Gish Picks: Week of February 6, 2008


Welcome to this week's "Gish Picks", where I highlight family-oriented cultural events, products or services. Please note that I "highlight" these 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. Do you have something you would like to advertise on Gish Picks? Advertisers can promote family-friendly events, products or services to Houstonians all over the city and the surrounding area who are active parents, involved citizens and great shoppers. We love doing this community service and want to keep it free for our readers but in order to justify the hours spent researching, writing and designing this newsletter, we need advertising support. If you'd like to learn more, please click below. Now, GO FIND FUN!

YEP, EVEN BABIES LOVE DISCO.

If you think your baby can’t disco, you are so wrong! This Saturday, February 9, you and your diapered dancer can boogie at Rich's nightclub from 2 until 5pm. “Baby Loves Disco” events are an afternoon dance party featuring music spun and mixed by real DJs blending classic disco tunes from the 70s and 80s guaranteed to get those diapered little booties moving and grooving! The fun spills out from all corners of the club with bubble machines, baskets of scarves and egg-shakers, a chill-out room (with tents, books and puzzles), diaper changing stations, a full spread of healthy snacks and lots of dancing.

Philadelphia-based mom and professional dancer Heather Murphy created “Baby Loves Disco” in 2004 as an alternative to the commercial-laden activities available for children and it's hit cities all across the country since then as a monthly activity. Oh, and did I mention the optional cocktails for non-driving adults?? Tickets are $12/walking human (non-walkers are free!).

For more information, call 713.759.9606 or log onto www.babylovesdisco.com.

DID YOU KNOW THAT COWS DREAM IN COLOR?

That’s the vision of international artist/educator/ storyteller Betty LaDuke, who captures the deeply personal stories of those who make a great effort to survive in "Dreaming Cows", a collection of 70 vibrant paintings, pen drawings and color photographs, which reveal the relationship between land and community in some of the world's most beautiful, yet impoverished areas.

"Dreaming Cows", which will be on view at the Children's Museum of Houston through April 27, is the result of LaDuke’s inspirational journeys to Cambodia, Ecuador, Peru, Poland, Rwanda, Uganda and Vietnam through Heifer International (www.heifer.org), a non-profit organization “helping hungry families feed themselves.” The goal of every Heifer project is sustainability -- that those families they try to help learn to make it on their own by acquiring valuable skills they may have not known of, and ultimately, share this knowledge with others.

For more information, call 713.522.1138 or log onto www.cmhouston.org.

KIDS CAN HAVE FUN TINKERING WITH WOOD.

Your neighborhood Lowe's and Home Depot stores offer special clinics just for kids. Lowe's (www.lowesbuildandgrow.com) offers them on the second and fourth Saturday of each month, so the next one will be this Saturday February 9 from noon until 1pm and kids will be making a "Valentine Mailbox". Grades 2-5 are recommended, but it's open to all ages. Home Depot (www.homedepot.com) offers free kid clinics on the first Saturday of every month from 10am until 2pm. For both workshops, kids usually receive an apron, kid-size building tools and the activity craft to take home.

The Wood Wizards, a citywide club of carving hobbyists, meets 9am until 2pm on the first Saturday of each month at North Harris College’s South Dining Room, 2700 W. Thorne Drive. Meetings are open to carvers of all skill levels. For information, call Linda Hughes at 281.360.3193 or email lhughes@pdq.net. Not bad for a Saturday morning outing!

THE 22ND ANNUAL "CAREER AND EDUCATION DAY" IS THIS WEEKEND.

The Houston Hispanic Forum invites all students in grades 6 through 12 and their parents to attend the free "Career and Education Day" starting at 8am on Saturday, February 9 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Attendees can get the facts about student loans and grants, learn about career choices, and college selection and the application process.

For more information, call 713.522.8077 or log onto www.hispanicforum.org.

THE CENTER FOR THE HEALING OF RACISM PRESENTS "DIALOGUE: RACISM" STARTING
THIS WEEKEND.

To serve as a catalyst for the healing of racism through the education and empowerment of individuals, "Dialogue:Racism" provides a safe, respectful and loving atmosphere for individuals to learn new information, share their experiences, ask questions to dispel their fears, get to know one another, and to stop the separation.

The winter two-day session will be held at the Houston Metropolitan Community Church, 2025 W. 11th Street, this Saturday, February 9 and next Saturday, February 16 from 9am until 4:30pm. The sessions are free and open to the public; registration is required by calling the Center’s office at 713.520.8226 and leaving the name(s) and phone numbers of person(s) attending.

For more information, call 713.520.8226 or log onto www.centerhealingracism.org.

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My goal is to serve as an information resource for Houston parents through my various endeavors, including:

GISH PICKS, which is online (www.thesummerbook.com/gishpicks_archive.html) and in print through the Houston Community Newspaper group (www.hcnonline.com);

THE SUMMER BOOK®: A GUIDE TO HOUSTON DAY CAMPS AND CLASSES FOR KIDS AND TEENS (www.thesummerbook.com) which comes out annually on March 1 and is sold at bookstores all over Houston, including Barnes and Noble and Borders; and

Speaking engagements, interactive workshops, private consultations, and art programs that cover topics such as parenting (www.freewebs.com/glowfished), marketing, historic preservation, activism, and passion-finding. All of these services can be tailored for any audience and budget.

The purpose of GISH PICKS is to help parents become aware of all the fun things they can do with their children in Houston and the surrounding area, so HAPPY TRAVELS! Please do give me feedback and ideas, as you are out there in the trenches also looking for interesting things for your family and I want to hear what you find. If you are having trouble getting to a website listed here, try hitting the “Ctrl” button and left-clicking on the web address, which should make it “live”.


Sarah Gish Gish Creative 1940-A Fountainview, PMB 116 Houston, Texas 77057 phone/fax: 713.532.1173 email: sarah@gishcreative.com web: www.gishcreative.com and: www.thesummerbook.com and: www.saveourlandmarks.org © 2008 Sarah Gish Designed by West of the World