Category Archives: Atlanta Moms Edition

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Can your child swim?

Summer vacation is over for most of us, but it’s still hot outside and the kids need to get that energy out somehow and swimming is a great way to do it.   My kids spend a lot of time in pools and lakes in the summer months and before about 6 months ago, I was a wreck whenever my daughter (just turned 4) got near the water.   I know she’s perfectly safe while my husband and I are in the pool or lake with her, but there’s always this fear that as soon as one of us turn our heads she’s going to go under and we won’t get to her in time.  Awful, I know.  I have nightmares about this stuff!

To help me get over my fear of something happening to Madelyn in the water, I enrolled her in swim lessons at Aqua-Tots.  I thought that she would take a few months of swim lessons during which she would learn how to swim, but she’s done so much more than just learn to swim.     I had no idea that toddlers should roll over on their back to breathe or that she needed to learn how to pull herself up and out of the pool in case she can’t get to the stairs. Those just aren’t things I would have thought about but make perfect sense.  Madelyn had a hard time pulling herself out of the pool at first but Ms. Katherine kept pushing her to do it and now I know that that’s a life saving skill.   About a year later she’s still taking swim lessons at Aqua-Tots and I’m not planning on pulling her out of swim lessons any time soon.  She loves swim lessons.  Who knows maybe she’ll join a swim team in a few years.

Here’s a short video (featuring one of Madelyn’s favorite songs) of Madelyn at Aqua Tots.

Madelyn can swim a good distance, float on her back by herself, do a couple of different strokes and most importantly, she knows how to swim to safety if needed.  We go to the lake and pool often in the summer and if she hadn’t have been taking swim lessons I would be a mess every time she got in the water.   I’m so impressed with how much Madelyn has learned and am very appreciative that Ms. Katherine at Aqua-Tots is such a great swim teacher.  She’s amazing with kids as I’m sure all of Aqua-Tots instructors are.  Madelyn loves Ms. Katherine so much that she talks about her at home and even makes drawings and little gifts for her!
That’s not how I felt about my swim teacher when I was little!

Aqua-Tots has several Atlanta area locations including the one we go to in Kennesaw.

More about Aqua-Tots Swim Schools

How well can your child swim?  Did you teach your kids to swim or did you take them to swim lessons?  Tell us in the comments below.

Local Science Center & Museum mixed up in racial discrimination news story

A damaging mistake was made in the local news here in Atlanta yesterday evening (9/2/2010).

Fernbank Museum was incorrectly identified as the target of racial discrimination lawsuit, when in fact the subject of the story was Fernbank Science Center.  Fernbank Museum has been receiving calls and e-mails regarding the confusion and are actively trying to clear things up as Fernbank Museum is not the facility involved.

This is an unfortunate situation and will hopefully get resolved soon.  According to local Atlanta news station WSB-TV, Fernbank Science Center is being accused of racial discrimination against children.

I have not had time to research the situation in detail so please refer to linked materials for more information.

You can read WSB TV’s news story about the issue here.

$5 off ZooAtlantaPhotos.com photo books, calendars, and more through September 8th

At the Zoo Atlanta Photo Site you can upload your own pictures and combine them with Zoo Atlanta’s professional, premium-quality images to make personal, customized photo books, posters, and calendars.

http://www.zooatlantaphotos.com gives you what other photo websites cannot – access to dozens of zoo pictures and images. Bears sleeping on the day you visited? Monkeys hiding behind the trees? It won’t matter. You can put your shots with ours for the very best keepsakes, recalling the very best memories. When you shop at ZooAtlantaPhotos.com, 25% of your purchase goes to support the Zoo. This means you can make a difference for the animals just by clicking and dragging. Plus www.ZooAtlantaPhotos.com products are 100% guaranteed. You’ll love the pictures, products, and quality – or you’ll get your money back! There’s never been an easier process since point and shoot!

ZooAtlantaPhotos.com  can be used to create photo books, posters, and calendars for all your special life events, weddings, vacations, new babies, reunions, sports and more. No matter which product you choose, you support the Zoo!   So click and drag on!  

Start using the site today and get a $5.00 off any order!
Offer expires 9/8/2010
Use coupon code ZOOSM.

This is the start of a picture-perfect friendship.

Enjoy!

Atlanta Moms: Love Kids?? Farmhouse in the City is hiring for 4 positions!

This post was originally published August 4th.  We can not guarantee that these positions are still available.

Moms, if you love kids, art, and extra money in your wallet, check out these job openings at Farmhouse in the City!

1. Birthday Hostess. This position is best suited to a very outgoing high school student. Hours Saturdays 9.30-5.30 Sunday afternoons 1-5. Hours could decrease or increase with bookings. Looking for multi -tasker who can help with over all birthday preparations and host children during parties. This is a Very fast paced position in a loud crazy enviroment… fun for the right person torture for the wrong person!!
2. Weekday Jack of all trades! This position is during school hours 9.30-3.30 2 to 3 days a week and hours could increase quickly. Responsibilities range from face painting, assisting kids in pottery painting room, helping kids hold animals, assisting in canvas painting, cleaning and organizing. Hosting weekday field trips, birthdays, and walk ins.

3. Farmhouse in the City is also considering bring on art teacher to teach after school classes. Please call to discuss if interested.

4. Cork and Canvas Teacher. This position is to lead our customers step by step in painting a 16×20 canvas. Ability to entertain and teach groups up to 25 people. As in all of my positions love of people is very important. This position is evenings 6-10.30 1-2 nights a week.

Creating FUN is our business and bright cheery disposition is of the upmost importantance and needless to say LOVE of kids and people..this is way higher importance than any art skills which are not necessary for all of these positions.

Please email Robin at robin@holycowfarm.com for more details. For more information on what we do click here.

Thanks!!
Robin Donovan

Atlanta AJWright stores offering great summer deals and a gift card giveaway!

Atlanta Moms, you don’t want to miss out on this opportunity.  Awesome prices, deals, AND the chance to win a $10 AJWright gift card!

AJWright is an off-price clothing retailer from the TJX family of stores which one year ago, opened its first AJWright stores in the Metro Atlanta area.  Due to the positive response from the community, AJWright now has six stores in the Atlanta market. Way to go!

The TJX family of stores includes Marshalls and TJ Maxx and while AJWright offers brand name apparel and footwear for the entire family and you will find that the prices are incredible at up to 70% off discount store prices every day.  It doesn’t get better than that.. especially at back-to-school shopping time.

To celebrate their one year anniversary, AJWright is offering additional deals on a variety of summer merchandise.  From now until October, AJWright will feature weekly specials on items from summer dresses to kids’ shoes and back-to-school clothes.

Find the AJWright nearest you using their store finder tool.

To learn more about AJWright, LIKE AJWright on Facebook or visit AJWright online at AJ-Wright.com.

Do you have a model child? Don’t we all? AJWright is looking for models. Get more information on AJWright’s model searches by clicking HERE.

GIVEAWAY!

We are giving two lucky Atlanta readers a $10 AJWright gift card!   You must live in the Atlanta area in order to enter!

To enter leave a comment below (jump to comments here) telling us what you would buy at AJWright.. stuff for your kids, yourself, your home?
Get an extra entry for following Atlanta Moms (atlmoms) & The Mommy Insider (mommyinsider) on Twitter and two extra entries for ‘liking’ AJWright on Facebook.. for  a total of 4 available entries!  Don’t forget to let us know that you follow us on Twitter and ‘liked’ AJWright.. you can tell us all of that in one comment!

Entries accepted through July 31st.