Happy Wednesday Smarty Charlotte. Happy Valentines Day and I hope you all ar ready for the long weekend. In the activity department there is plenty to choose from. Head out to one of our fantastic parks, hit Discovery Place or the Mint Museum Uptown, or help celebrate Monkey Joe’s birthday. If you want to learn the latest in camping and RVing, the RV and Camping show is in town and would be a great outing for the family. Get out and enjoy!

Strange Matter
Discovery Place
Ongoing
What’s materials science? You might call it the study of stuff! Just about everything you use every day – the shoes you wear, the dishes you eat from, the bike or skateboard you ride – it’s all made of different kinds of stuff. Get ready for over a dozen hands-on experiences and exhibits that give you a close encounter with the amazing world of modern materials and materials science. Through May 5.

The Magic Story Starring Sammy Cortino
ImaginOn, McColl Family Theatre
February 16-17, Sat. 11:00am, 1:00pm; Sun. 2:00pm
In this innovative new show, “Magic’s Royal Duke” Sammy Cortino discovers a long lost manuscript describing the history of magic, from its primal beginnings in ancient Egypt, to its golden age and beyond. As the show progresses, many of magic’s “classic” illusions are performed, including Houdini’s straight jacket escape, levitation, and Blackstone’s mystery cabinet. A perfect introduction to the art of illusion, as well as a “greatest hits” for magic fans young and old!

Great Backyard Bird Count
Charlotte Nature Museum
February 16, 10:00am
Become a citizen scientist! Join us and expert birders from the Charlotte Audubon Society Chapter as we count birds and contribute to this important national study. Learn all about the birds in our big backyard and yours. Programming includes crafts, puppet shows and storytelling.

Pioneer Days in the Preserve
Reedy Creek Nature Center
February 16, 1:00pm- 4:00pm
Come celebrate the good ole days by trying your hand at some old fashioned crafts and activities. Experience quilting, rope making, butter making and others, as well as a brisk walk to the historic Robinson Rock House on the property. Learn history the fun way! Must call 704-432-6460 to register.

3rd Annual Civil War Winter Encampment (Living History Event)
Rural Hill,Huntersville
February 16, 9:30am-4:00pm
See what winter life was like for local soldiers during the Civil War as Rural Hill hosts the 38th North Carolina Troops and others for a day of living history. Watch as the soldiers demonstrate line and skirmish drills, discuss flags, uniforms, rations, mail services, pay rates, war-time inventions, and also demonstrations of life for those not enlisted in the war effort. ‘Round the farm hayrides will also be available for $2 per person.

Sunday Fun Day- Chihuly and More, Art Beyond the Sea
Mint Museum Uptown
February 17, 1:00pm- 4:00pm
From sea to shining sea, many artists find inspiration at the ocean. Use recycled bottles to construct a Chihuly-style sea creature, create an artsy puzzle, go with the flow at Family Yoga, see a film and view three Dale Chihuly artworks in the museum galleries. Enjoy family-friendly craft projects, gallery visits, healthy living activities, artist demonstrations, and more!

Totally Turtles
Latta Plantation Nature Center
February 17, 1:30pm
It’s winter and our wild mammals have thick, fuzzy fur this time of the year. Come learn about some of these mammals and get a chance to touch furs in the nature center. Registration is required for most programs

Mud Pies
Latta Plantation Nature Center
February 17, 3:30pm
Yummy! Mud pie sounds good. Make a mud pie and learn about soil, how it feels, and why it is important to plants, especially in our garden. Registration is required.

Monkey Joe’s Birthday Party
Monkey Joe’s Park Road
February 18, 10:00am
On February 18, participating Monkey Joe’s locations will offer a discounted admission of $5.00, free pizza for the first 100 children and a free birthday party goodie bag for the first 75 children. In addition, attendees will also be able to take part in a special birthday celebration, including singing happy birthday to the children’s favorite mascot. Locations will also have community activities planned, filling the day with hours of fun for the whole family.

No School? Cool!
McDowell Nature Preserve
February 18, 9:00am
Attention school parents – wonder what to do with your kids when school is closed but work is not? Bring them to McDowell Nature Center for a day of natural fun and learning. Each program features unique themes plus hikes, games, live animals, crafts and so much more. Sign up for one program or the entire series. Pack a lunch; snack provided. Cost is $15.

Daddy ‘n’ Me Storytime
Barnes & Noble, Arboretum
February 16, 11:00am
Mom, do you need a little break? Send Dad and the little guys to Dad ‘n’ Me Storytime! Join us for a fun journey through great stories and songs!

Saturday Morning Storytime
Barnes & Noble, Morrison Place
February 16, 11:00 AM
Come join us for wonderful Storytimes! See you there!

Rookie Science
Matthews Library
February 16, 3:00pm
Discover the world of science through books, hands-on educational activities, and experiments. Cost is free. Ages 5-11.

Yo Gabba Gabba! Live!
Ovens Auditorium
February 16, 2:pm, 5:00pm
Yo Gabba Gabba gets their dance on.

The Connie Company Ensemble Special Productions – Jungal Book
Armour Street Theatre Theatre, Davidson
February 15-16, Fri. 7:00pm; Sat. 1:00pm, 4:00pm
Our acting workshop ensembles culminate their classes with FREE performances in February.

23rd annual North Carolina RV & Camping Show – Charlotte
Charlotte Convention Center
February 15-17
The Official and Longest Running RV Show in Charlotte!!

TEDxCharlotte 2013 UNLIMITED: Ideas Take Shape
Silver Hammer Studios
February 15, 9:00am-4:00pm
TEDxCharlotte is more than just a conference. It’s an event by creative thinkers, for creative thinkers, who embrace the spirit of ideas worth spreading. The audience will consist of people who believe in bringing great ideas together to improve the environments we live in.
Speakers include: Patricia Shafer; Molly Barker; Cassie Parsons; Dale Mullinex, Robin Emmons; Chad Henderson; Karla Williams; JD, Buck and Jackson Lewis; Valaida Fullwood; and jocElyn Ellis.

It’s 7:30 on a Monday night.  You’re in your car with a big bag of drive-through dinner on the seat next to you because your boss kept you late. You want nothing more than to get home, replace your dress pants with sweats, watch some mindless TV, and drink a glass of chardonnay.  Just as soon as you make sure homework has been done, the dog has been walked, and that last email from your boss gets answered. It’s going to be a long night.

Your stomach drops. In your rear view mirror, you see flashing blue lights.

This day could not get any worse.

The officer approaches your car and asks if you know how fast you were going.

“50?” you guess hopefully.

“53 actually.”

“Not bad,” you think. You’ll get off easy. You suppress a sigh of relief.

“In a school zone, “ he continues. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? That puts a lot of lives in danger. Not just yours, but mine and everyone else out here.”

“I’m sorry,” you say, truthfully. You feel defeated. You want to just collect your ticket, pay the money, and be done.

“You don’t seem sorry,” says the officer. “This is serious and I need to know that you are going to learn this lesson. Hand me your cell phone.”

HUH?

“And your ipad.”

WTF??

The officer explains, “I know how much you care about your electronics, but until you can show more maturity and responsibility with your driving, you won’t be getting them back. And if I see a bad attitude about it, I’m limiting your time with your friends. I’m saying this because it’s my job to keep you safe and this is the only way I can get this lesson to sink in.”

If this happened to you, you would be outraged. You would probably lose faith in the officer himself and the entire disciplinary system you are forced to operate within. It may, or may not, have an impact on your speeding, but chances are you would be too angry at the complete lack of logic to spend any time being thoughtful about your driving.

Time and time again, I hear parents say when their child messes up, whether it’s getting poor grades, being disrespectful, or disobeying rules, the answer is to take away what the child values to teach them a lesson.

This makes no sense!

Consequences must be tied to the infraction to be meaningful. For example:

If your child treats you with disrespect, don’t do them any favors. Say, “I don’t want to drive you to your friend’s house when you’re treating me so badly. You’ll have to stay in tonight.”

If your child doesn’t turn in completed assignments, say “I’ll sit down and get your folders organized every night for thirty minutes, but that is going to take away from time I normally spend doing housework, so when we’re done, you’ll give me thirty minutes of chores.”

Don’t default to taking away the cell phone, favorite article of clothing, or xBox every time. You’ll just end up with a child who loses trust in your ability to be rational and, as a result, will work very hard to sneak around you.

Michelle Icard is our resident middle school expert. Please visit her website www.MichelleintheMiddle.com or hang out with her on facebook at www.facebook.com/middleschoolrelief.

Also, if you want to learn more about Moms Meet Ups at Michelle’s office, click here.

Happy Friday, Smarties! We’re excited about a LONG weekend with (hopefully) no kids’ sports since we’re kinda in between seasons here. Yipee! Enjoy this week’s Pins – if you see us around town with chocolate around our mouths, Pin #2 will explain it all. Happy Pinning!

1. Now this is one we’d never thought we’d hear: Crock Pot yogurt…hmmm, worth a shot?!

2. If #1 made you want to gag, we’ll redeem ourselves here with two words: chocolate cobbler. OMG. Amazing.

3. Here’s a smart idea for old sports jerseys – make pillows out of ‘em! Cute and functional!

4. We can all say “Duh?!” on this one – why didn’t we think of it? A great way to shape numbers on a birthday cake with sprinkles.

5. This is just the prettiest, Spring-iest space we’ve seen in awhile – if you’re itching to re-do a home office or craft space, pin this one for inspiration!

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