Family Fun: October 4-5 Weekend What-To-Dos

Take advantage of ‘festival season’ this weekend by partaking in one or several of the local happenings in Charlotte. 

Hola Festival

September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month and on Saturday, October 4, the Hola Festival takes place from 12 pm – 7 pm in uptown Charlotte on Tryon St. between 5^th and 8^th streets. There will also be activities going on at Levine Museum of the New South, ImaginOn, 7th St. Public Market, and Discovery Place. This is a free event.

Highlights:

•   2 stages that will have continuous entertainment! One featuring cultural performances, and one featuring live Latin music throughout the day

•   The Latin American Cultural Village highlighting 10 Latin countries

•   The Cultural Passport

•   Salsa Dancing

•   Authentic Latin Food and Beverage

•   Cultural Dance Performances

•   Zumba Demos and Instruction

•   Live Latin Musical Performances and Singers

Ongoing cultural activities at Levine Museum of the New South, ImaginOn, 7th St. Public Market, and Discovery Place

Charlotte Book Fair

The 3rd Annual Charlotte Book Fair highlights the joy of reading, and features authors, storytellers, musicians, workshops and vendors. It takes place Saturday, October 4th, 2014, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Little Rock Cultural Center, 401 North Myers Street. It’s free, but donations are welcome.

There will be four main areas: the Main Floor, The Outdoor Pavilion, the Children’s Village and the Studio Theater. Authors will present on the Main floor, while the studio theater hosts a mini-film festival, On Q Productions and Oneaka Dance Company. Entertainment will be provided by On Q Productions, Oneaka Dance Company, The McCrorey African Drummers, Buffalo Soldier Henry Legendre, poets Voz ES, Afropunk rockers Harry Hunter, and more.

Charlotte Classic Jazz Festival

Blumenthal Performing Arts and Jazz Arts Initiative present CharlotteClassic Jazz Festival, a free jazz festival for the whole family on Saturday, October 4th, 2014. After the festival, there will be a jazz concert at Knight Theater at 7:00 p.m., and this is a ticketed event, costing $5. The festival, however, is free, and takes place in Knight Theater from 11:00 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Jazz 4 Tots: Intro to Jazz for the little ones

12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Kids’ Jazz Playhouse

12:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Loonis McGlohon Young Jazz Artist Competition

5:30 PM – 6:45 PM
Keynote Conversation: Jazz Legends in the Carolinas

6:15 PM – 6:45 PM
CLT Classic Jazz Fest Secondline Jazz Parade
(From Trade and Tryon to the Knight Theater)

7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
MUSIC: World-class live jazz performances from the region’s top artists
Tickets are $5 for this concert in the Knight Theater.

Plaza Midwood Art Crawl

The Plaza Midwood Merchants are presenting the Plaza Midwood Art Crawl Saturday, October 4th, 2014, from 4pm to 9pm. Artists will be showcasing their talents through live performance from aerial silks performers to cartoonists and fairy sculptors, in venues ranging from a hair salon to a dog salon. Works of Art on display will include paintings, pottery, glass art, stained glass, quilting, handmade jewelry and mixed media, and much more. This will take place in the Plaza Midwood business district, mostly on and between Central Avenue and Commonwealth.

Punishment Parenting Dilemma

Parenting dilemma: Ok, so we are currently on punishment. There are 2 cultural events that I am itching to attend, one of which is the Hola Festival (He is in a Spanish immersion school). Do we go or no? Please sound off. Oh yeah, and these are the best kinds of events......FREE!!!

March Monthly Service Project Part 1: Community Birthday Celebration

My birthday request was by asking people to volunteer for four hours during the month of March.  So how do you think I spent my birthday....yep, by volunteering. Every year I take off of work for my birthday to spend the day celebrating myself.  This year I spent the day having a spanish lesson, parent/teacher conference, massage & facial and then I threw a party.  Not just any party, but a party for the children that attend an after school program where I have volunteered a few times this year. What is a party without favor bags?!?!?  So I reached out to friends and family asking for donations to go in the swag bags and boy did they come through!!  A big thank you to the following people that donated items for the 36 swag bags and prizes that were given to each child:

- Donyell Aycock
- Alfreda Belton & Microsoft
- Lara Harris & Project L.I.F.T.
- Kevin Henry & Snyder's-Lance
- Warren Hollier
- Denada Jackson & Project L.I.F.T.
- Arden McLaughlin & Charlotte Public Library Foundation
- Cynthia Parker-Ham
- Beverly Spainhour
- Nancy Stroud
- Liz Thomas-Hollier
- Jada Wellman & WBTV

Everyday when they arrive at after school they have two writing assignments; one is a cursive writing exercise and the other a journal topic.  The executive director let me choose both items for the day and I chose the following:
Cursive Writing Exercise: 'I am unique because......'
Journal topic: 'Describe what you can do to help your community. Be specific!'

It was definitely a busy but very FOURfilling day.  Happy Birthday to me!! Who else is going to help me celebrate this month?!?!?

February Service Project: Valentine Card making session

Yes it has been some time since the last post but we were busy with The Pillow Project and I will do an update on the number of pillows and pillow cases donated, our visit to My Sister's House in Charlotte and The Healing Place in Raleigh, as well as the newspaper article about The Pillow Project that was written in the Raleigh paper.

But this post is about part of February's service project.  February has two components and one is making Valentine's cards for nursing home residents. This Sunday, February 9 there will be 2 one hour card making sessions in uptown Charlotte (1:30 pm - 2:30 pm and 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm). Space is limited so you must RSVP in order to attend/participate. If you would like to bring your little one to make cards, send an email to 13Days4Love@gmail.com with the subject line Valentine Card RSVP.  In the email you must include the name(s) of your children and specify which time slot.  An email with the location will be sent as confirmation. You must stay with your child, you will not be able to drop them off and leave.

Service Project Announcement Coming Soon!

At the beginning of 2013 I made the decision that my son and I would do a monthly service project.  Each month this year we gave time, and in some cases, money to help different groups of people/organizations. In 2014 we will be doing the same, but on a larger scale.  Stay tuned for a post within the week about January's service project, of which we are really excited!  This year we are looking to get more people involved and hope that you will join us.  There will be plenty of ways for you and your family to be part of the solution to some of the challenges within the community.

Stay tuned……..

Weekend Agenda 9/13-9/15

What's on your agenda for this weekend? Are you going to Freedom Park to check out the new Play 60 KidZone that opened on Tuesday? It includes an obstacle course, 40 yard dash with automated timing device, Play60 photo booth and a few other amenities. As this week's lunchbox notes have indicated we have had a little difficulty with decision making this week, so we won't get to check out this sure to be favorite spot, for at least a week. :-( With the weather cooling down any park or greenway will be enjoyable this weekend, so get outside, get some fresh air and more importantly get moving!  The great thing about the cooling temps is that you don't have to worry as much about your child passing out from heat exhaustion or having to pump them with water every five minutes to keep them hydrated.......eight minutes should do it.

Or maybe you've got team sports, gymnastics or church youth group activities. Many of us big kids are looking forward to the Mayweather/Alvarez fight, make sure you use the manners your parents worked so hard to instill in you and not show up at a fight party empty handed.

To all of my educators....WHOOOOP WHOOOOOPPP, are you taking advantage of Educator Saturdays at the Discovery Place museums this month? If not, you should, it's free and just for you.

If you are like me, you are looking forward to catching up on Breaking Bad while you and your child are at your parent's house.  I've got see what's going on with Heizenberg and Jesse, my son will be doing some manual labor to help out his grandfather as a result of not so great choices and behaviors at school earlier this week.

Have a great weekend!

Things We Love: Rissi Palmer's 'Best Day Ever'

My son received a CD from a friend that was excited to share her recent find with him and a few other of her friend's children. The album is Rissi Palmer's 'Best Day Ever', and listening to the album makes you feel just that, like it is the best day ever. The following summary from CDBaby.com is the perfect description: 

Best Day Ever features 10 songs---all happy, all light, all “comfort food” for the soul and is what Rissi calls “a sophisticated children’s album” while also being melodic nostalgia for adults. The entire project is filled with songs from the perspective of a child--the simple-yet-profound things that makes life the “best day ever” for children in so many ways.

Sophisticated indeed, this isn't a kiddie album of single syllable rhyming words. This album is the perfect soundtrack to describe the thoughts and feelings of children.  As an adult it will take you back to those feelings of being afraid of the dark, knowing that your parent's love was more magical than a unicorn and wanting to be a dragon slayer when you grew up.

The title track is the first on the album and instantly puts you in a 'ready to take on the day' state of mind.  My son's favorite song is 'Pretend' which has lyrics like "mom I'm not stalling, the President's calling, I've gotta be solving President's stuff. See I'm a big deal riding my big wheel..."

I haven't been able to choose one favorite.  'Dear To Me' is a song that any parent can relate to in trying to describe just how much their children mean to them "...if you were a smile you'd be the happiest, if you were a joke you'd be the laughiest. Of all the things that you might be, most of all you're dear to me....". 'Not Afraid Of The Dark' is my other favorite for parental and personal reasons.  As a parent you want your child to feel secure in knowing you will be there to protect them from those monsters under the bed or the shadows that lurk in the closet. As children and adults we all want the comfort of knowing that there is always someone there holding our hands helping us through our dark moments.  "I've got the light of the moon, I've got stars in the sky, someone who loves me, all of the time.  Someone who hears the prayers of my heart, so I'm not afraid of the dark".


'Best Day Ever' is a must for morning commutes to school and perfect for any road trip! In a time where  listening to the radio with your children is almost impossible (unless you tune in to your local NPR or gospel stations), this CD is a win-win. You won't dread hearing songs multiple times because you'll be singing right along taking a stroll down memory lane while hoping your child can relate to the songs on the album.  This CD has been one of the most used and best gifts ever!

For more information about the album and Rissi Palmer, visit http://rissipalmermusic.com. The album is also available on iTunes and Amazon.

The First Day of 3rd Grade: The Unscripted Version

Today was the first day of school and of course like most parents I had the 'flow' of the morning already mapped out in my head. Well, of course things don't always go as we plan and this morning was one of those times. 

So my vision/plan for the morning's events were as follows:  

The night before I was going to write his lunch box note, prep his lunch, label folders and put supplies in his backpack.  Then I was going to set his place at the table with placemat, napkin, fork and glass in anticipation of him sitting there to eat. My plan also included starting this blog with a 'Eve of Third Grade' post. The morning of I was going to wake up an hour before him to get myself ready, finishing putting together his lunch, start breakfast and then wake him up. We'd sit and have breakfast together, talk about how we were feeling and then head to before school.  We were going to head to the before school program (at a location different from school), say good morning and then his father and I were going to walk him to school to greet his teacher and take the traditional first day of school pictures with his teacher.   

Here is the actual sequence of events:

I did the note, prepped lunch and supplies and set his place at the table. I did start the blog but after a long day that included completing a 5K obstacle race, doing my hair, going to a farewell drop in and then getting all of his things together, I was exhausted and feeling overwhelmed, so the post got cancelled. I did wake up on time, got ready, went to wake him up and here is where my plan started to unravel.....

     ME: "Wake up, it's time to get ready for the first day of 3rd grade (I started being silly singing song from his summer program). Get up and come to the table to eat breakfast."

     HIM: "I don't want to eat breakfast, I'll just get dressed."

     ME: "No, you need to eat something, at least eggs and bacon."

     HIM: "I'll just have bacon."

     ME: "No, you need to at least eat some of the eggs."

     HIM: "Fine." (Rolls out of bed, shuffles to the bathroom and then comes to the table)......"I want to eat on the balcony."

     ME: (Blank stare) "Ok" (It was quite enjoyable to eat outside and enjoy the fresh air)

We headed to before school and before entering took a quick first day of school picture before he walked inside.  We greet the director and talk about our summer and he goes to talk to the other children.  Dad arrives for us to all walk to school and then here is where things took another left turn:

HIM: "Mom and Dad, it isn't necessary for you all to walk me to school, I'm going to take the van with the rest of the kids so you all can leave and go to work now. Bye." (He does an about face and goes back to socialize with his friends)       

 US: *Blank stares, faces crash to the floor, we stood frozen in disappointment and hurt pride* "Uhhh, ok, well um give us a hug and a kiss, and umm, have a great day. Ummm, errrr, remember what we said, we, uh, love you" 

PROGRAM DIRECTOR: "I wish I could take a picture of your faces right now"

It was one of those moments that remind you that your child is no longer a baby, but a young person with a maturing personality and growing sense of independence. So of course I'm thinking about the picture that was supposed to be taken, but quickly realized that this ritual was only going to last but so long.  It's not like he was going to be ok with us taking pictures with him in school on the first day up through high school.  I gathered my emotions, got in the car and went to work.  The pomp and circumstance was about me and my emotions, definitely not as important as preparing him for a successful year academically and emotionally.  Throughout the day I joked with my co-workers about how we were dismissed by our 8 year old son but my bruised ego, still feeling a little hurt kept thinking about that picture...... So my ego popped up at school right before dismissal, stood outside the classroom, asked the teacher if it was ok to get a quick picture of them together and then we left to head to swim lessons. Fortunately he didn't express feelings of embarrassment or displeasure by the surprise visit. Well, he had the last laugh for the day.  Since we arrived early I decided to join a HIIT class and had him sit on the side playing with my iPad.  As I started to show signs of struggle he began to yell out, "Get your knees up! Go faster! Are you supposed to be taking a break?" and a few other comments from the peanut gallery.  Imagine my tickled surprise when I later found out that he also recorded some of the class and I'll just say that the footage of me would be used for the 'Before' portion of a workout success story.  *_*

Scripted or unscripted, the first day of school was a great one.....he had favorable things to say as well.  I guess I should stop typing and start prepping lunch for tomorrow and write his lunchbox note......it's 12:54 am, maybe I can just plan in my head as I'm getting ready for bed, hope I remember when I wake up and do it all in the morning. 

I just realized that I didn't cry....I guess he isn't the only one with a developing sense of independence.