What's New At Elmwood Park Zoo?

Looking for something new and exciting? Well, The Elmwood Park Zoo has some new animal exhibits!

Visitors were treated to two new attractions when they entered the Zoo on June 26th, both of them at Bayou Building. The following is from zoo's press release regarding the new attraction:

Just after the gates opened, our two howler monkeys, Mojo and Amy Lou, were given access to their new outdoor enclosure. For the past week, the pair had been offered food in the tunnel that connects to their indoor exhibit. This morning, the outer door was opened just before the crowds began to gather and Mojo wasted no time investigating his new domain. Amy Lou was a bit more skeptical about the terra incognita, but it was only a matter of minutes for her to join in the exploration. Our guests looked on with great interest and endless questions about the event.

Meanwhile, other guests were attracted to the many yellow, gold, blue and green frogs that were hopping around our two new Jungle Jewels habitats inside the Bayou. There’s quite a size difference between howler monkeys and tree frogs, but no discernible difference in the level of visitor interest for each. We may need to stock up on Windex this summer, just to clean the smudges from people pressing their faces up against the glass to get a closer look at the frogs.

Fore more information, please visit the zoo's website at: http://www.elmwoodparkzoo.org/

This Weekend - July 11 - At the West Chester Growers Market!

Following such a festive Market Day last weekend at the WCGM, one might think that the next few weeks might be "quiet," in an attempt to recover from all the celebration and fun events.

You obviously don't know the West Chester Grower's Market. I got a sneak peek at the WCGM calendar, and let me assure you: There are festivities and events EVERY WEEKEND coming up. I won't lie - I'm pretty excited.

One of the big showcase events this weekend (which you really WON'T want to MISS) is the

3rd Annual Fishing Tournament. This tournament is for our younger Market Goers. Think you have what it takes? Come on down and give it a try. All participants receive a freeze pop! (Note: For anyone who has a heart for animals, know that we are using plastic fish and magnetic fishing poles)...** To read more, click HERE**

Please join us in welcoming the newest contributor to our Chester County Moms Blog Team.. Stephanie! Stephanie was born and raised in West Chester, PA. She and her husband are graduates of Henderson High School and West Chester University. They moved away briefly to Phoenixville for a year, but couldn't stay away from the town they love for long! With the birth of their first child, Lucy, in August 2008, they moved back to West Chester. Shortly after, Steph's husband got a job with the West Chester Area School District teaching English, cementing their lifelong commitment to living in their beloved town. Steph enjoys many things, including cooking, eating, baking, hiking, attempting to be Green, being around people who make her laugh, the scent of Home Depot, Autumn and British Sitcoms. Steph started blogging in January 2009 on a personal blog to chronicle her new life as a stay-at-home Mom (highlighted by her culinary, community and cultural endeavors). One of her interests is Buy Fresh, Buy Local - especially when it comes to the West Chester Grower's Market. This led to an opportunity to be the blogger for the West Chester Grower's Market's blog starting in June. She is loving it, and enjoys supporting the local community.

Who wouldn't love some FREE chocolate?

This awesome FREEBIE notification is brought to you by Mama Cheaps. Thanks, Mama!

Another Friday, another free candy bar! Head over to Real Chocolate's website. They are offering free chocolate (M&M's, Snickers, Dove, 3 Musketeers, & Milky Way) to the first 250,000 people to register. This will happen EVERY Friday through September!

You have until 11:59 PM EST tonight to get one. You can go to the website before the offer starts. The clock will tick down to zero and the free offer sign up page will automatically load! :)

Allow about 6 weeks for your coupon to arrive. Limit 4 per household!

Frugal Finds Friday: Online Sales and Deals

Years ago, I sat with my fiance, now my husband, in the balcony of a dark theater watching Rob Becker’s antics about men and women in the hilarious one-man comedy “Defending the Caveman.”

Throughout the routine, he described the age of the caveman when women were the gatherers and men the hunters and how we haven’t changed all that much.

In one example, he explained, “As gatherers, women would feel the fruit, check the color and ripeness, gather the fruit in baskets and bring it back home to the family. Men would sit very still in fields and trees for hours and take down their prey in a quick, swift, decisive motion.

“Take men and women today and take shopping. Women feel the cloth, try on the shoes, and spend hours looking and gathering before bringing it all home. Men go straight into the mall, buy what they need and are in and out in a matter of minutes. They have found their prey, killed it and brought it back home to cook.”

Though we spent the entire performance laughing tears into our eyes, much of what Becker said rang true in the battle of the sexes. It also rings true when I think about online shopping. I like to feel and see what I am going to buy. Why would I give that up for sales and deals through the computer?

To read more, head over to Sarah's new DIYFrugal website where she is building tons o' savings resources just for you!

Win a Wii Fit with #KidsWeigh

With childhood obesity reaching an all time high across the country, many parents struggle with how to help their children maintain a healthy weight with proper nutrition.

Dr. Joanna Dolgoff, the official doctor of Camp Shane and a board certified pediatrician, has created Dr. Dolgoff's Weigh, a traffic-light system that allows kids to learn which foods are healthiest without counting calories. To spread the word about her site and program, Dr. Weigh, is sponsoring a Wii Fit contest to help you get your family up and moving this summer!

To enter to win the #KidsWeigh Wii Fit contest, check out client testimonials and fabulous Dr. Weigh success stories then fill out this secure contest form telling us which story was your favorite!

Form: http://tinyurl.com/kidsweighcontest

Twitter Savvy Moms...
Want a chance to speak with Dr. Dolgoff about your nutritional questions and win more prizes?

Join her Friday, July 10th at 9 p.m. ET on Twitter for her #KidsWeigh discussion. Door prizes will be awarded. To RSVP and for more information go to: Resourceful Mommy.

One grand prize winner will receive a Wii Fit. Two runners-up will receive a free one month membership to Dr. Weigh. This contest ends Friday, July 24th at 11:59 a.m. ET. and is brought to you by Momfluence.

Your Local Real Estate Resource

Do You Know Your Homeowner’s Insurance?

Who actually likes paying out for homeowner’s insurance? It’s just one more thing to make you monthly payment higher, right? Well, if you have ever had an event that caused you to file a claim, you probably know the benefit homeowner’s insurance provides. Knowing that your insurance is going to be there to protect you from the damage caused by the giant tree that just crashed through the roof won’t take away the initial shock but it should provide some comfort and security once that shock wears off.

So how do you know if you have the right coverage for your home? You could start by asking your insurance agent to review your homeowner’s policy with you on a regular basis and make sure it’s up to date. Usually, going with the same company you get your automobile insurance through results in lower rates and hopefully you’re already satisfied with their customer service.

Another valuable source to learn more about homeowner’s insurance is on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Insurance Department website

On this website you can learn about the different types of homeowner’s insurance, condominium insurance and renter’s insurance. There are detailed explanations of the different types of coverage and general guidelines on levels of coverage for additional living expenses, personal liability and medical payments.

To view Pennsylvania’s Guide to Homeowners Insurance click here.

The bottom line is that now is the time to do your research and understand how your insurance policies work because after you need to file a claim it’s too late. With a little reading and guidance from an experienced insurance agent you can feel secure knowing that your family and home are protected.


Craig & Gina Wiley
Coldwell Banker Preferred
390 Waterloo Blvd.
Exton, PA 19341
Office 610-363-6006 ext. 6066
craig_wiley@comcast.net
Find us on FACEBOOK --- Click Here

"Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!"

Photography 101 with Caitlin Domanico

Hi there! Last week, I introduced you to Picasa editing software and I showed you how to crop a photo.

This week, we will be learning how to fix Red Eye.

It happens to the best of us- sometimes we *need* to use flash and before you know it, you get 25 pictures of your friends looking possessed! Picasa's latest version has made fixing red eyes very easy. Click Red Eye under Basic Fixes.





Check in next Thursday to learn all about "Fill light".

Until then, happy shooting!