Chatting with Playhouse Disney's Imagination Movers Rich Collins

Last week, we caught up with Rich to talk about life, parenthood, and all that new with the Imagination Movers. We caught up with the happy father of 5 in Louisiana, playing with his newest addition, nine-month old, Hank on break from shooting the hit show, Imagination Movers, on Playhouse Disney. They have a special new Indiana Jones themed episode with some new rockin’ songs coming up this Saturday, March 21.

MsDCMama: Hi Rich, it’s been a long while. Since the White House Easter Egg Roll, and with so much new going on, would you share a little about the Movers show on Playhouse Disney.

Rich Collins: No problem. The show is designed to encourage kids towards creativity. The show features 4 musical friends that work together to musically have adventures, solve problems, model teamwork, respect for friends, creativity and innovation.

MDCM: It’s definitely a Saturday morning favorite at my house. I love to see my little ones singing along and rockin’ it to music. How do you come up with songs that kids and adults both love?

Rich: That’s awesome. We love to getting email (use the email link at www.imaginationmovers.com ) and feedback from viewers. (Sweetly enough, they still respond to every letter – so drop them a line.) Actually, we write and play all of our own music. A lot of it comes from the things we experience as dads everyday like someone being scared of the dark, sharing with you siblings and cleaning up your room. To have our music connect with people is really neat.



MDCM: So what’s new with The Imagination Movers?

Rich: It’s a great season for us. We’ve got a giant tidal waves of activities, (including) shooting the upcoming second season of the show with 25 new episodes, cool improvements to the show and just some all around good things. One neat thing is that we are wrapping up our first soundtrack (a May Target exclusive) of about 20 songs from the first season of the show called For Those About To Hop and a DVD from the same season.

MDCM : All Good Things. We loved y’alls live show, will y’all be coming back to town anytime soon?

Rich: Actually in the Fall, we will be starting our first big US tour, hitting major theatres around the country. We are bound to be somewhere in the DC area.

DCM: Well keep us posted. We would love to rock out again. With so much going on, how do you balance the demands of booming career and fatherhood?

Rich: I won’t lie it’s a hard balance. We’ve got 4 guys having the adventure of our lives and everything else keeps going like the carpool, laundry, ect. ect. Sometimes the burden falls on our wives, but they do the best they can. One thing that really works in our favor is the ebb and flow of the business. Sometimes we are very available, but then sometimes we are not. But something I really value is showing your kids how you can use your imagination and follow through with your dreams to create a job that you really want to do and love to do. Not just sitting behind some desk because you think you have to.

DCM: I can totally agree with that. It sounds like all good things are on the horizon for the Movers. We look forward to seeing where The Movers go from here. hear Henry calling. Thanks for spending time with us.

To hear more of The Imagination Movers music, visit www.ImaginationMovers.com and to see the hit show, that has become a family favorite in our house, check them out on Playhouse Disney.

Come follow me on Twitter...

I have just discovered Twitter within the last couple of weeks. It cracks me up and you should be warned and is highly addictive.

It's like facebook, but faster and I love the way that you get connected in a very fast way and learn a little about a lot in short period of time. You pass on a message, an update, an event, and learn about the writer in 146 characters or less.

Come follow me at www.twitter.com/msdcmama

Benefiting Fashion for Paws and the Washington Humane Society

Are you looking for a good reason to get out of the City?

Why not spend the day in Virginia Hunt Country for a day philanthropic activities benefiting Fashion for Paws and The Washington Humane Society?

The day starts with exclusive tours of the Boxwood Winery, lunch at The French Hound and then a special dinner and silent auction at The Red Fox Inn. It's a day not to be missed and a good reason to venture out and partake in the beautiful scenary that is Middleburg.

For more information and an invitation, email F4PmeetsMiddleburg2009@gmail.com and to view the invitation click here.

Opera Night at Bethesda's Sorrento Trattoria - A Fantastic Reason to Get Dressed for Dinner

Last Sunday night, I treated myself to a fabulous dinner and performance at Sorrento Trattoria in Bethesda. It was an evening not to be missed.

I was a little nervous about driving to Bethesda with the warning for several inches of snow, but the weather held off until my ride back to Virginia. I cannot say how fabulous my experience was and I thought how beautifully the night would have fit into a romantic adventure or a sweet treat for you and a couple of girlfriends. It reminded me of how much fun going out to dinner can be. Think of old Hollywood movies and the sweet aroma of really good, homestyle Italian and you will be on the right track for the evening.

Dolled up in a fabulous cocktail dress, I and the rest of the intimate dining room were serenaded with beautifully rendered, classic selections from La Boehme and The Marriage of Figaro with sprinklings of well-known Broadway favorites all while I sighed to a seriously luscious combination of ricotta, basil and meltingly fresh pasta and the seared shrimp salad with fava beans and roasted vegetables was a tasty start to a leisurely meal.

The time passed more quickly than I had noticed and the experience was a delight to the senses. Come hungry and expect to linger while being pampered and pleasured. Plan to spend a couple of hours at the once monthly dinner and call early as seats for the First Sunday performance fill quickly. I know that one seat will be mine.

To join me or to learn more visit, www.trattoriasorrento.com and let them know that you found them through Teia at Capitol Moms.

Tips and Sweepstakes via DC Scout

I am a skimmer. I read online and hard copy newspapers, magazines, e-zines and the like. I have a particular love of fashion, food and family activities, hence the content of this blog.

One of my favorite, quick reads on Tuesday and Thursday are The Washington Post's DC Scout. It is a great way to keep caught up on the local sales, events and fashion related happenings in the city and on the web, like the $500 Sweepstakes from James Perse, via StyleMaven.

To sign up for the newsletter, visit www.dcscout.com

To sign-up, visit www.dcscout.com

What we are doing on this Snowy Day: Sprout Online and Muffins

I love Snowdays. I love watching the snow billow and blow outside, provided that I have enough good things to eat and enough things to do.

One of my stand by activities is Sprout-Online, a site designed for pre-schoolers by PBS Kids. It's the online supplement to the HD and Cable channel, Sprout. There are short videos, educational activities, coloring pages, games and easy-to-do, simple to follow activities for parent and child that make for memorable and painless times for you and your loved, little ones.

I also love to bake something on Snow Days. The smell of something warm and sweet baking makes me a very happy woman and is a sweet way for the kids to wake up. Today's recipe was a variation on Nigella Lawson's Pear Ginger Muffins, except I added a capful of vanilla, and subbed finely chopped apples for the pear, whole milk yogurt for the sour cream, and cinnamon for the ginger. They turned out fantastic.

Below is my modification on Nigella's Original Recipe, taken from one of my use-again and again cookbooks, Nigella Express, available in our amazon e-store.

1 3/4c flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon

2/3 cup plain whole milk yogurt or 1 small container of babyfood peaches (Gerber Organics stage 2) plus 1 tbsp milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon molasses
2 eggs
1 capful good vanilla
1 fist-sized apple peeled and finely chopped

1) Preheat oven to 400F and line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper muffin liners.
2) Measure all dry ingredients into a small bowl. Stir together.
3) In a large bowl, mix together all remaining ingredients until a smooth color and egg is all blended.
4) Dump dry ingredients into wet ones and fold together, just until mixed.
5) Divide evenly among the muffin cups. Sprinkle with sugar, if the sparkly look is desired. Bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown on the edges and done.

Note: The strained peaches and milk are a great way to lower the fat content and help to produce a really pretty golden color and up the flavor without adding too much sugar. I generally use one container of the Gerber Organics stage 2 Twin-pack or Earth's Best.