The Aquarium on Skidaway Island is a good destination for a summer picnic.

Inside the Aquarium, kids can see seahorses, turtles, loggerhead turtles, nurse sharks, lionfish, catfish and more in tanks. There’s also a little touch tank where kids can pick up conchs and touch a live horseshoe crab.

Behind the Aquarium is a shady spot, just off the nature trail, with plenty of picnic tables overlooking the water and a patient heron who seems to be a regular.

Click here for directions and hours. 912.598.3474 or email fish@uga.edu.

Island Child loves Lemon Loves Lime and you will too.

You can now pre-order Lemon Loves Lime for Fall 2009. Be sure to get the merchandise you want. FREE SHIPPING on ALL orders over $100. Orders will ship mid-July.

Pre-orders are purchases of merchandise scheduled to ship at a future date. You can order the merchandise for a coming season and be sure to get exactly what you want.

Island Child understands that ordering in advance can be difficult for sizing and are more than happy to exchange sizing or styles for you that do not work out.

Click here for more info or call 888-705-5437 or 843-686-5437.

Island Child, an upscale Hilton Head Island children’s boutique with shopping available online as well, is a sponsor of SouthernMamas

OK, so the annual free summer concerts in Savannah’s city squares don’t actually include children’s music.
But the live concerts are a fun way to expose your kids to some of Savannah’s finest musicians.

Sixteen concerts are planned from this Wed. June 3 through July 31. Concerts are @ 11:30 AM on Wednesdays and Fridays and will alternate between Johnson and Wright Squares.

The concert series is being produced by the New Arts Ensembles (NAE), a Savannah-based group that showcases some of the region’s finest musicians.

The series kicks off on this Wed. June 3 with modern jazz group Silver Lining in Johnson Square.

Concerts are free and open to the public.
For more, 912-651-6417 or click here.

2009 Summer Concerts in the Squares Schedule

June 3, 2009: Silver Lining in Johnson Square (Modern jazz)
June 5, 2009: Roger Moss with Eric Jones in Johnson Square (Mercer standards)
June 10, 2009: The Jimmy Wolling Band in Wright Square (bluegrass)
June 12, 2009: Gina René Quartet in Wright Square (Jazz)
June 17, 2009: Claire Frazier in Johnson Square (Jazz)
June 19, 2009: Doug Carn and Marielouise in Johnson Square (Jazz)
June 24, 2009: Claire Frazier in Wright Square (Jazz)
June 26, 2009 Bottles ‘n Cans in Wright Square (Blues)
July 8, 2009: Silver Lining in Johnson Square (modern jazz)
July 10, 2009: The Jimmy Wolling Band in Johnson Square (bluegrass)
July 15, 2009: Lolintar Trio in Wright Square (Latin Jazz)
July 17, 2009: Bottles ‘n Cans in Wright Square (Blues)
July 22, 2009: Roger Moss with Eric Jones in Johnson Square (Mercer standards)
July 24, 2009: Gina René Quartet in Johnson Square (Jazz)
July 29, 2009: Lolintar Trio in Wright Square (Latin Jazz)
July 31, 2009: Doug Carn and Marielouise in Wright Square (Jazz)

You can shop The Market @ Trustees Garden in downtown Savannah while the kids watch the BEE Movie for free.

The movie will be shown @ 5:30 PM inside the Charles H Morris Center during Market Hours. The Market will be located in the Brown Tent from 4-7 PM.   Seated dining area to watch movie.

The Market @ Trustees Garden includes artists, organic farmers, live music and local fare. It’s held Wednesdays (4-7 pm) and Saturdays, (9 am-3 pm).

There’s a special storytime 10-11 AM Wed. June 3 @ the Roundhouse Railroad Museum, 601 W. Harris St

For ages 2-5. The theme: Fun in the Sun. Children will make ocean bottles & hear stories about summertime fun. Register at 912.651.6823 (note a different number than what was included in our weekly newsletter) or email childrensevents@chsgeorgia.org.

The Roundhouse Railroad Museum has a special once-a-month story and craft time in the Kidz Zone in the museum’s baggage car.

For more storytimes happening in the local area this summer, visit our new storytime page which lists a variety of storytime locations. .

Savannah’s “MusicAlive!” string quintet will have FREE music programs for children starting next week (June 8)  @ branches of the Live Oak Public Libraries. Children will learn about the musical genius of Johnny Mercer and his music.

The musicians will also present a segment on songwriting.

My toddler’s attended a coupleMusicAlive! performances and afterwards there’s often a string instrument “petting zoo” when children are allowed to touch the instruments.

The FREE performances are recommended for children of all ages. Here’s the schedule for the MusicAlive! events:

11 AM Mon, June 8 @ W.W. Law Branch Library
4 PM Mon., June 8 @ Oglethorpe Mall Branch Library
6 PM Mon,, June 8 @ Islands Branch Library
10:30 AM Tues., June 9 @ Port City Branch Library
1 PM Tues. June 9 @ South Effingham Branch Library
4 PM Tues. June 9 @ Kayton Branch Library
10:30 AM Wed. June 10 @ West Chatham Branch Library
2:30 PM Wed. June 10 @ Tybee Branch Library
4 PM Wed. June 10 @ Ogeechee Branch Library
10: 30 AM Thurs. June 11 @ Bull Street Branch Library
3 PM Thurs. June 11 @ Midway Branch Library
6 PM Thurs., June 11 @ Liberty Branch Library
10:30 AM Fri., June 12 @ Effingham Branch Library
3 PM Fri. June 12 @ Hitch Branch Library
5 PM Fri. June 12 @ West Chatham Branch Library

Contact your local branch for more information

Even children as young as 2 can take part in Savannah Celtic‘s Early Goals program June 16-July 28.

The six-week soccer session is @ a new location – the fields @ the corner of Bee Rd and Washington, 3000 Bee Road across from Grayson Stadium. Practices are approx. 30-45 minutes. Session cost: $50. Fee includes the 6 week program, practice t-shirt, end of the season finale with a medal and certificate

Select from one of these days:
Tuesday 5:15 pm for 2 & 3 year olds
Tuesday 9:30 am mixture of 2 – 4
Thursday 5:15 pm for 4 year olds

Sign up for the Savannah Celtic summer session by calling 912.495.9996 or click here.

Warning: If you haven’t had enough quality professional photos taken of your children, the on-location, editorial-style portraits on the Azelle Photography Web site and included in this very post will make you reach for the phone.

You will feel immediately compelled to book a portrait session with the husband-and-wife team behind Azelle Photography.

Not Olin Mills-type portraits. But modern, genuine photos that illustrate a story or idea. That’s what Azelle Photography excels at – a documentary style of photography.

Azelle Photography photo sessions are seen as mini progressions of a movie set – a story is happening and it must be told in a fun way. By establishing a solid rapport with their clients, the photographers are able to see and capture the true side of your relationships, moods, personalities.

With Azelle Photography, you get two photographers, two sets of eyes. They work twice as hard to satisfy you.

Cost of a standard session is $150 and a minimum purchase of $275 is required.

Azelle Photography is currently offering $50 off the session fee for portraits booked before the end of March. As an Easter promo, customers will receive a free 8×10 print, in addition to the purchase they will satisfy with their $275 minimum.

The session fee and the minimum purchase amount of $275 must be paid in full. Session fees are non-refundable.

The name Azelle is a derivative of a Biblical Azel, which from the Hebrew origins means “noble or distinguished”. That is how Azelle Photography wants their clients to feel.

See more examples of Azelle Photography portraits by visiting their site

To book a session, call 912.704.1616 or visit their site and click on contact. Azelle Photography serves the Lowcountry area including Savannah, Brunswick, Hilton Head, and Statesboro.

We’re often too busy to savor the beauty of being a mom and spending time with our kids. A Waldorf-inspired parent-tot program on Tybee Island helps moms slow down for a few hours each week and appreciate our role while our children enjoy creative play, meaningful imitation and oral learning.

The parent-tot program for toddlers, ages 1 to 4, is in the home of Bridget Lawson, who is Waldorf-schooled and trained. Tots and moms bake bread; watch puppet shows in Bridget’s sun-dappled playroom, equipped with Waldorf wooden toys (and pictured here); engage in crafts, morning circle time, story, outdoor play; and enjoy an organic morning snack.

Tots even grind the wheat to make the bread, as pictured below.

My son and I are relishing Bridget’s first session, which has two more classes, 9:30-11:30 Fri. March 6 & March 13. We drive away from each program feeling happy and renewed, with our bag of fresh wheat rolls we made together.  The next session starts Fri. March 27 and will run for eight weeks ending on Fri. May 15.

Beginning the week of March 9 is a separate four-week Waldorf-inspired parent-infant program for infants ages 6 weeks to 10 months.  The Nurtured Newborns Class at Bridget’s home will include observation and discussion of infant behavior, simple circle games and lullabies, snack for the parents and a sharing of insights from recommended study books.

For registration and cost info. on either program, call 413.575.5338.

The aim of Waldorf is to produce lifelong learners and teach through movement and example.

In the past 20 years, Waldorf has become the largest private-school movement in the world, according to Mothering magazine. Waldorf methods are now being taken up by a growing number of homeschooling families and public charter and magnet schools nationally.

Read more about the Waldorf educational philosophy here.

Are you cutting out perks like car washes, hair appointments and Starbucks during this economic crisis?

In my Savannah Morning News column this Sunday, I write about budget steps I and others are taking  – including giving up hoity-toity salons for cheaper, albeit riskier, cosmetology schools and going on a latte fast.  Read the column here.

Attention Obama Mamas.
Your little ones love to yell “Obama!” whenever they see our 44th president on TV or magazine covers.
Now they can play with the President’s Air Force One for $18 from Craftsbury Kids.

This President Obama Air Force One Wood Plane is a limited edition Pennsylvanian hardwood toy made in the USA. The collectible is constructed to last a lifetime.

You said you’d have a will done before the baby arrived.

But now that baby is already in school and you and your man still don’t have a will, a trust or any estate plan at all.

Check out a free, educational seminar offered by local law firm of Smith Barid, LLC on basic estate planning. It will be @ 10 am Thurs., March 12 @ the Law Offices of Smith Barid, LLC (315 Commercial Drive, Suite C-1, Savannah, GA 31406).
Learn more about protecting your families and your assets by calling 912.352.3999 (24/7) or by clicking here, then click on the “Estate Planning Seminars” link.

“Our firm is dedicated to helping people in Savannah and the surrounding areas do what’s necessary to protect and provide for themselves and their families,” said Richard Barid, a founding member of the firm.

For more info about the seminars, call 912.352.3999 or visit the Web site here

Good luck.

Few local doctors will do VBACs (vaginal birth after a c-section). An article in this week’s Time magazine, “The Trouble With Repeat Cesareans,” shows how the choice to give birth vaginally isn’t even there for an increasingly number of women. C-section is the only apparent option. Read the article here.

From Time:

…the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN), a grass-roots group, recently called 2,850 hospitals that have labor and delivery wards and found that 28% of them don’t allow VBACs, up from 10% in its previous survey, in 2004. ICAN’s latest findings note that another 21% of hospitals have what it calls “de facto bans,” i.e., the hospitals have no official policies against VBAC, but no obstetricians will perform them.

I recently wrote about repeat c-sections vs.  VBACs in my Savannah Morning News Column here.

If you’re looking for a VBAC-friendly obstetrician in the Savannah/Hilton Head Island-Bluffton area, check with The Midwife Group and Birth Center, 1692 Chatham Parkway, Savannah.

While the practice doesn’t do VBACs, because they must be done in a hospital, they can refer you to a doctor who does.

The goal @ the Birth Center is to prevent c-sections in the first place. The center has a very low c-section rate.

“The Birth Center” offers an open house every month for prospective families or just the curious. You can also visit “The Birth Center” on Facebook. Tracey Adams has developed a group called “The Friends of The Midwife Group and Birth Center”. It is fun and it is informative. Click here.

To register for an upcoming open house @ The Birth Center, call 912.629.6262. It is free and open to the public.

Losing your cool trying to teach your child how to hit a killer serve?

Leave the tennis teaching to the pros.

An upcoming professional tennis tournament on Skidaway Island lets kids learn from world-ranked professional players.

The Tail USTA $50,000 Savannah Challenger, which is May 2-10 @ the Franklin Creek Tennis Center at The Landings, will feature a Kids’ Day Clinic on May 2. The tournament is free and open to the public.

The Kids’ Day Clinic will give area children an opportunity to interact with the tournament’s tennis professionals. It’s open to the first 50 children between the ages of 7 and 18 to register and costs $10 per child.

To register for the Kid’s Day Clinic, click here or contact Jamie Strahm @ the Landings Club at 912-598-2570.

And pretty soon, your child will be the one telling your to keep your eye on the ball.

Registration is under way for the annual Savannah Children’s Choir 2009 Summer Choral Camp.

Registration materials are available online here. The camp, which is July 20-31, is designed for musically-interested rising 2nd – 8th graders and is held on the campus of Savannah Country Day School

During the two-week camp, days are filled with classes, rehearsals, playtime and afternoon enrichment (recitals provided by professional musicians). The theme of this year’s camp is rhythm.

The two-week session culminates in a free end-of-camp concert on Fri. July 31 at 7 p.m. @ Savannah Country Day School’s Jelks Auditorium, where the children present what they’ve learned to the public.

The camp is staffed by local professional educators as well as music education interns from top music colleges such as the University of Georgia, Louisiana State and Florida State. The camp serves as the primary audition into the Savannah Children’s Choir.

The SCC also offers a Mini-Choral Camp experience for 4 to 7 year olds. Each one-week session offers daily morning instruction through fun and play, and mini-campers participate in the end-of-camp concert on July 31.

Discounted early-bird registration is available and space is limited. Click here or call 912.228.4758.

Jackie Wetmore
Congratulations!

Jackie wins a $50 gift certificate to Coastal Kids Market, a children’s consignment sale specializing in high-end, gently-used boutique & trunk show clothing at a fraction of the cost. The sale is March 4-6 @ E-Z Parties in Pooler.

The first 150 shoppers at the sale will receive a “goodie bag” filled with coupons and discounts from many local businesses such as children’s boutiques, a dance studio, a children’s photographer, party venues, home-based businesses and more.

Thanks for entering this giveaway. You were all correct. Consignors are currently being recruited and will receive 70 percent of their items selling price. Click here for info on how to make money on your children’s clothes.

Tara Dry!

Tara wins a bouquet made of baby clothes from Swanky Blooms. Each baby bouquet is handmade to look like a bunch of baby flowers, but made of quality baby clothes, carefully rolled to look like blooms. The baby bouquets double as a baby shower centerpiece and are a creative alternative to fresh new baby flowers or diaper cakes.

Swanky Blooms currently offers a 10 percent discount on the Baby Cupcake Onesies, pictured here. Enter the code YUMMY10 and receive 10 percent on your purchase. Hurry.  Offer expires Sat. Feb. 28!! Click here to start shopping.

Are your little leprechauns ready for the big Savannah holiday?

Our sponsor Kate Rees can help with personalized St. Patrick’s Day outfits for boys and girls. Click here. Once that’s done, you can start focusing on more important matters, such as staking out that perfect spot to view the parade.

Operation Red Meat is under way @ our house, now that my toddler has been diagnosed as slightly anemic thanks to my distaste and distrust of mainstream meat. So now my guilt-ridden grocery store shopping sprees involve lots of over-priced grass-fed, hormone-free beef.

Are you also wary of conventional meat, but tired of shelling out big bucks for organic beef @ grocery stores? Then check out the Savannah Food Co-op, which helps families obtain healthy and sustainably-produced food and dry goods at affordable prices.

The co-op, started by some innovative local moms, offers primarily regional organic produce, Georgia-produced natural milk and butter, Georgia-produced organic pasture-raised ground beef, Georgia-produced artisanal pastured cheese, Midwest small-farm-produced organic yogurt, local pastured organic eggs, locally-made natural baked goods, fair-trade organic locally-roasted coffee, and natural drugstore items.

Read a Savannah Morning News Article here by Mary Landers about this much-needed local service and check out the co-op here.

Our pick this week for our new, regular feature “What to read with your kids”:

Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin by Lloyd Moss, 1995
This book simultaneously teaches instruments and personnel line-ups, from solo to nonette. This unique counting book is the perfect introduction to classical music. Readers of all ages are sure to shout “Encore!” when they reach the final page.

FLUTE, that sends our soul a-shiver;
FLUTE, that slender, silver sliver.
A place among the set it picks
To make a young SEXTET — that’s SIX. 

Click  here to search and see where  is available to check out @ Live Oak library branches and here to see where it’s available @ Beaufort County libraries.

Every now and then, we’ll turn the spotlight on a children’s book you should check out. And we’ll throw in a few links so you can find the book at your local library branch.

We’d love suggestions from readers about their favorite library finds for kids. Email anne@southernmamas.com

Here’s a unique baby or shower gift idea: a bouquet made of adorable baby clothes from Swanky Blooms.

And you can win one this week.

The winner will receive either an essentials bouquet in neutral tones  or she can decide the gender. Learn more about the bouquet here.

Each baby bouquet is handmade to look like a bunch of baby flowers, but made of quality baby clothes selected with a layette list in mind, carefully rolled to look like blooms. The baby bouquets double as a baby shower centerpiece and are a creative alternative to fresh new baby flowers or diaper cakes.

Check out the rules below to enter to win:

Win a $50 gift certificate to Coastal Kids Market, a children’s consignment sale specializing in high-end, gently-used boutique & trunk show clothing (similar to this cute dress pictured here) at a fraction of the cost. The sale is March 4-6 @ E-Z Parties in Pooler.

Check out the rules below to enter to win:

To enter to win, find the answer to this question. Consignors can turn hardly-worn outgrown children’s items into cash. What percentage of items’ selling price do consignors receive? Hint:  Click here, then read under “recruiting consignors.”  Email your answer and YOUR NAME to anne@southernmamas.com. Entry period closes 9 pm Thurs. Feb. 26.

Southern Mamas, I need your help. I am writing an article about quitting your job to stay at home with your kids. I’d love your input on how the real life stay-at-home experience differs from how we thought it would be.

What do you think are some of the myths about stay-at-home moms? For example, is nap time really the new happy hour? Do you find yourself envying work-outside-the-home moms? Do you get really ticked off when people ask “So do you do all day long?” And do you have any good replies to that annoying question?

What do you miss most about working outside the home? Do you feel as though your mind is turning mushy by not working outside the home? Do you think you made the correct decision to quit your job to stay home or do you believe there’s some truth to the argument of quality time over quantity of time?

Please email your thoughts and comments to anne@southernmamas.com.

A new session of Starfish Swim School children’s classes starts in March at The Chatham County Aquatic Center. Registration deadline is this Mon. Feb. 23.

A variety of classes are offered, including Starbabies for ages 6 months to 36 months. That class helps such very young children develop a high comfort level in the water while at the same time training parents in water safety. My son has taken several Starbabies sessions and loves it.

The goal isn’t to get toddlers to do the butterfly stroke, but to get them comfortable putting their face in the water, kicking, blowing bubbles and sometimes even learning how to climb out of the pull and jump in.

One parent must be in the water with each child. Be prepared for lots of singing (”Splashes. Splashes. We all blow bubbles….”) Starbabies sessions offered include Tuesdays/Thursdays or Saturdays. Click here for a schedule.

Other classes include:

SeaSprites for ages 3-5: swim skills through creative water activities.
SeaStars for ages 6-8: core swimming skills and the opportunity to progress to advanced strokes;
SwimStars for ages 9 and older: swimming skills, water safety, water sports and adventure learning activities.
StrokeStars for any age that meets the skills requirement: refine freestyle and learn stroke technique for backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and more.

Classes cost $50 for non members and $38 for members. Call 912.652.6793. Learn more by clicking here. The Chatham County Aquatic Center is @ 7420 Sallie Mood