Let's Dish! opens location in Woodbury
Let's Dish!, a retail outlet that provides an efficient way to prepare healthy, tasty meals for busy singles and families, is cooking up a storm since opening its doors in Eden Prairie last October. The demand for assembling stress-free meals continues to grow, so a new Let's Dish! store in Woodbury opened its doors at the end of September.
Let's Dish! customers register for a session online and choose the meals they wish to make from the monthly menu. Then, in just two hours, customers rotate among food prep stations while socializing with friends, following easy directions, and tweaking recipes to suit their individual tastes. Customers leave with a number of ready-to-cook meals to store in their freezer. Cost is $125 to take home eight different meals that feed six people ($2.60 per serving) or choose 12 meals for $165 ($2.29 per serving). And, if you don't have time to assemble the meal, Let's Dish! will do it for you for an additional fee.
"As busy working moms, we want to offer people a convenient way to attend to the practical details of providing healthy meals for the family while enjoying a guilt-free, social night out with friends," said Darcy Olson, co-owner of Let's Dish! "We hear from so many customers that this experience has been a life-changer because they can finally relax at dinner and really enjoy the family," said Ruth Lundquist, co-owner of Let's Dish!
Let's Dish! Woodbury Location: 10150 Hudson Road, Suite 110
Let's Dish! Eden Prairie Location: 574 Prairie Center Drive, Tower Square, Suite 115
Put the 'boo' in Como Zoo's Zoo Boo
Volunteers are needed for Como Zoo's upcoming Zoo Boo, a fundraising event in October that promises a fun Halloween celebration for families. Life-sized sets, characters, and attractions fill the zoo during the Zoo Boo, attracting thousands of families. Volunteers can choose to wear an animal costume or work behind the scenes. They must be 17 or older.
Zoo Boo will be held on October 20, 21, 26, 27, and 28 on Como Zoo grounds. Volunteer shifts are generally from 3:30-8:30 p.m., and a one-hour orientation is required before volunteering.
For more information, call 651-487-8287.
Easy alternative for tying shoes
Zackaroos, from Minneapolis-based Steven Enterprises, Inc., has made life on the playground a little easier. The adjustable fasteners, which come in black or white, take the place of regular shoelaces and can be removed at any time. Charms and beads slide on the fasteners, personalizing the shoe. Kids can choose individual decorations or themed packs, such as "glamour," sports," "groovy," "boys'" and "princess" to add some pizzazz to their shoes. Zackaroos also come in holiday-themed packs, such as birthday, Christmas, Easter, Fourth of July, Halloween, and Valentine's Day. Zackaroos are also helpful for those of all ages with disabilities or injuries. Purchase Zackaroos online at http://www.zackaroos.com.
Website assists divorced families
KidsnCommon.com is a recently launched online, membership-based service to assist divorced couples with parental responsibilities, giving divorced and blended families a way to stay connected and work together in a nonbiased environment.
KidsnCommon.com takes details from the divorce decree, such as custody schedules, payment of child support, and shared expenses and uses an online wizard to organize them in a shared calendar and bill-paying system. Parents can upload, share, and keep track of documents online, while communicating with each other and their children via email. The service, which also provides tools to advisors, such as attorneys, counselors, and employers, also offers articles, local resources, and access to free counseling services.
Monthly family memberships are available for $9.95 per month. Discounted annual memberships are $99 per year. KidsnCommon.com offers a 30-day free trial. To register, visit http://www.KidsnCommon.com.
Target encourages parents to support teachers' supplies
Back-to-school shopping can be financially draining-especially for teachers. But this year, teachers can find relief through the Target Stores Classroom Wish List program on Target.com. Classroom Wish List hopes to reduce the extra expenses teachers incur by giving parents the opportunity to contribute to their child's classroom.
Through the program, teachers create a "wish list." Then, parents can search Target.com for the name of a specific teacher and view and purchase items from the teacher's customized list. Target sends all Classroom Wish List items directly to the teacher. To celebrate the launch of the Classroom Wish List program, visitors to the website can enter to win a $50 Target GiftCard and a $500 school donation.
For more information, visit http://www.Target.com/classroomwishlist.
Minneapolis Public Library offers passport to literacy to Head Start families
The Minneapolis Public Library is partnering with the 11 Parents in Community Action (PICA) Head Start centers in Minneapolis and Hennepin County. Head Start is a program designed to give preschoolers from low-income families a developmental edge when entering kindergarten.
More than 2,500 families with children enrolled in the program will receive a Literacy Bag filled with materials designed to help support parents' efforts at fostering their children's literacy skills. Included in the bag is a "Reading Railroad Passport" with space for four stamps. Parents who visit any Minneapolis Public Library with their children from Sept. 21 through Oct. 26 will be able to get their passport stamped. Plus, they'll receive a "bonus" stamp for attending a storytime at the library.
"If a child visits one of our libraries at least twice during the month-long program, we will have succeeded in helping parents see that literacy is a child's passport to learning and success," says Kit Hadley, Minneapolis Public Library director. "In addition, the family will receive a free children's book to call their own," she adds.
The "Reading Railroad Passport" program ends October 26, followed by an Autumn Festival on Thursday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. at all 11 PICA Head Start centers. Library staff will provide bilingual or trilingual storytimes at selected PICA Head Start centers on Oct. 28.
For hours and locations of Minneapolis Public Libraries, consult our website at http://www.mplib.org/ or call 612-630-6000. For information on PICA Head Start centers, visit http://www.picaheadstart.org/.
Website provides kid-friendly Minnesota attractions and travel info
Featuring everything from where to stay with the family dog, to which restaurants offer kid-friendly menus, Minneapolis-kids.com highlights Minneapolis' attractions for the younger crowd. The site also provides Minnesota facts and trivia-did you know that Minneapolis has more golfers per capita than any other city?
Minneapolis recently ranked fifth in the "Kid-Friendly Cities Report" by Population Connection and was named the "most fun city in America" by game maker Cranium-earned largely because its unique family-friendly events and attractions.
The site provides information about the top kids' and family attractions held in the Metro area. Learn more about what makes Minnesota a unique and enjoyable place to live by visiting the site.
For more information, visit http://www.minneapolis-kids.com.
