A chance to win an outfit and photography session!

Do you have a daughter, granddaughter, or niece between the ages of 2-8? Would you like a chance to win a beautiful outfit designed by one of the leading local children's designers, The Measure (www.themeasuredesigns.com)? Would you also like to win a FREE mini session from Cloutier Photography (www.cloutier-photography.com), with a print package of two 5x7, four 4x6, & eight wallets?

To enter, email Lauren a photo of your child along with a location you would like her photographed and the name of the outfit you wish to win at lauren@cloutier-photography.com Winner will be announced on 8/31.

Make sure you check out The Measure 's Etsy store for selections and liking her FB page would be nice too!

Leeny & the Eeny Meenys and a Giveaway

The Carver Music Boosters proudly present Leeny & The Eeny Meenys, the first-ever children's music act featured at their summer concert series! Head on down to Shurtleff Park in Carver  (across from the Town Hall) on Sunday, August 28th to enjoy the music…fun for the whole family!  They will have 2 sets from 2-4pm, each one running about 40 minutes.  The Carver Farmers Market will also be in the park from 12-4pm…support the local vendors!

Leeny (aka Ilene Altman) is a Parents' Choice Award-winning children's music artist based in Gloucester, MA. Her concerts are interactive, high energy, and geared toward audience participation. Leeny's catchy, funny, and sweet songs cover topics like ladybugs and penguins and dogs (oh my!), good behavior, shyness, growing up, sharing, family, and seat belt safety.

You can view the event on facebook here.  And while you’re there, “like” the Leeny & Tamara page!  To get you excited for the upcoming show, we are giving away some CD’s:  "Sharing the Same Stars" by Leeny and Tamara, and "Be Nice" by Leeny and Steve.  Leave a comment on this blog post (not on facebook) by August 24th and you could be the winner of a CD…we’re giving away 2 of each title.  =))  Make sure you leave an email so I can get in touch with you if you win.  Good luck!

Learn to Camp!

If you aren’t a camper but want to learn more about camping with your family…this workshop is for you! You will learn fishing, canoeing, hiking and meals are provided!  They will even loan you tents and sleeping bags!    Cost is $30 per person .  Click on the registration page for more info.

August 13 & 14 -- Outdoors Camping Family Weekend, Carver -- Outdoors Family Camping Weekend is focused on learning a variety of skills for a lifetime of outdoor recreation. Designed primarily for families of all kinds, (bring your grandchild, niece or nephew!) it is a great opportunity if you are a beginning camping family who wants to learn about camping or improve your skills, you would like to try some new family activities or you enjoy the company of like-minded families. This workshop, to be held atMyles Standish State Forest is a joint partnership between the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and theDepartment of Conservation and Recreation. No prior outdoor experience is necessary, this weekend is especially designed for families new to camping. We will focus on learning basic camping and recreation skills to help you and your family to enjoy the outdoors. Sign up now, deadline is August 5!

Daycare costs…looking to interview families

Received an email from Nancy at the Patriot Ledger…she’s looking to interview people for a story she’s working on.  Please read below and contact her if you’re willing to share your story.

I've been reaching out to local people connected with the local parenting community for help on a story.

I'm writing about the soaring cost of daycare in Massachusetts. I have plenty of data about just how expensive it is, but I want to talk to local families dealing with the price tag.

Would you be able to help connect me with parents? I'm looking for people who live on the South Shore and would be willing to talk to me about how much they pay for childcare -- daycare, nanny, etc -- and how they budget for it.

I'm also looking for families where one parent doesn't work and stays home because childcare is too expensive. I've heard stories about how many moms decide that their salary just isn't worth it, when most of it would go toward daycare, anyway.

If you know anyone like this who would feel comfortable sharing their story with me, I'd love your help finding out who they are.

I would need to speak with them in the next week, and a phone interview would be fine. You can reach me at this email or at 617-367-7699. Thank you!

Nancy Reardon Stewart

nstewart@ledger.com