Western Main Line Just Between Friends Sale: Worth the Trip!!

I had a fabulous opportunity today to go to the Western Main Line Just Between Friends Sale for a blogger shop. I walked in and this is what I saw:

Rows and rows of toys, clothes, strollers, baby gear, etc. I felt a bit overwhelmed. I was so excited and had to take a minute to take it all in and decide where to start.


The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center is full of bargains, just waiting to be scooped up (the sale runs from March 14 - 16)!

Thursday: 9am - 8pm,
Friday: 9am - 7pm,
The half price sale on Saturday: 8am - 6pm

 Need items for Spring Sports?

 Or swim stuff/beach gear?




Maybe Easter baskets or small toys/games/books to put in them?

Footwear: think sandals, water shoes, spring dress shoes.

The home stretch! Almost my turn to check out!

Be prepared to spend a lot of time browsing what seems like endless amounts of items, plus time waiting in line. (I waited in line for about 45 minutes --with a friend and we chatted the whole time so it went by quickly).

my haul!

I spent several hours at the sale today, but I left a very happy camper! I got great bargains on tons of stuff for the kids: Storage items, shorts, swim stuff, sandals, pjs, toys/games, and things for Easter baskets!

My recommendations: Go with a game plan-- know the items you are in need of and go to those items first. Wear comfortable shoes and leave your jacket in the car. Oh, and bring bags or a beach cart to shop with. (I actually saw several people pulling a laundry basket by a belt or leash). Your arms will get full fast. They do have a place where you can have them hold your items esp. larger items that you won't want to lug around with you. Happy shopping!
Definitely worth the trip!
-Crystal

*I was compensated for this post with a free entry and JBF dollars to spend.   

However, this post is written honestly, and is completely my own opinion!

Delco Weekends Rock!

Activities All Weekend:

Hayrides & Pumpkin Land at Linvilla

Great Pumpkin Carve in Chadds Ford...this event is awesome!

Friday:
Dress up in Dreams at the Disney Store. There is a limit of 50 kids per session.

Ghost Tours Colonial Plantation in Ridley Creek State Park 6-10PM

Saturday:

Harvest Festival at Reading Terminal Market 10-4, this is where we are hoping to go.

Halloween Spooktacular at Borders

Dress up in Dreams at the Disney Store. There is a limit of 50 kids per session.

Family Fun Day at Shipley Shops admission is free, there will be food and crafts for kids, and the shopping is FANTASTIC.

LEGO Bricktober (12-2) at Toys R Us.

Freedom Playground (Haverford) Grand Opening

Ghost Tours Colonial Plantation in Ridley Creek State Park 6-10PM...not really for young kids or adults who are big babies like myself. 

Sunday:
Pumpkin Party at Tyler Arboretum

Costume Parade at Linvilla

Reminder-Tons of Great Events at Michaels for Father's Day!

Especially awesome is this very cool duct tape wallet!!!
6/17/2010
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Give Dad a gift he'll never expect this Father's Day. Make him a colorful Duck Tape® wallet that's durable, creative and flat-out cool. Powered by Duck Tape®. While supplies last. Ages 6-12 welcome.

Check out Michaels for this and many more ideas for the next few days!

Make It Take It Father's Day Mug-Michaels

6/13/2010
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Turn an ordinary coffee mug into an extraordinary gift this Father's Day. Join us to design your very own personalized Father's Day mug for Dad. Ages 3 and up welcome. *Requires purchase of mug with markers*
Check out Michaels.

Fun Things to Do-Cape May

If you're heading to the shore this summer, check out this list of great ideas and fun things to do if you're in Cape May!

Cape May County Herald

Reminder: Brandywine Zoo

Now that the weather is beautiful, I wanted to remind everyone about the zoo!

If you're looking for a cheap way to see a few animals, check out the Brandywine zoo. The Brandywine Zoo is located in beautiful Brandywine Park in Wilmington, Delaware. The Zoo grounds cover 13 landscaped acres on high ground above the Brandywine River. The Zoo hosts 150 animals, from tigers to snakes, and is open all year round.

The Household Membership is $45 about half the price of the Philadelphia Zoo (which by the way, is listed as a reciprocal zoo, meaning you can go there with the membership from Brandywine). Also, an average family of 4 will spend $16 to get into the Brandywine during the busy months of June-September. Oh and did I mention FREE PARKING!!! This is definitely worth checking out!

Brandywine Zoo

NATIONAL TRAIN DAY EVENT: PHILADELPHIA

30TH STREET STATION
2955 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
FREE!
Come on down to the station and join the celebration in Philadelphia! Don't miss your chance to see model trains, train equipment displays and much more:
Baseball Junction: The History of Baseball and the American Railroad*
Train Equipment Displays*
Model Train Displays*
AmtraKids Depot
Go-Green Express: Eco Exhibit*
National Park Service Trails & Rails Exhibit*
Snapshot Station
Trains Move our Economy Exhibit*
Amtrak: Dining the Rail Way* exhibit and culinary demonstrations, featuring Chef Tom Douglas
Amtrak Brand Display - Enjoy the journey®*
Live performances by the Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale and Phresh Select
*Stop by this exhibit and get your National Train Day "Passport" stamped! Passports will be provided at 30th Street Station on May 8. Be sure to pick one up!

National Train Day in Philadelphia features Baseball Junction: The History of Baseball and the American Railroad.

In the early days of America's favorite pastime, trains helped baseball teams travel across the country to meet their rivals on the diamond. On National Train Day, Philadelphia's 30th Street Station will feature an exhibit highlighting the history of train travel relative to baseball from an exhibit showcasing memorabilia, photos and video which highlight the relationship between train travel and baseball. Photos from the recent 'Amtrak Series' will be displayed. Former players will also appear for Q&A and autograph sessions.


National Train Day

Old Navy 30% off this weekend

Wholey Moley! It’s the 30% Off Sale at Old Navy.

From 4/30 through 5/2, the WHOLE store will be on sale: take 30% off your entire purchase.

That’s a whole lotta happy!
Start Time: Friday, April 30, 2010 at 9:00am
End Time: Sunday, May 2, 2010 at 9:00pm
Location: *Check your local store for openings, hours and details.

Legal stuff:
Offer valid from 4/30-5/2/2010 at Old Navy stores only. Not valid online. Discount applies to merchandise only, not value of GiftCards purchased, packaging or applicable taxes. No adjustments on previous purchases. Not valid for cash or cash equivalent. Cannot be combined with other offers or discounts including Gap Inc. employee discount.

Old Navy

Home Depot Kids Workshop, May 1st

Not 100% sure what to call this one, but I'm sure my kids will love it!

9am-noon
The Home Depot's Kids Workshops offer useful projects including the creation of toolboxes, fire trucks and mail organizers, as well as more educational projects, such as a window birdhouse, bughouse or Declaration of Independence frame kit.

The workshops teach children do-it-yourself skills and tool safety, while at the same time helping to instill a sense of accomplishment. Additionally, this fun time allows for quality one-on-one time between adults and children.

In addition to the newly constructed project kit, each child receives a kid-sized orange apron, similar to The Home Depot associates' aprons, and an achievement pin
Check out The Home Depot for more info!

The Little Treehouse

The Little Treehouse is a great place to play...especially with this crazy weather! An indoor play space with lots of imaginative play and wooden toys. There is also a restaurant on site with tons of options and at varying prices.

Admission
$8.50 for 1 child
Siblings are 1/2 price
Adults are free(someone finally realized I'm not going for fun!) and are responsible for their children at all times. Mommy and Me Sing-a-Long, every Tuesday, free with admission! Join Treehouse staff while you and your child sing songs, do fingerplays and movement activities!

Every Tuesday, 10:30am


location
10 West Gravers Lane
Chestnut Hill PA 19118
215-247-3637

Conveniently located next to two FREE parking lots

The Little Treehouse

Free Healthy Kids Day 5/22/10

The 2nd Annual Healthy Kids Day will be held on May 22, 2010, at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This celebratory event is free to the public.

Come and enjoy:

• Concert performance by The Laurie Berkner Band and a special guest


• Healthy food and drinks


• Children’s activities


• New youth walk/run

Ask experts about nutrition, vaccines, managing asthma, injury prevention and much more.

Pre-register for Healthy Kids Day now!

Anyone under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult to attend Healthy Kids Day. The Mann Center for the Performing Arts is located at 5201 Parkside Ave., Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, PA.

Schedule of events

Healthy Kids Day Youth Walk in Fairmount Park

8:00 a.m. - Check-in begins (Mann Center for the Performing Arts)

8:30 a.m. - Warm-up

9:00 a.m. - Walk begins

11:00 a.m. - Event ends

Healthy Kids Day and Concert at the Mann Center

12 p.m. - Healthy Kids Day gates open

12 p.m. to 4 p.m. - Games, rides, education for families, cooking demonstrations, exercise, music, exhibits, face painting, magic, music, meet-and-greet, arts and crafts and more!

1:00 p.m. - Seating begins for the program and concert

1:30 p.m. - Healthy Kids Day program and concert

Click for more info

B1G1 Minor League Baseball Tickets

KRAFT Singles Tuesday Night Tickets
Buy one ticket, get one free from KRAFT Singles with purchase. Bring your package wrapper (note, wrapper, not the cheese!)to a Blue Rocks game on Tuesdays for a steal of a deal! There more teams than just the Blue Rocks participating, I just checked them out because they are close to Delco.

MiLB

CVS Advisor Panel

Sign up to recieve great coupons (like $4 off a $20 purchase) and take surveys. I took one a few months ago that got me $15 Extra Care Bucks...for those of you who don't know thats like getting $15 dollars to spend at CVS (and trust me, I can make $15 ECBs go really far). So check out The CVS Advisor Panel and cross your fingers!

Mr. Scott the Music Man, Saturday, April 24

One show only! Saturday, April 24 at 11 a.m.
Hedgerow Theatre
64 Rose Valley Road, Media, PA 19063-4905
Back by popular demand, Mr. Scott returns to Hedgerow for some original action songs, stories of animal adventures, finger plays, puppets and sing-alongs! Hedgerow Children's Series

The Company Store, $20 credit

The Company Store has $20 off $20 promotional code. They have some cute “Sale of the Day” items that you could add to your cart or whatever items you can snag to get up to the $20 amount and then use code SLUMBER at checkout. Also if you go through your Shop at Home account you get cash back!

FYI-site is running super slow right now. I don't know how long the code lasts but it might be a good idea to stay up late or get up early & try again!

The Company Store

Kids in Center City Playdate, April 17

Event: KidsInCenterCity.com Saturday Playdate
Date: April 17, 10:30am-1pm
Location: Comcast Center, 17th Street and JFK Boulevard

Meet one of the hosts and Chica the Chicken from 24-hour preschool network Sprout's LIVE morning show The Sunny Side Up Show. They will be at the Comcast Center Market on April 17, from 10:30am-1pm, reading stories and taking photos - don't forget to bring your camera.

On hand with fun projects for the kids and information about their programs will be:

The Franklin Institute
National Constitution Center
Philadelphia Art Alliance
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Kids can color, make crafts and bring home a balloon. Market Merchants will have fun kid-themed specials. Parents should stop first to watch The Comcast Experience screen show before descending to the lower level Market area where the event will be held.



Kids in Center City

YMCA Healthy Kids® Day

Put play in your day! Enjoy fun and relaxing active family time by visiting your local Y on Saturday, April 17 for YMCA Healthy Kids® Day. The nation’s largest health day for children and families, YMCA Healthy Kids Day offers families a chance to play together and learn more about ways that can -long wellness and healthier living. YMCA Healthy Kids Day events are free and open to all.

YMCA

Smith Kids' Play Place

SMITH The Kids’ Play Place in the Park offers children 10 and under a FREE, safe place to play. The six acre Playground includes the Ann Newman Giant Wooden Slide and more than 50 pieces of unique, age-appropriate and accessible pieces of play equipment. The 24,000 square foot Playhouse provides a space for children 5 and under and gives them a chance to “drive” the train, “cook” in the kitchen, ride tricycles in Smithville and much, much more.

All children visiting SMITH must be accompanied by a caregiver over the age of 18.


Smith Kids' Play Place and cross your fingers!

Munchkin Radio: Free Streaming Kid Songs

Munchkin Radio is a free Internet radio station for young kids. It's family friendly and very fun! Our kids love listening! You can get great music that is always safe and appropriate for your kids 24/7. Sign up for the birthday club & your child's name will appear on the website & be mentioned during the show!

Munchkin Radio

Thanks to Bargin Divas for the heads up!

Swarthmore Charity Fun Fair

Date: Sunday, April 18, 2010, rain or shine
Time: 2 – 5 pm
Wawa Kickoff Parade from 1 to 2 pm on Park Avenue (Yale to S.Chester)

This has been a fun activity for my family for many years and we plan to go again this year. There is a ton of stuff for kids to play & eat! Check out the website for more info.
Swarthmore Charity Fun Fair