Have you been to the Main Street Latin Festival?  I haven’t either, but I love me some Latin-inspired music and food.  Check it out.  I think I will.  Saturday from 11-9 on Main Street.  Free!

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I love a routine.  Rules.  Schedules.  Lists.  That’s just how I live.  I made up this 1-2-3-4-5 routine back in January.  I made it 1 month and then various obstacles presented themselves (like getting a cold, then Valentines Day, my birthday, my son’s birthday, Easter, Spring Break, vacations, and so on).  I took a hiatus from my 1-2-3-4-5 program, and unfortunately, failed to resume with the same level of commitment as before.  Fast forward 7 months and I am back on it.  I’ll share it with you here.

1 caffeinated beverage per day

2 32 oz. bottles of water per day

3 supplements per day (multi-vitamin, lysine, flax seed)

4 meals per day (3 + 1 snack)

5 days of exercise per week

Sweets only on the weekend

How do you keep yourself motivated?  And your kids…how do you keep them motivated to eat healthy and be active?  I think modeling is the best way.  If my kids see me eat an extra serving of broccoli and one cookie rather than the reverse, then they are less likely to balk when I only give them 1 cookie for dessert.  Healthy food choices and an active lifestyle certainly can’t hurt me (or them)!  I’ll point you again to two of my favorite food-related blogs.  Check out Weelicious and the Tamra Davis Cooking Show to get inspired!

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Saturday is going to be an awesome day to be a parent in Columbia.  The Big Shebang is going on at City Roots from 11-2. Expose your kids to in-town, sustainable farming, local food, local crafts, and more. 

Before you go, however, you do not want to miss this month’s installment of the Nickelodeon Family Film Series starting at 10am! Here’s why:

1) The Nickelodeon is awesome!  We are so lucky to have the Nick in Columbia.  It is SC’s only non-profit art house film theatre, which means you get the opportunity to see lots of non-mainstream films. What’s more, the Nickelodeon has committed to providing unique programming opportunities for the whole family.  Once a month, the Nick hosts the Family Film Series where you can introduce your children to something besides Barney, Elmo, and Disney princesses.

2) Lunch Money is awesome!  I am going to sound like a broken record, but we are so lucky to have Lunch Money in Columbia!  Really people, to have a nationally-known and acclaimed band from Columbia… and have it be a band that makes music for kids… and have it be a really great-sounding, cool, hip, indie kids’ band… unbelievable luck!!!  Lunch Money is officially hosting the Family Film Series.  They have lots of great things in store for the attendees at the events.  Not just a regular Lunch Money show.  Don’t miss out!

3) Short films are awesome!  For the Family Film Series, the Nick is programming short films instead of full lengths.  This is a huge bonus for 3 reasons.  First, these aren’t just bring-your-kids-to-the-movies-and-let-them-zone-out-for-2-hours events.  The events will be interactive.  In my opinion, a much more enriching experience!  Second, programming short films allows Lunch Money to have half the show time!  All the Family Film Series events will run 1 hour, with short films making up half, and Lunch Money making up the other half.  So, for $5, you get movies AND a concert.  That is a major bargain!  Finally, programming shorts allows the Nick to present films from around the world, and at the same time, support independent film makers who are out there working hard to make creative, interesting films but that don’t get the main-stream budget and distribution of a big Pixar/Disney/DreamWorks film.

I really hope you will come out on Saturday and experience the Family Film Series.  The theme is Animals!  See you there!

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Wednesday: Don’t miss the new Farmer’s Market in Forest Acres.  Every Wednesday on the rooftop at Midtown @ Forest Acres from 3-7pm.  I bought the MOST delicious honey ever, and the Wild Indigo Moon plants were fantastic.

Saturday: Women for a Fresh Start for All will be holding its second diaper drive from 9-Noon at Heathwood Park.  The items collected will be distributed to families in need.  Last October, the group collected 19,000 diapers!  They hope to double that, so bring some diapers and wipes to donate to the cause!  Great way to improve the quality of life for children right here in our State.  Bonus: Your kids can play in the park while you make your donation and meet new cool people!

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We are back at the “grow your own food” thing.  I love the process of planting seeds and checking the ground daily for the first signs of sprouts.  This year’s crops include:

- pumpkins (5 sprouts)

- watermelon (1 sprout - need to plant some additional seeds)

- scallions (numerous sprouts)

- squash (6 sprouts that must be thinned to 3)

- cucumber (2 sprouts)

- heirloom tomatoes (2 plants - not from seed)

- jalapeno peppers (2 plants, not from seed)

- cilantro (2 plants, not from seed)

- basil (3 plants, not from seed)

- strawberries (12 plants, not from seed)

If we’re lucky, I’ll invite you over for homemade salsa…

Are you planting anything this year?  I’d love to hear about it, however large or small.  Get your kids involved in growing their own food at a young age.  Children are much more likely to try foods that they see growing in their garden or that they helped plant.  Gardening also presents a great opportunity to talk to your children about feeding the hungry.  Turn your gardening project into a community service project through Harvest Hope’s Plant a Row for the Hungry.  So many great things can come from planting a garden.  I hope you’ll give it a try.

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Today and tomorrow are crazy.  Seriously. Family events:

• Tonight: Mingle and Jingle on Main
• Tonight: Sweet Seasons at Midtown @ Forest Acres
• Tomorrow night: A Little Holiday Party at K.D.’s Treehouse
• Tomorrow night and Satuday: Five Points Festivus
• Saturday: The Neverending Story at the Nickelodeon Theatre (yes!  The 80s film you saw when you were a kid!)

Gosh, there are so many things to do, it is crazy.  Be sure to check my events calendar for all the ongoing activities, but the ones above are special one-time only events!

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Always looking for ways to save the Earth…Why not try an eco-friendly coffee cup sleeve thingy? (I know it has a name, but I happen to hate the word cozy as a thing you put around a cup or bottle, etc.  Love the word cozy as it relates to being cozy under a blanket. Can’t explain it any further.  It is what it is. Anyway… these reusable coffee cup sleeves work the same as the cardboard ones the coffee shops supply, but they are way more fashionable!  Now your coffee cup can look as cool as you do!

I just happen to have a friend here in Columbia that makes them.  Check out her Coffee Sweaters on Wren Boutique….they make great stocking stuffers!

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The State’s Family Ties section has a yummy recipe for breakfast pizza.  I am intrigued.  Why didn’t I think of it?  I recently found myself scouring the internet for a breakfast cookie recipe that would trick my kids into eating a hearty, healthy, vitamin-packed breakfast.  I gave up before I found the perfect recipe. At any rate, this breakfast pizza idea is a good one.  I’ll give it a try.  Let me know if you have other great breakfast ideas!

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This Saturday, Earth Fare is hosting a Local Harvest Fest!  From 2-6pm, you can sample and buy products from local vendors and farmers.  You can even see a cow get milked in the parking lot!  I grew up on a farm, so I am used to all things farmish (is that a word?), but if you are and have always been a city-dweller, you and your kids might enjoy seeing a cow up close and personal!  Check out the milking, enjoy live music, and treat yourself to some local fare, including boiled peanuts and roasted corn!

Saturday, September 26 at Earth Fare in Columbia.  Free…well, that is unless you buy something from the farmers!

Happy Fall!

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Check out this great new Tamra Davis Cooking Show that features a segment on packing nutritious lunches for your kids!  I have mentioned before that I love Tamra’s show.  Not only does she offer yummy and healthy recipes that have great kid-appeal, but she just seems so darn nice!  Check this one out!

Coincidentally, there will be a Richland One School Board Meeting tonight, and I hear that the quality of school lunches being provided to children in the district will be a point of discussion.  If school lunches are your thing, tonight’s meeting should be on your calendar.  7 pm at Bradley Elementary School.  (Note: I couldn’t confirm there was an agenda item on the lunches, so it may be sandwiched in somewhere (no pun intended).  I hear these meetings can go long, so you might want to call the school board and ask for an approximate time before you head over there…)

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