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Thursday, March 20, 2014

Confetti Cake Dip Recipe



Confetti Cake Dip Recipe

-1 Box Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix
-1 Can Pillsbury Funfetti Vanilla Icing (I used green to give mine a St. Patty's Day twist)
-1 Container of Cool Whip
-1 Box of Teddy Grahams for dipping

I also added marshmallows from Lucky Charms as a garnish for St. Patrick's Day, you can use any type of sprinkles for an everyday garnish.

Just mix together the dry cake mix, icing, and cool whip in a large mixing bowl, then transfer to a medium bowl for serving. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Enjoy! =)




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Friday, March 14, 2014

Young Champions Of America: Cheer Program

My daughter has been showing an interest in cheerleading for quite some time. I've searched high and low, only to come up discouraged because I wasn't willing to plunk down a huge sum of money for competitive cheer for a 4 year old. I was looking for something fun. I was looking for something instructional. I was looking for something low-pressure. Young Champions Of America was EXACTLY what I was looking for! 

Here is some quick information, in case this is your first time hearing of Young Champions Of America: 

Young Champions Cheerleading offers this fun and exciting program for beginners, intermediate and advanced level students. There is more to Pom-Pom and Cheerleading than just learning basics. Along with providing lots of fun, this program promotes coordination, confidence, poise, physical fitness, artistic expression, teamwork and competitive spirit. Our students learn the fundamentals of dance and cheer, dance routines, parade routines, cheers, chants, jumps, how to perform in front of an audience and tryout preparations for junior high and high school squads.

Students have the opportunity to participate in competitions, parades and performances. While Young Champions does not make these events mandatory we feel it is an instrumental tool in creating self-confidence and high self-esteem. We also provide advancement through skill level testing. In the cheer program while students advance from each level whether it be by age or testing they will learn fundamentals and advance stunting skills. Young Champions coaching staff is trained in stunting technique and safety guidelines by several Nationally Renowned College Coaches and Squads, to insure that coaches and students are stunting safely.

In general locations Young Champions classes have a $7.00 non-refundable registration fee and each class is $7.00 a week. These prices and payments may vary by location.

Sounds pretty perfect, huh? Well, so far it has been! We're 4 weeks into the program, and so far both me and my daughter are extremely happy. Registering was a piece of cake. We simply registered right there at the first class, for a very low fee of $7.00. Then we just pay $7.00 for each class after that. They also offer ways for people to pre-pay, if you prefer that.

The most impressive aspect so far, in my opinion, has been the coaching. The women who teach this class are absolutely fantastic with the girls. They are extremely patient and kind, yet very knowledgeable. Each class starts with some basic skill building, then ends with putting a routine together. The parents are let into the gym for the final 5 minutes to get a sneak-peek at what the girls have been working on.

The organization does compete, once in June, but it is completely optional. We are choosing to compete, I think that it really will be a great confidence-boosting experience for our daughter.

I'm excited to share our journey with Young Champions of America this year, and we're excited to see what's to come!

Check out some pictures from our first few weeks of cheer fun =)




More details may be found: www.youngchampionsofamerica.com/pennsylvania


PA Locations for Classes (Day of the week and time will vary based on age,ability and location)

Franklin Park
Blueberry Hill Park
1604 Blaine's Way
Sewickley PA 15143

Washington
The Brownson House
1415 Jefferson Ave
Washington PA 15301

Pittsburgh
Ross Twp Municipal Bldg
1000 Ross Municipal Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15237

Slippery Rock
Slippery Rock Area Park and Recreations
320 N Main St
Slippery Rock, PA 16057

Slippery Rock Township Community Center
155 Branchton Rd
Slippery Rock, PA 16057

Corry
Corry Community Center
15 S 1st Ave
Corry, PA 16407

Belmont 
Belmont Complex
415 Butler Rd
Kittaning, PA 16201

Greensburg
Maplewood United Presbyterian Church
108 Woodland Rd
Greensburg, PA 15601

Plum
East Suburban Family YMCA
2200 Golden Mile Hwy
Plum PA 15239

North Huntingdon
Shafton Fire Hall
681 Jackson St.
North Huntingdon, PA 15642

Murrysville
Murrysville Community Center
3091 Carson Ave
Murrysville, PA 15668

New Brighton 
Tumbleweeds
451 Constitution Blvd
New Brighton PA 15066

Cranberry Twp
Fountain Park Church
8533 Peters Road
Cranberry Twp PA 16066

Disney On Ice: 100 Years Of Magic Review

Last Friday we got the opportunity to check out Disney On Ice: 100 Years Of Magic. This was the first time our kids, 4 & 6, have ever seen the show, so everyone was super excited! I thought the show was just magical. I really wasn't prepared for how good it truly was. With the Olympics just ending, I think I went into this show with high expectations for the ice dancers. Well, they lived up to every expectation I had! Not one single fall during the entire show! Very impressive!

One thing I was most impressed with, was the variety. They covered more recent movies, such as Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, and movies from our childhood, such as Aladdin and The Lion King. They even included Pinocchio! There really was something for everyone. One of my biggest worries was that the show would be too "girly" for my 6 year old son. He was pleasantly surprised by how much action the show included! Both of the battle scenes from Beauty and The Beast as well as Mulan were absolutely fantastic.




My absolute favorite part of the show was It's A Small World. The way they turned it into an ice show was just fantastic, it was so much fun to see the different cultures represented!



I'm pretty sure Disney On Ice has just become a yearly tradition for us. If you haven't taken your children yet, you should absolutely plan on it next time it comes to your town. And for all my fellow frugal friends, there are always fantastic specials on tickets, making it a very affordable experience for all families!