GAP Needs You!!

Well, we have reached 100 posts!! It's hard to believe this site was created just last September. We have grown and changed a lot in that time. For instance, we have launched our new meetup group! If you haven't joined yet, please do. We have 18 members so far and some fun activities planned. If you are concerned about paying the $5 dues, you are welcome to join and check it out for a while before paying. I only request that payment to cover the money I have spent on Meetup membership. I think it is well worth it. I keep discovering new features of Meetup; it's a great tool.

I hear from GAP fans constantly as I am out and about and it is always so nice to hear how much parents appreciate the site. I always hoped for a resource such as this, so I'm glad I was able to provide it for our area's parents.

Unfortunately, if I don't get a lot of good extra hands soon, GAP may disappear. I started off with a couple of consistent writers, but lost them due to other commitments, which I completely understand. I am so grateful to Angela, who is wonderful at keeping the calendar updated. If it wasn't for her, there would probably be no events listed. And Maria is a great contributing writer, along with a couple others who write occassionally.

But, I am still doing the bulk of the work myself and my kids are at an age right now that prevents me from being able to sit down at the computer AT ALL when they are around and not asleep.

So, if you don't want to lose GAP, please, please consider volunteering some of your time. No, it's not paid, but it's fun and your work will always be here to reference for people. I have found that working on a site such as this often leads to other opportunities that you wouldn't expect. It's well worth it. 

You don't have to be a writer to help out. Here are just a few ways you could help:

Write posts, of course (for those writers out there)

Edit others' writing

Take pictures for posts

Be in charge of the weekly garage sale lists (which we haven't done in a while)

Respond to emails sent to us through the site

Be an event organizer for our Meetup group

Help with advertising

Talk to local businesses about advertising on the site

Compile lists of information (classes in the area, etc.)

These are just a few of the ways you could help. It doesn't have to take a lot of time and you don't have to have any special skills. I know we are all busy parents (believe me, I know), but we have to work together now if we want to keep this great resource around!

Please comment below or click on the "contact us" link at the top of this page to send me an email if you are interested in helping!

Thank you for your support!

GAP News: Our New Meetup Group!!

Okay, so this a big step for us. We have created a Germantown Avenue Parents meetup group! Woo-hoo!  You will see the new link at the top of the page and also at the top of our right sidebar.

This is kind of an experiment to see how many people are truly interested in this new addition to our site. Up until now, GAP has been purely a site for finding information. We have only had one event and that was really just to get the word out about the site.

Having a meetup group means that the people who join it will be able to view, rsvp for, and attend all kinds of kid and family-friendly events in our area.  Yes, you were always able to attend events on our calendar, but we didn't go as a group. We would officially be a group of parents who can go out and have fun together, with and without kids. 

So, how do you join? Click on any of the links in this post or on our site for the meetup group and sign up! It's very easy and quick. There will be a few simple questions about you since it is set as a private group (no one outside the group will be able to view events). There is also a $5 charge to join, purely because I am paying out of my pocket for the www.Meetup.com membership, which is at least $12 a month. I have only paid for three months for now, just to see how many of you are interested. The payment will be made through an account I created for GAP at www.Amazon.com . It will be very simple to do, especially if you already have an account with Amazon, and it is entirely secure.

Once you have requested membership and paid the joining fee, we will quickly approve you and you will then be able to view all events scheduled. You will see who has RSVP'd for which events and you can easily RSVP to anything also. Some events may have a limit so that it doesn't get too crowded; some will have no limit.

What sort of events should you expect to see? There will be library story times, movie nights for parents, playground play dates, kids' classes at environmental centers, trips to museums, and much more! You will also be able to communicate with all members via the message board and can sign up to receive all postings by email. 

This means you will be able to chat with members about anything, such as parenting issues, events you are attending, and questions about area schools. 

And, remember, this is your group. We are simply the facilitators. So, please, always let us know if you think we should add more events or try new kinds of venues or different times. Always give us feedback so that we can do our best to provide what you  need.

Some of you might be wondering how this is different from some other parent groups in the area. First of all, this group is for ALL parents. That means moms who stay at home, moms who work outside the home, dads, grand parents, and all care givers. We will also try and always have a very full calendar of events scheduled so that you will have a lot to choose from. 

And we really believe using www.Meetup.com will make it a lot easier to connect everyone. Being able to RSVP so easily and view who else is planning on attending any given event, will hopefully encourage more members to go. And if you don't want to clog up your inbox with emails, you don't have to. You can choose not to subsribe to the message board posts and simply visit the group when you want to check out events and who is going. 

We are very, very exited about this and hope you are too! Please sign up, RSVP for an event, and let us know what kinds of events you want to see in the future! Hope to see you all soon!

GAP News: Updated Calendar

Just wanted to direct you to our calendar, down and to the right!  I have added a load of great events for this weekend and next.  Make sure to check it out before you head out this weekend!

GAP News: Event a Big Hit!

I wanted to thank everyone who came out to our big warm-up event at The Hill Tea Bar (make sure to check out their updated site) last Friday!  I know it was a little slow to get going and a bit crowded at times, but I'm so glad to hear that so many people came and had fun!  We gave out almost 40 bags, so we had a great turn-out!  

I was unfortunately at home with a stomach virus (the joys of having kids), so I wasn't able to make it to my own web site's event!!  I was so sad to miss it, but I have to thank my GAP partner, Julia, for taking over for me.  And my poor hubby, Jamie, got sucked into it too.  :)  So, thank you, Jamie, for helping me stuff bags and for getting all the goods there!  And my friend, Olivia, was kind enough to help get everything rolling too.

A HUGE thank you to Pam of The Hill Tea Bar for hosting us and for her patience with my last-minute absence.  I heard the tea was wonderful and the complimentary treats scrumptious.  Pam was also responsible for bringing the folk singer, Michael Mabry, in to entertain.  He apparently was a big hit, performing lots of kids' songs since there were families in attendance.  So, thank you, Michael!  

And thank you to Annie Hart also, who was there to tell one of her amazing stories.  She didn't end up telling her story because it was so crowded and there were so many children (her stories are really geared toward adults).  So, I apologize all of you for not explaining that before hand.  Make sure to try and make it to one of her events in the future!  We'll keep you updated.  She will also do story telling in your home now, so remember to book her for your next event! 

I hope you are all enjoying your goody bags and want to thank all the generous local stores who donated items for bags and for prizes for the give-away.  So, thank you to:  The Apothecary Garden, Philadelphia Pretzel, High Point Cafe, The Night Kitchen Bakery, Lemons and Limes, Once Upon a Gallery, The Maternal Wellness Center, The Mt. Airy Learning Tree, and Wax.  I have the names of the winners of our give-away prizes and will be contacting you all shortly.

We have some left-over bags of coupons and goodies, and we will give those away to the first 10 people to comment on this post!  (Please abstain from commenting if you already received a bag at the event).  So, simply go to the "comment" link below and tell us anything you want (just make sure to include your email address, so we can get in touch with you)!  Tell us why you love GAP or what you would like to see us do in the future, etc. 

GAP News: Check Out These New Features!

We are constantly updating and adding to GAP in order to keep you informed!  Here are some new perks of the site:

Your Turn

We love writing on GAP to keep you up-to-date on everything parent and kid-related in our area, but we don't want to get stuck doing all the writing!  We want you, our readers, to get involved.

We will now have a "Your Turn" prompt on the right of our site for you to respond to. You can email all your thoughts/ideas on the topic to us and we will choose one entry to publish on our site each month.  We know there is a lot of information in those parent brains of yours, so share!  And let's get some friendly discussion going on!

Weekend Sales Section

Are you a yard sale addict, but loathe having to search papers and various websites for the listings in our area?  Well, fear not.  We are going to be doing the work for you from now on.

So, stroll on over to the right sidebar and you will find this new little gem under our categories. Click on each link to learn more details, such as times and addresses.

Happy shopping!

New Poll

We have closed our "going back to school" poll.  Most of you were "ready to party" after sending your kids off, by the way!  As was I.  :)

October is right around the corner, believe it or not!  So, our new poll asks the age-old October question:  What will your child(ren) be for Halloween this year?  Actually, more specifically, where are you planning on getting that costume?  Are you going to pull a Martha Stewart and make one?   (I wouldn't be that cruel to my kid, because I am not anywhere near Martha Stewart).  Is your little one going to get stuck with a hand-me-down?  (Sometimes the wisest choice).

We want to know, so scroll on down to the bottom of our right sidebar and take our new poll!

About the Writers

Charline Barger

GAP creator and writer

Charline is a freelance writer and stay-at-home mom of two, living in Chestnut Hill. She enjoys seeking out great play grounds, museums, and libraries to share with her kids and also loves to find the best tasty treats around! Before having children, Charline was a sixth grade English teacher. You can read more of her writing on www.DancingMeatballs.com and in her column, Take The Kids, in the Chestnut Hill Local.

Julia Copeland

writer

Julia is a work-at-home mom of two in East Mt. Airy. She loves finding new places and resources in the area and sharing them with others. She especially loves coffee shops, children’s theater, and fun places her kids can play and explore safely! Before being a mom, she was a Child Life Specialist working with kids and families in hospitals.

Angela Mwandia

editor and calendar manager

Angela is a stay-at-home mum to Simbule (born May 2008). She lives in Chestnut Hill and moved here from the UK, with her husband, last Summer. She loves to get out in the fresh air, meeting other mums, and finding out what activities are available. Prior to being a mum, Angela worked in science policy and research.