Big Frog  in Savannah  Summer Olympics T-shirt: Represent the red, white and blue with a custom made t-shirt cheering on your favorite Olympic sport teams.

Hurdle through the start of the school year wearing custom made gear that will help you stand out and win the gold of best dressed. The little ones can make an impression too with Big Frog’s toddler tees and onsie selection.

Come visit Big Frog  in Savannah  and let their talented team help you create whatever it is you are looking for.

Back to school fun: Try a customized mouse pad for your college bound baby or maybe a tote to carry all the books.

BIG FROG is a unique retail shop designed around a friendly atmosphere where the customers can work directly with graphic designers to create a custom design.

BIG FROG Savannah, email Savannah@bigfrog.com , 1909 E. Victory Dr. STE 101 (in the Victory Shopping Center across from Target) Savannah, 31404, 912-354-7714, www.bigfrog.com/savannah BIG FROG is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.

August is the Last Month of Puppet People Friday Summer Shows!
This is the last month to come out to the puppet studio with the family and see Puppet People’s “Friday Summer Shows” every Friday at 11:00 AM.

Two Special Puppet Shows Added to Summer Line-up!

DISCOUNTS:
*** Mention this code: “SM006″ and get $1.00 OFF each ticket for the “Summer Friday Shows”***
*** Mention this code: “SM006″ and get 10% OFF tickets for “J-Low & Friends”***

“Friends” August 10th

“Friends” is  a shadow puppet show based on an African Folk Tale, featuring the unlikely friendship that forms between Frog Child and Snake Child as they get to know each other and celebrate the things that make them different from one another. With all original music and voices by local talent.

The showings of “Friends” will be on the 10th of August at 11:00 AM and will include show and shadow puppet making demo on an actual light stage!

“Little Red Riding Hood” August 31st

Puppet People will be premiering their newest puppet show “Little Red Riding Hood” on August 31 at 11:00 AM. Be one of the first to see and be apart of Puppet People’s retelling of the classic story!

Friday, August 31st

11:00 AM

The Puppet Place

3119 Furber Ave.

Savannah, GA 31404

“J-Low & Friends”August 18th Public Show Come out to the Puppet People Studio on August 18 at 11:00 AM to see this month’s showing of “J-Low & Friends!” The worlds only puppet show portraying the life and times of Girl Scout Founder – Juliette Gordon Low!Price of admission includes the 50 min multi-media puppet show, as well as an interactive studio tour of our puppet building workshop and a FREE “J-Low & Friends” Badge!

Angela Beasley’s Puppet People “The Puppet Place” in Thunderbolt, 3119 Furber Avenue, Savannah, GA 31405, 912-355-3366, http://puppetpeople.com. The Puppet Place is also an ideal spot to host children’s birthday parties! Puppet People is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.

The Art Bash Studio in Savannah will offer “Family Time”  on Saturday, Aug. 11 @ 1:30 PM for ages 12 to 112 on a canvas. NO sangria served.

The Art Bash Studio is the place for painting parties. One of the studio’s local artists will guide you from start to finish in creating a featured painting.

During this Family Time, you will be painting the adorable Sea Turtle paintings, which are perfect for all levels.

Grab family and friends, bring your favorite soft drink (no sangria served) and come enjoy time together creating something bright and fun @ The Art Bash Studio! Visit the The Art Bash Studio website www.artbashstudio.com and click on “Calendar/Register”. Bring your tweens & teens and let’s paint!

The Art Bash Studio, 1526 Bull and 32nd streets, Savannah, 31401, (912) 484-3438 Email fun@artbashstudio.com , www.artbashstudio.com The Art Bash Studio is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.

Savannah doesn’t have the tunnels of NYC. But we certainly have the compassion and gratitude for the heros of 9/11.

Which is why it’s exciting to learn that Savannah will have our first Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Run on Sat. Sept. 15, 2012 in memory of New York City firefighter Stephen Siller and 343 FDNY brothers who sacrificed their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.

The inaugural 5K run begins 8 AM Sept. 15 at Orleans Square at Barnard and McDonough streets in the Savannah Historic District. Registration for the Tunnel to Towers Run Savannah is available online at www.t2trun.org , www.fleetfeetsavannah.com/t2t  or in person at Fleet Feet Sports Savannah at 3405 Waters Ave. in Savannah. The run is sponsored by Wells Fargo Advisors.

When Stephen Siller got off his shift at Squad 1 in Park Slope, Brooklyn on September 11, 2001, news of the first plane hitting one of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center echoed from his radio scanner. As he approached the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, it was already closed to traffic. He strapped 75 pounds of gear to his back and sprinted straight through the tunnel and into the World Trade Center.

The Tunnel to Towers Run originally began in New York City 2002, retracing Stephen’s final footsteps, and has now extended nationwide in honor of those who died on 9/11.

Proceeds from the Tunnel to Towers Run Savannah go to “Building for America’s Bravest” through the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation. These funds will be designated to building “Smart Homes” for two severely wounded Georgia veterans: SFC Mike Schlitz, U.S. Army in Columbus, Ga., and Cpl. Todd Love, USMC in Atlanta, Ga.

For sponsorship info, contact Jane Grismer at 912.313.4806 or t2tsav@gmail.com .

The new covered pavilion with bathrooms is now open at Mother Mathilda Beasley Park on East Broad Street.

The park – named in honor of Mother Mathilda Beasley, Georgia’s first African American nun – includes two playgrounds with new equipment, large grass-covered field, a baseball field, multi-purpose trail and dog park.

Last week, county officials celebrated the completion of the $365,000 sales-tax-funded pavilion designed to reflect the location’s former use as a passenger railroad station.

The pavilion is by the park’s southwest entrance and overlooks the playground and baseball field. It provides a place for community gatherings, as well as restrooms and a water fountain.

(Fingers crossed that the pavilion will remain unlocked during daytime hours for families to use while visiting the playgrounds!)

Mother Mathilda Beasley Park, 500 E. Broad Street Savannah, 31401 For directions, click here.

For more local playgrounds, click here.

Take the kids for a ride on the dot, Savannah’s fare-free Downtown Transportation system.

The dot Express Shuttle travels in and around Savannah’s Historic District, running every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year’s Day. Click here for a map of the shuttle route through downtown Savannah & a list of the stops where you can catch the shuttle.
Other FREE city modes of transporation include
• Ride the free historic River Street Streetcar.
• Hop on the free Ferry to Hutchinson Island and the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center.

FREE Express Shuttle
• Every 20 minutes or less • Serving 11 stops around the Historic District
• Connecting to municipal parking facilities, Visitor Centers, Streetcar and Ferry
• Operating 7 days a week, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• ADA-Accessible

FREE River Street Streetcar (Streetcar Out of Service until Aug. 30, 2012 for maintenance)
• Thursday-Sunday – 12noon – 9pm
• Authentic 1930s Melbourne
• 54-passenger streetcar updated with environmentally-friendly green technology
• Six stops along Historic River Street between Montgomery St. & the Waving Girl Landing
• ADA-Accessible

FREE Savannah Belles Ferry
• Modern passenger-only ferries, reminiscent of vessels seen in the harbor a century ago
• Named for Savannah’s “Belles”— strong women who shaped the city’s history
• Connecting downtown with Hutchinson Island and the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center
• Operating 7 days a week, from 7 a.m. to midnight, Daily
• From Trade Center Landing (on Hutchinson Island adjacent to the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort) • City Hall Landing below City Hall adjacent to Hyatt Regency Hotel
• Waving Girl Landing in Morrell Park adjacent to the Marriott Riverfront Hotel

ParkSmart Downtown • Your “BEST BET” to find a parking space downtown is in one of these three parking facilities:
Liberty Street Parking Garage Whitaker Street Parking Garage Visitor Center Parking Lot
912.644.5934 912.525.2820 912.651. 6896
301 W. Liberty Street 7 Whitaker Street 301 MLK Blvd
Liberty St. at Montgomery St. Whitaker St. at Bay Lane Fahm St. at MLK Blvd
Closed Sat, Sun & 1am-5am nightly 24 hours a day 8am to 6:30pm, Daily

VISITOR PARKING PASSES: 1 Day $7 and 2 Days $12
Purchase at the the Mobility and Parking Services office (100 E. Bryan St. 912-651-6470, 8am – 5pm) and the Visitor Center (301 MLK Blvd.), and many downtown hotels.

School shoes have arrived at Petite Feet in Savannah!

Also lots of Hide-ees and socks to match.

Fantastic hide-ees biker shorts are available in lots of colors at Petite Feet in Savannah, just in time for school. Sizes from 2T to big girls.

Better than bloomers, Hide-ees are what to wear under skirts, dresses, and tutus so girls can run, jump, swing, climb, and flip carefree.

Petite Feet is Savannah’s children’s shoe and accessories boutique.

Petite Feet’s knowledgeable personal service ensures that each child is fitted correctly. The boutique has hard-to-find sizes. Petite Feet at 5521 Abercorn next to Fresh Market and across from Publix is in a super convenient location with easy in-and-out parking. The kid-friendly store even has puzzles, TV, children’s book and toys keep the tots busy while you shop.

Petite Feet, 5521 Abercorn Street, Savannah, 31405, www.petitefeetsavannah.com , Petite Feet is a SouthernMamas.com sponsor

11 a.m. @ 212 E. Broughton Street Admission: Free

www.leopoldsicecream.com , 912.234.4442

Savannah’s beloved ice cream parlor celebrates 93 years of creating tasty memories with a block-wide “sock hop” celebration. There will be live music, family games and activities, dance demonstrations and much more. Enjoy free souvenir photos & ice cream for 93 cents! Come dressed as your favorite retro TV or movie personality, from Elvis to Holly Golightly! For listing of activities and times, visit www.leopoldsicecream.com  for more information.

All American Gymnastics’ Fall Term starts next week, Aug. 6 2012.

Registrations are going on all week. Several classes are filling fast, so make sure you sign up early. Check out the Fall 2012 Class Schedule here.

Please tell them SouthernMamas.com sent you!

All American is NOW offering a Tiny Cheer Team for ages 4-5. Practices are on Mondays from 4-5:30.

FACEBOOK:  “Like” All American Gymnastics on Facebook here for more updates & pictures from all of their programs.

OPEN GYM EVERY SUNDAY:
Sunday’s from 6-7:30 & Tuesday from 6:15-7:45
Cost is $10 per day
Must be 10 years old or permission from a coach if younger

All American Gymnastics, 7808 White Bluff (across from Hunter AAF) (912) 354-4343, email sam.allamericangymnastics@gmail.com, www.aagsavannah.com  On Facebook here. All American Gymnastics is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.

Savannah’s Place for Art, Culture and Education (S.P.A.C.E.) is now registering students for its Fall visual arts classes and workshops Session Four and Five.

Day and evening sessions are offered for children, teens and adults in all skill levels.  Sessions begin September 17  – October 27 & October 19 – December 14^. Both sessions are held at the Department of Cultural Affairs S.P.A.C.E. studios, located at 9 W. Henry St.  Registration forms are available online at www.savannahga.gov/arts or by calling (912) 651-6783.

Three and six week classes are available, as well as weekend workshops.  Visual arts sessions include ceramics, metals, glass, painting and drawing.  New offerings this session include children’s cartooning workshops and a cartooning class, lapidary stone cutting for jewelry design, expanded drawing and painting classes, beginning watercolor and Raku firings.

Class details, descriptions & registration info here.

Skidaway Island State Park playground

Be sure to try to check out one of the many FREE kids’ events happening in August at Skidaway Is. State Park, 52 Diamond Causeway Savannah, 31411.

Event details here.

FREE activities kick off Wed. Aug. 1 with an 8 AM Bird Walk.

Additional highlights of the month include Coastal Reptiles program; Birds of Prey; Fire Building; Toads and Turtles; Intro-to-Geocaching; Toddler Time (which is a story time with puppets for ages 2-4); Snakes Alive!; evening Bat Chats & more.

Event details here.

Below is a guest post from the owner of Hubbard’s Maid Service in Savannah & the Lowcountry to our readers who have entered to win our current giveaway: a year of house cleaning from Hubbard’s Maid Service plus monthly $2o gift card to a restaurant & a bottle of merlot. To enter to win this “One Year of a Maid, a Meal & a Merlot”, click here.

A Letter from the owner of Hubbard’s Maid Service:

After reading so many entries for our contest, Hubbard’s Maid Services Year of a Maid, A Meal, and a Merlot, I am blown away! There are so many hard working (Southern) mamas out there. Their stories have touched my heart. I’ve always been fascinated by women and their amazing abilities that are inherently unique to them. The theme I read over and over again is women, who are the glue to their families ability to function like a well run business, are the heart of their homes.

Just how valuable are wives and mothers to our communities? Aristotle said that the state is a “union of families and villages”. Women are at the heart of these unions. In these hard economic times we often find ourselves in a state of fear and of worry, it is inspiring to read these entries by women who are courageous and strong and keeping it together through this recession.

I believe that it is the wives and mothers of this country who are going to…Read the entire letter here.

Savannah’s Rails to Trails  – a 6 mile biking/walking/jogging trail along the Savannah River – is eroding. The west end is so bad that it is almost impassable in some areas.

If you want this trail to be there in the future for your kids to enjoy, please like Save our Rails to Trails Savannah Facebook page here to find out how you can help. The mission of Save our Rails to Trails Savannah Facebook pg is to bring awareness to the deteriorating conditions of Rails to Trails & get it restored.

Rails to Trails is along Hwy 80 East on your way to Tybee. The main entrance is just past the Bull River Bridge coming off the islands (Whitemarsh, Talahi & Wilmington). Rails To Trails is known on maps as “McQueen’s Trail” & “McQueen’s Island”. The other entrance is immediately left upon turning into Fort Pulaski.

Volunteers working to save Rails to Trails plan to have workdays once a month. Stay updated about the clean-ups & other ways to help (fundraising, etc) by liking their page here.

You’re invited to bring your children to Richmond Hill Library for Spanish storytime! Shake your maraca, play a tambor, sing a canción, hear a new cuento, create an obra

This is a fun and engaging way to learn Spanish or support the Spanish skills you already have. Cheyenne Kozaily is a certified Spanish teacher and the only Spanish instructor at Savannah Technical College.

The storytime is for families who wish to learn something new and families who want to keep their children’s Spanish skills strong. Ages 0-6

When: Fridays @ 10:30 AM

Cheyenne will also offer Spanish children’s and adult’s classes soon Email Cheyenne for details: cheyenne.kozaily@gmail.com

More info here. Lingüa is for families who want to give their children más.

Reach for the Stars!! is a pledge-based reading incentive program, designed to benefit schools, individual classrooms, clubs, pre-schools, church groups, home school groups, charities, businesses and public libraries.

The goal of Reach for the Stars!! is for participants to read, or be read to, for 300 minutes over a two week period of time, thus developing a reading routine. Reach for the Stars!! has flexible options to meet your needs, whether you need books for the library, classroom, community projects, or perhaps cash for a specific purpose. A minimum of 100% of the pledges are returned to the participants and organization in the form of books, or a combination of books and cash with the fundraising option.

If you or your organization is interested in hearing more about this generous program, contact Melissa A. Mallory, Local Independent Educational Consultant, at 912.856.1450 or mmallory@myubah.com.

Now, here’s a reading incentive for Southernmamas subscribers.  Visit the online catalog and share on Melissa’s Facebook page which 3 titles your children would enjoy reading and receive $10 off your next order ($25 minimum order must be placed by August 10).

You’re invited to bring your children to Richmond Hill Library for Spanish storytime! Shake your maraca, play a tambor, sing a canción, hear a new cuento, create an obra

This is a fun and engaging way to learn Spanish or support the Spanish skills you already have. Cheyenne Kozaily is a certified Spanish teacher and the only Spanish instructor at Savannah Technical College.

The storytime is for families who wish to learn something new and families who want to keep their children’s Spanish skills strong. Ages 0-6

When: Fridays @ 10:30

Cheyenne will also offer Spanish children’s and adult’s classes soon  Email Cheyenne for details: cheyenne.kozaily@gmail.com

More info here.  Lingüa is for families who want to give their children más.

If you are planning to take the kids to the ballpark and cheer on the Savannah Sand Gnats & visit with Gnate the Gnat this summer, don’t procrastinate. Only a few more Sand Gnats home games this season. Check out the schedule above.

Admission: $7 General Admission Seating, $8 Reserved Seating, $10 Box Seating, $5 Children Ages 4-12/Seniors/Military General Admission Sea

Visit www.sandgnats.com or call 912.351.9150 to purchase tickets today.

Don’t forget, the Live Oak Library summer reading program offers free Sand Gnats tickets to kids who complete Level 3. More info on the summer reading program here.

Take the kids to the 1978 movie “Superman” @ Lucas Theatre, 32 Abercorn St., Savannah, 31401 on Saturday, August 4 at 7 p.m.

Superman is a superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Richard Donner directed the film, which stars Christopher Reeve as Superman, as well as Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Glenn Ford, Phyllis Thaxter, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure, Valerie Perrine and Ned Beatty. The film depicts the origin of Superman, including his infancy as Kal-El of Krypton and his youthful years in the rural town of Smallville. Disguised as reporter Clark Kent, he adopts a mild-mannered attitude in Metropolis and develops a romance with Lois Lane, while battling the villainous Lex Luthor.

Tickets are $8 each, $6.50 for seniors (55+). Available by calling 912-525-5050 or online here.

Superman (1978)
Saturday, August 4 at 7 p.m.
Presented by the Lucas Theatre

Superman is a superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Richard Donner directed the film, which stars Christopher Reeve as Superman, as well as Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Glenn Ford, Phyllis Thaxter, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure, Valerie Perrine and Ned Beatty. The film depicts the origin of Superman, including his infancy as Kal-El of Krypton and his youthful years in the rural town of Smallville. Disguised as reporter Clark Kent, he adopts a mild-mannered attitude in Metropolis and develops a romance with Lois Lane, while battling the villainous Lex Luthor.

Tickets are $8 each, $6.50 for seniors (55+). Available by calling 912-525-5050 or online here.

Love those Tax-Free Weekends that offer shoppers a weekend of relief at the cash register. Here are ours:

Georgia Back-to-School Tax Free Weekend: August 10-11, 2012.

South Carolina Back-to-School Tax Free Weekend: Aug. 3-5 2012. More info here.

In Georgia, tax-free items include:
• Clothing and footwear with a sales price of $100.00 or less per item.
• A single personal computer or personal computer-related accessory purchase with a sales price of $1,000.00 or less.
• General school supplies for classroom or related activities with a sales price of $20.00 or less per item.

The sales tax exemption does not include these: clothing accessories, jewelry, handbags, umbrellas, eyewear, watches, watchbands, cellular devices, furniture, computer-related accessories designed for recreational use, items used in a trade or business or for resale, or rentals; or sales in theme parks, entertainment complexes, public lodging establishments, restaurants, or airports.

Love those Tax-Free Weekends that offer shoppers a weekend of relief at the cash register. Here are ours:

Georgia Back-to-School Tax Free Weekend: August 10-11, 2012.

South Carolina Back-to-School Tax Free Weekend: Aug. 3-5 2012. More info here.

In Georgia, tax-free items include:
• Clothing and footwear with a sales price of $100.00 or less per item.
• A single personal computer or personal computer-related accessory purchase with a sales price of $1,000.00 or less.
• General school supplies for classroom or related activities with a sales price of $20.00 or less per item.

The sales tax exemption does not include these: clothing accessories, jewelry, handbags, umbrellas, eyewear, watches, watchbands, cellular devices, furniture, computer-related accessories designed for recreational use, items used in a trade or business or for resale, or rentals; or sales in theme parks, entertainment complexes, public lodging establishments, restaurants, or airports.

If you are planning to take the kids to the ballpark and cheer on the Savannah Sand Gnats & visit with Gnate the Gnat this summer, don’t procrastinate. Only 18 more Sand Gnats home games this season. Check out the schedule above.

Admission: $7 General Admission Seating, $8 Reserved Seating, $10 Box Seating, $5 Children Ages 4-12/Seniors/Military General Admission Sea

Visit www.sandgnats.com or call 912.351.9150 to purchase tickets today.

Don’t forget, the Live Oak Library summer reading program offers free Sand Gnats tickets to kids who complete Level 3. More info on the summer reading program here.