It's not the Greatest Show on Earth but . . . .

On Wednesday night, we headed out to see the The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey show at the United Center. This has become an annual family outing for my kids and nephews.

Ms. Eleanor was excited to see the "small dogs perform." My nephew Finn was looking forward to the motorcycle extravaganza. And nearly three-year-old Seamus was nervous that the tigers wouldn't be in cages (who can blame him).

The theme of this year's show is FUNundrum. The show was intense and action-packed (maybe a little too action packed?). At any given time, there were four or five different things taking place. It was hard for me to know where to focus my attention -- and I imagine that it was tough for the little kids too.

For us, the highlights included the elephants, trapeze artists, contortionists (my 6 year-old daughter confidently announced that she thought she could perform all of their amazing feats -- which she cannot). And the of course, there were the seven motorcycles driving at full speed inside a metal cage. Trust me when I tell you that you've never seen anything like this.

The circus is in town at the United Center through November 28th. This might be a perfect activity for one night next week when the kiddos are out of school. You can even get 4 tickets for a weekday show for $44 dollars if you use the code "MOMS."