My Son Has a Penguin Obsession!
My son has a penguin obsession. A full-fledged, fully-indulged, mother-endorsed penguin obsession, mind you. I love this age and realize that it won't be long until penguins aren't "cool" anymore and he'll fully transition to the not-so-sweet land of Decepticons, Jedis and Spidermen. So, for now, it is all-penguin-all-the-time at my house and we love every minute of it.
It began on a family trip to Hawaii, where we stayed at a resort with an African penguin habitat. Each day we'd stop and check the penguins, catch their feedings, and just observe. K was enthralled and the love of penguins stuck with us long after our vacation.
Emperors. Fairy Blue. Magellanic. Macaroni. Chinstrap. Yup, we know our penguins around here. Walking into school that Halloween, where many of his classmates were dressed as robots, superheroes, and princesses, there was little K, beaming as the other preschoolers raced over to him, shrieking, "…a penguin! a penguin!" That's right, my son: the most adorable penguin ever!
When we found a live-streaming penguin cam from Sea World, it was like having our own pet penguins in our living room, so we kept them on for hours, resulting in a well-entertained 4 year-old and a mommy who could make dinner in peace. Brilliant!
Last week, when I had the opportunity for an exclusive sneak peek at the Happy Feet Two Blu-Ray DVD and iPad app, how could this dedicated penguin mom say no? Of course, we had already seen the movie in the theater, but not the app or the second screen technology that turns your ipad, iphone or ipod touch, into a remote and syncs interactive bonus materials and games with the movie. The free app alone is fun for little ones to explore with simple games, coloring, music, and a talking baby penguin. It's sure to indulge any penguin-lover's fancy, or at the very least keep your kiddo occupied on a long car ride.
Happy Feet Two on Blu-Ray is available tomorrow, and I'm sharing the penguin love with a DVD gift bag giveaway. Just tweet #PenguinMom to me @DianeMizota and a winner will be chosen at random. Good luck!
Does your child have an animal obsession?
-Diane Mizota, Host of This Week in M.O.M
