Family 4 Pack & Discount Code for Ringling Bros Circus Fully Charged!

Posted on Friday, January 21, 2011 by Angie

Giveaway has ended!!! You can still take advantage of the discount code below!!

$8 Kids Tickets! – Good for the following performances in the $13 & $23 price levels. Must be purchased with adult ticket to receive savings. (Excludes Circus Celebrity, Front Row, and VIP seats. No double discounts. Service charges, facility and handling fees may apply.)

Thu, Jan. 27 at 7:30 PM

Fri, Jan. 28 at 7:30 PM

Sat, Jan. 29 at 11:30 AM & 7:30 PM

Sun, Jan 30 at 1:00 PM & 5:00 PM

CODE: CLOWN

Redeem savings with code online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, or at the BJCC Box Office.

Note: When redeeming offer online at Ticketmaster.com, please select the number of adult tickets you would like to purchase under “Full Price Adult”, then select the number of kids ticket you would like to purchase under “Advance or Promotion Ticket Selection” and enter the code CLOWN.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents FULLY CHARGED^SM, the all-new, 141^st ELECTRIFYING edition of The Greatest Show On Earth®! Ringling Bros.® powers up audiences with acts from all over the globe, featuring breathtaking dare-devilry, superhuman stunts and never-before-seen performances that spark the imaginations of Children Of All Ages! Clowns from the world-famous Clown Alley charge the audience’s funny bones, while megawatts of thrills explode out of the ring, including The Human Fuse who rockets across the circus skies igniting the power of the people. And of course, amazing animals spark the audience’s awe and wonder. Experience the current of excitement at Ringling Bros. Fully Charged!

Up for Grabs:

We’ve got another family four pack, this one is for the show only, on opening night. To win, just leave a comment here on this post, 1 per day, per person. Giveaway will end on Sunday January 23rd at noon. We will announce the winner later that day. Tickets will be left at will call in the winners name, picture ID will be required in order to pick up!

We also have this deal on discounted tickets.

Droolicious Cuisine at BirminghamMommy.com: Bacon, Peas & Parmesan Fettuccine

Posted on Friday, January 21, 2011 by Angie

“This meal is sure to please even the youngest members of the family, plus it is quick, easy, and inexpensive. Simple enough for a weeknight meal, but ‘gourmet’ enough to impress company.”

Ingredients:
1 package fettuccine pasta
2 slices center cut bacon
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
2 teaspoons thyme
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1/3 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons butter
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions:
1) Cook pasta according to package directions.
2) Slice bacon into small strips. Cook in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove from pan.
3) Add onion, garlic, and thyme to drippings. Cook until onion is tender. Add peas and heat until cooked through.
4) Add milk to pan and stir until heated through. Add butter, salt, pepper, and pasta. Toss until combined.
5) Remove from heat and sprinkle pasta with bacon and parmesan. Yields 4 servings.

About Kim:

I have been blessed with 2 beautiful kids, one funny little girl & one sweet little boy. They are always the best part of my day. I’m also the luckiest gal in the world because I am married to my soulmate, the kindest and most selfless man I know.

Like this? You can find many more droolicious recipes over at her site, “2 Little Chicks”

Natural Remedies for The Winter Sniffles

Posted on Thursday, January 20, 2011 by Angie

Many of you are naturally natural, but I know some of you out there are like me, incredibly reliant on those precious over the counter cold meds that will help my babies sleep through the night. As of late though, I’m more confused than ever and downright scared to buy anything from the drug store for fear that within days of me giving it to my child a massive recall will hit the news.

As we all know there are no cures for the common cold, while not usually serious they are an un-welcomed guest that tend to always over stay their welcome.

So what do we do to ease the congestion, sniffles and coughs that seem to run rampant this time of year? Here are a few things to try:

Elevate: Keep your child or baby in a semi-upright position to help with nasal drainage. This can be done by raising one end of the mattress and placing a pillow or thick blanket UNDER the mattress. (Never put those in the crib with an infant)

Saline Drops: 2-3 drops in each nostril will help to loosen the dry or thick nasal secretions. Saline drops a very common and easy to find in grocery and drug stores. To save a little money try mixing: 1 level tsp. salt to 1 cup boiling water. Then Boil for 10 minutes, and cool. Use an old medicine dropper to administer the drops.

Cool Mist Humidifier: A humidifier will help to thin mucus and hopefully make it easier for your child to expel secretions.

Cough Remedy: For children old enough to have honey (at least 1 year of age or older,) try this homemade remedy of 2-3 tbsp of fresh lime, 1 tbsp honey mixed well. We’ve also been told that rubbing Vicks on their feet and covering them with socks works wonders.

Always remember lots of rest and plenty of liquids will help, and as always if symptoms persist contact your Dr.

Do you have any home remedies that work for you? We would love to hear them!

January Giving Highlight – The Lovelady Center

Posted on Wednesday, January 19, 2011 by Angie

The Lovelady Center is a local home to over 350 women and children who need a good meal, a warm bed, and Christ’s love. They care for basic human needs, as well as education, biblical counseling, emergency shelter care, medical care, drug and prison rehabilitation.

TLC is a 9 to 12 month program designed to restore hope and rebuild lives. Women and their children enter the program for various reasons, all needing help in their lives.

Basic care they supply includes clothing, medical care, housing and basic hygiene products. In-house psychologists provide substance abuse counseling and drug rehabilitation services on an as-needed basis. Transportation is provided 24 hours a day, moving women and children to and from work, school and medical appointments. Lovelady offers state-certified childcare at KidZone, a daycare center open to the public. State-certified post-educational courses are also offered. Classes are required for graduation, and through partnerships with Jefferson State Community College and Tennessee Temple University, women are offered the chance to gain higher education and job skills. Through our Workforce Development Program, women are trained and aided in finding sustainable jobs to ensure a bright future.

We chose The Lovelady Center for our giving highlight this month to tie in with the Every Little Bottom Diaper drive we held during the month of December. On average they will serve 43,000 diapers to the children in their care. While we didn’t come close to that number every little bit helps. So to everyone that donated diapers for the drive thank you. If you would like to donate now, you can do so by visiting their site.

Giveaway: The Circus with Magic Moments!!

Posted on Tuesday, January 18, 2011 by Angie

Join Magic Moments under the Big Top on Friday, January 28, 2011, as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey brings the 141th Edition of The Greatest Show On Earth® to Birmingham!

Magic Moments offers a one-of-a-kind evening for the child in all of us. A private pre-circus dinner will feature all the kids’ favorites – hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, chicken fingers, chips, cookies, ice cream and more!
During dinner, the entire family will enjoy great music, roving magicians, jugglers and Ringling Bros. Circus performers. After dinner, you’ll enter the Big Top for your reserved seats at the circus…
and a night to remember!

Proceeds from the event will be used to make wishes and dreams come true for Alabama children with life-threatening illnesses or life-altering medical conditions.

Ticket Sales will end Monday, January 24th at midnight. Individuals can purchase tickets by going to our website: www.magicmoments.org or by calling 205.939.9372

Chance to win tickets here! We have a 4 pack of tickets, here’s how to enter:
1 entry- Comment here your favorite part of the circus!
1 entry- Comment here IF you love us on Facebook 🙂
Unlimited entries- Tell a friend to comment here and include your name and you both get an entry!

Contest ends 1/20/11. 3pm

To Have a Dream..

Posted on Monday, January 17, 2011 by Angie

We wanted to take a moment today to reflect on some of the powerful words spoken by Martin Luther King, Jr. A man who’s policy of nonviolence was a dominate force in the Civil Rights Movement. He was a man of hope and inspiration to many.

This is a great day to talk to your kids about who MLK Jr was and what he stood for, especially the principle of loving humankind. Here are a few quotes that can lend some inspiration.

“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”

“In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”

“At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love”

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.”

Birmingham Events Calendar January 16th – January 23rd

Posted on Sunday, January 16, 2011 by Angie

MLK Day is tomorrow, check out Barnes and Noble at the Summit for a special storytime! McWane Science Center has the Itty Bitty Magic City back up with an expanded “Tot Spot” that is for 2 and under only! If you are doing a little shopping at the Shops at Grand River your kids can get a special treat with the Backyardigans or Dora and Diego, someething that will make shopping a little more fun for them!

Make sure to check back here throughout the week, we update the calendar as we learn of new events! Have a fantastic week!!

It’s Not Our Fault if Your Kids are Bored!

Sunday January 16th:

Shops at Grand River –
Dora The Explorer & Diego
– Magic City Face Art
– Dr. B. Looney Balloon Artist
1pm – 5pm

Barts Art Cart, Spin Your Own Work of Art – Birmingham Museum of Art
Take inspiration from the Museum’s current exhibition, Spiral: Perspectives on an African-American Art Collective, and come spin your own work of art!
11:00am – 1:00pm

Scholastic Chess Club at Books-A-Million Brookwood Village
In our upstairs Kids Nook. Beginners are welcome, lessons
available, K-12, other mind sport activities are available such as
checkers and GO. Free to attend!
2PM – 5PM

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Monday January 17th:

Shops at Grand River
– The Backyardigans
– Magic City Face Art
– Dr. B. Looney Balloon Artist
1pm – 5pm

Special MLK Day Storytime – Barnes and Noble Summit
11:00am

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Tuesday January 18th:

Sippin’ with the Fishes – McWane Science Center
McWane Science Center is teaming up with Black Warrior Riverkeeper for a FUNdraising event called ‘Sippin with the Fishes’ on Tuesday January 18, 2011. Guests are invited to experience the aquarium after dark, enjoy hors d’oeuvres and drinks including SweetWater beer. Then, head to the IMAX® Dome Theater, learn about Black Warrior Riverkeeper from Nelson Brooke and watch the Wild Ocean film come alive on the largest movie screen in the state.

Tickets:
$20, Adults
Ticket includes Wild Ocean IMAX®, open bar, hors d’ouvres, and parking.
Must be 21 & up to attend

Together Time – Emmet O’Neal Library
Action-packed storytime with Ms. NayNay.
All ages. 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Storytime – Homewood Library
Join us for the fun of it! All ages welcome.
10:30am

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Wednesday January 19th:

Wonderful Wednesday Storytime – Barnes and Noble Summit
Join us as we read Goldilicious!
11:oo am

Family Story Time with Mr Mac – North Shelby Library
Storyteller Extraordinaire – Come join Mr Mac and his musical storytime complete with puppets! All Ages, no registration required.
10:45am

Storytime – Homewood Library
Join us for the fun of it! All ages welcome.
10:30am

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Thursday January 20th:

Rhythm and Rhyme Story Time – Homewood Library
Storytime fun with a musical twist! All ages welcome.
10:30

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Friday January 21st:

Scrapbook Crop Fundraiser By MOPS of Riverchase Community Church
Table space, door prizes, tools, mini-class, a meal and snacks;
$20 per session ($15 if paid in advance) or $45 for 3 sessions. For more info or
registration contact Andrea at mrs@bensteed.com or 908-9959
5pm – 11pm

Storytime with Nene – Whole Foods Market
In the Cafe. Snacks, Songs and Storyboards
10:00am

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Saturday January 22nd:

Kidz Kitchen – Hoover Library
Reveal your inner chef by decorating your very own chef’s hat and creating delicious snacks. Call 444-7833 to register Jan. 7-21.
10:30am

Scrapbook Crop Fundraiser By MOPS of Riverchase Community Church
Table space, door prizes, tools, mini-class, a meal and
snacks; $20 per session ($15 if paid in advance) or $45 for 3 sessions. For more
info or registration contact Andrea at mrs@bensteed.com or 908-9959
9am – 3pm or 3pm – 10pm

Super Saturday Storytime – Barnes and Noble Summit
Please join us as we read Hugless Douglas! All Douglas wants is a hug!
11:00am

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Sunday January 23rd:

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Local Attractions Open Daily!

McWane Science Center:

Itty Bitty Magic City –
The mini-sized Magic City – complete with buildings and factories – encourages young learners to explore new skills as they join the cities’ workforce. By dressing up in a favorite career costume and becoming a steel worker, doctor, pilot scientist or train conductor, preschoolers take one small step into the world around them. While operating cranes, turning gears, pulling pulleys, and building structures – to name just a few of the hands-on activities – children expand their understanding of themselves as they experience how objects behave and how their own actions affect the objects around them. Little explorers are free to navigate this active learning area at their own pace, allowing creativity, fun and discovery to flourish in the Itty Bitty Magic City!

NatureScope – Explore the great outdoors from inside the museum. McWane Science Center and the Birmingham Audubon Society are partnering to create a new exhibit called NatureScope. Explore the science of the birds and the bugs in this new area! Get up close and personal with some resident creepy crawlies! Learn what role insects play in our ecosystem with the decomposition chamber. Meet large bugs including emperor scorpions, a tarantula, and even a giant African millipede!

Animalopolis at the IMAX – ANIMALOPOLIS will take you on a voyage into the magical world of animals. A bit fanciful, a bit “Seussian” perhaps, a place of good natured humor, beauty and just plain fun for kids and their parents.

Birmingham Zoo:

Lorikeet Aviary – Our Lorikeet Aviary has more birds than ever! Zoo guests can feed these exotic birds every day. You and your family will see these birds’ behavior as they eat nectar out of your hand.
Weekends 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

PELICAN FEEDING – A great way to see our pelicans in action is to witness them eating their favorite treats near the pelican boardwalk.

RHINO ENCOUNTER – Embark on an African adventure and experience one of the world’s most extraordinary animals, the Southern White Rhino. Watch from only feet away as our zookeepers engage in hands-on interaction with the animals inside their African-themed exhibit. Don’t miss this exciting encounter with one of the largest mammals on the planet!
Weekdays: 3pm – 3:30pm
Weekends: 11:30am – Noon & 3pm – 3:30 pm

GIRAFFE FEEDING – This up close and personal animal encounter is a memory you and your family will have for a lifetime.
Weekday: 11am – Noon
Weekends: 10am – 11am & 2pm – 3pm

Vulcan Park and Museum:

Vulcan is the world’s largest cast iron statue; made of 100,000 pounds of iron and 56 feet tall, he stands at the top of Red Mountain overlooking the city of Birmingham. But, Vulcan is more than a statue. Vulcan Park and Museum features spectacular views of Birmingham, an interactive history museum that examines Vulcan and Birmingham’s story, and a beautiful public park for visitors and locals to enjoy. With an official information center that is operated by the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau, Vulcan Park and Museum serves as the first stop for visitors to the Birmingham area!

Railroad Park:

Railroad Park is a 19 acre green space in downtown Birmingham that celebrates the industrial and artistic heritage of our great city. Situated along 1st Avenue South, between 14th and 18th Streets, the park is a joint effort between the City of Birmingham and the Railroad Park Foundation. Hailed as “Birmingham’s Living Room,” Railroad Park provides a historically rich venue for local recreation, family activities, concerts, and cultural events, while connecting Birmingham’s downtown area with Southside and UAB’s campus.

Southern Museum of Flight:

Earn Your Wings – Bring your little pilot and soar above the clouds in our little pilots room. Kids enjoy building aircrafts, flying kites, and more.
Museum Open Tuesday – Thursday
9:30am – 4:30pm

Do you have or know of an event you would like to have added to our weekly calendar? Please email us at contact@birminghammommy.com, subject line “Events Calendar” – We would love to hear from you!

Birmingham's Next Big Thing!

Posted on Thursday, January 13, 2011 by Angie

In an effort to keep the momentum flowing for the revitalization of Birmingham’s downtown area Prize 2 the Future is looking to expand the green space that is the brand new Railroad Park – 17 acres in the heart of Birmingham, Alabama. Now Birmingham is seeking the next big idea…to make it even more vibrant.

From the Prize 2 the Future Website:

“Three years ago, in response to citizen requests for more parks and greenspace across the city of Birmingham, Alabama, the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham provided leadership and $1 million dollar in seed money to create two new parks and enhance another one. The Three Parks Initiative represents more than 2,000 acres total and is now well underway, transforming Greater Birmingham into a national leader in terms of greenspace per capita.

The Prize2theFuture physical site is part of a longer range master plan to connect Railroad Park to the historic Sloss Furnaces National Landmark by creating a linear, green connector path that runs through the heart of Birmingham. A regeneration of the Prize Site holds the potential for renewal, for connectivity and for vibrancy that will serve as important signs of further innovative developments to come. In short, it’s a block that’s critical to the Greater Birmingham community.”

So here’s the cool part. They want our ideas! Submit a plan to them about what you think should be done with this space, keeping practicality and sustainability in mind and you might win 50k! Not a bad chunk of “walking around money” if I do say so myself.

So put your thinking caps on and come up with something you think will improve our city! You can find more details on the project and how to enter on their site.

Busy Mommy Bonding – Popcorn Snowmen

Posted on Thursday, January 13, 2011 by Angie

In the spirit of all things Winter Storm 2011 – we decided to stick with the theme and show you some snowmen you can actually build inside. The storm seemed to have dumped more ice than snow in our yard so our attempts at making snowmen out of ice failed miserably, leaving some little ones wanting to still make a snow family. So here’s what we did.

What you’ll Need:

Popped Popcorn (about a 1/2 batch or bag)
2T Butter
1/2 Bag of marshmallows
Misc candies for dressing your snow man. Hershey kisses make great hats, mini m & m’s or mini chocolate chips for buttons, fruit roll ups for scarves (cut to size of course) Pretzels for arms.. Use your imagination. No need to go out and spend extra money, use what you find in your kitchen or candy bowl.

What you’ll do:

Melt butter and marshmallows together over medium heat (a la Rice Krispy Treats)
Mix butter and marshmallows with popcorn

When mixture has cooled enough, allow your kids to shape the mixture into balls to use for their snowman. Make sure to do several sizes. Once your snowmen are assembled, decorate!

Juicebox Jukebox with Ericka Woode

Posted on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 by Angie

We were so excited to be able to work with Local DJ and fellow BirminghamMommy, Ericka Woode of Magic 96.5 for this months edition of the Juicebox Jukebox. We asked Ericka to give us a list of songs that she likes to listen to with her daughter, Ava, and she came through with flying colors! Here’s what gets them movin’ and groovin’.

We absolutely love the eclectic nature of this list!!

You can hear Ericka weekdays on Magic 96.5 from 9am – 3pm, you can also learn more about her life as a mom on her blog The Dalai Mama

(click to listen)

Michael Jackson – Billie Jean

Frank Sinatra – Fly Me to the Moon This was Ava’s first favorite song. The CD was misplaced for the longest time…I just have no idea how that happened. hmmmmmm 😉

Ozzy – Crazy Train (and Mama I’m Coming Home)

B-52’s – Rock Lobster

Run DMC – You Be Illin’

LIttle Big Town – Little White Church

Van Halen – Hot for Teacher (The first time Ava heard this song, she LOVED it. It worried me a tad until I heard her singing the “Avanese” lyrics which are, “HOP for Teacher”. So in the spirit of HOPPING for your teacher, if we’re at home when we play it, we hop like bunnies. ~side note: at the end of the song, “Momma and/or Daddy sing LOUDLY: “OH MY GOSH!!” You’ll know where to put those lyrics if you know the song. 🙂

Aretha Franklin – Respect

Foo Fighters – All My Life – Makes for GREAT air-guitar and air-drums!!

Michael Jackson – Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’

Dean Martin – Mambo Italiano – Cheers her up every single time! 🙂

The Doors – Hello, I Love You

Beyonce’ – Single Ladies

Lady GaGa – Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) (It was never released as a single, but it’s GREAT.)

Janis Joplin – Me and Bobby McGee (the ending of the song is the best part to sing at the top of your lungs!)

Michael Jackson – P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)

Other songs of note from her list –

Kanye West – “Gold Digger” MUST PLAY CLEAN VERSION!! I personally do NOT like this guy, however, I will admit I still like the song, especially when Ava sings: “Go ahead girl, get down get down.”

Spacehog – “In the Meantime”

Madness – “Our House”

Motley Crue – “Home Sweet Home” (again, fantastic air- guitar, drums and air-piano!)

The Go-Go’s – “We’ve Got the Beat” (“Mama, are those all girls?” “Yes.” “Well, they totally ROCK! Girls Rock!”)

Wheezer – “Buddy Holly”

The Beatles – “Yellow Submarine”

The Cure – “Love Cats”

Sister Sledge – “We are Family”

Bob Marley – “One Love” from the “B is for Bob” album

The Knacks – “My Shorona”

US3 “Cataloop”

Kiss – “I Love it Loud”