Decatur Mom reader, Jen, passed on this tip about a special Friday night story hour at Little Shop of Stories in Decatur:
Just wanted you all to be aware of the fantastic FREE storytime this FRIDAY NIGHT at Little Shop of Stories. This is the talented team of:
Local Musicians — Mr. Eric Litwin (who has performed at many local preschools and elementary schools — including DHUMP!) his pal Mr. Michael Levine,
Local Artist — Mr. James Dean (you’ve seen his Pete the Cat work everywhere… )
They plug in… sing tunes… tons of kids and (a few) parents dance, sing and wiggle… and they read/perform their stories…including:
“I love my White Shoes! ” and they will be previewing their next Pete the Cat book too!
The Little Shop of Stories is located at 133A East Court Square, Decatur, GA 30030
See you there!
Categories: Book Stores in Decatur, GA · Events in Decatur, GA
Tagged: Little Shop of Stories, Pete The Cat, Story Hour in Decatur
Decatur moms run. I know they do because I see them when I’m out running! On Saturday, July 18th at 7:30 am, come out and join Decatur moms and dads for the annual Laurathon 4-mile run through the city of Decatur. This year, the proceeds from the run will go to the YMCA Partner With Youth financial assistance program and will benefit local kids and families.
The entry fee is $25 and there will be a 6:30 am registration at Decatur-DeKalb YMCA, 1100 Clairemont Ave., Decatur, GA 30030. Free childcare will be available from 7:00-9:30 am. To register for childcare or to get more race information call 404-371-3306.
See you there!
Categories: Events in Decatur, GA
Tagged: Events in Decatur, Laurathon, Race in Decatur
Spend 4th of July in Decatur, and enjoy a pied piper parade, concert and fireworks on the square! All are welcome to participate in the parade which starts at 5:30 pm at First Baptist Church of Dectaur. The parade ends in the Decatur square and is followed by a concert that starts at 7pm. Fireworks start at 9pm. Visit the City of Decatur web site for more details.
And if you want to celebrate the 4th of July with fireworks while being a little further away from the action, the lawn at the First Christian Church of Decatur (601 W. Ponce de Leon) is always a great choice. It faces downtown Decatur and offers a great view of the fireworks at a distance that is a more tolerable for young children then viewing fireworks on the square. Take your blankets or lawn chairs and enjoy!
See you there!
Categories: Events in Decatur, GA
Tagged: Children's Parade in Decatur, Decatur 4th of July Events, Events in Decatur
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Decatur mom, Pam, got some great news recently. Her terrific blog, www.cookingformonkeys.com was nominated by Nickelodeon’s ParentsConnect as “Best Local Blog” in Atlanta. Pam says “The nomination came out of the blue and was a complete surprise to me. I am astounded and thrilled by the nomination, and I want to WIN!!! Heck, I might just make everyone cupcakes if I win.” I might just hold her to that one 
Pam is currently tied for the lead and needs more votes. You can vote for Cooking for Monkeys every day until July 15. Just visit the ParentsConnect Best Local Blog page and vote for Cooking For Monkeys.
Go Pam! Best of luck to you!
Categories: Cooking in Decatur, GA
Tagged: Cooking for kids, Cooking for Monkeys, ParentsConnect
It’s almost time for the Decatur Beach Party! The annual event where the City of Decatur dumps 60 tons of sand on downtown Decatur streets for the ultimate city block party. This event has something for everyone; the younger children love to play in the sand, the older kids go for the boardwalk games, and its a terrific way to socialize with your Decatur neighbors while listening to live bands and enjoying tasty food and drinks.
The Decatur Beach Party is on Friday, June 19th and goes from 5pm until midnight. You may purchase advanced tickets online from ticketalternative. Adult tickets are $10. Children 12 and under are free (up to 2 free children admitted per paying adult.) If this is your first Decatur Beach Party, make plans to be there by 5pm to secure a play place in the sand. Be prepared for a large, but friendly, crowd. Pack lots of water – it’s usually pretty hot and while there is plenty of food to choose from you don’t want to buy water all night. But most of all, get ready for some rather unusual and unforgettable beach fun in Decatur.
See you there!
Categories: Events in Decatur, GA
Tagged: Children's Events in Decatur, Decatur Beach Party, Events in Decatur
Due to the huge interest in articles about consignment sales, I thought I would let you know about a local yard in Decatur this weekend. Decatur Mom reader, Jen, calls it the Mother of All Yard Sales, and from the list below you can see why.
The sale starts on Saturday, May 30th at 8am and goes until 3pm.
Featuring:
- FULL Maternity Wardrobe (from T’s, tanks and shorts to a Maternity Raincoat and skirts to sweaters and bathing suits! hardly worn!),
- Full wardrobes of kids clothes — from 0-3 through 2T (mainly boys. some ralph lauren. some new with tags!) ALL PRICED TO MOVE.
- Too many kids shoes to count — from zero up to size 12-13! Some never worn!
- Kids hats
- Toys toys toys toys
- Trucks
- Ride ons
- Exersaucer
- Swing
- Bouncy jumper swing
- Changing table
- Glider and gliding stool
- Crib sheets/bedding/bumper/skirt (gender neutral colors)
- Strollers
- bike trailer
- Blues Clues party stuff.
- Kid books
- Little Einstein DVD’s
- IKEA closet
- Furniture
- Electronics
- Tall painted mirror with carved wood frame
- Working Ceiling fan (just too modern for our house)
- Kitchen miscellaneous and THATS not all! Tons of DIY odds and ends from lighting to a pump that can empty a basement/pool.
Note: the house is on the corner of Huron but the mega sale is on the Seneca Side.
Stop by for a bargain this weekend!
Categories: Shopping in Decatur, GA
Tagged: Decatur Garage Sale
The Children’s Arts Festival for kids and teens is a part of the larger Decatur Arts Festival, and it kicks off on Saturday, 5/23 at 9:45 a.m. with a children’s parade. To join the parade, line up at the corner of Church and Commerce and feel free to decorate your flot (bike, wagon, tricycle, etc.)
The main festivities take place in Scott park from 10 – 2pm. Click here to go the Decatur Arts Festival site to learn more about the children’s festivties for the Memorial Day weekend event. The Decatur Arts Festival is one of our favorite Decatur events. It just gets better evey year.
See you there!
Categories: Events in Decatur, GA
Tagged: Children's Arts Festival, Decatur Arts festival, Events in Decatur
It’s hard to believe that its been one year since I wrote my first article on Decatur Mom. When I started this blog to share my experiences with raising two young children in the City of Decatur I had no idea that it would connect me with so many wonderful moms, dads, small business owners, bloggers, community organizers, event planners and educators in Decatur and beyond. I just wanted to take time out to thank you all for your supportive ideas, comments and feedback during my parental journey. I’m looking forward to many more years of sharing and connecting with you.
Many Decatur Mom readers may not have found me without the help of popular blogs like Decatur Metro, inDecatur or Next Stop…Decatur. Along the way, new blogs emerged to offer additional Decatur coverage like The Decatur Minute and CSD Mom’s blog. I feel very lucky to be a part of the Decatur blogosphere, especially at a time when there are so many challenges and opportunities in our neighborhood and the larger Metro Altanta community. Thanks again for your continued support.
Here is a recap of your favorite Decatur Mom articles from the past year based on your activity and visits:
Kids Consignment Sales in Decatur, GA
Places to Play When It’s Hot in Decatur, GA
Georges Edeline’s Toddler Soccer Program
The No Goody Bag Revolution
Kids Eat Free Locations in the City of Decatur
Transition from Montessori to Public Education
City of Decatur Beach Party on Decatur Square
All the best,
Tumara
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: Decatur Mom
Coach George has recently announced the schedule for his summer soccer program. Coach George is a fun and accomplished soccer and youth development coach. Read more about Coach George in my earlier article.
Here is more info on the summer program from Coach Georges;
Many thanks for your continued interest in our soccer program. We have classes all year, for boys and girls, ages 1.5 and up, in various locations around the Greater Atlanta Metropolitan area. We’ll come to you for groups of 15+.
During the summer months, we’ll have both, the usual weekly(info upon request) sessions at several locations, and two(2) weeks of summer camps(Monday-Friday) locally; plus others out of town, including 1 week in Anchorage, AK(July 13-17).
Our scheduled summer dates, so far, are June 15-19 and July 6-10. The morning sessions, 8:30-11:30am, at the Cliff Valley School; the afternoon, 1-4pm, at Clairmont Presbyterian church, starting at age 4+.
Toddlers are invited to join us for the last hour of the afternoon session. Parents are invited and encouraged to participate. We focus on ball control and individual skills, along with many small-sided games.
Each child starts with a ball and goes at his/her own pace, in a safe, low-key and enjoyable atmosphere. Summer camp dates, designed for high school age players, are also available.
Registration forms will be available shortly on a first-come, first-serve basis. Classes will be limited, based on the number of available & experienced coaches.
TODDLERS: Five(5) days for $90.00.
AGES 3-13: $135.00 for half-day; $175.00 for both morning and afternoon.
Advance payments may be made by check, cash or credit card.
Contact Coach Georges at soccerge@comcast.net
I hope you find a class that works for your soccer kid!
Categories: Playing with Children in Decatur, GA
Tagged: Coach Georges Edeline, Summer Soccer in Decatur, Toddler Soccer
Decatur Metro and CSD Mom have provided excellent coverage of the CSD reconfiguration, including the latest updates and all of the challenges along the way. In her latest post, CSD Mom urges parents to continue voicing their opinions to the Board as it currently leans towards reconfiguration option #13 – renovate 5th ave as a new K-3 school rebuilding Fifth Avenue as the new 4/5 academy and converting Glennwood to a K-3*, with option #9 – combine Glenwood Academy with Renfroe Middle (and open Glenwood as a new K-3 school) as the second most likely choice.
*Thanks for the correction on option #13 CSD Mom!
Obviously, there are strong feelings about all of the options and for good reason. The Academy is truly unique and achieving International Baccalaureate status is no small task. It’s difficult for me to support an option that might put that program at-risk by moving the 4th and 5th graders to Renfroe Middle. However, I attended a highly-regarded public middle school that also had a 4/5 program, and the combination worked very well in terms of keeping the programs special and separate.
As a middle-schooler, I joined the math team, got a cool “math mentor” t-shirt and thought that I was going to help other students in my class. It was not until the first tutoring lesson that I had any idea that there were 4th and 5th graders in our building. They led us mentors into a part of the school that I never knew was there and I remember being completely shocked and then thinking, “how did they manage to get these little kids in and out of school without us big kids ever seeing them?”
I’m not sure if Renfroe’s campus would allow for such a separation of the big kid versus little kid traffic flow but, coming from a school where it worked well, I can see how it may be possible. And from a leadership development perspective, I can say that the opportunity to mentor the younger students in the school is one of the few lasting memories that I have of my middle school experience. However, I do understand that there are many more considerations beyond how frequently or infrequently the middle and younger students may intermingle.
If you have a strong opinion one way or another I’d encourage you to voice it to the board as soon as you can.
Categories: Education in Decatur, GA
Tagged: City Schools of Decatur Reconfiguration, Education in Decatur
