This month we will have our first outing to Sunrise Assisted Living. PoT has been invited to come for a Halloween Parade. We are looking forward to showing off all our great costumes to the residents followed by cider and donuts.
Also this Fall, we have a new monthly fieldtrip series, Fun to Learn, hosted by Amanda Milner, a long time PoT mom and fieldtrip coordinator, who also home schools her children. The goal of the Fun to Learn series is to provide children an opportunity to boost their interest in learning through activities that enrich their creativity, critical thinking, and knowledge of the world around them. Don’t miss out on these great field trips.
And we are excited to welcome Stephanie Bracher as one of our new field trip coordinators. She is busy planning more fun fieldtrips after her recent trip to Smolak Farms where many families enjoyed a morning of apple picking.
Parents of Tots is a sponsor of Melrose Alliance Against Violence’s 15th annual fundraising walk and candlelight vigil on Sunday, October 17th. If you would like to participate in this walk with other PoT members please contact eeamico22@aol.com for more information.
Anyone feeling like they need some parenting advice? Parents of Tots is hosting a Parent Coach, Liz Warrick, for a workshop on just this topic, “Parenting Styles and the Message they Send”. Participants will learn how to guide children to own and solve their own problems. See the We are Women page for all the details!
A special thanks also goes out to Eirene Mathews who will be our new “Email Blaster”, sending out the latest and greatest PoT news to you in our weekly Sunday email.
Have a safe & happy Halloween!
Emily & Holly
]]>The W.C.N.A.’s Festival by the Lake in June was a great success again this year even with the on and off rain showers through out the afternoon. We were able to raise just over $1,000. With these proceeds we are working with North Suburban Child and Family Resource Network (formally North Suburban Family Network) to help sponsor an event in the near future, we’ll keep you posted.
PoT’s Weekly Playground Playdate has been a popular destination for members throughout the summer. We will continue to meet during the next few months while the weather is still warm at the Sullivan Park off Salem Street in Wakefield. Check out the details in the PoT Playgroups section for September’s Weekly Playground Playdate.
Wednesday, September 15th come out and celebrate Parents of Tots 27th year at our annual kickoff event. Our Events planning team has been busy making this a great event open to both members and non members. If you have a friend who’s thinking about joining Parents of Tots bring them along too. Check out the details inside for the kickoff and all the other fun trips and activities planned for this month. Hope to see many of you there!
We also wanted to wish a warm welcome to our newest committee members: Robyn Griffin, Leigh Farber, Kara Burgess, Heather Kelley, and Helen Moore. Thank you to all who help and participate on the PoT committee. If you are interested in joining in the fun check out the available committee positions inside or just join us at the next meeting, September 14th.
Lastly, we wanted to apologize to anyone who may have tried to contact us through the automated membership forms on our website in July. The website and automatic form submission process was experiencing a couple of glitches over the summer but is up and running now.
We are looking forward to another great year with Parents of Tots!
Emily & Holly
]]>May greets us with sunny skies and plenty of parkdates. We'll be checking out the new Klubhouse playspace, visiting the nursing home, playing at North Suburban Family Network and enjoying fun field trips.
Many thanks to Heather Lane for her outstanding efforts at the Dockside Fundraiser in April. The raffle was incredible, with great prizes netting Parents of Tots over $600! That is an all time high for a raffle for us. Dockside also is sending a $200 check, 10% of the nights earnings to our group. Many, many thanks to everyone who participated.
We've decided to spend some of that money on printing our Places To Go summer booklet and could use your help. We welcome all suggestions of places to visit or things to do over the summer months. If you've visited a new park or have a suggestion please email us at potfieldtrips@yahoo.com by May 15th or fill out the form on the website so we can include your ideas.
I am sad to say BoPoT will be taking a break and not meeting for the rest of the year. There hasn't been much participation so we've decided to let it rest. If people let us know they are interested in book club continuing we can revisit in the fall. We'd like to thank Jenn Cabral for her tireless efforts this year with book club and for the great reading suggestions she made each month.
Please join me in welcoming Emily Amico as our new Member Representative. She is working with Keri Capobianco to transition the responsibilities. Keri has been a tremendous asset to PoT. Emily is adding a welcome committee to her role and is looking for volunteers. The idea is to welcome new members to our group by having a "veteran" PoT person call them and connect. We'll have 12 people on the welcome committee, each person taking a month to be the greeter. If you can help with this effort please contact Emily at eeamico22@aol.com.
Planning for the Festival by the Lake continues. We could really use your help! As this is the first year Parents of Tots is putting together the childrens' game area, we are in need of as many hands to help as possible. Please contact Holly Lannen at sailmarvel@yahoo.com if you or your spouse/friend/family member can volunteer to help that day.
The end of year dinner will be Thursday June 25th at Cafe Jags. Let us know if you can join us by rsvping to potfieldtrips@yahoo.com with "Jags" in the subject line. They have offered us a great deal- an all inclusive three course meal for $25 where each person who comes will be given a $10 gift card to the restaurant to use on their next visit. Dont miss out on this fun night!
Happy Mothers Day!
Jennifer DeCourcy
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Many thanks to Amy for hosting a fabulous night out with Avon. We appreciate her kind hospitality. Thanks to thoseof you who made donations for Room to Grow. Our charitable efforts this year are very commendable. Barb and Amy have found another great cause this month, donating gently used books to Children's Hospital. Please see inside for details.
Don't miss the fundraiser this month at the Dockside, it's just days away. You can go anytime on April 8th and enjoy food and drinks. All sales from the day will be credited to PoT. Better still there are FABULOUS raffle prizes available. If you can't make it to Dockside you can still send in your raffle tickets and be eligible to win. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, the one time we have a huge raffle including a 50/50 and a scratch ticket money tree, not to mention a Boston hotel package, Boston Red Sox tickets and so much more. We greatly appreciate your support. For our veteran PoTers we are not having an event at the Duck Walk this spring, so this is the raffle to get in on!
Our Spring Fling has a new twist this year. We're going to be outside on the Common by Lake Quannapowitt. Teresa from Kidzfun will lead us in fun activities, be sure to reserve your spot.
The Festival by the Lake is scheduled for June 13, 2009 and we need your help. This is the first year Parents of Tots has been invited to help sponsor this event and we're responsible for the Children's games. More specifics inside, please help us to make this a great event for all the New Englanders coming to this crafts fair.
I hope everyone has a chance to come by the Yard Sale this month at the Americal. If you haven't already be sure to reserve your table soon.
Happy Spring!
Jennifer DeCourcy
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Fortunately Parents of Tots has plenty to do this month. There are great field trips, a playdate at North Suburban Family Network, We are Women Couples Night Out for a CHOCOLATE tasting and much more planned.
February was a fun month. Many thanks to the Event Coordinators and Co Crafters for a fabulous Winter Blues party. There was quite the crowd bouncing! Robin did a great job with her President Palooza Hoots and Howls event too. We had a blast with the Lincoln Top Hat Coin Toss, drinking George Washington Cherry Juice, coloring Presidential Pictures and reading stories. Hoots and Howls has an outdoor parkdate scheduled, hope to see you there.
Thanks to Amy Caggiano for volunteering to serve as Co-Charitables Coordinator with Barbara. The Gathering Change project in February was great and there's information inside about Room to Grow which is another well deserving charity.
Cheers to Kathleen Rose-Johnsen for volunteering to be our Assistant Web Manager. Be sure to check out our newonline poll, vote on whether Gymstreet should be a monthly field trip. We're also adding a Members Owned Business Page to the website,specifics inside the newsletter.
Our weekly email reminders are in a transition process where we are changinghow they are sent through Yahoo. This will help us be more efficient in our blasts and we applaud Betsy's efforts to streamline the process.
Heather Lane is collecting donations for the raffle baskets we'll have at our Fundraiser at the Dockside Restaurant in April.Please let her know if you can put together a basket, or donate items. Every contribution is appreciated, and tax deductible! Be sure to come to Amy's house March 12th for a special Avon fundraiser for Parents of Tots, details inside.
We'll have our annual Yard Sale at the Civic Center again this April. Start cleaning out those closets and reserve your table soon.
Spring will be here before we know it, or so the little leprechauns say. Until thenenjoy a spoonful of sugar to help the last weeks of winter melt in the most delightful way.
Jennifer DeCourcy
Along with these arctic blasts come warm greetings for a fun winter season with Parents of Tots! We've got an issue chock full of great ideas from aWe are Women night out at the consignment shop Raspberry Beret toa Mardi Gras tot time to get you partying at the end of the month.
Ready to chase the winter blues away? Join us at the Americal Monday February 23rd for our annual Bouncy house party. Preparations are under way, be sure to RSVP today! Please note that we are trying a new time frame, from 4-6 PM, per request of some of the parents. Be sure to let us know if this change works for you or does not. We also are encouraging healthy snacks, and would appreciate it if you could bring something to share. If the children make this their dinner then its just home for baths and bedtime!
We also have some great field trips planned this month. Join us as we explore our theatrical side at Creative Arts or come join us at Kids Playground or enjoy a musical concert with Wayne from Maine.
Want to join a playgroup? Come to our Mix and Mingle February 9th at the Beebe library. This is a great opportunity to meet other local families and find similarly aged children to begin a playgroup. RSVP now so we know to expect you.
Please join me in welcoming our new Master Crafters, Pam Preston and Christy Damphousse. This dynamic duo is taking over from Danielle Marquardt who provided great crafts for us in 2008. We look forward to more crafty projects.
We are looking for help, so be sure to read our volunteer opportunities section. The new and improved website needs a volunteer to help us keep it current with monthly updates. Our newsletter editor is looking for assistance too, Tracy's been plugging away for years now creating a fabulous newsletter each month and needs to train folks to step into her shoes. We also are always looking for photos for the newsletter. Whilewe would love to have a designated photographer. We'd also be happy to have anyone that has pictures from an event submit them. Want to see your child in print? Just snap a shot and email it to potnewsletter@yahoo.com by the 20th of the month.
Lastly, Id like to thank the Sunshine committee for continuing to share their goodwill. When our newest addition, Kathleen, was born we had delicious meals compliments of some very kind PoT folks and it is very appreciated.
Stay warm and happy Valentines'-
Jennifer DeCourcy
We had another fabulous holiday party, thanks to the Events Committee, Kara, Roxanne and Honey. Special thanks to Santa for stopping by, and he made sure to point out that Mr. Macaluso is on the “nice” list this year. Thanks to Paul Paglierani, for providing festive holiday music for the sing-a-long, it was a big hit.
A group of moms had a creative night, decorating some festive wreaths, and swapping delicious cookies. It was a fun night, be sure to join us next year.
So-there are plenty of fun activities planned for January, let’s get to it!
It’s sure to be chilly and snowy outside, so be sure to join us for some indoor fun. We have two North Suburban Family Network playdates planned, and a fun trip to Monkey Joes.
Be sure to check out Tot Time, always fun with stories, crafts and snacks. Speaking of snacks, come join us as we tour some of your favorite grocery stores. We’ll learn about healthy eating and more while touring Trader Joe’s, Shaw’s, and Whole Foods. And don’t forget to get dad to come along on the Sam Adams Brewery tour.
We’ll have a class at Gymboree to help you let out all that winter energy, always fun.
Spend a little time brightening the day of the elderly residents at Glen Ridge Nursing Center, and have fun making snowman and snowflake pins, too.
The very popular Sephora makeover event is this month’s We Are Women outing, focusing on a New Year, New You. Take a little time to pamper yourself after the busy holiday season has passed.
And we’ll be dancing along with Elmo and friends as we head to Sesame Street Live, always a rocking good time.
That’s not all, there’s still more! You’ll find all the info inside, along with all the dates and locations for the trips mentioned above.
Don’t forget to check out the Winter Survival Guide for more fun ideas to get you through the winter months, available on our website.
We have an opening on the volunteer committee, master crafter. Many thanks to Danielle Marquardt for providing so many wonderful crafts. We know there’s a crafty member out there, just waiting to let out her (or his!) creative spirit. Now’s your chance!
Wishing you all a happy, safe and joyful new year-
Heather Spizuoco
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Theres a lot happening early in the month so don't delay, read your newsletter today!
The lecture Wednesday December 3rd at the Beebe library on Keeping Kids Safe Online promises to be worthwhile. Please come by to hear what the Better Business Bureau has to say.
Our fundraiser at Bear Rock Cafe all day Thursday December 4th is one to remember too. Be sure to clip out the coupon inside to turn in with your purchase. We hope to see you there!
We have a playdate at the North Suburban FamilyNetwork, hope you can join us. Our visit to the Nursing Home is sure to spread some cheer and Tot Time is filled with holiday fun as well.
We've got great fieldtrips planned from Follow your Art to the Tumble Bus to Lakeshore Learning to the Childrens Museum to GymStreet USA to the Little Gym. I've heard rave reviews from some of our November trips so be sure not to miss these fun outings.
Our annual cookie swap and wreath decorating party is the first weekend in December. Remember you can do one or both, or just come for a fun night out.
BoPoT has a fun night out at Mexican Lindo planned. Come whether you've read the book or not, the more the merrier. Any ideas for future book clubs meetings please direct to Jenn Cabral, our book club coordinator extraordinaire, at jennc221@yahoo.com.
Parents of Tots is celebrating the Season with our Holiday party on December 17th. We've picked a new location, the Old Lynnfield Meeting House, where we're excited to have live holiday music and be sure to bring a wrapped book for the exchange with you know who.
Our resourcefulmaster crafter, Danielle, has included some great crafts this month. For a list of all the crafts we've done check out the website www.parentsoftots.org. You can also reference last year's Winter Survival Guide for fun things to do on our website.
We're headed to Sesame Street Live in January. Details inside on how to order your tickets.
May Peace and Joy surround you through the holidays
- Jennifer DeCourcy
]]>We've got great field trips this month from Gymboree, to Creative Arts, to Fajitas at the Border, to the Museum of Science, to Wiggles and Giggles. Something for everyone to enjoy! We really appreciate it when you take the time to RSVP to events, and also to let the field trip coordinator know if anything comes up that day and you can't make it.
Thanks to Holly, one of our fabulous field trip coordinators, for striking a deal with Strike One! Anytime you visit in 2008 you receive $1 off admission if you mention you're with Parents of Tots. The cost ends up at $6 per family for lots of indoor fun. You can check out their "Tot Times" on their website at www.strikeone.com.
Join me in welcoming two new field trip coordinators this month- Jenn Robichaud and Marci Walters. We're excited to have these ladies as members of the team and look forward to the trips their busily planning. We have two new reporters to welcome aboard this month as well. From Woburn we have Emily Amico and from Malden, Jessica Reyes. Thanks to these great moms for their contributions.
I'm happy to announce our first playdate at the Melrose Family Room on Saturday November 15th (thanks to Peggy for coordinating). We're hoping some dads will come for a craft compliments of Home Depot and some quality play time in this fun space. We'll even order pizza for lunch, hope you can join us.
The Winter Survival Guide will be available electronically in December. We're looking to update it with new ideas for indoor fun, either at home or places to go. Please submit suggestions and additions via the website www.parentsoftots.org or by emailing potfieldtrips@yahoo.com before November 20th.
BoPoT, book club, is meeting this month at Harrington's. This is a fun night out, join us whether you read or not! They are talking about trying some other area restaurants in the months to come so all ideas are welcome.
November 12th the Galvin Middle School hosts the Annual Childcare Expo. This is a chance to check out the local nursery schools, daycare and preschools options in the area. We'll be there with a table too, letting folks know about PoT.
Don't miss our upcoming lecture on Keeping Kids Safe Online with the Boston Better Business Bureau on Wednesday December 3, 2008 at the Beebe library. Please note the date change, and join us!
We have a Fundraiser planned for December 4, 2008 at Bear Rock Cafe in Reading. We'll have cards that we'll pass out that you can turn in with your purchase, and Parents of Tots will receive 15% of the sale. Be sure to have a visit to Bear Rock on your calendar that day!
Have a very happy Thanksgiving-
Jennifer DeCourcy
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