Happy Mother’s Day, SouthernMamas!

Let’s hope you are really busy today being celebrated and honored! But if you get a minute, please check out my Sunday column in the Accent section of the Savannah Morning News. You can read it by clicking here.

I write about women who long to become mothers, but struggle with infertility. The amazing couple spotlighted in my column, Kelly and Tony Wiggins, decided to adopt a child after years of trying to have a biological child. They are such wonderful parents to Canon, now 19 months. This is a picture of the whole family.

Please share the Wiggins’ story with any couples you know who desire a child but are having difficulty.

Kelly Wiggins has an infertility and adoption support group that meets the fourth Thursday of the month. Email her at emptycradle_savannah@hotmail.com to find out more.

Already have a sitter lined up so you can have a girl’s night out and see “Sex in the City” when it opens May 30? Or maybe the kids are begging to go see the new Narnia film when it comes out May 16?

You are in for a treat. The wonderful folks @ Savannah Mall, a SouthernMamas sponsor, are taking SouthernMamas to the movies FOR FREE.

Just click this link to get a free movie pass for SouthernMamas: free-savannah-mall-movie-pass-for-southernmamas.pdf

Don’t forget to pop into Savannah Mall before or after the movie to check out the new soft play Playtime Center which opened in March.

Designed with a Savannah/Coastal Empire theme, the soft Playtime Center features a plantation house, river boats, seafaring birds, a cannon, a fish and more. The toddler haven is under the Target Court’s skylight dome, near Target and Burlington Coat Factory. Open during mall hours (10 am-9 pm M-Sat., noon-6 pm Sun). FREE! Click here for info on future kids’ activities at the Playtime Center.

Click here for directions to Savannah Mall and to see a schedule of upcoming mall events.

Meanwhile, be sure to enjoy your free movie!

Fri May 9, 7-9 pm Narnia, Prince Caspian Costume Contest @ Barnes & Noble, Oglethorpe Mall. To celebrate the release of the new Narnia film “Prince Caspian” on Fri. May 16. Young readers come dressed as your favorite Narnia character. Prizes. 912.353.9231

Sun. May 11, Birds of Prey Program @ Skidaway Island State Park, 1 pm. Presented by S.O.A.R. Live free-flying birds will be studied. Children will have the chance to create their own birds of prey during an arts-and-crafts session. Fee: $3 for parking. 912.598.2300.

Sat. and Sun. May 10-11, Spring Art in the Park @ Memorial Park, Tybee Island, 10 am-6 pm. Fabulous art and funky crafts. Presented by Tybee Arts Association. 912.786.4060

7 pm Fri. May 9; 3 pm Sat. & Sun. May 10-11 “Seussical Jr.” @ Savannah Children’s Theatre, 2160 E. Victory Drive. Cost: $10. 912.238.9015.

Sat. May 10, Art in the Park @ Skidaway Island, Village Square Park,10 am-3 pm, 912.598.5488

Bluffton/Hilton Head Island area

Sat. May 10, Spring KayakFest @ The Old Oyster Factory restaurant, 101 Marshland Rd. HHI. Free kayak demos and clinics, 10 am-1 pm, Hosted by Outside Hilton Head 843.686.6996

Sat. May 10, Kids Triathlon @ HHI, 8:30 am. Three ages groups (10 and younger, 11-13 and 14-16) swim, bike and run. Registration required. Pre-registered free: $15 or $20 for two. Click here for more info. 843.681.7273

Sat. May 10, Bits n’ Pieces Puppet Theater presents “Cinderella and the Chinese Slipper,” a musical adaptation of the original 9th-century tale from China’s Tang Dynasty. There’s also a puppet-making workshop before the show, 3:30 pm workshop; 5:30 pm show @ Waterfront Park, Beaufort. FREE! Click here for more info or call 843.379.ARTS

Sat. May 10, Bluffton Village Festival in Old Town Bluffton, 9 am-3 pm. Fine art, crafts, plants, the Ugly Dog Contest, food, live entertainment, boat tours and family fun. FREE! 843.757.3855

Barbara McQueeney.

Happy Mother’s Day, Barbara! You win the mama/baby bathtime bonding basket that Love & Blessings.com created just for a lucky SouthernMama.

We had great participation in this giveaway. Thanks to all of you for entering. Yes, you were all correct. The answer to the quiz was Love & Blessings founder Victoria Loveland-Coen came up with the idea for the online boutique shortly after giving birth to twins.

Thanks Love & Blessings for the wonderful giveaway.

Worried how to occupy your little drama queens and kings this summer?

Savannah Children’s Theatre is currently taking applications for its popular summer camps. Act quickly, as a few of the drama camps are close to full.

Campers will be cast in, rehearse and perform a full-scale musical production of one of these shows: “101 Dalmations,” “The Jungle Book” or “Annie Get Your Gun.

Classes include diction, dance, vocal performance, theatre etiquette, scene studies, improvisational skills, prop-making, costuming, scenic painting and other aspects of performance and technical theatre. Camps take place Mondays-Fridays, 9am to 5pm with early drop-off or late pick-up options and performances on the last Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Kids may bring their own lunch in a cooler or lunch box, or have lunch provided for them for a $5 cost. Camp lunches are provided from Piggly Wiggly’s Deli and usually include a sandwich, chips or a piece of fruit and a drink.

Camps are $375 each, $75 non-refundable deposit due at registration. Call 912-238-9015 or click here for more info or to download the registration form. Savannah Children’s Theatre is @ 2160 E. Victory Drive.

For a list of other local summer camps, click here.

This summer why not treat yourself to an adult studio art class @ Telfair’s Jepson Center for the Arts?

SouthernMamas receive $10 off class fees. When you register, just be sure to mention you read about the class on www.southernmamas.com.

To register, call 912.790.8823 or email: stifelt@telfair.org. Download an application by clicking here.

Here’s a look at the classes:

July 7 – August 16, six sessions each

Watercolor Painting
Instructor: Kim Salinas
Mondays (6 sessions: starts July 7-Aug 11) 9am-12pm
$120 members/$150 non-members
Supply list to be provided
Visit the lovely historic sites of Savannah to learn to see with an artist’s eye! This class will meet at various spots in the Savannah area, including Bonaventure Cemetery and Wormsloe. Instructor Kim Salinas will teach the art of sketching and composing watercolor paintings. How better to hone your artistic vision than by studying scenic Low Country vistas! Basic watercolor knowledge preferred. This a field class, so prepare to paint and learn in the outdoors! Rain dates will be determined by class and instructor.

Pastel Drawing for Adults
Instructor: Ben Ward
Thursdays (6 sessions: starts Thursday July 10-Aug14) 6pm-8pm
$95 members/ $120 non-members
Supply list to be provided
Limit 12 students
This summer, students will further their understanding of using the pastel medium to it’s fullest potential. Students will deepen their drawing skills, techniques and traditional approaches to drawing. The general outline of the class will be to cover certain topics, such as proportion, study of planes, color theory, the importance of likeness, optical mixing and blending of colors. Some sessions may include models.
Beginner to Intermediate drawing level

Life Drawing Open Sessions
A non-instructional open and casual figure-drawing session with timed poses.
Thursdays 6pm-8pm
$10/session members $12/session nonmembers $9/session for students with i.d. Limit 12 students
RSVP required each week: 790-8823 or enroll for multiple sessions ahead of time.
Loosen up your drawing arm and join us to get more practice in your observational figure-drawing skills. A model will be present for each 2 hour session, so bring your own materials and work in the medium of your choice. Poses and pose-length is up to the class.

Sketching in Savannah (New!)
Instructor: Larry Lauria
Saturdays (6 sessions: starts Saturday July 12-Aug 23* no class Aug 16) 9am-12pm
$120 members/ $150 non-members
Supply list to be provided
Sketching in Savannah’ is a great opportunity to enjoy arts in the outdoors during the early summer hours. This class will challenge your observational and quick-sketching skills. Hailing from the Disney Institute, seasoned animator and artist Larry Lauria will give you confidence to capture both people in motion and the intricate architectural buildings of Savannah.
Watercolorists welcome!

To register, call 912.790.8823 or email: stifelt@telfair.org. Don’t forget to mention SouthernMamas to get your discount!

To see Telfair’s summer camp options for kids, click here.

Worried your teen is contemplating having sex for the first time?

Encourage him or her to take the “National Day Quiz” developed by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. The online quiz challenges teens with different scenarios about sex, relationships & pregnancy and asks them to answer honestly “What would you do?”

The goal is to make kids realize the enormous consequences that come with choosing to have sex. Teens can take the quiz by clicking here.

Wednesday, May 7, is the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Encouraging teens to take the online quiz is just one measure local agencies are taking to reduce teen pregnancies.

Another effort is a grant-funded “Choose Responsibly” billboard, poster and Web site campaign. Billboards in five locations throughout Savannah feature photographs of teens holding up signs with phrases like, “Dance class or Lamaze class?” and “Real Date or Play Date?” The posters carry statements such as “What will you change first? Diapers or majors?”

Find out more about the “Choose Responsibly” campaign by clicking here.

Every week in Chatham County, 12 teen girls find out they’re pregnant, according to the Coastal Health District. Teen mothers are less likely to complete high school or get married, and more likely to end up on welfare. In 2004, teen childbearing cost taxpayers $10 million in Chatham County, the Coastal Health District reports.

Please share this info with other parents of teens.

Did you and your kids miss the first Savannah Wheelie bike ride on Earth Day?

Don’t worry. There’s another FREE! social ride this month. This time the Savannah Bicycle Campaign ride coincides with the Savannah Sand Gnats‘ May 18 game. The ride leaves from Grayson Stadium at 1 p.m. and returns in time for the 2 pm game.

Savannah Wheelie participants will receive $2 off general admission tickets to the Gnats game. Click here for Gnats ticket prices.

Kids who can ride a few miles are welcome and younger kids are of course welcome in carriers. Helmets are strongly encouraged.

Last month’s Savannah Wheelie that started in Forsyth Park was a big success with more than 250 riders, from kids to retirees. Even our local helmet-clad politicians took part. Pictured above is Savannah Mayor Otis Johnson (right) and Chatham County Commission Chairman Pete Liakakis!

This ride’s route will include the Police Memorial Trail and portions of beautiful Parkside Historic District. For more info, click here.

Kids can discover how archaeologists study the past and participate in hands-on activities that show what it’s really like to an archaeologist.

ArchaeoFest 2008 is 10 am-3 pm Sat. May 31 @ Battlefield Park, corner of MLK Jr. Blvd. and Louisville Road between the Visitors Center and Roundhouse Railroad Museum.

ArchaeoFest offers hands-on archaeological education activities on the site of the 1779 Battle of Savannah.

Kids explore how artifacts tell us about people. Learn about the CSS Georgia. Talk to real archaeologists. Learn how to match bones to skeletons. See artifacts from the Battle of Savannah.

Cost is $6 for adults; $5 for children; kids 6 and younger are FREE.
Hosted by the Coastal Heritage Society. For more info, call 912.651.2240 or email jxamis@chsgeorgia.org

Love & Blessings.com knows gift baskets.

Theirs are beautiful, artfully-packaged treasures full of products from companies committed to quality organic ingredients, hip style and making it easier on mothers overall.

Love & Blessings.com has created a $70 mama/baby bathtime bonding basket just for a lucky SouthernMama. Whether you just gave birth, are expecting or desire a unique and special gift for someone who is.

All the goodies are delightfully wrapped in a natural willow baby bassinette basket that the new mom can use later to hold diapers or other baby essentials. The giveaway basket includes:

Little Twig’s Body Milk: Unscented - all-over moisturizer especially formulated for little ones with extra sensitive skin. Certified organic.

Bumble Bee Bath Mitt: Makes bathtime sudsy fun. In terrycloth from Little Twig.

Little Twig’s Baby Wash: Unscented - extra mild, organic botanical formula makes for purely clean skin and soft hair. Contains Aloe Vera, Vitamin E and jojoba. Certified organic.

Earth Mama Angel Baby Postpartum Recovery tea: astringent herbs help tone the uterus while other herbs nourish, calm and balance brand new moms. 100 percent organic herbs rich in iron, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. $100 percent organic.

The Baby Bonding Audiobook on CD: 50 Ways to Connect with Your Infant by Victoria Loveland-Coen: Opens the heart
and sets an atmosphere conducive to bonding by providing simple, fun and intimate activities to do with your baby. These are the very same activities child development experts agree help create strong infant attachment.

Here’s how to win this fantastic giveaway.

Love & Blessings was born out of a desire to share with other new moms what its founder, Victoria Loveland-Coen, came to understand shortly after giving birth. What did she have? A boy? Girl? Quadruplets?

To find the answer, visit loveandblessings.com and hit the “about” section. Email us your name and the correct answer by 11 pm Thurs. Email it to anne@southernmamas.com. We’ll pick a name at random and announce it Friday on www.southernmamas.com.

Remember you have to be a SouthernMamas subscriber to participate. It’s free to subscribe. Click here to do so.