Friday, February 3

Pro Bull Riding Invitation

Story Time Pace Library

Saturday, February 4

Pro Bull Riding Invitational

Story Time Westside Branch

Home Depot Kid’s Clinic

Story Time Barnes and Noble

Lads and Lassies

• Address: 1339 Creighton Road, Pensacola, FL 32504
• Phone Number: 850.477.8748

Lollipops

• Address: 4341 Woodbine Road, Pace, FL 32571
• 850.304.0010

Consignment Sales/Swaps (in alphabetical order)

Hand Me Down Moms – The goal of Hand Me Down Moms is to “hold monthly swap meets, where local families can trade items that they or their children no longer need, for items they do need!”

• Connect with Hand Me Down Moms on Facebook.

Loving Kids Swap - Loving Kids Swap is a “great resource for you to find a new home for outgrown clothing and toys no longer needed, in  trade for the things you currently need in just a few hours time without spending a lot of money.”

• The next Loving Kids Swap event is February 25, 2012.
• Connect with Loving Kids Swap on Facebook.

Lullabies and Mudpies – Participate in consignment to make some extra money and/or shop the sales to get great deals on clothing, toys, furniture and more.

• The next Lullabies and Mudpies event begins February 24, 2012.
• Connect with Lullabies and Mudpies on Facebook.

Mom2mom – Mom2mom is a kids resale event.  Consign your children’s clothing and more or shop for a great deal.

• The next Mom2mom event begins March 3, 2012.
• Connect with Mom2mom on Facebook.

Tots, Teens and in be-Tweens – Consign your gently used children’s clothing and baby items or go shopping for a great deal for your family.

• The next Tots, Teens, and in be-Tweens event will begin March 14, 2012.
• Connect with Tots, Teens and in be-Tweens on Facebook.

Friday, January 27

Gallery Night

Story Time Pace Library

Hockey Game

Saturday, January 28

Read to Dogs Southwest Branch

Story Time Westside Branch

Lowe’s Build and Grow

Story Time Barnes and Noble

The Special Olympics is hosting a Mardi Gras Fun Run and Walk on February 11, 2012 at the Osceola Golf Course.   The purpose of the fun run is to raise awareness of the Special Olympics program and also to raise funds that will benefit athletes.  You can participate individually, with family and friends, or as a team.  Each participant will receive an event t-shirt and a finisher medal.  There will also be a Finish Line Party after the event.  Download the entry form, donation page, and rules here.  For more information, please use the contact listed here.

Saturday, January 21st

Mardi Gras Marching Band Parade

Story Time Westside Branch

Story Time Barnes and Noble

Sunday, January 22nd

Harlem Globetrotters

You and your family can be a part of the Guiness Book of World Records!  On January 21, Pensacola Mardi Gras, Inc. will hold the first annual Pensacola Mardi Gras Marching Madness Parade.  There will be high school marching bands competing  for a grand prize and Mardi Gras Krewes in parade as well.

During the parade, everyone will participate in the Cupid Shuffle to attempt to break the world record for line dancing.  For more information, visit the Pensacola Mardi Gras Marching Madness Parade FB page.

Several days a year, the National Park Service offers free entrance to all 397 national parks around the United States.  We are so lucky to live near the Gulf Islands Seashore, one of only ten national seashores.  Gulf Islands Seashore is not only home to beautful beaches but also to Ft. Picken’s where your family can explore the fort and all of its nooks and crannies.  This weekend, entrance admission will be waived for January 14th, 15th, and 16th.

I have looked all over for the start time of the parade but can’t find it.  If you know when the parade begins, please leave us the time (and a link to the information if you have it).  We appreciate it!

Here are some Martin Luther King activities that you and your children can do at home:

Printable Activities and Worksheets 

Word Searches, Coloring Sheets, and Word Scrambles

Martin Luther King, Jr. Crafts

There is no scientific data to this post…I just asked my kids and my husband what their favorite activities were throughout the year!  Here is our 2011 top ten list of favorite activities  in no particular order:

Distinctive Kitchens Kid’s Cooking Classes – This is the only activity that I haven’t written about yet.  We were invited to attend (disclosure: our cost was covered) a DK Kid’s cooking class where we made rolled out gingerbread and put together a huge gingerbread house over a two day period.  At first glance some of the classes seem a little pricey, but after attending the gingerbread house making class we think that they are worth it.  The spring schedule is on the DK calendar where you will find kid’s classes, camps, and preschool mommy and me classes.  I am hoping to enroll Big S in the Wintry Breakfast Foods because he loves to eat breakfast foods!

Parks, parks, and more parks – This year, my goal was to visit a new park each week. Well, that didn’t happen but we did visit a lot of new parks around town and found a few new favorites.  Our favorite park of the year is Miralla Park.  This little neighborhood park is set away from major streets, has a great playground equipment and a large grassy area to run around.  Some of the other parks we enjoyed visiting this year were Bryan Park, Beulah Regional Park, Regency Park, and Lions Park.

Frozen Yogurt Shops – Pensacola saw a yogurt shop business boom this year.  Frozen yogurt shops opened up all over town and if you read this site regularly it will come as no surprise that we visited every single one (TCBY’s Waffle Cone Wednesday made our 2010 top ten list last year!).  TCBY opened up on 9 Mile Road and 32 degrees and Berry Yogurt opened up over by the mall.

Holiday Light Displays – We love to bundle up in blankets and drive around town looking at the lights.  This year, my kids were old enough to really love the light displays all over town.  We had lots favorites but this one off of Longleaf and Nathan Drive topped them all!

Condor Sailing Adventures – Recently, my children have a new-found love for all things boat.  They love to watch the boats, count the boats and sail the boats after our sail with Condor Sailing Adventures (*disclosure: our cost was covered).  It was so great to see Pensacola from the water.  We got a great view of the Maritime Park construction and enjoyed learning how to sail the boat.

Downtown Trick or Treat – After posting for three years about the Downtown Trick or Treat, we finally made it to the event.  We had so much fun! The kids loved collecting candy and I loved wandering in some of the little shops I hadn’t been able to visit yet.

Free Summer Movies - This summer we took advantage of the free summer movies to get out of the heat.  Four different theaters participated in a summer movie program and the Silver Screen also had a weekly $1 show.  We enjoyed catching up on movies that we missed through the school year and the best part was that it was free!  We also took advantage of the Friday Family Flicks downtown.  As it gets closer to summertime, check back for the schedules.  We update the site as we receive the free summer movie schedule.

Chagall for Children Exhibit – This year, the Pensacola Museum of Art had the Chagall for Children exhibit on loan from the Kohl Children’s Museum of Greater Chicago.  It was an awesome hands-on experience introducing children to Chagall’s artwork.  They don’t currently have a hands-on exhibit for children but I hope that they will continue to welcome them in the future.  The museum is free to visit on Tuesdays and they offer children’s art classes and camps.

Festivals of all kinds – This year was the year of the festival for us.  We missed a lot of the festivals in 2010 because of my other broken foot (refer to first paragraph…ha!) so we made up for it in 2011.  We attended the Gulf Coast Arts Festival, the Seafood Festival, the Festival on the Green, Gallery Night and Mardi Gras and that doesn’t even include half of the festivals Pensacola has to offer.  The festivals are great family friendly events because there is usually a children’s arts and crafts area that is free and good for most ages.

Day Trips and Overnighters – Along with exploring Pensacola on the weekends, we also made some day trips and overnighters.  We had some great adventures nearby!  Our absolute favorite was our visit to LEGOLAND Florida’s opening weekend in Orlando with a visit to Callaway Gardens, Georgia (Did you know you can book a cabin on the grounds?! We didn’t!) and Seaside tying for a close second place.

These were our favorite activities for 2011 but this site wouldn’t be around if it weren’t for all of our great readers.  We asked you on our Pensacola with Kids Facebook Page what your favorite activity of 2011 was and this is what you said (listed in no particular order):

Fort Pickens

Snow Cones at Da Girlz Place after Story Time at Big Lagoon State Park

Perdido Key Blue Angel Park

Sunsets at Plaza de Luna

Roger Scott Pool

Perdido Kids Park

TT Wentworth Museum

Navarre Butterfly House and the John Duncan Children’s Park

Fort Barrancas

Naval Air Museum

Do you want to read more about some of our favorite spots and activities in Pensacola?  See our Top Ten of 2010 and Top  Five of 2009 lists!

Saturday, January 7th

Yarn Backpack Buddy Make-it-Take-it at Michaels

Candlelight Tours at Ft. Barrancas

American Girl Book Club at Southwest Branch

Home Depot Kid’s Clinic

Story Time at Barnes and Noble

Hockey Game

Sunday, January 8th

American Girl Book Club at Barnes and Noble