Programming Note: All new season of Curious George starts on PBS this week!

Today CURIOUS GEORGE: A Halloween Boo Fest returns to PBS KIDS! Anyone who has already seen the Curious George Halloween special knows that it is an instant classic, so, you know, hold on to your hats!  If the kids in your life are anything like Lenny then you've been watching it all year long.  The big news?  The annual airing of Boofest is kicking off season 9 of Curious George with a whole week of brand new episodes!

Season nine!!! That's staying power.  I'm starting to think that the new season of Curious George is becoming as much of ritual in this house as picking out a pumpkin, enjoying the colourful foliage and realizing I don't like Pumpkin Spice Lattes as much as I think I do.  A big part of last Fall was the season 8 premiere starring Carol Burnett.  Lenny still wants a front-loader and I still tear up a little bit when I think of George tugging on his ear.

This year the new adventures with George and my not so secret crush, The Man with the Yellow Hat, debut on PBS KIDS October 28-30.  Plot lines include George testing his super spy skills and exploring an aviation museum. October 28 features the premiere of “Submonkey,” an underwater adventure that includes the song “Down, Down, Down,” performed by Belinda Carlisle (be still my grew-up-in-the-80's heart!).

The week of Halloween will also feature Halloween-themed episodes from other PBS KIDS shows, including DINOSAUR TRAIN, DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD, WILD KRATTS, and more. Check your local listings.

Review: Medieval Times Toronto

Good morrow my fair readers. What ho! Pray tell, how fare thee on this day of providence?  Sorry.  I'm still revelling in the good times we just had at Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament.

Chicken leg in hand, paper crown on head.  This kid is in heaven.

When we arrived Lenny was in tears (not her default) because the elastic we had securing her ponytail was tugging on her hair and let me tell you, this child is some tender headed.  The actress who played The Princess in the show was greeting and taking pictures with the guests as they arrived.  When she saw how sad poor Lenny looked she took the time to kneel down, dry Lenny's tears, take the offending elastic out of her hair and replace it with a softer one she had in her pocket.

Who does that?

Did that even happen?

I think she might be a real Princess!

Here's the picture they took together.  

Lenny looks grumpy, I realize.  I'd like to think it's because she's mostly overwhelmed, that such a lovely lady did such a lovely thing for her.  The reality is a little of that combined with anger at her parents for not being as good at doing hair as The Princess.  At this point, so impressed was I with The Princess that the meal could have been poison and the show could have consisted of two old ladies on hobby horses and I still would have been all YOU GUYS, MEDIEVAL TIMES IS THE BEST! 

Happily, that wasn't the case.

You want pageantry?  Horse ballet like you saw on the news when Ann Romney's horse was in the Olympics?  You want to see a Falcon?  Flying?  Yeah?  They've got that!  You know what else is cool?  The iconic paper crown.  It really is a sort of equalizer.  You're all wearing one.  You're in this together.

There is something very appealing, on a visceral level, about eating with your hands, waving a flag and cheering at the top of your lungs.  It's like a sporting event without all the heartache of rooting for a real team with real life consequences at stake, crossed with a theatrical event without all the worrying about keeping your kid quiet.

Go ahead and yell, kids.  Stomp your feet, drink that grog.  You're at Medieval Times!

The food may not be gourmet, but it is yummy.  Keep in mind, you're eating it mostly in the dark and with your hands.  It's not supposed to be delicate.  The roasted chicken was really as good as just about any I've had in a restaurant.  Juicy and tender with a nice lemon flavour.  The service from our waiter...errr...serf (?) was great.  I'm guessing that's not the easiest gig in the world and he was friendly and efficient.  He was no Melinda, that's for sure.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the show was the fight choreography.  These guys aren't kidding around.  The stage craft is really impressive!

Before we even left the building Lenny said twice that this was "the BEST dinner EVER!"

I think it's safe to say we'll be back someday.  In the meantime, I'm prepared to play "Knight", "Princess Ponytail" and "Battle" every day for the next little while.

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Disclaimer:  Reviews on this blog may be invited, sponsored or paid, however I always share my honest opinions, findings and experiences of the product and services being reviewed.  To learn more about my policy, please visit Blog with Integrity.

PBS KIDS: WILD KRATTS: SWAMP THINGS

If you're like me, you've learned more watching PBS KIDS with your kid then you're eager to admit.  Real talk:  I learned more about the solar system from Ruff Ruffman then I ever learned in grade school.

Well, this week, Chris and Martin Kratt are going to finally help me nail down the difference between crocodiles and alligators.  You think I'd finally have that figured out after all the time we spend in New Orleans, but well, no.

My friends at PBS KIDS asked me to remind you guys to tune-in to the premiere of WILD KRATTS: SWAMP THINGS on Monday, July 21 on PBS KIDS! The one-hour special kicks off a week of new, swamp-tastic episodes set in Flordia’s Everglades and Cypress Swamp.

In the special, a pop Creature Quiz challenge question about what the differences are between a crocodile and an alligator turns into a full-blown Crocogator contest to find out why these two very similar creatures are different at all. The WILD KRATTS also go on a fact-finding adventure about mosquitos! Check your local listing for air times.

I went on a fact-finding adventure about mosquitos last week while reading on my front porch.  It wasn't pretty, let me tell you.  One minute I'm all "oh...this is the best..a glass of wine a good book" and then suddenly I was all "WHY IS MY ENTIRE BODY ITCHY?!"  

I could have totally used some create power that night, let me tell you.

FULL DISCLOSURE:  This is not a sponsored post.  I love PBS and PBS KIDS so much...and they know it...and they know I'll do their bidding for free.
Because that's what you do for people and corporate entities that you love. 

Things I want to remember about June

Coming back home from a blissful May in New Orleans was kind of difficult.  Lucky for me June turned out to be more than a little alright.  Family, friends, music, celebrations.  Keep it up, Summer 2014!  A few really special things I don't want to forget...

This is indeed a right of passage for any Nolan girl.  Lucky for Lenny, Aunt Mo runs the Social Media initiatives for Silent Sundays at the Revue and just about the whole clan came out to join in the fun.  I've been sitting on the fence for years (for real, that's crazy) about what Lenny's first in house movie experience should be.  Buster Keaton's The Navigator was the perfect choice.  She's been playing Buster Keaton games for weeks. Success! Team Buster!

Aunt Paddy, who happens to also be the excellent film blogger Caftan Woman, chronicled the day here.  She says it better than I could.

Soul Rebels in the house, y'all!!!  My favourite brass band in the Tdot just a few weeks after I saw them in Nola?  Yes, please! Lenny showed them how she's been practicing her 504 chant.  She was a big hit.  They were on their way to Europe after this show and joked that they were going to take her with them.  Something tells me she'd be into that.

Elvis Costello played 2 1/2 hours of some of the most hauntingly beautiful music I've ever heard at Massey Hall on June 15th.  His endurance and musicianship and humanity...just wow.  Also, a rare date night with my BFF.  A perfect evening.

And then, there were the birthday celebrations.  Viv turned 2!  There was a wonderful backyard BBQ with great friends.

2 year old DAREDEVIL!

Lenny loves Sarah so much she literally says things like "I wish Sarah Sisko was wiping my mouth"

And yes...the glasses are fakes.  But she continues to wear them all the time :)

With Kath in her beautiful backyard and Desi AKA The Farmer's Only Daughter (Thanks for the pics Sarah!)

Then there was Céline's birthday party at the Jazz Bistro during the Oliver Jones show. I've already talked about how great the music was but the company was killer too.  I was so focussed on capturing the band with my camera I forgot to take any fun party pics.  Thanks to Rosemarie and Mo for these awesome shots.

Surprise!

With the birthday girl and the awesome and talented Rosemarie 

One of Lenny's besties, Sully Cooper turned 3 this month and he invited her to join him on a trip to Ripley's Aquarium.  It was amazing.  We adore Sully and his whole family.  It was a great day.  I didn't manage to get many pictures because they were total moving targets.  I Love their friendship.

Bring it, July... 

Maybe that's why we always wear our hats.

This week began with the Robeau and I attending our first ever Passover Seder at our wonderful friend Elaine's house. We were both raised Catholic and I am now what can only be described as aggressively secular, so something that steeped in tradition and spiritual was a change of pace for both of us. It was fascinating to be a part of someone else's traditions, to meet her great family and enjoy all that incredible food and drink. What I liked the most about the whole thing was the discussion had around the table about the disenfranchised and the suffering. While they were celebrating their people's freedom from slavery they considered the plight of the homeless and of the people in Darfur. It was inspiring. Like anything to do with organized religion though, I am still left thinking, "nice place to visit, wouldn't want to live there".

The week ended yesterday when I hooked up with Book Vixen to enjoy a belated b-day breakfast (happy b-day BookVixen!) and to take in the "Jesus Parade" in Little Italy. Every year the Passion is marched out along College Street, complete with marching bands, ancient women saying the rosary and a different young guy from the community playing Jesus for every station of the cross. What was the most entertaining was the fact that the best Jesuses (Jesi?) got saved for the more showy parts (whipping, cross-bearing) and the really weak Jesi were cast early on, in the less exciting part of the story, riding a donkey and wearing a bad wig. I imagine there is a great deal of back talk and jealousy involved in the casting of the big man every year...just like any other form of theatre. It was a very cool spectacle and really fun afternoon (you can check out all the pictures over at my Flickr account).




Today we enjoyed what has become my favourite new Easter weekend tradition, a visit from Momster, Robby Disco and the adorable Mr. Liam and Miss Norah. This year we gathered at Sam's house. He was a very amiable host...


It was great to meet Norah, the first girl of the bunch. She's quiet and sweet and I get the feeling that she is just sort of tolerating all of us and our stupidity. She may only be three months old, but at one point, I'm pretty sure I saw her roll her eyes at me. I'm OK with that, I probably deserved it.


Liam is more fun than I can tell you - he had a field day with our camera, taking well over 100 photos (some of the best ones are up at Flickr too). What was really cool was that he made us all feel like we get to hang out with him every weekend and not just once or twice a year.


But that's how it is with old friends, right?

Happy Easter everyone, however you choose to celebrate it.