Tuesday, April 9th - 2024 - Cheerleaders and dance teams from all over are in town for their National Championships. Paper boats will float on the New River to help families honor and remember loved ones. Rescheduled International Food Festival on the Riverwalk, and Nerf Gun battles buy the parents date-night out!👇

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Stuff You Won't Want To Miss:

1. Thursday at the Broward Center - Sleeping Beauty takes the stage. The South Florida Ballet Theater presents a storyland fairytale ballet. And Thursday night over at The Parker, Los Lonely Boys will be serving up La Bamba and more Tex-Mex Rock n' Roll.
2. Friday is ArtServe's public opening of the Bring National 'Healing Through Art' Initiative To Fort Lauderdale. Following in the footsteps of this year's first-ever National Summit on the Arts and subsequent launch of a new federal Interagency Working Group on Arts, Health, and Civic Infrastructure, Fort Lauderdale's ArtServe will open a new exhibit on Friday, April 12 called "Looking Forward-Healing Through Art."
3. MODS still has tickets for Saturday morning's Breakfast with the Otters. Enjoy dining al fresco on a buffet-style breakfast while Peach and Toosie curiously peek out from their viewing window at the guests! After breakfast, guests will be treated to a special Otter Talk. Last but not least, the handlers will give Peach and Toosie special enrichment treats.
4. Saturday is time (again) for the Riverwalk International Food Festival, sharing the best of South Florida's global cuisine scene all in one afternoon. This is a make-up date due to weather issues last month. This year's festival promises to be the biggest and most diverse yet, featuring cuisine from all over the world, live music, and family-friendly entertainment.
5. Parents - need a date night out for you - and some heart-pumping fun for the family? Try Nerf Wars Parents Night Out at Premier Martial Arts in Aventura on Saturday. Drop off your kids for an unforgettable Nerf battle experience while you enjoy a well-deserved night off.
6. Are you passionate about community gardens and sustainability? The UF IFAS is hosting a dynamic panel discussion featuring community garden leaders from across South Florida on Saturday morning.
7. Saturday afternoon, the Weston Branch Library is helping teens build their first resume to get ready for the summer job season. Learn how to create your first professional resume from scratch alongside your peers. Discover the secrets to crafting a compelling professional statement, showcasing volunteer experiences, describing home activities, listing extracurricular activities, and highlighting any work experience you may have.
8. At Esplanade Park on Sunday is the 11th Annual Hope Floats Memorial Boat Parade supporting children through grief and trauma. Last year, Tomorrow's Rainbow supported over 716 children facing grief and trauma, with 68% from low-income households. You can make a difference by purchasing a memorial paper boat for a child to decorate in memory of their loved one.
9. Sunday is also often a good day for the artisan markets: From Fort Lauderdale Beach, to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, and over to the New River Open Air Market, or the Sunny Side Market in MASS District. The Yellow-Green Market in Hollywood is also fun.
10. All weekend the US National Cheerleading & Dance Championships will be happening at the Broward Convention Center. Witness some of the Nations most talented, and respected programs, as they compete for the US National Championship!

Hey - quick question. Did we miss anything? Each week we do our research but you might know of an event, an organization, or a local business that deserves some love here in our weekly basket of goodies.

Just hit reply to this email and let us know!

FEATURED Fort Lauderdale

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Recently we met with Noelia Suarez (Executive Director) and Ken Fisher (Founder) to talk about the mission to educate and empower humanity about the power of our daily choices and the huge impact these choices have on the health and wellbeing of both ourselves and our planet. Heal The Planet has a number programs offered throughout the year, but the signature event is Heal The Planet Day on April 21st at Esplanade Park. Come out and celebrate Earth Day by bringing together the South Florida community for a day of family-friendly activities. Heal The Planet Day is a great event with an amazing array of activities for all ages, food vendors, live entertainment, and their amazing 25-foot Globe. https://healtheplanet.com/​

At Heal The Planet, they believe that Small Acts create Huge Impact, and are extremely excited to share our 100+ Ways To Heal The Planet.

The mission is to educate and empower the next generation of children and adults about the power of our daily choices and the huge impact these choices have on the health and well-being of both ourselves and our planet. 100+ Ways is designed to help you select a few new habits that you can implement to make a positive impact on a healthier, more abundant, and sustainable planet.

So... You Think You Know South Florida?

You probably know... here in Fort Lauderdale, we take our pickleball seriously.

But what you might not know is... we take it SO seriously, that we are building a Pickleball Stadium at Snyder Park, and not everyone is happy about it.

The demand for pickleball courts is growing, and construction of the pickleball stadium, called “The Fort,” is already underway.

Eight acres at Snyder Park in Fort Lauderdale will be carved out to build a 43-court pickleball stadium, which some residents say they never even got a chance to vote on.

“This is an area of Snyder Park, which is a gorgeous park as you can see, that has long been, basically just a trash heap where we have taken seaweed and composting, and really not utilized. So we are going to transform this into the first pickleball stadium in the country,” Fort Lauderdale Vice Mayor Steven Glassman said.

The stadium will be the largest in the nation, offering competitive players open play, clinics, leagues and tournaments.

Classifieds

• Love the Family Friendly Fort Lauderdale Newsletter? Please help us support the upcoming Children's Business Fair (May 11th). We are seeking sponsors for our category vote-getters (most creative, best salesmanship, etc) with sponsorship levels of $100, $250, and $500 options. Hit reply and we will hook you up with the details.
• Every day at Acton, we are working on our goal-setting and goal-getting - because it is important to be the kind of person who says what they are going to do, and then does it. Want to do some goal conversations with your little one at home? Try this worksheet from 'This Time of Mine' - The Spring Growth Plan.
• 🌟 Job Opportunity at Colossal Academy 🌟 Colossal Academy, in partnership with Outschool, is seeking enthusiastic individuals to join our team as Conversational English Teachers! Visit the "work with us" page for more details.
• If you're looking for an action-packed day of all-day play, Urban Air (Plantation) has you covered! For a limited time, we've taken 40% OFF our top-two tier attraction tickets*- no code required. Buy your tickets and enjoy unlimited access to all the best attractions and let 'em fly! Offer excludes Saturdays.

Quote Of The Week

This quote is attributed to many people. Some actually follow their own advice. Others just talk about it. But if you like the premise, you might also want to check out this Ikigai 2.0 book.

Flotsam & Jetsam

Famous Phrases You Might Be Getting Wrong

You "think" you know what these phrases mean... but you might be surprised:

“The early bird gets the worm.”

The full phrase reads: “The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.”

This totally changes the expected meaning because while early risers and go-getters like to say “the early bird gets the worm,” that’s not the whole phrase! The second part of the adage implies that first isn’t always best.

Or... let's try another one:

“My country, right or wrong.”

The full phrase reads: “My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong to be set right.”

This one is a direct quote by Carl Schurz, an American Senator, in 1872. The shorter, more common, saying is often used to pledge unwavering support for one’s country, regardless of politics. But his full quote takes on a different sentiment, certainly lighter on the moral blindness: This is my country, and we have a duty to steer it in the right direction.

If you liked learning the real story behind common phrases, you might like this list of famous phrases commonly misunderstood.

Idiom Of The Week

The idiom "Rob Peter to Pay Paul" means to take from one source or person to satisfy a debt or obligation owed to another. It implies a temporary solution to a financial problem by shifting resources from one place to another, often without addressing the underlying issue.

While the precise, 100% agreed-upon origins are uncertain, one theory (a favorite one actually) suggests that the phrase originated during the Reformation in England when King Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of monasteries. Supposedly, funds from one church, often dedicated to St. Peter, were appropriated to fund the repairs or maintenance of another church, often dedicated to St. Paul. Thus, it was as if Peter was being "robbed" to pay Paul. ~ Source​

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