Fake-action: Ross Bridge Resort & Spa

Posted on Saturday, November 21, 2009 by Angie

*We pulled this post from the vault! Thought it was appropriate with the hustle and bustle of the coming season to sneak in some relaxation

Need to get away? Desperately? Go feel like your on vacation and only drive 10 miles from your house. We did it. We pulled off a quick weekend getaway to Ross Bridge and loved every stinking minute of it! Great food, an easy afternoon at the pool, dinner and a movie in our room – it was wonderful. Those of us over here at Birmingham Mommy know how to spot a good time and this is it!

Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa features any and everything you need to have a little fake-ation. Heck, you can even fake out the kids. Ask mine – she went down the pool slide enough times to make her head spin (and mine.) Hubby likes to golf? The hotel is nestled in the heart of a Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail course. Kids want to play? We’ve already mentioned the stellar pool and slide (oh! towels provided) – a real treat. Mommy need some away time? Check out the spa. Their professionalism, hospitality and perks are unmatched anywhere in the city. And the rooms? Do oversized bathrooms and balconies get your attention? And be sure to make it back to your room or the grounds in time to enjoy the evening bagpipes. It was a treat for me as well as the kids.

The resort often offers special getaway packages, so be sure to check out the specials page on their site or call the reservation specialists – they’ll be more than happy to help you out with your stay.

The info:
Renaissance® Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa
4000 Grand Ave Hoover, Alabama 35226
Phone: 1-205-916-7677

For more information and specials – check them out here

More from the Market!

Posted on Friday, November 20, 2009 by Angie

We already made our picks for our Must Have items. But we also wanted to give you another perspective of what you can expect at the Market. In case you haven’t gone already, there’s always tomorrow. KMommy went today and gave us the scoop:

-Very well done this year: smaller but high quality selection of booths, “concentrated goodness.”

-I loved the new venue. It was great not having to go all the way downtown. I know parking seemed confusing- but they were putting up additional signs to help us distracted moms find the elevators from parking on the hill behind the Cahaba Center.

– If you aren’t pushing a stroller- it CAN be done in an hour.(though like me- you’ll want to go back) So sling your child- and take advantage of the free bag check at the front!

-Don’t miss the 5 dollar book booth. High quality popular children’s titles- paperback 3 for 5, hardcover 5 each.

– J Allens has a great selection of decor at all price points. I saw 100 wonderful gifts- bought a few things to add to my collection of ornaments- and they were thrilled when I mentioned BirminghamMommy!

-Keep your eye out for the BirminghamMommy Picks! Easy to spot! Though they are popular booths- so be patient!

-Don’t miss Home Fields Inc for the stadium cutouts- a great gift for a sports loving husband or Grandpa!

-My favorite new trend I hadn’t seen before were the rolls of mesh ribbon for using in your wreaths and greenery. Colorful and easy to use for a pop of color indoors or out.

Tin Christmas Tree Winner!!

Posted on Friday, November 20, 2009 by Angie

Sorry we’re a little late on the announcement… we stayed up very late to go to the New Moon premier last night!! **SWOON**

Our winner is the fabulous Kelly Jones!! We’ll get in touch with you soon!!

Thanks to all who entered. December holds many more giveaways!

Birmingham Mommy: "A Craft with a Conscience" from Amber

Posted on Friday, November 20, 2009 by Angie

Here’s a twist on the oldest Thanksgiving craft ever–turkey hands! It’s quick and simple, which is always good for busy families, right? If you can trace your hand, then you can make this decoration.

Here’s what you need: scissors, tape, a pen, construction paper in fall colors, twine, mini clothes pins, googly eyes, glue.

I think it’s fun to do this as a family craft, Dad included. Everyone traces their hands and cuts them out (we did about 5 hands per person). Mom and Dad can help the little ones with the tracing and cutting. After everyone’s hands are cut out, have a family discussion about Thanksgiving and gratitude. You can expand the discussion based on your children’s ages and your personal beliefs–how others sometimes have needs for food or shelter, how you can help by volunteering and donating, etc. Then have each person write things they are thankful for on their paper hands. Again, Mom and Dad can help write for the little ones. Once you have your hands finished, you can embellish them with little rectangular legs, triangle beaks, and circle googly eyes (see how you can work in teaching shapes?). To finish it off and appreciate your family’s handiwork, they can be clipped onto some twine or ribbon with mini clothes pins to make a Thanksgiving garland. String it in front of a window or on your mantle…anywhere that you can all enjoy it for the season. If your children are like mine, they will love seeing their projects displayed prominently in the house. Happy crafting and Happy Thanksgiving, Y’all!!

Amber is a contributor to BirminghamMommy.com and mommy to a gorgeous 3 yr old boy and will be welcoming #2 soon! She lives and loves home decorating, crafts, and general do it yourself projects. You can read more about Amber at Blooming in the South.

That's Jive Talk Turkey!

Posted on Thursday, November 19, 2009 by Angie

Ok, so you want to cook a turkey this year? And, well while you have the general concept down, it’s a daunting task. How long? What temperature? What do you do with all that stuff inside? Don’t ask me – but you can ask the Turkey Team at Butterball.

Throughout November and December you can call the Turkey Talk-Line day or night. No question is too tough, no turkey can intimidate these folks. In other words, if you’ve got a problem, yo they’ll solve it. Sorry, I could not resist.

Butterball Turkey Talk-Line 1-800-BUTTERBALL

Fun facts about the 29 year old Turkey Talk phoneline (from butterball.com)

When the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line opened twenty-nine years ago, six home economists responded to 11,000 phone calls in the first year alone.
These days, the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line employs more than 50 professionally trained, college-educated home economists and nutritionists, who respond to more than 100,000 questions each November and December. They’ve answered calls regarding how to cook for a whole firehouse, how to impress the in-laws, and how to serve international students their first American Thanksgiving dinner.
The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line is going on-demand and on the go with Turkey Text Messages. Text the word “TURKEY” to 36888 to have weekly turkey tips, thawing reminders, and cooking alerts sent straight to your mobile phone. Or visit Butterball.com from your mobile device. (some rates apply – check butterball.com for explanation)

Yogurt Mountain.

Posted on Thursday, November 19, 2009 by Angie

Looking for something fun to do with the kids that happens to include a healthy treat? How about heading over to Yogurt Mountain?

Okay, totally healthy may not be the best description when you let a 4 year old choose from toppings made up of Skittles, M&M’s, Reese’s Pieces, Snickers, Ande’s Mint and Sprinkles, but the point is, yogurt is a healthy alternative and they do have some fresh fruit options to add to your yogurt.

We stopped by there for a little BirminghamMommy.com field trip and I can’t say enough good things about this place. You get a cup, choose from about 10 different flavors of yogurt, then add any (or all) of the toppings of your choice, they weigh your cup and you pay .45 cents per oz. That’s it, it’s easy and the kids love having control over their own mixture…

My 4 year old chose, Vanilla, Cake Batter and Cookies and Creme as her yogurt base, and topped it with Sprinkles, Skittles and M&M’s. Not my flavor combo of choice, but hey, who am I to judge?

We have to give Yogurt Mountain 2 thumbs up – Kid tested, kid approved!

I've Got Art Coming Out of My Ears: A Solution for Storage and Organization of Children's Art

Posted on Thursday, November 19, 2009 by Angie

Preschool. Just the word conjures up warm and fuzzy feelings of exciting play and learning time for your children. Even warmer feelings of a few hours of freedom for you. But with that word comes some wonderful memories you’ll cherish for the rest of your life, except well those memories come by the truckload.

What are we supposed to do with all that stuff? My refrigerator is full. My cork board is overflowing. I needed a system – and necessity breeds solution (or something like that.)

Here are a few ways to take back control of the art clutter:

Storage bins and boxes
I bought these at IKEA. At two for $7.99 – they are solving the problem that I have wonderfully. They’re letter size, so there is ample space to store loads of scarecrows and hand turkeys. There’s even a nifty included label so I can put her name and the year. But, if you’re not up for the drive to Atlanta, there are many storage solutions like this available at office supply stores or even thecontainerstore.com. So voila’ – organized and protected.

Gift it out
There is no better gift for a loved one that a special peice of art your child crafted. To make it even more “gifty”, include it in a nice frame that the recipient can use at a later date. I am compiling it all into my handy box (above) so I can sort through it at giving time.

Display it
I had to learn that there were many more ways to display my child’s creative attempts than jsut a refrigerator magnet. Another BirminghamMommy contributor, RandomMommy, did this:

So use your imagination – you’ll be surprised at how creative you can be. And nothing makes a child more proud than to see her artwork on display.

Santa Special!

Posted on Thursday, November 19, 2009 by Angie

In case you missed out on the Heart of Dixie Polar Express Rides for this year, don’t worry! Tickets are still available for the Santa Special.

Santa rides the train with you! Tell him what you would like for Christmas as he poses for photos. Each child will receive a Christmas gift!

All seats (age 2 years and older) $15, plus processing fee.

But Hurry! These won’t last long either!

Friday, Nov. 27 – 9AM, 11AM, 2PM
Saturdays, Nov. 28, Dec. 5, 12, 19 – 9AM, 11AM, 2PM
Sundays Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 13, 20 – 11AM, 2PM

** No refunds. Trains run rain or shine. No smoking, alcohol or pets allowed on the train. There are no working restrooms on the train. Our vintage railcars have limited handicapped accessibility – please call in advance for details.

Our Market Must Haves!

Posted on Thursday, November 19, 2009 by Angie

As we mentioned earlier today, we had the privilege to sneek a peek at all of the vendors setting up to partcipate in this years Market, sponsored by the Birmingham Junior League. Not only were we able to get a preview, we were asked to be on the panel and pick out our favorite vendors from the show and give them awards based on what we thought were the absolute “Must Haves” for 2009. So without further ado, here is what we found.

In the Cookbooks and Gourmet Foods Category:

Sugah Cakes.

http://www.sugahcakes.com/

Homemade Goodness in Minutes. Cake Mixes and Cupcakes. We were drooling over the Red Velvet, a definite “Must Have.”

In the Children’s Category:

Sew Precious.

Adorable children’s clothing and accessories, but our “Must Have” pick from this booth was the super cute pajama’s with matching bedtime story book. Our cute assistant was tickled pink by “Pinkalicious.” These were also featured on ABC 33/40.

Clarabelle and the Hen

http://www.clarabelleandthehen.com/

Whimsical Goods by artist Kathryn Gage. This is a different twist on Monogramming and we absolutely fell in love with her products. Our “Must Have?” These shirts.

From the Apparel and Accessories Category:

DeJaVu

It’s easy to shop for the kids, but to find some funky and cool stuff for ourselves?! There were so many things in this booth I wanted to take home with me or buy for someone I know. It was tough to make this decision on one single “Must Have” so you will have to stop by and see for yourself all of the great offerings from this vendor. TIP *We heard they sell out fast, so get there early*

In the Gifts Category:

Hedge Farm Candles

http://www.hedgefarm.com/

When you walk past this booth the smell alone will make you happy. It’s so pleasant and mild. They had so many unique items but ultimately we choose this fleur de lis candle as our “Must Have.”

From the Holiday and Home Decor Category:

j allen’s Gifts and Interiors

www.j-allens.com

Where do we start? What caught our eye first was the beautiful display of unique Christmas Ornaments. There were fishes and frogs and everything in between. So many cute items, and sock monkey’s galore! We have chosen this adorable Backpack as our “Must Have.”

This vendor also received 4 thumbs up from our little assistants, earning them this year’s BirminghamMommy.com Kids Pick. Our little ones had a fit over this entire display and would h
ave stayed there asking questions and admiring everything all night if we wouldn’t have pulled them away!

Congratulations to all of our Picks for 2009! We wish you great success for this year’s show and we hope to see you again soon.

If we’d only had one more award, it would have gone to this t-shirt that says it all:

If you are headed out to The Market tomorrow, make sure to stop by and say hi to all of these vendors and let us know what you would have made your “Must Have.”

Happy Shopping!