just for moms: JLBalt's spring boutique warehouse sale & girls' night out (we're sending one of you + friend for free!)

It's the time of year when the sun stays out longer, the weather gets warmer, and the deals get red hot -- thanks to the Junior League of Baltimore.

Shop for a cause at their annual Spring Boutique Warehouse Sale, featuring some of Charm City's favorite area boutiques. It's twice the size of the 2010 fall sale -- with 31 local stores participating and the number continuing to climb.

You'll be able to grab fabulous items for yourself and home, plus shop for the kiddos in the sale's expanded childrens' section. Wee Chic, Urban Baby Runway, J&M Kids' Boutique and The Monogram Shop will all have merchandise available for purchase.

"Children's apparel and footwear sales have always been excellent at the Boutique Warehouse Sale," said Caryn Dombrow from the Junior League of Baltimore. "Designer children's clothing from Wee Chic, Urban Baby Runway and The Monogram Shop really attracts a crowd, especially when it is discounted."

{{side note: The sale will have stuff for guys, too. But I'm planning to leave my husband at home. Free childcare. I highly encourage you do the same.}}

The sale is free and open to the public from 10 AM - 5 PM on Saturday, March 26th at Timonium Squaure (between Panera and Staples).

Need a little night out for yourself (and maybe a few friends?)? Check out the Girls Night Out Preview Party on Friday, March 25th from 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM. Cocktails, nibbles and -- most importantly -- deals.

A perfect little mini-escape for those of us who need a martini and an amazing new dress.

Little detail? All proceeds from the event and sale benefit the Junior League of Baltimore, a volunteer organization for women interested in making a positive impact in their communities. Since 1912, the Junior League of Baltimore has been a driving force behind many of the initiatives and institutions that make our community strong.

Preview party sponsors and donors include co-host Baltimore Style Magazine, Fairgrounds Discount Beverages, Liberatore's Restaurant, Pasta Mista and Tres Bons Bons. Are the Italian scents wafting through your laptop or smart phone? Mine, too.

Tickets for the Girls' Night Out Sale Preview Party on March 25th are available for purchase in advance for $20/person. But guess what? We're sending one of you for free (plus a guest!). That means sips, apps and first dibs on oh-so-mah-vah-lous items for free.

Want to win the two tickets? Just fill out this quick online form. Want to double your chances of winning? Leave a comment telling us your favorite Baltimore area boutique!

You have until Monday, March 21st at 5:00 PM to enter. Good luck! And be sure to spread the word!

(cool) tip: Want to stay up-to-date with all of the event details? "Like" the Junior League of Baltimore on Facebook.

Cultivate Imagination at Annie's Playground

We've quickly learned that playgrounds are not a dime a dozen. The little tot lot across the street from our house that we thought was 'so adorable' when we bought the property? It wouldn't even make our top twenty list of playgrounds one year into parenthood.

So how DO we rate playgrounds? I wouldn't say we've adhered to the scientific method on this one... but here goes: It has to have enough swings that you don't need to wait 20 minutes with a less-than patient toddler for the safety swing. Slides? At least two: a big one that can fit a parent-toddler-tandem team and a smaller one that Lila can do with just a bit of assistance. Rock walls? Yeah, we're not really there yet. Extra incentive to go if it has a bouncy, swinging bridge that Lila can stand on while other kids toddle or race across. We pass if the tunnels aren't big enough for an adult to get through because someone will need to go get her if she stops mid-crawl... Speaking of crawling, we generally prefer playgrounds that are well-cared for and clean.

We had heard about Annie's Playground from a friend and made an impromptu trip up the 95 corridor to the Baltimore-Harford County line. Despite high playground standards, we're not really likely to drive thirty miles for a playground visit. But Lila had fallen asleep in her car seat and we opted to take a drive and check it out. We were not disappointed.

The playground blew even OUR wildest imaginations. It was like stepping onto a vacant enchanted storybook stage set. All you had to do was play.

A sea of wooden sculptures to through, or climb up and down, or peek out of. Topsy-turvey slides, cascading slides jetting out of a a dragon's mouth, pirate ships, castle towers, alien spaceship, barnyard animals, and a puppet theater. A mixed-up Sondheim musical playground for kids!

Swing shortage? Not here. There were at least fifteen. Complete with gorgeous garden views.

Walking through the playground, built in memory Annie McGann Cumpston, was like taking a walking tour of a young child's imagination. It's stunning in both it's simplicity (there are no geometric rock climbing domes), beauty and creativity. And it's HUGE.

Located in the heart of Edgely Grove Park in Fallston, Annie's Playground houses an ampitheater, ball pit, and picnic pavilion in addition to it's expansive play area. The park has clean restroom facilities and walking trails. We didn't get a chance to go for a walk - - but plan to visit again and check out how stroller-friendly the paths are!

The one drawback to the playground is also one of the features we appreciated: rubber mulch. Your toddling little one definitely won't get hurt if they fall down, but the mulch heats up just like charcoal on a grill. We made the mistake of visiting the playground during the heat of the day, so we ended up only staying 25 minutes or so. The 83 degree heat radiated off the ground -- not so much fun for a crawling Lila bug. She was happy as long as one of us was holding her away from the ground or she was on the equipment and off of the mulch.

Annie's Playground is definitely one of our new favs - - and 100% worth the drive. Just be sure to head out early in the morning, or during the evening hours if you're planning a visit this summer.

(cool) tip: The park has fantastic picnic facilities (and tons of green space for spreading out blankets), but if you're like us and plan an impromptu visit, check out the Fallston Diner. It's just a few miles from the playground, has exceptional service and huge sandwiches. Pat and I could have easily split one... if we could have come to a consensus on what to order! In typical diner fashion, they had a ton of options.

KidStock 2010 Remix

There was rain. There was mud. There was wind.

There was really great music.

No, it wasn't the reincarnation of Woodstock on Sunday afternoon in Lauraville. It was the inaugural KidStock.

It looked like Woodstock (or what I imagine Woodstock to have looked like). Bare feet. Picnic blankets. Tree hugging (literally - -it was raining, remember?). Dancing in the rain. Lots of smiles and singing. Some on tune, some off tune. And no one cared because everyone was having fun.

If you didn't have a chance to make it to KidStock 2010, you missed a frothy sing-a-long with Milkshake, guitar designing with the Walters Art Museum, playground hopping, samba drumming, a ginormous (yes, Merriam-Webster says it's a word!) slip 'n slide, and roaring with Little Maestros! This laid back, family-jiving, music-filled and kid-inspired afternoon had everybody rocking - - didn't matter if you were six months, six years or six decades old.

Sponsored by the Neighborhoods of Greater Lauraville and Baltimore's Child on the grounds of Garrett Heights Elementary School, KidStock was an afternoon-long festival of arts, crafts, kid activities, playing and music, music, music. They had two stages going all afternoon with great local acts, and several organizations offering activities for the pint-sized crowd on the concert area perimeter. We only had a chance to catch two of the shows: Milkshake (the festival headliner), and Little Maestros. Both were fantastic, in spite of weather-related technical difficulties. Lila bopped the whole time - - and neither Pat nor I got that nauseated feeling we sometimes get after too much Wiggles exposure... The verdict? Great kid music that's adult-friendly!

Lila got to meet Lisa and Mikel from grammy-nominated Milkshake, too. Despite the rain pounding so hard it propelled off the ground, exposed equipment needing to be loaded and that they had just signed about seven billion autographs, they were still kind enough to invite us up on stage for a photo op. Stay tuned for an interview with Lisa and Mikel next week!

We've been Milkshake fans for quite some time, but were new to the Little Maestros. Apparently, they are part of a franchised kid-class/performance organization and are based out of Rockville. Kudos to Emily, Justin, Mike and Autumn for not missing a beat when the electric went out. They simply switched to acoustic to sing the Dinosaur song. A big hit with our Bug.

While the rain may have kept the crowd down a bit, we found it refreshing. No rotisserie skin here... And it kept the very-popular slip 'n slide super slick.

Local Harford Road restaurants served up some healthy food lunch options. We didn't have a chance to sample, but lots of others were chowing down on chicken salad and turkey sandwiches with a side of fruit. Lemonade was the drink of choice... and although it was a bit bland for Pat's standards, Lila loved it.

Our only suggestion for future KidStocks (and we HOPE there will be future events!), would be better signage. It was tough to tell which booths were offering which activities... and a poster/booth with event and schedule info would have been great. (Our apologies if it was there and we just missed it!).

Thanks for showing us a great time, Lauraville! Can't wait to come back!

Civil(ity) Parenting

Once or twice during the work week, I take a break from the "oh-my-god-we-have-to-be-out-of-the-door-by-seven-forty-five-and-drive-40-minutes-to-work" crazed dash to spend a little time with Lila out for breakfast. Well, breakfast for me and a mid-morning snack for her (after all, she's been up since 5:30 or so. She's eaten. I haven't). We'll stop by our local Starbucks or other cafe, split a muffin, have juice or a latte. Don't worry - -the caffeine is only for and consumed by me. We talk. I still don't know what she's saying, but one day I will. We'll leaf through a paper or book. It's just a little bit of "we" time that doesn't involve anything but hanging out.

It was nice enough to sit outside yesterday for our coffee break. We were flipping through Baltimore's Child when a mid-fifties aged woman whizzed by in capris, tennis shoes and sunglasses carting a huge tote bag and one of those mega togo coffee cups. She called over to us- - "That's just so civilized. Sitting. Drinking Coffee. Good for you!"

Civilized?

Dictionary.com defines the adjective civilized /ˈsɪvəˌlaɪzd/ Show Spelled[siv-uh-lahyzd] as "having an advanced or humane culture, society, etc." or "polite; well-bred; refined."

Hmmm. Humane culture. That's something I can get on board with.

Then it dawned on me. Our coffee times are one of the only times of the week that I'm NOT one of those crazed, speed-demon, java-shooting women with the large tote bags running from one place to the next. While I'm not in line to sign my 11-month old up for finishing school (or whatever the 21st century equivalent), I do believe we want our kids to know how to relax and enjoy the simple art of conversation (or contemplation). If we don't model it ourselves, how will they learn?

Those quieter respites help make us more empathetic, happier and saner. Often times, we hear or read about making time for ourselves. I think we often seek coffee time as 'me time' or 'adult time,' reserved for adult-only participation. While I'm not suggesting we give up such space, perhaps sharing 'coffee moments' with our children helps build a culture of respect - - and civility.

If you're in the Baltimore/Howard/Carroll County areas, you've probably seen one of those "Choose Civility" bumper stickers. Choose Civility is an ongoing community-wide initiative, led by Howard County Library, to position Howard County as a model of civility. According to the program website, "the project intends to enhance respect, empathy, consideration and tolerance in Howard County." The project was inspired by the book Choosing Civility: The Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct, written by Johns Hopkins Professor Dr. Pier M. Forni (now on my 'to read' list). I thought you might like to know what 15 (of the 25) principles of civility Howard County adopted:

Pay attention
Listen
Speak kindly
Assume the best
Respect others' opinions
Respect other people's time and space
Be inclusive
Acknowledge others
Accept and give praise
Apologize earnestly
Assert yourself
Take responsibility
Accept and give constructive criticism
Refrain from idle complaints
Be a considerate guest

Imagine if those were your household rules. Would you really need any others?

The project put together a list of civility-minded books for the younger crowd. You can download the PDF.

So today's 'cool' tip? Grab some coffee. Sit outside with your kid(s). Talk. Enjoy it.