Help Team Detroit Win! #DETChevySXSW

I’m a huge supporter of Detroit.

I’m always trying to help out the underdog and Detroit seems to be one of those places that people  think negatively about and I have been on a mission, along with others, since I moved here a year ago from CA, to turn the negative persona that Detroit possesses to the rest of the world.

I started this blog because there were so many fun, family events going on in Metro Detroit and I wanted to gather as many as I could to share them online. I have gathered events, worked with local retailers and businesses to do giveaways and participated and organized charity events  to help local Detroit.

The people of Metro Detroit are some of the most wonderful, passionate people I have ever met.  They are full of determination, entrepreneurship and loyalty.

There are a group of four influencers that were chosen to represent Detroit in an interactive verses real world challenge… the  2010 Chevy SXSW Road Trip Challenge.  They are traveling from Detroit to Austin, TX to attend SXSW, a social media conference and on the way they are competing against other states by completing challenges and earning points.  In the end, the team with the most points wins!

Team Detroit HAS to win!

You can help!  Here is what you can do to help Team Detroit win:

(1)  Follow the team hashtag, #DETChevySXSW, and check out some of the things they are doing while on the road.

(2) Tweet and Retweet using their team hashtag LIKE MAD starting on Monday, March 8th.  There are supporting agencies tracking the volume of tweets for each team hashtag.  The higher the number, the better.  Your participation is critical. They cannot win without us.

(3) Write a cool blog post about why Detroit deserves to win the challenge, tag it #DETChevySXSW and share it with your network.

What do you get out of this?

(1)  They have tons of awesome sponsors that have given them cool stuff to give away on their trip.  They have sweet t-shirts from Ann Arbor T-Shirt Company, Detroit Pistons tickets courtesy of Fist of Detroit, delicious Biggby Coffee, a wine tasting at Vintner’s Cellar and many other prizes.  If you pay attention to their hashtag and follow their blog, you just might win something!

(2)  If their team does their job and completes the challenges, and we support all their efforts with blog posts and tweets, they’ll get to throw an epic tweetup in Detroit.  When I say this will be an epic event, I’m absolutely serious.  Big. Deal. Tweetup.

Detroit Symphony Orchestra presents The Enchanting Flute and The Pied Piper

 

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO), Music Director Leonard Slatkin and internationally acclaimed guest flutist Marina Piccinini will welcome audiences of all ages to Orchestra Hall in The Enchanting Flute, and a special Macy’s Super Saturday featuring a Young People’s Concert titled The Pied Piper.   This Super Saturday will also incorporate The Henry Ford II Fund Tiny Tots Series: Strings and Drums: A New Kind of Family, performed by ensemble Musique Noire at 10 a.m. in The Music Box.  

 The Enchanting Flute performances take place at Orchestra Hall on Thursday March 11 at 8 p.m.; Friday, March 12 at 8 p.m.; and Saturday, March 13 at 8:30 p.m. and feature Leonard Bernstein’s dazzling Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, Samuel Barber’s Symphony No. 1 (continuing the DSO’s celebration of the 100^th anniversary of the composer’s birth), and John Corigliano’s Pied Piper Fantasy.  The Macy’s Super Saturday performances take place on Saturday, March 13 at 10 a.m. (Tiny Tots concert) and 11 a.m. (Young People’s Concert.)

During Macy’s Super Saturdays on Saturday, March 13, Slatkin and Piccinini will treat children ages six and up to the MASCO Corporation Foundation Young People’s Concert: Pied Piper at 11 a.m. in Orchestra Hall featuring  Corigliano’s Pied Piper Fantasy, as well as other musical works.  The performance will last approximately 60 minutes. 

JoiningSlatkin and Piccinini for all performances are 60 flute students, drawn primarily from the studio of teacher Barbara Ogar.  They hail from Detroit and surrounding communities including Romeo, Shelby Township, Utica, Rochester, Troy, Sterling Heights, Macomb, St. Clair Shores, West Bloomfield, Bloomfield Hills, Farmington, Clinton Township, Southfield and Livonia.  In addition to the flutists, there are two drummers and “actor” children from the greater metropolitan area.

The Macy’s Super Saturday family series, offered throughout the Max M. Fisher Music Center, is a half-day of activities with doors opening at 9:30 a.m.  The program is designed to introduce children to the wonders of music with two concert performances as well as a Marshall Music instrument petting zoo and arts and crafts. 

The Henry Ford II Fund Tiny Tots Series: Strings and Drums: A New Kind of Family, performed by ensemble Musique Noire at 10 a.m. in The Music Box, lasts approximately 45 minutes and is recommended for ages 0-6.   The members of Musique Noir, residing in Detroit and Chicago, are veteran players with national and international reputations.  They produce a sophisticated sound that showcases unique string and percussion-based arrangements of jazz and world fusion, and will demonstrate the diversity of sounds when pairing instruments of the string family with congas, bongos and other percussion instruments.  Each player is a working musician and music educator, and is passionate about both.

Tickets to The Enchanting Flute range in price from $19 to $71 with a limited number of box seats available for $123.  Tickets may be purchased at the Max M. Fisher Music Center box office (3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit); by calling (313) 576-5111; or online at www.detroitsymphony.com.  Seniors (60 and over) and students with a valid student ID can purchase 50% off RUSH tickets at the box office 90 minutes prior to concerts based on availability.  For group discount information (10 people or more), please contact Chuck Dyer at (313) 576-5130 or cdyer@dso.org. 

Individual  tickets for all YPC and Tiny Tots performances may be purchased at the Max M. Fisher Music Center box office (3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit); by calling (313) 576-5111; or online at www.detroitsymphony.com.  Individual concert tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for kids.  Individual tickets for The Henry Ford II Fund Tiny Tots Series are $12 for adults and children.  Babes in arms are free.  For group discount information (10 people or more), please contact Chuck Dyer at (313) 576-5130 or cdyer@dso.org. 

 Biographies and other information can be found here.

Royal Oak’s Bastone Raises a Limited Edition Pint to Irishfest

Experience the luck of the Irish March 2 – 26 as Bastone in Royal Oak presents special dishes and discounted pint refills for Irishfest 2010.

Order an award-winning Bastone craft beer for $5 and you’ll receive a limited edition pint glass and $3 refills through Irishfest.

Bastone is located at 419 S. Main Street in Royal Oak.  They are open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight Friday-Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday.

For a limited time diners can enjoy the following seasonal Irish Fest features:

Crab and Artichoke Bake –  Fresh crab and tender artichokes baked with herbed cream cheese and served with toasted beer bread for $9.95

 Shepherd’s Pie –  Ground beef and seasonal vegetables in a rich gravy topped with duchess potatoes for $12.95

 Dublin Bay Pasta –  Shrimp, scallops and lobster over linguini with a garlic cream sauce for $17.95

Steak and Ale Pot Pie –  Tender steak tips braised with onions and mushrooms in a rich beer sauce with a puff pastry topping for  $14.95

Jameson Chicken –  Pan seared chicken breast in a whiskey and course grain mustard sauce with roasted redskin potatoes and seasonal vegetables for $14.95

 For more information visit www.Bastone.net or call 248.544.6250.

Local Mom Creates Successful Photography Biz

Detroit mommy Ally Cohen is a talented photographer who has launched a very successful photography business.  Her portraits of families, children, celebrations, and more are absolutely stunning!  Clients truly receive one of a kind service.  Visit Frameable Faces website for more information and to see the gorgeous work featured in the galleries.  www.frameablefaces.com

About Frameable Faces:

Ally Cohen has always had an eye for detail and an optimistic outlook – which is a perfect fit for photography. Until the birth of her daughter Lacey in 1999, Ally had wanted to be in front of the camera, working in broadcast and related media. But when she took one look at her beautiful baby girl, she knew that behind the camera she would be snapping pristine, perfect shots to record all the fleeting moments of her growing family’s life.  “Photography is the ultimate keepsake,” says Ally, “You take one shot, capture that moment, and a few minutes later another opportunity arises. How could we possibly remember all of those wonderful, doting but ultimately blurring moments if not for pictures?

So Frameable Faces was created in 1999 to offer a wide array of photographic services for families, professionals, corporations, and schools. The West Bloomfield-based business is driven by Ally’s passion as a multi-faceted photographer who loves showing people how beautiful they really are through exquisite photography.  Frameable Faces specializes in custom photography, designing each setting, focus and theme according to the client’s wishes and goals. From children’s portraiture and family photographs to special event packages (including weddings, bar mitzvahs, communions, and graduations) and on-location corporate pictures, Frameable Faces does what its title suggests: presents every face in an utterly “Frameable” way.

Ally Cohen lives in West Bloomfield, Michigan, with her husband, Doug, their supremely photogenic children, Lacey and Tony, and an infinite number of lurking pets.

Meet Detroit Mommy and Author Patty O’Brien Novak

Children’s book author and Engineering Presenter Patty O’Brien Novak shares her motivating story on how she went from engineer, to stay at home mom, to writing her own book.  Be sure to visit her site to learn more about her great new children’s book, Engineering the ABC’s. www.pattyobriennovak.com.

Patty shares her story:

My working years: After college, I moved to Michigan to work at Ford as a Product Development Engineer and a Design & Release Engineer. I worked at Ford for 11 years when I decided to switch to “domestic” engineering and stayed at home to raise my 2 young children.  Now I’m venturing in a new direction with publishing my 1st book and presenting fun and interactive presentations about engineering to young school children.

My family years: I have been married to Rob for 13+ years and we have two wonderful children, Drew and Anna.  Drew was my inspiration for the book, and Anna was my book writing bud.  Anna went with me to meetings with my editor, publisher and illustrator. By 5 years old, she had watched the entire book writing process and would often give me hugs of encouragement and tell me “I’m proud of you, Momma.”

My writing years: I have always enjoyed writing, especially poetry. I have always  loved to read and love to read to my children.  The inspiration for my book came from my son Drew.  At 4 years old, Drew proclaimed that “scientists build the space shuttle, Mommy.”  When I offered “scientists along with engineers,” he replied “no, just scientists.”  How could my young son think that engineers had no part in the space shuttle when he was being raised by two engineers?!

I started looking at his books, tv shows and videos.  Engineers were not mentioned anywhere, not even on the NASA channel!  How was it that engineers had a part in producing these very books, tv shows and videos that failed to mention them?

Thus began my book and it was meant to be.  The thoughts and ideas poured out of me and into the computer.  I never dreamed I would ever write a book, but I am glad I did.

Bid on Valentine’s Gift Ideas and Help Local Families Stay Warm

Grand, romantic gifts and sweet little sentiments should be as unique as the recipient, so skip the malls and big box stores this Valentine’s Day and try giving a gift that gives back.

WWJ Newsradio 950 and The Heat and Warmth Fund (THAW) are launching an online auction to raise donations to help local families keep warm this winter. All auction proceeds will benefit the 7^th Annual Winter Survival Radiothon for THAW and there are dozens of items available that would make the perfect Valentine’s surprise. Samplings of ideas are listed below. All items are available for bid from Feb. 2-11 at www.wwj.com.

For the Romantic:

· Learn to cook as a couple with a cooking class for two from J. Baldwin’s Restaurant & Premier Catering.

· Travel to Boyne Highlands Resort to enjoy a ski package including one night’s lodging, a pair of unlimited lift tickets and breakfast for two.

· Take dance lessons with a four-session package from Arthur Murray Dance Studio.

· Check out dozens of additional gift certificates from area restaurants to theaters available for grabs.

For the Single and Ready to Mingle:

· Laugh yourself silly with 10 admissions to Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle in downtown Royal Oak.

· Gather 10 friends for a walking bar tour of Detroit (tour provided by Inside Detroit).

· Roller skate your worries away with 10 friends, courtesy of Skate World of Troy.

· Enjoy a private wine tasting and tour with 12 friends at Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery in Traverse City.

For Families:

· Have a musical experience with 4 admission tickets to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

· Cuddle up to a new furry friend with a $300 certificate toward a puppy or $100 toward supplies from Petland in Twelve Oaks Mall.

· Bid to win other great gifts for the whole family including tickets to the Detroit Zoo, Ann Arbor’s Hands On Museum or to see “Elmo’s Green Thumb” live at the Fox Theater.

If you bid and win any of these items, not only will your friends or sweetie be impressed with your gift, but you will feel great knowing that the money was spent on a great cause!

Zuma Coffee Shop

If you are looking for a specialty coffees and delicious food, visit Birmingham’s only 24 hour café!

Lisa and Richard Spicko purchased the Java Hutt Café in mid-November 2008 and have just recently renamed the store Zuma Coffee Shop.  The café is located at 207 S. Old Woodward Avenue, between Forte and the Birmingham Uptown 8 Theater.

The two reasons for re-branding the shop are intertwined.  Primarily they wanted to establish their own identity and re-launch with a name that is meaningful to them and the journey that brought them to owning a business in Birmingham.  The word, “zuma” is highly appropriate as it means “new beginning or journey” in a Mayan dialect.  Lisa and Rich Spicko have 2 adopted sons from Guatemala.

A life-long Neil Young fan, Rich will also point out that Zuma is the name of his favorite Neil Young album!

Second, the other force behind re-branding is to eliminate confusion in the marketplace from having two coffee shops with the same name within relatively close geographic proximity.  The previous owners of theshop own the original Java Hutt Café in Ferndale.

Lisa and Rich strive to provide fresh, delicious and affordable food choices.  Most of all, they remain committed to serving the best coffee in Birmingham!
They are pleased that the business is growing, despite the economic struggles in the area.  Initiatives that promote patronizing main street businesses, such as the Pierce PTSA “Pierce Shops Local” fundraiser and the “3/50 Project” help raise awareness that dollars spent locally (instead of at chain establishments) are re-invested in local communities.

In September they were selected as the WCSX Workforce Business Winner (from a pool of 600+ applicants) and awarded $20,000 in advertising with the station.

Zuma Coffee Shop: (248) 593-1027

Jennifer is a mom of 2 and founder of The Bilingual Fun Company.  She is a former high school Spanish teacher turned business owner.  When she is not busy teaching classes, producing educational DVDs and running her kids to activities, she loves to get out around Metro Detroit and enjoy the sights, sound, and events that our city has to offer.

Dinner With Santa at Meadow Brook Hall

My family and I were invited to have dinner with Santa at Meadow Brook Hall and a magical night it was.

First off, Meadow Brook Hall is located in Rochester and was the home of the Dodge and Wilson families.  Matilda, widow of automobile pioneer John Dodge and her second husband, lumber broker Alfred G. Wilson built the 110 room 88,000-square-foot, Tudor-revival style home.

Much of the home is inspired by English manor houses of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries that Matilda and Alfred traveled to on their architectural tours of England.

Meadow Brook Hall was completed in 1929 at a cost of nearly $4 million.

Dinner consisted of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce and corn.  Dessert was a piece of chocolate or white iced cake with raspberry glaze.  The wine glasses on the table were filled with grape and apple juice for the children…it was however “their” evening and the special details were fitting.

The real excitement was Santa and the funny balloon making clown that traveled from table to table entertaining the children.  My girls had a great time making this an event we will probably add to our holiday traditions.

After dinner we took a tour of the magnificent home in all it’s splendor.  Each room had an exquisitely decorated Christmas tree and on each tree was hidden a pickle for the children to find.  At the end of the tour, once all of the pickles were found, the children got a prize.  This was a great way to entertain the children during the tour.

We had a wonderful evening as a family that was both special for the children as well as for the adults seeing the excitement in their faces.

I recommend if you are a Rochester resident, a resident of metro Detroit or traveling to the Detroit area, that you visit Meadow Brook Hall and see a huge piece of American history.

Disclosure: My family and I were invited to Meadow Brook Hall for a review.  The opinions expressed in this post are mine and mine alone and are not influenced in any way by anyone.

Courtney is the ultimate multitasking mom!  She runs  three blogs Giftfully Simple, The Digital Mommy and Detroit Mommies , is a Social Media Marketing Consultant and has 3 girls under 6 years old.  Courtney is the founder of Detroit Mommies.  You can follow her on Twitter @theappleofmyeye.  She has worked with companies like Johnsons & Johnsons, Dove, e.l.f., Stride Rite, Sorel, 20th Century Fox, The Palace, Melissa & Doug, Panera, Tiny Prints and Ford (to name a few).  Courtney is a Purex^® Insider and a Max Mom for Office Max.

Lilly Picadilly: Detroit’s Premier Clown!

Meet Detroit Mommy Alma Schoenhide aka “Lilly Picadilly”!  Alma is a hard working, home schooling mom of 4, and she also is a professional clown.  She has been featured at many Detroit area events, does face painting and balloons at local festivals and restaurants, and offers family friendly entertainment for events and parties.  Alma is fun loving, sweet, friendly, gracious, and the kids love her!  She is also bilingual ( Spanish/English) and competent in ASL, so she adds another unique element to her services. If you are looking for a fabulous twist for your child’s next party, invite Lilly Picadilly, and you will not be disappointed!

From her site:

www.clownyfun.com

“Our goal with every client is to create the fun for your family. We pride ourselves in providing lasting memories…for you to capture forever.

If you are looking for Family Friendly Entertainment for your Corporate Event, Community Celebration, and Fundraiser or for Private Parties, come to Clownyfun.com!  We will strive to make your event one of the most memorable and talked about for years down the road.”

Se Habla Espanol – ASL for the Hearing Impaired.

Clowny Fun offers:

•Full Face Painting

•Cheek Art

•Balloon Sculptures

•Silly Magic Tricks

•Plain clothing

Jennifer is a mom of 2 and founder of The Bilingual Fun Company.  She is a former high school Spanish teacher turned business owner.  When she is not busy teaching classes, producing educational DVDs and running her kids to activities, she loves to get out around Metro Detroit and enjoy the sights, sound, and events that our city has to offer.

Basie and Paisley Review and **GIVEAWAY**

I was given the opportunity to review two of the cutest books by local author, James Robert Miller, after he had sent me information on a local book signing he was having.

I initially fell in love with the illustrations of the two monsters Basie and Paisley, but after reading the books James sent me, I fell in love with the stories as well.

James has lived in Michigan most of his life and has two daughters of his own.  The idea for A Spider Lives in My Belly Button came from James’ own daughter pretending a spider lived in his belly button which gave birth to the characters Basie (Count Basie) and Paisley(James’ sisters nickname).  The characters Basie and Paisley are brother and sister in the book and so are author James and his illustrator sister Leslie Kelly.

My daughters hung on to every sentence of A Spider Lives in My Belly Button and I enjoyed reading it to them… such a cute book (it was my favorite)!

I love all of the things that make Paisley smile in, A Monstrous Smile.  I smiled while reading it!

Both books were fun to read for me and fun to listen to for my girls.  I think my oldest can add them to early reading material as well.

More books are in the works to be added to the Basie and Paisley series as well as new characters…and I can’t wait!

Prize

One lucky winners will receive a copy of A Spider Lives in My Belly Button and A Monstrous Smile.  Winner will be notified via email and will need to respond within 24 hours or a new winner will be chosen.

Entry Requirements

To enter for a chance to win, you are required to do the following two things. Make sure to leave a comment after each entry requirement:

1. Subscribe to Detroit Mommies via email or RSS feed.  Current subscribers count.
Enter your email address:
Delivered by FeedBurner

2. Tell me what animal or insect you would choose to live in your belly button….if it were possible.

For extra entries:

Become a Facebook fan of Basie and Paisley (here)

The Fine Print

No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. Detroit Mommies writers and contributors are ineligible to participate.  Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered.  Open to participants in the US and Canada 18 years and older. One entry per person.  Contest ends December 15, 2009 at 11:59:59 p.m. EST.

Courtney is the ultimate multitasking mom!  She runs  three blogs Giftfully Simple, The Digital Mommy and Detroit Mommies , is a Social Media Marketing Consultant and has 3 girls under 6 years old.  Courtney is the founder of Detroit Mommies.  You can follow her on Twitter @theappleofmyeye.  She has worked with companies like Johnsons & Johnsons, Dove, e.l.f., Stride Rite, Sorel, 20th Century Fox, The Palace, Melissa & Doug, Panera, Tiny Prints and Ford (to name a few).  Courtney is a Purex^® Insider and a Max Mom for Office Max.

Disclosure: The Basie and Paisley books were provided for review.  The opinions expressed in this post are mine and mine alone and are not influenced in any way by anyone.

Next Page »