It’s officially fall in Bucks County, Montgomery County, and surrounding region, which means Halloween will be here soon.  Everywhere I travel I see pumpkin signs advertising area pumpkin patches.  Our family likes to visit Solly Farm each fall to go apple picking and to visit their pumpkin patch.  They have a hay ride to the apple orchard on the weekends that gives a little tour of the farm.  There is a HUGE pumpkin on the side of the farm market at Solly Farm that I like to photograph my son next to each year to see how much he has grown.   Last year we also went to None Such Farms on the weekend to their Pumpkin Festival where we were able to enjoy a hayride and tour of the farm, some fun music and get some light lunch before checking out the pumpkin patch.  There are many area fall festivals and pumpkin festivals listed on Mama’s calendar, so if you are looking for some ideas, start there!  What are some fall traditions you have with your family or ones you are thinking of starting?

Solly Farms huge pumpkin!

This weekend’s weather forecast is sounding more ominous every minute!  The threat of hurricane Irene, due to arrive to the Philadelphia, Bucks County, Montgomery County and New Jersey regions Sunday morning, means lots of cancellations and evacuations.  While everyone hopes that this storm is being hyped more serious than it really will be, it is so important to be safer than sorry.   I can’t help but think of those tragic news stories that followed hurricane Katrina, when people were not as prepared as they could have been.   There are many resources online that provide helpful information on how to prepare for a storm.  Here are a few resources for Mama’s Little Helper readers:

• The National Hurricane Center, which also provides great resources for being prepared with a family plan and emergency supplies.
• One Storm has information for making a family hurricane plan.
• Ready America from FEMA has information about planning and returning home after a storm.
• The Red Cross has a hurricane safety checklist.

Be prepared for during and after Hurricane Irene!

If your area has not been evacuated, there are a few things you can do to help your family shelter at home during and after the storm, when power outages are possible.  While this list is not inclusive, here are a few tips I learned about from reading various places online to help deal with this storm:

• Have a good supply of drinking water on hand.  Approximately one gallon per person for at least three days, up to seven.
• Set your refrigerators and freezers to the coldest setting in case of a power failure.
• Freeze extra ice packs or even bottles of water to use to help keep your freezer contents cold in case of a power outage.
• Be sure to have a good supply of any prescriptions you need on hand.
• Have some extra cash on hand.  If there is a power failure in the area, ATMs will not work.
• Fill your gas tanks of your car and generator if you have one.
• Keep non perishable foods on hand, such as peanut butter and jelly, bread, snack bars, fruit, and your kids’ favorite snacks!
• If there are babies at home, be sure to have diapers, food, milk/formula supplies for them.
• Have flashlights with batteries on hand, as they are safer than candles.
• Keep a box of activities that can be used to entertain your kids during a power outage.  Games, crayons and coloring books, and even something new to be a nice surprise for the kids during this stressful time.
• Clear your yard and decks/porches of potential hazards…store lawn furniture, bird feeders, toys indoors if possible.

Natural disasters are scary for adults and confusing for children.  It is important to teach your kids about how to be safe without frightening them.  It’s good for the adults to have a plan for evacuation from the home if necessary and share as much as that plan as is appropriate for your children based upon their age.  Watching the news with kids can provoke anxiety for some kids.  Share with your kids just enough information about what is going on with out going in to too much detail to curb anxiety.  Some kids won’t care, but there are lots of kids who will be scared.  Plan to have a little fun while you are stuck inside during the storm.  It might help relieve everyone’s anxiety or stir-craziness!

Be safe during the storm!  I hope that everyone who has been evacuated from the Jersey shore is able to return home safely soon.

Mama Diane

This week’s featured mama of the week is Teresa H. Berger, author of the book Mom’s Recipe and Activity Guide and mother to one awesome five year old girl.  She also blogs at Life. Suburban. Simple. where she shares tips regarding being green and more earth friendly.

Teresa is currently a SAHM and has always worked in some capacity since becoming a mother.  She has worked as a part-time freelance marketing consultant, full-time marketing director, and most recently full-time SAHM.  She is also a certified group fitness instructor and has taught pre/post natal fitness classes for women for about four years.  Teresa said, “I am a firm believer in maintaining a sense of self-worth when becoming a mother. I have struggled with that the last couple of years because I’ve worked less and less. I do enjoy being with my daughter and creating memories I could never have had the opportunity to had I been consistently working full-time. But at the same time, I’ve learned I need to allow myself “me” time to develop my skills, interests and passions. That is one reason I got certified as a group fitness instructor and personal trainer, and why I’m currently training to run a 1/2 marathon in September.”

Parenting presents challenges, and Teresa shared some of the things that she deals with, including time management, which is an issue for her. She said, “even with one child, I’m still learning how to adjust and build in buffer time to account for her wardrobe changes or the random morning tantrum. As kids go from baby to toddler to elementary age and beyond, they still need you, their needs just change.”  She also mentioned that she has a hard time dealing with when she sees her daughter’s feelings get hurt at school or on the play ground.  Teresa mentioned that she is “learning that it is just a part of life but it gets me in the gut to see her hurting (or any child hurting because they’ve been called a name or treated poorly.)”

This Montgomery County mom & author helps fund raise for The National LeioMyoSarcoma Foundation

Teresa’s book, Mom’s Recipe and Activity Guide was written to celebrate her mother’s life, which was loss at the young age of 53 to LeioMyoSarcoma*, a rare form of cancer.  The book honors her memory of her mother and includes many family activities and recipes that kids can help make.  A portion of the proceeds for the book goes to The National LeioMyoSarcoma Foundation.  The book can be purchased through CreateSpace or via Amazon.  Teresa is also involved in fundraising efforts for LeioMyoSarcoma through a local walk.  She said, “the first Sunset Stroll for LMS was held in October 2010 in conjunction with the books efforts to raise awareness and funding for the NLMSF. We are planning a second Sunset Stroll for LMS in October 2012 (hoping to eventually make it an annual event.)”

*Leiomyosarcoma is a rare form of cancer, which affects about four people in every million. It spreads through the blood stream and can affect the lungs, liver, blood vessels or any other soft tissue in the body. Presently there is no cure, only remission if it can be attained, and this rare cancer can reappear anywhere and at any time. Because of its rarity, few doctors know how to treat it and it attracts little research.  From http://www.nlmsf.org/

A great recipe from Mom’s Recipe and Activity Guide:

Teresa shared one of her favorite cookie recipes from her book, Rainy Day Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. They are an easy recipe kids can absolutely help with making.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

• 1 cup butter

• ¾ cup packed brown sugar

• ¾ cup sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour

• 2-3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (optional—omit if anyone at home has a peanut allergy or if you are sharing with friends/classmates)

• ½ cup flaxseed (good source of vitamin B, protein, and zinc)

• 2 cups rolled oats

• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

 

In a large bowl, cream butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Combine the baking soda, salt, flour, peanut butter and flax seed and stir into creamed mixture. Add oats and chocolate chips and stir until well blended. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Makes about 24.

Teresa uses social media to build and maintain relationships and to stay in touch with family from afar. She said, “I try not to spend too much time on it, because I don’t want to get carried away from my first priority – family. Social media has helped me grow professional relationships and friendships. It’s also afforded me the opportunity to stay on top of what’s going on in the world.”  You can find Teresa on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with her book and her latest project, her second book!  She is also pursuing options to make her current book into an e-reader format!

Teresa takes advantage of living in a great part of Montgomery County that has a wonderful park, Alverthorpe Park.  She said, “it’s got something for families with kids of all ages and because it’s a township park it has summer camps for kids throughout the season. My daughter just took a week-long golf basics camp there and it was so fun.”

Thanks Teresa, for sharing a bit about your life with Mama’s Little Helper’s readers!

Comfort Food sells locally produced whole foods for take home or catered events!

This week’s featured Mama of the week is Kimberly Quay, blogger and chef/owner of Comfort Food, a shop that sells take out whole foods and a caterers.  Comfort Food is located at 437 Alden Avenue in Morrisville, PA and has been open for over a year now.  Prior to Comfort Food, Kimberly studied at the Culinary Institute of America in New York and worked at some great Philly area restaurants, including Striped Bass, White Dog Cafe, and Jake’s in Manayunk.  According to her blog, she has been in the food industry for 20 years now, starting out making cookie dough!  Along the way she has learned a lot and now focuses her energy on her business, Comfort Food.  ”Our storefront sells healthy, prepared foods to go, made from the bounty of Bucks County’s local farms. We also do catering, from small dinner parties to weddings, barbecues, graduation parties, communions…you name it, we can cater it.”

Kimberly is a single mom to two kids, ages 9 and 11.  She said that her son plays travel baseball, “so we are all consumed by his baseball schedule. When I’m not working, you can usually find my daughter and I watching one of her brother’s games(she is a tortured baseball sister!)”  She describes her daughter as “a wonderful artist, with an incredible talent for drawing and cartooning.”  With respects to parenting, Kimberly said “I enjoy knowing that I’m teaching my kids to grow up to be kind, caring, funny young adults who are capable of making good decisions. I love seeing them blossom as they get older, watching their personalities really develop.”  Parenting presents many challenges, and for a single mom who works full time at her own business, there is the added challenge of being away from her kids for extensive amounts of time (she works a 70-80 hour week!!)  Kimberly is able to rely upon a very supportive network of help who care for her kids while she works, including her parents, friends and a team of babysitters.  It helps that she really enjoys her work!

Teaching her kids strong values is important to Kimberly.  She said she focuses upon “the usual-honesty, compassion, being a good friend, doing the right thing. I think all these things are taught on a daily basis, by me being a good role model. I have very high expectations for myself as a human being, and my kids see that every day.”  When asked about how she teaches her kids about respect, she relied, “we often talk about what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes. I think having perspective in any situation is difficult, especially for kids. We have a lot of conversations that begin with,”Well, how do you think that makes him/her feel? How would that feel if that was you?”

Kimberly mentioned that she does not cook at home usually, but brings home food from her shop for her family.  She said, “the most cooking I do is when we BBQ on Sunday nights if I’m not working. I pour a mean bowl of cereal in the morning.”   Kimberly lives close to her shop, in Yardley. She said her favorite place to be in her neighborhood is to be is on her back deck with her partner, her dog and her kids playing in the yard.  She enjoys going to the pool with her kids so that they can have fun with their friends and leave this busy mama alone for a bit to relax!

Social media is a great way to interact with customers and share Comfort Food’s menus!

Kimberly is involved in social media as a means to promote her business.  On her blog, comfortfoodlive.blogspot.com, she posts photos of the daily changing chalkboard menu from her shop.  She also regularly updates the shop’s Facebook page and interacts with customers there.  She said, “I use Facebook and the blog to keep people updated on what we’re making, special menu items and pictures from events that we’re doing. Since our menus change so quickly, it’s great to be able to instantly get the word out that new items are ready. I once posted that we had crabcakes at the shop, early Saturday morning. By 3pm we had completely sold out and people were still coming in and asking for them! It’s amazing how many people really keep a close eye on Facebook.”

Stop by Comfort Food sometime to pick up some great food, say hello to Kimberly and tell her that Mama sent you!  You can find Comfort Food in Bucks County at 437 Alden Ave., Morrisville, Pa 19067, 215-847-5707.  Email:  Comfortfood1@yahoo.com

Kimberly Quay at Comfort Food in Morrisville, photo courtesy of buckslifemag.com

Thanks to Kimberly for sharing information about her parenting style and business information with Mama’s Little Helper!

EurAupair: a provider of intercultural child care programs in the US.

With over 20 years of experience, EurAupair (pronounced “yoor´-ô-pair”) is one of the oldest, largest and most trusted au pair organizations in the United States. EurAupair was one of the first au pair programs to become designated by the U. S. Department of State to legally sponsor au pairs to come to the United States, and has placed tens of thousands of au pairs successfully with American host families since it’s inception. As EurAupair follows strict regulations, your family will be choosing an au pair from among the most qualified au pair candidates, and you can be assured that your great au pair will arrive with all the proper legal visa documentation.

About the EurAupair Program

Like the au pair tradition itself, EurAupair has its roots in Europe. From this long-standing heritage, EurAupair brings to the United States bright, responsible au pairs who assist in caring for your children in exchange for inclusion in American family life, the opportunity to study at an American college, and exposure to a new culture.

Au Pairs can work up to 45 hours a week, 10 hours/day max. They are there to take you kids to after school activities, or watch them when they’re sick or have snow days. They can take your toddlers to preschool and you don’t have to have out of home childcare for your little ones.

About the Au Pairs: more than a babysitter

Au Pairs are young adults from all over the world. They have experience working with kids and they are very well screened. They are excited to get to know a new culture and what a great way to expose your children to one too.

Local mom, Anitta Williams, is a local community counselor in Montgomery /Bucks County area for EurAupair. She meets with the Au Pairs monthly and has monthly contact with the Host Families. If there are any issues or questions she is there to help. Anitta was an Au Pair herself about 10 years ago.  She said, “then back home in Finland I worked for the local agency interviewing Au Pair applicants. And as a mother myself I can relate to other families looking for child care.”

About the cost:

Affordable child care at roughly $340 per week includes your au pair’s round-trip international flight, visa assistance, comprehensive insurance coverage, weekly stipend and ongoing personalized support from your local EurAupair team.  And remember, this is per family, NOT per child.

For more information, please contact:

Anitta Williams

awilliams@euraupaireast.com

www.euraupair.com

1-800-333-3804 ext.255

**Right now EurAupair has a special; the application fee of $350 is discounted to only $65**

Deidrea Haysel is a busy mom who appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank

Mama’s Little Helper’s featured mama of this week is Deidrea Haysel from Hot Mama Gowns.  She is the mom to two children, a daughter age 5 and a son age 3.  Her kids love to play outdoors, especially swimming, climbing trees, bike riding and getting dirty!

Deidrea is currently a work at home mom, and she shared the following about her work history:  ”I will use the word “unfortunately” because it describes how I feel about the situation; unfortunately I was never able to be a SAHM; I’ve always had a career in the corporate world and the choices we made concerning our homes and lifestyle would not afford me to be a SAHM, I often said I wish I could have gone back to the days when I was making a small salary and we could have built our lives around just my husband’s income, but those days were long gone before we had children and we had created a life and had future plans that could not be sustained on a single income. Up until very recently I had always been a full-time employee working outside the home with the children going to a home daycare in our neighborhood and I worked on Hot Mama Gowns into the wee hours of the morning and on the weekends. Since my appearance on Shark Tank, I’ve been able to become a WAHM which fulfills me in more ways that I ever dreamed. I truly, TRULY feel, I am a better Mother, Wife, Sister, and Individual for this type of work/life balance! I still work into the wee hours of the morning but I’m able to utilize my babysitter on days when I need her and still have HOURS with the kids, something that was very limited when I was working full time outside the home. My professional career has been in the Pharmaceutical industry, as a Territory Manager for the last 7 years. I REALLY love what I do and the interactions I have with customers and I thrive on learning so much about different disease states and how certain products can truly change a patient’s life; I LOVED what I did!”

Deidrea mentioned appearing on ABC’s Shark Tank show.  She appeared on episode 205 of Shark Tank requesting $30,ooo for a 20% stake of her business, Hot Mama Gowns. While she did receive one offer, she chose to decline that offer.  If you’ve never heard about Hot Mama Gowns, they are a maternity and nursing gown that a mom to be can wear during labor, after and for nursing her new baby.  They are hospital/birth center friendly, as they have short sleeves for blood pressure cuffs, a full snapping back for easy access and tie front panels to aid with easy nursing.  Plus, they are made from organic cotton fabric in beautiful patterns and come in sizes small through XXL.  Check out Deidrea’s website for full details about her Hot Mama Gowns and her bio that shares her inspiration for her company or contact her via mail or email, Info@HotMamaGowns.com , P.O. Box 667, Townsend, DE 19734, 302-376-5926.  

This Hot Mama uses social media to connect with her customers

When asked about her involvement with social media, Deidrea replied that she is “a HUGE believer and lover of social media! I Facebook, I tweet, I blog and I believe each of these tools is so important in growing your brand, growing and maintaining your customer base as well as creating good will for yourself and your brand. I believe the benefits of being engaged with your customers on an intimate, personal level, where the walls of “Big Business” are broken down are immeasurable and the impact it has on your business is long-lasting. And truly, I THOROUGHLY enjoy that interaction with my customers, I love hearing from them and being accessible to them! I LOVE meeting my Tweeple in real life and have had the pleasure on several occasions and plan to have lots more in the coming years! It is so amazing and fulfilling to meet someone face to face with whom you’ve had 140 character conversations over 2 years, it’s simply amazing, and I’m ALWAYS impressed by the authentic people I meet face to face!”  You can find Hot Mama Gowns on their Facebook page and on Twitter.

In regards to parenting, Deidrea mentioned that she works to teach her children to be thoughtful, kind, sharing individuals who think of others before themselves.  She enjoys seeing her 5 year old daughter be the sensitive person in a crowd and offer help when it’s needed without being prodded.  She mentioned that her 3 year old, while still learning, already has a giving, affectionate way about treating others, which makes his Mama proud!  In regards to parenting challenges, Deidrea has to be the disciplinarian five days a week due to her husband’s work schedule.  It’s hard to balance being a fun mom with being the strict mom who is working to develop respectful, thoughtful, and caring children.  Deidrea mentioned that she enjoys the fun and energy having kids brings. “It’s like I’m reliving my childhood all over again with the best playmates. Teaching them games I used to play as a kid and running and hiding and giggling with them, they make me feel ageless and energized.”

When asked what tip about parenting she would give a new parent, Deidrea replied, “there is no “right” way, and what works for someone might not work for you. Don’t worry about doing it “right” just do what feels right to you. You can’t go wrong when you are following your instincts and heart; this is your family and YOU have their best interests at heart and you don’t have to worry about answering to anyone!”

She also mentioned that some of the worst advice she heard as a new parent was regarding the pressure everyone puts on baby’s sleep, and sleeping thru the night. “Other parents wear it like a badge of honor “My Jill slept 8 hours last night”, “My John is already sleeping thru the night” as if this is the norm, when it ISN’T the norm; babies are individuals and should not be made to conform to what we WANT. Babies have needs and their bodies and brains are growing and changing so quickly in those first months; it’s more important to cater to THEM, than to make them conform to our lifestyle because it’s what we want. It’s more important to focus on what they NEED, than what we WANT. And your child WILL sleep thru the night; when they are ready!”

And finally, when asked what she does to de-stress and relax, Deidrea replied, “I just had to Google relax and de-stress; those words have been removed temporarily from my life!! Since most every moment of my life if filled with either kids or work, I have very little I can do to de-stress. What I do enjoy when I break away from the computer is watching DVR’d episodes of guilty pleasure reality TV (Real Housewives of NY, OC, NY, etc)!”

Deidrea Haysel from Hot Mama Gowns

Thank you Deidrea, for being Mama’s Little Helper’s featured mama of the week!

If you know a mom you would like to see featured here, email Diane@mamaslittlehelper.org.

Mama Diane

Tastefully Simple consultant Jacki Pitkow enjoys raising her boys in Bucks County!

This week’s featured mama of the week is Jacki Pitkow, mom to two boys ages 3 and 5 years.  Her boys keep her busy by playing with cars, playdoh, crafts, going to the playground, and play dates.  Her older son likes to play his Wii and DS games.  She mentioned that parenting is “certainly an adventure! It’s wonderful to be able to support and see how my 2 boys grow and explore the world! I love to hear my boys tell me they love me, it warms my heart! I couldn’t ask for anything else! Seeing their accomplishments in life from activities like karate and preschool are priceless.”  She finds parenting to be challenging at times, as “boys will be boys and things can get a bit crazy sometimes! Keeping an even keel is really the best option but not always the case. The boys sharing toys can be a challenge and they don’t always want to share. This is one of the biggest challenges. Sometimes buying 2 of the same toys is the solution, other times is teaching them that they must take turns!”  A common challenge with which many parents can relate!

When asked how she teaches her boys about being kind, Jacki said, “my husband and I make sure they know how to share and we speak about donating and helping others out.  Because I own my own business, I have the option to donate to causes which I believe in. On a regular basis I host fundraisers and donate to non-profits. This includes Kisses For Kyle, March of Dimes and Susan G. Komen. I am always open to helping other organizations and would love to be contacted by the community for this.”

Being a work at home mom helps keep Jacki connected

Jacki is a work at home mom.  She explained, “I have a background in Hotel/Restaurant Management and worked as a banquet manager for many years. I decided to leave the business and enter the corporate world. It’s there I met my husband. When I gave birth to our 1st son my husband and I decided I would leave my project manager role. I wasn’t home with my son for very long when I realized I felt shut-off from the world and needed to reconnect! Going back to my love of the food business, I started to research options. My sister suggested this really cool company – Tastefully Simple! After some research and consideration, I signed up as a consultant with Tastefully Simple (a gourmet foods company marketed via home parties). Currently I am a team manager and will be celebrating 4 years in business this July. This is a wonderful mix and I love it! I have a wonderful team of ladies whole excel in their own ways. Being a consultant for Tastefully Simple allows me to control my schedule and choose when I want to work. My husband and inlaws help watch the kids when I have a taste testing party or business meeting. We also have some very reliable baby sitters which the kids love! I love food and Tastefully Simple has fabulous products and as a company they are very rewarding! I feel very lucky to be able to work with such a flexible schedule.”

Since Jacki is in the food business, she shared a yummy dessert recipe with Mama’s Little Helper.  It uses Tastefully Simple products, that she certainly could help readers purchase if they would like to make Crazy For Coconut Truffle Fudge Bars themselves!

Using social media for business and personal purposes helps Jacki stay connected.  She said, “I love social media and it’s a big part of my communication to my friends, customers and potential customers. I use Facebook for both business and personal connections. From a business standpoint, I’ve signed a consultant to my team as well as received orders and parties from promoting my business on Facebook. I feel this is one of the more effective platforms for me. Twitter allows for a wider audience and I do have a nice following, but I don’t see as much business come from it. I feel linkedin allows me to stay connected with my business contacts. I am also the woman behind tweeting and social media for the business group NBPA (Newtown Business and Professional Association) and feel all businesses need to have a presence online with social media! My goal is to start a blog to share with the world my favorite recipes, as well as insights on social media and the direct sales world.”

A favorite neighborhood spot to explore for Jacki and her family is Newtown.  From the variety of restaurants to visit, the parks for the kids, and many other local businesses they like to patron.  ”Bucks County is such a beautiful place and has so much to offer and explore!”  A great family tradition they have is visiting Disney every year.   She said that her kids love it and even though it’s a tiring trip, the family has a fantastic time. “It gives us a chance to all be together for a good amount of time! It’s precious to see the enjoyment on my kids faces,” she mentioned.

To relax without her kids, Jacki enjoys a night out with friends or her husband.  She thinks it’s important to have some adult time away from her kids to chat, eat and relax.  She also enjoys going for walks, listening to music and just taking in her surroundings.  She also mentioned that as a side hobby she likes to find the best deals that she can on the web for purchases before buying.  She said, “I love a great sale!”

If you would like to contact Jacki regarding Tastefully Simple, she can be reached via email at jpitkow@comcast.net.

Thanks Jacki for being a featured mama of the week on Mama’s Little Helper!

Mama Diane

Today was my daughter’s very first day of volunteering. We gave our time to @ReUseYourShoes, a great charity program started by @KevinFKane that collects shoes for people in need. We came together at @WeLoveSubaru at Reedman Toll in Langhorne PA to help sort through thousands of donated shoes for feet in need. It felt great knowing we were helping to get people’s feet back on the ground (yes, I thought of that myself). I got to see some people I know like @JudySueFarms @ashleykanoff @nratner and meet new people I’ve been following on Twitter and Facebook, like Big Joe McCarthy (Stacy’s hubby). I loved Stacy’s avatar ever since I started my Facebook page for Mama’s Little Helper.  It’s a huge flower in front of her face, for Smart Girls Real Estate. Love it!  The colors are bold pink and caught my attention immediately and I see it everywhere. Check out the video that was aired on @Good_Day_Philly yesterday!

“Shoe Man” Helping One Soul At A Time: MyFoxPHILLY.com

Regal summer movies for a buck, all summer long!

Summer vacations are about to begin in the Bucks/Montco/Philadelphia region for children and their families.  Parents and caregivers are always on the quest for inexpensive and family-friendly entertainment for young children to occupy those hot summer months.  The Regal Entertainment Group, which includes 284 Regal Cinemas, United Artists, and Edwards Theatres across the country are offering a solution for inexpensive family entertainment all summer long: kid-friendly movies for a dollar! This is a great way to stay inside a cool theater on a hot morning and provide your charges with a couple of hours of giggles and fun.

The Summer Movie Express will offer selected G and PG rated family movies on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10:00 am for nine weeks, starting on Tuesday June 21st and running through Wednesday August 17th.  Each theater will have their own schedule of which movies they are showing each week, so if one lives close to several theaters, the selection of movies each week will increase.  In the Philadelphia region there are several theaters participating including in Bucks County The Oxford Valley Theatre Stadium 14 in Langhorne, The Warrington Crossing Stadium 22 in Warrington, and in New Jersey, the Burlington Stadium 22 in Burlington.  For a full listing of participating theaters, see the Regal Summer Movies website.

Admission is only a dollar per person and a portion of that will be donated by the theaters to the Will Rogers Institute, who uses the money to fund their mission in the areas of medical research and health education.  Regal has committed to donate a million dollars to the Will Rogers Institute from the proceeds of the summer movie series.

Some of the movies included in the Summer Express Movie series are Ramona & Beezus, Open Season (1, 2, and 3,) Megamind, Yogi Bear, Charlotte’s Web, Jason and the Argonauts, How to Train Your Dragon, Muppets Take Manhattan, Muppetts from Space, and Karate Kid. See the Summer Movie Express website for the movie schedule of your local theater.

These are not first-run movies, however, for younger children who may have not yet seen these movies in a theater, it makes it an exciting and different experience than sitting at home and watching on the television.  It also is a great way to cool off when its too hot to play in the sun all day!  Be sure to get there early, as it’s possible that the theaters will be crowded.  Plan your schedule by checking out the full listing of kids movies this summer and making sure to see your kids’ favorites!  See Mama’s calendar for some of the theaters schedules.

This is a fun opportunity for kids of a variety of ages, so you can bring all of your kids or grandkids for a morning of fun kids movies this summer.  Snacks optional!

~Mama Diane