Giveaway! Santa's Magical Kingdom!

Normally I believe that Christmas festivities should not start until December. But when an opportunity to give away TWO family passes (valued at $140 each!) to Santa's Magical Kingdom on November 19th came up I decided I was happy to bend the rules a little bit. Please read on to see how you could be a winner!

Have you heard about Santa's Magical Kingdom? It seems pretty ace to me! Bringing all the wonder and joy of a traditional Festive Season, Santa’s Magical Kingdom returns to Melbourne after 4 successful years, making it the annual Christmas event that cannot be missed. Visited by thousands of people from all around Australia, Santa’s Magical Kingdom has become a Christmas tradition for many families.

The event will include:
- A magical Christmas walk-through wonderland
- Snowland, where you can meet the Snow Queen
- A free gift when you meet Santa
- A brand new International Christmas Show Spectacular
- Roving Christmas characters
- Christmas Craft Village where you can make your own Christmas tree decoration
- Gingerbread Land, where you can decorate your own gingerbread man
- Interactive Letter Writing area and Storytelling area with Mrs Claus
- Amusement Rides & Games, including Santa’s Sleigh Ride, the Giant Ferris Wheel, one of the Largest Super Slides in the country, The Elves Magical Train Ride and MORE!!!

As well as all that, Rudolph will be celebrating his birthday at Santa’s Magical Kingdom. Rudolph loves parties, so we need to impress him and celebrate in style! Rudolph will be joined by Mrs Claus, the Snow Queen, as well as Trolls: Poppy and Branch to celebrate his birthday.  Every child will receive a special gift.  All activities are inclusive with your Santa’s Magical Kingdom Admission Ticket. Rudolph’s Birthday will be celebrated on specific dates during the season. Check the website to find out when!

I'm pretty excited to be stealing (I'll give them back!) some of my favourite kids and heading along to the opening night, I'll report back on the best bits for you!

You can win one of TWO family passes, just by filling out this form and telling me what is the best or worst Christmas gift you have ever received.





(If the form doesn't load, copy this link into your browser: https://goo.gl/forms/7pZJtiy8TYX1c3qA2 )

Entries close at 6pm on Friday November 4th and the two answers that amuse of confuse our judge the most will be deemed the winners. I'll contact the winners via email shortly afterwards.

You can buy tickets to Santa's Magical Kingdom at Ticketmaster.

 

On Friendship

I've been thinking about friendship a bit lately, and I have some thoughts. They're a bit random, but here we go...

Disclaimer: I have fantastic friends and they know who they are, even if I don't see them or talk to them as much as I would like to, because life. This isn't about them. In fact, it's not really about anyone in particular. 

Over the years I've had friends who just haven't stayed the distance. In some cases there were clear reasons why we 'broke up', in others we just drifted apart, no real issue that caused the demise, just neither of us made any effort anymore, and there's no hard feelings. Eventually though, there's unfriending on Facebook and just no more contact. Although if I saw them i the street I'd probably say hello and stop for a chat. 

There's been a couple of people who have just plain and simple stopped returning my messages. For no reason that I know of. But having said that. I'm also guilty of 'phasing people out', and I have my own reasons for that, so I'm guessing they do as well. That's life!

I read a thing once (and forgive me if I get this wrong, I can't be bothered googling it as I tap this out on my phone when I really should be asleep) anyyyyyyway, the thing said that friends don't have to be forever to mean something. The universe provides us with the right person at the right time. To teach us something, it to help us deal with something, or even just to have a damn good time. They do their 'job' and are gone. We may mourn it for a bit, or we might not even notice. This makes sense to me. 

I've got my own theory about friendship. Think about your really close friends, the ones you've had for ages. I bet they have other close friends as well, hell, their close friends could even be YOUR close friends. That's because good people surround themselves with other good people. They've weeded out the crap over the years. 

We don't have to be BFF's with everyone we come across. Yes, we need to be respectful and polite, but we don't need to start threading friendship bracelets straight away. I barely have enough time for the friends I do have, let alone new ones. As a friend of mine likes to say 'I'm not hiring right now!' Having said that, you can always make room for the perfect candidate, can't you? 

And finally, something I have noticed over my time on this planet is that women who don't have at least one close girlfriend they've had for years turn out to be people I should NOT have trusted. Always. Without exception. I reckon there's a reason for that. I'm going to try and learn to trust my gut more. In the past I have given too many people the benefit of the doubt, and I'm the one that ends up suffering. No more!

Giveaway! Tribute Mania!

Well, the giveaways just keep coming around here lately, don't they? If you entered the last competition, check your inbox, because I have just emailed the winner! I'll announce their name on Facebook just as soon as I hear back from them.

Tribute Mania is coming to the Palais Theatre in Melbourne on Saturday the 3rd of September at 7pm, and it looks like it is going to be amazing! I'll be going along (on the weekend of my 22nd Birthday, no less) and I am really looking forward to it. Read on to find out how YOU and a friend can come too!

The inaugural Tribute Mania is combining FIVE tribute acts in one big night! Just check out who is on the bill!

Bjorn Again (ABBA)
The Beatnix (The Beatles)
The Spicy Girls (The Spice Girls)
Elton Jack (Elton John)
The Australian Queen Tribute Show (Queen, obviously!)

It’s a feast of the biggest and best hits of all time, from The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night, I Saw Her Standing There and Help! to Queen’s We Will Rock You, Bohemian Rhapsody and Crazy Little Thing Called Love.

Dance to ABBA’s Dancing Queen, Take a Chance on Me and Waterloo and then groove on to the girlpower hits of the ‘90s with The Spice Girls’ Wannabe, Say You’ll Be There and Stop. Celebrate five decades of hits from Sir Elton John, including I’m Still Standing, Your Song and Crocodile Rock. There really is something for everyone!

Don't just take my word for it though, here's some videos of the acts!












 
Tickets for Tribute Mania start at just $79.90 (plus booking fees) and are available from their website! 

 
So, you've watched all the videos and now you're ready to win?!

We have one double silver pass (valued at $158!) to give away to a reader of Chickens and Bees!

All you need to to is make sure you like us and Tribute Mania on Facebook and then fill out this form. (If the form won't load, try this link) 

Make sure you tell us in the form who you are most looking forward to seeing at Tribute Mania and why!

The answer that amuses or confuses our judge the most will be declared the winner.

The competition closes at 6pm on Friday August 12th and the winner will be notified by email shortly afterwards.


 
 

Good Luck!

 

Giveaway! Monster Jam in Melbourne!

When the email for this landed in my inbox, I am not ashamed to admit I was pretty excited. I've never been to anything like Monster Jam, and I am so looking forward to it!

Plus, I've got a family pass (valued at approximately $310!) to giveaway! Just fill out the form below for your chance to win!

Fans of big trucks and high-powered vehicles rejoice - Monster Jam® is heading back to Australia in
2016, with up to five brand new trucks and drivers and even more super-charged moto-tainment
providing a unique sensory experience like no other.

General public tickets for the world’s premiere of Monster Jam – Expect the Unexpected are on sale now with fans able to witness jaw-dropping displays of punishing stunts across seven shows in five major cities.

With three out of four cities sold-out last year, Monster Jam is back and bigger than ever with the first Adelaide Oval show added to the 2016 tour.

Kicking off on October 1, full dates and show locations are as follows:

01 October – 7pm – QSAC, Brisbane
08 October – 2pm and 7pm – AAMI Park, Melbourne
15 October – 7pm – Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
22 October – 7pm – ANZ Stadium, Sydney
29 October – 2pm and 7:30pm – Domain Stadium, Perth


The show will feature four unique Monster Jam driver competitions – Monster Jam Wheelies, Racing, Donuts and the coveted Freestyle competitions, with the Freestyle Motocross and Quad Wars also set to return.

Each city will also host one Party in the Pits ahead of a show, where fans can get up close with their
favourite Monster Jam trucks, before meeting the superstar drivers.

The 2016 lineup includes a number of fan favourites, with ‘Grave Digger’, ‘Monster Mutt Dalmatian’ and ‘Max-D’ back to tear up the track, alongside new additions ‘Alien Invasion’, ‘Pirates Curse’ and the yellow ‘El Toro Loco’.

Standing nearly four metres tall and four metres wide, Monster Jam trucks are custom-designed machines that weigh around 5,500kgs. Built for short, high powered bursts of speed, the powerful

Monster Jam® beasts perform breathtaking stunts and can accelerate from 0-100kph in under 3 seconds.

They literally fly – covering up to 50m in a single leap (a distance greater than 14 cars side by side) and up to 12m skywards.

Tickets to Monster Jam start at just $28*!

With over 170,000 tickets sold nationwide last year, Monster Jam fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets early to avoid missing out.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Monster Jam Website!


For your chance to win a family pass to Monster Jam in Melbourne on October 8th at 7pm, just fill out this form. (If the form won't load, trying clicking here instead) Entries close at 6pm on Friday 5th August, 2016. The winner will be contacted by email.


*Market pricing may apply to tickets and are subject to change. Additional discounts apply on select performances. Credit card and transaction fees may also apply.

Disney On Ice presents Magical Ice Festival - Review

I was given tickets to check out this show by the great people at Cavanagh PR. All opinions are my own.

Last week I borrowed a child (and her mother, and another of my friends) and we headed to Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne to see Disney On Ice presents Magical Ice Festival! We had a great time!




Before the show we were lucky enough to be invited into the VIP room. There was colouring in, and balloons and face painting.

Despite what you may think, face painting is NOT just for the kids!



We got to meet MICKEY MOUSE!



 
After gathering our supplies of fairy floss, it was time to head into the arena. The ice stage was set!

We sat back and relaxed and let the world of Disney entertain us. After a strange start where they did some Vogue-ing under the sea, we saw the story of The Little Mermaid. After that was Tangled, complete with Maximus the Horse! (How someone skates as the back end of a horse is beyond me)





After a short interval it was a Tale As Old As Time, Beauty And The Beast! The attention to detail was wonderful, with props being slid onto the ice and also popping down from the scaffold above. The lighting was also great and really helped to set the scene.

The finale was, of course, Frozen! The audience was mainly kids, and even though you could tell when they realised what the other stories were, when they realised it was time for Frozen, they almost raised the roof! Seriously, they were SO excited. Especially the girl behind me who had spend the first three quarters of the show loudly asking 'Where's Elsa?'

I took only one picture of the Frozen sequence, it's the one above and I took it mainly because there are BEES! (Look closely, you'll see them, I promise!) The rest of this bit had all the best bits from the movie, snow, ice, Sven, Olaf. The way they did the part where Anna gets frozen and re-warmed was really clever. There was even more spectacular lighting and pyrotechnics too.

The bad news is that Disney On Ice presents Magical Ice Festival has already melted down the stage and left Melbourne, but the great news is that they are going to be freezing things up at Newcastle and Sydney next! Go with your kids, go with your grandparents, just GO!

Tickets are available here. What are you waiting for?

*Newcastle Entertainment Centre 8 – 10 July (Fri - Sun)

* Sydney- Allphones Arena 13 – 17 July (Wed - Sun)

*denotes school holidays

Tickets from $34.50*

*When tickets are purchased with cash at the box office. Ticket price includes GST & Booking/Inside Fee. Additional Transaction & Credit Card Fees may apply. Additional discounts apply on select performances.

For more information and to view a clip from the show visit www.DisneyOnIce.com.au