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Weekly Events Calendar! August 2nd – August 8th

Posted on by Angie

It’s been a long summer for the local Libraries, they’ll be taking a few weeks off to let everyone get ready for school and re-group before starting back with regularly scheduled storytimes. Make sure to check their websites before heading out, most are suspended until the end of August.

There are still many fun things to do with the kids so try to squeeze in a few of these between your school shopping and their school starting.. This is also the last week for Summer movies in the theaters so take advantage of those free or discounted flicks if you can! Check the schedule on our Summer Flicks Guide. We update the calendar as we learn of new events so stop back by throughout the week to see what’s new!

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

Monday August 2nd

Storytime – Ruffner Mountain Nature Center
Is your child a budding naturalist? Bring them to Storytime to encourage their excitement about the outdoors. We will read a story with a nature theme. Following the story, there will be a short activity. Suited for children 3 – 5. All children must be accompanied by an adult during the program. We encourage all participants to donate $2 per person for Visitor Center admission and program.
10:00am
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Tuesday August 3rd

10 Cent Cookie Tuesday – Whole Foods
Barring any cookie monster attacks we’ll have our silver dollar-size chocolate chip cookies, baked fresh in the Bakery, for just 10 cents each. Buy a whole bushel and freeze them for later!
While Supplies Last

Lego Mini Build – Riverchase Galleria
LEGO Seagull: Ages 6-14
begins at 5:00pm until supplies last

Barnes and Noble –  Summit – Terrific Tuesday Storytime
Go, Dog, Go! by P.D. Eastman. See how much fun this story can be to read aloud!
11:00am

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Wednesday August 4th

Storytime – Barnes an Noble Patton Creek
Fall is here! Come celebrate the new season with stories about the changing leaves, the cooler weather and all the fun that autumn brings.
10:30am

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

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Thursday August 5th

See our list below for what’s going on at McWane Science Center or the Birmingham Zoo

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Friday August 6th

Wild about Books Story Time – Birmingham Zoo
Come join us for story and craft time with Books-A-Million at the Birmingham Zoo! Every Friday through summer on Grandma’s Front Porch in the Children’s Zoo area
10:00am

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Saturday August 7th

Kids Workshop – Home Depot
The workshops teach children do-it-yourself skills and tool safety, while at the same time helping to instill a sense of accomplishment. Additionally, this fun time allows for quality one-on-one time between adults and children.
In addition to the newly constructed project kit, each child receives a kid-sized orange apron, similar to The Home Depot associates’ aprons, and an achievement pin. Ages 5 – 12
9am and Noon

Scales Shells and Tails – Ruffner Mountain Nature Center
The Alabama Reptile Rescue Sanctuary (www.supportarrs.org) and Ruffner Mountain Nature Center present “Scales, Shells & Tails: The Reptiles & Amphibians of Alabama.” Bring the whole family and see a large collection of Alabama’s snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, and salamanders.  Discover the life cycle of a frog up close.  Learn about the protected and endangered reptiles and amphibians of Alabama and what is being done to save them. Understand what makes snakes so important to our ecosystem. Come face to face with some of the state’s venomous snakes and learn how to identify some of the most common reptiles and amphibians seen in the wild.
10:00am – 2:00pm

Helena Market Days/Farmers Market – Helena Amphitheater
8:00am – 12:00pm

Urban Cookhouse Farmers Market – Downtown Homewood
7am – Noon

Pepper Place Saturday Market
We spread out of the parking lot to include 29th Street as we accommodate local farmers, artisans, music, art and food!
7:00am – Noon

Valleydale Farmers Market –
Valleydale Farmers Market is dedicated to bringing fresh, local produce to communities around Alabama and the Southeast.
Music, cooking demos and storytimes along with fresh produce a great way to spend a day!

Saturday Storytime at Barnes and Noble Summit
Mom and Dad, bring your cameras! Olivia will personally be here during storytime. Ian Falconer’s Olivia will delight you with her amazing activities and abundant energy.
2:00pm

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Sunday August 8th

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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Open Daily

McWane Science Center

Mr Potato Head Exhibit – Families won’t want to miss The Adventures of MR. POTATO HEAD, a new interactive traveling exhibit that features the much-loved MR. POTATO HEAD character will lead young visitors and parents on a number of fun and educational adventures. From trips to outer space to jungle safaris and archeological digs, each activity will provide children with engaging learning experiences. Through Sept. 26

Itty Bitty Magic City – NOTE: ITTY BITTY IS AN ITTY BIT SMALLER THIS SUMMER!
The Itty Bitty Magic City will be on display this summer in addition to The Adventures of Mr. Potato Head exhibit. The Itty Bitty City is a little bit smaller than usual, but favorite areas including the grocery store, Tot Spot area, crane, and factory are still in the city. The Itty Bitty Golf Course and a few other items were removed temporarily to make room for the new exhibit “The Adventures of Mr. Potato Head” that is also designed for an early childhood audience and they will return in the Fall.

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

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!

Thanks to Everyone!

Posted on by Angie

We had a wonderful time at our Champagne and Shopping event! Thanks to everyone who came out to eat, drink and shop with us at Gloss Denim Bar! We appreciate the generous gift card they had to offer everyone and for welcoming us in for this event.

We would also like to thank Chuy’s for the fabulous food, Whole Foods for donating some tasty wine and of course the always wonderful Amanda Traywick for lending her time and camera skills to be our personal papparazzi for the evening.

We hope most everyone was able to score a swag bag and enjoy some goodies from Knick Nats Designs, 32 Degrees, Jim N Nicks, Brookwood Medical Center, The Baby Gardner, Red Robin, and Inverness Dermatology. And congratulations to our door prize winners who walked away with a photo package from Precious Memories created by Amanda and a massage from Intuitive Touch Bodywork.

Thank you all for coming out and we look forward to our next event coming up in just a few weeks – Details coming soon!

Mom Picks – July!

Posted on by Angie

We love to shop!  Who doesn’t?  With Mom Picks, we’re taking a bit of the work out of it for you – you just may find your next “must-have”!

Everyday Earrings

Throw on a pair of earrings and you go from blah to “Yeah!” in a snap.  Scope out a few everyday earrings that are snappy and fun and you’ll be ready to run out the door in a little more style.  These available from Anthropologie.

Fun Summer Tops

Grab a fun summer top, a pair of jeans, those earrings we mentioned above and BOOM! You’re ready to hit the park, the Summit or a night out!  We found this great one at 15dollarstore.com.

Unique Entertaining Pieces

Let’s face it, with summer in full swing, we’re entertaining guests left and right.  Grab a few unique pieces to show off your style in a fun way.  We found these great recycled glass bowls  from Viva Terra.

Gimme 5: No list this month. Shrugging that off…read why!

Posted on by Angie

by Kristine Gresh

Summer! Barbeques, no school, beaches, the rides at Coney Island… Whoah. There it is. Happens every summer. My childhood memories try to sneak their way into my son’s real childhood…

But so many things will always feel the same about summer. Those moments of relaxation, shrugging off some responsibility, eating food because it tastes good, etc…Of course, a few things are different. My son is growing up in a different time and in a different region of the country. So, it’s become interesting to not only spot the differences, but try to figure out what their causes are (time or place) and if the differences are for the better, or not. For instance, I know the Cyclone at Coney Island and playing on the “stoop” are due to place. (And because I’ve been asked before…a stoop is the set of stairs in front of one’s city home…and yes, that’s where Brooklyn kids spent/spend a lot of the summer.) But what about these 8-year olds in a new summer camp every week? And the popularity of those “faux-casual” family photographs… you know the ones…where everyone’s walking on white sand with perfect hair and matching shirts? Where does all that fit in?

I know times change and more households include two working parents, but I still think that more kids today have their summers filled with extremely-organized activities, and sometimes not out of necessity. No school used to mean “no school.” And for good reason. Kids are kids and need free time to be creative and be wacky, and see things through for themselves. But the world is also a different place and yes, today’s kids also need to learn structure and schedule and skills; more so in this modern, fast paced world they will soon be a part of. So, my advice? Try to strike a balance between organized play and free play this summer. That’s what we’re doing, and then hoping for the best (like most of our major parenting decisions).

Now, how about those family photos? That’s a little of both. True, I have definitely seen more of these pictures portraying, “what, really, we’re super carefree and just happen to be walking on the beach towards the water holding hands” in the Southern US. And that’s not surprising. There is a tendency here for trying to create perfect scenarios. And Southerners do a great job with this. The South is a beautiful, manicured, cheery place thanks to these people. But I’m convinced is a little of both. It’s also obviously due to the prevalence of digital cameras and the ability to shoot, shoot, shoot, delete, delete.  So, again, my two cents? Let your kids truly enjoy themselves and snap their picture while they’re doing so. You’ll capture their real smiles and when they’re old and look through the “shutterfly” photo book, the memories will be good ones…instead of memories of you begging them to stop touching the broken stick in the sand. Want all of you in the photo? Get the photographer to snap away while you build a family sand castle or all try to all hang onto a surfboard in some little waves. In other words, have “actual” fun and let it show through in the pictures…

And one more thing I keep noticing this summer that is a bit different? (And this is truly a sign of the times.) It’s hard not to get caught up in all the anxiety and the worries of the day, big and small. Well, our kids are picking up on this and not feeling that “shrugging of responsibility” that can be such a fun and memorable part of summer. True, we are all (and rightfully so) much more careful and anxious about things. Safety and health are of utmost importance and some recent technologies and new findings are helping us keep those issues in the forefront. But we can quickly slide down the slippery slope and our days sound like a barrage of questions and worries. Does my sunscreen have PABA? Does my beach have oil? Are these strawberries organic? Does that app need to be updated? Do I have to leave the pool so my baby can nap at 2:10pm and then eat at 3:47pm? People – it’s summer. I know, all of these things are important (well, some are) and I’m definitely guilty of asking many of them (the strawberry one and app one, for sure) but let’s all try to relax a little during this summer of 2010 and give these kids that summertime feeling that many of us remember having…

ENJOY.

Amanda's Attempt to Entertain Us this Month – Bullying

Posted on by Angie

By Amanda from HushAmanda.com

It’s a hot, Friday afternoon and my mom and I have decided to take Conner and Chase to a playground across from a local private primary school near her home. We arrive to find the place completely cleared out, a huge score in my book so that my children can have full reign. I breathe the sigh of relief that says “yes! I won’t be yelling at 8-year-olds that cut off my 2.5-year-old in the Slide Line!”

Within 5 minutes, 2 small buses from a the private school across the street’s Day Camp pull up. Grumble.

Children flee to the picnic area and begin lunch time, and since the children were at least 7 and up, I was relieved they were having lunch 80 feet from the playground area.

Then, another bus pulls up, apparently full of already-fed children, and they flood the playground. Within minutes, 4-5 boys, all around 7-years-old begin picking on Conner and Chase. They would get in my children’s faces, call them names, stupidly point to their bums and make pretend farting noises.

Conner, at first, had a face that simply read “this is mean”. He was a little shocked, and a bit sad. Why would someone he doesn’t know surround him and his little brother and start making fun of them? (They had my boys circled and up against a wall)

Then, the boys left. I watched them, listened to them say things like “now let’s do this and call them that!”, and they’d come back to find Conner and Chase, surround them again, and begin their taunting.

Conner cowered a bit, but stood protectively in front of Chase, and kept trying to introduce himself and his “brovur” (brother). After the 3rd round of this taunting/run away/come back/be mean from these boys, Conner assumed it was all a game and ran around (or away) from them. But each time, they’d find Conner and Chase. By this time I was fed up, not only with the way these boys were treating my children, but also by the fact that not a single teacher/instructor/employee was on or even near this playground. The 3 that came with the group were huddled together, under the shade of the picnic area, a good ways away.

And on that unsupervised playground, a group of young girls started to wander into the parking lot and the adjacent wooded area. Thus beginning a “steaming from the ears moment” on my behalf.

I marched my happy little ass up to the picnic area, looked right at these teenagers and said “You have not one single person watching those children over there. You can’t see them sneaking into the woods, into the parking lots, or mistreating one another. What do you think their parents would think if they saw this?”

Immediately, 1 employee began hauling butt across the field to the children’s area, calling back the group of wandering girls. The other two separated, a boy and a girl, put down their cell phones, and I watched as the girl gave the “who the hell is this crazy woman” eyes at her co-worker.

“I don’t believe you have any place to make eyes at me. You are failing at your job right now and putting the safety of these children in danger. Fix it.”

And I left.

I marched back to the playground and found the little punks children who’d teased my boys, got on their level and said “You and your friends were calling my son and his brother names. What you don’t understand is that words hurt people, they are mean. You hurt Conner by saying mean things. Do you understand that words do hurt others?”

“Sorry” he quietly whimpered as he hung his head and scuffled off to find Conner.

Another boy said sorry as well.

“Don’t apologize to me, say you are sorry to him and from now on think about how your words could hurt someone else”

Then two more boys, involved in the matter, came to tell me they had nothing to do with it. I looked in their eyes and said “Yes. You were. Admit that and say you are sorry.”

So they did.

And we left.

I don’t know that they learned anything from the experience, but I sure did.

There’s a difference between letting a child “handle it on his/her own” and stepping in to correct another child’s unacceptable (and repetitive) bad behavior. In this situation, I’m referring to bullying. There are two types of parenting methods here, in my opinion.

The first being to say “this is just children being children”. That speaking up for Conner was not letting him handle the situation on his own and that he has to learn to do so. I completely agree here, and I must state that I let Conner “handle” it for about 15 minutes. There will be plenty of times I am not there and he will have to deal with a situation and those are the times he will gain more self-esteem. Today’s lesson wasn’t about that, it was about learning the power of words.

However, I suggest this method to every parent that ever had to experience verbal bullying towards their child (or even them self at some point in their life). Correct the problem. If we arm our children with the knowledge that words ARE powerful, that words DO hurt, then we stop the problem before it starts.

We can teach the would-be bullies that harmful words aren’t ok. That harassment is never an acceptable form of “entertainment”. For those children we see in our playgroups, in our neighborhoods, or even to those parents who suspect one of their children bully others – take them aside and teach them why this is not acceptable. The worst mistake any parent could make would be to laugh this off as having a “popular” child. That he or she has “followers”. Question if they are using their friends to harass other children. Teach them the old adage that you attract more flies with honey.

We can teach our children that those who use their words to hurt others are the ones at a loss. That they can stand up and point out how harmful taunting and teasing can be. In a way, it’s our turn as parents to make a change. One that could send a ripple through society – one that could virtually end children harassing other children, then teens harassing other teens, and adults harassing other adults.

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After situating everyone in the car, before we left the parking lot, I turned to Conner and told him that sometimes, mean people say mean things and not to let those things hurt him. Some people aren’t nice, and those people are the ones that are missing out on being his friend.

Sticks and stones may break bones, but words can scar forever.

About Amanda:

My name is Amanda and my last name is hardly pronounceable. I’m currently 25 and the mother of 2 half-breed monkey/gorilla hybrids wonderfully rowdy boys (under 5), blogging LIVE! from a city somewhere in Alabama…  I have the personality of a 6′6″ man trapped in a 4′10.5″ body. I’m loud, sometimes bitchy, occasionally moody, disorganized yet incredibly passionate and a total goofball. My friends just think I’m odd and that’s fine by me.

You can read more from Amanda over at hush, amanda and you can follow her on twitter @hushamanda

52 New Things – Week 29

Posted on by Angie

Angie –

I’ve been wearing my hair “not straight.” I went in for a haircut and started talking to my stylist about how wavy/curly/kinky/not straight my hair is naturally and how tired I was of fighting it. She worked her magic and taught me the in’s and out’s of using my diffuser and the importance of “product.” I like it, Husband likes it and I have to say it really is easier than fighting it and always having to blow dry it.  Not sure I will keep it this way for long but it’s nice to have options and it’s nice to know how to encourage the curl in this yucky, hot, humid deep south summer.

Trish –

My new thing this week was window washing.  Try not to get too excited!  I have cleaned and cleaned our house, but when I look out the windows it’s still dirty looking.  So I bought the Windex cleaning pad and cleaning arm.  It was pretty easy, you just wet the window, wash it with the swiffer-like mop, then rinse.  It dries without a streak and actually looks pretty darn spectacular!

For more New Things or if you’d like to participate in 52 new things along with BirminghamMommy and many others – please join in by posting your new thing to your blog, facebook or on twitter (use #52newthings) – Also, you can head over to www.willblogforshoes.com to link up every Thursday!

The Single Mama Speaks

Posted on by Angie

by Amelia Killcreas

Y’ALL! It is hotter than the hammered-down hinges of Hades, is it not? Well, don’t worry, because I’ve got some ideas to help you keep cool. (Wait. You don’t know me, do you? Hi there, I’m Amelia. I’m a single mama, which is just like being a regular mama except I get the added drama of trying to figure out how I’m gonna get my legs shaved before dates. Assuming I can locate an unmarried male who wants to ask me on dates. Ahem.)

So. About the heat. I swear, I have lived in the South my whole entire life, and the summer heat never fails to whack me upside the head and make me scream uncle. But. I was raised in a house that had no central air conditioning.

I’m gonna give you a minute to take that in: NO CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING, Y’ALL. What I’m saying is that I have done more than my fair share of sweating.

Now that I’m an adult, I have central air. But I’m still out of luck, because I apparently gave birth to a lizard. She’d much rather be outside in the heat than inside in the niiiiice, cool house. So here are some tips from a semi-professional for how to stay cool…even when it’s so hot and humid you feel like you’re swimming to your car.

Move as little as possible.

This is a tough one if you have kids, but it is an essential strategy in the Battle Against Sweat. To make this one work, you’re going to have to come up with a way to keep your kids entertained, preferably with something that requires them to run around and around and around until they flop, exhausted, into the bathtub at night. Theoretically, Vacation Bible School will work for a week or so, but all too often, you’ll find yourself crouched in the church parking lot, spray-painting lima beans silver for the kids to use in the “ancient Egyptian” marketplace…and THEN what will you be doing? That’s right, you’ll be sweating. So I think you can see that VBS does not even count.

No, you’re really going to need to find something for your kids to do that is cheap and easy. (Feel free to insert a joke here about that hussy who stole your boyfriend in high school.) What I’m talking about, my people, is water. Sure, you could get some fancy pool, but in keeping with my personal motto of keeping my kid’s standards low, I feel that a water hose and a large plastic bucket is sufficient. Water squirters work well, too, and if you are the nonviolent type, you can even get them in shapes other than pistols. We have a hippo that shoots water out of its nose, a fact that I find endlessly entertaining, perhaps because I have the sense of humor of a 12-year-old boy.

Wear trashy clothing.

Look, I’m talking about wearing knit shorts around your house, not breaking out the tube top for your cousin’s wedding, OK? I am aware that we in the South have something of a Reputation for putting on Astonishing Displays of Flesh, and it’s well deserved. But it’s well deserved because it’s HOT, y’all, not because we have some secret fetish for short shorts. (Well, most of us don’t, anyway. I can’t speak for YOU.) A word of warning, though: make sure you live in a place you can get away with this, somewhere quiet and secluded. I personally live in the kind of neighborhood where men routinely stick their heads out their car windows to holler, “Heeeeyyyyyy, girrrrrrrrrrrl!” at me while I sit on the front porch. I can assure you they would do this even if I were wearing a turtleneck and an ankle-length denim jumper. Now, there’s nothing wrong with a friendly “Hello” to the neighbor, but these men are using that tone of voice that implies that they’re REALLY thinking if they say girrrrrrrrl long enough maybe I’ll hop right in the car with them and ask about their woofers and tweeters. And the truth is, y’all, I’M JUST NOT THAT GOOD LOOKING, which is how I know it’s my neighborhood and not me. If you, too, live in an area full of creepers, I will not be held responsible for who or what will come knocking on your door if you follow this tip.

Don’t be pregnant during summer.

I am aware that the math does not work out right on this one. Let’s be generous and say we have only 6 months of summer down here, May to October. That leaves you just 6 months to do your gestating. Good luck with that.

Being pregnant in December is hot enough. Being pregnant in Alabama in August is a fate worse than labor. You will realize this if you are currently heavy with child and drop a pen under your car this month. The moment you reach down to retrieve it and feel yourself sloooowly falling forward, very nearly causing third-degree burns as your belly hits the pavement, is the moment you realize that a summer pregnancy is something no Southern woman should have to endure. (It is also the moment you realize that no pen, including an Epi-Pen, is worth retrieving when you are pregnant. But I digress.)

If you are already pregnant, congratulations! But it IS summer already, and there’s not a lot I can do for you. Try the first two tips, but go easy on the trashy clothes, eh? (No offense, but that’s how you got into this situation, remember?) I’d say we could look to pharmaceutical research for answers, but it seems like they’re pretty tied up creating eyelash growth enhancers that will probably not make you dead or blind. So I guess you’re on your own. Let me know what you come up with.

Eat something cold.

Sure, you could be healthy and eat some cold tomatoes. And I think cold tomatoes are great…provided they are partnered with sufficient bread, mayo, and bacon. But in the dog days of summer, you need something REALLY cold. Something frozen, even. Something…like ice cream. (You knew that was coming, didn’t you? Show me a woman who omits “eat lots of ice cream” from a list of tips for staying cool, and I will show you a woman who hates life.) If you think I’m going to presume to tell you HOW to eat your ice cream, you have mistaken me for someone who knows nothing about Southern women. Y’all eat it any old way you like it, but GET TO IT.

That’s all for now. Keep cool, y’all!

You can read more about Ameilia on her Blog: The Single Mama Speaks

The Mother of All Consignment Sale Lists – Fall 2010

Posted on by Angie

It’s hard to believe that we are ready to start talking about wire hangers and consignment sales but they are just around the corner and registration is starting soon.

Here is a list of the sales we know about so far and they’re sooner than you might think.  We will be updating this list constantly, so check back often for the most up-to-date information.

All sale and receiving dates vary by sale, so please check the links on each location for specific times and details. If you know of a sale that you would like to have listed, please drop us a comment or email us at contact@birmighammommy.com We will be happy to add it to this post.

Gardendale:

Kingdom Kids Consignment
Gardendale Mt.Vernon United Methodist

Receiving: August 22nd & 23rd
Open to the public August 23 –  August 28
Sale Info

Helena:

New 2 You Consignment Sale
Church of Cahaba Bend –

Friday, September 18: 9am – 7pm
Saturday, September 19: 9am – 1pm
Sale Info

Homewood:

Lil Lambs Consignment
Trinity United Methodist –

Registration begins: August 16
Open to the Public: September 10 and 11
Sale Info

Kids Market and Mom
Old Academy Sports location at Wildwood Shopping Center

Early Receiving: Sept 7th-9th, by appointment only
Regular Receiving: Sept 11th and Sept 13th-15th
Public Sale: October 4th– October 16th (closed Sunday the 10th)
Site Info

Hoover:

The Market – Sale for Teens and Tweens
Brookhighland Plaza, Hwy 280. Former Kirklands

Consignor Drop Off: September 13th 10am – 1pm & 4pm – 7pm
Pre Sale Bash: September 16th
Public Sale: September 17th – 18th
Sale Info

Kids Wear Plus
Hoover Gallery Shopping Center

Receiving: Saturday September 11th, Monday September 13th, Tuesday September 14th
Contributor Sale: Saturday September 18th
Open to the Public: September 20th – March 25th
Sale Info

Bargains on the Bluff
Bluff Park United Methodist –

Receiving: September 13th – September 15th
Preview Sale: September 16th
Open to the Public: September 17th and 18th.

TNT Sale
Riverchase United Methodist –

Open to to the Public:

Friday, September 24th, 2010, 9:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m  and
Saturday, September 25th, 2010, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Sale Info

Hueytown:

Twice Blessed Sale
Garywood Assembly of God –

Receiving: September 10th and 11th
Open to the Public: September 16th, 17th and 18th
Sale Info

Irondale:

Twice as Nice Sale
BAMOM – Birmingham Area Mothers of Multiples –

Open to the public: August 27th and 28th
Sale Info

Liberty Park:

Ready Set Grow
Liberty Crossing United Methodist –

Receiving: August 22nd – 25th
Workers/Consignors/New Moms Sale: August 25th (times vary)
Open to the public: August 26th – 28th
Sale Info

Oak Mountain:

Giggles and Grace
Asbury United Methodist

Registration begins August 1st! Limit is 330 consignors.

Receiving: September 8th and 9th
Open to the public: September 10h and 11th
Sale Info

Pinson

Kids Consignment –
July 28th – 31st
Sale Info

Trussville

Growing Kids Consignment
Trussville United Methodist Church

Friday – September 17th – 8am – 6pm
Thursday – September 18th –  8am – 2pm

Vestavia

Market on the Mountain
Mountaintop Community Church –

Registration: August 8th
Receiving: September 15th and 16th
Preview Sale: September 16th
Open to the public: September 17th – 18h
Sale Info

Kids’ Korner
Mountain Chapel United Methodist –

September 16th and 17th
Sale Info

Whale of a Sale
Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church

Preview Sale for Volunteers and Sellers: September 16th
Public Sale: September 17th
Sale Info

Weekly Events Calendar July 26th – August 1st

Posted on by Angie

We don’t know about all of you but we will be looking for ways to stay cool this week. I’m thinking storytimes and indoor play places, how about you? Don’t forget to come out and see us this Thursday night at Gloss Denim Bar for Shopping and Champagne! The first 50 to arrive will receive swag that includes $50 off a regular priced pair of denim! There are still some summer movies going on, check out our Summer Flicks Guide to plan your movie outings this week. We update the calendar as we learn of new events so stop back by throughout the week to see what’s new!

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

Monday July 26th

Summer Monday Movie – Homewood Library
Come and join us for a fun flick and a tasty treat.
3:00pm

Movie Matinee – North Shelby Library
Alvin and the Chipmunks – The Squeakuel
All Ages, Snacks Served
2:00pm

Juggling Program – Vestavia Hills Library
Brian Bruggeman w/Jugglewell
All Ages
6:00pm
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Tuesday July 27th

Roger Day – Homewood Library
We are very excited to present Roger Day as our last event of Summer Reading. We hope you have had a wonderful summer with us. This event is just for Homewood Public Library’s registered summer readers.
6:30pm

McWane Starlab Constellations – North Shelby Library
Registration Required – Grades K- 3rd. Crawl into an inflatable planetarium and learn about the solar system and constellations
10:30

Barnes and Noble –  Summit – Terrific Tuesday Storytime
Please join us as we feature author Mo Willems with stories like I Am Going and I Will Surprise My Friend. See what happens to best friends Gerald the Elephant and Piggie the piglet. Fun activity will follow our readings.
11:00am

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Wednesday July 28th

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

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Thursday July 29th

Shopping and Champagne – Gloss Denim Bar
No more Mom Jeans allowed! Come find out what fits your fabulous mommy body! Bring a friend!
**First 50 people in the door get a $50 credit towards one regular pair of denim AND a swag bag!**
Food provided by Chuy’s, YUMMY.
6:00pm – 8:00pm

Craft: Hodgepodge – North Shelby Library
All Ages, Registration Required
Drop in anytime between 2:00 – 3:30.

PJ Storytime – North Shelby Library
All ages, no registration required
7pm

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Friday July 30th

Wild about Books Story Time – Birmingham Zoo
Come join us for story and craft time with Books-A-Million at the Birmingham Zoo! Every Friday through summer on Grandma’s Front Porch in the Children’s Zoo area
10:00am

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Saturday July 31st

Local in the ‘Ham: Local Vendor Day! – Whole Foods Market
It’s growing season and it’s time to bring out our local producers! We’ll have food demonstrations going on through the season featuring some of our favorite local and regional growers, producers and vendors. Buy fresh! Buy local!
10:00am – 3:00pm

Helena Market Days/Farmers Market – Helena Amphitheater
8:00am – 12:00pm

Urban Cookhouse Farmers Market – Downtown Homewood
7am – Noon

Pepper Place Saturday Market
We spread out of the parking lot to include 29th Street as we accommodate local farmers, artisans, music, art and food!
7:00am – Noon

Valleydale Farmers Market –
Valleydale Farmers Market is dedicated to bringing fresh, local produce to communities around Alabama and the Southeast.
Music, cooking demos and storytimes along with fresh produce a great way to spend a day!

Saturday Storytime at Barnes and Noble Summit
Please join us as we read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. Our special story features Alexander who clearly is having a bad day and will it get better or will he have to move to Australia?
2:00pm

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Sunday August 1st

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

Sound of Music – Virginia Samford Theater
One of the most beloved musicals of all time, The Sound of Music tells the story of a sweet young girl named Maria sent off to be the governess of Captain von Trapp’s seven troublesome children. Through their mutual love of music, the von Trapp family comes to admire Maria. But when the Nazis invade Austria, the whole family is forced to flee their homeland in hopes of finding freedom. With its unforgettable score that includes musical favorites like “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” and “The Lonely Goatherd,” The Sound of Music is the perfect family treat!
For tickets visit their website
2:00pm

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Open Daily

McWane Science Center

Mr Potato Head Exhibit – Families won’t want to miss The Adventures of MR. POTATO HEAD, a new interactive traveling exhibit that features the much-loved MR. POTATO HEAD character will lead young visitors and parents on a number of fun and educational adventures. From trips to outer space to jungle safaris and archeological digs, each activity will provide children with engaging learning experiences. Through Sept. 26

Itty Bitty Magic City – NOTE: ITTY BITTY IS AN ITTY BIT SMALLER THIS SUMMER!
The Itty Bitty Magic City will be on display this summer in addition to The Adventures of Mr. Potato Head exhibit. The Itty Bitty City is a little bit smaller than usual, but favorite areas including the grocery store, Tot Spot area, crane, and factory are still in the city. The Itty Bitty Golf Course and a few other items were removed temporarily to make room for the new exhibit “The Adventures of Mr. Potato Head” that is also designed for an early childhood audience and they will return in the Fall.

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

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!

Giveaway Winner!

Posted on by Angie

Congratulations to Katie for winning our first Back to School Giveaway! We have sent you an email to confirm and get your shipping information! Thanks to everyone that entered, we will have another giveaway coming up soon so stay tuned for the details. In the meantime, if you just have to have an adorbale Zoo Lunchies of your own, you can find those along with the matching back packs at Swaddle in Homewood!

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