We know you have a man in your life that likes stuff, “Man Stuff” to be exact. Whether it’s sports, home improvement, electronics or poker the Ultimate Man Stuff Expo will have something to keep your Dad or Husband busy this Fathers Day Weekend. We’re talking about the manliest event of the year and the timing couldn’t be more perfect!
The expo is all about men and what they enjoy. The Family friendly event is a great way to see what Dad really wants this fathers day and let him pick something out, that way we can’t complain about the tie you were already thinking about getting!
To make this a little more fun for you, we have 2 family 4 packs to giveaway. Here’s how you enter:
1. Leave us a comment telling us why your Dad or Husband is the Ultimate Dad
2. Tweet this: @birminghammommy is giving out tix to the Ultimate Man Expo at the BJCC http://ow.ly/1YK0g ” then return here and comment that you tweeted – please list your twitter handle
The contest will run from 8:00am Tuesday June 15th, until 10:00pm on Wednesday June 16th. You can do both of the above requirements once a day while the contest is open (total of up to 4 entries per person.) The winners will be contacted via email and will need to be available to pick the tickets up no later than noon on Friday the 18th.If you have been the fortunate soul that has won any of our giveaways in the last 30 days, congratulations again but you are not eligible to win this time. We’re sorry but, we have to share the love!
What are you waiting for? Get to tweeting, this is going to get you some serious brownie points with Dear Old Dad!
None other than Stephanie!! Thanks for entering! I emailed you the details.
Can’t wait to see everyone at the event. And don’t forget, get your tickets now before they’re gone! Use our discount code BHAMMOMMY for $5 off! (not available in online purchases)
Mommadrool’s recipes are like goodies that nourish your tummy and your heart. This one won’t let you down!
*Mommadrools note: If you plan to cook this at home and transport it to a party, cooked ravioli can be placed on a cookie sheet and kept in the oven at 225-250 degrees and then transferred to a covered dish to keep them warm in transit. Enjoy!
Toasted Ravioli
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (optional)
1 package frozen cheese ravioli
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
marinara sauce
Directions:
1) Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Warm marinara in a large saucepan over low-medium heat.
2) Whisk eggs and milk together in a small shallow bowl. In another shallow dish, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and Italian seasoning and mix well.
3) Dip frozen ravioli in milk mixture and coat with bread crumbs. Cook ravioli in batches until browned, approximately 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer cooked ravioli to a paper towel lined plate. Serve immediately with marinara sauce.
You can find many more droolicious recipes over at her site, “2 Little Chicks”
Are you Team Edward? Team Jacob? Team Jacob’s Abs? Or just plain Team Twilight? Well no matter where your loyalties lie, we have a party for you! BirminghamMommy.com is thrilled to be teaming up with McWane Science Center and 103.7Q to bring you a night of the Twilight Saga: Eclipse. We’ll be celebrating the love of all things Twilight under the moonlight on the plaza. Complete with games, prizes, great food and cocktails.
You’ll be able to walk the red carpet and have your picture made with the life size cutouts of some of your favorite vampires or werewolves. So come toast to Twilight with blood red cocktails that even a Vampire would kill for!
TWILIGHT OVER 21 Date: July 1 Movie Time: 5 pm (on sale now)
Red Carpet: 7:30pm Have your picture made with some of your favorite Twilight stars (Disclaimer: the only Twilight stars we could secure for the evening come in cardboard) Party Time: 8 pm – 9:30 pm Movie Time: 10 pm (sold out) Where: McWane Science Center Tickets: $25, BirminghamMommy followers will get $5 OFF that price! (Includes party, food, and movie ticket)
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW! Must call (205) 714-8414 with promo code BHAM MOMMY to get the discount. It will not be available online.
ATTENTION MOMMIES: The 10 pm show has sold out, a second screening has been added at 5pm. Please note that these are the tickets now on sale. You can find more info here
Business Owners: Are you interested in getting your product included in the Dazzle bags – which will be distributed to over 250 guests? Please contact Trish@birminghammommy.com for details.
On a rainy day last week, my husband and I took our two girls to the pool at the gym so our toddler could splash and play and our four-year-old could (literally) get her feet wet before swimming lessons begin. I did a frantic form of water aerobics while trying to keep up with our little one, who was running along the pool deck threatening to jump.
Meanwhile, my husband tried to encourage our oldest to float on her back, blow bubbles and kick her feet. It wasn’t going well. She’s suddenly scared of swimming, and she was grabbing onto Daddy wherever she could find a grip. He remained calm, and I wasn’t surprised to see that. He is — in most parenting situations — calm.
Which is why I am thinking carefully about what my kids should get me for Father’s Day.
That’s not a typo.
I picked their Daddy. He’s a good one. I should get the gift.
Consider the evidence:
When our firstborn, dainty daughter displayed her talent for creating projectile poop as an infant, Daddy took it in stride, diapered her up and cleaned the rug. And the wall. And himself.
Our toddler does not regularly sleep through the night. She’ll be two in August. It’s a bit of a nightmare, but it would be a lot worse if I were the sole solace at three in the morning. In fact, Daddy is the one skilled at getting her back to sleep, and he performs this task without coming back to bed and smothering me with a pillow. Although there’s no telling whether he has considered doing so.
When the repetitive nature of parenthood – Read “Llama, Llama, Red Pajama!” Again! Read it again! – gets intense, Daddy does not sweat it. He reads the same books, plays the same games and sings the same songs over and over. And over.
Daddy is Safety Man. He is the one in our house most likely to spot the unplugged outlet or the choking hazard disguised as a toy. Today, he teaches the girls about the dangers of hot stoves and plastic bags. Tomorrow, I suspect he will be the first to warn them about boys in cars.
My husband grew up camping with the Boy Scouts, woodworking with his grandfather and watching a whole lot of baseball, basketball and football. And while girls can certainly do all of those things, ours have not yet shown any interest in these activities. So Daddy colors and plays dress-up and watches one Disney princess movie after another. And he has never wished that it were any other way.
Our afternoon in the pool gave me a chance to watch my husband do his thing, and it inspired an idea for my Father’s Day gift. Perhaps the girls could send me off to a spa day and some solo time beside the pool at Ross Bridge while they stay home with Daddy. It seems a fitting way for them to thank me.
Country-Fried Mama is a transplanted Yankee raising two girls in the land of college football, sweet tea and refined manners. Visit her blog at www.countryfriedmama.com and follow her on Twitter @countryfried.
No one knows parenting like moms. We’re in the trenches, day in day out. We make sure the “t’s” are crossed and the “i’s” are dotted. There’s no one in the world better to ask advice of, than moms who’ve been there, done that. We asked our Birmingham Moms one question: What’s the one thing you wish you’d known when you were a new parent? This is what they had to say:
Regina V. – Not to get suckered into buying so much stuff. You really don’t NEED as much as companies try to convince you of. Wish I could have ALL that money back!
Jennifer M said: Two things primarily that would have saved alot of money:
1. Waterproof baby mattress pads will save you from having to replace many ruined mattresses from upset tummies, and other “accidents”.
2. Investing in a carpet cleaner first thing will save you from having to buy new flooring later.
I have 3 kids!
Ruth D. said: I wish someone had told me that you will be irritable and tired and want to scream and that is ok to feel that way.And then tell them how to properly handle that frustration.
Bonnie Y. said: The zip up sleepers are a life saver at 2 AM when you don’t want to fumble with 20 buttons
Kerry L. said: Hold the baby. Stop resisting the urge because the scheduling book says to put it down. You blink and that wee thing is grown. Just hold it.
Christi W. said: I agree with Kerry, hold the baby, rock the baby, love, love that baby! Don’t worry about keeping the house clean, or that the baby ate 3.5 oz rather than 4! Babies don’t keep– they grow up waaayy too fast!
Rachel M. said: Accept any offer for help-whether its to cook, clean, or watch the baby(or babies in my case!) while you nap! Its okay to accept help!
Rebecca S. said: two things.
1. Labor & delivery plans rarely go how you think or want.
2. Once you have a little one, the invites to dinners/parties may be less, especially from your single or no-children friends
Sheila W. said: Enjoy every second good and not so good…it all goes way too fast
Carolynn W. said: You are NOT a bad mommy, if at first you don’t feel overwhelmed with love for your baby. With some women it takes time(like me).
Amy L. said: That even with all the excitement of a new baby, you will be EXHAUSTED!!! I fell asleep practically everynight in the glider nursing my daughter(4yo now) . Promising myself to NOT repeat with my son(20m now) which I did and who just like his sissy still needs momma to get to sleep! Time for SLEEP TRAINING!!!! Or it will be too much when the time come for a third blessing in my life! Take a nap any chance you get, I always was cleaning! REST REST REST:)
Annabelle B. said: Put the baby down for a nap two hours after it wakes up. I read that when my first baby was three months old, and I tried it and lo and behold, he was on a schedule within two days. I was so mad no one had told me before that two hours was the magic number! Worked like magic with my second too!
Aimee G. said: Put your baby down drowsy instead of asleep. You’ll thank yourself when your kiddo is two or three and you are no longer rocking them to sleep
Amber B. said: Sleep when the baby sleeps!!! Don’t feel like you have to keep up with the housework, laundry, etc. along with a newborn. If you sleep and you’re sane, it will all go much better.
Lisa M. said: New toys are so expensive and you can get hardly-used ones for pennies at yard sales. You will not have any time to go to yard sales after the baby comes so try to go while you are still pregnant. It was nice to have age-appropriate toys on hand when my son finally became ready for them.
Amanda I. said: Think of nursing as quality time together instead of something you “have” to do. You’ll be glad you had all that time together later on!
Paula W. said: No need to buy dreft detergent to wash only baby clothes in. Buy Tide free and wash everyone’s clothes! Works the same!
Dedra S. said: I wished someone would have explained night sweats and post partem more thoroughly. Nobody talks about night sweats. I thought I was coming down with the flu. The night sweats happened with both children and the nurses acted like I was crazy when I couldn’t stop shaking or get warm enough. Additionally, I was definitely very emotional and hadlots of weepy days about a week after birth with both children. While I read about it and knew it would happen, nothing really prepared me for it…and though I knew WHAT it was WHEN it happened, I couldn’t stop the thoughts or feelings from creeping in. I felt like a crazy lady for a few days and nothing really helped until the hormones were out of my body.
Sarah B. said: I agree sleep when the baby sleeps. Always. Also, don’t buy the diaper genie or the wipe warmer. They won’t get used. Or not for me for sure. Also, I changed him on the floor, the bed, the couch…didn’t matter that I never bought a changing table.
Jane W. said: Enjoy the little moments, they are gone in a blink of an eye…..the laundry will always be there, cleaning floors, dusting…but your babies won’t !
So, what do you know now that you wish you’d known then?
I tried a new face wash that I love! Philosophy Purity. I love it so much I’m glad I bought the super duper size!
Trish –
My new thing was to try new foods that scare me. A crawfish is basically a cockroach of the river to me. But I was at a crawfish boil so I decided to try it. It was too much work for such a tiny bite. I’m a lobster gal.
Angie –
I tried something new at Zaxby’s. I love their salads and decided to try the new Chicken Salad Sandwich. I like it a lot. I have to say it’s not as good as Zoe’s but better than Chick-Fil-A. I’m a chicken salad nut, so anywhere I can get good chicken salad without getting out of my car makes me happy.
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!
>BirminghamMommy.com is thrilled to be teaming up with McWane Science Center and 103.7Q to bring you a night of the Twilight Saga: Eclipse. We’ll be celebrating the love of all things Twilight under the moonlight on the plaza. Complete with games, prizes, great food and cocktails.
We’re happy to be giving one lucky reader a FREE TICKET to Twilight Over 21!
You’ll be able to walk the red carpet and have your picture made with the life size cutouts of some of your favorite vampires or werewolves. You can declare your love with a Vampire bite or Wolfpack tattoo, all guests will receive a Dazzle Bag full of goodies. So come toast to Twilight with blood red cocktails that even a Vampire would kill for!
Here’s how to enter:
1. Comment here, tell us why you love Twilight! (1 entry per day allowed)
2. Subscribe to our newsletter if you don’t already. Then comment here (again) that you did so or do already. (1 entry total allowed)
3. Tweet this EXACTLY: “@BirminghamMommy and @Mcwane are having the ULTIMATE Twilight over 21 party! http://ow.ly/1V5gd” (1 entry per day)
4. Refer a friend. If a friend comments that you referred them to the giveaway, we’ll give you each an extra entry!
Giveaway will begin on Monday June 7 and will end on Monday June 14 at NOON CST. Winner will be announced the next day. Good luck!
Event Details:
TWILIGHT OVER 21
Date: July 1
Party Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Movie Time: 10 pm
Where: McWane Science Center
Tickets: $25, BirminghamMommy followers will get $5 OFF that price! (Includes party, food, and movie ticket)
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW! Must call (205) 714-8414 with promo code BHAM MOMMY to get the discount. It will not be available online.
June 12-13, 2010 Saturday, June 12 and Sunda, June 13, head to Childersburg and you’ll find “Country and Bluegrass performers, appearances by Spongebob Squarepants, Dora the Explorer, Spiderman, and Happy Hernando. Also, vendors and hay rides!” All in addition to the fun environment of DeSoto Caverns!
In the meantime, check out some of the interesting history of the caverns, including being the first recorded cave in the United States, being a Civil War Gunpowder Mine and more.
For even more fun, check out our weekly calendar. We break down the family friendly fun one day at a time!
We all love taking hundreds or thousands of pictures of our kids. Then, if you’re like me, you end up letting them sit on your computer because they all look the same or they just aren’t “print-worthy.” It’s time to get print-worthy! We asked 2 local photographers for their top tips in photographing kids.
Both of our photographers interviewed agreeed on 2 main points: Turn OFF the flash and don’t force the smile! Read on for more great tips, and feel free to head over to our Facebook discussion page to share some pictures of your little ones!
Tips from Jen Cowsar of Jen Cowsar Photography
1. Turn OFF the FLASH! Natural light is unbeatable. If photographing inside, open the curtains and let in the light. Shoot near a window with light shining through. You will have to lower your shutter speed shooting inside so compensate by dialing up the ISO. Example: set shutter speed to 60 but dial up the ISO to 800. Never shoot lower than a 60 shutter speed without a tripod.
2. NIGHTY NIGHT! Sleeping babies are beautiful. Utilize naptime to get some beautiful sleepy time shots.
3. WATCH THE CLOCK!!! When shooting photographs outside, the best times are early and late. Try to plan photos for between 8 and 10 am or between 4 and 6 pm. The light early and late is the best filtered light and you will have less problems with shadows and squinty eyes.
4. GET BEHIND ME!!! Put the sun behind your subjects. Yes, you will squint as the photographer but your kiddos won’t.
5. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF…Cloudy days are often the best days for a great photo shoot. You will have less problems overall with shadows and kids squinting because of the sun. I personally love cloudy days with my camera.
6. DON’T SAY CHEESE!!! Some of the best photos I have ever snapped have no posing involved. Take photos of your kids talking and interacting. Snap the shutter when they are playing like they usually do everyday. Those everyday moments are the ones you will want to always remember.
1) TURN OFF THE FLASH: Sometimes going near a window or outside allows the beautiful natural light to be the main light source. No flash should be on in this case, as it casts unwanted shadows, and can really wash out the
subject. Natural light is so soft and compliments any image.
2) SHOOT FROM YOUR KIDS’ LEVEL: As adults, we’re obviously bigger than our children. Sometimes sitting, squatting or laying down in front of them so that the camera is on the same level with their face brings a whole new
dimension to the image. Not only that, but it helps you connect with your child better and it will help you get the close-ups of those precious faces.
3) DONT FORCE THEM TO SMILE: Dont always ask for a smile. If a smile isnt genuine, you can usually tell in the resulting photo. Instead, let your child(ren) do something fun. Anything that lets them be their natural selves will create a genuine smile/laugh, and more memorable pictures for you. Photograph them jumping in rain puddles with their rainboots, capture them laughing on a swing, let them enjoy that lollipop or popsicle. You will love these pictures so much more years down the road than you will those where they are sat down and being told to say ‘cheese’.
4) FILL THE FRAME: We all want to take pictures that show our children’s entire bodies, or maybe a cool location we visited. But dont be afraid to get in realllly close and fill the whole frame with your child’s face.
Sometimes it is the expressions and tiny details of their faces at that particular age that should be the focus, rather than the head-to-toe shots.
5) READ YOUR CAMERA MANUAL: So many of us have the latest and greatest digital cameras on the market. We buy them, we take them out of the box, and we start snapping away. Yet, we know so little about what each camera can
really do to help us. Whether you have a point-and-shoot, or a snazzy SLR, reading the manual is a must so that you are getting the most out of such a precious tool.
We know you have a man in your life that likes stuff, “Man Stuff” to be exact. Whether it’s sports, home improvement, electronics or poker the Ultimate Man Stuff Expo will have something to keep your Dad or Husband busy this Fathers Day Weekend. We’re talking about the manliest event of the year and the timing couldn’t be more perfect!
