Local Events, Info and Savings for Grown-ups and Their Kids |
| Springfield Moms E-Update March 4, 2009 |
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 NEW COUPONS
Welcome NEW sponsors Jack Robertson Lawn Care (free estimates and rain gauge), Sunil Suthar's Championship Martial Arts (2 free classes), Sylvan Learning Center (1/2 off evaluation) and Cara Mongolian "Wok It To Me" (Buy one, get one 1/2 off).
We have 10 pages of coupons to print and share with your friends and co-workers! Access here. |
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| Share Your Tips
and Win! |
Congratulations to February prize winners
Amale Wardani, Amy Peelio and Elena Dockter who took home Heart Health Baskets from the American Heart Association.
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Registered Reader |
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| Greetings!
Is your family going a little stir crazy? Tis the season! But we have so many fun resources to help you make it until spring. Check out our New Guide to Midwest Indoor Water Parks, which offers specifics on twenty parks within driving distance. (That's my husband and daughter at Timber Falls in the Ozarks.)
Take our new poll and see what families pay for weekly childcare. Check back on the website to learn the results! POLL QUESTION.
Welcome to the many new readers we met at KidsFest last weekend. Congrats to Selena, daughter of Lana Barton of Rochester, for winning the "Guess the Abes" contest. She won a $100 savings account from Marine Bank!
Stay tuned for the Springfield Moms website makeover! On April 1, 2009, we will debut our new streamlined look along with an EASY Search option (among other new features) to make it faster for you to access, print or email our content.
Finally, today I turn 38. I announce that with the calm sense of belief in the "older and wiser" adage we have all heard before. I told my kids all I want is handmade cards and hugs and kisses from them. I've only been a mom for 6 1/2 of my 38 years, so I know I have a lot of amazing memories ahead!
All the best to you and your family,
Kim Leistner Little
Founder and President of Springfield Moms |
| Beat Those Winter Blues |
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If winter's last gasps are sending you and your kids through the roof, reach for these fun, at home and FREE ideas to save your sanity! Thanks to Allison Klint for compiling these great strategies. Article here. |
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Summer Camp Preview |
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Many camps are actively registering their participants now. Keep on checking back for new camps. We update our Summer Camp Directory regularly. |
| Drink Up: The Health Importance of Hydration |
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Even mild dehydration can sap your energy and make you tired. So just how much do you need to drink to not just stave off dehydration but also to maintain optimum health? Learn the answers and some helpful tips from Joe Thiel in his article here. |
| Ask the Plastic Surgeon: Tummy Tucks 101 |
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 Wondering if that extra bulge around your middle will ever disappear completely after childbirth? While exercise and diet can help, there are also other options. Read Jennifer Lee's informative article on tummy tucks here. |
| Is Your Teen Studying for the ACT/SATs?
We Have College Test Prep Tips |
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Preparing for college is more stressful for students today than it has ever been. A strong ACT or SAT score is instrumental in helping a university determine whether to admit a candidate. Set up a plan to prepare your student for successful testing. Read Abby Fallis' article here. |
| In the Kitchen: Baked Spaghetti and Easy Garlic Bread |
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This is the time of year when we crave comfort foods to help us survive the last cold days of winter. Recipes with plenty of leftovers are always popular, too. There's nothing better than cooking once and eating twice! Try series editor Michele Tungett's delicious recipes here. |
| Book Nook: PreSchool Picks |
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Since reading aloud is one of the best ways to inspire in your kids a love for reading and to promote language and literacy skills, the families at Westminster Co-op Preschool compiled a list of their favorite read aloud books. Enjoy their picks here. | |
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What's Happening! Upcoming Events |
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 Like to Eat? Head to the Fairgrounds This Weekend! The Illinois Department of Agriculture hosts the " 11th Illinois Products Expo ... A Food and Cooking Extravaganza." March 7-8 in the Orr Building on the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Admission is $4. Children 10 and younger are FREE.
St. Patrick's Day Marching Band Parade
Saturday, March 14 at NOON. Head to the annual St. Patrick's Day Marching Band Parade. Hundreds of entries, thousands of participants and a million smiles will fill the street. Click here for more information.
Don't miss the FETCH! activities at the Children's Discovery Museum in Normal. This fun family escape (just 50 miles north) offers a new theme every week. From March 3rd through March 8th, your kids can challenge a tabletop see-saw and construct a balancing bird toy as you learn about the science behind balancing. From March 10th through March 15th, enjoy Hang Time. Build hoop gliders and helicopters and learn the science that surrounds flight. The week of March 17th through 22nd, check out Chicks Celebrate National Agriculture Week in the FETCH! Lab with baby chicks. Learn how chicks go from egg to chick and as the eggs hatch, observe the yellow fluffy chicks up close. For more information, click here.
Tickets on sale NOW for The American Girl Fashion Show, which will be held on April 24, 25 & 26th at the Springfield Hilton. All proceeds benefit the Children's Miracle Network. Click Here for more information on tickets and the event.
 Maple Syrup Time at Lincoln Memorial GardenMarch 7th and 8th FREELast call to walk into the Garden's sugar bush as staff and volunteers tap the maple trees. Weekend demonstrations run through Sunday, March 8th. Demonstrations begin at 1:00, 2:00 and 3:00 on both Saturday and Sunday. Feel like breakfast instead? Their famous Maple Syrup Breakfasts are scheduled for March 14 and 15th as well as March 21 and 22nd. Call 529-1111 to register.
The Illinois State Museum is hosting a Children's Overnight Camp-In on Saturday, March 7th from 7:00 p.m. until Sunday, March 8th. For ages 8-11. The kids will experience a Time Warp! Back to the 1800's. What would it be like to grow up without iPods, video games, school buses and the internet? Call Elizabeth Bazan at 782-5993 for more information.
Last Call for Style of Hope tickets on Thursday, March 12, 2009. Grab the girls for a Night Out! Festivities begin at 6:30 p.m., and the Fashion Show starts at 7:30 p.m. Featuring COCO-BON GOURMET chocolates, champagne toast, hors d'oeuvres, live & silent auctions, live music and an extraordinary fashion show, produced by Chicago's own, Zzazz Productions. RSVP by March 6, 2009. Tickets: $40.00 - General. More information here.
 Girls in 6, 7 and 8th grade can sign-up for " Expanding Your Horizons in Math, Science and Technology" (EYH) designed for girls only. EYH will be held from 8:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, March 14 at the University of Illinois at Springfield. A separate workshop for parents and teachers will be held concurrently. Click Here for more details.
SPARC 19th Annual Sugar & Spice Chili Dinner at Westminster Presbyterian Church (located on the corner of Walnut and Edwards) on Saturday, March 14th from 12:00 p.m to 6:00 p.m. Cost: Adults- $7.00 Children (6-12)- $3.00. Price includes a bowl of chili, a hot dog, dessert and drink. Enjoy the 50/50 raffle, silent auction, bake sale and family entertainment! For more information, please contact Autumn Buus at 217-793-2100 ext.183.
 Springfield Ballet Company's "Swan Lake" coming March 21st and 22nd at 2:00 p.m. at Sangamon Auditorium. Buy Your Tickets Now! Info here.
Fitacular Fun Fair on Saturday, March 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Junior League of Springfield and St. John's Children's Hospital, in cooperation with www.springfieldmoms.org, are partnering with White Oaks Mall to host this FREE children's health and wellness event. To get your kids ready, print out the Spectaular Fitacular Sheet, which tracks their eating and exercising habits for two weeks and can be submitted the day of the event for a prize. Download the worksheets and event details here.
SAVE THE DATE! Vanity Fare. Saturday April 4th, 3:00-5:00 p.m.Vanity Fare returns to Café Moxo (next door to Shoetopia between 4th and 5th on Adams Street in Spfld). Learn fashion tips on the latest styles in clothing, shoes, and eyewear, get advice from a cosmetic surgeon, learn about whitening your teeth from a local dentist, get new hairstyle ideas, and discover the secrets of good makeup application from a cosmetician. Enjoy wine, appetizers and a massage or a quick nail color change, too!
 The 3rd Annual Charity Portrait Series offers participants one 10 inch keepsake print and one of three possible photography sessions. The sponsored charity of the month will receive a $100 donation from each session. Appointments for the Charity Portrait Series are available during regular business hours, during the month of the given charity's sponsorship.
The following charities and their specified months are as follows:
March, Elizabeth Ann Seton
April, Southwind Park
May, Animal Protective League
June, Kidzeum
 What's Happening is updated every week with the latest fun for you and your family! Bookmark this page. |
Thank you to all of our Premium Sponsors.
Our featured Premium BRONZE Sponsor of the Month is Marine Bank. We set out to be the best ... our customers have made us the biggest.
PLATINUM SPONSORS
 courtesy of
Springfield Racquet & Fitness Center
Kim
P.S. Help us reach more busy parents by clicking on the Forward email link. As always, we remain a permission-based email newsletter and a website that does NOT sell your email address to any third parties. If you need to update your email address, click on UPDATE my PROFILE below.
Kim Leistner Little
Founder & President
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