Friday Five: Top Picks for Weekend Fun March 29th – April 1st

Easter and April Fool’s Day this weekend, here are our picks for fun if you’re around the Magic City! Don’t forget… if you’re looking to pull some Easter Fool’s Day pranks on your kids, we have some ideas!

  • Get Healthy on the Railroad at Railroad Park

Get the entire family on track to better health with this fun hour of low to high impact activity designed to promote exercise for all ages. Families are invited to enjoy team activities like kickball, soccer or wiffle ball. Each class will begin with a warm up and light stretching, followed by the game of the week. In addition to providing physical benefits, Family Fun Friday also provides mental health benefits and social interaction for the entire family.

Friday, 6pm – 7pm

  • Cottontail Express at Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum

Hop aboard the Cottontail Express for a ride to Peter Cottontail’s meadow! Join in the fun at the meadow as we hunt for Easter eggs. A bounce house, temporary tattoos, coloring station, and a sandbox provide lots of family fun. Bring your camera to take photos with Peter Cottontail!

Saturday 31, 2018 10:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM

  • Breakfast with the Bunny at the Birmingham Zoo

The Easter Bunny is coming to the Birmingham Zoo for breakfast at 7:30am and 9am on Saturday, March 31! Enjoy a scrumptious scrambled egg and sausage breakfast with orange juice and coffee at the Kudzoo Café followed by a visit from the Easter Bunny! All children receive a special treat upon arrival and can enjoy making a craft. Event price covers Zoo admission for the day, Unlimited Ride Wristband, breakfast, activities and a visit with the Easter Bunny. Following breakfast be sure to join us for the Eggstravaganza Hunt!

Pricing:
Non-Members- $30.00-Adults, $25.00-Kids
Members- $25.00-Adults, $20.00-Kids
*Tax included

  • Eggstra-Special at CHOM

Fun Easter games and crafts! All included in admission!

Saturday, 10am – 4pm

  • Easter Egg Hunts

Make sure to check out all the Easter Egg Hunts and activities in our full Birmingham Area Guide

 

Our Sponsor:

Stanley Steemer provides professional deep cleaning services including carpet, tile & grout, upholstery, hardwood and air ducts. We also provide water restoration services.

Stanley Steemer of North Central Alabama services the greater Birmingham Metro Area and surrounding counties, spanning from Cullman to Clanton and from the Mississippi state line to the Georgia state line.

Stanley Steemer is the first carpet cleaning service certified asthma & allergy friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, removing an average of 94% of common household allergens from carpet. 24/7 scheduling available!

Use Code: Mom30 for $30 off any service. (Minimum charges apply)

Girls Inc. Cajun Cook Off

Saturday April 7th! Enjoy live music, a kid zone, and Cajun favorites such as gumbo, jambalaya and shrimp and grits prepared by more than 20 cook-off competitors. Event benefits Girls Inc. of Central Alabama, which inspires all girls to be strong, smart, and bold!

Participants will have the opportunity to enjoy live zydeco music by the Swamp Poppas, a performance by Girls Inc. program participants, a silent auction, children’s activities and taste-testing of an array of Cajun favorites including gumbo, jambalaya, bread pudding, po’boys, shrimp and grits and more. Tickets are $25 for adults and FREE for kids 12 and under! Tickets can be purchased now at www.bhamcajuncookoff.com.

Over 20 teams of amateur cooks will prepare an array of delicious Cajun-inspired dishes in the taste-testing contest. The teams will compete to take home trophies in Gumbo, Jambalaya, Open Cajun and Dessert categories as well as vying for the coveted Team Spirit and People’s Choice awards. Team and Sponsorship opportunities are still available and registration information is available at bhamcajuncookoff.com. All proceeds from the event will go directly to Girls Inc. here in Birmingham to fund programs that inspire girls to be strong, smart and bold.

Spring is in the Air: Cleaning and Decluttering, Here We Come!

 

Spring is in full bloom. That means birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and your house is crying out for some much needed attention! Cleaning and de-cluttering, here we come!

Here’s a great guide on how to keep a simple home. By simplifying life, you can eliminate a lot of the problems before they actually become a problem. Life with kids is chaotic and will always involve stepping on a toy here and there.

Tips to simplify:

1. Identify what’s really important and get rid of the rest. Go through each room, put everything in the floor and start deciding… keep? donate? trash? sale? When you put your keep items back in their spot, don’t overfill it. Keep drawers 50-75% full.

2. Basket system. One of the biggest complaints from moms is that everyone leaves their stuff in the family room. Keep a laundry basket or decorative basket in the family room. Throughout the day, place those items in it. At the end of the day, all items need to be back where they go. Otherwise, they risk being donated. Kids will listen when they hear that part!

3. Designate areas and which items go there. Have a designated “get ready for school” area where shoes, backpacks, lunches go. If your children know where to put their things, there’s a much greater chance that they’ll put it there.

4. Chore charts. Make the kids contribute to the family by doing small appropriate chores. Feeding the pet, unloading the dishwasher, making their beds… these are all things that toddlers and up can help with. Teach them early that they are part of a unit and their contribution is important.

5. Clean in small bursts. No one wants to spend a whole weekend making the house spotless, only to see it in ruins by Monday night. We LIVE in houses, and living in something means it will get messy and dirty. Clean a little bit each day.

Our Sponsor:

Our sponsor, Stanley Steemer removes an average of 94% of common household allergens like pet dander from carpet, upholstery, tile and hardwood floors. They’re also certified “asthma and allergy friendly” by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

Stanley Steemer provides professional deep cleaning services including carpet, tile & grout, upholstery, hardwood and air ducts. We also provide water restoration services.

Stanley Steemer of North Central Alabama services the greater Birmingham Metro Area and surrounding counties, spanning from Cullman to Clanton and from the Mississippi state line to the Georgia state line.
Stanley Steemer is the first carpet cleaning service certified asthma & allergy friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, removing an average of 94% of common household allergens from carpet. 24/7 scheduling available!

Use Code: Mom30 for $30 off any service. (Minimum charges apply)

Operation Kidsafe Grand Opening Event at Adamson Ford

Recently, Adamson Ford as part of their 100 Year celebration brought Operation Kidsafe to Birmingham.  It was a huge hit with local parents.  Each child received an Amber Alert Ready Safety Document.  As a gift to the community for their 100 years in business, the Adamson Ford Team has arranged to have a year-round Operation Kidsafe system installed in their showroom.  Every day, parents can visit the Adamson Ford Showroom and get this vital Safety Form.  The form also contains safety tips to start a family safety action plan, something Operation Kidsafe has been doing for 17 years.

Operation Kidsafe is Free and private for families.  Parents take home the only record of the visit….(a Bio Document) that is ready to hand to law enforcement in an emergency.  Safety tips to start a family safety action plan are also included.

Join Adamson Ford for the official Ribbon Cutting for the first year round safety center in Alabama, on Wednesday, April 11th at 1pm. Refreshments will be served.

Adamson Ford is location at 1922 2nd Avenue South, 35233

 

Friday Five: Top Picks for Weekend Fun March 23rd – March 25

Spring Break kicks off for many today, here are some fun events happening to start your break off on the right foot!

  • Pajama Storytime at North Shelby Library

Come in your PJs, have milk and cookies, and hear some wonderful bedtime tales. All AgesNo Registration Required.

Friday, 6:30pm

  • Easter Egg Hunts!

Lots of hunts happening this weekend, make sure to check our FULL LIST to see where to hunt!

Saturday and Sunday Various times, dates and locations.

  • Cottontail Express at Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum

Hop aboard the Cottontail Express for a ride to Peter Cottontail’s meadow! Join in the fun at the meadow as we hunt for Easter eggs. A bounce house, temporary tattoos, coloring station, and a sandbox provide lots of family fun. Bring your camera to take photos with Peter Cottontail!

For more information on time and ticket prices click here

Saturday and Sunday, multiple times available

  • 3-2-1 Blastoff at CHOM

Test your engineering and astronaut skills
Experiment with gravity
Launch a Rocket

Saturday 10am – 4pm

  • Red Carpet Rendezvous at Workplay

Presented by Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama’s Junior Board! Join in the fun at Workplay to party with the chosen Stars of Birmingham, as they compete to raise the most for RMHCA!

Enjoy food provided by Zoe’s, drinks, and live music! All proceeds benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama.

Click for more information

Saturday, 7pm

 

Our Sponsor:

Stanley Steemer provides professional deep cleaning services including carpet, tile & grout, upholstery, hardwood and air ducts. We also provide water restoration services.

Stanley Steemer of North Central Alabama services the greater Birmingham Metro Area and surrounding counties, spanning from Cullman to Clanton and from the Mississippi state line to the Georgia state line.

Stanley Steemer is the first carpet cleaning service certified asthma & allergy friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, removing an average of 94% of common household allergens from carpet. 24/7 scheduling available!

Use Code: Mom30 for $30 off any service. (Minimum charges apply)

Easter Egg Brownies

Brownies are my absolute favorite dessert so I look for excuses to make them a part of my life as often as possible. Here’s a cute way to serve them up as a dessert for your Easter Gatherings.

What You’ll Need:

Brownie Mix (I’m not picky and just use whatever box mix I happen to have stocked in my pantry.)
Egg shaped cookie cutter
Variety of icing

What you’ll do:

Bake brownies according to recipe directions
Once they have cooled completely, cut into Easter Egg shapes
Decorate with icing. Strips, dots… whatever goes!

 

Day Out with Thomas Big Adventures Tour!

Join the Heart Of Dixie Railroad Museum as we celebrate friendship by visiting everyone’s #1 engine, Thomas the Tank Engine™ for a Day Out With Thomas™. Day Out With Thomas offers an opportunity for children and their families to experience a train ride with Thomas the Tank Engine™ and to meet Sir Topham Hatt™, the Controller of the Railway. Be sure to stop by the Thomas & Friends Imagination Station with Thomas-themed activities including temporary tattoos. Children can splash around in the bubble station, play an exciting game of mini golf, and much more. Day Out With Thomas is sure to provide a day of memorable, family fun!

Every event features a ride and hours of different activities. Please plan to spend several hours at the event to enjoy all offered activities!

Find exclusive (not available in any store!) Thomas merchandise in the Gift Tent!  Delicious food vendors will be on site.

A fun-filled family experience not to be missed so be sure and bring your camera!

Train Rides:

Fri April 13, 2018 9:45 am, 10:30 am, 11:15 am, noon, 12:45 pm, 1:30 pm, 2:15 pm, 3:00 pm, 3:45 pm
Sat April 14, 2018 9:00 am, 9:45 am, 10:30 am, 11:15 am, noon, 12:45 pm, 1:30 pm, 2:15 pm, 3:00 pm, 3:45 pm, 4:30 pm
Sun April 15, 2018 9:45 am, 10:30 am, 11:15 am, noon, 12:45 pm, 1:30 pm, 2:15 pm, 3:00 pm, 3:45 pm
Sat April 21, 2018 9:00 am, 9:45 am, 10:30 am, 11:15 am, noon, 12:45 pm, 1:30 pm, 2:15 pm, 3:00 pm, 3:45 pm, 4:30 pm
Sun April 22 ,2018 9:45 am, 10:30 am, 11:15 am, noon, 12:45 pm, 1:30 pm, 2:15 pm, 3:00 pm, 3:45 pm

The Day Out With Thomas™ train ride lasts approximately 25 minutes. Please arrive 1 hour prior to your departure time to pick up your tickets at the Calera Depot, use the restrooms at the Gift Shop, and to get in line at your boarding location. There are plenty of family activities, so come early and spend the day out with Thomas!

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum Website

Four Illnesses to be aware of in Pre-schoolers

On the heels of a devastating flu season, four illnesses have emerged as ones to watch nationally among Pre-Schoolers (Toddlers), according to Doctors Report™ Illness Tracker™ and DoctorsReport.com.  The Doctors Report Illness Tracker ™, which is the mobile app and website that give you instant access to data doctors’ reports from almost one million doctors’ offices across the nation, released its current list of the top four illnesses currently spreading among toddlers, which are: Conjunctivitis (“Pink Eye”), Common Cold, Pneumonia and Strep Throat.

DoctorsReport.com draws from a national database of doctor-diagnosed and reported cases. Illnesses are ranked according to severity levels on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being most prevalent).  Current severity levels of the top four toddler illnesses are:

Conjunctivitis – 6.0 (Serious)
Common Cold & Cold Symptoms – 4.50 (Moderate)
Pneumonia – 4.50 (Moderate)
Strep Throat – 50 (Moderate)

While the national severity levels may be moderate-to-severe nationwide, these toddler illnesses are at severe levels in multiple areas across the country.

Conjunctivitis Symptoms – often called “pink eye,” conjunctivitis is an infection or irritation of in the white portion of the eye. A virus, bacteria, allergy or other irritants can be the cause. Very contagious, viral or bacterial conjunctivitis can spread rapidly and lead to itching, burning and discharge.

Cold & Cold Symptoms – sore throat, runny nose, coughing, ear pain, sinus pain, sneezing, watery eyes, head and body aches.

Pneumonia Symptoms – an infection of one or both of the lungs, often from the flu or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) but also caused by other viruses or bacteria. Pneumonia may be more serious for children under 5 or older adults. Pneumonia is the largest cause of death by infectious disease for children worldwide.

Strep Throat or Tonsils, Symptoms – an infection from Streptococcus bacteria. About 25% of children with sore throats have strep throat; about 10% of adults with sore throats have strep. Serious complications of untreated strep may affect the heart and kidneys.

About the Doctors Report Severity Scale

DoctorsReport.com has developed a proprietary set of algorithms for gauging the prevalence of 15 common illnesses. The major factors that define the severity scale are: number of diagnosed and reported cases from actual doctors’ offices and comparisons to historical trends for the same area.

About the Doctors Report Website and App

Doctors Report is a website and app, powered by data from almost one million doctors’ offices nationwide.  The data from doctors’ offices is cycled automatically so that it is the most current available anywhere.  Doctors Report tracks 15 major disease and condition categories. Additional health risk categories will be added.  The geographic accuracy of the data can be narrowed to zip code and broken down by health condition and age group.  For more information on the website and app, and to download it, visit www.doctorsreport.com.

 

Red Carpet Rendezvous benefiting Ronald McDonald House

Make plans to attend the Red Carpet Rendevous this Saturday at Workplay!

Who will be named “Birmingham’s Brightest Star?” Find out at Red Carpet Rendezvous presented by Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama’s Junior Board! Join in the fun at Workplay to party with the chosen Stars of Birmingham, as they compete to raise the most for RMHCA!

Each of the eight stars have planned a one-of-a-kind experience that you can bid to win (and accompany them on!) in their live auction on March 24th! There are experiences for everyone: groups, couples and singles! Descriptions of the Star’s experiences can be found at www.rmhjb.org.

Luxurious weekend trips to Nashville, TN and Destin, FL (including two night stay, fun local activities, and restaurant gift cards) will be available in the live auction! The silent auction also includes weekend trips to a cabin on Little River and a cabin on Lookout Mountain, a night at Ross Bridge, a 6 hour fishing charter in Destin, weekend passes to the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, General Admission Week passes to SEC Baseball Tournament and many more!

Enjoy food provided by Zoe’s, drinks, and live music! All proceeds benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama.

 

Ticket Prices:

**A VERY LIMITED NUMBER of VIP Tickets are available for purchase: $50; Includes food, two beer or wine tickets, mingling with stars at a champagne reception before the event and VIP seating for the live auction.

Patron: $35; Includes food and two beer or wine tickets.

Attire: Cocktail

VIP cocktail hour with our stars is from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The main event is from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Friday Five: Top Picks for Weekend Fun March 16th – March 18th

Our top picks for weekend fun this St. Paddy’s Day Weekend!

St. Patrick’s Day Parade Downtown

Visit the Chick-Fil-A Lucky Zone for kids from 11am to 1pm before the parade. They will be offering a kid-friendly area during the St. Patrick’s Day celebration with a bounce house, face painting, balloon artist, United Way Bike Rodeo, Birmingham Barons Speed Pitch, McWane Center activity, Museum of Art activity, Birmingham City fire truck, Birmingham City police horses, Chick-fil-A Cows, V from Vulcan, big machines from CraneWorks, etc. The event takes place in their parking lot before the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade begins.

CLICK HERE for parade map, live music, bag pipers, kids area details, food/drink specials and more.

Saturday, parade begins at 1:30pm – activities begin around 11am

St. Paddy’s Day Science at McWane

No luck of the Irish required, just plain ol’ science to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!

Saturday, 9am – 5pm

St. Patrick’s Day at CHOM

Search the museum for lucky Shamrock Coins all day!
Trade coins for prizes in the Lucky Leprechaun Shoppe!
Activities Included in Paid Admission

Saturday, 10am -4pm

Storytime on the Mountain at Ruffner Mountain

Nature inspires creativity. Come join us at the Nature Center as we will listen to stories read by longtime Ruffner volunteer, Ms. Jerri. Then make a fun craft to take home! Free and no registration is required.

Saturday, 10am – 11am

Tannehill Trade Days at Tannehill State Park

Shoppers and swappers come from far and near to Tannehill Trade Days in search of tools, clothing, jewelry, knives, furniture and other treasures. We have 350+ vendors to come and see. (March – November) rain or shine. Day-Use Admission: $5 Adults (12 years and older) $4 Seniors (Ages 62 and older) $3 Children (Ages 6-11)

Saturday, 8am – 4pm
Sunday, 8am – 4pm

Our Sponsor:

Stanley Steemer provides professional deep cleaning services including carpet, tile & grout, upholstery, hardwood and air ducts. We also provide water restoration services.

Stanley Steemer of North Central Alabama services the greater Birmingham Metro Area and surrounding counties, spanning from Cullman to Clanton and from the Mississippi state line to the Georgia state line.

Stanley Steemer is the first carpet cleaning service certified asthma & allergy friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, removing an average of 94% of common household allergens from carpet. 24/7 scheduling available!

Use Code: Mom30 for $30 off any service. (Minimum charges apply)