Sesame Place is OPEN!!!!

Friday night, April 26th, I told my girls that if they cleaned up their toys really well, I had a surprise for them.  The mad dash to put away every figurine, Lego, and book began!  And then came the announcement... we were going to Sesame Place in the morning!  I'm sure my neighbors appreciated the shrills that came out of my 4 year old and 2.5 year old.  Pure joy.  Melted my heart!

Saturday the 27th was our third visit to Sesame Place.  If you've never been, you should know that this Langhorne, PA park is the nation’s only theme park based entirely on the award-winning television show Sesame Street.  As seen on their Facebook page, Saturday was their Opening Day and the universe sure celebrated!  We had a day of sunshine, light breezes, and about 70 degrees.  It was beyond gorgeous!  There were even people on the water rides!  Season Pass holders proudly wore their lanyards around their neck.  One woman I talked to in line for the Elmo Rocks show said she's been coming to the park since it opened in 1980 and always attends on Opening Day!

The girls with Elmo

I'm sure every year that same woman finds something new and exciting that the park has to offer.  This year, Sesame Place is offering a star-studded concert line-up including kid-friendly favorites such as Laurie Berkner and Imagination Movers, to musical playdates with Caillou and Max & Ruby, the park’s event schedule is its most robust ever.  Check out their calendar of events on the website www.sesameplace.com.  Park guests will also notice quite a few changes in the culinary department for 2013. The park continues to enhance its menu of allergen-friendly foods and healthy-eating options for the comfort and satisfaction of park guests. Starting this season, Sesame Place will offer box lunches which must be purchased online, in advance, and picked up at Elmo’s Lunch Box Stop. The new Lunch Box program will give families more time to enjoy the attractions and shows in the park. In May, Sesame Place is also adding a food truck to its street, giving guests an even greater variety of quick-dining choices.  We ate at Elmo's Eatery and the children's meals came with a plate and cup they got to take home.  The girls love their souvenir!  And I was pleased to learn I got a AAA discount on the meals too!

Other changes for 2013 include the park’s popular Fireworks shows, which will be enhanced by a newly-choreographed pyrotechnics display. Fireworks are scheduled for 5/26, 7/4 and 9/1 and 12/31.
“At Sesame Place, we are all about celebrating, and we’re doing a lot of things in 2013 to celebrate our guests,” says Susan Godfrey, Communications Manager at Sesame Place. Visitors can be spotted wearing their new “Today I’m Celebrating…” stickers all throughout the park. “Some people are here for their birthday, while others may be celebrating their first roller coaster ride, visit to the park, last night’s Phillies’ win, or even just a sunny day,” continues Godfrey. “Every moment of celebration -- it’s all important to us here at Sesame Place,” she adds.  My youngest daughter wore one to celebrate her first birthday.  Elmo must have a special place for babies turning one, because after the group shot I took of him with the girls, he came over to her in the stroller and held hands with the baby and the two  "bonded" for several minutes.  Wish I took video of it, I was just so star struck!

Watching the Elmo Rocks! Show,
proudly wearing her "I'm Celebrating..." sticker.

There is still time to purchase a 2013 Season Pass. Sesame Place season passes start at under $100, making the park one of the area’s best entertainment values. Guest can take advantage of Sesame Place’s new six-month EZ pay plan for 2013 and enjoy unlimited fun all season along with in-park discounts for as low as $16.17 per month. Explore all the park’s ticket options by visiting Sesame Place Ticketing Information.

Twirling, dizzy, giggly FUN!

Sesame Place is great for children of all ages.  The Vapor Trail roller coaster is for ages 3 and up.  My 4 year old LOVED it, which surprised me, in a good way!  My 2 year olds favorite ride, she says, was Elmo's World's Flying Fish. My favorite was Grover's World Twirl.  Nothing like spinning super fast and watching my two giggly girls smile ear to ear while they cling to me.  It was just such an awesome day.  So much fun and such wonderful memories made.  I love to know we had a wonderful day that EVERYONE enjoyed- my mother, myself, and my 4, 2.5, and 1 year old daughters.

*Disclosure: I received 4 complimentary tickets in order to facilitate this review.  The opinions in this review are all my own.

7 favorite websites and resources for raising a child with special needs (Montgomery County)

My 7 favorite websites and resources for raising a child with special needs

I work as a special education advocate and spend much time volunteering on related causes. I come into contact with many who are not aware of some of the fantastic resources that are available. Whenever I am presenting workshops or working with clients, I often say, “If you have to live with special needs, be glad you live in the Philadelphia region.” It’s true—we have many options and resources available to us that many parts of the state and country do not have. I thought I’d share some of my favorites with you.

Right to Education Task Force-Too many families are not even aware that this opportunity exists, and it’s a great system set up only in Pennsylvania. The Right to Education Task Force was created in 1972 as part of the P.A.R.C. Consent Agreement that provided for a free, appropriate public education for children with mental retardation. In 1975, the Right to Education was extended by State regulations to include learning disabilities, physical handicaps, emotional difficulties and hearing, visual, speech, and language impairment. The purpose of the Local Task Force (LTF) is to assist in improving education for all school-age children with special needs. You can find out about monthly meetings at their website, and usually both day and evening times are offered. They have interesting and informative guest speakers, and the LTF assists with monitoring Special Education in all the districts.

The Monitoring Committee, made up of Task Force members, parents and other volunteers, participates in the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s compliance monitoring process by encouraging parent participation in a local task force monitoring process.  The LTF monitoring occurs in your school district (every five years) just prior to the Commonwealth’s process and provides valuable parent feedback and information to the Commonwealth’s monitors.  The Committee may visit classrooms where special education programs are conducted by local school districts, the Intermediate Unit and approved private schools. It reports to the Local Task Force at their meeting, outlining observations and recommendations.

I always share LTF information with families, as I feel it is one of the best and most underused resources that we have in Pennsylvania.

PaTTAN-PaTTAN stands for Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network, and their mission is to support the efforts and initiatives of the Bureau of Special Education, a part of the PA Department of Education. Whew, that’s a mouthful. But the good news is that one of their regional offices is right here in King of Prussia, and they often have workshops, trainings, webinars and other resources for parents of children with special needs. One of their main goals is to assist parents, so take advantage of it! The also run the PA Autism Conference and Low-Incidence Conference and offer parent scholarships to most of their trainings.

Arc of Chester County-This was founded in 1952 by local parents who wanted to make lives better for their children with developmental and intellectual disabilities. The group was originally known as The Association for Retarded Children then later The Association for Retarded Citizens. Now they are simply The Arc.

For over 60 years, the Arc has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of all people with disabilities in Chester County and beyond (there is an Arc of PA and Arc of USA also). One of my favorite things is their monthly email newsletter called “Arconnections.” It’s a listing of hundreds of trainings, support groups, classes, recreational opportunities, lectures and so much more—all for families living with special needs.

NAMI Pennsylvania Montgomery County- It’s commonly referred to as “NAMI Montco” and was founded in 1979 in order to help families living with mental illnesses. They offer support group meetings at three separate locations in the county (south, mid-county and north), education and information about mental illnesses, family-to-family mentoring programs, recreational activities, advocacy and more. Part of their mission is to make sure that families living with mental illness do not feel alone, so if you feel alone, go check them out.

CHOP-Many families associate CHOP with their top-notch medical care, but only wish to visit CHOP in a worst-case scenario. They offer so much more—like classes, workshops, conferences, recreational opportunities, services for siblings and many other opportunities you may find useful.

NSEAI-Based in Wayne, PA, this national organization offers parent trainings and workshops for you to become a better advocate for your child in the special education system. They also maintain a list of special education advocates if you feel your family needs one.

ADayInOurShoes-I couldn’t end this list without shamelessly plugging my own site. I am a certified Special Education Advocate and my blog is an offshoot of my passion for helping families living with special needs. While my award-winning blog is nationally and internationally read, my heart belongs to Chester County so I focus many of my writings on topics in our region. Follow my site if you need IEP assistance or have an IEP question, want to learn about local, fun, recreational opportunities for our kids, or find a special education advocate to assist your family. I also have a weekly feature called “Tuesday To-Do List” where I give you easy action steps to become a more involved advocate and champion for causes that affect our families.

Well, hopefully you learned something that you can use for this post. Our lives are really hard sometimes as parents in a special needs family. There are resources out there; you just need to know where to look. Good luck and hope to see you on my site. Lisa Lightner lives in southern Chester County with her family. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest of through her website linked above.

Today is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day ~ Link to Collection Points in Montgomery County

Prescription Drug Take-Back Day across the country on Saturday, April 27th. Collection sites are open 10 a.m. to 2:0OPM . The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

CLICK HERE to visit the DEA website for the full list of collection points

Montgomery County Moms and TWINS struck by hit and run driver.. what you can do to help!

Many of you have heard that a Mother (Janeane) and her twins were struck by a hit-and-run driver while crossing the street on foot in Radnor yesterday. The Mother is part of a Social Media Network that I (Sarah) belong to. This is what she posted last night...

Thank you to all of your for your kindness and generosity. The little twin is sore but got sent home from the hospital. The big twin was sent by helicopter to Dupont Hospital in Delaware. She is sedated and we are waiting to see if she wakes up and responds before dealing with the fractures. It is a terrible thing to see your child hit so hard she is knocked out of her shoes. Please know we appreciate all your kindness and help.

There are several efforts hosted by friends of Janeane to help provide for her family during this difficult time. If you would like to contribute, here are a few options:

Saidah of A Proverbs Wife is collecting donations here: http://aproverbswife.com/2013/04/urgent-a-blogger-her-5-year-old-twins-victims-of-a-hit-run.html 

If you have a Facebook or Twitter account, please update your status to read: 
6yr old in hospital, due to hit & run. Black Ford F150 still at large. See something? Say Something!  http://ow.ly/ks5hi

Finally, whether or not you're in the position to help financially, please send prayers and positive thoughts to Janeane and her family, and let's hope the driver of that truck is brought to justice.

Jack Gives Back: Earth Day 2013

Like most toddlers, our little Jack loves to make a mess!  And I have to admit, on most occasions even mommy has fun getting in on that mess-making action.  But this month, I was excited to teach Jack the importance of cleaning up in honor of Earth Day.  Today we all have the opportunity (or should I say responsibility) to give back in honor of our environment.  Whether you decide to start a composting project at your local school, visit a recycling facility with your family or plant a tree seedling in your yard, both adults and kids, we can all give back.

Goose Creek Park Cleanup Crew

One great opportunity is to participate in a community cleanup.  The Chester-Ridley-Crum Watersheds Association held their 8^th Annual Chester Creek Earth Day Cleanup on Saturday morning at four locations in the West Chester area.  At the family-friendly Goose Creek Park, we met a group of volunteers including area residents, college students, baby-wearing moms and dads with strollers.  After checking in with the site coordinator, we grabbed a pair of work gloves and trash bags and set off in different directions to clean the park and surrounding waterways.  We collected just what you’d expect…plastic bottles, cans, food wrappers…but I’m very happy and proud to say that the area we covered was overall pretty clean.  Proud as a Chester County resident to live in a community which values our environment, even getting a “thumbs up” from a motorist driving by who saw our team cleaning the park.  And I know it’s because of organizations like the CRCWA and their commitment to host these community cleanups, that our creeks and streams are clean enough to enjoy recreation, sustain wildlife and provide safe drinking water.  The CRC Watersheds Association is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization devoted to the protection of water resources and the natural environment of the Chester, Ridley, and Crum Creek Valleys, and the health, recreational, and quality of life benefits they afford the residents of this region. Supporting organizations like the CRCWA is a great way to teach our children the importance of cleaning up after ourselves, not only at home, but also out in our community.  Visit their website at www.crcwatersheds.org for upcoming volunteer opportunities. 

Get outside today, enjoy this magnificent planet with your family and create your own act of green.  Even if it’s something as simple as a litter collecting game where your kids spend the last five minutes at the park seeing who can collect the most trash…we can all make a difference!  To learn more about Earth Day and how your family can get involved, visit www.earthday.org

Jack thought picking up litter at our local village cleanup was a super fun game:)

Jen is a local, organic, stay-at-home mom who is teaching her son Jack the importance of giving back to their community. To read more about Jen and Jack, head over to Fishies of Hope or Jack Gives Back.

Jack Gives Back at the 8th Annual Chester Creek Earth Day Cleanup, Saturday, April 20, 2013

Join us at the 8th Annual Chester Creek Earth Day Cleanup!  Like most kids, our son Jack has lots of fun making a mess but this volunteer opportunity will give us the chance to teach him the importance of cleaning up our community as "Jack Gives Back" in honor of Earth Day 2013!

 Jen is a local, organic, stay-at-home mom who is teaching her son Jack the importance of giving back to their community. To read more about Jen and Jack, head over to Fishies of Hope or Jack Gives Back.

Help Wanted! Regional Sales/Account Managers (part-time or full-time)

Regional Sales/Account Managers (part-time or full-time) Fast growing startup based in Chester County PA has several openings for Regional Sales/Account Managers on the east coast. We are seeking an entrepreneurial-thinking, well spoken person who makes an excellent impression in person and over the phone. The ability to work independently is a must. The right person must be able to work freely several days per week OR several hours per day. Knowledge of the restaurant and/or hospitality industry is helpful but not necessary. This is a virtual opportunity so YOUR PHYSICAL LOCATION DOES NOT MATTER. This position is ideal for anyone who wishes to work a flexible daytime schedule from the convenience of their home. The right candidate is a self-motivated, entrepreneurial-thinking individual with a computer and Internet access, a phone with unlimited long distance, good working computer knowledge that includes basic Internet research. We offer a very lucrative commission structure, attainable bonus opportunities, a highly flexible work schedule, a draw on commission once established, and no limit to future earnings. This is an ideal opportunity for the right person to get in on the ground floor of a fast growing startup company with a national footprint. Please email background info about yourself along with contact information and best time to reach you. info@intelligentinquiries.com. Please mention you saw this opportunity on Montco Moms. Thanks!

Support The The Promise Walk for Preeclampsia- Philadelphia/South Jersey

The 2013 Philadelphia Area Promise Walk for Preeclampsia will be held at Challenge Grove Park in Cherry Hill. The home of the beautiful Jake's Place Boundless Playground.

 Speakers include:
 Dr. Owen Montgomery, Chair, Obstetrics and Gynecology Department Drexel University, College of Medicine Chuck Cahn, Mayor of Cherry Hill, NJ Danielle Hallinan, 2013 Promise Walk Mission Mom.

Our stroller friendly walk is 3 miles. Activities include bounce house, face painting, balloon twisting, jazzercise, survivor stories, raffles and more.

Saturday, May 11th 2013 Registration opens at 8:30 Walk begins at 10:00am.  Register online now http://www.promisewalk.org/philadelphia 92% of all funds raised go directly to the Preeclampsia Foundations mission to raise awareness and catalyze research

Sarah Hughes
Promise Walk Coordinator
philadelphia@preeclampsia.org
The Promise Walk for Preeclampsia- Philadelphia/South Jersey Making Strides, Delivering Hope.

Find us on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/promisewalkforpreeclampsiaphiladelphia Follow us on Twitter- @PromiseWalk_PHL

Celebrate Earth Day with the Family at the Kid's Fun Run

Celebrate Earth Day with the Family at the Kid's Fun Run

Earth Day is the prefect time to teach our children about the importance of protecting our environment. As parents, our children serve as a great motivator to join the fight to ensure a clean air and healthy environment for generations to come. Taking our kids out to enjoy nature in a fun environment inspires awareness and action for protecting our natural resources. This Earth Day, consider participating in the 5K Run for Clean Air as a family and joining others in our community coming together to celebrate environmental health, clean air and sustainability.

The 5K Run for Clean Air, now in it's 32nd year, is the largest Earth Day Festival in Philadelphia. Moms Clean Air Force, a non-profit over 120,000 concerned parents strong, is sponsoring a Kid's Fun Run at the the 5K on April 20th. This new event will include a 250 yard dash for kids under 5 and a half-mile fun run for ages 6-12. The event will take place on the steps of the Art Museum with a course following Martin Luther King Drive. Family entertainment will include eco-friendly activities like rain stick making and Frisbee spin art and programming and giveaways from Radio Disney's Green Team.

Moms Clean Air Force is a nation-wide non profit organization committed to protecting our children's health from toxic air pollution. The Southeastern PA chapter is actively working for strong mercury and carbon standards to protect our most vulnerable citizens, including children with asthma, pregnant women and babies. We are active in the community raising awareness and support, while also connecting with our elected representatives to remind them to keep children's health a top priority in legislative decision making. If you are interested in getting involved with Moms Clean Air Force, be sure to sign-up for action alerts and for updates on local events.

I hope to see you and your family at the 5k Run and Kid's Fun Run on Saturday, April 20th, 2013! On-line pre-registration is open until April 15th and you can save 15% off the registration fee by using the promotion code IRUN4KIDS.

Event Details:

5K Run for Clean Air, 3K Walk, and Kids’ Fun Run
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Register at www.5krunforcleanair.org
Race Day Registration Opens - 7:30 a.m.
Festivities Begin - 8:00 a.m.
Run and Walk Kick off - 9:00 a.m.
Kids’ Fun Run 9:45 - a.m.
Earth Day Celebration and Awards – 10:00 a.m.

Sarah Mazzone is the community field organizer for the Southeastern Pennsylvania chapter of Moms Clean Air Force. Moms Clean Air Force is a national non-profit committed to fighting for clean air to protect our children's health. To get involved or stay updated on other local events, please sign-up to join the force today!

The FitBit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale... The Smart Way to Track Your Diet!

With a New Year upon us, it's time to start thinking about resolutions and changes we made for 2013. For a lot of us, that includes getting our diet and exercise back on track after all of the holiday indulgences. Forget about resolutions that don't or won't stick - the good news is that Fitbit has the solution with the ultra-popular wireless activity trackers, Fitbit One and Fitbit Zip, and the Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale. Products that will help make sticking to a New Resolution easier - because it focuses on doing small changes each day. 

Studies have shown that if you just walk 10,000 steps a day, you can gain immeasurable health benefits. An average American only walks 6,000 a day! And if you had the tool to motivate you to make small changes throughout your day (walk a little bit more, eat a little bit better), and you can see/track how all these things add up to big results on your computer and your phone- wouldn't that be fantastic? 

Recently there have been some technological advancements that allow us to have these type of tools at our disposal at a very inexpensive price. Because we know that both technology and healthy living rank highly on your list, we want you to try these products that helps you track your all day movement very accurately and very effortlessly. Fitbit, the market leader in innovative health and fitness products and maker of the popular fitness products, wants to give you a little help in achieving your goals in 2013. 

My mom recently turned 60 years old and has lost 65 pounds over the past year. When I told her about the Fitbit Aria Wi-fi Scale, she really wanted to try it. This is what she had to say about it. (Her very first Blogger review)

Fitting my fitness regimen into a busy schedule with a demanding job and choir rehearsals or meeting almost every night has been tough over the year of my 65-pound weight loss.  Now, as I enter year 2 of my overall plan to lose a total of 80 pound, i.e. 15 to go, the Aria Smart Scale is a welcome tool.  It has relieved me of the chore of manually recording data in the morning for my daily weigh in, and has given me more information than I used to track.  I wish I had had it 50 pounds ago!  Keeping on track at this point means tracking any backsliding or lack of progress that would cause me to ramp  up my exercise program and cut back on calories.  With a tool like this, that analysis just became simpler!  I am sure I will meet my goal and maintain the loss long term with the scale added to my arsenal of fitness tools.

All of the Fitbit products sync wirelessly to your computer and select phones. And with your free Fitbit account you can set goals and stay motivated to keep on your path to fitness with graphs, badges and friendly competitions. Check to see how you compare with friends and family, and even provide a message to egg them on. The Fitbit app works with all of Fitbit's products.

You can purchase the FitBit Aria Scale locally at Best Buy, Staples, The Apple Store and online at www.fitbit.com.

*Disclaimer:  I received the FitBit Aria free and compensation as part of a promotional program with Fitbit and MomSelect. All opinions are my own.