By Nan Marshall
Contributing Writer

An abundance of advice for modern parents provokes debate.  Is the neighborhood safe for play?  Are kids too focused on screen media and electronic toys?  How do you teach your kid the rudiments of social interaction?  Toss out the questions and stand back for a spirited debate.  Everyone will have different views and experiences that shape their thinking.

But ask whether today’s children have enough opportunity to climb, jump, slide or generally scamper about and you will find little disagreement.  They don’t.  With wishful nostalgia, parents will recall the joys of their childhoods of unstructured play.  How can parents in 2010 allow their children autonomy while keeping them safe?

Sharing the concerns of their fellow parents, Lisa and Frank Chappell decided to create an environment that would provide a safe place for children to be both adventurous and protected - a place where children would think running around and making friends was more fun than engaging in the virtual reality of a computer game.  They wanted to create a place that would offer opportunities for children of all body types to experience those exuberant bursts of energy of youth.  In other words, a place where kids could simply enjoy themselves and get lost in the fun of it all.

After four years of research, the Chappells chose the Monkey Joe’s franchise, scouted out a central location on Eisenhower Drive near Hodgson Memorial Pkwy. and in September of 2009 opened the doors for business.  Monkey Joe’s is an inflatable filled indoor play and party center that provides children twelve years-old and younger with engaging physical activity and entertainment.

Attention to cleanliness and safety were key factors in the Chappell’s selection of the Monkey Joe’s franchise.  The use of Swisher Hygiene reduces exposure to germs and cross contamination otherwise prevalent in public playgrounds, schools and amusement parks.

“Safety is the top priority from the time our guests enter and are processed through SACCS to when they play on the first inflatable,” explains Lisa Chappell. The minute the child steps into Monkey Joe’s he receives an armband matching him to his parents and both are checked by employees upon exiting.  Safe play is monitored by whistle-bearing referees.  As a result, parents can relax as Monkey Joe’s staff keeps an eye on the cavorting children.

With childhood obesity rates soaring, it’s no surprise parents have welcomed Monkey Joe’s to the Coastal Empire.  Since 1980 childhood obesity has tripled.  Currently 12.5 million American children and teens aged two to nineteen are obese – 17 percent of the population.  An additional 16.5 percent of all children are at risk for becoming overweight according to the office of the Surgeon General.

Why are we experiencing this staggering and disturbing surge in obesity?  The answer is too much screen time and too little exercise time.  For the sedentary child, the world is intolerably dull and slow moving place by comparison with the excitement available by the press of a button or the flick of a switch.

 
In his over four decades of practice, veteran Savannah pediatrician Dr. Joseph Morrison has witnessed the changes in our society that have made it more difficult for children to get one to two hours of exercise daily.  He says, “You can’t tell a little kid to go outside for an hour.  He isn’t going to do it, and in many cases it’s not safe.  Nor can you depend on school to satisfy a child’s physical education requirements.  Parents need to figure it out.  They can register the child in an organized sports program, take a family walk or go to a play ground, but exercise is not going to happen without family involvement.” 

A study presented at the American Heart Association’s 2010 Conference reported that exercise strengthened kid’s brains as well as their bodies. Students who were athletic had the best scores in reading, math, social studies and science tests.  Kids who were sedentary or in other words “couch potatoes” had the lowest scores.

First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative recommends 60 minutes of active play a day.  “From the time children are mobile, it is important that they learn and practice all types of exercise,” explains Savannah pediatrician Dr. Ramon Ramos. “By running, jumping, climbing, sliding, bouncing, throwing, catching and kicking, youth will develop not only physically and mentally, but also they will develop the sense of leadership and team work, which is important in the growth of a united community.”  Coach Jason Creager, Savannah Country Day Physical Education teacher notes, “Play and exercise help kids develop balance coordination and an overall intuitive sense of their bodies.  To help our children learn to navigate the world, we need to give them opportunities to face a bit of uncertainty, test their bravery and meet the challenge.”

But how can we get our kids to exercise?  As parents can testify, this objective is often easier said than done.  The enticing equipment at Monkey Joe’s provided the solution for a visitor to Savannah.  An entry on Trip Advisor reads, “Our family was excited to discover Monkey Joe’s on our recent trip to Savannah.  Our children absolutely loved it, and we had to drag them out of there. We were especially thrilled to see the one son who normally just wants to sit in front of computer actually get some real exercise and enjoy it.”

So no excuses of, “It’s too hot, it’s raining, the bugs are biting, I don’t have anybody to play with.”  Monkey Joe’s has broken down the barriers for recreation and offers a chance for kids to develop the healthy habit of play in a clean and air-conditioned environment.  Through play children learn how they fit with people, how people fit with them and how they all fit together in the community.

By Emily Mathis
SDN Staff Report

July 1, 2010 - Savannah’s food queen, Paula Deen, held court at the Lucas Theatre Wednesday night as she announced the four winners of the Real Women of Philadelphia, a national cooking contest sponsored by Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese with Deen as the spokesperson.

The eight-week long cooking competition invited women from across the country to submit videos of them self creating and cooking recipes that use Philadelphia brand cream cheese for the chance to win a $25,000 talent contract. Winners will have the opportunity to host a weekly online only cooking show that will appear on her website www.PaulaDeen.com/realwomen, and possibly become TV food personalities, as well.
Of the more than 5,000 entries, 16 finalists were chosen (four each for appetizer, side dish, entrée, and dessert categories) based on personality, originality, appearance, and taste. The finalists were then flown to Savannah on Sunday in preparation for a cook-off that was held the next day, with the final four chosen Wednesday night.

On Monday, each woman cooked her respective cream-cheese dish for the competition’s judges - Ms. Deen, her Aunt Peggy, Robin Ross of Kraft Food’s Culinary Center of Excellence, and Lori Lange of RecipeGirl.com.
Two days later, the four winners were announced at the Lucas Theatre – one each from the four geographic areas of the country. They were Mandy Heaston of Seattle, WA who won the side dish category for her “Asparagus and Parmesan Cream Pastry”; Caryn Ross of Norman, OK in the appetizer category for her “Sassy Tailgate Sandwiches”; Sheila Cutchlow of Washington, D.C. who won the entrée category with “Joy Bundles and Rice”, and KC Quaretti-Lee of Venice, FL in the dessert category for her “French Apple Cake.”

“Those girls are me, 21 years ago in Savannah, Georgia wanting to take responsibility for myself,” Deen told a crowd of several hundred enthusiastic fans at the Lucas. Thousands more watched the announcement of the winners virally through the event’s live-stream, shown on RealWomenofPhiladelphia.com.

Since its launch the end of March 2010, 590,000 users have visited RealWomenofPhiladelphia.com. Deen said the online community, estimated at 220,000, has created a “sisterhood like you wouldn’t believe.”

The finalists all appeared to have had a great time in Savannah. For Debbie Fabre, a dessert finalist from Florida who has been unemployed since losing her job as a Christian school principle two and a half years ago, and who sent in 18 videos before being selected, the community of women has given her a renewed self-confidence in pursuing her passion. She represented a number of the contestants with a goal to become the next Food Network star, a success story that Deen embodies.

“When would I have ever done this? It’s something I’ve dreamed of for years, and Paula Deen opened doors,” Fabre said.

Although Fabre did not ultimately win, she plans to continue to pursue a cooking career by working on her blog and twitter pages. Fabre also plans to submit recipes for the Real Women of Philadelphia competition’s 80-day open call for cream-cheese recipes, set to begin soon.

For 80 days, The Real Women of Philadelphia competition will be giving away $500 to the best cream-cheese recipe of that day. The winning recipes will also be considered for inclusion in an upcoming cookbook the four winners are collaborating on. Winning recipes are available now on RealWomenofPhiladelphia.com.

Winning Recipes

Originally posted on RealWomenOfPhiladelphia.com)

Mandy Heaston’s Winning Side Dish Recipe – Asparagus and Parmesan Cream Pastry

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 20 minutes
• Total time: 35 minutes
• Servings: 8

What You’ll Need:
• 8 ounce(s) of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry dough
• 1/2 cup(s) of grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tbsp. of fresh lemon juice
• 5 basil leaves, chopped
• 1 pound of fresh asparagus (16 spears)
• 1 pinch of sea salt
• 2 tbsp. of olive oil
• 2 tbsp. of shaved Parmesan cheese
• 1 nonstick cooking spray

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Remove pastry dough from freezer and let thaw for 10 minutes.
3. While dough is thawing, wash and trim asparagus so it is 1
4. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, grated Parmesan, chopped basil leaves, and lemon juice. Set aside.
5. Spread dough onto a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cut into four equal rectangles and spread apart slightly on sheet.
6. Spread cream cheese mixture onto each of the pastry rectangles, not quite to each edge.
7. Press four asparagus spears onto each rectangle, alternating direction.
8. Sprinkle pastries with a pinch of sea salt and drizzle with olive oil.
9. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-22 minutes until pastries are golden brown.
10. Remove from oven, slice each pastry in half and transfer to serving platter.
11. Garnish with a sprinkle of shaved Parmesan cheese and serve.


KC Quaretti-Lee’s Winning Dessert Recipe - French Apple Cake

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 35 minutes
• Total time: 50 minutes
• Servings: 8

What You’ll Need:
• 1 1/2 cup(s) of sugar
• 4 tsp. of water
• 1/2 lemon
• 6 apples
• 3 Eggs
• 1 cup of flour
• 8 ounces of butter
• 4 ounces of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
• 3 Optional Ingredients
• 8 ounces of Nuts and Honey Philadelphia Cream Cheese
• 1 cup of Whipping Cream
• 1/4 cups of Powdered Sugar

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Prepare a caramel: heat 3/4-cup sugar with 4 teaspoons water when the sugar becomes light brown add the juice of 1/2 lemon and remove from heat
3. Coat the bottom and sides of a spring form pan with the caramel.
4. Peel, core and thinly slice the apples and arrange in an attractive circular overlapping pattern on the caramel.
5. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with 3⁄4 cup sugar.
6. Add the flour, butter and Philadelphia Cream Cheese and continue beating until you have a creamy batter.
7. Pour over apples and caramel and bake for 35 minutes
8. Let cool slightly prior to turning over onto a decorative cake plate.
9. Optional: While cake is baking beat Nuts and Honey Philadelphia Cream Cheese until fluffy. Beat whipping cream until fluffy and then add 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Gently fold the whipped Philadelphia Cream Cheese into the Whipped Cream and chill well using the freezer if necessary. Top the warm cake slices with a spoonful of Philadelphia Cream Cheese/whipped Cream mixture and enjoy!