Polar Express Pajama Party

Borders is hosting a Polar Express Pajama Party this Saturday, November 21st, from 11 am to 1 pm. There will be storytime with the Polar Express story, holiday carols, a raffle and giveaways! Sounds like a fun event!

Miller Farms Gleaning

Yeah so I haven't had as much time to tweak the blog layout as I would have liked but hope to get it all fixed up soon. In the meantime, check out this article from the Times Call about gleaning at Miller Farms this Saturday:

"Miller Farms will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday to visitors who want to dig and keep leftover produce from the Platteville farm.

Farm spokesman Dave Patterson said this year there aren’t as many leftover vegetables as there were during a similar event a year ago because of summertime hail damage, but items such as carrots and Brussels sprouts are still good.

Patterson said that in 2008, gleaners left with about 600,000 pounds of food.

Patterson said people should bring their own shovels, bags and boxes.

Miller Farms is located east of Longmont on Colo. Highway 66."

Under Construction

As you can see, I'm playing around with the blog today :) Bear with me as I tear it up!

Sunflower Farms Winter Program

From an email from Bren Frisch of Sunflower Farms:

"We are moving onto winter quarter at the Sunflower Farm SproutHouse

Classes are almost full! Don’t hesitate.

Ages: 2-6+
Choose one class per week or several.
M, W, F 9-1 pm —— $52
M, W, F 1:30 to 4:00 —— $25
T/TH 9-2:30 —— $68

This is an early childhood outdoor nature program. We connect children to nature and animals through synergy while cultivating creativity and risk taking in a small group setting. Even on cold days we bundle up and walk the farm, feed animals, build snowmen, collect eggs, climb the giant tree house, catch toads or follow bugs. Inside activities include books, puzzles, blocks and our large recycled creative art building where children choose from painting, woodworking, sculpting, fabric art, sensory materials and more! Parents are welcome to stay or drop-off.

Sunflower Farm
11150 Prospect Rd.
Longmont, CO 80504
303-774-8001

www.sunflowerfarminfo.com"

We love this program and highly recommend it!

November Rope World

Rope World is part of the PE program at Rocky Mountain Elementary and several times throughout the year they open it up to the public. There are lots of ropes to climb, swing from, and crawl over and kids love it! Here's the schedule for November - http://ropeworldfun.wordpress.com/calendar/. This is such a fun and relatively cheap way to spend an hour!

They also host birthday parties, this time on Saturday November 7th, which you can schedule by calling 303-772-8402 between 8 am and 7 pm.
Birthday Party Fee: $4.00 each child (minimum $60, $30 non-refundable deposit required)

Rocky Mountain Elementary is located at 800 East 5th Ave. which is just West of Pace on 5th Ave. See you there!

BOO it's Halloween!

Oh poor neglected LongmontMom blog. Anyone know where I can find a few more hours in the day? :)

Anyway...

Halloween is Saturday! Looking for fun stuff to do in and around Longmont? Great! Here's what I know:

Longmont Halloween Parade - Line up at 9:30 at Roosevelt Park and then parade your adorable costumes down Main Street. Follow that up with Trick or Treating at the shops along Main and it's a perfect way to spend Halloween morning! Here's a link to the parade route in case you feel like watching instead of walking!

Dia de los Muertos - The Longmont Museum and Cultural Center hosts it's annual Day of the Dead Celebration on Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. From their website: "Music, dancing, singing, sugar skull decorating, traditional food, community altars, paper flower making, Día de los Muertos tattoos, and more. Free Admission.

Courtyard Entertainment
11:30 am –12:30 pm......Kalpulli Mitotilitztli Aztec Dance Group
1 – 1:45 pm....................Canciones de Mi Tierra and Coro San Juan
2 – 2:45 pm....................Alternatives for Youth Folklorico Dancers"

Halloween Events at Twin Peaks Mall - We've Trick or Treated in the mall in the past, but that was back when there were stores there! Ok, there are still a few left but I'm not sure how well attended this one will be! There will be a kiddie carnival for kids under 12 in the North Court by Pretzelmaker from 4 to 6 pm including games, music and activities. Then there's mall wide Trick or Treating from 6 to 8 pm. Also a costume contest near Pretzelmaker at 7 pm (registration for this starts at 5, full face masks not permitted). For the bigger kids (over 10), there's also an "Edgar Allan Poe Haunted House" from 5 to 11 pm on both Friday and Saturday nights. It's located next to the movie theater!

Safe Halloween Night at the Longmont Recreation Center - Visit the Rec Center from 6 to 8:30 pm Saturday for carnival games and boat rides in the pool. This one is best for kids 10 and under.

And an outside of Longmont event? The Munchkin Masquerade, Trick or Treating down Pearl Street in Boulder, has been postponed to Sunday, November 1st, from 1 to 4 pm. More than 60 stores will have candy and activities! Get a map at the Daily Camera parking lot (10th and Pearl) before heading out.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Longmont Fire Muster on Saturday

Just found out about this fun event happening tomorrow and you can bet our family will be there!

Longmont Fire Dept turns 100 years old and is 'mustering' up a parade and party this weekend!

The City of Longmont's Fire Dept is celebrating by throwing a "muster" this weekend to celebrate the 100th anniversary of it's great fire department and lots of fire trucks (old and new) will be on display. A parade and open house will be held.

Schedule for the Longmont Fire Muster this weekend, Saturday August 15th:

PARADE - 9am - Main Street south from Longs Peak to 3rd Avenue.

TERRY STREET STATION OPEN HOUSE - 1:00pm - 3:00pm - Longmont's newest fire station. While preserving many pieces of Longmont history, the use of alternative energy and resource conservation features were a priority in constructing this building. The new station is home to a three-person engine crew, a four-person ladder crew, a two-person ambulance, and the on-duty chief officer.

FIRE BLOCK - 10am-2pm - Fire safety education on 4th between Main and Coffman. Vehicles from parade set up on Coffman between 4th and 6th. Fire department demonstrations at 4th/Coffman:

10:00am - Repelling Demonstration

10:30am - Steam Engine Display

11:00am - Fire Sprinkler System Demonstration

11:30am - Bomb Trailer Demo

12:00pm - Vehicle Extrication Demonstration

12:30pm - Steam Engine Display

1:00 pm - Bucket Brigade

For more info, go to:
http://www.ci.longmont.co.us/fire/

2009 Boulder County Fair

The Boulder County Fair started today and runs through Saturday, August 8th! There are far too many events to list them here so head on over to their website and check out the Events listing. You'll also definitely want to check out the Kids Schedule which is chock full of free activities for the kids including scavenger hunts, story times, make n takes and more! You can even download an Excel format master schedule with every possible fair related event on it!

A few of our can't miss events:

Longmont Rotary Club Pancake Breakfast
Saturday, August 1st
6:30-9:30 am
4th and Kimbark
$7 for adults and $3 for children 12 and younger

Boulder County Fair Parade
Saturday, August 1st
10 am
Can't seem to find the exact route online but they line up at Roosevelt Park and then make their way down Main Street (perhaps to 3rd?) and then back up Coffman. Full of bands, color guards, floats, horses, tractors, you name it! Great fun for the kids :)

We'll also go to the Carnival (probably Wednesday when it's a little cheaper!), see all the animals, hopefully do some mutton bustin (eek!), and watch some auctions. No, we're not buying livestock any time soon but our oldest thinks being an auctioneer is one of the coolest jobs on the planet :)

There's really no excuse not to go with free parking and free admission! See you there :)

School Supply Lists

It's that time of year again, time to stock up on crayons and pencils and backpacks and such! FYI, you can find the school supply lists for St. Vrain Valley schools on their website so you can start shopping those fun sales :) This is our first official year doing back to school shopping (eek I'll have a kindergartner!) and I'm looking forward to it!

Summer 2009 Rope World

Rope World is part of the PE program at Rocky Mountain Elementary and several times throughout the year they open it up to the public. There are lots of ropes to climb, swing from, and crawl over and kids love it! Here's the schedule for July and August:

Weekdays: Monday, July 27th through Friday, August 7th

TIMES:
9:30 -10:25 2 yrs – 3rd Grade
10:30 -11:25 2 yrs – 3rd Grade
2:10 – 3:05 2 yrs – 3rd Grade
3:15 – 4:10 2 yrs – 3rd Grade
Fee: $4.00 / visit

They also host birthday parties, which you can schedule by calling 303-772-8402 between 8 am and 6 pm.
Fee: $4.00 Each (minimum $60)
Monday, July 27th through Friday, August 7th from 11:30 to 12:30

Rocky Mountain Elementary is located at 800 East 5th Ave. which is just West of Pace on 5th Ave.

Oops! Outdoor Movies

I put these on the calendar (scroll to the bottom of the blog) but forgot to post about them! Last night was the first of three outdoor movies this summer in Thompson Park. Next Saturday they'll be showing Goonies and the following Saturday, August 1st, they'll show The Princess Bride. Movies start around 8 or when it's dark enough to see the movie on the screen. It's FREE and a wonderful way to spend a Saturday evening hanging out with friends on the shady grass of Thompson Park! Don't forget the bug spray :) See here for more info.

Rhythm on the River this weekend

One of our family's favorite Longmont events starts tomorrow - Rhythm on the River. This FREE festival with great food, music and entertainment runs Friday 5-8:30 pm and Saturday 7 am to 8:30 pm at Roger's Grove. There is free parking at the Boulder County Fairgrounds and stroller friendly shuttles to take you over to Roger's Grove.

There are so many fun things packed into that short time that I just have to direct you to the city's website about it. Our favorites include the music, climbing on city trucks, the pancake breakfast, and the many many kids events - rock climbing, bike course, jumpy castles, puppet shows, art projects, food from lots of local restaurants, etc, etc. It's a great way to spend a day in Longmont!

The 4th is on Saturday!

This Saturday is the 4th of July which means you need the 411 on area 4th events, right? Here's some info on shows close to Longmont but if you'll be somewhere else in Colorado that day check out metromix.com for a good list.

Longmont - Boulder County Fairgrounds
The Longmont 4th of July Fireworks Display is free and begins at 9:30 pm at the Boulder County Fairgrounds (Hover & Boston). There is no parking at the fairgrounds so you'll need to join the herds of people in nearby parks or parking lots. Everyone has their favorite place but generally within one mile is best for viewing. Also, the Times-Call says this is supposed to be the best fireworks in years and, since they haven't been the greatest recently, I'm really looking forward to it! Here is the official Longmont fireworks page where you can read more about legal vs. illegal fireworks too!

Boulder - Folsom Field
The fireworks at Folsom Field are always a hit. See this page for info on parking, what you can and can't bring, etc.

Niwot
7:30-10:30 Pancake Breakfast in Cottonwood Square
11 am Parade from Cottonwood Square through downtown (kids and pets encouraged!)
11:30 - 3 Walking Tours, Kids Games, Live Music
More info one Niwot's Calendar of Events page

Elsewhere
I've heard the events and fireworks in Firestone are fun but we haven't checked them out yet.
Estes Park always has a great show over Lake Estes plus a pancake breakfast, music and classic car show if you want to make a day of it. There are also shows in Ward (who not surprisingly doesn't have a website! ha!) and Nederland that have a bit more small town feel.

Crackpots Preschool Stoytimes for Summer 2009

Crackpots offers preschool storytimes over the summer where kids ages two to five can listen to a fun story and then paint a ceramic piece related to the story. These storytimes are offered on most Mondays and Thursdays over the summer from 11 am to about noon (or when you're done painting). Each one costs $12 plus tax per child and reservations are encouraged. The full summer schedule of books and accompanying ceramic pieces can be downloaded here. Call Crackpots at 303-776-2211 to reserve your child's spot today!

FREE movies at Twin Peaks 2009

Sorry for the delay posting about this! Be sure to check out the Free Family Film Festival at the Twin Peaks Mall United Artists Theater at 10 am on Tuesdays and Wednesdays! Here is the schedule of remaining movies...

Twin Peaks 10

06/16/2009-06/17/2009
Mr. Bean's Holiday (G)
Journey To The Center Of The Earth (PG)

06/23/2009-06/24/2009
Charlotte's Web (G)
Igor (PG)

06/30/2009-07/01/2009
Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Veggie Tale Movie (G)
Nim's Island (PG)

07/07/2009-07/08/2009
Horton Hears A Who (G)
City Of Ember (PG)

07/14/2009-07/15/2009
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (G)
Inkheart (PG)

07/21/2009-07/22/2009
Space Chimps (G)
Kung Fu Panda (PG)

07/28/2009-07/29/2009
The Tale Of Despereaux (G)
Hotel For Dogs (PG)

08/04/2009-08/05/2009
Doogal (G)
Spiderwick Chronicles (PG)

Pet and Doll Parade this Saturday

Don't forget Longmont's annual Pet and Doll Parade is this Saturday at 10 am at Roosevelt Park! Bring your kids and their stuffed friends for a walk around the Roosevelt Park loop followed by a free popsicle! Wagons and strollers (especially decorated ones) are welcome. This year's theme is Under the Big Top and there will be clowns, jugglers, balloon sculptors and painters. See this page for a few more details!

BounceTown Family Night

Bouncetown is hosting a Family Night this Friday from 5pm - 8pm. They will be serving FREE Cold Stone Ice Cream for everyone! Moms, Dads, Grandmas, Grandpas and more are all welcome and are FREE as usual. $8 per child. Call for more details. 303-774-9550.

ArtLink tonight!

My life has been crazy busy lately but I wanted to take a moment to remind you about ArtLink (the event formerly known as ArtWalk) tonight! It's a great family friendly event on Main Street, which will be closed from 3rd to 9th tonight for it! Hope to see you there! If you need more info, here's a link to my original post about it.

Video about Longmont Farmer's Market

Here's an interesting video about the Longmont Farmer's market! It includes great info on local farms, why buying locally is good for everyone, the challenges local farms are facing and how you can support them! If you're reading this through a feed reader or email you may need to click here to view the video.

Movie and a Makeover at Twin Peaks

From the Twin Peaks Mall website...

Movie & a Makeover for Mom
May 3 – May 9

Enter for a chance to win a variety of prizes, including the following:

4 movie tickets to United Artists theater
Haircut & Style from Master Cuts
Gift pack from Master Cuts
“Day of Pampering” from Dillards
Manicure & Pedicure from Nail Elegant
Jean Fitting from The Buckle
Gift certificates from Mobile 1 and Verizon
Kingman mine turquoise necklace from Art & Soul
Kay Jewelers

The first 100 entrants will receive gift bags containing merchant coupons and items.

Enter to win at the Security/Information booth in South Court.

(Winners will be announced on May 10th)

Longmon Farmer's Market

Here's one event that won't be canceled because of a little rain - The Longmont Farmer's Market opens this Saturday!

Boulder County Fairgrounds
Hover Rd. and Boston Ave, Longmont CO.
Hours of operation: Saturdays 8am - 2pm
May 2 - Oct 31, 2009

For more information see their website!

Spring Awakening at Sandstone Ranch

From a City webpage...

Experience Sandstone Ranch through the seasons – May 2, 2009 Spring Awakening

Bring a snack or plan a picnic lunch at Sandstone Ranch Visitor Center on May2, 2009 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. We are having an Open House to greet the spring and have many fun activities planned. Come hear our resident beekeeper, Don Potratz talk about the bee hives at 10:30 am followed by Leslie Lewis talking about pollinators. There will be guided nature tours and house and barn tours, old time games such as jacks, jump rope, hopscotch, marbles, bean bag toss and others. Visitors can help plant part of the garden. We hope that you will come back when we are normally open or to one of our other public events to check on the status of the garden. The produce from the garden is donated to the OUR Center.

Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Unfortunately the forecast for Saturday once again includes rain but perhaps this event will still happen?

7th Annual Longmont Cinco de Mayo celebration
When: Saturday, May 2nd from 12:00pm to 6:00pm
Where: Roosevelt Park (Longs Peak Avenue & Coffman Street)

Enjoy the Chihuahua Dog contest, specialty and information booths, New Car Exhibit, live entertainment, and delicious food booths!

Lots of fun for the whole family - they usually have fun crafts and freebies for the kids!

For more information, contact Mary Vigil, Cinco de Mayo Planning Committee Chair, at 303-776-8184.

Free pretzel at Pretzelmaker on Sunday 4/26

I haven't been to the mall for a while - do any of you know if the Pretzelmaker is still there? Well, if they are, you can get a free pretzel there this Sunday (4/26) to celebrate National Pretzel Day. See details here.

Arbor Day Celebration Rescheduled

Due to the "storm" we're having the Arbor Day Celebration scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday the 18th, has been canceled and rescheduled for Saturday, April 25th. Hopefully the weather will be more cooperative then!

Little Builders FREE family drop-in

One of the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center's upcoming exhibits is called Little Builders. It will feature hands on activities including building structures with blocks, bricks and pipes as well as learning about weight, size, gravity and balance. The exhibit runs from May 23rd to August 2nd but they have a FREE family drop-in day on Wednesday, May 27th, from 10 to noon! This event will include free hard hats for the first 250 kids from Longmont Power and Communications and cool construction equipment on display outside!

ArtLink (formerly ArtWalk)

One of our favorite summer events has a new name! What used to be known as ArtWalk is now known as ArtLink. It's an event held along Main Street on three Friday nights during the summer - this year it will be on May 15th, July 17th and September 18th from 6 to 9 pm. It's a fun evening of live entertainment, art exhibitions, children's activities, dancing and more!

2nd Annual Fishing Derby

On Saturday, May 9th, from 9 to 11 am, Longmont Recreation Services will host their second annual fishing derby. For $5, youth 15 and under will receive entry into door prize drawings and be able to attend one of five 10 minute clinics. The kids will then fish at the pond outside the Longmont Rec Center and judging for largest fish will begin at 11 am. Hot dogs, chips and soda will be available for sale too. Register today - the first 50 registrants get a fishing pole!

Arbor Day/Earth Day Celebration

The City of Longmont Parks Dept is hosting a combined Arbor Day and Earth Day celebration at Collyer Park on Saturday, April 18th, from 11 am to 3pm. Come learn more about what an arborist does by going up in a bucket truck, riding a zip line or climbing a tree! There will be trees and roses for sale, lunch for a dollar, live music and opportunities to learn more about our environment! The rain date is April 25th. Or maybe they should call it the snow date as things are going these days! :)

YMCA Healthy Kids Day

On Saturday, April 18th, the YMCA will host their annual Healthy Kids Day. From 9 am to noon you and your friends and family of all ages can enjoy various games, activities and sports at the Y while learning how to help kids achieve healthy lifestyles. Last year they also waived the membership application fee if you joined that day!

Longmont Summer Camps

Now that Spring Break is coming to a close it's time to really focus on finding activities for your kids over the summer. To help, there is a pullout section in tomorrow's Times Call all about summer camps! There are options for all ages, of course, like the Longmont Rec Center, YMCA, Sunflower Farms, Bits Bytes and Bots, Longmont Museum, Airborne Gymnastics, and Longmont Humane Society. Some of the ads even have coupons for camp discounts. If you don't get the paper delivered be sure to pick one up tomorrow!

Rope World

I'm ashamed to admit that we have never experienced the fun that is Rope World but we intend to change that soon! Rope World is part of the PE program at Rocky Mountain Elementary and several times throughout the year they open it up to the public. There are apparently lots of ropes to climb, swing from, and crawl over and kids love it! Here's the schedule for March and April:

Weekdays: Tuesday, March 17th through Friday, March 27th
NO MONDAYS
TIMES:
4:15 - 5:05 2 yrs - 3rd Grade
5:15 - 6:05 2 yrs - 3rd Grade
6:15 - 7:05 2 yrs - 3rd Grade
Fee: $4.00 / visit

Saturday, March 21st, Saturday, March 28th, Wednesday, April 1st, Thursday, April 2nd and Friday, April 3rd -
TIMES:
1:00 - 1:55 2 yrs - 3rd Grade
2:05 - 3:00 2 yrs - 3rd Grade
3:10 - 4:05 2 yrs - 3rd Grade
FEE: $4.00 / visit

They also host birthday parties, which you can schedule by calling 303-772-8402 between 9 am and 7 pm.
Fee: $4.00 Each (minimum $60)
Saturday, March 28th
TIME:
11:50 - 12:50
and
Wednesday, April 1st, Thursday, April 2nd and Friday, April 3rd.
TIMES:
10:-40 - 11:40
11:50 - 12:50
4:15 - 5:15

Rocky Mountain Elementary is located at 800 East 5th Ave. which is just West of Pace on 5th Ave.

Enjoy!

Another Crocs Warehouse Sale

A tip from the BoulderLongmontMoms Yahoo Group:

Colorful, comfortable, born-in-Colorado Crocs are sold at more than 5,000 locations around the world, but there's only one warehouse sale. Brands include Crocs, You by Crocs, Jibbitz, Ocean Minded and Bite. Sample shoes, boots, sandals, golf shoes, accessories and bags start at $5 on Thursday, March 19, 1-8 pm; Friday, 10am- 8pm; Saturday, 10am -
8pm, and Sunday, March 22, 10am - 6pm. The Crocs warehouse is at 1510 Nelson Road (between Tower Road and South Hover Road).

Car Seat Safety

Did you know you can get a free car seat safety check? The City of Longmont provides a car seat safety check point on the 2nd Wednesday of every month at Longmont Fire Department Station 2, located at Mountain View and Hover Street, from 2pm until 7pm. There is no need to make an appointment and there is no charge.

If you have two vehicles, it is recommended that you bring both to the checkpoint. The firefighters are really knowledgeable about car seat safety and have been so helpful for our own family. We visited there before our oldest was born to make sure we had the base to his infant seat installed correctly and learned so much that they don't tell you in the car seat manual. We've gone back each time we get a new seat to be sure it's installed right. It's definitely worth the time!

Also, you can get more free MATT stickers at several locations throughout Longmont. These are the stickers that you put on your car seats so that if you are unable to communicate after an accident they will know important information about your child. We were good about putting these on our infant seats (since we got the MATT stickers at the hospital) but forgot about them when we got toddler seats until we went to the car seat safety check! These are also really important if your child rides in other people's cars (i.e. for carpools) so you can be contacted in case of emergency.

Underwater Easter Egg Hunt

Centennial Pool's annual Underwater Easter Egg Hunt will be held Saturday, April 11th, from 1 to 4 pm. They put weighted eggs at the bottom of the pool and kids can trade those eggs for goodies! The cost is $3 per swimmer/$1 per observer and even little ones who can't quite swim yet can participate (though a parent does need to be in the water with children 5 years old and younger). Centennial Pool is at 1201 Alpine Street.

Spring Break events at the Library

It looks like the library will have special storytime events every day during St. Vrain's Spring Break this year! Only the March schedule is published but I suspect they'll have something going on the first few days of April, too. Here are the events for that Monday and Tuesday:

Monday
Connie Elstun’s Bunny and Birdie Magic Show
10:15-10:45 am and 11:15-11:45 am
Ages 3 and up

Tuesday
Drop-in Art
Make a Bookjacket Butterfly
10:00 am to Noon
All ages

Ice Rink closes this Sunday

The final day of the Ice Pavilion's 2008-2009 sesason and the rink will feature its annual March Meltdown event on Sunday, March 15th, from 1 to 5 pm. The event will feature skating, ice painting, and ice cream. Regular admission and skate rental prices apply. Come out to the Longmont Ice Pavilion and celebrate the completion of a tremendous year at the rink.

Target coupons

Are you a big Target shopper? I love Target most days - the days I remember to go without my kids! Just kidding. Sort of. It's a tough choice, though - go in the doors by the dollar spot in which case I'm out at least $10 or go in the doors by Cold Stone and have to listen to the whining about how very long it's been since my children had ice cream (they're soo deprived). Anyway, if I can make it past those two places without spending a dime then I might as well try to save money beyond that point too, right? That's where Target coupons come in handy! Check them out :)

3/2/09 Redbox Code

Here is today's free Redbox code:

MS72K3

Use it until midnight tonight to rent a movie for free from any Redbox location :) Enjoy!

Free Lunch!

Quiznos is giving away one million sub sandwiches in the next 5 days! Go to http://www.millionsubs.com and register to get a coupon for a free small signature sub or small everyday value sub!

Free Redbox Movie Mondays

Have you rented movies at a Redbox before? In Longmont you can find them at Albertson's, McDonald's and Walmart - they are red boxes (of course) where you can rent movies for one day for just a dollar plus tax! It's a great deal and they have lots of movies to choose from - the latest releases and kid-friendly flicks too! Each Monday they send out a code for a free movie. Here's today's code:

S39XKT

Enter this code during checkout before midnight tonight to get a free movie rental. You still have to swipe a credit or debit card but nothing will be charged to it. You can use one code per credit or debit card.

We like Redbox because you can reserve a movie online, there are no late fees (just an additional $1.08 for another day's rental) and you can return the movie to any location - not just the one you rented from! Obviously the selection isn't nearly as large as Netflix, but if you watch less than 8 or 9 movies a month it's much more cheaper!

By the way, here's a good example of why you might prefer to read this blog in a blog reader like (my favorite) Google Reader! If you subscribe via email you won't get this message until tomorrow morning which will be too late to make use of this code :)

Pancakes!

Visit IHOP on Tuesday, February 24th from 7am to 10pm to receive one free short stack of their famous pancakes in celebration of National Pancake Day. All they ask is you make a donation to support local children’s hospitals through the Children’s Miracle Network. Why Tuesday? Well, it's Fat Tuesday and apparently, in preparation for Lent, people used to use up their supplies of eggs, milk, butter and other dairy products that day since eating dairy was prohibited during Lent. Interesting :) No matter the history, now it means yummy pancakes and helping out a great cause! What could be better?

Ft. Collins JBF Franchise for sale

Remember the twice yearly Just Between Friends kids consignment sale that's held at the Boulder County Fairgrounds? Well, a similar sale is held in Ft Collins around the same time and that franchise is now for sale. Here's the email Laura (the owner of the Longmont sale) just sent out:

"The JBF Fort Collins franchise is for sale! If you think you might be interested in being a part of the Just Between Friends team please contact Laura @ laura@jbfsale.com or 303-506-1643.

The LONGMONT sale will be held May 8-11, 2009 @ the Boulder County Fairgrounds, Longmont. See you there!

Laura Eldred

www.jbfsale.com"

RMCC MOPS Consignment Sale

The 10th annual Rocky Mountain Christian Church MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Consignment Sale is this Friday, February 20th and Saturday, February 21st!

Where: Boulder County Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall
When: Friday the 20th 9am to 8pm and Saturday the 21st 9am to 4pm
What: 35,000 square feet of gently used baby and children's clothing, shoes, bikes, toys, videos, baby equipment, furniture and maternity clothing. Pink and yellow tagged items are 1/2 price on Saturday!

It looks like it might be too late to register to sell but you can verify or ask any other questions by calling Jennifer at 720-530-1381 or Alison at 303-908-6783.

Texas Roadhouse Valentine's Day special

If you can get a babysitter over the next several days you might be interested in a Valentine's Day special at Texas Roadhouse. See this page for more info! Happy Valentine's Day!!!

TGI Friday's coupon

Our family loves TGI Friday's and will definitely be using this coupon for Buy One Entree Get One Free! The coupon is good until March 1st but can't be used on Valentine's Day. Enjoy! :)

Free Chuck E Cheese Valentines

Still scrambling to come up with fun Valentines for your child's class? Well, it's not quite homemade suckers or white doilies glued onto pink and red construction paper, but how about some printable Valentine's that get the recipient 5 free tokens at Chuck E Cheese? If nothing else you could print them out for your own kids to use next time your kids insist on going!

2 for 1 at the Longmont Ice Rink!

Check this out! On Friday and Saturday nights from 5 to 9 pm you and a friend can both skate at the Longmont Ice Rink for the price of one admission. Skate rental is additional but, still, if you're an adult Longmont resident that saves you $5.50! See this page for more info on the ice rink.

Longmont Rec Center Summer Camps

Registration for Summer Camps offered through the Longmont Recreation Center begins February 23rd! See this page for the schedule and pricing. Have any of you sent your children to this camp? Post a comment or send me an email with your opinions!

Upcoming Free Craft Events at Michaels

Here's a preview of upcoming craft events at Michaels.

Free Family Event: Valentine Card Making
January 31, 2009 10:00am - 1:00pm
Bring the whole family to Michaels and create your own handmade Valentine's Card for free.

Free Bead Make-It Take-It
February 7, 2009, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Free Bead Make-It Take-it by Jolee's™ Jewels

The Knack: Science Fair Demo
February 14, 2009, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Come join us as we share tips and techniques for creating a great science fair project.

Free Yarn Necklace and Tassel Make-It Take-It
February 21, 2009, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Come join us and create a fun yarn necklace and tassel from Lion Brand.

We haven't made it to one of these yet but hope to soon. They sound like fun! Don't forget to sign up for the Michaels e-newsletter to get coupons in your inbox or clip the weekly coupon from the newspaper before you go!

Super Bowl and Chuck 3D glasses

Don't forget to pick up your 3D glasses from the Sobe Life Water displays in stores now! These will help you view not one but two 3D commercials airing during the Super Bowl (and really, aren't the commercials all that we Coloradans have to be excited about during the Super Bowl?). You can use them again to view a 3D episode of Chuck on NBC next Monday night! We picked ours up at the King Soopers on Hover!

Sunflower Farms schedule June through November

As seen on LifeLongmontLearning.com...

SproutHouse Program 2009/2010
Monday through Friday Sunflower Farm has a drop-off program for 2-5 year olds.

Having your child come to the farm regularly, whether you choose one day of the week, three days or all five, allows them to get to know the seasons of the farm and animals better. This agricultural-based program is as much outdoor time as possible. It is a hands-on, experiential class which encourages children to access a deeper place within themselves. Kids will learn the value of being part of a team, problem solving and an ability to access their own creativity. While exploring nature, children are encouraged to lead, and at the same time cultivate trust, respect and the idea that we are greater together than we are individually.

Even on cold days we will bundle up, climb in the wagon and tour the farm, feed animals, build snowmen, collect eggs, climb the giant treehouse, catch toads, follow bugs, or play together at the SproutHouse. Outdoor activities as well as indoor activities such as art, music, games and stories are all part of this program.

Summer SproutHouse: June 3 - Aug 14, 2009
When: Weds, Thurs and/or Friday
Time: 9:30am - 12:30pm
Age: 3-6 years; must be potty trained
Summer tuition: one morning per week (11 total): $495

Fall SproutHouse I: Sept., Oct., Nov., 2009
When: Mon., Weds., and/or Fri.
Time: 9-1:00
Age: 2-4
Cost: $52/morning

FALL SPROUTHOUSE II: Sept., Oct., Nov., 2009
When: Tues and/or Thurs
Time: 9-2:30
Age: 3-5
Cost: $68/day

For more information please call the Sunflower Farm at 303-774-8001 or visit http://www.sunflowerfarminfo.com

I know I've said it before but just wanted to reiterate - we love Sunflower Farms! Check it out!

Free stuff?

I love reading blogs and have recently become a fan of several sites that post great coupons, sales, samples and offers for free stuff. For example, there's this coupon for a free Diet Dr. Pepper or you can request a free sample of Quaker Rice Cakes, get tips on great deals at Target or even a free 2 year subscription to Parents magazine. It's so exciting to check my mail these days and my kids love all the free food samples, of course. My husband appreciates the savings we've seen with all the coupons and tips on shopping smarter too. Would you all appreciate tips like these posted here? Perhaps I'll just share the ones I think are helpful and you can do with the info what you want :) Hope you're all having a great January and not getting the horrible virus that seems to be making the rounds in our circle of friends and coworkers!

Free coffee and breakfast samples at Panera

Tomorrow (Wednesday, January 28, 2009) Panera Bread stores across the nation are offering free coffee all day long and free samples of their new breakfast items. I don't know any moms who don't appreciate a good cup of coffee so go check it out! Besides, they have great kid food too if you have to tote the kids along :)

Looking for a fun part-time job?

This came in an email to the BoulderLongmontMoms Yahoo group today...

"Hi
Thought I'd send this out to the group, since this would be a good part-time job for a stay at home mom looking to work evenings & weekends.

We have an opening for a part time job (20 hrs or less per week) at B&C BounceTown for a Party Attendant position. We're looking for someone who's responsible, outgoing & enjoys working in a fun, kid-friendly environment. Scheduled hours vary from week to week, depending on our Party schedule. We're looking for someone who's available to work weekday evenings and has flexibility on the weekends.

If interested, please stop by B&C BounceTown to fill out an application or you can
email me DIRECTLY bouncetown@bncbouncers.com with any questions.

Thanks,
Sara Levin

B&C BounceTown
1821 Lefthand Cir Unit C (off Sunset St, between Ken Pratt Blvd & Pike Rd)
(303)774-9550
www.bncbouncetown.com"

Troubles commenting?

I've gotten a couple emails from people having trouble posting a comment here on the blog. I'm not sure if maybe blogger was having trouble at the time they tried to comment (three people, same day - seems a little too coincidental!) but here's some quick help on how to comment just in case it helps!

First, here's Blogger's official answer for how to comment (which, strangely, hasn't been updated to include all the options!). Basically you click on the "# comments" link underneath the post you wish to comment on and a window will pop up. If a window does not pop up, make sure you don't have popups set to be blocked by your browser or anti-virus software. Once you see the popup, type your comment and then choose who you want to post as. If you have a Google or Blogger account, log in with that username and password. You can also choose Open ID if you have another type of login such as Wordpress or LiveJournal.

The easiest two to use are Name/URL and Anonymous. If you choose Name/URL you need only type in your name (first name or a nickname or whatever) and, optionally, a URL (a link to your blog, for example) and you're good to go. If you choose Anonymous, you're done and can go ahead and click the Publish Your Comment button.

Oh and because you can find everything on YouTube, here's a super boring but informative video on how to comment :)

I don't currently have comment moderation enabled so your comment should show up immediately on the post. If you're having trouble, you can always email me your comment at longmontmom@gmail.com. Yeah, yeah, I know I haven't been very good at replying lately but I'm working on getting this blog back on my to do list! Bear with me! :)

Feeling neglected? :)

Yeah, I took a break for the holidays and then...well...never started again :) haha! But here I am! And here's a last minute tip for a great class...

"Join us for a special donation based Stroller Strides class to benefit There With Care. There With Care is a local non-profit that provides services for families and children going through a medical crisis or a critical illness.
All proceeds from the Winter Festival will go to There With Care and we will also be collecting new and gently used baby items to donate as well. By donating to There with Care, you can enjoy the positive benefits of the hour-long fitness program AND feel good about contributing to an organization that supports families in need.
There will be a silent auction before class and refreshments after class. We will be meeting at 9am and then heading off for class at 9:30 am. So join us for fun, fitness, friends, goodies bags and giving back!"

"Stroller Strides is the country's largest fitness program for new moms. Classes offer a stroller workout that combines power walking/running and intervals of body toning using the stroller, the environment and exercise tubing. It's a great way to get in shape, meet other new moms and have fun with your baby.

Where: Twin Peaks Mall - meet at the Play Area by the food court at 9 am
When: Monday, January 12th!

Visit strollerstrides.net/longmont and come join the fun!"

If I still had a kid who would sit in a stroller I would totally participate! It sounds like so much fun :)