Gish Picks: Weekend of May 18, 2012

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WHAT'S YOUR PICK THIS WEEKEND?

A teacher once told me there have been three major revolutions in human history: the agricultural revolution, the industrial revolution, and now we’re in the technology revolution. This revolution we’re in now – the digital one – can be overwhelming with all the bytes of information out there! In fact, we’ve moved beyond megabytes and gigabytes to “exabytes” (a billion gigabytes) and, according to a piece in the Washington Post last year, it’s estimated that the world can now store 276 exabytes. Whew! Why am I taking up more space in the cyber universe to talk about this? Because as parents, we’re constantly overwhelmed with information: information on how to parent, on what schools our kids should go to, on what camps they would like, and (my fave!) what to do this weekend. We’re in the information age and it can stress us out bigtime. Stop, take a deep breath, and let me help you. I LOVE information – in fact, I call myself an “infopreneur” – and I love to share what I’ve learned with others. So follow along and let’s see what we can learn together. Through THE SUMMER BOOK: A GUIDE TO HOUSTON DAY CAMPS AND CLASSES FOR KIDS AND TEENS, I’ll help you find the best summer camps for your kids. And through this e-newsletter, you’ll get help planning family weekend fun. I gave a talk last night on summertime fun and one of the moms told me she only uses GISH PICKS when looking for cultural activities – I am honored to be the one that helps parents sift through all the exabytes of info out there! Thanks for letting me be your info guide.

I’ll be sharing what I know at various events in the coming weeks so join me when you can. If you work downtown, come see me tomorrow at the Central Library at noon as I present "Gabbing with Gish," a series of short, interactive talks on select topics throughout May and June on Thursdays during the lunch hour. Bring a brown bag and let’s get fired up! Tomorrow’s talk is “You've Got to Visualize—Goal-Setting and Dream-Catching.” This Saturday, May 19, from 3-5pm, I’ll be at Body Mind & Soul with my friend Kevin Casey presenting “What’s Your Purpose?”; if you can’t make that class, join us on Saturday, July 21 also from 3-5pm. I promise you’ll leave with a better sense of who you are and what your purpose is. Next month, I’ll be presenting an excellent class for adults making changes in their lives, “Transitions and Transformations/TNT!” on June 19 and 26, 6:30-8:30pm. And, finally, this isn’t a class or workshop, but mark your calendars now for the “I Can Do Anything!” screening of short films for kids that I curated – it’s on Friday, June 8 at Discovery Green in the evening. Speaking of the Aurora Picture Show, they have a super cool “Scoot-In” film screening downtown this Saturday, May 19 at 8:30pm. Join me for any or all of these exciting events!

Want more of the information I’m amassing? I’m still posting (almost) daily about “Houston Gems” – places, people, and things that make Houston great – so follow me on twitter (www.twitter.com/sarahgish) or “like” my new Facebook page to learn about cool Houston each day. All my past gems are archived on twitter (search for #houstongems) and on the Facebook page, so you can grab them and EXPLORE! While you’re in Facebook land, please slide over to my GISH PICKS site to like it too. ANYONE WHO LIKES GISH PICKS TODAY WILL BE MAILED A FREE (YES, FREE!) COPY OF THE SUMMER BOOK. Thanks so much for helping me spread the word on cultural activities for families.

Have a great week and GO.FIND.FUN.

LET’S STAND UP FOR FOOD.

Worldwide obesity has doubled since 1980, so well known healthy food advocate Jamie Oliver created a movement to set aside May 19 as “Food Revolution Day”. This day, celebrated around the world and right here in Houston, is a chance for people who love food to come together to share information, talents and resources; to pass on their knowledge and highlight the world’s food issues. The point of the day is to connect with your community through events at schools, restaurants, local businesses, dinner parties and farmers' markets. Jamie says he wants to inspire change in people’s food habits and to promote the mission for better food and education for everyone. Houston has been dubbed the “Fattest City” more than once in recent years so it’s refreshing to know that we’re trying to throw off that nasty crown with our own “Food Revolution Day” events. Check out all the details on this Facebook page and join the Revolution! And if you don’t Facebook, the day starts with a tour and intro at 9am at the Urban Harvest Farmers Market Eastside and ends with a community potluck dinner at Mandell Park in Montrose.

MUSEUM FAMILY DAYS.

Museums love to host family days which is a great thing for all of us, since it usually means reduced prices (or free entry) and lotsa fun. Here are some family days coming up; keep in mind that they can be crowded so get there early or late to miss the peak crowds. And for a handy dandy list of all the activities at museums, click here. Happy Museum Fun!

Here’s what is coming up soon at some of our cultural centers:

The Houston Museum of Science is hosting a “Family Space Day” this Saturday, May 19, at the George Observatory. Tickets are $10/each and people 7 years old and up are welcome.

The Asia Society Texas Center is hosting their very first family day in their new home. The focus is Japan and it’s this Sunday, May 20 from 1-4pm.

The Heritage Society has family days on a regular basis; their next one is Saturday, June 16 from noon-3pm. It’s free and kids will get to meet former First Lady Andrea White who has a new children’s book.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has many programs throughout the year for kids and families; check it all out here.

WHERE’S MY GLASS SLIPPER?

The classic tale of “Cinderella” is being presented by Company Onstage with shows on Saturdays at 11am and 1:30pm through June 9. This is a great playhouse for younger kids (although it’s probably best for kids 4 and up) as the shows are fun and short. In this rendition, we’ll meet the Fairy Godmother, who protects Cinderella from her greedy Stepmother and Stepsisters, and Prince Charming, who looks for his true love with glass slipper in hand. The beloved tale of Cinderella and her dreams is brought to life in this charming adaptation by one of their resident playwrights, Laura Williams.

Tickets are $8/each and advanced reservations are strongly recommended.

I’M NOT DONE YET…I STILL HAVE MORE INFORMATION TO SHARE!

Before I go, I wanted to share some more information with you that came across my desk. The Houston Public Library has a new program, “More Money @ Your Library®,” made possible by a grant from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation through Smart Investing @ your library®, a partnership with the American Library Association. They created space on their website to help people of all ages understand how to manage money more effectively, though articles, online courses, interactive programs and games. Check out the information for kids here and for teens here.

And you can keep the joy of reading alive this summer! Click here and kids can get two free audiobooks per week. Woo hoo! Who says summer has to be a time where our kids’ brains go MUSH?

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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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 GO FIND FUN! 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".

For more about my personal, business, and family enrichment company, Gish Creative, and the services we offer, please click here. You are on this list because I thought this e-newsletter would be helpful to you or because you signed up for it. Please feel free to tell your friends to subscribe by clicking here. My goal is to serve as an information resource for Houston parents through my various endeavors, including:

GISH PICKS, which is online and emailed out to thousands of parents and caregivers;

THE SUMMER BOOK®: A GUIDE TO HOUSTON DAY CAMPS AND CLASSES FOR KIDS AND TEENS which comes out annually in March and is sold at bookstores all over Houston, including Barnes and Noble; and

OTHER SERVICES including SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS, PRIVATE CONSULTATIONS, and ART PROGRAMS that cover topics such as summertime fun, passion-finding (for adults, children and families), marketing, historic preservation, art classes, and activism. All of these services can be tailored for any audience and budget.


Sarah Gish GISH CREATIVE 1940-A Fountainview, PMB 116 Houston, Texas 77057 phone/fax: 713.482.7065 artist.mama.connector.changemaker. © 2012 Sarah Gish Designed by West of the World