New Smyrna Beach Mom

Gifts of Love

2008-11-21T07:05:00.001-05:00

Most of us have had economic issues at one time or another. I myself have had a rough two years. I and my family have made alot of sacrifices for the good of my children. I can tell you about my brother meeting me at a gas station with his credit card to fill my gas tank so my son can get to baseball practice, or showing up at my house with bags of groceries and dog food, or my other brother in another state sending me cash to pay bills....We won't even talk about the money my parents have spent in order to keep my children safe and happy. Things are now looking up for us, but that is not the case for many other people in our community. There are too many people right here in New Smyrna and Edgewater that are not lucky enough to have a good support system and are one step away from not being able to feed their family.

That is where Gifts of Love comes in, they are a non-profit organization headquartered in Edgewater, primarily known as a Food Pantry, they also donate school supplies and shoes to local children. They are located at 820 W. Park Ave., directly east of the Elks Lodge. The organization receives no federal, state or local funding and is dependent on the generosity of private enterprise, churches and individuals for all the food and supplies they distribute.

Donations 0f food, personal items, paper products etc. can be taken to the office, 820 W. Park Ave., Tues. and Thurs., 9:30 am-2:30 pm. They are also open during those hours for those that need help to get it. No questions asked.

So...while you are shopping this week, fill an extra bag with paper products or canned goods and drop it off, they will appreciate it and you will be helping someone right here in your community.

Gifts of Love can be contacted at (386) 423-5257.

Who Is Cooking?

2008-11-20T07:35:00.005-05:00

If you don't feel like cooking Thanksgiving Dinner you have a lot of options this year.

Chases on the Beach will serve a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner from 12-4pm.

Pub 44 is serving Thanksgiving Dinner from 11am-9pm

Norwood's is open from 11:30am - 10pm

Stella's Skyline Cafe is open 11am-6pm on Thansgiving, with Turkey and all the trimmings.

Manny's Beachside will be open for breakfast on Thanksgiving from 630am-12noon. I checked with the Beacon on Flagler and they are closed Thanksgiving so Manny's it is for Breakfast.

If you want to eat in but don't want to cook, Publix will fix you a great meal in a box at a reasonable price. Lil' Neal's BBQ located on Canal Street will smoke you a turkey and provide 2 side orders. Call them at 428-2864 to order. If you have not had their BBQ you should check it out.

Whether you are eating out or staying in have a safe and happy holiday!

MomAgenda

2008-11-19T11:44:00.010-05:00

Matt, over at Unscrambled Eggs asked for some more information and pictures on these great planners. Yes, they are a great Christmas Gift. I have the All-In-One in Ocean Blue. Here is is:

Here is an example of one of the pre-printed pages for phone and contact information. The best part is if you want you can pull these off the momAgenda website in .pdf. Type in your information, print and put in the page protector. Of course if you can just write on the ones that come with it too. I keep not only school and sports schedules in these pages but take out menus, coupons, grocery lists, phone numbers, birthdays, insurance information. All sorts of "stuff" I use all the time. It has helped me tame the paper clutter so easily.

Here is the calendar, big squares with room for each adult and kids schedules. They also have some fun and useful Holiday Printables on their website. If you want to see more of their great products click momAgenda or on the banner at the top of the post.

What's Going On?

2008-11-19T08:10:00.011-05:00

New Smyrna Beach is a hotbed of activity from now thru the Holidays. Some great events this weekend:

This weekend The New Smyrna Beach Garden Club will be holding their annual Holiday Festival of Trees, hours are November 21 from 9:00 - 3:00 and Saturday November 22 from 9:00am to 1:00pm. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.

Saturday, November 22, the 11th Annual Holiday Charity Ball is 7pm to midnight at the Brannon Center. Proceeds to benefit Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, and CAPS. There will be a silent auction, cheer basket raffle, gourmet food by area restaurants, free valet parking, dancing, and an open bar. The event is $50.00 per person. Formal or semi-formal attire. Tickets available at the Brannon Center, 105 Riverside Drive (386) 424-2186.

Holiday Art Walk 11/22 - Art Walk on Flagler Avenue, will be celebrating"Christmas Village" Nov. 22 to get everyone into a festive holiday mood (Santa should be there). Special activities are planned, the popular event features painting, jewelry, ceramics, glass blowing,sculpture, fabric arts and more; free children's activities at Artwood Forest, entertainment, refreshments at several galleries from 3-5 p.m. Check out the Gallery Group for more information.

Saturday, November 11/22 - there will be a Child Safety & Bully Buster Course and Workshop This FREE event is taking place at 323 North Orange Street from 11am-12:30pm. This is sponsored by American Martial Arts, call them at 386-428-1316 for more information.

Enjoy!

Flagler Ave Coffee House

2008-11-17T20:09:00.002-05:00

I visited the Flagler Avenue Coffee House twice in the last week. One day I just wandered in and got a cup of chocolate almond coffee, it was one of the days special flavors. It was excellent!

Then today I dropped in with a friend and we split a sandwich. The food was good and the coffee was great.

They are on winter hours right now from 6am-2pm and I understand if you are a minute past 2pm you are out of luck. Nice atmosphere and friendly staff make it worth a stop.

My New Favorite Thing

2008-11-16T21:04:00.003-05:00

In my ongoing effort to get organized I thought I would share my new favorite tool. I received the All In One Folio from momAgenda. This thing is great, it has a calendar with big squares to right on, page protectors for school calendars, sports schedules, great preprinted phone lists, home information. It has it all. MomAgenda has all sorts of great planner products that combine great colors and style with real functionality. I have everything together in one place, no more searching for random post-it-notes and scraps of paper. Check out momAgenda for all your life-planning needs.

Sunday Stumble

2008-11-16T00:05:00.001-05:00

My goal is to be organized..... (I can hear my mother laughing as she reads this.) So in that effort we focus on Organization this week:

Orgjunkie - my favorite.....

Virtually Organized - a close second.....

1-2-3 Get Organized - this woman makes sense, check her out

Organizing Bags - love these.

The Lazy Organizer - this is me....really I want to be her.

Enjoy and share your favorite site for organization!

Too Old For Barbie?

2008-11-15T17:29:00.003-05:00

Today my 9 year old daughter brought me a bag full of Barbie's. Something like 20 Barbie's. Most were in good shape, hair combed, dressed, accessorized nicely. There was one headless Barbie, and one torso Barbie who had unfortunately lost her arms and legs, but most were quite lovely.

Anyway, she informed me that I could give them away on Freecycle. I was shocked and just stared at her. She said, "Mommy, don't you think it is weird that I am 9 and still like to play with Barbie's."

WHAT?????? Are you kidding me????

So I told her I did not think it was weird that she should play with them as long as it was fun. She informed me that it was fun but she was "too old."

So, I let it go and told her to go find all the clothes and shoes and stuff to give away too. She went away and came back a few minutes later and asked me if I had listed them yet. I told her no, she said, can I think about it?

OF COURSE YOU CAN!!! I told her don't be in a hurry, you are never to old to play, come back when you are ready and we will list them.

Last I looked she was serving dinner to 18 perfectly dressed Barbies, one headless Barbie and one torso Barbie.

Hopefully the crisis has passed and my baby is not going to grow out of Barbie today!

Back....

2008-11-15T09:30:00.004-05:00

We are back! After a couple of days of being frustrated by our new hosting service it appears we are back up, look for more changes to our format and looks next week.

We walked across the street last night and watched a beautiful shuttle launch. The NASA video is below. It is very interesting to listen to them talking back and forth.

2008-11-10T11:30:00.000-05:00

Veterans Day Information

Sunday Stumble

2008-11-09T07:53:00.002-05:00

This week we have interesting blogs and sites with a Thanksgiving Theme. Enjoy!

Tip Junkie - she has a day by day planner. I usually fail to plan but it is fun to read.

Thanksgiving for All - this one is from last year but the information is great!

Thanksgiving Recipes - they are all here.

The History Of Thanksgiving - the name says it all.

Fun Stuff For Thanksgiving all sorts of things here, crafts, kids stuff, games, recipes.

Hope Reins at Marcody Ranch

2008-11-08T10:36:00.003-05:00

There is a great therapeutic riding program at Marcody Ranch in Samsula. Therapeutic riding uses horse-related activities such as grooming and riding to positively impact the physical, cognitive and emotional well being of people with disabilities. Here is a great article on the program from the News Journal.

My family boards two horses with Marcody Ranch and my daughter takes lessons there. She has many great programs at the ranch, summer camps, day camps when school is out and fun horse shows. She will even put on a pony birthday party for your child.

Drop by and check it out. They are located at 3804 Pioneer Trail.

Upcoming Local Youth Sports.

2008-11-07T14:56:00.008-05:00

Going forward the local youth sports organizations will not be allowed to send home fliers with the children of Volusia County Schools, I was speaking to Doris Mills over at the Police Athletic League yesterday and she told me the school will be implementing a web page that will feature all the local fliers. The reason I was speaking to Doris was because I missed the deadline for the PAL basketball league (never saw a flier). She graciously put him on a waitlist.

So.....here are a few upcoming deadlines for sports that are coming up:

The NSB Parks & Rec Basketball Training League for 5,6 & 7 year olds deadline is December 12th. Here is the information and registration form.

Parks & Rec also offers Flag Football, my son played this last year and had a blast. Registration Deadline for that one is Wed, November 26th. Here is the information and registration form.

Correction: The Edgewater YMCA also has basketball programs, their registration is until November 26th. Go to the YMCA on Turgot Ave in Edgewater to register, it is $45.00 for non YMCA members and $15.00 for Members. Their phone number is 386-409-9622.

Once that sports page is added to the schools site we will link to it for you.

Flamingo Follies

2008-11-05T21:42:00.003-05:00

The Holiday Season has begun, whether we like it or not, right after Halloween everyone starts thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas. This weekend is the REAL start of the Holidays in New Smyrna Beach.

The annual Holiday Art show is this Saturday & Sunday from 9am-5pm. Sponsored by the Merchants of Flagler Ave and The Gallery Group this event is great fun! There is food, entertainment, great arts and crafts.

Last year I decided to buy all Christmas gifts locally in New Smyrna Beach. I urge you to do the same this year. There is a wealth of great merchants here in our community that need our business.

Be creative and buy local this holiday season!

.....and yes those pathetic flamingos are in my backyard, I guess I need to do some weeding!

Finally

2008-11-05T11:12:00.003-05:00

The never-ending campaign is over.

We have a new president.

Locally we have a new member of Congress, Suzanne Kosmos. This is a good thing. Tom Feeney was soundly trounced by Kosmos, makes you smile.

John McCain's speech was good, probably the best one he has given.

Now let's see what they do.

It is kind of funny to watch Joe Lieberman trying to get back in with his party, he is kind of like one of those Jr. High kids who has a friend of the month. Whoever can help him the most he likes today.

I thought the President elect's speech was very good, I watched it on MSNBC, I could have done without Jesse Jackson crying in the crowd, he annoys the heck out of me.

In any event, everyone should move forward and support our new leadership.

Vote

2008-11-03T21:37:00.008-05:00

Enter your zip code to the left and check your polling place. All you need is your precinct number off your Voter Registration Card and your Zip Code.

Here is some interesting reading from Andrew Sullivan, who writes for the Atlantic, he is a Conservative.

The Daily Dish

For New Smyrna Beach, we urge you to support Suzanne Kosmos

Whoever you support be sure and vote your conscience and get out and vote!

Sunday Stumble

2008-11-02T18:42:00.002-05:00

Here are some interesting sites for this week:

Electoral Vote - this one compiles all the poll data to show what is what with this never ending presidential campaign.

Fact Check - Still trying to decide who to vote for? Check your facts here!

Enough politics, on to the fun stuff!

Hot Crash Potatoes - great recipes on this site

Online Converter - I love this.

Gizmos - all sorts of freeware, we love free stuff!

Country Reports - this is great for students.

Photos that Changed the World - some of these are disturbing, but they are history.

Price Grabber - the name says it all!

Enjoy and have a great Monday.

2008-10-29T18:23:00.002-04:00

Early voting continues for a couple more days at the New Smyrna Beach Public Library. I went today at about 11am and waited only about 20 minutes. They seemed to be fairly organized and the line moved pretty fast. Over 1200 people voted there yesterday so it is being utilized!

Get out and vote!

2nd Annual Black Cat Ball Charity Raffle

2008-10-28T18:51:00.003-04:00

This is a great cause and great fun. The 2nd Annual Black Cat Ball will be held this Friday Night at the Om Bar. Part of this is the Charity Raffle:

The OM Bar in association with No Pet Left Behind and local veterinary hospitals Beachwood Animal Hospital, Glencoe Veterinary Hospital and Val-U-Vet; is helping to raise money for the NSB Beachside Feral Cat TNR Fund. (Trap-Neuter-Return or TNR is the humane approach to feral cat control and the only proven method to reduce feral cat overpopulation. We work with local residents and assist in safely trapping and fixing feral cats, as well as providing for their basic medical needs (including vaccinations) and returning them to the same location where they were trapped.
Since feral cats are wild and generally not able to be socialized, these animals are not adoptable and will be euthanized if taken to a shelter. These cats do not have to be put to death. Stopping the cat’s breeding cycle is the humane and effective way to manage a feral population.

There are TWO WAYS TO HELP

1) Black Cat Ball Charity Raffle: Make a donation of $5 per ticket for a raffle to win a NEW Scooter from Solcat Scooters. Drawing held at Midnight on October 31 at the OM Bar, 392 Flagler Avenue, New Smyrna Beach. Winner need not be present to win.

2) Save a Cat Program: Make a donation of $70 and save 1 cat . Your donation provides for the spay/neuter, FIV/Feline Leukemia testing, vaccination, tagging of one cat, start to finish. As a thank you for your gift of $70 you will receive 1 raffle ticket AND your choice of a souvenir T-shirt or a gift basket donated by Frontline/Heartgard. 100% of the raffle proceeds go to the fund. The money does not go to a national charity but stays Beachside. Last year we raised enough money to TNR 25 cats Beachside. This year our goal is to double that number.

You can stop by the OM Bar on Flagler Ave anytime this week to purchase a raffle ticket or make a donation!

Halloween Parade

2008-10-28T14:36:00.002-04:00

The 34th Annual Halloween Parade will be held this Friday at 4pm on Canal Street. It begins at the Orange Ave Parking lot and proceeds down Canal Street to the Chamber of Commerce parking lot. A costume contest will be held immediately following the parade. Only original homemade, costumes will be judged. All age groups through adult can participate!

Things To Do

2008-10-25T11:45:00.002-04:00

I don't have a long weekend list of things to do this week. I have been out of commission after an accident last weekend. We will be back to normal this week. Well, as normal as it gets around here!

The Volusia County Fair kicks off this week on the 30th and runs through November 9th. Full schedule and information can be found at the link above.

Early voting continues this week at the New Smyrna Public Library.

Check back tomorrow for the Sunday Stumble!

More Fall Festivals

2008-10-21T14:44:00.005-04:00

A few more ideas for Fall fun! The First Baptist Church of New Smyrna will hold a Harvest Festival for all toddlers thru 5th grade on October 31st from 5-7pm at the Family Live Center at 200 Faulkner St.

The Silver Sands Bridle Club Fall Festival is on Friday, October 24th and Saturday, October 25th from 6-10pm. They are located at 625 Tomoka Farms Rd in New Smyrna Beach.

The Great Pumpkin Patch is located in front of the Home Depot on State Rd 44 in New Smyrna, they are open from 10-6 on Mon-Thu and 9-9 on Friday and Saturday, Sunday 1-7. Lots of activities and fall fun.

Great Gift Idea

2008-10-16T12:05:00.002-04:00

Here is a pretty nice site and a great idea for a gift for someone. You can search Bed & Breakfast Inn's nationwide and order gifts and gift cards, you can see what Inn's are for sale if you in the market to buy one. It is a great site for just browing around at the different inns.

Three of our local inns are listed, Nightswan, Longboard and Coquina Wharf, so give a gift to a friend or relative that is visiting, support local business and keep your guests out of your hair. Sounds like a deal to me!!!!

Biketoberfest

2008-10-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

It is that time again. Biketoberfest is underway, it officially starts this weekend, but many bikers and participants are here. It does not seem to be as busy as last year but it is only Tuesday...there is a great schedule of events on their website above. Enjoy and be safe!

Fall Festivals

2008-10-14T20:32:00.002-04:00

Coronado United Methodist Church is having their annual Fall Festival this Saturday, October 18th from 11am-3pm. The Pumpkin Patch is open and there will be plenty of food games and fun for the kids. They are located at Peninsula and Flagler, beachside New Smyrna Beach.

Crossroads Community Church is holding their Fall Festival on Friday, October 31st from 5pm-9pm. They have a ton of information on their website. They are located at 3838 State Rd 44 in New Smyrna Beach.