I love the concept of Empty Bowls Houston to help feed the hungry in our area. For just a $25 donation, enjoy a simple lunch Saturday, May 18, 11 am – 3 pm, and select your choice of a one-of-a-kind handcrafted bowl to take home. 100% of the proceeds benefit Houston Food Bank.

This event is such a great way to teach kids about helping others. I attended with my girls a few years ago, and we really enjoyed it. The hardest part was selecting our bowls from the hundreds of unique and beautiful handmade bowls! Two of the bowls we selected are in the photo.

In addition to the lunch, the event features live music and art demonstrations. The collections of bowls are made and donated by Houston area craft artists and ceramists. Whole Foods Market has graciously donated the soup lunch. All the festivities will be at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft at 4848 Main Street.

Some of the top movies are already discounted at the theater this weekend. Fans of Studio Movie Grill can save with discount tickets to certain movies, thanks to a Facebook coupon. Print 2 for $10 passes to Iron Man 3, The Great Gatsby, The Croods, Peeples, and more. Find the coupons to print online here using the movie photo. Limited quantities are available, so print yours today. Each coupon has a unique bar code, so it can only be used once.

Studio Movie Grill is located at 822 Town & Country Blvd. (CityCentre) and 8580 Highway 6 N. (at West Road) in Copperfield.

Here is a snapshot of a few of today’s daily deals in Houston. Don’t miss the new Houston Daily Deals page for a complete round-up of daily deals.

Backstreet Boys Concert — $25 for a reserved seat ticket to Backstreet Boys Concert at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 31, 7:30 p.m. ($52 value)

Berri Swirl — Five Frozen Yogurts or $5 for $10 Worth of Frozen Yogurt at Berri Swirl

George Ranch Historical Park — $10 for Admission for Two to George Ranch Historical Park in Richmond ($20 value) or $19 for Four ($40 value)

Big Time Rush & Victoria Justice Summer Break Tour — $20 for Big Time Rush & Victoria Justice at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion June 28 (Up to $47.80 Value)

Track 21 — $29 for Indoor Go-Kart Races, Laser Tag, Mini Golf, and Sodas for Two at Track 21 ($62 value)

Yoga Heart Studio — $39 for Five or Ten Hatha Yoga Classes at Yoga Heart Studio ($85 Value)

Picaboo — $19 for $70 Worth of Custom Photo Books, Canvas Prints, Collage Posters, Enlargements and More from Picaboo (73% Off)

Paula Deen — $15 for Cooking & Entertaining Show with Paula Deen! at MetroCooking Houston ($29 Value)

Simply Pho — $20 for $40 at Vietnamese Food for Two or Four at Simply Pho (Half Off)

The Social Knitwork — Crocheting Class with Supplies for One, Two, or Four at The Social Knitwork (Up to 51% Off)

I am an affiliate partner with several of the daily deal sites — meaning they thank me with credit/compensation for sending folks to their sites.

Houston SPCA is celebrating the Great Gatsby this weekend with its “Great Catsby” $5 Feline sale, May 17-19. Prices are slashed since cats are normally $65 and kittens $95.

The adoption fee includes everything you need (vaccinations, spay/neuter surgery, complimentary wellness exam, microchipping with lifetime registration, and a gift courtesy of Hill’s Science Diet) — a $400 value. Go online here to search for your new forever friend!

The Houston SPCA is located at 900 Portway Drive. Hours are Monday through Friday from 11 am – 7 pm and Saturday from 10 am – 6 pm.

Save up to 25% on tickets to music icon Barry Manilow Saturday, May 18, thanks to ScoreBig or 50% off Dave Matthews Band Friday, May 17. New customers can save $25 off $100+ order with promo code HOUSTON25OFF100. This code is valid through June 30. Here are some other exciting Houston shows and sporting events:

New Kids on the Block
Pitbull
Flashdance the Musical
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Sister Act
Fun
Houston Astros
Houston Dynamos

Go online to ScoreBig to purchase tickets to upcoming shows. As always, there are no ticket fees at ScoreBig, so you can save a bundle! Simply bid your price and see if it’s accepted. So easy!

I partner with ScoreBig to bring you great ticket deals. In return, I get paid a bit when you purchase through my link. Win, win!

The weekend is almost here. What are your plans? Here is a snapshot of a few free events and activities to enjoy with your family and friends:

Fight for real food — Take a stand again processed food and engage with your community at Jamie Oliver Food Revolution Day. The public is invited to enjoy a potluck meal Friday, May 17, 6 pm – 9 pm at The Last Organic Outpost at the Emile Street Community Research Farm (711 Emile Street). Local chefs will be on hand at the kids’ cooking station, so bring your kids. Bring a dish to share, blanket, and utensils. And it’s free, of course! Learn more at the national site, FoodRevolutionDay.com.

Enjoy the opera — Thanks to Houston Grand Opera, Houstonians can experience La Boheme for free Friday and Saturday (May 17-18) at Miller Outdoor Theatre. Performance begins at 8 pm. Free reserved ticket seats are available on performance day at the Miller box office from 10:30 am – 1 pm. Limit of 4.

Explore the arts — Enjoy a free event for educators and families dubbed Artsploration at Discovery Green May 18, 9 am – 1 pm. The fun day features 20 interactive live performances in theater, dance, music, visual arts, and puppetry. Discovery Green is located at 1500 McKinney downtown.

Love the ’80s life -- Fans of the 1980s will love the Totally ’80s Sing-Along Saturday, May 18, 7:30 pm. Imagine custom subtitled videos full of big hair, legwarmers, bright neon tights. and more. Plenty of props will make the evening even more fun! Don’t forget to dress the part in your favorite Flashdance-inspired outfit! This event is sponsored by Theater Under the Stars and Aurora Picture Show to get ready for TUTS’ production Flashdance, The Musical. The Sing-Along is located at 2442 Bartlett.   photo: Aurora Picture Show

Sing to Moody Blues — Houston’s own Fab 40 returns to Discovery Green for a free performance Saturday, May 18. These talented folks will perform songs from the Moody Blues. The free outdoor concert begins at 7:30 p.m.

Watch a free flick — Alamo Kids Camp returns this weekend with the free movie Fantastic Mr. Fox. Show times are 11 am May 17 and 19. Seats are first-come, first-serve. Get a reserved seat by pre-purchasing a $5 food and beverage voucher online.

Celebrate the Asian/Pacific culture — Learn more about the Asian Pacific culture at the Asian Pacific Heritage Festival Saturday, May 18, 10 am – 5 pm. Enjoy a Ramen noodle eating contest (3 pm), cultural performances, games, arts and crafts, Hamster Balls, foam party, and food trucks. First 1,000 guests will receive a free coke! The festival is located at Houston Community College, 5601 West Loop South.

photo: Asian/Pacific American Heritage Festival, Patrick Lew

Love a community celebration — The Sugar Land Bash returns Saturday, May 18, 4 pm – 9 pm at Sugar Land Town Square. The fun-filled day benefiting Snowdrop Foundation features live music, concessions, face painting, contests, midway games, demonstrations, and more. Cheer on your favorite heroes as the Sugar Land Police Department battles the Sugar Land Fire Fighters Association in a Tug-of-War! Proceeds benefit research to eliminate childhood cancer.

Engage with nature — The Third Sunday each month, Armand Bayou Nature Center provides a free afternoon of nature fun, thanks to the generosity of Dow Chemical. The next one is Sunday, May 19, noon – 4 pm. Hike the trails with a trained naturalist interpreter, view live reptiles, and relive 1895 cultural history of our era by visiting the Hanson House on the Martyn Farm site. Located at 8500 Bay Area Blvd. in Pasadena.