Briarwood Mall invites area kids and parents to kick off the holiday season with Santa at the mall’s annual holiday celebration on Friday, Nov. 11 from 6-8 p.m. Santa’s arrival will feature live reindeer and musical performances by Voices in Harmony and Sweet Adoline’s International.

Briarwood Mall has joined forces with the American Red Cross and Salvation Army this holiday season. The American Red Cross and Briarwood are encouraging families to send heartfelt messages of thanks to service members, their relatives and veterans. Through the Holiday Mail for Heroes program, kids can participate in card-making activities at Briarwood Mall between Nov. 11 and Dec. 11, and Simon mall personnel will take care of the mailing.

Briarwood is also pleased to welcome the Salvation Army’s Beyond Bells. Beyond Bells brings almost 60 hours of entertainment to Briarwood Mall during the holiday seasons in lieu of bell ringers.  Musicians will perform beginning Friday, Nov. 11, at various times in the Macy’s corridor. SAI alumni will fill the halls of Briarwood Mall during two-hour increments to raise funds for the Salvation Army.

And no holiday celebration is complete without Breakfast with Santa. Families can join Santa for a breakfast full of pancakes, sausage, juice or milk on Saturday, Dec. 3 from 8:30- 9:30 a.m.

On Saturday Oct. 8th and Sunday Oct. 9th, the Ann Arbor Masonic Lodge #262 and the Golden Rule Masonic Lodge #159 will be providing a free child identification program. The program will be conducted between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm on Saturday and 11 am and 4 pm on Sunday. The program will be held at the Sears Store of Briarwood Mall, located at 900 Briarwood Circle in Ann Arbor. This is being done as a part of the Sears Safety Weekend Event.

Each child that goes through the process will receive a dental impression kit that can be done at home as well as a CD containing a photo, video, digital fingerprints and their vital information. Parents or guardians of children who participate must be present and fill out a permission slip for the child to receive this service. Children who have already received the service are encouraged to repeat the process every two years to keep the information in the completed packets current.

The Michigan Child Identification Program provides the family with everything needed for the Amber Alert System and since 2005 several thousand Michigan families have received this valuable service. The program is also considered one of the most comprehensive programs of its kind by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

For questions or more information about the event you may call 989-466-3087 or consult the Michigan Child ID Web Site at www.michiganchildid.org.

If your kid gets excited about ancient Egyptian history – this could be just the ticket for your budding explorer.

The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology at the Universityof Michigan in Ann Arbor will be running a special exhibit titled:  Karanis revealed: Discover the Past and Present of a Michigan Excavation in Egypt.  The exhibit opens September 16^th and runs through December 18th.

This exhibit illuminates the historical records of a single village community in the Egyptian countryside during the Graeco-Roman period.  The exhibition also explores the story of the site’s excavation, initiated by theUniversityofMichiganin the 1920s and 1930s. .

For further information please visit:  http://www.lsa.umich.edu/kelsey/exhibitions/upcomingexhibitions

As a mom, I love to take pictures of my kids, but let’s face it–sometimes that can get a little boring. From that desire to take pictures of more was born Two Walking Chicks. Along with my friend, I have helped organize a photo walk, a chance for photographers of all skill levels to shoot a bunch of stuff in one afternoon.

Next Saturday, Oct. 30, Two Walking Chicks brings a photo walk to Ann Arbor. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. photographers can travel a route around Ann Arbor to capture the area and hone their skills.

We have the photo walk starting at the Maynard parking garage. We will meet there at 10 a.m. and walk around the city at an informal and casual pace.

We designed this walk after participating in a few around Detroit. We wanted to provide a relaxed atmosphere that welcomes photographers from all skill levels and areas.

You don’t need a professional grade camera, in fact, come out with your point-and-shoot. We want people to learn more about their cameras, photos and even themselves.

If you want more information, check out the Facebook event page and leave us a message.

Tis’ the season to get reconnected withe the magic of the holidays with the theatrical performance, by Charles Dickens.

This holiday season, let five masterful actors take you on a journey of imagination to the heart of this beloved classic. Inventive and funny, heartwarming and richly poetic, Zettelmaier’s adaptation fleshes out Dickens’ well-known characters, exploring their humor, their humanity and their hope.

November 19 – December 27, 2009

For more information: Performance Network

Performance Network Theater
120 E. Huron St.
Ann Arbor, MI
734-663-0681

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.

Listen to the story of Pooh Loves You while snuggling your own bear at the Barnes and Noble in Ann Arbor.

Children will also receive a FREE coloring booklet to take home!

The story time takes place Saturday, September 26, 2009 and is FREE!

Barnes and Noble
3235 Washtenaw Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI
734-973-0846

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 and Tiny Prints (to name a few).  Courtney is a Purex^® Insider and a Max Mom for Office Max.