Main Line Restaurant Week Giveaway-Alfredo's BYO

Main Line Restaurant Week, Philly's largest suburban dining event, returns this Spring with the Main Line and western suburbs top restaurants and chefs participating!


Delco PA Moms is proud to return as an official 'Blogger Buddy' for Main Line Restaurant Week which means we are going to be LOADED with amazing giveaways to the participating restaurants for the next six weeks-starting tonight!



Our first giveaway is to Berwyn's beloved BYO, Alfredo's.  New this Spring for Main Line Restaurant Week are awesome lunch specials $25 and under! And, on Monday, March 19th, 2012, and offered Monday through Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Alfredo's is introducing the $10 'Pronto Lunch.' A panini menu with a side of a soup or salad, the $10, 10 minute lunch ensures a speedy and delicious experience for the Main Line multi-tasker.



Photo credit; Betsy Barron Photography



The $10 Pronto Lunch menu is also available at Alfredo's during Spring Main Line Restaurant Week, returning Monday April 23rd through Sunday, April 30th. In addition, Alfredo's is offering an exceptional 3-course, $30 dinner menu during MLRW not to be missed!

Now one lucky Main Line Restaurant Week fan will win a $50 gift certificate to Alfredo's BYO in Berwyn by posting a comment below.  Leave a comment & let me know who you'll take to lunch or dinner if you win!

This giveaway is open to anyone from the United States who is 18 years or older and will be selected at random on March 23rd at 1 pm. The winner will have 48 hours to reply to our email confirming their prize. If the prize is not claimed by return email within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

Thanks to our friends at AroundMainLine.com for providing this gift card! And don't forget to check out MainLineRestaurantWeek.com to see the list of amazing restaurants participating!

Family fun this weekend!

The Easter Bunny is arriving at most of our area malls this weekend---so check him out if you want pictures!

All Weekend Events:

• Tree Maze & Mini Golf now open at Linvilla Click HERE for my review.
• St. Patty's Weekend in Philly!  Info HERE

Saturday:

• Springfield St. Patty's Day Parade: Noon, Info HERE
• Michaels – Learn to make a friendship bracelet 2:30-3 pm
• Dollar Admission at the Hagley Museum in Wilmington 
• Jungle John at the Creative Living Room $7 admission, 4:30pm
• Cardinal O'Hara Craft Fair 10-3
• Trivia Game & Dance Party at 10:30 am, 11:30 am and 12:30 pm at the Disney Store
  

Consignment Sales:
Brookhaven: Faith Community Church 3515 Edgmont Ave from 9-2 (Our friend Jennifer gives this sale rave reviews!)

Garnet Valley:
ValleyPoint Church, 209 Bethel Road, Glen Mills, PA 19342
Starts at 9 am & Half price sale 1:30-2:30pm $5 bag sale starts at 3:30pm

Welcome my new---

Assistant!  Call her assistant, friend, writer doesn't matter---I have help with the blog officially!  My friend Crystal will now be helping me with all things Delaware County Moms!   As my realtor business has been getting busier, some things have had to take a back seat and this site is one of them-I am beyond thrilled that my friend will now be at my side helping me out! 

Crystal is the mom of 2, lives in Wallingford, is the Swarthmore Community Center playgroup director & volunteer since 2010 and has been in the early education field for 12 years. 

We're hoping Crystal will have her own series of posts and is also helping me with advertising & giveaway aspect of the site-so everything will be bigger & better than ever!

Please give Crystal a warm welcome &say hello!  I can't wait to see what we can do together!!!

Open House at Bonner/Prendie-March 15th!!!

Open House at Bonner/Prendie 3/15/12 6:00-8:00 pm.

All are welcome to find out more about our newly merged school.
New Partnership with Chestnut Hill College allows for dual enrollment to earn transferable College Credit on campus at a nominal fee. 
Coed and Single sex classes,from Crew to Chorus there is something for everyone.
Come see the Bonner/Prendie difference. 

Celebration Discounted Registration Fee, Opportunity Scholarships and grants available. ALL Students in Fall of 2012 will receive an IPAD to assist with academics.

Bonner/Prendie High School is located at 403 North Lansdowne Avenue Drexel Hill, PA 19026 please call them with any questions!  610 259-0280





This is a paid post & informational only.

Mega Swagbucks Day!!!

I search everything using Swagbucks and earn points, I only redeem for Amazon.com gift cards... It is so easy and if you don't want Amazon, you can redeem for a variety of other gift cards or even Paypal!!!
Today, you have a chance to win more points, more quickly(FYI, I don't think I ever do)!!!
You can also win Swagbucks by taking daily polls, looking at no-obligation offers, downloading the toolbar & taking surveys. 

Don't know about Swagbucks?
Basically you earn random points aka  Swagbucks while searching for things you need to find anyway. Then you redeem the bucks for prizes. 
So, you head to Swagbucks and sign up for a free account.

Then, whenever you need to search for something online, just search for it on Swagbucks & earn points!  I earned over $100 in amazon.com rewards with Swagbucks last year---it makes a nice holiday fund!

Weekend Events! Star Wars, Brandywine Zoo, Philly Flower Show & More!

All Weekend Events:

• Tree Maze & Mini Golf now open at Linvilla Click HERE for my review.
• Second Time Around Kids Sale
• Elam United Methodist Church Kids Sale
• Philadelphia Flower Show has plenty of Family Events

Saturday:

• Stars Wars @ Newtown Public Library Click HERE for info. 1-3 pm.
• Carnival Hoop Build & Grow at Lowes: Registration is required
• Brandywine Zoo free admission HERE
• Celebrate the Disney Stores 25th anniversary Here
• The Knack (AKA Micheal's) Free Family Event - Yarn Doll Make-It Take-It Click HERE for more info. (time: 10:00-noon) and T-shirt Tote HERE for the cost of a t-shirt (1-3).
• Dollar Admission at the Hagley Museum in Wilmington 
• Check out Second Saturday in Media

Vicks Behind the Ear Thermometer

I was recently invited to attend an information event given by Vicks. They had a great speaker (Dr. Meg) who was a great teacher & told us that moms need to, "trust their instincts" when it comes to their kids. Then we got to check out some of the products Vicks offers.

They sent us home with products to try & when I got home & the illness started-first the cough, then congestion (we all know the little guy had an ear infection in the end). I used all the products they gave me because our house was miserable.

There was cough & cold medicine for my husband and I and of course Vicks vapor rub---which I think everyone uses at some point. We also had a vapor rub patch that plugs into the wall, so you don't have to put the rub on the skin (we used this with my son, he doesn't like stuff on him) and it works great!

Also included was Vicks' newest product, the Behind the Ear Thermometer.  Basically you take the thermometer & just put it behind the ear & push a button. The temperature is color coded (ie: red is fever) and it is easy to use. Even though they were a little sick, my kids wanted to test thermometer---all over! We first did it behind the ear, then on the belly, under the arm, the neck and of course your foot. (FYI, foot reading didn't work). The behind the ear temp. matched the under the arm temp & the kids thought it was fun. We even tried it on the dog---and it seemed to work! (I didn't test the results!) The Behind the Ear Thermometer has many cool features, the color coded temp readings, it also stores the last 8 temperatures so you can see if it goes up, down or stays the same.

Do you have a Behind the Ear thermometer?  If so, let us know what you think!

Vicks is also launched a program on Facebook for the Behind Ear and for each share of the "What will you share this cold and flu season?" video, Vicks will donate a Behind Ear Thermometer to Baby Buggy, a non-profit dedicated to providing U.S. families in need with essential items for their children. Click here to watch & share the video!

Disclaimer: Vicks provided me with the information & products in order to facilitate this review but all opinions regarding the products are my own. 

An Unconventional Snack

I can't be the only parent who cringes everytime I think about the junk my kid eats at school.  I want my kids to have a healthy mix of good for your foods & the occasional treat, but I'm starting to feel like the treat isn't all that occassional, with parties for every holiday, stars of the week & birthdays, I know my kids are eating junk at school often.  My daughter's birthday is in November, only 4 short days after Halloween---so I know she is eating candy & assume most of her classmates are too, so her & I brainstormed a few ideas that might be a little better than cupcakes.  She came up with the following idea, the kids in her class loved it, the teachers loved it & the kids on the bus offered to buy the extras (thankfully, she just gave them to them!) and it has to better for you than a cupcake!!! 

My daughter wanted a variety of fruits, we used cool whip (though feel free to make your own, I didnt' have time to do it in the morning before school) & a few mini chocolate chips.  We used bananas, strawberries, grapes, apples & orange slices.  This kids loved them!

Today, my son was star of the week-the first thing his teacher said, "Thank God its not cake!"  He added a little twist to his because he wanted some cookies too. Even with the addition of a vanilla wafer, there is (in my opinion, I'm not a nutritionist!) much less sugar, way more fruit than in a cupcake! 

The cups can be recycled & I can take the spoons back & stick them in the dishwasher to use again. 

I'm not pretending I'm the first one to come up with this idea, but I wanted to share it because we've had great success with it, its a treat & its a bit more healthy than most of the usual suspects! 

Does anyone else have any ideas on a healthy snack option?  Let us know! 

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Delaware County Parks

One of the greatest aspects of living in Delaware County that I like the most is our access to everything!  We have tons of great restaurants, theatres, art & if we don't have it, a 15 minute drive into Philly is sure to hit the spot! 

Did you know that Delaware County features 616 acres of great parks?  So we even have access to the great outdoors & with spring right around the corner, now is the perfect time to check them out! If you've been to any of these parks (I know you have) let us know what your favorite part was!

1 Rose Tree Park Media 120 Acres
2 Clayton Park Concordville 170 Acres
3 Smedley Park Nether Providence 141 Acres
4 Upland Park Upland 60 Acres
5 Martin Park Upper Providence 19 Acres
6 Glen Providence Park Media 19 Acres
7 Catania Park Ridley Park 14 Acres
8 Leedom Estate Park Ridley Park 12 Acres
9 Kent Park/Dog Park Clifton Heights 10 Acres
10 Willow Park Ridley 2 Acres
11 Shrigley Park Lansdowne 7 Acres

For a list of directions go to:HERE!

Granite Run Mall Kids Club-Today!

Looking for something to do today? Check out the kids club from Granite Run Mall: Kids Club, which is totally FREE, just got even better- To celebrate the first day of their participation and one time only on Mar 6, Chick Fil A will provide every kid that comes to the event a FREE kids meal coupon. Parents, the Kids Club event is in Boscov's Court from 10:30-11:45 this Tuesday and also includes Friendly's Ice Cream with special treats, Mr. Scott the Music Man of course, and a special appearance from the Chick Fil A Cow. No pre-registration is required.
Info HERE!

Children's Garden at Longwood Gardens

As part of the excitement of all things Philly Flower Show this month, my
3 year old and I visited Longwood
Gardens in Kennett Square last week. Given the cost of admission and
the size of our family (5 kids), we haven't been to the Gardens in a few
years. This time I had a Groupon deal for $9 for adult admission, and my 3
year old was free.



I can't tell you how much fun we had exploring the recently renovated
Children's Garden in the Conservatory! No longer a small room in the
Conservatory, the Garden now takes over about a space about 100 feet by 30
feet at the front of the building near the main entrance with stroller
parking right outside the Garden. A guide sits outside the garden in case
you need assistance.



Designed with young children in mind, the space is full of visual and
audio surprises. Making use of children's love of water play, the
designers set up about 6 different spots for children to use water
creatively. In a small room reminiscent of a Chinese temple, children can
use paint brushes to paint the slate tiled walls. Elsewhere, they can
follow water as it jumps from spigot to spigot up and down a ramp.



Just outside the mysterious grotto with its fantastic animals is a small
fountain with toys and scoops for little ones. Nearby is a small xylophone
for entertainment.

Our visit wasn't complete without a wander through the different displays
in the Conservatory looking for all the orchids on
display. There has always been a main display room for the orchids near
the fernery; however, with the special exhibit, the orchids are tucked
into the different rooms in the Conservatory. One particular orchid caught
our eye - a mint green one with a grey bulb by the banana trees.

When You Go

Longwood Gardens

Hours: 9:00
a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Daily

Admission

Adults: $18 (Non-Peak/$25 (Peak)
Seniors: (ages 62+) $15/$22
Students: (5 - 22) $8/$11
Children 4 & under: FREE/FREE

Directions

Ways to Save

• Groupon
  Deal
• Membership
  through Pennsylvania Horticultural Society providing reciprocal
  admission through the American Horticultural Society

Barb is a mom of 5 kids who spends her day keeping track of socks,
stuffed animals, library books, and a 3 year old when she isn't writing
about all the frugality, gardening, cooking, and reading she manages to
fit in between the chaotic moments. See how she holds down the fort and
saves a few dollars at A Life in
Balance.

The Lorax Movie Review

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! In honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday, I'm sharing my family review of The Lorax-which is in theatres starting today (March 2nd)!

The Lorax movie is of course based on the classic Dr. Seuss Book, The Lorax.   I loved that they used quotes from the book-my favorite quote  "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."

The movie takes place in Thneed-Ville, a town made of plastic that receives its fresh air in bottles-there are no trees left because they've all been cut down to make Thneed ( a nice faux garment that everyone must have). The Onceler tells the story to a young boy who is looking for a real tree---because his crush wants to see a real tree "more than anything." The Oncerler recounts the tale of the Lorax, who speaks for the trees & how the Onceler is actually the one responsible for the trees being gone.

The movie kept with the ecological theme throughout, which I also liked. The characters were fun & entertaining, there is a bad guy of course. Both of my children sat & watched the entire movie-my 4 year old even wore the 3-D glasses for most of the movie. The movie is rated PG for mild language but I think there we only a few, not nice words, no cursing that I recall.

While both my children did like the movie, I do not think my four year old understood there was an environmental message. My 8 year old did, but in the book it is obvious, in the movie, the environment kind of fights with a boy & his crush for screen time.

Overall, this is a great family movie, that most of your family will enjoy. My husband and I like it, so did the kids. It wasn't too long & the characters are cute & often funny.

If you go to see the movie, let me know what you thought too!

First Friday!

First Friday Events offer great family friendly activities the first Friday of every month!  Check out the links below for all the details!

• Lansdowne
• Main Line
• Swarthmore

the Creative Living Room will be hosting a story time1

Giveaway Help!

In an effort to make the giveaways on Delaware County Mom's site easier, I'm trying to use a new service. If you could please check the info below & comment to let me know if you like the new service or not, that would be great! I want to make it easier for me & you!

Mom Prom of Media & Aston!

LADIES ONLY!!!

When: April 28th from 7 PM to 10 PM

Where: Barnaby's Aston

Why: To support Alex's Lemonade Stand

Cost: $30 in advance or $35 at the door. Your ticket includes buffet, wine, beer, bottom shelf liquor, dessert bar, and entry into our Prom Queen Raffle!

What do I wear? Your hottest girls night out outfit... Your favorite dress or black pants and a dressy shirt...

Come ready to dance the night away and bid on awesome raffle prizes! Invite all your girlfriends!!! FIRST 100 people to purchase a ticket receive a SWAG BAG!!!!

For more info Click HERE!