Right down the road from Liongate is My Gym Children’s Fitness Center, a place just for kids! My Gym is an excellent alternative to TV, movies, or video games and a great way to keep your children active and physically fit. Structured age appropriate programs are available for children six weeks to 13 years of age. These programs aim to enhance strength, balance, coordination, social skills but most of all just have fun through activity.  Specific programs such as camp, karate, sports, music, dance, and arts and crafts are available as well as drop off programs which are very popular and fill up quickly. One example is Parent Night Out. Saturday nights from 6pm – 9pm for ages 2 ½ to 9 years old. Activities are planned and they have a blast and leave healthier, tired and ready for bed. 1 child is $30. 2 children: $40. 3+ children: $45.

My Gym is a great idea for that special Birthday Party. The staff will bring My Gym to your house or a park of your choice!

The fall schedule which begins September 7^th, 2010 is up. Enroll now to be sure you get the spot you want.

Call for more information: 610-363-6090.

Location: 138 Eagleview Blvd in Lionville, PA 19353

Chester County Library

Chester County gets blanketed with more snow! And…. Phil, the groundhog saw his shadow…. I think this means more books, warm blankets, and cuddle time.

Are you aware of the great resources available with a free library membership in the Chester County Library System? They are one of the best library networks that I’ve experienced. I’m sure some of you think those spiny things with pages that you turn are quickly being replaced by digital turners, but I like to feel the pages in my hands too.

The closest library to the Liongate Community is the branch in Chester Springs on Art School Road. The historic building is a treat in itself.

For other Chester County Library Locations check out their website here.

Free Audio Books to Download

Oh! And if you do like to listen to audio books, did you know about the free downloads of books you can get on their website for members? They have many titles – check out the Audio Library here.

You can find a whole lot more resources there too – story hours, free classes, online databases, book reservations, movies, so much more!

I’m partial to snow… I don’t like to tell everyone that, cause I see the wide eyes gaze back to me like “AHHH, you’re crazy!” I like taking pictures of snow covered objects and I like watching from the warmth of my home. But, some people like to go out and travel … if you do, please stay safe!

Remember the road crews work hard to keep the roads cleaned off – and emergency workers need to get to work, so less is better for a while. I was in one of the many accidents on the 30 Bypass last week when another driver hit a patch of ice and lost control – it happens fast !

If you have somewhere you need to be, you can check out road conditions here on The Team website.
Stay warm!

Today I started my run from sidewalk end at Eaton Court.

Look right and you will see the bridge and basketball court.
Look left and you will see the pond with the fountain.
I decided to turn left and managed to keep my shoes dry as I ran to the left of the pond and around the edge to a cul-de-sac at Pickering Pointe and continued to Davis Road.

Davis Road has hills and special meaning for me. “The Barn” is where my daughter and son-in-law lived for a few years. If you look closely, you will see deer all around the property at any time of the day or night. The first year they lived there, my son-in-law won a medal at Run for Life in Downingtown at Good Neighbor Day. He credited it to the hill training as their routine running routes.

At the stop sign on Upper Pine Creek Rd, I was just short of a mile according to my Forerunner. I turned left on Upper Pine Creek Rd continued on that tree lined road until the stop sign on 401 where I turned around. The sight of the strong horses and running creek on my left give me the energy I need on the way back. When I see a deer on my run, I consider it a wonderful gift and it is one of the few times I will stop during my run. I remind myself to enjoy the moment of nature and scratch my time. I encourage you to do the same. I told myself I was almost there the entire way up the hill on Davis Rd. It doesn’t look as steep when you drive it. I was very happy to turn left into Pickering Pointe and coast down the hill to the cul-de-sac to return to the end of the sidewalk at Eaton Court. 3.35 miles.

Where do you enjoy running? Biking? Walking? If you’d like to get creative in your routes, and you don’t have a GPS to track your distance, some people like MapMyRun.com.

Chester Springs Pumpkins & Ice Cream

Chester Springs is home to Milky Way Farm and located right across the street from Liongate – it’s the perfect spot for Pumpkins, Cows, and Homemade Ice Cream! What a combination.

You can still get in on the free hayrides to the pumpkin patch on the last weekend of October – they are open from 10:00AM-5:00PM. If you want to purchase pumpkins you can do that weekdays from 3:00PM-5:00PM. Surely one of the 25,000 or so pumpkins they grow will be just perfect for you.

My favorite part of Milky Way Farm? My personal favorite ice cream and milkshakes in all of Chester County ! Cute flavors are named with the cows in mind “Claire’s Cookies n Cream” is usually my choice You can stop in for ice cream while there for pumpkin picking – they’re open from 1:00PM-9:00PM.

So take a break and venture out for Pumpkins & Ice Cream in Chester Springs. For further information you can call Milky Way Farm at (610) 363-8500.

Marsh Creek Pennsylvania State Park is about 15 minutes away from Liongate. You can swim, boat, relax, picnic, and all sorts of things at this park.

by Kim Wood