Day Trip

Head on over to the Reading Terminal Market from 8am to 5pm, Thursday August 12th through Sunday August 14th for their Pennsylvania Dutch Festival. Complete with traditions, foods and crafts of Pennsylvania dutch including handmade quilts, cedar chests and much more. Treat yourself to homemade ice cream, fudge, donuts and funnel cakes. Yum.


Stop on by to join the celebration on Saturday and the fun will flow out onto Arch Street right outside the market. Enjoy a petting zoo with animals from chickens and donkey's to horses and pigs, jam to the beats of country and blue grass bands and take an Amish buggy ride or horse-drawn wagon ride around the streets of the market for free.

Making it a day? Add to the excitement by taking the train into the city.
 
Looking for more to do this weekend, stop back on Friday and join me for Fun Friday!

Guess who's turning 10?

I can't take credit for this find,thanks to a new blog I came across through Follow me Tuesday, Student Saving Bucks, but I had to share.

Who knew Dora was almost a tween?

Help Dora celebrate her 10th birthday at Wal Marts around the country Saturday August 14th  from 11:00am to 4:00pm.

This FREE Dora event will be hosted in the toy department of Wal Mart Super Centers with bakeries. Enjoy a cupcake and bring your favorite photo to make a super cute Dora Photo Card...for FREE!

Check out Wal Mart's website for participating stores near you. And for some super great savings check out Student Saving Bucks.

Thanks Ai Mei and Happy Birthday Dora!

New Museum Spotlight: The Delaware Children's Museum

There is a new pace to play, explore and adventure, The Delaware Children's Museum, which opened their doors to the enthusiastic children everywhere on April 24th 2010.

The museum opened it's doors to withhold their goals and mission to "provide children and their families from diverse backgrounds with a comfortable, accessible, fun and stimulating environment where they enjoy spending time together","to develop innovative ways to help children learn through play and to complement the learning that takes place at home and at school" and "to present content across multiple disciplines in a way that invites exploration, encourages learning and creates connections between visitors and the world".

With exhibits like The Power of me-dedicated to the human body,The Stratosphere-a 30 foot diagonal climber taking kids to new heights and Training Wheels-an area built for the museums youngest explorers to explore things that GO!, you child will be educated and entertained at the same time.These are just 3 of the seven exhibits that cover 37,000 square feet of interactive fun.

Admission is $12 per person. And children under the age of 1 are free. This museum is included in the reciprocal museum passes. But because of some guidelines the museum imposed upon it's self, that I don't understand, if you buy your Reciprocal pass at the Please Touch Museum, this is not included. But if you buy it at the Garden State Discovery Museum, not only is the pass $100 cheaper than at the Please Touch Museum, but you can go to all the museums around the country including the Please Touch Museum AND this new Delaware Children's museum.

They have plenty of weekly events going on, hop over to the new museum Saturday and from 9am to noon take part in Critter Cart-the Delaware Museum of Natural History will be visiting with a special cart of critters, come learn about their habitat. And from 10am to 3pm, Make and Design your own Flying Kite.Check their calender for events!Sounds like fun.

I'll be visiting the museum in August so be on the look out for my Review. If you've been there, let us know what you liked, or didn't like!

Discovery Museum Savings

We just got back from one of our favorite places, The Garden State Discovery Museum in Cherry Hill New Jersey, and I got a hot tip from the amazing woman at the front desk. They are running a special in August and September, buy a yearly membership and receive 3 free months. So instead of 12 months, you'll pay for 12 months and receive 15 months! 

Not Bad. Right? I'll keep you posted when the special is offically on.

Also, for all you Pennsylvanians looking to purchase the reciprocal family membership from the Please Touch Museum, this is a must read! This membership at $220 buys you admission for the year in all the discovery museums around the country except the new Discovery Museum in Wilmington, Delaware. If you are looking to save money, go to the Garden State Discovery Museum in Cherry Hill, and buy the reciprocal family membership there. This membership gets you admission to all the discovery museums around the country including the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia and the new Discovery Museum in Wilmington and at $120 it is $100 cheaper then if you purchased the same membership at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia!!!

Wild right? Definitely worth the ride over the bridge to Jersey. When you think about it, you can purchase the family membership at the Zoo with that savings!

My kids always have a great time at the Garden State Discovery Museum.They run great programs, crafts and a clean place for the kids to play. And it's nice that when you come, the staff remembers you and are always friendly and helpful.

Here are some shots from the fun they had today.

George and Sophia building a city!

John exploring the crawlers area.

Sophia coming down the slide.

That will be $20. Cash register fun in the Little Discoveries area.

Planning their menu at The Silver Diner.

Snack break.

Fishing at the shore.

My sister Jenae and her daughter Josie checking out the turtles.

Fun for a Cause

Have fun for a great cause at the Camden Riversharks!

View of the Ben Franklin Bridge in the outfield.

Friday, July 30th is Children’s Miracle Network Fundraising Night! Bring the whole family to enjoy good food, fun and post game Fireworks Extravaganza! Tickets cost only $11 and when you use the special group code, $5 from each ticket will be donated to Children’s Miracle Network at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

To order tickets, visit http://www.riversharks.com/ and click on the “Riversharks Fundraising Program Log-In” icon on the right side. Enter code CMN52 to login, click “Buy”, then simply follow the prompts to complete your order. Can't beat that!

George and the kids on the Carousel ride.

Of course, it's not the Phillies, but if you haven't ventured to the Riversharks now is definitely the time. The stadium is family friendly, and so are the ticket prices. We love the stadium, no matter where you sit, you have good seats and a great view. But my kids favorite part was the view of the Ben Franklin Bridge in the outfield, and of course, watching the trains pass over the bridge during the game. Don't worry if your kids won't sit the entire games, the fave a fun area for kids called the Nesquik Fun Zone with non stop action, a carousel ride and much more. Stay the entire night for an extra bonus, fireworks after the game.

Me with Sophia at the game in 2008.

Go Target!

Who knew? Target really is the jack of all trades. 

This weekend July 16th-18th Target is pairing with 80 museums and theatres in 30 cities across the country to offer free or reduced admission through their Target Arts and Wonder Free Family Event in an effort to support education in the communities they serve.


This is a big one: In Philadelphia, admission to the Franklin Institue is FREE this Sunday from 3pm to 5pm.

Once a month Target also supports Target Community Night at the Franklin Institute from 5pm to 8pm, where you get in for FREE and recieve FREE IMAX tickets, FREE acces too all hands on exhibits,FREE 3D shows in the Franklin Theatre, FREE live science shows, FREE planaterium shows and FREE access observatory. The next Target Community night is July 28th.

Target doesn't stop with the Franklin Institute, at the the Please Touch Museum, the first Wednesday of every month is Target First Wednesday, come and enjoy just $2 admission from 5pm to 7pm. The next one is Wednesday August 4th.

Visiting my blog from another state? Check out their website for an event near you!

I knew I loved Target!

Kitchen Helpers

My kids love to cook.

They want to help.

They want to mix, stir and break eggs. But mainly, they want to be taste testers.

I'm not known for my craftiness, but we occassionally do cooking projects at home and when we do, I find it  takes the edge out of the "begging" to be involved. I love that they want to help. And having them get involved in cooking is something we can do for fun as a family, but it usually means a bigger mess to clean up.

So why not get them involved in cooking classes?

In New Jersey, SuperSavers in Marlton and Kitchen Kapers in Moorestown have multiple classes through out the month. Kitchen Kapers holds classes for kids and teens. The next class  for teens is July 17th Saturday, 1:30 - 3:00 p.m., Campground Treats. Your young explorer will learn how to create some survival "staples" from scratch: grilled corn salad, pigs in a blanket, and, of course, s'mores! Yum! And for kids, the next class is Sunday July 25th from 1:30 to 3:30pm, where your little one can learn the fundametnals of cooking. Let's hope that includes cleaning up! Class registration is $35. Check out the webiste for more information.

At Super Savers, a place I've always wanted to try, not for the classes but for their pre cooked meals, they are offering 4 cooking classes for kids through the month of August. Registration is $20 and classes start at 10:30. In this 60-90 minute class your child will create a kids size meal to take home with them and a snack and drink will be provided. Nice.
Visit their website to register.


In Pennsylvania, Stop by Love your Fruits and Vegetables in Bala Cynwood. Looking for a class that travels to you? Check out The Playful Chef. They travel across most of Pennsylvannia and South Jersey, enteretaining groups of kids with food and a craft. They even host birthday parties. Great for the little cook in your life! Don't forget about the Young Chefs Acadmey has five locations in Pa and they have weekly classes and host field trips.

Now if only their were classes on cleaning up? I know many parents that would jump at that one.

If you are looking for something to do at home with the kids, here is a great idea.

It almost always results in every one laughing, participating and having a great time.My kids love making pizza and we love to do this with them. My husband takes the reigns on this one. He loves to show off for them, flipping the dough high in to the air and they hang onto his every word. We like to buy the pre made pizza dough from Wegmans.You can find everything right outside their pizza counter. They have a section that sells everything you need to make semi-homemade pizza right in your own kitchen. One dough, one container of sauce and two containers of pizza cheese mix will make you about 2 size mediums pizzas, it costs just a little bit more than $10.We don't usually get too creative with toppings, this time we just used cheese, but they are more likely to eat what they make, so sometimes we add meat and even try some veggies. Looking for a whole grain option? They also sell whole wheat dough. We've tried it and it's pretty good. They love every bite and always have a great time doing it.

Here's my husband and his very special sous chefs hard at work:

First, flour the surface....

Using your hands, get the dough ready to be rolled out.

Most importantly, stop to pose for the camera.

And then roll out the dough.

Add the sauce.

Spreading over the entire surface.

 Now, add the cheese....we love cheese.

Ready to put in the oven....

And the finished product......

Bounce Away

Deciding where to throw a birthday party for your little one can be fun or your worst nightmare.

Do you do it at home and keep it small and intimate or do you venture to a party place and invite more kids then your kid actually plays with and spend more than you planned? Well, we have played with both options. And the best place we have thrown a party, other than home, thus far is Bounce U. And most of the time, if you invite adults that are willing to let loose a bit, the parents end up having more fun than the kids, like my husband and I do every single time. We've been seen accompanying our kids down the big slide, only because we know they need someone to go with them (*wink*), racing through the obstacle course, and of course, I win every time. We laugh, we jump, we bounce and we sweat, family style and always have a great time.

The inflatable play places are a big hit with parents and kids alike. They usually have 2 separate rooms with big slides, obstacle course and moon bounces. It's an all in one, bounce then party, and then hopefully your kids go home and take a nice long nap! Another inflatable play place we've been to for birthday parties is Pump it Up. Pump it up is having some great ways to save money for birthday parties this summer, mine is in a couple weeks, would it be weird to have a 30 something birthday party there? Anyway, never mind. Click on this link to check out their savings.

Don't live by a Pump it up or Bounce U? Check out Jump Zone, Let's Bounce Around and Kidz Rule. Kidz Rule is located in Hatfield Pa and they not only have inflatables and bounces for the bigger kids, they have an indoor play area for kids under the age of 2, and events happening throughout the month. Bounce Wednesday, July 14th from 10:30am to 12:30pm or from 6-8pm and pay just $5. Not bad. They also have Mommy and Me Mornings the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month and they offer free coffee and breakfast. Moms are $3.50 and $6.50 for each child. Advanced registration is required. Kids Rule is also throwing their Birthday Party Giveaway. Enter to win a free Platinum Birthday Party a $285 value!! Just two days left to enter! Check out their website for more information.

Along with Kids Rule, all the bounce places mentioned above also offer open bounce times, not only is it a great way to get the kids to let off some energy but you get a chance to preview the place for a potential birthday site!

Bounce away!

Milk and Cookies Time

No Silly! Not that kind of Milk and Cookies.


This Milk and Cookies includes music, singing, dancing, and fun for everyone. It is a variety show featuring singers, musicians, story-tellers, artists and educators. This Milk and Cookies won't make your belly full, but your mind wandering and your heart filled with joy as you watch your children participate, get up and dance and sing. Even better.

Milk and Cookie time takes place Mondays in Ardmore at the MilkBoy main stage at 10:00am and Tuesdays in Bryn Mawr at MilkBoy Acoustic at 10:00am. Admission is $5 per person, babies free. 

Don't worry if you missed this week, Milk and Cookies is a weekly show. Next Monday in Ardmore groove to the beats special guest Beth Fox of Peekaboo Alley Music and on Tuesday in Bryn Mawr sing and dance to the silly tunes of Special guest Amy Elkins of Mama Mac.

Count me in!


Not quite ready for this but you are dying to get out of the house with baby in tow? Bring your own bottle...for the baby that is! Catch a movie at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, Tuesdays at 6:30pm. Your baby cries, no one cares. Screams at the top of their lungs, no one cares. You have to get up and rock her in the middle of the aisle, still, no one cares!

Now that's my kind of show!

Check out their website for more info!

Tennis Anyone?

Whether you looking to develop a pro, introduce your kids to a new activity, or just get your kid of the couch this summer, this one is for you.

Why not get your children involved with the Summer Tennis Program at Parkside Place, Upper Gwynedd? My mom, the North Penn High School Girls Head Tennis Coach and the North Penn High School Boys Assistant Tennis Coach,  has been running her tennis program there for 15 years with the assistance of a large staff of  8 instructors and 4 substitute instructors, targeting children ages 7 to 17.

The players are separated into 3 groups, the kid's program, ages 7-12 and teens ages 13-17 and an adult and teen class. In the Kids' program, focus is on basic basic skills. Everything from: forehand, background and serving to the fundamentals of playing a game. It's not all serious with this group, they have family night, family fun, tennis crafts and games. For older players, she works on enriching their tennis skills through strategy, competitive play and social skills. The older players then show off their skills with a teen tournament.

Their hard work doesn't go unrecognized. At the end of each summer session, each class has an award night, handing out MVP and most improved, among other awards, but don't worry, no one goes home empty handed.

The classes run, Mon, Wed and Friday mornings, kids from 8-9:30am, teens from 9:30-11:30am. And Tuesday and Thursday evenings, kid's 5-6:30pm or teens 6:30pm-8:00pm. There are 2 more sessions this summer and it's not too late to sign up. Session I is already underway, but session II runs 7/12-7/30 and Session II runs 8/3-8/19.

Did I mention she has an adult class as well? Focusing on enriching basic skills, competitive play and strategy, the adult class runs with the teen class Tuesdays and Thursday evenings from 6:30-8:00pm. And the adults participate in men's, women's, and mixed doubles tournaments, which she holds throughout the summer, where players come from around the tri-state area to compete (check back for more information on this tomorrow).

 For more information stop by Upper Gwynedd Township Park and Recreation Office, email my mom, Dannette Strader @ racquetcoach@aol.com or click here to be connected to the parks and recreation website.

For some back ground information on my mom, check out a post I wrote about her on my other blog, My Life In Jenga called Shameless Plug: Tennis Anyone?

Ahhh...alas, It's Fun Friday!

It's Friday! So why not make it Fun Friday?

Here are my picks for things to do this weekend, in no particular order!

Drum roll please.....

1. Attend a Farmers Market. Nothing better than this season and the fresh fruit and vegetables it brings. Some of my favorite Farmer's Markets are the Lansdale Farmers Market and the Collingswood Farmers Market and I'm sure there are a bunch of good ones in between. Nothing like fresh corn on the cob, roasted eggplant and grilled zucchini on the grill! It's making my mouth water just thinking about it! Where is your favorite Farmer's Market in the area?

2. The 4th of July may be over but the fireworks are still going strong Longwood Gardens in Kennet Square, Pa. The oohing and the aahing kicks off at 9:15pm. Make it a day and enjoy their Summer Barbeque Feast from 3:00pm to 9:00pm. Savor made to order burgers and other picnic favorites before the show. The barbecue is extra, check the website for pricing but the fireworks are included in admission, children 4 and under are free, ages 5-18-$6 and adults-$16. If this is a place you may go more than once, it may be worth it to buy the yearly membership. A family pass for two adults and all the children in the house hold under the age of 18 will run you $105. For a family of 4, this pass pays itself back in less than 3 visits! not bad!

3. And how many Blueberry Pies can you eat? Why not find out at the Linvilla Blueberry Festival in Media, Pa. If blueberry pies aren't your thing, no worries, the festival will also include a children's concert by the award-winning Makin' Music crew, costumed character appearances, live animals from the Philadelphia Zoo's Zoo on Wheels, a hoe down,Hay rides, face painting and much much more!
Rain date 7/11.


4. Now I notice a theme here?! Why not hop on down to the Camden Children's Gardens in Camden NJ on Saturday and Sunday, and celebrate New Jersey's Star fruit with BlueBEARy Blast and celebrate NJ Day. Children can join Mum the bear as they do planting projects, crafts and other activities as they celebrate this very delicious fruit. You just want to eat the blueberry treats? Don't worry! Families will have plenty yummy berry treats to choose from at the Blueberry concession stand.

5. The Merchantville Car Show. I'm a little partial to this one, so if it were in order this may be the number one, sorry blueberry festival and Longwood Gardens. I don't know if it is because we live here or we love the look on my kids faces as they browse through the streets and see the hundreds of cars, (about 800 this year). We count down and look forward to this event every year, and miss it when it's gone. We browse through the streets, with music that tacks us back to the 50's and 60's, while the kids eat the yummy kettle corn from the vendor that comes every year. There are tons of people, tons of cars and tons of yummy things to buy. So if you live, even an hour away, most the people and their cars come from further, I'd definitely recommend it.

Bonus: Today is Cow Appreciation Aay at Chick-Fil-A! Dress like a cow and receive a free combo meal, kids receive a free kids meal. You don't have to do anything fancy either, they have a costume starter kit you can print out on their website! Here's another easy idea, dress the kids in white and use construction paper to tape on black spots and paws. You can use face paint for the cow's face or hop on over to your local craft store for one of those foam animal hats that cost $1.Worth it for a FREE meal.


Do you know of something going on this weekend, perfect for families that you'd like to add?
Leave a comment below. I'll blog about it, and give you props along the way!

Thursday Thirteen: 13 Free Things to do with the kids

Having fun with the kids shouldn't always run your pockets empty, so here are 13 FREE fun things to do with the kids.

1. Go to the Library and Join their Summer Reading Program.  In most cases you don't have to be able to read alone, you can be a family reader. We entered the program at our library and they have weekly prizes you can enter to win. The first week my son won a Fun Summer Reading pack: 4 free books, a bubble wand, and some play dough! Nice. Many libraries also have story times and crafts.Check your local branch for specific times and information.

2.Free Summer Movies. Regal Theatres are offering Free Movies for kids, and no charge for adults either at theatres across the country. AMC is offering $1 moives (close enough) every Tuesdays! Check out their websites for locations and a schedule of movies.

3. Barnes and Noble. The store offers weekly story times for kids. And check out their website for a monthly book reading by authors and celebrities that you can watch online for no charge. This month is one of my son's favortie book series, Smash, Crash, read by the author himself, John Scieszka. Click this link to check the date and time of a location near you.

4. Lakeshore Learning Store. This educational store offers a free craft for kids on Saturdays from 11am to 3pm. They really have some super cute crafts, this Saturday, make a Summer Memory Keeper.

5. Play a family game. I know this one requires staying home, but some of the best memories I had as a kid was playing games as a family. Our favorite was Trouble. We'd get so competitive and my mom would always cheat, sorry mom!

6. Whites Road FREE Concert Series for Children and Teens. Whites Road Park offers a Free Children's night out July 12th at 7pm with the Middle Earth studio, an interactive and improvisational people- puppet show. They also have concerts for teens and adults. Check out the schedule at the Lansdale Borough Website for more information.

7. Go to the park. This area has some great parks across the regions. Some of my families favorites are the Upper Gwynedd Park in West Point, Pa (this is the same place my mom teaches her summer tennis camp for kids), Smith Playground at Fairmount Park in Philadelphia and Cooper River Park in Pennsauken, NJ.

8. AC Moore and Michael's have FREE Crafts. Both Craft stores have free crafts for kids. Most Michael's are offering a Knack Free Family Event Summer Fun on July 31st, join your kids to create "Green" environment friendly crafts! Check out their websites for locations near you and a schedule of in store events. At AC Moore

9. Home Depot and Lowes offer a FREE monthly workshop for kids. These workshops are a great way for your kids to curiosity with some of the simple tools you use around the house, under supervision of course. They often make great items with wood that you can take home and decorate later with paint and markers. The next Home Depot Kids Workshop is August 10th, get ready for school and build a super cute School Bus Pencil organizer. Jump on over to Lowes this Saturday, July 10th and build a ball and cup game.

10. Toys R Us. Toys R Us has some fun in-store events for kids. Check your newspapers flier or the website for more information.

11. Attend a FREE scavenger hunt at Skippack PikeVillage. Bring your child to this free event Saturday, July 10th from 11am to 4pm for an afternoon of  clues and prizes!

12. Merchantville Car Show. Walk the stereets of Merchantville, NJ (just a 10 minute ride over the Ben Franklin Bridge) and browse through the serveral hundreds of vintage and antique cars , trucks and motorcycles on display at The 12th Annual Car Show. Free live musical entertainment as well. This is a must if you have a car enthusiast living in your house, big or small.

13.Starlight Movie Series sponsored by Chick-Fil-A. See a Free movie, every other  Friday evening at Lindenwold Park, in Lindenwold,New Jersey. All you need to bring is a lawn chair or blanket. The next movie is July 16th, Monsters V. Aliens and July 30th is Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs, one of our favorites. Check their website for more information.

Phew! That's alot of Free!

Know something in the area that is free that you'd like to mention?

Leave a comment below!

The Little Treehouse

I've never been to this place, but my sister always raves about it. The Little Treehouse in Chestnut Hill, Pa. Just a hop over the bridge from South Jersey and about a 20 minute ride from Montgomery County, not bad when you are looking for new places to go. The Little Treehouse calls them self a Play Cafe and for good reason. Beyond this place being super cute, they have a fun, clean, fabulous play area for kids, right next to the play area they have a cafe for parents. My sister often meets other moms here for play dates and raves about the fact that she can sit and talk with her mom friend, while her daughter plays with the other kids, and they even enjoy lunch or a snack. I love the "one stop" play dates. Not only are they just a play place, they have weekly events and classes and you can even throw your little ones birthday party here.

Join them every Wednesday at 10:00am for Story and Pretzel time, sponsored by Citibank, enjoy story time and a pretzel, probably a great way to get your kids to sit still. The fun doesn't stop on Wednesdays, this Saturday, July 10th the Treehouse presents children's performers: Two of a Kind, performance starts at 6:00pm. Make sure to get their early for dinner and a seat.

Admission is free for adults. $8.50 for one child. Have more than one? Receive half off for each additional child. Looking for ways to save? Purchase 10 visits for $55, that's a savings of $30. You just saved yourself lunch!

Looks like they have multiple weekly camps running throughout the months of July and August, ranging from The "Art" of Gymnastics to The Fairytale Acting Camp.

Check out their website for more information, directions and a schedule of events and classes.

I'd love your comments and input! Do you know of somewhere to go in South Jersey or Pa? Let me know, I'll post about it and give you props along the way!

Get. Out. And. Play.

Looking for things to do with the kids, places to go and ways to save when you are out and about?
 Look no further. This blog will be dedicated to things to do around the South Jersey, Philadelphia Area and surrounding suburbs. On Friday I will list my top things to do around the area for the weekend and throughout the week, I'll post fun things to do and great ways to save money while doing it. This is a work in progress but will be fully up and running by Thursday, with my first post later today!
I also crave comments and input, so please come back and visit daily.