Got a case of bad breath? Sweeten your breath with these 4 tips, courtsey of Savannah dentist and SouthernMamas sponsor Steven G. Berwitz, DMD, :

1. Practice good dental habits by brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and flossing regularly. Aim to brush for 2-3 minutes. Most people brush too quickly.

2. Brush your tongue. Your tongue can be a hotbed for stinky bacteria. The back of the tongue is the most important part to clean because that’s where most of the bacteria is.

3. Rinse your mouth with water or mouthwash. Bad breath is easily caused by a dry mouth. Stimulate your saliva flow to wash the bacteria out.

4. Don’t have a toothbrush with you? Decrease the amount of bacteria in your mouth by chewing gum, preferably cinnamon gum. The oils in cinnamon gum effectively kill the germs in your mouth.

This is a friendly reminder from Steven G. Berwitz, DMD to keep your teeth and oral health in check! Persistent bad breath may also be a sign of poor health and diseases like periodontal disease. A checkup with a dentist two times a year can help prevent chronic bad breath and keep your smile fresh.

Steven G. Berwitz, DMD, 7805 Waters Ave., Suite 1A. For more information or to make an appointment, call (912) 355-5004. Visit the Dr. Steven Berwitz Website www.stevenberwitzdmd.com/ or email Dr. Berwitz with any questions at rebecca@stevenberwitzdmd.com

Youth ArtsFest at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina.
Sat. March 3
Variety show-style performances featuring young singers, dancers and musicians, free mini art workshops and a youth art exhibition in celebration of National Youth Arts Month.
14 Shelter Cove Lane. (843) 842-2787 or artshhi.com.

Tea at Mrs. Davenport’s
5 PM Thursdays and Fridays (and one Wednesday) in March 2012
Program dates and times: March 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, and 21 at 5 p.m.,
March 22, 29, 30 at 4:30 p.m.
60 to 75 minutes
Mar 01-30, 2012
@ Davenport House Museum, 324 E. State Street, Savannah – on Columbia Square
Admission: $18
Website: www.davenporthousemuseum.org
Phone: 912.236.8097
Reservations recommended. Limited attendance.
Learn about tea traditions and experience an early 19th century tea in the historic atmosphere of the Isaiah Davenport House Museum. Patrons will tour areas of the historic home where tea service took place and will participate in an afternoon tea with costumed interpreters.
The performance requires that guests be able to walk up and down stairs.

April 2 – 6:
Gregg Russell Concerts under the Liberty Oak in Harbour Town, Monday-Friday, 7:30-9 p.m. Family-oriented singer/storyteller performs sing-a-longs, ballads and silly songs with audience participation. FREE (843) 842-1979 or seapines.com.

WingFest at Shelter Cove Community Park, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat. March 24. Hilton Head Is. Local restaurants cook up their best wings with live music and a Kid Zone. Food sold separately. Proceeds benefit the Island Rec. Center’s Children’s Scholarship Fund. Admission is $5; free for ages 12 and under. 39 Shelter Cove Lane. (843) 681-7273 or islandreccenter.org

Noon at Forsyth Park
Free & open to the public

Tara Feis Irish Celebration
Sat. March 10, 2012
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Emmet Park (east end of Bay Street)
Presented by the City of Savannah’s Department of Cultural Affairs
Free and open to the public
For more information call 912-651-6417.

The family-friendly feis (pron. FESH) – or festival – will be a feast for the eyes, ears and palate, with live performances, food, art activities, crafts and games hosted with Irish ceremony, tradition and hospitality. Now in its twenty first year, Tara Feis is a free, non-alcoholic event geared towards families and children.

Festivities begin at 11 a.m. with an official Irish opening ceremony. The main stage will feature plenty of traditional Irish dancing, as well as a live performance by local folksinger Harry O’Donoghue. Two performances by Irish Band Girsa will highlight this year’s feis.

Girsa, which means “young girls” in Gaelic is a band comprised of eight talented females who play a total of 20 instruments. Audiences from everywhere will be serenaded by their instrumental talent and their angelic voices.
Their self-issued, self-titled debut album “Girsa”, sold out in the first two months. Girsa is well known in both the U.S. and Ireland.

The Tara Feis children’s stage will feature a full day of entertainment, including performances from magician Magic Marc, the puppets of Conrad Hartz, and traditional Irish dancing performances.

Tara Feis is free and open to the public. Emmet Park is located in downtown Savannah at the east end of Bay Street.

2012 Tara Feis Schedule
Main Stage
11:00 am Opening Ceremony

11:20 am The Savannah Pipe and Drum Corps
11:30 am Irish Dancers of Savannah
12:15 pm Plunkett’s Fancy featuring Cecilia Witt and Colleen Settle
1:15 pm Girsa
2:30 pm Glor na Daire Irish Dance School
2:45 pm Meet the girls of Girsa.(Autograph signing at the ticket tent)
3:20 pm Harry O’Donoghue
4:00 pm Girsa
4:55 pm Closing remarks

Children’s Stage
11:30 am Conrad Hartz Puppets
12:00 pm Savannah Pipes and Drums
12:15 pm Glor na Daire Irish Dance School
1:00 pm Magic Marc
1:30 pm Irish Dancers of Savannah
2:15 pm Conrad Hartz Puppets
2:45 pm Magic Marc
3:15 pm Irish Dancers of Savannah
3:45 pm Conrad Hartz Puppets
4:15 pm Glor na Daire Irish Dance School
4:45 pm Stage Closed

Tybee Island’s Irish Heritage Celebration Parade
3 PM March 10 2012
Tybee Island’s fun, family-friendly parade to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Dress in green & join in the fun at 3pm on Saturday. Parade starts at City Hall and proceeds down Butler Avenue to Tybrisa Street. FREE (912) 786-5444/(800) 868-2322

Moms are organizing a Georgia Statewide Nurse-In. At courthouses and state buildings across the state on March 5. Women will protest the stigma associated with public breast-feeding by nursing their babies. The Savannah Nurse In will be 10 a.m.-2 p.m. March 5 at Savannah City Hall.

Fueled by their personal stories of fielding rude remarks while nursing in public, moms organized this grassroots effort in support of a state bill in the works to better protect breast-feeding moms and their babies.”

Read more here.

For more details about the March 5 Savannah Nurse-In, click here. Or email bfgeorgia@gmail.com.

Can’t make it to the Nurse-In, but want to show your support. Sign the Nurse-In petition, click here.

The Girl Scouts celebrate their 100th Anniversary in 2012.

Local celebratory events include a traditional bridging event over the Talmadge Bridge followed by a party in Forsyth Park. An additional ceremony will take place simultaneously at Forsyth Park for younger Girl Scouts and anyone that may not want to cross the Talmadge Bridge.

Registration closes when the event fills to capacity limit or on January 30, 2012, whichever occurs first. For more registration info, click here.

Bridging to the Next Century
7-11 AM Sat. March 10
Thousands of Girl Scouts will cross over the Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge to symbolically “bridge” to the second century of the Girl Scout organization. Girls must be at least 10 years old or older to cross. Transportation will be provided to a party in Forsyth Park after the bridge walk. Registration ended in January.
Bridging at the Park 10 AM- Noon Sat. March 10, 2012: An additional ceremony will take place simultaneously at Forsyth Park for younger Girl Scouts and anyone that may not want to cross the Talmadge Bridge.

Party in Forsyth Park
11 AM-3 PM Sat. March 10
A post-bridging gathering in Forsyth Park that includes a “Sing Along”, led by Girl Scout Songstress, Melinda Caroll and activities for all ages. Participants will receive a special commemorative patch.

For more information about the Girl Scout’s 100th Anniversary local events, click here.

15 HOURS OF FREE FLAPJACKS AT IHOP FEBRUARY 28
For the seventh consecutive year, IHOP restaurants nationwide will offer each guest a free short stack of its famous buttermilk pancakes on National Pancake Day in an effort to raise awareness and funds for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals such as The Children’s Hospital at Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah, and other local charities.

For every short stack of buttermilk pancakes served on National Pancake Day, IHOP guests are invited to make a voluntary donation to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. IHOP hopes to raise $2.7 million this year, with a goal to bring the total amount of funds raised to more than $10 million. To find a local IHOP or to donate online, visit www.ihoppancakeday.com.

WHEN: TUESDAY, February 28, 2012, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. (15 full hours)

WHERE: Participating IHOP restaurants nationwide. In the Savannah and surrounding area there are six participating IHOP locations:

•110 Mall Blvd., Savannah, GA
•1800 Victory Drive, Savannah, GA
•800 US Hwy 80 East, Statesboro, GA
•266 Robert Smalls Parkway, Beaufort, SC
•11 Towne Drive, Bluffton, SC
•439 William Hilton Parkway, Hilton Head Island, SC

Annual Charles Ellis Montessori Rummage Sale is 7 AM-Noon Saturday, March 24, 2012!

The school will take donations of just about anything you have to give. Furniture of any type, lighting fixtures, lawn and yard tools, sports equipment, clothes, home improvement items, pet accessories, appliances and other kitchen whatnots, uniforms, books, musical instruments – anything you want out of your house.
Talk about the perfect excuse to clean out your house. Tax donation forms available. Anything donated is tax-deductible.

Drop off will begin on Thurs. March 22

Sale is Sat. March 24.
7 am to noon
Multipurpose Room – Entrance on Battey Street
Charles Ellis Montessori Academy
220 E 49th St
Savannah, Ga 31405

All items left after sale are donated to the Mission. More info here.

4 PM February 25:
Grand Re-Opening Oyster Roast at The Salty Dog Café in South Beach Marina Village, 4 p.m. until the oysters are gone. Live music, kid’s entertainment, appearances by Jake the Salty Dog and more. 232 S. Sea Pines Dr. (843) 671-2233 or saltydog.com.

1 PM March 18:
Marsh Tacky Horse Run & Exhibition, part of the 16th Annual Hilton Head Island Gullah Celebration, at Coligny Beach, 1 p.m. An event showcasing the horses which played an integral part in the survival of the Gullah people on Hilton Head Island. (843) 255-7303 or gullahcelebration.com.

March 3 – 4 2012:
Hilton Head Island Kennel Club All Breed Dog Show at the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Dogs of all sizes and shapes vie for honors and Best in Show each day with vendors and food available for purchase. Show admission is free; parking is $7 per day or $10 for 2 days. 70 Honey Horn Dr. (843) 726-3237, 341-7537 or hhikennelclub.org.

3 PM March 11:
29th Annual Hilton Head Island St. Patrick’s Day Parade begins at Coligny Circle, 3 p.m. Clowns, marching bands, floats, Shiners, dignitaries and animal contingencies make their way down Pope Avenue to Office Park Road. (843) 384-4034, 837-4956 or www.stpatricksdayhhi.com . FREE

Butterfly Hollow Open March 9 – September 30

Butterfly Hollow at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens will feature a lush tropical forest and meadow, flowering plants that provide the nectar for hundreds of native butterflies that may even land on you.

Enjoy fairy houses, garden art, water features and arbors. Butterfly pupae will be on display inside the exhibit, so guests can see the butterfly’s life cycle. As the season progresses, new species will be added.

Professor Wendy Perrywhistle, an expert on butterflies and the fairy world from Eldonshire, England, has posted her journal entries throughout the exhibit to help guests discover the butterflies and the important role they play in our environment. Visitors will also see evidence of gnomes and trolls that will help tell the story about butterflies and the environment they live in.

Butterfly Hollow is open from 9:30 a.m. until a half hour prior to closing each day.

Fees:
Butterfly Hollow tickets can be purchased at Main Camp ticket booths or on the board walk to the entrance of this exhibit.
•$2.00 per person for non-members
•$1.50 per member

Value Tickets including general Zoo Admission, Butterfly Hollow, Stingray Bay, Train and Carousel may be purchased online or at the Zoo’s main entrance.
•$21.95/adults
•$19.95/seniors
•$14.95/children

For more info on Jacksonville Zoo, click here.

You can have a say about the plans for new libraries.

Live Oak Public Libraries officials are asking the public for input as they unveil preliminary plans for two new libraries at two upcoming public meetings.

They are scheduled as follows:

Community input session for Islands Library
Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. at the existing Islands Library, 125 Wilmington Island Rd.

In the preliminary designs, both libraries will have the same design and square footage with several unique features that reflect the individual communities. Estimated completion of the libraries is summer 2013.

You’re invited to a March 3 fund raiser to support a proposed Tybee Island charter school, which now has an official name, the Tybee Island Maritime Academy.

The focus of the school’s curriculum will be the full scope of the local, from the ecology and biology of the Lowcountry to the jobs that are specific to it (e.g., ports jobs, boat maintenance, shrimping, etc.).

Please like the proposed charter school on Facebook here for the latest updates.

3-6 PM Sat. March 3

Consign with Kids 2 Kids Consignment seasonal sale at Savannah Mall in March and receive 70% commission.

Kids 2 Kids is partnering with the Salvation Army to help local families. Bring a pack of diapers and wipes and you can shop early. Check out their website here for details.

Consign more to make more. Consign 100 items and receive 75% commission on all items. Registration is now open. kids2Kids Consignment is taking ALL Seasons of gently used clothing, toys, books, furniture, baby and maternity items. For more information, click here.

Kids 2 Kids seasonal consignment sale is set for March 8-11 2012 at Savannah Mall.

Sale Dates:
Thurs. March 8 3p-7p
Frid. March 9 10a-7p
Sat. March 10 10a-7p
Sun. Mar.11 11a-2p (Select Items will be 40% off)

Want to Shop Early? Volunteer and shop March 8 10a-3p

Drop Off is March 6 & 7.

Kids 2 Kids easy tagging system is NOW available. Click here to Register/ Start Tagging/ or Sign up for Volunteer Shifts.

The advantages to seasonal consignment sales are numerous:
•shoppers find better prices at seasonal consignment sales than at consignment shops
•the variety and quality is better than garage sales
•consignors keep a larger percentage
•it is fun and easy

Kids 2 Kids Consignment Sale, http://kids2kidsconsign.net/, March 8-11 2012, Kids 2 Kids Consignment Sale is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser

For National Children’s Health Month, please come join Simply Children’s Dentistry on Feb. 24, 2012 from 9am to 11 AM for a healthy snack and a free tooth brush. Staff at Simply Children’s Dentistrylook forward to seeing you then. The practice is at 613 Stephenson Ave Suite 201 Savannah 31405. (912)353-9993.

FREE & open to the public!

Dr. Kamiti Harden at Simply Children’s Dentistry regularly hosts such children’s dental health awareness events that are open to the public.

Simply Children’s Dentistry, 613 Stephenson Ave Suite 201, Savannah 31405; www.simplychildrens.com , email: businessassistant@simplychildrens.com , (912) 353-9993. Simply Children’s Dentistry is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.