2013 World Immunization Week

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Mushy Mamma

For the last 2 decades April 20-27th has been recognized as National Infant Immunization Week in the States. Around this time globally (world immunization week dates vary a little depending of what part of the world you are in) health departments, national immunization partners, and health-care professionals across the world hold community activities and events highlighting the importance of protecting children from vaccine preventable diseases through immunizations. During World Immunization Week, I wanted to share a little bit more with you about Shot@Life.

Shot@Life is movement to protect children worldwide by providing life-saving vaccines where they are needed most.  The need is greatest in developing countries.   1.5 million children in developing countries die each year of a preventable disease like pneumonia, diarrhea, measles and polio. That is approximately one child every 20 seconds.

After learning about all the innocent children are dying of vaccine preventable diseases, I knew I wanted to get involved and help give children everywhere a shot at a healthy life.  Earlier this fall I became a Shot@Life Champion becoming an advocate for global vaccinations.

As a Shot@Life Champion my job is to spread the word in my community, educating on the importance of global vaccinations and to fundraise for this cause.  I have high hopes that my voice and my influence will encourage others to get involved, whether through donations or by becoming champions themselves and spreading the world.

Photo Credit: Kimberly Murray Photography

Vaccines save lives…..and for just a small amount you can help give children everywhere a Shot@Life and the mothers of those children a chance to see their children smiling as brightly as my son in the above picture.  If this smile was taken from me, I’d be devastated and I imagine most mothers would be too.  So please help spare both mother and child.

— MAKE YOUR DONATION —

IT COULD HELP IN MANY WAYS

Protect a child from polio and measles for his lifetime for only $5
Pay for vaccines to protect a child from the two most deadly diseases — pneumonia and diarrhea for just $15
Give a child a lifetime of immunity to protect her from pneumonia, diarrhea, polio and measles for a donation of $20
Protect three children from these four diseases for $60

Please Share this post with as many people as you can, so that together we can save the lives of as many children as we can.

Thank You I appreciate at you

Posted in Education, Health and Wellness | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Manage Childcare with Sitterati app for iPhone #sitterati #CGC

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Mushy Mamma

Sitterati is a new app for iPhone by Sittercity. Sitterati helps you manage childcare by bringing parents and sitters together in a virtual space.
As a parent it is important to me to have great childcare for my child. I know the importance of having a great network of reliable sitters especially when I need someone when Im in a pinch. Several times I have asked friends for babysitter referrals. I ask those people whom I trust and respect because I know have done thourough research to find great sitters. I also know prior to using them they have interviewed them and did background checks. Everytime I get referrals I write info down on scrap paper. Typically, I don’t use information right away and when I finally want to use it I realize I have misplace the contact information.

Well no more of that now that I have the Sitterati app. The app is quick and easy to use, it allows me to have everything in one place and right at the tip of my finger. The app allows me to create a database of my sitters, post sitter jobs, and allows me to pay sitters electronically.

My favorite thing about this app is it’s convenience and ease of use. I can post one job and send it out to all of my sitters I have in my database, then the sitters can respond directly to me either by email or telephone. Also I not only have access to sitters in my database but I also have access to sitters friends in my social circle have shared. I always feel more comfortable using a sitter that a friend referred because for them to refer them to me means they like and trust them.

How will you hire your next sitter for Date Night? Download Sitterati and to make it quicker and easier to hire that perfect sitter

Disclosure: I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Posted in Product Review | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Who wouldn’t want a Fairy in their Garden?

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Mushy Mamma

Who wouldn’t want a fairy in their garden?  Fairies are known to bring with them good luck, and I surely know I could always use a little of that. I recently interviewed Dr. Chris Cerveny  and Gardeniere Gina Iliopoulos  and they explained to me what a Fairy Garden is and what makes it so fun for kids.

 

 

Fairygardening is a great way to introduce your children to the magic of growing.  You can teach them how to love and nuture another living thing.  This is also a great way to get them to go deep into their imagination and come up with creative ways to decorate their garden.  Fairy Gardens are fun for beginning gardeners to even the more experienced gardner.  The great thing too is there aren’t any rules so you can make your garden as big or small as you want, simple or elaborate and this makes it very flexible with it comes to how much you have to spend.

Want to create a Fairy Garden with your children…. but don’t know how to get started?

Below you can find some great tips and how-to’s on getting started.  But remember think outside of the box…kids are great at this, let them be you inspiration.

WHAT YOU NEED

1. Planter with drainage
2. Miracle‐Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix
3. Miniature plants (flowers, succulents, etc.)
4. Mini fairy figurines
5. Mini acessorites—chairs, tables, etc.
6. Stones/pebbles (for decoration)
7. Eucalyptus Mulch
8. Garden gloves
 
Steps to follow
1. Fill the container roughly 2 inches from the top with potting soil
2. Plant succulents (miniature ferns are a great choice)
3. Decorate! Make a fairy path out of mulch and small pebbles/stones. Include mini accessories and
décor. Add in your favorite fairy or gnome.
 
Tips
• Be creative, utilize your inner green thumb to make a magical space for your favorite fairy family
• Use elements from your own backyard or toy box to make the garden truly yours
• Give your new garden a fantastic name
• Keep plants watered and fed with Miracle‐Gro plant food
• Give your fairies some delicious neighbors by filling a nice pot with Miracle‐Gro soil and planting
your favorite herbs, fruits or vegetables! Just be sure to grow a little extra for your new friends!
Growing your own food (and fairy food!) is not only fun, but so tasty!
Posted in Activities & Events, Education | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Your Invitation to “Open the door.Take the tour.”

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Mushy Mamma

I recently received an invitation to visit and tour my local Boys & Girls Club in Brookhaven which is part of the Boys and Girl Clubs of Metro Atlanta.  It had been years since I’ve stepped foot in the doors of a Boys & Girls Club facility.  The only other time I’ve visited one was when I  volunteered right out of high school.  During my tour, I was reminded of all the great things the Boys and Girls Clubs of America have to offer.

 

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America provides a strong foundation for youth in the community to help ensure that they have great futures.  They empower youth in a fun, safe, affordable and caring way.  Youth are engaged through different programs that help educate them , develop their character, and encourage leadership.  The Boys & Girls Clubs really prepare youth to be responsible, productive and caring citizens.

During my tour I learned a lot about the clubs that I didn’t know. For example, I’ve always thought that the Boys & Girls Club was only for disadvantage or troubled youth, but  I found out that wasn’t the case.  I also realized that I wasn’t the only one that had that misperception,  in fact over half the people there didn’t realize that.  The Boys & Girls Club welcomes all youth between 6-18 years old to become a members and the Boys and Girls Club belong to the entire community.

There are more than 4,000 Boys and Girls Clubs that serve millions of  youth nationwide.  During National Boys & Girls Club Week (April 7-13) clubs all over are inviting everyone from the community to “Open the door. Take a tour.” Click here to find a local club to visit and take a tour, or you can take the a virtual tour.

Even if you don’t have children of your own that meet the criteria visit your local club to find out what happens behind those blue doors.  My tour was amazing, it was great seeing happy, respectful youth, thriving in such a positive environment.  The staff were so warm and inviting that you may find yourself wanting to be a part of this mission.

Want to be a part of creating great futures?…There are always opportunities to donate, volunteer, or partner.  

 Learn more about the National Boys & Girls Club Week to find out what other things they are doing to celebrate. 

 

Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. I attended an information session and received a gift bag and promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Posted in Activities & Events, Education, Local Atlanta | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Some of us are having it…Some of us aren’t!

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Mushy Mamma

Some of us are having it and well um some of us aren’t.  Wild, Exciting, and Spontaneous sex that is.  I can’t count how many times I have had this conversation with my mom friends some talk about wanting sex all the time and cant get enough, and some talk about the lack of desire and chore of it all.  So when I found this video, it was so hilarious to me I just had to share.

Comedian Johanna Stein, created the video for her blog mom series, Life as Mom.  She found the perfect way to make something that is reality for a lot of moms, entertaining and extremely funny.

So this is for the  moms that haven’t been having the hot and heavy sex like you used to prior to kids.

 

Has Parenthood changed your love life?

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Heart Of Haiti Tea Leaf Nesting Trays and Spring Refreshments

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Mushy Mamma

As we move into the spring I’m ready to start relaxing on the back patio with friends and enjoy a refreshing drink.  I often like to have my girlfriends over for a drink to just catch up or play a friendly game of cards or scramble.  But before I start inviting people over I need to find that perfect drink.   When I have friends over, I like to have a “signature drink”.  This time I decided to try a new recipe I found for a “Watermelon Margarita” created by Tom Douglas who is a member of Macy’s Culinary Council.

Like anyone else I want to try and impress my guests with beautiful decor.   So I  displayed my drinks in festive glasses and used my Heart of Haiti Nesting Trays to add a little something something to my table set-up.  The trays are so colorful so it gave things a little pop, they are decorative with nice texture and hand painted design.  They were perfect to style with however they are delicate being that they are made of eco-friendly paper.   So you may not want to use them to serve food, if you do however only wipe clean with a damp cloth because you don’t want to ruin them by getting them too wet.

Now that I’ve had a test run and things looked great and drink was light, flavorful and refreshing, I definitely think it will be a hit amongst my friends.

I’ve listed the recipe below so you can try  it yourself.

Watermelon Margarita (Recipe)
Ingredients
Simple Syrup
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water3 pounds watermelon with rind intact
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) fresh lime juice
Crushed ice or ice cubes
6 basil sprigs
6 shots (9 ounces) tequilaTo make the simple syrup, in a , combine the sugar and water and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and then cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, or until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.Cut off and discard the rind from the watermelon. Cut the flesh into chunks, removing as many of the seeds as you can. In a  or , process the watermelon chunks, in batches as necessary, to a smooth puree. Pass the puree through a fine-mesh placed over a . You should have about 3 cups watermelon juice. Add the simple syrup and lime juice and stir well. Transfer to a pitcher and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.Just before serving, remove the watermelon?lime juice mixture from the refrigerator and stir well. Fill 6 tall glasses with ice. Place 1 basil sprig in each glass, fill with the watermelon?lime juice mixture, and then pour in 1 shot of tequila. Stir with a long  and serve immediately.Disclosure: I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere provided me Heart of Haiti Tea Leaf Nesting Trays for Review an shared drink recipe from Macy’s Culinary Council. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own.
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Body Carnival: The Science and Fun of Being You… an Exploratory Exhibit (Ticket Giveaway)

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Mushy Mamma

The Children’s Museum of Atlanta has a new feature exhibit,  Body Carnival: The Science and Fun of Being You.  This exhibit encourages children to explore the human body, and inspires them to learn through by using different tools that make learning fun.  One of the fun activities my son enjoyed most was the “Dizzy Tunnel”.

In the “Dizzy Tunnel”, children walk through a rotating star field which creates the illusion of movement or spinning. The challenge for the children to maintain their balance as they made their way to the other side.  Devin walked slow, and tried to stay steady but that wasn’t always the case which brought about so much laughter.

My son loved moving through this “Hands-On” exhibit doing different activities to test his body, and discover how it works.  He is only 4 years old and quite cautious when trying new things but he loved testing his strength in the activity called “Hang Time”.

In “Hang Time” the children were challenged to hang from a bar,  and could measure their extended and flexed arm hang times with a timing device that tells them how long their feet are off the ground. Visitors can compare their hang time based on others of their same age and gender.   Even as young as 4 years old my son is very competitve, everything is a competition these days.  Who got dressed fastest, who beat who to the door,  who can carry the most things….it’s crazy to see how competitive kids can be.

Devin compared his hang time to his friends he was there with and determined that he was the strongest.  Too Funny, my child is a mess :)

Photo Credit: Children’s Museum of Atlanta

This exhibit had lots of other learning activities which include: Tunnel of Blod, Sit and Reach, Walk the Plank, Goofy Goggles, Wacky Wall, Get a Grip, House of Color, Pressure Vessel, Go with the Flow, Calculation Station, Feel the Music, Body Challenge, and Think Fast.

Besides exploring on your own,  there is also daily programming which usually includes funny skits, music and movement through dancing or other activity.

The Body Carnival: The Science and Fun of Being You is  such a great early learning exhibit teaching about the science of the human body.  It’s definitely worth the visit and is going on now through May 27, 2013.

Children’s Museum of Atlanta Info:

Location: 275 Centennial Olympic Park Drive NW, Atlanta GA 30313

Hours: Open 7 days a week. Monday – Friday: 10:00 AM — 4:00 PM;
Saturday and Sunday: 10:00 AM— 5:00 PM.

Cost: General admission for ages 1 to 100 is $12.75 plus tax.

The Children’s Museum of Atlanta so generously provided me with a family 4 pack of tickets to give to one of my lucky winners.  To enter follow steps below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

Posted in Activities & Events, Education, Giveaway, Local Atlanta | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Healthy Food at The Big Chow Grill Atlanta

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Mushy Mamma

Mmmmm this was some good eats.  As you can see from the pictures below, Devin and I chowed down on healthy food at Atlanta’s Cobb Galleria restaurant, Big Chow Grill.

Big Chow Grill is American stir-fry with a healthy twist.  For a lot of people healthy food options are at the top of their list when taking their families out to eat.

Healthy Food at the Big Chow Grill Atlanta – The Competition

The restaurant invited families to come out and have their children create healthy stir-fry bowls to be be judged in a competition.   Bowls were judged on the healthy options chosen, if the judges liked the overall taste, and the over all appearance of dish.  Local celebrity Stacey Weiss and her children Hayden and Hollis judged the entries.

Children moved through the Stir-Fry line and created their own custom bowls by picking different noodles, veggies, sauces and proteins.

Devin was excited to prepare his own healthy bowl for the chef to cook up.  I was excited to see what healthy choices my 4 year old would make.  I was quite surprised when Devin choose to add spinach, broccoli, red peppers, mushrooms and peanuts to add to his dish.  I must admit I often have a hard time getting him to eat the daily recommended amount of veggies.

When Devin’s bowl was done, he was excited to use his chop sticks and ready to chow down.  He really liked it.  It was actually quite delicious.  I think Devin was more willing to eat veggies because there was such a huge variety that you couldn’t move through the line without choosing a couple.  I also think he felt very empowered being able to prepare his own meal.

Want to know more about upcoming events at Big Chow Grill you can follow them on twitter or  visit their facebook page.

 

 

Posted in Local Atlanta | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Grow Your Blog From A Hobby To A Business

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Mushy Mamma

You may think that blogging is a hobby, and while there are certainly many bloggers who start writing as a labor of love (like me), but there are plenty of folks who have turned their passion into big bucks.

When I started MushyMamma.com in 2011, I did so to share my adventures in motherhood and family events and activities that I think you’ll enjoy learning about.  Along the way, I started building relationships with different PR pros, and companies and I’ve since started to make a bit of money from blogging.  It’s a modest amount, but i’m hoping to continue to share information that you enjoy reading, and I’d like to do a better job of monetizing my content.

That’s why I’m so excited about an online conference that I’ve partnered with.  It’s called The Blog Workshop and it’s designed to help people like you and me build blogging businesses.

If you are like me, you have been wanting to attend a conference but cannot afford to miss work or the cost associated with traveling to a conference.

What’s different about this conference is that you can enjoy all of the content from the comforts of your home.  That’s right, The Blog Workshop  is a virtual conference and the conference hours begin after your typical work day.

You can register for this online conference for just $175 which is a very competitive price compared to other blogging conferences.

Take a peek at the Agenda to see what you’ll be getting

The line up of speakers looks great and includes Atlanta’s own Dee Dee Cocheta of A.B.C. Publicity.

I’m hoping to learn more about the different way to monetize my blog as well as how to build lasting relationships with Brands and PR professionals.  Hopefully you too will be able to benefit from this and more.

Grow your blog from a hobby to a business, register today to empower yourself and start building on what you started.

Want to be involved with this conference on more than an attendee level you can also support this conference through their Indiegogo campaign and gain perks including discounted tickets and other materials.

 

Disclosure: I will receive complimentary tickets to attend The Blog Workshop in exchange for sharing this information.  The opinions expressed above are my own and any claims should be verified on the sponsor’s site.  This post includes affiliate links and I will make money on ticket sales purchased through this link.

Posted in Education | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Facts about Gordon Parks at Macy’s “In Conversation” Black History Month Event

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Mushy Mamma

In celebration of Black History Month, Macy’s hosted a “In Conversation” event about Gordon Parks.  The conversation was moderated by CBS Better Mornings personality, Tracye Hutchins, and actor Eriq La Salle and local Atlanta gallery owner, Arnika Dawkins.

Gordon Parks was a filmmaker, photographer and author and left his imprint everywhere for the world to see.  During the conversations, Eriq La Salle and Arnika Dawkins responded to questions from the moderator.  They gave us some insight on who Gordon Parks was based on historical facts.  They also let us know who Gordon Parks was to them and the impact they feel he had on American Film and Photography.

Before this event I didn’t know much about Gordon Parks, here are a few interesting facts I learned that I wanted to share with you.

1. Gordon Parks was a still born with no heart beat and was revived after being submerged in a bath of ice water.

2. Gordon Parks was the first African American director to have major Hollywood Movie, The Learning Tree in 1969. He wrote the screenplay which was a semi-autobiography and composed the score for the film himself.

3. Gordon Parks bought his first camera at the age of 25 for $7.50 and went on to become a staff photographer for Life Magazine and freelance photographer for Vogue and stayed in those positions for 20 years.

To learn more about Gordon Parks, you can visit the Gordon Parks Foundation website.  If you do,  please come back and share with me what you learned.

Also if you are in the Atlanta area Arnika Dawkin’s has an exhibit in her Southwest Atlanta gallery that will run until March 29, 2013 where you can see some of Gordon Park’s work from segregation times.

 Disclosure: I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere provided me with compensation for this post about the Macy’s Black History Month event. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own.

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