Or the circus is coming back.

Either way, my boys and I will be eager to see Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's next show. We've had a blast the other times we've gone, and the feel of the performances have been very different each time we go.

As a bonus, unlike past tours, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents Fully Charged will be playing at HP Pavilion at San Jose, Cow Palace in Daly City, and ORACLE Arena in Oakland: three weeks, three venues.

Of course, I have a discount code for you:

Get ready for Muppet Domination:

I enjoy makeup, but I'm admittedly inexperienced at how to put it on. I can do the standard lipstick-with-mascara look, but adding in things like blush and eye shadow end up tempting fate that I'll end up looking like an extra in an 80's music video. (I already have big hair.) Forget eyeliner, because I'll just look like a raccoon, whether or not I cry.

But for my brother's wedding I had to wear more makeup than usual. Not that "sister of the groom" is a huge role, but as a bridesmaid and someone who old friends would be interested in seeing, I knew I had to look at least half-decent.

Thanks to BlogHer, I received some Mary Kay samples. In particular, I got the "mineral eye color bundle: beautiful brown eyes." In it was a gorgeous blue color that looked amazing in the palette, but I wondered how I could possibly pull it off given that music-video fear. (Seriously, blue eye shadow and me aren't supposed to mix, right?)

But I need not feared. In addition to the proper blending colors, the box itself contained instructions on how to properly apply the colors for the best effect. I added the blush they sent me, and ta-dah! I was set. Both for the rehearsal dinner and the wedding itself, I wore my Mary Kay.

Believe me, I was nervous that I did my own makeup for such a big weekend, but it turned out just fine. I'm definitely glad that the Mary Kay package came in the mail at the right time, because otherwise I would have just put a little blush on my eyelids (since that isn't as noticeable as blue) and called it a day. But, my eyes probably wouldn't have stood out nicely.

I was surprised at how smoothy the shadow went on, and how easy it was to carefully blend the colors together to create a look to enhance my eyes.

Thank you to BlogHer and Mary Kay for taking me outside my comfort zone with positive results!

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Disclaimer: I received some Mary Kay samples through BlogHer's promotional program. Although I was not required to blog about my experience, I definitely wanted to thank them since they factored in to a very big weekend!

In a little over a week I'm going to see a preview of DreamWorks Pictures' The Help. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit I haven't yet finished the book, but I'm still eager to see the movie.

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Disclaimer: I'm not receiving compensation for posting this trailer; however, I will be attending a special showing of the movie next weekend with the hope that I will provide some coverage about it. I will receive no monetary compensation, but they will feed me. (Food! is! Good!)

Some time ago I was running a giveaway here. I posted it on Prizey, and while I was over there, figured I'd check out the other giveaways going on. One in particular caught my eye - for some bars from Core Foods. As a super-busy person who is always in my van chauffeuring someone to something, or at my computer with deadlines that don't involve the oven timer, I was attracted to the idea of 100% organic, raw, whole food to-go. Often convenience bars are filled with bleech, but these sounded good. And so I entered to win a case. Why not? I figured.

Well, I didn't win. But, Core Foods emailed me promoting a deal from this company called blissmo. For a deep discount I could get a sample set of all the Core Food bars, plus a voucher for an entire case of my favorite flavor.

No, I don't mean your DVR.

Sometimes it is tricky to find kid-friendly shows without the non-kid-friendly intrusions. Even kids' movies these days have previews that aren't exactly compatible with the movie's target audience. Plenty of public television stations and cable channels aimed at families and kids still have advertisements, many of which aren't age-appropriate.

Recently my family has done a lot of Netflix streaming, but with their new price plans, many families have decided to back away. Plus, families with young children don't particularly want their kids to accidentally browse over to adult fare.

One possible alternative for kid-friendly, educational television is Ameba commercial-free children's media.