Happy Birthday Papa!

If my grandfather was alive, he'd be 103 today.

Let me tell you a little about my grandfather. He had many names: Leo, Dad, Uncle Leo, Papa. Whatever people happened to call him, there's one thing for sure; they all loved him. He was one of the best men I've ever known.

One of my favorite Papa stories is this one:

Papa was very hard of hearing. You basically had to scream for him to hear you. My best friend, Laurie and I would always stop by Papa's to see him....it didn't hurt that his house was on the beach. Laurie and I have been best friends since 5th grade. Papa had known her for a very long time. One day, as we were heading over to his house, Laurie said to me, "can you please tell Papa my name? I don't think he knows it." I said, "what?! Of course he does. Don't be silly." When we got there, I did say (well, scream) to him, "Papa, you remember Laurie?" His response? "Yeah, I know Dorothy." I was laughing too hard to correct him. In the years to come Laurie would often stop by Papa's, with her boyfriend or other friends, and he still called her Dorothy.

Papa at the cottage

Papa died in 1996 after a battle with cancer. We still gather at his house ("The Cottage") every fourth of July.

I still miss him. I can't help but think of him when I smell moth balls and salt air.

Papa with my nephew, Bryce

Uncle Gerry, Papa, my brother

Papa, my brother, my dad

And the winner is...

Tina M.

tgds20@xxxx

Congratulations Tina! You're the winner of the Toy Story 3-Disney on Ice giveaway.

Thank you to all who entered.

If you didn't win, you can purchase discounted tickets.

Tickets to Disney On Ice Toy Story 3 range in price from $20.00 to $90.00, but a special discount is been offered. You can get a4-pack of tickets for the following shows for only $60.00. (this is only for the seats that range from $20-$25) This applies for the following shows:

Friday, February 18th 7:00 pm

Saturday, February 19th 7:00 pm

Sunday, February 20th 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm

Monday, February 21st 11:00 am and 3:00 pm

To get your discount, enter the code MOMTOY at checkout. You can see the entire Ticketmaster schedule here.

Wordless Wednesday

TMI Tuesday

It's TMI Tuesday. I'm warning you now, it's not for the faint of heart. Don't blame me if you can't handle it. You've been warned.

When I get out of the shower, I walk around naked with a towel on my head.

TMI Tuesday. Love it or hate it, it's here to stay.

The Melting Pot

*The following post was written by Kelly, Loopy's sister. She is a (somewhat) regular contributor to the blog*

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend an event at the Melting Pot in Framingham. There were about 20 people there from the Boston Parent Bloggers. We were able to sample different kinds of fondue. They had four different cheese fondues. My favorite was the Spinach and Artichoke Cheese Fondue. They offered us bread, veggies and apple chunks to dip in the different fondue.

After everyone had a chance to sample the cheese, they brought out the chocolate! I couldn’t wait to try them all. Again they had 4 different dessert fondues. All were delicious, but my favorite was the pure chocolate. With the dessert fondue they had bananas, strawberries, pound cake, cheesecake, marshmallows and brownie bites to dip with. It was heaven!

Mmmmm Chocolate - my favorite!

The Melting Pot has three locations in Massachusetts and one in Rhode Island. I’m hoping they open one closer to me on the South Shore. For now, it’s worth the ride to the other locations.

A special thanks to the Melting Pot for hosting us and giving us each a $25 gift certificate.

Loopy & Me

I can't wait to dip again!

Disney on Ice (Boston)-Toy Story 3 Giveaway!

I love hosting giveaways. It's like giving someone a gift for no reason. Here are the details:

Please take note that this takes place in Boston.

Have you heard the buzz? The toys are back in town!
Disney On Ice presents Disney·Pixar's Toy Story 3!

The blockbuster movie, Toy Story 3, and memorable moments from Toy Story and Toy Story 2 are hitting the ice in this sensational live production coming to your hometown! Catch all the heroic action when Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie and the Toy Story gang escape from the rambunctious tots of Sunnyside Daycare and race for home, in their most daring adventure ever! A few new faces join the fun, including Barbie’s groovy bachelor Ken and Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear. It’s the biggest Toy Story experience on ice, jam-packed with fast-paced adventure such as Buzz’s galactic battle with Emperor Zurg and a hoe-down at Woody’s Roundup. Rediscover the humor, friendship and charm of Toy Story when Disney On Ice presents Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story 3 takes family fun to infinity and beyond!

The generous folks at Disney have offered one of my readers a family four pack to opening night. It takes place Friday, February 18 at 7:00 PM.

To enter:

Please leave a comment below (Facebook and Twitter comments are not accepted as entries) with your first name, last initial and your email address (so I can contact you if you win)

This contest will end Wednesday, February 9 at 5:00 PM

Good luck!

TMI Tuesday

It's TMI Tuesday. I'm warning you now, it's not for the faint of heart. Don't blame me if you can't handle it. You've been warned.

I now start my day with a shot of prune juice.

TMI Tuesday. Love it or hate it, it's here to stay.