This Just In & Great Idea: Upcoming Free Events–Gifts for Mother’s Day

No doubt, handmade gifts by our kids are the most cherished…

Michaels, located in Milford/Orange, will host a series of Mother’s Day gift-making events throughout the first week of May so that families can make personalized gifts for under $3 that Mom will treasure for years to come. Here’s the official wording from Michaels:

The workshops will each feature a free or low-cost gift project for kids of all ages:

• Saturday, May 1 (1 – 3 p.m.): Kids can create gem earrings or a glass bead bracelet to keep Mom stylish. Cost: FREE
• Sunday, May 2 (1 – 3 p.m.): Kids can personalize an ordinary coffee mug with paint markers. Cost: FREE decorating supplies with purchase of a $1.99 mug kit
• Monday, May 3 (6 – 8 p.m.): Kids can make Mom a flower corsage to complement a favorite outfit using silk flowers. Cost: FREE corsage supplies with purchase of silk flowers, $1 and up
• Tuesday, May 4 (6 – 8 p.m.): Give Mom a spa day with a home spa package wrapped in a painted clay pot. Cost: FREE painting supplies (does not include spa stuffers, $1 and up)
• Thursday, May 6 (6 – 8 p.m.): Kids can decorate a Mother’s Day t-shirt with fun designs made from handprints. Cost: FREE workshop with purchase of $2.50 t-shirt
• Friday, May 7 (6 – 8 p.m.): Kids can personalize and decorate a wooden picture frame to hold a favorite memory of Mom. Cost: FREE decorating supplies with purchase of $1 frame
• Saturday, May 8 (10 a.m. – Noon): Kids can make a personalized card to wish Mom a Happy Mother’s Day. Cost: FREE
• Saturday, May 8 (Noon – 1 p.m.): Kids can decorate a sweet treat at the Wilton cookie decorating event. Cost: FREE

More homemade Mother’s Day gift ideas, with instructions and materials lists, can be found at www.michaels.com/mothersday.

Free Cooking Demos All Day Saturday at Food For Thought Expo

Free Food for Thought Expo in Fairfield. Photo: Freepixels.com

Free Admission! 

What: The Food For Thought Expo 

(We hope they address ways to stay frugal while eating healthy, too!) 

When: Saturday, March 24th from 10-4 

Where: Fairfield Warde High School 

Who: Esteemed speakers include Bruce Gluck from New Canaan Public Schools, Sue Caldwell of Health in a Hurry Restaurant, Valerie Wilke from Bloodroot, Amie Guyette Hall, cooking coach, Margaret Sapir of Wave Hill Breads, JoAnne Koebbe, a Certified LEAN Coach & Health Instructor, Michelle Falshman of Fairfield Public Schools, Dr. Marlene Schwartz of the rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Analiese Paik of The Fairfield Green Food Guide, Samantha Heller, registered dietitian and exercise physiologist, and Nick Mancini of the Cooperative Extension System of the University of Connecticut. 

Free Admission! 

Schedule (this is a condensed version, but the day is packed–pick and choose, and many demos are repeated): 

All Day 10:00–4:00 – Visit 5 Interactive Family Friendly Stations That Will Expand Your Food Knowledge and Build Comfort in Your Kitchen 

10:00-10:45 – Whole Foods, Whole You 

1:45-11:00 – Gluten Free and Flour Power 

10:15-11:15 – Growing Your Own Produce/Organic Backyard Gardening 

10;30-11:00 – Healthy Eating Choices for the Whole Family 

11:00-11:30 – Whole Grains & Buying Local Breads 

11:00-11:30 – Healthy Eating Choices for the While Family 

11:30-11:45 – Whole Foods, Whole You 

11:30-12:30 – Get Smart: Samantha Heller’s Nutrition Prescription for Boosting Brain Power 

11:45-12:45 – Food Explorers: Over, Under and Inside the Rainbow of Food 

12:30-1:00 – Cooking in the Classroom: The Fairfield Middle School Curriculum 

1:00-2:15 – An Introduction to Health Supportive Cuisine 

1:00-2:00 – Get It Local: Finding All Your Eating Needs In and Around Fairfield County 

1:30-2:00 – Cooking in the Classroom: The Fairfield Middle School Curriculum 

2:15-3:15 – Lunch Box Fun and Co-Op buying 

2:15-3:15 – From Classrooms to Cafeterias: Public Schools and the School Lunch Program as a Support for Health and Sustainable Food Systems 

3:00-3:30 – Healthy Eating Choices for the While Family 

3:16-4:00 – Re-Thinking The School Lunch Menu 

Enjoy! 

Did You Know….Westport Public Library

 

The Westport Public Library is a great source of free and wonderful events (lovely chamber music events, too!) that many Fairfielders may miss. After living in Fairfield for a long, long time, I finally ventured into the Westport Public Library for a meeting and was blown away–it’s bustling during the workweek, it has a cafe, a little gift shop, and loads of computers. I couldn’t believe it was my first time there and all I must have missed over the years. Here’s the link to check out events: http://www.westportlibrary.org/ and click the Events tab. They even have Wii gaming events for teens so you don’t have to go out and buy the system yourself! Enjoy!