Happy Groundhog Day!

We are packing up for our big trip west to Punxsutawney, PA., to visit Pennsylvania's, most famous, weather predicting marmot, Punxsutawney Phil.

Bright and early on February 2nd, Phil comes out of his burrow on Gobbler's Knob - in front of thousands of followers from all over the world - to predict the weather for the rest of winter.

According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring. Keep your fingers crossed that he doesn't see his shadow. I am ready SO for spring!

Be the first to know Phil's prediction! We will be blogging live from the festivities via our handy dandy Blackberry. Click here to connect to our Facebook page or tweet us on Twitter.

Can you believe that it has been a year since Chick-fil-A opened their doors in Downingtown???

Come out and help Chick-fil-A celebrate their one year anniversary. If you are an early bird (or are forced to be an early bird by your lovely kiddos) then head out to Chick-fil-A for breakfast and you could potentially win 6 months worth of free meals!

Chick-fil-A will be opening their doors at 6:30 a.m. and the first 50 customers will receive 26 free meal coupons. But the celebrating doesn't stop after breakfast, come any time during the day to a spin the Chick-fil-A wheel to win great prizes and food!

You can also enter to win prizes in the raffle. The cow famous Chick-fil-A cow will be stopping by throughout the day and there will be a special anniversary cake for all to share.

Don't miss the wandering magician from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. and of course, the play center will be open for the kids.

AND... did you know that Chic Fil A offers FREE Breakfast on Tuesdays. Now through February 24th. Click on the community calendar tab for more details. Thank You Lindsay from Graco for the tip!

Miss Kate

Pennsylvania's most famous marmot...

Pennsylvania's unique and most famous holiday is right around the corner, so get ready. On February 2, we'll all learn what Punxsutawney Phil, the world's only true weather-predicting groundhog, has to say about the length of this winter.

Looking for answers to your Groundhog Day questions? You've come to the right spot! Scroll down to learn about various aspects of the Groundhog Day holiday, and how we've been celebrating it in Punxsutawney since 1886.

Here are some answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the holiday:

• Yes! Punxsutawney Phil is the only true weather forecasting groundhog. The others are just impostors.
• How often is Phil's prediction correct? 100% of the time, of course!
• How many "Phils" have there been over the years? There has only been one Punxsutawney Phil. He has been making predictions for over 120 years!
• Punxsutawney Phil gets his longevity from drinking the "elixir of life," a secret recipe. Phil takes one sip every summer at the Groundhog Picnic and it magically gives him seven more years of life.
• On February 2, Phil comes out of his burrow on Gobbler's Knob - in front of thousands of followers from all over the world - to predict the weather for the rest of winter.
• According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.
• No! Phil's forecasts are not made in advance by the Inner Circle. After Phil emerges from his burrow on February 2, he speaks to the Groundhog Club president in "Groundhogese"(a language only understood by the current president of the Inner Circle). His proclamation is then translated for the world.
• The celebration of Groundhog Day began with Pennsylvania's earliest settlers. They brought with them the legend of Candlemas Day, which states, "For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May..."
• Punxsutawney held its first Groundhog Day in the 1800s. The first official trek to Gobbler's Knob was made on February 2, 1887.
• So the story goes, Punxsutawney Phil was named after King Phillip. Prior to being called Phil, he was called Br'er Groundhog.

Send us your snow pics!

Email us pics of the latest snowfall to contests@chestercountymoms.com - subject SNOW!
One lucky reader will receive a mystery prize from the CCM prize vault.
Make sure you include your name & town so fellow readers can see how much snow you got.
(Example- Sarah, West Chester)

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

Do you see that? Look close. Can you tell what Tanner is eating? No soy, no rice milk, no coconut milk, or other funky concoction of odd ice cream. He is eating the real deal. Full dairy ice cream. When we were up in Oregon over the holidays, my brother Jake gave him some of his enzymes that help digest your food. We looked into it some more and started him on some enzymes that help digest dairy and some quality acidophiles as well. So far so good. It has been a dream letting him eat anything he wants. I don't necessarily think all of these new foods are healthy for him, but it's nice to let him be a kid and have mac and cheese with his friends and go out to ice cream as a family once in a while. We are so happy for him.

Happy 2nd Birthday Kate!

Casting Call

You are invited to an open casting call for Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies' live-action feature film, 'The Last Airbender,' directed, written and produced by M. Night Shyamalan.

Where: Wachovia Spectrum
3601 S. Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19148

When: 10:00am on Saturday, January 24,2009

T/Th Playgroup Tour of a Fire Station

What a fun and educational tour we had at Gilbert's Fire Station #1. The fire fighters were so nice and showed us all over their beautiful 2 story station. They have 4 poles and 2 slides to go down if needed. The trucks were a big hit and each child go their own fire fighter hat to take home. It was such a fun and memorable morning!


Firefighter Shawn coming down the slide!

Great Job Moms!

A big thank you to all the moms that donated to our Soldier Ryan over in Iraq. He will be getting 6 boxes filled with wrapped items. We had over 75 items donated that he and his squad can use, enjoy, and share. In each box there was a picture or nice note from a MOMS Club member/family. Thanks for taking the time to help out a soldier that does so much for our country! Feel free to keep sending letters/items if you like while he is deployed. (Felicity has his address if you need it)

From the Desk of Dr. Gottlieb...

To make the participation of our New Year’s resolutions more attainable, we have broken it down into three separate focuses for your health: Endurance, Strength and Structure. In this week's article we will focus on the second of those three separate and distinct factors to work on, to improve our overall health and fitness.

This week's article will cover the subject of STRENGTH training. There are of course many reasons to participate in a strength training regimen. Let's cover a few of them, right here, right now to get rid of any and all excuses that we may have.

Perhaps the best reason (that goes along with our most common New Year's resolution of losing weight), is that strength training increases, your body's metabolic rate, causing your body to burn more calories throughout the day. Yeah!!!!! What this means is that if we spend 20 minutes strength training in the morning, your body burns more calories, the rest of the entire day! That sounds like a really good trade-off. 20 minutes of exercise, giving you 24 hours of high calorie burning. Financial planners would call that a good "return on investment".

The second reason, that is most important to those of us reading the Chester County Moms blog is that strength training increases, and also restores bone density. Studies have clearly proven that consistent strength training, can increase bone density and prevent osteoporosis. And who wants to get that?

Another great reason for strength training is that it simply makes life easier. A wide variety of life-related injuries can be prevented by strengthening muscles and joints. For example, how many of us have injured ourselves putting groceries in or out of our car? How do you feel after carrying the baby seat from the car to the grocery store? How about just carrying the laundry up or down the stairs? Imagine if that got easier for you , and no longer was a danger to injure you. That's what strength training can provide!!

Probably the least concrete but certainly one of the most important reasons for strength training, is how it makes us feel personally. A stronger, leaner body can have a dramatic impact on posture and tend to make you feel better about your appearance. There is nothing like improved self-esteem and increased self-confidence!

These and many other benefits are so compelling that everyone in every health profession encourages their patients to participate in some kind of strength training program.

As Nike says: ‘Just Do It’.

If you have any questions about setting up a Strength training program, please do not hesitate to call. Tell our staff that you are on of the readers of the Chester County Moms blog, and for the entire month of January we will help set you up on a strength training program at no cost.

See you next week,

Dr. Cynthia Glendening
Dr. Andrew Gottlieb
Eagle Chiropractic, P.C.
http://www.eaglechiropractic.net/

Wendell August Showcase

Showcase at Wendell August

Main Street at Exton

103 Woodcutter St.,

Exton, PA 19341

Wendell August Forge in Exton is hosting showcase event on 1/29. The Ship Inn is sampling many of their signature dishes and Wendell August Forge and Ten Thousand Villages will be doing special displays, giveaways, and door prizes. This event begins at 5PM.

There will also be FREE gift bags filled with product and promotions for the first 20 customers that evening. Please RSVP for the event at 610-363-2426.

I Have A Dream....

It is so fitting that Martin Luther King Day is the day before the inauguration of Barack Obama. As I was thinking of what to write about such an important moment in the history of our Nation. I realized the words have already been written in Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

I am a self proclaimed history geek and I have heard this speech dozens of times but reading it, actually reading it today gave me a new prospective and a renewed sense of Patriotism. I am so proud of the outcome of the election and so proud to be part of "The Change".

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true.

So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

- Martin Luther King Jr.

Potty-training

I'm pretty sure (okay, I'm positive) that I've done a post titled this before. Obviously that time it didn't work. I'm not going to write all about it, because usually you do that when you want to remember something and I'm not sure I want to remember it.

This though makes me laugh and I do want to remember it. He does this everyday...multiple times a day. He tries to squeeze a drop or two out as often as he can so he gets more candy. He always pees on the same bush....just like a dog.

Business Meeting

We had Detective Thompson come speak at our meeting about keeping children safe on the Internet. Below the slide show are some tips to keep your kids safe. In the nursery the kids enjoyed playing, having a snack, and making jewelry out of fruit loops.

Safety Tips:
*Educate about the dangers of providing information (location, passwords, etc.)
*Encourage communication (have your child(ren) walk you through the programs)
*Keep the computer in a public place
*Monitor your child's Internet activity time
*Have them give you their passwords
*Use site privacy settings
*Create a list of "authorized" websites
*Consider monitoring software

For more information or the handout given ask Laura!

Mom and Tot Lunch

We had a fun lunch at Chick-fil-A on Monday. The restaurant was kind enough to put a bunch of tables together for us along with goodie bags for the kids and coupons for the moms. The cow came out to say hi to the kids which was a hit with most of them and tears for a few of them. :)

A Day Fit For A King....

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed on January 19 this year, and even if you don't have the day off, winter is a good time to explore the history of the civil rights movement and Pennsylvania's prominence in it. Don't miss America I Am: The African American Imprint, a traveling exhibit that celebrates African American history through artifacts, narration, art, and music. One of the main attractions is the actual bench where Dr. King wrote his "Letter From a Birmingham Jail." The exhibit runs from MLK Day until May 3 at the Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

Ghost Hunting Overnight

Downingtown Public Library

330 E. Lancaster Avenue

Downingtown, PA 19335

Do you have a fascination for things that go bump in the night? Are you a T.A.P.S fan? Then this is the event for you! Two paranormal groups (South Jersey Paranormal & Honeybrook Ghost Seekers) have spent evenings at the Downingtown Library - and recorded ghost voices and ghost impressions.

Join in the ghostly excitement and overnight ghost hunting. Make sure to bring your camera and audio recorder. There will be time throughout the night to share paranormal experiences, and watch a scary movie or two. Bring a sleeping bag if you think you'll sleep!

Snacks and a light breakfast will be available.
Adults over 21 only, please. The cost of this event is $25 per person.
Arrive between 8 - 9pm on Friday, this event ends at 7am Saturday morning.
Register at the circulation desk.

Any questions please call the Downingtown Library at (610) 269-2741.

Trivia Fact of the day

Impress your husband and friends with your football knowledge while watching the Eagles game this Sunday.

Did you know that .......The Eagles fight song was reputedly the creation of former owner Jerry Wolman's daughter, who, impressed by the "war chant" of the rival Washington Redskins, implored her father to play an Eagles equivalent during their games.

With the later sale of the team and move to Vetrans Stadium the fight song was largely forgotten, although a few die-hards could be heard singing the lyrics on special occasions. That it was ultimately brought back to such popular acclaim is testament to the vision of Jeffrey Lurie, whose regime reinstated the practice of playing the song over stadium loudspeakers (with a modern addition of projecting the lyrics on the scoreboard) after Eagle touchdowns. The song is now ubiquitous wherever Eagles fans are found. The song has been heard at Phillies, Flyers, Sixers, and Soul games, and even at the Philadelphia Live 8 concert prior to the show. The song is sometimes sung with a slight modification, especially on local radio, in which the lyrics "watch our Eagles fly!" are replaced with "watch those [upcoming opposing team's name] cry!" (e.g. "watch those Cowboys cry!").

Interestingly, the Lurie revival was accompanied by a slight adjustment of the lyrics. Originally, the second line of the song was:

"Fight, Green and White, score a touchdown , one-two-three!"

With Lurie's modernization of team uniforms, however, and the new emphasis on Black and Silver, the mention of the traditional colors was omitted.

Fly, Eagles fly, on the road to victory
Fight, Eagles, fight! Score a touchdown one-two-three
Hit 'em low, hit 'em high,
And watch our Eagles fly
Fly, Eagles fly, on the road to victory
E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!

For more information visit Wikipedia.com

Ecomonic Situation Strikes Home

With the economy in free fall, our friends from Mom Central asked nearly 1500 moms how the current situation directly affects their daily decisions. *Not surprisingly, 99% of them said they have been forced to make significant changes to find new ways of saving money.

* 78% now clip coupons
* 76% eat out less often
* 73% take fewer car trips and 60% take shorter car trips
* 56% of Moms buy cheaper food, while 41% buy less food
* In general and 31% grow their own food
* 52% "shop around", spending time at several stores to find and buy the lowest- priced goods

More Moms now buy second-hand, rely on others for food, use food stamps and start second jobs than before. With foreclosures and gas prices on the rise and stocks, home prices, and retirement plans decreasing, Moms definitely feel the squeeze.

So Chester County Moms....what are you doing to cope with the current financial crisis? Leave a comment or if you are not sure how to post a comment...email sarah@chestercountymoms.com and we will post your comment for you.

*Stats courtesy of Mom Central research

Happy 4th Birthday Tanner!!!

Tanner's requests for his birthday were:

• a blue cake with black frosting
• a party with ALL boys (he doesn't have a ton of friends that are boys though, so I finally convinced him to invite his closest friends)
• black everything...his favorite color = )
• french fries and pizza for lunch

So to prevent an "Over the Hill" party theme, I added Spiderman to it. He loved it all. He could barely sleep for the 5 nights preceding his birthday. Each morning he would wake up earlier and earlier (today was 5:15am) and say, "_____ days 'til my birthday". We had chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast with chocolate soymilk for breakfast, french fries, pizza and rootbeer for lunch and cake, cake and more cake. Since it was a dairy-free cake and it was his birthday, I let him eat as much as he wanted. Usually at parties he can only have a little bite/piece because he's allergic, so we went all out today since it was his day.

This afternoon, he got $20 in the mail from one of Shad's clients and he had a bunch of money saved from Grandma's, Great-grandmas, etc, from Christmas and his birthday, so we went to Toys 'R Us to spend it. He wanted the $259 Lightening McQueen car that he could drive himself. I explained that he didn't have enough money and that we'd have to call Dad. Shad told him that we'd have to talk about it tonight and make a deal (with jobs/chores) to come up with the other money. So Shad had a great idea to tell him that if he wore underwear for 5 days, then we'd make up the difference and get him the car. He was concerned with this deal...he definitely thought chores were a better idea, but he gave in and wanted to wear underwear within an hour. He didn't have any accidents and went on the potty all by himself already. We'll see.....

I am completely and utterly exhausted. Each year I gain a new appreciation for my own Mother. My Mom would do Christmas for all of us 6 kids and then 2 weeks later, Megan and I would have birthdays within 2 days of each other. Now that my kids have their birthdays 4 days apart just 2 weeks after the holidays, I understand a tiny bit of what that must have been like for my Mom. I love you Mom.

Tanner was really sweet all day long. He must have told me thank-you 10 times. Out of the blue he'd say, "Thanks Mom for doing all of this stuff for my party." He's so sweet.

Thank you to all of my friends who helped at the party....Rachelle for letting us use your bounce house, Lillie for taking the pictures, Shannon for cleaning up everything and Melissa for coming with your nursing baby in-tow. Love you all.























This is for Danielle and Patty. Danielle made me these super-cute matching aprons for Christmas. Didn't she do a great job. We love them...thank you.


This was Shad's gift to me for my birthday that I love. They are the initials of Kate, Tanner and Shad. I absolutely couldn't ask for a better gift. I've worn it everyday since I got it.