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Philly’s Picnic with a Purpose

**The video is working now.**

Y’all, yesterday was SO much fun.  Even though there were several roadblocks along the way (and I mean that literally AND figuratively) the picnic came off without a hitch, and I am SO grateful for the help of so many of my fellow bloggers (and their husbands) who came together to make this such a fun and laid back event.

philly mom bloggers circa 2009

We had gorgeous weather. It couldn’t have been more perfect. There wasn’t a fly or a bee in sight. Seriously, a picnic without FLIES, I didn’t know such a thing could happen. (Note to self: host all future picnics in May.)

First, the roadblocks (in addition to the literal one, that is): I was disappointed on Friday when I found out my husband was unable to attend (read: supervise the children and carry heavy boxes of supplies to and from the car.) But even though he couldn’t make it to the picnic, he drove all over town yesterday morning and went to FOUR grocery stores to find enough Hebrew National hot dogs for the picnic.  PLUS, he willingly and without complaint drove back to the party store to retrieve the balloons that I paid for and absentmindedly left in the store. (Yes, he’s a GEM, and you can’t have him.)

Then yesterday morning I got a call from Emily of The Motherhood, saying she was unable to attend due to an injury that needed immediate medical attention. I had been looking forward to hanging out again, and disappointed that I wouldn’t have a partner to share in the hostessing and media coverage, but with the help of a few good bloggers, I was able to get all the supplies to and from the picnic. And judging by the number of cameras on the premises, there will be plenty of media coverage to go around.

Now, on to the GOOD STUFF: Big shout out and megathanks to my good friend girlymama who was a tremendous help with the planning and shopping. Also, to the husbands of Shannon and Sarah — the guys who hovered over the grills and kept the flame from getting blown out, to provide us with perfectly cooked hot dogs. I also want to give a shout out to Crayola, who donated a huge box of goodies for the children at Home of the Sparrow, in addition to all the generous donations brought by the attendees of the picnic.

Okay, that’s enough of the businessy stuff.  Now on to the FUN part!  PICTURES!!!

Hebrew National sent t-shirts for all the kids.  Some of the adults got in on the fun too!  This is my littlest.  She’s not at all camera-shy:

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The crafts were a hit!  Thanks to whomever suggested decorating these foam visors!!

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Jenn worked TIRELESSLY painting faces.  Here is Mel‘s little girl:

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This is my middle:

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The kids decorated these baskets for the donations we collected.

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The outpouring of donations was phenomenal.

hebrewThe kids gobbled those hot dogs right up!

hebrew3Now THAT’S a hot dog.

hebrew8After dinner, we planted flowers for the residents at Home of the Sparrow.

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Before we left, we tried to gather all the bloggers together for a photo.  Unfortunately not quite everyone had a chance to jump in the picture.

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We had SUCH a good time.  Philly has an amazing community of mom bloggers.  I can’t wait to hang out again!!!

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26 Responses

  1. Looks like y’all had a blast. Hebrew National (and Nathans) are the only hotdogs I eat.

  2. This looks wonderful! Our mutual friend Grace told me about it and your blog. I’m new to this, so I look forward to learning much more since you’re an expert!!

  3. I love it!! You gals look like you had a blast, and the weather couldn’t have been better!! Awesome–now we’ve just got to get it together down in the DC Metro!

  4. Jo-Lynne! This is WONDERFUL! You did such a fantastic job and the women of Philly (and beyond!) are both beautiful and amazing. Can I just say how much I smiled when I realized that you had people there from at least three states!!!! Wow, what an incredible difference you all made for so many. I am touched, honored and inspired by you and all the women who participated yesterday. What a fantastic picnic and I am so impressed and moved by the work you did on behalf of the incredibly inspirational Home of the Sparrow. Thank you Jo-Lynne and all who were a part of the Philly Picnic! Way.To.Go!

  5. Looks like it was a smash hit! And for a great cause, too. I’m so glad for you that there were no flies or bees. Amazing how such a little detail can make such a difference! =)

  6. Great post! Love all the pictures.

    You truly did a fantastic job organizing the picnic. Everybody had a blast and it was good times by all. It was a great feeling to be part of our service project. Home of the Sparrow was a great organization to contribute too and I liked how I could teach my kids about giving since kids were involved in the organization.

    There was such a great turnout too. It was nice to see the old gange from dinner last summer and I wish I would have been able to meet a couple who I didn’t recognize, but didn’t quite make all the rounds. We’ll have to have another picnic! I think it was great that we came from all around. Of course I would travel almost 3 hours for a picnic with just anybody. I love my Philly mommybloggers!!

    Thanks for inviting us! Zoe and Dylan are still talking about the picnic and their new friends! Thank you for working so hard so we could have such a blast. Have a great week.
    Mel

  7. Definitely worth all the work! You and Melissa did such a nice job keeping everything running smoothly and I love the facepainting and crafts and even the food selection! And, you say you aren’t an event planner — You did great! It was a very lovely day all around.

    It was really nice to hear from the ladies at Home of the Sparrow. I am so glad they could come.

  8. Oh, I loved this! You guys all look so cute and it looked like the perfect afternoon for a picnic. Glad those roadblocks didn’t deter you from your cause. That is awesome!

  9. Looks like a great time was had by all. I am so glad that it went so well, it can be stressful planning gatherings like that. Well Done!!

  10. You did a fabulous job with this picnic. It was a great day! I loved being able to have fun for a great cause. It was great seeing everyone too.

    My post is up but I’m having some trouble this morning trying to get some of the photo credit links to work. I’ll work on it again later so that everyone is properly credited and I’ll try to add more pics too.

  11. What an amazing, incredible picnic you had!!!! The energy is bouncing off the screen, what with your gorgeous group of star bloggers and all the activities and support for Home of the Sparrow. Congratulations on your huge success!!!!

  12. Jo-Lynne, I’m so glad everything went well. Looks like everyone had a great time!

  13. I love it when blogging leads to “good things” for others. Y’all had a GREAT time (it looks and sounds like) and Home of the Sparrow benefited. After hearing you weren’t feeling well, I was a bit concerned, but it looks like everything worked out in the end.

    Great job, Jo-Lynne (and I loved hearing Sarah, too!)

  14. Jo-Lynne, you’re gorgeous as always. I normally don’t like capris, but you wear them like a rock star. You look great.

    Kudos to you for planning such a huge event. I’m exhausted just thinking about it. 😉

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