Struggling to find that perfect unique gift for the soon to be mommy?

Give her a much needed break and time off her feet with a one-size-fits-all 912Food2Go.com gift card.

Call 912.354.3663 to have the gift card sent to the new mom and 912Food2Go.com will throw in a 912food2go.com restaurant guide and 2 weeks of free delivery fees for use after the birth. To receive this special free delivery, tell them SouthernMamas sent you.

So now when dinner time rolls around, all the new mommy has to do is pick up the phone place her order.

912Food2Go.com is Savannah’s premiere, locally owned and family operated restaurant delivery service. Whether you want to feed your family and friends at home, need to plan a hassle-free meeting at the office, or would like to plan a meal in the park, 912Food2Go.com delivers lunch and dinner from a variety of local restaurants.  Hours  are Monday – Friday 10:30 AM- 10:30 PM and Saturday & Sunday 4 PM- 10:30 PM.

Here’s a way to participate in the education of our youth. The Savannah-Chatham County Public School System has partnered with ePals, Inc. to introduce an e-mentoring program called In2Books to 50 3rd-5th grade classrooms this fall.

Adult e-mentors (you) are paired with a 3rd, 4th or 5th grade student (a pen pal) and introduced online. Over the course of the academic year, you and your pen pal will read five books, exchanging emails along the way to discuss the books. (For a quick video demo, check out this blog)

You can be a pen pal without leaving your home or office! Here’s how it works:

1. At the beginning of the school year you’ll be matched with a student and you will exchange “getting to know you” letters via the In2Books website.
2. Your student will select his or her first book, and you’ll be notified by email what book you should read. You can purchase the book or find it at a local library.
3. Next you’ll write an online letter to your student about the book. Pen Pal Place, the In2Books website dedicated to pen pals, will provide you with instruction, tips and examples to get you started.
4. Once the teacher has approved your letter, the student will read it and respond back.
5. The process is then repeated for the next four books.

The program, a pilot for Savannah, fosters reading, writing, and critical thinking skills by connecting engaged mentors with children in the classroom.

Here’s how to sign up to volunteer for a Savannah student:
1. Go here and click on the in2books ICON to begin the registration process. Note: for the safety of students you will be required to complete a background check.
2. Be sure to enter Savannah from the dropdown list when asked for your affiliation on the registration page.
3. The next step takes you to the background check page. Make sure you use the following promotion code SAV469 on the background check page.

Harbour Town treehouse

The playground in Sea Pines definitely ranks as one of the best in the Lowcountry. It has it all, including shade and benches for mom and dad. Other features include: a treehouse complete with steering wheel; tire swing; regular swings and baby swings; numerous slides; motorcycle rocking horse (pictured above); wooden bridge (pictured above); lots of climbing bars, jungle gym bars, monkey bars, parallel bars; a balance beam; tic-tac-toe board; and terrific live oak tree that’s ideal for climbing.

Just outside the fenced-playground is a water fountain; picnic table; bathrooms; and plenty of spots for lunch, drinks or coffee. Cost is the $5 Sea Pines gate fee.

Help is coming for children with epilepsy.

Children’s Medical Services, St. Joseph’s/Candler, the Epilepsy Foundation of Georgia, and UCB biopharma, are teaming up to provide a free educational workshop on epilepsy. The workshop will be 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Wed. July 15 @ Candler Hospital’s Marsh Auditorium (5353 Reynolds Street in Savannah). Refreshments will be provided.

The session will focus on various types of epileptic seizures, the appropriate first-aid for seizures, and the different treatment options available. The workshop will also address the impact that seizures can have on a child’s academic abilities and quality of life.

The goal is to help educate family members and friends of children with epilepsy along with daycare providers, school nurses, pediatric medical practice staff members, social workers, and teachers.

The workshop is free. Registration is encouraged. Call Children’s Medical Services at 1-866-647-0010.

Butterfly kisses were my 2-year-old son’s main objective during a recent visit to the Karen Wertheimer
Butterfly Enclosure on Hilton Head Island. He was all about trying to touch a swallowtail to find out if they really felt like eyelashes fluttering on his cheek. Fortunately for the butterflies, he wasn’t quick enough.

The butterfly habitat is a treat for kids. The small screened enclosure includes a variety of butterflies as well as nectar plants to feed the butterflies and host plants to feed the butterfly larvae.

Kids can see a live caterpillar and see butterflies in all four stages of their metamorphosis up close.

The habitat is at the Coastal Discovery Museum in Honey Horn Plantation on Hilton Head Is, which also has other children’s activities. For the butterfly habitat’s hours click here. 

Visiting the habitat is FREE. $3 museum donations are suggested.

There’s also a weekly Butterfly Discovery Tour, a guided tour through the butterfly enclosure to get up close and personal with native butterflies. Kids learn about the different stages of a butterfly’s life cycle, see a living caterpillar and a chrysalis. Museum guides also share how to help butterflies survive and thrive and also explain their adaptations and characteristics. Reservations suggested. 843-689-6767 ext 223.

Click here for more info about Hilton Head Island’s butterfly habitat.

If you’re planning a day trip to Hilton Head Is. from the Savannah area, visiting the butterfly enclosure won’t take up too much time. It’s a good kids’ activity to pair with a visit to the Sandbox Interactive Children’s Museum or to the animal farm at Lawton Stables, which also has horseback riding, pony rides, birthday parties, trail rides and more. All of which make up a great outing for Savannah moms groups.

Becoming a fan of SouthernMamas on Facebook is a great way to stay connected to SouthernMamas and stay informed about kid-friendly activities in the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry.

So please become a fan of SouthernMamas on Facebook. Click here to do so. Thanks!

Let your child learn and receive the benefits of yoga early.

A youth yoga class – Little Warrior Yoga – meets 4-4:45 PM Mondays @ Ashram Savannah, 2424 Drayton St. It’s for ages 3-7.

During July, SouthernMamas readers receive a 2 for 1 special to the children’s yoga. Just mention SouthernMamas to receive your discount.

The class is led by yoga instructor Cathy Baxter of Twisted Warrior Yoga.

The class includes lively children’s music, games, movement, storytelling, and drawing. The goal is to spark children’s interest in yoga and give them the tools to be self-confident, focused and happy.

Yoga mats will be provided. Dress in comfortable clothing.

The adult accompanying the participating child needs to stay in Ashram Savannah, but can practice yoga, read, or enjoy a few quiet moments in the open studio next door.

Classes are playful and light hearted and a great beginning to a lifetime of loving yoga.

Cost is $10 for first child, 1 sibling $5. Don’t forget to mention SouthernMamas to receive your discount.

For more info, email Cathy@TwistedWarrior.com or visit the Web site here for youth yoga info as well as adult yoga classes.

Tracy Richa!

Congratulations. Tracy wins  Pee Pal stickers, adhesive stickers that  help with potty training. If you have a child that’s potty training, be sure to check out the helpful potty training tips offered by other SouthernMamas readers in the comments section under this post.

Don’t forget your children’s swimsuits next time you hit Hull Park.

The FREE spray pools are open at various Savannah parks including Hull Park at 55th Street and Atlantic Avenue in Ardsley Park and Forsyth Park at Drayton and Hall streets.

The pools, a chance for kids to play in cool water under adult supervision, are open 10 AM-2 PM Mon-Fri until Aug. 14.

The Hull Park fountain is also open 10 AM-3 PM Saturdays. For more info, click here.

Katie Sharp!

Congratulations! Katie wins a free studio session from Memories for Keepsake Photography by Nicole.  Or, if Katie opts to do the baby plan, which covers maternity through the baby’s first year, she can win a free mini album of the session of choice.

Photographer Nicole Williams, a maternity, newborns and children’s photographer in the Savannah area,  offers a 10 percent off portrait prices to SouthernMamas readers.

Nicole is also offering an amazing special for moms expecting multiples. Contact her for more info

This was a sweet summer evening activity we did in our backyard: releasing live lady bugs.

Yes, this what you have to do in city lacking fireflies. Import your own friendly insects. And ladybugs have almost as friendly a rep as fireflies. My toddler son loved feeling the ladybugs tickle up his arm. Releasing them onto the stems of flowers proved to be a bit more challenging. They didn’t want to leave us.

You can order the live ladybugs here. They are apparently a more healthy alternative to chemical bug spray. You release them at sundown (because they don’t fly at night) and they eat aphids and other bugs. Gnats? We’ll see. We’re also hoping they’ll lay eggs and we’ll see baby lady bugs in a few weeks.

Babble also has suggestions for 25 Nature Adventures for Kids, including things you can do in your backyard. I love the birdwatching tip to encourage kids to take part in the annual Great Backyard Bird Count through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society.

Don’t forget. Father’s Day is this Sun. June 21.

Dads can spend this Father’s Day at Charleston’s South Carolina Aquarium for FREE with a paying guest or child. Click here to download a special Father’s Day coupon for free admission to all dads on Sunday. The website coupon must be presented to take advantage of this offer. Fathers also will be recognized during daily programs.

The aquarium’s newest exhibit, Penguin Planet!, features four Magellanic Penguins in a brand new interactive exhibit. Watch as penguins dive underwater, learn about penguin colonies, discover what makes these unique birds march. The animals are on loan from SeaWorld.

On Saturday and Sunday, June 20 – 21, the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum is offering all Fathers half off of admission rates. The Museum admission rates for fathers this weekend will be $5. On Father’s Day, a special brunch will be offered in Chef Matt Cohen’s New South Pub, open daily from 11 AM to 3 PM.

The Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum is @ 175 Bourne Avenue in Pooler, off of I-95 at Exit 102.

Registrations for the summer session of Make A Joyful Noise music programs are under way.

Mention SouthernMamas to receive a 10 percent discount. You’ll find sessions for toddlers to teens. Classes run July 2 – August 8 and include:

Music for Toddlers: 18m – 3 year olds
Cycle of Seasons/Twist & Turn: 3 – 5 year olds
Music Makers: 5 – 7 year olds
Sounds of Praise: Intro to Choir 7 – 15 yr olds
Sounds of Praise Choral Camp: August 3 – 7; 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. 7 – 15 yr olds

Audition for Sounds of Praise Children’s Choir’s 2009-2010 Season.  Contact Vicki to schedule the audition by August 3. The season begins September 10.

The classes and choir audtitions are @ White Bluff Presbyterian Church, 10710 White Bluff Road on Savannah’s Southside.

To find out more about summer class times and to register, click here.Contact Vicki @ MakeAJoyfulNoiseMusicStudio@comcast.net or call 912.920.6542.

Vicki Mills, who has a masters in vocal performance and more than 20 years of experience teaching children, offers the Make A Joyful Noise early childhood music program and  Sounds of Praise Children’s Choir.

Savannah and Pooler GA newborn and children’s photographer: Memories for Keepsake Photography by Nicole

This week, Memories for Keepsake Photography by Nicole is giving away a free studio photography session to a lucky SouthernMamas reader. Or, if you opt to do the baby plan, which covers maternity through the baby’s first year, you can win a free mini album of the session of choice. The idea is “your miracles, your moments…remembering every detail.”

Photographer Nicole Williams excels in maternity, newborns and children. The baby plan is a great way to make sure your baby’s first year is fully documented and it includes a special discount that is exclusive to the baby plan holders.

Please book early. The summer is slipping by and summer spots are almost gone

Mention SouthernMamas and receive 10 percent off portrait prices. Nicole is also offering an amazing special for moms expecting multiples. Contact her for more info.

Here are the rules:

Savvy SouthernMamas profiles are back.  Know a savvy mama you want to nominate? Email anne@southernmamas.com. Read past SouthernMamas rock! profiles here.

Meet Elizabeth St. Lawrence, stay-at-home mother of three who became a cloth-diaper enthusiast with the birth of her third daughter, Brianna (pictured here)

Your family:
Husband: Matthew. Three daughters: Alexandra (5), Samantha (4), and Brianna (6 months)

Liz, we understand you use cloth diapers. Are you nuts? Why did you decide to try cloth diapers this time around? And please tell us there’s no toilet dunking involved?

Honestly, I didn’t realize people still cloth diapered when I had my first two daughters! I think with the whole “green” movement the last few years combined with the economy, cloth diapers are making a great comeback. A few weeks before Brianna was born, I was giving into one of my guilty pleasures, Facebook, and one of my friends from high school mentioned cloth diapering on her status. I had to comment and bombard her with questions, and soon I was spending all of my free time researching cloth diapers!
There are a lot of valid reasons for cloth diapering; I will explain the reasons that “won” me over.

Read Liz’s reasons for cloth diapering, the entire interview with Liz and get help if you’re interested in cloth diapering (and even cloth wipes) by clicking here.

You love real pit BBQ, old pick-up trucks and sipping sweet tea on front porch. And you hope your kids will, too.

Which is why a vintage child’s Southern soft t-shirt that proclaims “I’m the only heck my mama ever raised” is the one for your kid. Or maybe one that reads “Baptized in Muddy Waters,” ” “Daddy’s Lil Cowgirl” or “Darn Right I Got the Blues”

Southern Brand, a lifestyle label evoking the Blues, BBQ, Outlaw Country Music and the lore of the American South, has a new line of Lil’ Ones vintage t-shirts – sweet tees – for children.

Forget that rebel flag, south’s-gonna-do-it-again business. These southern tees feature classic southern fried images of rural Americana including roadside BBQ shacks and phrases born of tradition, hard work and good livin’.

Southern Brand also has an adult line of tees.

These sweet tees and other Southern items, like cowhide koozies, are available for purchase online here.

Southern Brand.com is a down home guide to Southern culture and good livin’ through music, film, food, travel and books.

Children’s films at BLUE Ocean Film Festival
10:30-noon Sat. June 13 at Trustees Theater and throughout the day at the All About The Oceans family street fair, 10 AM-4 PM in Oglethorpe Square.
Other kid-friendly festival events include:
Screenings of “Ice Bears of the Beaufort” and “Saving Luna”
Click here for a schedule of films
912.525.5050

FREE Career Paths Insights workshops for young adults at BLUE Ocean Film Festival
Sat. June 13 at Telfair’s Jepson Center for the Arts
Featuring talks with Brian Skerry, National Geographic underwater photographer, Fabien Cousteau, ocean explorer; Paul Gasek, producer of Discovery Networks shows including “Deadliest Catch.”

Family Happenings at the Roundhouse Railroad Museum
10-noon Sat. June 13
Theme: Bugs & Butterflies. Children will make butterflies & fingerprint bug pictures. Hear stories about bugs, butterflies and their world.
Register at 912.651.6823 or email childrensevents@chsgeorgia.org

Saturday Explorations at The Aquarium (SEA) Programs, UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium on Skidaway Is.
10 AM-noon Sat. June 13
For all ages. Maritime Forest Hike. What is a maritime forest? Wear your walking shoes for a discovery hike to see all a maritime forest has to offer.
Cost: 10 dollars per person.
Program fee includes admission to the aquarium.
Pre-registration required.
30 Ocean Science Circle
912.598.3474 or email fish@uga.edu

Tybee Children’s Fishing Tournament at Chimney Creek Fishing Camp
8:30 AM-4 PM Sat. June 13

Bluffton/Hilton Head Is area

Beaufort Water Festival
Annual event featuring water sports, golf tournament, art expo, and parade
July 10-19
Click here for an event calendar.

Allison Kelly!

Congratulations. Allison wins a $100 Gift card from Crate and Barrel and a free 1-year gift subscription to Relish!, a truly cool meal-planning service for busy parents.

Relish! helps you prepare healthy, creative meals every week. For subscriptions as low as $5 a month, you’ll end up with five complete dinners for a family of four running you less than $85.

What delicious comments everyone left to enter this week’s contest! Thanks for entering. Look for another giveaway from a different business to be announced here Monday.

SouthernMamas is always telling you about free or low-cost Savannah area children’s activities.

Especially when it comes to finding fun, inexpensive ways to enjoy your summer staycation in Savannah with the kids.

But not until now did we have all those low-cost children’s summer activities in one place. Check out our new page entitled Low-cost Savannah summer kids’ activities. Check it out here.
Let us know what events you love or which ones need improving by sharing your comments.

Thanks to Lynn Adams for compiling this list.

Have a great SouthernMamas summer.

Looking to meet other moms in your area?

Check out a new meetup group that is just forming in the Islands area.

The Wilmington Island Moms/East Savannah Meetup Group is primarily for moms and children 0-5 (siblings are welcome.) This group is based on building lasting friendships, supporting other moms, laughing, and sharing experiences. Click here for more info.

To find out about other moms-tots groups in our area, visit our Groups/Moms Groups category on SouthernMamas by clicking here.

Have we told you lately that it pays to read SouthernMamas? If not, here’s another reminder: SouthernMamas readers can attend three of the Telfair Museum of Art’s special yoga workshops at a one-time entry discounted rate.

This summer, the Telfair’s hosting three yoga workshops—Restorative Yoga, Kripalu Yoga, and Partner Yoga—in addition to the museum’s weekly Saturday morning yoga classes. The one-time entry discounted SouthernMamas rate is listed below in boldface. (subtlety is not our strong suit)

Restorative Yoga Workshop
June 27, 11am-1pm
Telfair’s Jepson Center for the Arts
$15/member, $20/non-member; $13 FOR SOUTHERNMAMAS READERS!
This workshop, instructed by Savannah Yoga Center director Kelley Boyd, emphasizes muscle tension release and the increase of flexibility rather than strength development and aerobic capacity.

Kripalu Yoga Workshop
July 18, 10am -12pm (morning session), 1-3pm (evening session)
Telfair’s Jepson Center for the Arts
$15/member, $20/non-member for individual session: $13 FOR SOUTHERNMAMAS READERS!

$28/member, $35 non-member for complete workshop; $26 FOR SOUTHERNMAMAS READERS
This all-day workshop focuses on the Kripalu Yoga method. Co-instructed by Jan and Richard Barrali of Chattanooga, Tennessee, the special workshop provides students both individual assistance and hands-on adjustments during a mindful yoga practice.

Partner Yoga Workshop
August 22, 11am-1pm
Telfair Academy
$35/couple; $32/COUPLE FOR SOUTHERNMAMAS READERS!

You and your partner—a friend, roommate, spouse, sibling, parent, child, etc.— will work together to accomplish all of the poses. Instructed by Savannah Yoga Center director Kelley Boyd.

Registration is required for all workshops; call 912.790.8823. Space is limited. Don’t forget to mention SouthernMamas to receive your special discounted rate.

The Telfair also offers weekly yoga classes in the Jepson Center or Telfair Academy galleries. Kelley Boyd of the Savannah Yoga Center guides the class through beginner and intermediate yoga positions while incorporating various aspects of the artwork on display. Flexibility of the body is not required. All are welcome, regardless of experience and fitness level. Participants should bring a yoga mat and towel, and dress appropriately.

Classes are offered from 10-11:30 AM on Saturdays. Please arrive promptly at 9:45 AM. Drop-ins are welcome! Prices are: $10/session for members, $14/session for non-members, and $7/session for teachers and students.

For more info, click here.

Show your kids how you used to watch movies in the days before anyone ever used the word “download”.

TYBEE DRIVE-IN returns for summer @ North Beach, featuring big screen and full radio broadcast sound. The First Movie is this Thursday, June 11: “BEACH BLANKET BINGO,“ Classic beach party film starring Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon.

“Economic Stimulus Package” for the whole family: $10 per vehicle, $5 per person.
Pack the cooler, drive, bike or walk in. Bring the kids for a picnic and some Leopold’s ice cream, or grab a bite to eat at North Beach Grill (byo alcohol).(Free Parking for movies in North Beach Parking Lot) Pets in parking lot welcome on leashes. Don’t forget the bug spray, radio and lawn chair if you’re on foot.

Where: North Beach Parking Lot, Meddin Drive on Tybee Island
When: Gates open @ 6 PM Thurs, June 11. Show starts at “dark.“
For more info, click here or call 912-323-7727
Benefits the Tybee Post Theater.

From June 8 – June 22, or until funding runs out, you can join the bone marrow donor registry for FREE. It normally costs $52.

Becoming a donor is very easy to do and you may be the ONLY match for someone needing a life saving transplant. Dawn was unable to find a suitable marrow donor in the bone marrow donor registry.

Go to this site here and click “JOIN”.

Need a motivation to do so? Visit this blog about a 28-year-old Charleston, S.C. woman who was unable to find a match and lost her battle with leukemia.

Meal planning just got a million percent easier. And cheaper.

Until we can all afford our own personal chefs, the next best thing is easily Relish!, a truly cool meal-planning service for busy parents.

This ingenious, easy to use (really), mom-run website helps you prepare healthy, creative meals every week that rock, from what we’ve seen. You pick from a ton of excellent tested recipes, a very cleverly organized grocery list is automatically created, then all you do is hit the store for five days worth of home-cooked meals–not one of which takes more than 30 minutes to prepare.

You’ll find a whole lot to choose from including freezer meals, vegetarian menus, picnic and camping menus, and tons of kids faves that don’t include the word “nugget.”

For subscriptions as low as $5 a month, you’ll end up with five complete dinners for a family of four running you less than $85. Between the money savings and the angst savings, we say you’re coming out way ahead.
(Pssst…living gluten-free? Check out their sister site, Gfree! Gfreecuisine.com)

This week, a lucky SouthernMamas reader will win a $100 Gift card from Crate and Barrel and a free 1-year gift subscription to Relish! If you sign up for Relish! and win the subscription, you will be credited.

Here are the giveaway rules:
# To enter to win, tell us your name and favorite summertime dish or food by commenting below this post.
# Entry period closes 9 pm Thurs. June 11. We’ll pick a name at random and announce the winner here Fri. June 12.
# You have to be a SouthernMamas subscriber to participate. Subscribing is free. Click here to do so. We’d also love for you to become a SouthernMamas fan on Facebook (we’re just a few fans away from a tally of 500!!)