Girl Power Reigned Supreme as El Toro Loco Won Last Night's Monster Jam in Toronto!

   

Monster Jam is always an action packed, edge of your seat family production. But last night's competition was particularly so with many a roll over and near misses. From flips, jumps, wheelies and more, I was left with many a moment where my jaw was open in fascination. 

Particularly so when Becky McDonough & El Toro Loco did their Freestyle showdown. That girl can drive, and her skill and win was great to see in an otherwise male dominated sport. The crowd must have thought so too as they were cheering just as loudly when she pulled her 10,000 pound machine to an impressive stop to round off her mad skills! While Ms. McDonough isn't the only driver that drives El Toro Loco, she is the only female driver, as well as, the only female driver in last night's competition. She, without a doubt, deserved that win! Girl power y'all! 

It would be unfair to only talk about El Toro Loco. As to be expected, legend Dennis Anderson in Grave Digger also wowed the crowd with his 360 flip into the air. That takes finesse and guts! Just like Son Uva Digger, driven by Ryan Anderson. He is Dennis Anderson's son who has, I'm 100% sure, monster trucks in his genetics. Son Uva Digger/Ryan Anderson is my son's personal favorite and he gets so excited to cheer him on. 

If you have the chance to check out Monster Jam, you will not be disappointed. It's high energy, fun, nerve wracking and L-O-U-D! Be sure to bring proper ear protection for your kidlets as LOUD doesn't begin to describe it. The vendors did sell some ear protectors for kids for $20, but it doesn't appear that they are rated for legitimate sound suppression. They used to sell actual rated noise suppression headphones at Monster Jam, however they did not have them at this particular show.  It's unknown if they will be available for sale at other venues. If your child or children are sensitive to sound, it would be wise to invest in or borrow proper ear protection ahead of time. And for cheaper, I'm sure. They did have foam ear plugs for sale for $2 a pop, but in my opinion, those would be best suited for adults and adolescents. 

For more information on Monster Jam from my perspective as a parent, check out my 2015 review, as well as, my 2016 Monster Jam review.

As mentioned in my previous post, tickets start as low as $15. Bear in mind that this price does not include taxes, facility charges or service fees. To give you an idea of what you'd be in for with those fees and tax included, you're looking at about $22 per person for base tickets in Toronto. 

If you live outside of the GTA, you can catch any of the following upcoming Monster Jam tours in Canada: 

Winnipeg, MB - January 28th - 29th, 2017 @ the MTS Centre

Edmonton, AB - February 4th - 5th, 2017 @ Northlands Coliseum

London, ON - February 11th - 12th, 2017 @ Budweiser Gardens

Hamilton, ON - April 22nd - 23rd, 2017 @ FirstOntario Centre

Bring on the action!

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post. *****

Monster Jam is Back in Toronto to Break Your Winter Blues!

   

Break your winter blues this January with Monster Jam in Toronto at the Rogers Centre! This family-friendly live monster truck racing extravaganza is back in town and is sure to get you excited and invigorated - despite the temperatures! These 12' tall monster machines are impressive in their stunts and skill, wowing everyone - young and old. With over 4,000,000 fans attending these shows each year, you know it's going to be good. 

Tickets are on sale now! With tickets starting as low as $15, the event is quite affordable for most.  Bear in mind that this price does not include taxes, facility charges or service fees. In Toronto, with those fees and tax included, you're looking at about $22. This is still a decent price if you're looking for base tickets. Prices & additional fees may vary from venue to venue, and as with many events, a wide variety of ticket pricing is available to meet your needs. You can also purchase a Party in the Pits Pass for $10 per person. This allows you take pictures & get autographs with the drivers, and see their monster trucks up close. Be aware that service fees may also apply to these particular tickets as well. 

In Toronto, there are 2 showtimes. On Saturday, January 28th, it's at 7pm. On Sunday, January 29th, it's at 2pm. This one would be ideal for those with younger kids who are on stricter nap and bedtime schedules. 

If you don't live in the GTA, Monster Jam is hitting up 4 other Canadian cities in 2017:

• Winnipeg, MB - January 28th & 29th, 2017 @ the MTS Centre
• Edmonton, AB - February 4th & 5th, 2017 @ Northlands Coliseum
• London, ON - February 11th & 12th, 2017 @ Budweiser Gardens
• Hamilton, ON - April 22nd & 23rd, 2017 @ FirstOntario Centre

For more information on Monster Jam from my perspective as a parent, check out my 2015 review, as well as, my 2016 Monster Jam review.
See you there!

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post. *****

Disney on Ice 100 Years of Magic is Mesmerizing!

   

We went to see Disney On Ice 100 Years of Magic this morning at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. We almost didn't make it as my son had developed a fever a few days before. Thankfully, it cleared up just in time for us to still attend the show. And boy, am I glad we did! 

From start to finish, this show was energetic and mesmerizing. We loved the familiar songs and the characters from the last 100 years! Be it back to the beginning with Pinocchio, one of the more recent Frozen personalities or anyone in between, you are bound to love it! 

Personally, my favorite was the Finding Nemo skit. But truth be told, I loved it all. My 3 year old was enthralled through the whole thing, and my older son enjoyed it all as well. (Even though he said he wasn't looking forward to seeing the princesses.) Little did he know that he would enjoy them just as much. 

Disney on Ice 100 Years of Magic has Mickey and Minnie as the Masters of Ceremonies, and does a great job at including so many Disney characters from over the last 100 years. Cinderella, Princess Tiana, Donald Duck, Goofy, Mulan, Snow White, Buzz Lightyear, Aladdin, and so many others came out to make this show a hit. 

At the Rogers Centre, there is a complimentary stroller check, for those that have young ones that need their wheels. I'm not sure if this would be the case at other venues, but this was a great option at this particular location. 

If you have the opportunity, go and see this show. I'm confident you and your children would love it! Disney on Ice 100 Years of Magic will be in Toronto at the Rogers Centre until Sunday, March 20th with both daytime and evening performances. To purchase tickets, please visit Ticketmaster or DisneyOnIce.ca.

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post. *****

Celebrate March Break with Disney on Ice in Toronto!

     

Disney On Ice is back in Toronto this spring with their Disney on Ice Celebrates 100 Years of Magic tour!

Mickey Mouse, Mous-ter of Ceremonies, brings you over 50 Disney characters to charm people of all ages. Whether your heart beats for traditional Disney characters like Donald & Minnie, or you're a fan of more current characters like Anna & Elsa, you will find everything in between! This live action performance features over 30 memorable songs and a tonne of adventure! 

Disney on Ice Celebrates 100 Years of Magic is in Toronto this March Break from March 17th-20th with both daytime & evening performances. 

Tickets start at $28, and are on sale now at Ticketmaster & DisneyOnIce.ca!

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post. *****

Showmanship & Rollovers - Themes at this Year's Toronto Monster Jam Show!

   

The 2016 Maple Leaf Monster Jam Tour has once again started out with a vroom in Toronto! 

I attended this event this past weekend, and, as expected, it was full of rip roarin' action! Whether it's the side by side racing or the freestyle competition, there was something for everyone at this 2 1/2 hour extravaganza. 

This year, there seemed to be a lot more roll over crashes. This is important to note, so that first timers attending the show don't get alarmed, wondering if the drivers are injured. Drivers sit in the middle of their vehicles and are restrained by a 5 point harness safety system, similar to a car seat. The harness keeps them hanging on, literally and figuratively, while heavy equipment pulls them right side up.

Scooby Doo and Mutt Rottweiler were some of the ones that took a spill, including Northern Nightmare, who took the final wipeout during his freestyle competition. But boy! Did he ever put on one heck of a display! Whether it's the jumps, ticks, stunts, or a back flip, (yes, a back flip!), it's sure to amaze all. Word to the wise - unless you're doing it with a dinky car, or toy monster truck, - do not try this at home! LOL 

Our first experience with Monster Jam was at last year's show.  At that time, there were a lot of distractions for us personally as we naively brought our youngest son who wasn't quite ready to be at this type of event. We weren't able to fully appreciate the show and all that it had to offer that year. This time around, we got to see everything, including each and every roll over.  Whether or not they were planned & occur every year, I appreciated the showmanship at this year's event after one spill in particular. Although part of it might be scripted, the fact that one driver handed their trophy over to another driver who put on one hell of a show and lost only because of a wipeout, was a great thing to see. It's a reminder to children and adults alike, that it's much better and feels better, to do the right thing. Winning isn't everything, and I think it's a great lesson for kids to see play out in this format. 

Going back to my naiveté last time in bringing our toddler with us, I was reminded again this year as to how important ear protection is for kids while at the show. Monster Jam is spectacular, but is also extremely loud. It can be sensory overload for kids, especially young ones, when you're not dulling out some of the cacophony. I had foam ear protectors on for myself, but kids would fare much better with certified noise suppression. You can purchase them cheaper elsewhere, however if you are stuck, they do have 2 options at the venue ranging from $20-$25. Pay particular attention when purchasing the head gear, ensuring that you are purchasing ones that are actually approved noise suppression sets and not just more decorative ones.   

For more information on our first visit to Monster Jam last year, including even more parental perspective, please visit this link. 

Tickets to the show are affordable if you choose the cheaper ones. For the Toronto show, tickets ranged in price from $15 all the way up to $135. And there are many price points in between. As always, I recommend searching online to find any promotions or promo codes so that you get the best bang for your buck. 

There are 7 cities left for the 2016 Maple Leaf Monster Jam Canadian tour. Most locations have 2 shows, typically 1 evening and 1 afternoon show. 

Check out these other Canadian stops to see if you can head out & enjoy it as much as we did: 

Winnipeg - MTS Centre, January 30th-31st, 2016

Edmonton - Rexall Place, February 6th-7th, 2016

Vancouver - BC Place, February 27th, 2016

London - Budweiser Gardens, February 27th-28th, 2016

Hamilton - First Ontario Centre, April 23rd-24th, 2016

Halifax - Scotia Speedworld, May 28th-29th, 2016

Calgary - Stampede Grandstand, September 17th-18th, 2016

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post. *****

Ripley's Aquarium of Canada is Sea-riously Awesome!

   

We visited Ripley's Aquarium of Canada this past weekend. Nestled right next to the CN Tower and the Rogers Centre, this unique & interesting attraction is definitely a must see for those residing in or visiting the Greater Toronto Area! 

Ripley's Aquarium of Canada features 12,500 square metres of aquatic enjoyment. With 5.7 million litres of water used to house some 16,000 animals, those young and old are sure to be amazed! It takes the average person about 2 to 2 and a half hours to experience the aquarium and all it has to offer. If you are visiting with young children, I highly recommend that you go first thing in the morning once they open. Most of the habitat areas are darkened to highlight the exhibits and I would not have wanted to visit with little ones during their typical peak time between 11am and 4pm for this reason.  Unless you have help with you to make sure one of your young ones don't suddenly get distracted and run off to another exhibit, then the early bird gets the worm on this one. Plus, there are a number of fun and interactive educational components throughout the aquarium which you can take full advantage of if it's not really busy. I would also suggest dressing your kids in bright colours, or patterned clothing so that they are more visible in the darkened areas.  Anything dark or grey in colour would be harder to see when it's busy with other attendees. 

For those requiring wheel chairs or strollers, they are both available for rent. Wheelchair rentals are free and umbrella strollers are available for rent for $3. But they are subject to availability, so remember what I said about the early bird? They also have a free stroller check in, if you don't want to bring your own personal stroller into the aquarium. Personally, I liked having mine as, although we didn't use it for our youngest, it was nice to put our coats and diaper bag in so we didn't have to carry it around. The aquarium does have a coat check and cubbies to rent for a nominal fee. Our youngest just turned 2 years old and he walked the whole way with no issues. He mostly tried to keep up with where his older brother went, so if you have an only child, then they might tire faster. 

Each of the galleries are neat to see, and will have something to fascinate you. Each gallery features a number of interactive learning activities to get the most out of your visit. I think they've done an excellent job at incorporating education into the exhibits. 

The Canadian Waters habitat displays a number of fish and plants from our Great Lakes, rivers and oceans. Our personal favorites in this habitat depiction? The Giant Pacific Octopus, and the Pacific kelp. The seaweed is unbelievably tall and the octopus is huge! And you really should get on the scale to see how much you'd be sold for if you were the catch of the day. Kids get a real kick out of this! In all honesty, so did I! LOL

The Rainbow Reef is beautiful! I could park a chair in front and sit there all day. Watching over 100 species of tropical fish from the Indo-Pacific region provides an array of colour and a buzz of activity.

The Dangerous Lagoon is where it's at! It's the largest exhibit and the most fascinating. You can either jump on board the largest North American slow moving movator or walk along side this 2.5 million litre tank. There you will pass through an underwater tunnel, seeing everything from sawfish & tropical fish, to sharks, sea turtles and stingrays. Seeing the sawfish glide by is quite the sight, as are all the sharks roaming about.We were lucky enough to see a sea turtle swimming above us. You will also see a massive grouper, the largest you've probably ever seen, or will see in your life. It's incredibly huge and I can't imagine how much that thing weighs! 

The Discovery Centre is where you can take a break, use the facilities, and get something to eat. In this section, there is also a playground area right beside the research submarine, which features a number of interactive bells and whistles, along with an underwater viewing bubble into the Dangerous Lagoon. There is also the horseshoe crab touch pool and the Great Lakes Locks water play area. Though this area is mostly geared towards kids, many adults were also taking advantage of what the Discovery Centre had to offer. You can also pop your head up into a puffer fish and clown fish tank which makes for some comical pictures. Kids will feel like they are right in there with Nemo from the Finding Nemo Disney movie. 

With regards to getting something to eat, you can purchase snacks and entrees from the Ripley's Cafe. Outside food and drinks are not technically allowed, but I'm sure if you had little ones, that their snacks would be OK to bring in. Obviously milk or formula wouldn't be an issue. If you are a nursing mom, there are a lot of chairs and tables in the Discovery Centre area where the cafe is for you to sit. There are also plenty of benches around the aquarium itself should you need to feed your little one. I snapped a picture of their menu so that you can see what's available and how much it would cost. Eating at venues like these is never cheap, so this way you can plan ahead! But to be honest, I didn't find the prices to be all that expensive, all things considered. We were there early, so I did not see the portions of these items, but compared to other attractions the prices aren't that bad. 

Moving on to the The Gallery, you'll see amazing creatures such as seahorses, leafy sea dragons, the electric eel, and the invasive lion fish. The seahorses and leafy sea dragons were particularly neat to see. 

The Perfect Predators area features an underwater viewing bubble where you can pop up inside a shark tank, and a clear tunnel tube to "crawl" through and view the sharks all around you. Most kids love these features, although a couple were a little hesitant to go in. There are also a number of interactive shark educational activities to do in this particular section.

Ray Bay is another of my favorites. Like the Rainbow Reef, I could park a chair here and watch for hours. Luckily there are benches there, so you can literally do that. Watching the stingrays, both large and small gliding about was mesmerizing. They appear to be so graceful and adorable. You'd never think that they could be dangerous in the wild. 

Planet Jellies is definitely a must see! It's amazing to see these little creatures moving about, and changing colour. Like the stingrays, they are also elegant in appearance. They are deceiving though, in that you'd never think they could hurt you. The saying "Don't judge a book by its cover" definitely applies to these beautiful but misleading little guys.

Upstairs, you can also check out the Shoreline Gallery.  There you will be able to touch small sharks (which I am pretty sure are bamboo sharks) in the touch pool, as well as the stingrays in the main area as they pass by. As I've said before, they are pretty amazing to watch! You can also look over the Dangerous Lagoon from up there as well and get a different perspective of the sharks, sea turtles and other fish previously mentioned in Dangerous Lagoon. 

The aquarium opens daily at 9am and is open most days until 11pm. Occasionally it closes at 6pm, so be sure to check the day that you plan to visit if you intend to be there or stay later into the evening. Regular admission for adults is $29.98, and $19.98 for seniors and youth ages 6-13years of age. Children 3-5 years of age are $9.98, and kids under 2 are free. HST is not included in those prices. There are discounted tickets available if you purchase Timed Tickets or Shark After Dark tickets. You can also check out their promo page to see if there are any further discounts or promotions going on. Military personnel are also eligible for further discounts.  

I think this attraction is not only fun but educational. And I'd be surprised if anyone did not enjoy their experience. The only downside for me is the crowd, because we have young ones. But that is simply fixed by going early when it's more quiet. For everyone else, it is likely not that big of a deal, as the aquarium does a good job of making the exhibits large and visible for a number of people to appreciate at one time. Whether you are an infant who enjoys watching things moving about to and fro, a school aged child who enjoys interactive learning displays, or an adult who appreciates the magnitude of our oceans and waterways, everyone will get something out of this unique attraction.  

All in all, I give Ripley's Aquarium of Canada 2 sharks, I mean, 2 thumbs up! 

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post.*****