The Bluebird Patch

Families Invited to a Weekend Filled with Legends of CHIMA Activities ATLANTA (April 22, 2014) – Join Naval in his effort to bring peace to CHIMA! On May 10 and 11 , LEGOLAND ® Discovery Center Atlanta is hosting an entire weekend dedicated to the Legends of CHIMA! Featured activities will include a Unite the Tribes Scavenger Hunt, a meet and greet with Laval and CHIMA-themed group builds in the Master Builder’s Academy. Plus, a Restore the CHI Building Competition will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Kids will compete to create something that will keep CHIMA safe for a chance to win an annual pass! Guests are also encouraged to dress up as a member of his or her favorite tribe. WHAT:           Legends of CHIMA Weekend at LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta Scavenger hunts, a meet and greet with Laval, building competitions and more! WHEN:           Saturday, May 10 and Sunday, May 11 at 2 p.m. WHERE:         LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlan

Special tasting and film screening event in memory of Happy Belly Curbside Kitchen’s Chef Terry Hall ATLANTA (April 25, 2014) – Lights, camera, appetite ! Taste of Atlanta and CinéBistro at Town Brookhaven have paired up to present an exclusive food sampling and film screening of “Chef,” starring Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara and John Leguizamo. On Tuesday, May 6 starting at 6:30 p.m., movie buffs and food fanatics are invited to enjoy a silent auction, beverages and signature tastings from CinéBistro Chef Isaac Stewart as well as several local food trucks. A special short film from the NY Film Critics Society will play at 7:30 p.m., followed by the feature Atlanta premiere of “Chef.” After the screening, attendees will have the opportunity to watch an exclusive live stream Q&A session broadcast from New York, featuring film critic Peter Travers and “Chef” Star and Director Jon Favreau . A portion of the silent auction and ticket proceeds will benefit Terry’s Leg

Fernbank Science Center will host a celebration of National Astronomy Day on Saturday, May 10 th from 11 AM until 3 PM. This event is open to the public and geared toward all ages. It will feature informational literature, family activities, a chance to win a telescope, and an array of planetarium shows. The highlight of Astronomy Day will be a lecture by Cal Tech’s Dr. Jean Paul Ampuero, a professor of seismology, who will present a lecture on “Earth's Cocktail Party: Deciphering the Physics of Earthquakes With Networks of Seismic Arrays.” Dr. Ampuero will survey recent developments on the use of seismic arrays to provide unprecedented imaging of the development, process, and effects of earthquakes. His talk will focus on implications for our knowledge of how our planet (and others) work. Dr. Ampuero’s lecture, in the Jim Cherry Memorial Planetarium, will be free of charge, with regular admission charged for other planetarium shows. Planetarium schedule for May 10 t

Georgia SPCA 5th Annual Fundraiser Gala “An Evening in Paris” is hosting a pet/owner look a like contest from April 16-May 16th on their Facebook page. They are asking people to send in pictures of them with their pets to qualify. Last day to send in pictures will be May 16th. Georgia SPCA will post it in a picture album and then the like can begin! Have fun and get creative! The winner will get a free CD of them and their pets on the next picture day at the Georgia SPCA. https://www.facebook.com/fallannualgala.GeorgiaSPCA Photo © 2010 Takkoda.

This past week has been extremely difficult to update the blog due to a recent diagnosis of adult-onset asthma.  This is something that is completely new to me and I feel so lost when it comes to figure out what should I do (or not) to avoid experiencing a recurring asthma attack.  My children are so scared every time they see me  out of breath. They are constantly asking me "mommy are you okay" and it kills me, because as a parent you never want to be the cause of stress of your child. Having asthma is scary. I feel like a have a bag of bricks on my chest and it's so incredibly frustrating.  I'm noticing my asthma get's worse at night? Not sure if this is typical or not but I need to start doing some serious reading and find the best way to fight this. On the positive side papa bird and the little bluebirds have step up  to the plate, especially in the "chores" department, which allows me to rest as much as I can.  I still need to have more te

It's official! Oscar winning actress Lupita Nyong'o has crushed all the beauty stereotypes at one of the industries with the most narrow beauty standards on the planet. She covers the 25th publication of People magazine and as the "Most Beautiful" woman of 2014.  An excited Lupita says its a major compliment; "It was exciting and just a major, major compliment and especially, I was happy for all the girls who would see me on [it] and feel a little more seen." she said    At Essence’s Black Women In Hollywood Luncheon, Lupita Nyong’o told the audience: “I remember a time when I too felt unbeautiful. I put on the TV and only saw pale skin, I got teased and taunted about my night-shaded skin. And my one prayer to God, the miracle worker, was that I would wake up lighter-skinned. The morning would come and I would be so excited about seeing my new skin that I would refuse to look down at myself until I was in front of a mirror because I w

BREAKING! Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the  Nobel Prize -winning Colombian novelist, and the  man praised as the most popular Spanish writer since Cervantes has  died at his home in Mexico City, Mexican media reported. In 1967, his novel " One Hundred Years of Solitude" sold more than 30m copies and he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982.  Some critics in Latin America said it was the most important book in the Spanish language since Don Quixote, and the American author and critic William Kennedy called the novel "the first piece of literature since the Book of Genesis that should be required reading for the entire human race."

Georgia United Credit Union Presents “School Crashers” Georgia United is committed to our schools and communities and is partnering with Star94, 790 the Zone, and 11 Alive to present School Crashers – a school makeover contest! Nominate your local school through Georgia United’s convenient online application and your school could be the lucky recipient of a major improvement project or the winner of a grant. Much like the home improvement shows, if you have an idea for a needed improvement at your school’s playground, commons areas, media center, cafeteria - you name it – don’t keep it to yourself.   Clickhere to nominate your school         Clickhere to read contest rules and regulations! You can nominate any school for a “School Crashers” makeover grant, whether or not you currently attend that school. All Nomination Form fields must be completed to be considered and nominations must be received on or before April 30, 2014.   Submit your applicati

   EGG-CELLENT EGGS! From chocolate to marshmallow to jelly to the real thing, nothing says Easter time (and springtime!) like eggs. But unlike their candy counterparts, real eggs are packed with high-quality protein, more than a dozen vitamins and minerals, and antioxidants. They’re also super budget-friendly—just 17 cents each—feeding a family of four for about $1.36. At Strong4Life, we’re egg-cited about real eggs, from their powerful proteins to their vital vitamins to their cheap cost. Eggs are great for breakfast, but they’re also egg-stra versatile. From lunch, to dinner, to snacks, these little protein powerhouses can make their way to your family’s menu and they’ll be scrambling for more!    Children’sHealthcare of Atlanta’s Strong4Life dietitians hatched the following ways for you to serve eggs to your own little chicks, so let’s get crackin’! Add leftover or Frozen Chopped Veggies to Omelets Our favorite mix-ins are spinach, broccoli,

Vote for the local charity you want to win $10,000! I absolutely love how much of friends at 11Alive news do for our community. Atlanta is full of great people doing amazing things and it's time to say thank you! 11Alive and Chicken of the Sea are giving away $20,000 to 11 local charities to continue their great work. How much each charity wins is up to you! Starting on Tuesday, April 15, 2014, you can vote for the charity of your choice. You can vote once per day until Wednesday, April 23, 2014. The charity that receives the most votes will win $10,000! The other ten charities will each receive $1,000! The winner will be announced LIVE on 11Alive News on Thursday, April 24, 2014!   Click here to cast your vote to your favorite charity! 

F a c t : "The Lion King" has been more profitable than all six " Star Wars " films combined. But at first, almost no one thought it would work. Childhood memories. They are the beginning of our unique journey through life. Think back, what is your favorite childhood memory? Is watching the Lion King one of those memories?  Well, if so then I got something for you! The  Broadway   musical  the Lion King is here in Atlanta! This past weekend I got to experience something that I have never experienced before.  These are my top 5 reasons of why you should go see Lion King the Musical at the Fox Theatre: It feels like the movie  itself  has come to life right in front of your eyes! Everything feels so real. The actors come down the aisles in their costumes and just dance and sing right in front of you! The costumes, carved masks and intricate makeup are beautiful and it really transports you to the gorgeous vistas o

CALLING ALL KIDS: JUNIOR CONSTRUCTION EXPERTS WANTED LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta  is seeking a new team of Junior Construction Panel members for 2014. Joshua Bohn, the LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta’s master model builder, is looking for fellow creative minds to join his specialized team. Junior Construction Panel members will access to special events, provide insight on future events at the attraction and be part of a group of opinion-leaders who will lead LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta into the future. “ We have had so much fun with our Junior Construction team,” said LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta master model builder Joshua Bohn. “Now we’re excited to recruit a brand new group of children to be a part of this special club and help us plan activities for the upcoming year. I’m looking for a team of talented and passionate young people to bring their creativity and innovative perspectives to the LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta experience.” How to App

KIPP STRIVE Academy and Better World Books co-host free book giveaway ATLANTA (April 11, 2014) – To celebrate World Book Day and thank the community for its support, Better World Books will give away 50,000 children’s books to kids in Atlanta and the surrounding areas. The assets for this giveaway come from Better World Books’ Book for Book™ program, a philanthropic initiative that identifies communities in need and provides them with gently used, pre-loved books. Better World Books’ co-host, KIPP STRIVE Academy, is opening its doors to book lovers and beginning readers alike in the Atlanta area on April 19, encouraging families to come together to celebrate the importance of reading. Better World Books tapped a student group from Emory’s Goizueta Business School to determine a location for this giveaway with the greatest impact potential – targeting areas with reading and literacy needs, as well as lower-income families with school-aged children. The group chose the Atlanta

Creative Opportunities for Optimal Performance (CO-OP) a program to foster success through creative performance skills in youth. “ Create It Theatre” is a program designed to teach children how to become successful performers in life through creative theatre. This year they are expanding their 10-week program to a nine month after school curriculum called “The CO-OP."  The CO-OP is Creative Opportunities for Optimal Performance where we designed “games” that will teach creativity, confidence, and promote success through performing arts. The CO-OP is a creative theatre-based program that enables youth (ages 5-14) to create their own production through interactive stories and games. The youth creatively put together stories to make characters come alive. Because it is totally from their imagination and creativity, the youth can modify characters as the production goes along and add more of their own personality. The CO-OP was inspired by the popular creative theatre

Local Bank Aims to Collect Enough Food Donations to Feed 5,300 Families  to Help Celebrate “Fifth Third Day” Kennesaw, Ga.  – Today, Fifth Third Bank (Georgia) announced it is going to bat with the Gwinnett Braves – to launch  Strike Out Hunger!  This community food drive will run from April 18 through May 3 (“Fifth Third Day” on 5/3) and is aimed at collecting enough products to feed 5,300 families in the Atlanta Metro area. Members of the community are encouraged to donate non-perishable food items – such as canned fruits and meats, peanut butter and boxed cereal – to participating Fifth Third Bank financial centers. While supplies last, the bank will give baseball game tickets to those who make a contribution to the food drive, courtesy of the Gwinnett Braves. “ We believe that a continual investment in our community can make a meaningful impact. Each year, the bank recognizes its employees, customers and the communities it serves on the third day of the fifth mon

Thousands of books have examined the effects of parents on their children. In  All Joy and No Fun award-winning journalist Jennifer Senior now asks: what are the effects of  children  on their  parents ? Senior tackles this question, isolating and analyzing the many ways in which children reshape their parents' lives, whether it's their marriages, their jobs, their habits, their hobbies, their friendships, or their internal senses of self. She argues that changes in the last half century have radically altered the roles of today's mothers and fathers, making their mandates at once more complex and far less clear. She draws upon multi-disciplinary research  to discuss the timeless strains of parenting as well as the those that are brand new. As an active, modern parent, I am sure this is a subject matter with which you are very familiar! I encourage you to attend and to share this lecture with you friends and readers. It will be held at the Atlanta History Ce

It is never too early to start worrying about bone health. Many moms are surprised to learn that 86% of teenage girls have calcium-deficient diets (overall, 68% percent of adult women are calcium deficient). Why is this such a frightening statistic? For teen girls, this deficiency comes at a crucial time for bone health, since 95% of bone building occurs by the time she's 20! Calcium is the main mineral that strengthens bones and this is most important during adolescence when teens are going through their growth spurt. If you have a teenage at home like a do, you need to make sure they are getting a good nutrition. I recently bought the new Viactiv® calcium chocolate chews to supplement my calcium intake and I was pleasantly surprised that not only they taste like a real chocolate but they are fortified with vitamin D. Vitamin D helps promote the absorption of calcium, so if you have a deficiency of vitamin D your bones may not be able to absorb the adequate amount of c

MUSIC CAN CHANGE THE WORLD! Hello everyone, my name is Audrey and I'm the new TEEN contributor of the Bluebird Patch! I'm so excited that I was able to do this interview with Ethan, and now I get to share it with you. Ethan Bortnick is an amazing pianist, composer, entertainer, singer, and humanitarian who is 13 years old.  Ethan currently holds the Guinness World Record for Youngest Solo Musician to headline his own Tour. He was named one of Oprah's “All Time Smartest and Most Talented Kids” and is coming to the Buckhead Theatre on April 13 to give an exclusive performance.  In “The Power of Music ”, Ethan performs a range of music that appeals to people of all ages. Hear songs from The Beatles to Elton John to Broadway, from Chopin to Neil Diamond, from Michael Jackson to Motown to rock 'n roll, and everything in between. Now, let's here what Ethan has to say: Q: Tell me a little bit about your background. A:Well, I was born in