News & Stories

2018 Astros Caravan Rolls Into The Woodlands on January 12

Your 2018 Houston Astros are ready to travel around Southeast Texas for the 2018 Astros Caravan, presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors. The Caravan stops in The Woodlands on Friday, January 12th with a combination of community outreach and public appearances.

Fun Music Classes in Our Neighborhood! A Sneak Peek at Prelude Music

It's so special to make music with other people! On Monday, January 8, a handful of our readers joined me (Karen) at Prelude Music Classes to try out a couple of the music classes Prelude offers to families in The Woodlands. Below is a video that'll show you all the fun highlights!

We started out with free time in Prelude's imaginative, Montessori-inspired playroom stocked with wood toys, baby dolls, building blocks, and puzzles, and then we were summoned to the music room where the rest of the magic took place. The video speaks for itself - lots of rhythm-making, hand clapping, singing, dancing, and playing, all the while enjoying a beautiful bond with our children and each other. We ended each class with a calming music & rocking exercise, special snuggle time with our little ones, and complimentary snacks for our group, courtesy of Prelude.

What you don't see in the video is how cool, calm, and collected the music leader, Kasia, is. She made our music class a "happy," unhurried, uninhibited, space where kids and grown-ups alike could feel free and at ease. She also took care to give us insight into how our kids were connecting and learning throughout their musical experience there. I dare say I gained new awareness and appreciation for the responsive and ever-inquiring minds of our little ones!

Woohoo! Your Parking Meter Donations are going to these great charities!

Four Montgomery County charities will benefit from the thousands of dollars in change inserted in Market Street’s voluntary parking meters throughout 2018 as the shopping, dining and entertainment destination announces the beneficiaries of the 2018 Change for Charity program: CASA Child Advocates of Montgomery County, Foundation for Autism Care, Angel Reach and Canopy at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands.

The Woodlands Car Club also generously raises money for the Change for Charity recipients throughout the year at their events, held the first Sunday of each month. Their contributions, coupled with the amount donated to Market Street's 68 parking meters make up the total amount given to a selected charity each quarter.

“Market Street’s partnership with local charities continues to make a positive difference in our community,” says Noemi Gonzalez, marketing director at Market Street. “Our shoppers have contributed more than $150,000 to the Change for Charity program since its inception.”

Gingerbread Men all year long with Krusteaz! (Why not?)

I hope you don’t think it’s too late to make gingerbread men just because Christmas is over! Gingerbread can be enjoyed any time of year, and, for your little ones, it pairs especially well with a glass of milk and the classic folktale “The Gingerbread Man.” This Christmas, I was so thrilled to discover a delicious and oh-so-easy gingerbread mix, that I feel compelled to share it with you! I’m sure my family will this mix again and again throughout the years! Note: According to the product website, this mix is only around in the autumn season, so I recommend snagging a couple of boxes for your spring and summertime pantry while it’s still available.

For convenience, I grabbed a box of Krusteaz Gingerbread Cookie Mix from H-E-B so my girls could make cookies for Santa this year. Krusteaz wouldn’t have been my first choice. The box is kind of dull and the cookies on the photo look average. However, this was the cookie mix on the end cap of the frozen foods aisle, so we snagged a box on a whim on the way to the check-out line. We usually leave out sugar cookies or chocolate chip cookies for Santa, but I recently scored a new gingerbread man cookie cutter set in a White Elephant gift exchange, and I was anxious to put it to work.

Short drive from The Woodlands - Magical Winter Lights 2017

On your Christmas break, gas up the car and head through Houston down to LaMarque, TX! The 2017 Magical Winter Lights (MWL) has returned as a signature holiday event at Gulf Greyhound Park, and it's only a one-hour-and-twenty-minute drive from the back of The Woodlands. One of the largest holiday lighting events in Houston, and the largest lantern festival of its kind to take place in the U.S, Magical Winter Lights is open through January 2, 2018 including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day.

Tickets are $21 for adults and $13 for children 4-12 and seniors. Children under 4 are free. Parking is $5 cash on site. Festival hours are 5pm-10pm Sunday - Thursday and 5pm-11pm Friday & Saturday.

Cheers and Jeers at "Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight"

Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight, with performances through December 24 at the Hobby Center, delivers as a modern twist on the classic fairy tale. There are plenty of laughs for the parents, contemporary music and Disney stars for the kids and surprising audience interaction to help marry the family and stage experience.