Gish Picks: Weekend of January 25, 2013

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WHAT'S YOUR PICK THIS WEEKEND?

Greetings and welcome to GISH PICKS: A GUIDE TO CULTURAL ACTIVITIES FOR FAMILIES, a free weekly e-newsletter/blog I created as a service to the Houston community in 2003. Please enjoy and please share. My business grows by word-of-mouth from people like YOU! In fact, here’s an easy way to spread the word in Facebook land: please LIKE my GISH PICKS Facebook page and you’ll be eligible to win four passes to a special women’s rugby event – round two of the Women’s Sevens World Series the weekend of February 1. On your mark, get set, LIKE! Big congrats to last week’s winners – Megan Brown Taverna and Elizabeth Hurt – who won passes for dance classes at Planet Funk Academy.

People ask me all the time where I get my information on cultural activities for families. Let me tell you, it’s NOT an easy task to 1) find interesting events and 2) sift them down to three PICKS -- but I love the weekly challenge. And often, there are so many amazing events out there that sometimes, like this week, I refuse to pick just three. So you’ll see a two-fer PICK below – enjoy! While I’m looking for events for you, dear readers, I also run across TONS of parenting articles and other information – I call myself an “infopreneur” so you’re the lucky beneficiary of my info dump (if you would like to add to my knowledge library, feel free to contact me anytime about cultural activities for families or articles of interest to parents and I’m happy to share them if I have room). This week I learned about two fabu articles for parents: one on healthy eating, courtesy photo dad David A. Brown and another on allowing our children just to be, courtesy executive coach Amy L. Robinson. May we all continue to learn, grow, and let go as parents!

Have a great week, be kind to each other, and GO.FIND.FUN.

KING ARTHUR AND HIS COURT RIDE INTO TOWN THIS MONTH.

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) is proudly producing Lerner and Loewe’s four-time Tony Award winning masterpiece “Camelot” through February 3 at the Hobby Center for The Performing Arts and there are plenty of ways for kids to enjoy the fun! First of all, it’s “Kids Night on Broadway” tonight, January 23, at the 7:30pm show. For each full price ticket you purchase, you can bring a child for free and enjoy pre-show activities and giveaways in the grand lobby. There is also a special workshop just for kids the next two Fridays from 5-7pm: January 25 (7-12 year olds) and February 1 (13-18 year olds). Kids will get to bring to life knightly fun while learning the art of stage combat from a trained professional -- all for just $30.

You’ll enjoy the show while getting to experience Camelot’s “one brief shining moment” as Lerner and Loewe envisioned it. A timeless tale set in a land where honor and chivalry reign, “Camelot” follows the love triangle of King Arthur, his Queen Guinevere, and the young Lancelot. Dazzling and spellbinding with sweeping romance, historic grandeur, and heart-breaking drama, "Camelot" is the definitive musical theatre fable. The enchanting score includes the hauntingly romantic “If Ever I Would Leave You,” “The Simple Joys of Maidenhood,” and the title song.

GISH PICKS readers will get a 30% discount on regular priced tickets – click here and type in GISHPICKS as the promo code. Tickets start at $24 and the special discount doesn’t apply to “Kids Night on Broadway” tickets.

MATH MADE EASY.

Raise your cyber hand if you know “Conjunction Junction, What’s Your Function?”!!! You betcha – “Schoolhouse Rock” is the name and learning is the game. So I’m excited to let you know that the Christian Youth Theater is presenting “Schoolhouse Rock Live! Jr.” starting tomorrow, January 24, and running through Sunday, January 27 at the Crighton Theatre in Conroe, Texas. “Schoolhouse Rock Live! Jr.” is one of musical theatre's brightest and most innovative shows and is based on the aforementioned Emmy Award-winning 1970s educational cartoon series. The show uses a wide array of musical styles to teach grammar, math, science, history, social studies, and political science while telling the story of Tom, a young teacher nervously anticipating his first day of school. You’ll get to rock out to popular songs like "Conjunction Junction", "Unpack Your Adjectives", "Three is a Magic Number" and many, many more in this multi-media, visually stimulating show.

Tickets start at $12 ($10 for group discounts) and can be purchased here.

TWO-FOR-ONE PICK: MFAH FILM & THE SHEPHERD SCHOOL OF MUSIC.

This weekend there are two other awesome happenings just for families so get out your iPhones and plug these in as well: this Saturday, January 26, the Rice University Shepherd School of Music presents the annual “Shepherd Society Family Concert” at 11am on the Rice University Campus. This free concert features the Shepherd School Chamber Orchestra in a performance of selections from Debussy Images and Revueltas Sensemayá. The doors open at 10:30am with instrument demos in the Grand Foyer. No advance reservations are required but get there early as these concerts tend to fill up.

And the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s film department has an excellent “Reel Kids” selection this Sunday, January 27 at 1:30pm. TURTLES CAN FLY is an exuberant yet touching film about the effect of war on children, specifically post-Saddam Hussein Iraq. It makes a nice complement to the MFAH’s current, very important exhibition WAR/PHOTOGRAPHY that’s on view through February 3 (don’t know about that show? Listen to my interview with one of the co-curators here). Because of the subject matter, I recommend this film and the exhibition for kids 10 years old and up. This movie is free but please note that there is a charge for the exhibition. Get there early and you can enjoy yummies from “Fine Art Food Trucks” that stop at the Museum daily from 11am-3pm.

UNIQUE WORKSHOPS THAT HELP WOMEN PREPARE FOR DIVORCE AND STARTING OVER.

“Divorce is rarely easy, yet navigating those rough waters can be easier with sufficient knowledge, preparation and support,” explains Trey Yates, a Houston based, board-certified family law attorney and founder of “The Guide to Good Divorce”. Throughout his years in family law, Trey realized that many of his female clients going through divorce could benefit from additional assistance beyond legal services. He wanted to help them make informed decisions about divorce and the divorce process while also addressing the transformative potential of this opportunity as a time of self-discovery and personal growth -- so he created a nonprofit that presents inexpensive, half-day seminars offering expert advice and tips on divorce financial planning, life skills, and physical and spiritual wellness. Sessions are led by Yates on the law of divorce in Texas, as well as by a certified divorce financial planner, a life skills coach, and other experts in the area of lifestyle and wellness. The seminars also include fun activities such as makeovers, fashion tips, and more. Says Trey, “I have witnessed many women draw strength, comfort and encouragement from our seminars and each other as they transition out of a marriage and into a new phase of their lives.” Yates has practiced family law in the greater Houston Metropolitan Area since 1986.

The first seminar of 2013 is this Saturday, January 26 from 8:30am-2pm at the Houstonian, 111 N. Post Oak Lane. Upcoming seminars will be on Saturday, April 27 (Houstonian); Saturday, July 20 (Unity of Houston); and Saturday, September 28 (Houstonian). Click here for more details on the seminars and here to register for this Saturday’s seminar. The fee is $25 and includes a light brunch.

GISH PICKS is a free weekly email in which I highlight family-oriented cultural events, products or services. Please note that I "highlight" events, but I don't know if they are appropriate for your particular children, so choose wisely based on age, maturity and interests. I know many of you go to events based on GISH PICKS recommendations; PLEASE remember to tell the organization that you are there because of us. Word-of-mouth like yours helps our business to grow. In the same spirit, please also feel free to share GISH PICKS with friends and families.

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Sarah Gish GISH CREATIVE 1940-A Fountainview, PMB 116 Houston, Texas 77057 phone/fax: 713.482.7065 artist.mama.connector.changemaker. © 2013 Sarah Gish Designed by West of the World