravaganza. Cirque Eloize passionately pursues artistic perfection – and achieves absolute magic. Our gang will be celebrating London’s birthday at the Saturday matinee, but there are three magical Cirque Eloize performances of Nebbia scheduled: Saturday, January 31^st at 2:00pm and 8:00pm and Sunday, February 1^st at 2:00pm. Use NJPAC discount code TREAT to purchase tickets online, by phone (1-888 GO-NJPAC) or at the NJPAC box office by December 24^th through December 30^th and get one free child’s ticket for each adult ticket purchased for Cirque Eloize in Nebbia.

Giselle at NJPAC:

Using the choreography created by Marius Petipa in his definitive revivals, the State Ballet Theatre of Russia performs Adolphe Adam’s beloved ballet – the timeless tale of a lovely yet fragile maiden, whose death from a broken heart dooms her to eternally roam the earth as a restless spirit. This sumptuous, traditional staging will be performed with full corps de ballet. The State Ballet Theatre of Russia brings Giselle to the stage at NJPAC on Sunday, January 18^th at 4:00pm. Purchase tickets online, by phone (1-888 GO-NJPAC) or at the NJPAC box office by December 30^th using NJPAC coupon code TREAT and get one free child’s ticket for each adult ticket purchased for Giselle.

Golden Dragon Acrobats at NJPAC:

From bending into improbable shapes to forming human pyramids on moving bicycles, this internationally acclaimed troupe celebrates Chinese culture with time-honored traditions that date back 25 centuries. The Golden Dragon Acrobats come to NJPAC on Sunday, February 22^nd at 3:00pm. Use NJPAC promotional code TREAT to Purchase tickets onlne by phone (1-888 GO-NJPAC) or at the NJPAC box office through December 30^th and get one free child’s ticket for each adult ticket purchased for the Golden Dragon Acrobats at NJPAC.

Here in the Roxiticus Valley (Mendham, NJ), we’re operating on a winter storm warning tonight — visions of a snow day school closing filled with sledding and snowball fights and snowmen with carrot noses dance in our heads.  London, Maddie, Rex and I extend our warm wishes to all of you as you head out for another weekend of holiday shopping. Stay warm and safe and don’t forget to Shop Local NJ!