Knitting Zeal

Springtime in New York

For at least a year and a half now, my five year old son has been asking to visit New York City.  He knows about it from a.) Curious George lives there and b.) his daddy works there about once a week.  Christmas 2012 I gave him a book for kids about visiting NYC, but we delayed going because it just seemed so overwhelming.  Back in March, I had the chance to go to NYC with my husband for a fun night out to celebrate a friend's graduation and move at Café Boulud, near Central Park West.  It was a fun night and I realized how easy it would be to get to the city via NJ Transit, as long as the kiddo was ok with taking a very long train ride. 

Since being a train conductor is one of his life goals, we decided it was a great time to try a day trip to the big apple.  Plus, the weather has been BEAUTIFUL for walking around a city.  We surprised the little guy on Thursday night and told him that we would be getting up early the next day and heading to the train for our day in New York.  He was so excited!  (OK, he still says he really thought he'd get to ride on an Amtrak train, but I promised that will happen some day...)

After a quick taxi ride, we made our first stop at the Central Park Zoo, which despite the movie, does not have the same animals that appeared in the Madagascar movies!  We brought a picnic lunch with us from home and enjoyed our lunch watching the Sea Lions kiss!  The penguins put on quite a show, while the polar bear was snoozing in the shade.  The zoo was really tiny and completely manageable.  We saw every exhibit, including the children's zoo that was a block away, in about two hours. 

We spent the rest of the day visiting toy stores.  First up, the Apple Store on 5th Avenue.  The store is that glass structure.  There is a round elevator and a circular staircase  that goes down to the actual store.  It was mobbed.  Then we headed to FAO Schwartz, which was in the building behind the Apple Store.  In my memory it was much more amazing.  I forgot that Toys R Us owns it.  They did have a massive amount of toys for sale, along with some unique things, like live superheros available for photos.  I let my kiddo pick out a toy as his souvenir.  He chose an NYPD car set and a model Taxi car. 
We walked many many many blocks that day.  We visited M & M World, which was an overpriced candy store that played too loud music and was too crowded (I felt so old there...it was so annoying!)  We had dinner at Bubba Gump's Shrimp in Time's Square, which was really good and had great views of the Good Morning America building.  Time's Square itself was packed.  It was about 4:30 on Friday afternoon and the area was filled with so many people and sights.  It was overwhelming.  The digital ad displays are amazing and overly abundant.  We didn't know where to look first. 
We concluded our trip with a ride on the ginormous, 60-foot high ferris wheel inside the Toys R Us in Times Square.  That toy store was really impressive!  Needless to say, the kiddo found even more NYPD cars that he wanted.  (Other than train conductors, he loves police and firefighters!)  The ferris wheel made be feel queasy, but I survived!  We got to ride in a taxi made out of Megablocks.  My favorite one was the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe gondola! Isn't it cute?
Someone also got to meet the "real" Geoffrey!  The kid's favorite animal is the giraffe.  The zoo didn't have any, but I think this one made him just as happy!
It was a great first trip to NYC for the kiddo.  He can't wait until we go back!  Next time we'll have to visit the Empire State Building.

Spring fun for mom at the Mom Mixer

Last weekend my spring fun was going to the Spring into Summer Mom Mixer with my local blogging friends.  It was a blast.  I have to thank all of the brands that participated and those who provided some samples for me to try: Lands End, Lee, Koru Yoghurt, QVC, Send the Trend, McDonalds, Johnson's Baby Cares, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, Hershey's, Clean & Clear, and Neutragena.

I enjoyed learning about so many of the brands, besides Lands End, of which I was already a fan!  Seeing the folks from Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation was a highlight.  Besides having the chance to chat with a friend who works for the Foundation, I was able to pick up info about hosting a lemonade stand.  My son loves lemonade and even held his own little stand last summer after seeing a Curious George episode about it.  He wants to hold another one this summer and I think we'll look into hosting one to benefit Alex's Lemonade.  I have already introduced the idea of it to him and tried to gently explain why Alex started her stand without getting into too many details that a five year old couldn't understand.  He really wants to make money for Legos, but I think donating it will be a more valuable lesson!

Hershey's sent home in my bag a really cute craft kit for making a Kisses case.  The case holds four or five kisses perfectly and will protect them from being crushed in my purse.  I managed to keep it away from my son too so that it is mine!  (OK, I'll share probably since Kisses are one of our favorite treats!)  Hershey's also sent me some info to share about their Moderation Nation program, that includes a fun website filled with tips to live a balanced lifestyle. They mentioned that one Hershey Kiss is only 25 calories, making it a nice little treat.  My son's dentist also recommends them as opposed to sticky candy that can cause cavities. 

Another fun treat discovered at the Mom Mixer was Koru Yoghurt, from Koru Dairy.  It's a new brand of creamery-style yogurt in our area.  They gave out samples to try and even sent me home with some samples to share with my family.  My son has declared it to be his new favorite yogurt!  It really is delicious.  Our favorite flavors were the peach and the strawberry + goji.  It isn't sold in my local grocery store yet, so I'll have to request it! 
Thanks again to Whitney and Colleen, along with all the brands, for a fun and social morning!!

Disclosure:  As a participant of the Mom Mixer I received a bag of samples and information from the different brands.  I was not required to write about my experience.  I did not receive any monetary compensation for participating. 

Spring has sprung with fun!

So now that it's starting to feel like spring weather, my family has jumped into spring mode and has been participating in fun outdoor weather activities.  Here's a little wrap up of some of the fun things we've been up to with the kiddo:

We vistited the Morris Arborteum to check out the cherry blossoms and the Big Bugs exhibit.  The trees were beautiful!!  Someone had fun climbing a few and running around.  He loved following the map to find all of the 11 bugs throughout the gardens.  From giant ants to a floating dragonfly, we found them all.  This huge ladybug was particularly cute.  All of the sculptures were made out of fallen trees and willow branches by an artist from Long Island.  They will be there all summer, so I'm sure we will be back to see them again.
We took my son's favorite form of transportaion, the train and subway, and caught a Sunday afternoon Phillies game on opening weekend.  It was a rather boring game, which they lost, but it was a nice day.  My husband even won a baseball from the opening game! My son made his own homemade sign to cheer on the team.  He loves that he has learned how to print and copies the spelling of words he doesn't know.  I can't always read what he writes, but its wonderful to see his skills emerge.

We have tickets for some summer games, so hopefully we'll see a winning game then!

We visited a local playground with a friend.  Can you see the absolute joy in his face as he ferociously rocks in that little car?

We took the train into Philadelphia for a "surprise" visit to see Daddy at work and have lunch.  We snapped a few photos at the train station for a school project.  He will be star of the week this week at school and we made a poster describing him.  For his favorite place, he said it was SEPTA's Suburban Station.  Not Disney World or Sesame Place.  No, the train station in underground Center City Philadelphia.  He wanted a photo of himself in front of the name of the station.  This is his new smile...his Lego Man smile!  (He even showed me the Lego minifigure he is trying to imitate!)

We had fun at lunch and then walked over to Sister Cities Park near the Parkway, along with a walk to Logan Square/Circle's fountain. 
He had the chance to go back to the Parkway the next day with Daddy for the Philadelphia Science Festival.  He checked out the Philadelphia CSI truck, did some science experiments and even got to climb on a real SEPTA bus, something that he has wanted to do for weeks!  (He has a planned bus route he wants to go on in our neighborhood.  He is obsessed!)

This week spring soccer starts.  It will be his first time playing for our Township.  He didn't want to do the intramural team, so I found an instructional soccer group for preschoolers.  I hope he meets some local kids that he'll be in Kindergarten with next fall!

Happy Spring!

 

Related articles

Lands End and the Spring into Summer Mom Mixer!

Visiting the Reading Public Museum

SEPTA Says Adding Train Station To Philadelphia Zoo Is A Logistical Nightmare

Lands End and the Spring into Summer Mom Mixer!

Last weekend I had the fun opportunity to join some of my blogging mom friends at the Spring into Summer Mom Mixer hosted by Whitney of Mommies With Style and Colleen of Classy Mommy, along with a number of incredible brands. 

Photo courtesy of Sherry Aikens @Babypop

Held at the Bellvue Hotel's XIX Restaurant in Philadelphia, it was a fun morning spent socializing with other bloggers, meeting some wonderful people who work for the brands who participated in the event, and learning. 

I really enjoyed the presentation by Lands End, who make at least half of my wardrobe.  They focused on their 2013 Swimwear line and described all the new features, including great tips on how to get a perfect fit in a bathing suit.  Something that I absolutely loved was learning that they are now selling swim shirts with SPF protection for women that do not look like surfer rash guards.  My son and husband have been wearing rash guards for sun protection at the beach, but I never found one for women that was flattering or feminine.  This season, Lands End is offering their swim tees that have SPF 50 protection, are lightweight, and fast drying.  They come in lots of colors and patterns and I hope that they are popular so that they continue to offer them in the future.  I went home that day with plans to purchase one for our upcoming beach vacation, since I am really tired of sitting on the beach with a sweatshirt on to protect me from burning.  I ordered the violet colored one, because I love purple! 

The Beach Living swim tee!

Ordering a swimsuit online without trying it on can be a challenge.  I learned that Lands End offers fitting and style advice via online chat or by phone.  If the person you are chatting with can't answer a question you have, they agent contacts one of the fashion consultants for more information and will get back to you.  They also have a great swim resource guide online to find your perfect fit and style.  I also learned that all those comments online that customers leave, the ones under the description for each item for sale....they actually read them and pay attention to what their customers say!  If they receive enough similar feedback about an item, they take that into consideration for the future designs.  I am glad to hear that leaving feedback actually counts! 

I have been a Lands End customer for years.  My son has a thing for fabrics.  He loves how my cotton clothing from Lands End feels.  In fact, if I'm not wearing a Lands End item, he tells me I'm not feeling snuggly enough.  (He is a slightly crazy and cuddly five year old!!)  He has many LE items too, as their kids clothes are awesome!  His winter coat for the past four years has been from LE. 

Disclosure:  I did not receive any monetary compensation for attending or writing about the Mom Mixer.  I really have been a LE customer for years and the opinions expressed here are honest.  I did recieve a tote bag from LE. I was not required to write about the brands or event. 

Consignment Sale finds at Just Between Friends

I had a fun time shopping at the preview sale at the Just Between Friends Sale in Oaks, PA this week.  I got a media preview of the sale and was amazed at how much stuff was for sale at low prices!  

Since it's almost spring, it was time for me to find a cute argyle sweater vest for the kiddo.  Not only did I find a cute vest, but also a matching tie, which is the kiddo's favorite dressy items, since then he looks like daddy! I was also able to buy three bathing suits for the kid for $3.50 each!  He is set for summer and swim lessons now.  Another great find was a navy windbreaker from Gap for $3.50.  

I big find for me this time were Legos.  One gallon sized zipper bag filled was $6 and a box set of basic bricks was $6.50.  For Easter I have been planning to fill those plastic Easter eggs with Legos instead of candy, since we STILL have Halloween candy.  (He'll still get a small amount of candy in a basket, but we don't need 50 eggs filled with  more!) I had been planning to buy a new box of Legos for filling the eggs, but the two packs of used Legos I bought at the Just Between Friends Sale is more than enough.  I am thinking I'll wash them in a laundry bag in the dishwasher without the dry cycle to clean them.  

My son approved of all the clothing items I purchased for him except for a pair of crazy plaid shorts that I thought were fun.  I gave him one toy, and hid the Legos for now.  I bought him a tool box kit to make from Home Depot that was $2.  He loves going to the build-it clinics and this would give him a good project to make with his dad at home. 

It was an amazing site to see a warehouse sized room filled with all kids and baby stuff!  From strollers and car seats to Easter baskets and even new Melissa and Doug toys, there was everything needed for kids at great prices.  Check out the sale this weekend if you are in the area!

 

Disclosure: I attended a preview sale for bloggers and received a gift certificate to shop. No review or post was required.  I have been a long time fan of consignment sales!

Related articles

On Chapter books and learning to read

Menu Plan Monday week of February 25th

Family sick days

Last week, were really looking forward to the holiday weekend that included Presidents' Day.  Friday was supposed to be mild weather, so I had a trip to the Morris Arboretum planned for the kiddo and I.  The kiddo had a swim lesson and a birthday party scheduled for Saturday. My husband took Monday off so that we could spend a family day together exploring the Franklin Institute. My husband and I were fighting some sinus troubles, but they were manageable, just annoying.  And then the kiddo woke up on Friday with a fever.  Life came to an abrupt halt.

My son rarely gets sick.  Seasonal and pet allergies trouble him, but a full blown cold and a fever occurs once yearly or less.  So when he woke up on Friday morning and climbed into my bed, he felt like a heating pad on high.  He had lots of nasal congestion but thankfully his lungs were clear sounding.  His temp was just barely 100 degrees F, so it wasn't a worrisome temperature, but it was enough to make him lethargic.  For two days he laid on the sofa and cuddled with me.  This is a kid who just plays all day usually.  When he had no energy but to lay there, I knew he was feeling really bad.   

We were all feeling sick.  It was just sad. How does a family deal with everyone being sick?  This is what we did: 

• Clean.  I continuously used bleach wipes to clean doorknobs, sink faucets and even the remote controls to keep the germs at bay.  We ran the dishwasher with the sani-rinse setting too.   
• Laundry.  I changed bed sheets, especially pillow cases.  I also changed the hand towels in the bathrooms and kitchen often.
• Hydrate.  My son had no appetite, but I insisted that he drink often.  He asked for iced tea, so I made a decaf herbal blend of hot tea and chilled it on ice for him to drink.  I also gave him as many Honest Kids juice pouches as he wanted, along with water.  The parents drank lots of hot tea and water too.  I believe staying hydrated really helps with congestion, as well as has a cooling effect for a fever.
• TV viewing.  We usually don't watch TV during the day.  With the lethargy going on here, we took advantage of the on-demand feature and found the first season of Phineas and Ferb and watched almost all of them!  It was a nice way to cheer us up and we all got a laugh even though we felt crummy.  
• Sleep.  My son refuses to nap because he is too old, he thinks, for naps.  He did end up falling asleep on my several times.  He also went to bed earlier than usual each night.  This really helped him.  (I on the other hand got little sleep, as I cleaned, did laundry and kept checking on my kiddo or had to help him when he was up with coughing spasms. My insomnia was kicked into high gear!)

By Sunday, my son was getting better but we stayed home and he just played all day. Monday he seemed to be great in the morning and we took the chance to go ahead with our plans to visit the Franklin Institute.  I still felt exhausted from lack of sleep, but wanted to make the best of it since my son was so excited to see the Franklin Institute for the first time.  It was a mistake to go, as he relapsed a bit by starting to be crabby and the cold air made his cough worse, so I kept him home from school on Tuesday, just in case.  He was so mad that he missed school! (He LOVED the FI though, so much so that we bought a family membership so we can go back again!)

We are all still coughing a bit, but feel much better this weekend!  I'm feeling grateful that we were just dealing with cold viruses and not the flu!

Related articles

Menu plan Monday week of 2/11/13

Week 2: Photography Project...Legos!

52 Week Project: Week 3 Panoramic photos (on Long Beach Island)

This week's challenge in the 52 Week Challenge was using the panoramic setting on my phone.  I have an iPhone and just recently discovered that there was an option to take panoramic photos.  I am still a bit shaky when panning, so I tend to get a black blobish line on the top of some photos.  I also didn't do all that much that was exiciting...no snow, no fun daytrips...that is until the weekend, which is why this post is not on Friday.  

So on Saturday of this past weekend we took a day trip to the beach.  Not only was the beach a perfect place to take some panoramic shots, but we also caught the sunsetting over the bay near Barnegat Lighthouse!  Here are my shots for this week:

 

Ship Bottom Beach, at 25th St., LBI NJ, 1/19/13

Sunset over the bay, Barnegat Lighthouse, LBI, NJ 1/19/13

 

It was fun to head out to the beach in January!  We were also happy to see the island coming along nicely with the clean up efforts from Hurricane Sandy.  We checked out the bungalow we rent each summer and were releived to see it still standing.  We know it had water damage, but the owners assured us it would be ready for the summer.  

We drove the entire length of the island.  In the winter with no traffic lights it was remarkably fast to drive.  We were saddened to see that so many businesses suffered and appeared to be out of business.  We are hoping that some do come back by summertime.  We drove all the way to the most southern end of the island, as far as we were allowed to go, to Holgate, the part of Long Beach Island that seems to have suffered the most from the destruction of the storm.  Having seen so many photos of the destruction, I though I'd be prepared, but seeing the damage in person was still shocking.  Even after several months of clean up work, there was still so much sand everywhere.  It looked like piles of snow in some places, instead of sand.  Then there were the homes....so many were ruined.  Big beach houses missing the entire first floor, with just the pilings showing where the garages and stairs once were.  Several homes were literally washed off their foundations by the waves and sand.  The trailer park is in the process of being closed permanently since there was so much damage to the infactructure.  The mobile homes looked like someone had knocked over a row of dominos.  

I had wanted to park and walk around to see everything, but there was no where to park with all the sand everywhere.  I took some photos out my window as I drove slowly down the street.  Here are some that I took:

I hope that those homes were just vacation homes, and not leaving anyone truly homeless.  I think it will be a few years until Holgate returns to some sort of normal.  

The rest of the island, while certainly suffering from storm damage, appeared ok.  There was lots of sand on the end of the streets, but when we took a walk up to the beach in Ship Bottom, we were happy to see how much sand was on the beach.  I had feared that the beach would have been washed away.  It definitely seemed somewhat "shorter" than last summer, but it looks like they have worked hard at replacing fencing and moving the sand from the streets back onto the beach.  The kiddo had a blast running around on the beach.  He is our little beach boy.

We ended the day with a visit to the Northern end of the island, near Barnegat Lighthouse.  We got there after the park and lighthouse had closed, but there is a small park area across the street that we were able to explore and watch the sunset over the bay. 

Related articles

The Place's We'll Go: A photography project

Week 2: Photography Project...Legos!

Let's Make Sure the World Knows

2012, my year in review in photos

I can't believe another year has passed and it's January 2013.  The month of December flew by, thanks to our family vacation to Disney World and the rush of the holidays.  I haven't even had the chance to get online much, especially to blog.  Here is my wrap up of last year in pictures:

January

A visit to our favorite place, the Please Touch Museum!

 

February

Crafty idea inspired by Pinterest

Completed Summit!!

 

March

 

My favorite photo of the kiddo and his best girls. Getting a taste for spring at the Morris Arboretum.

 

April

Built the kid a playhouse, injuring my elbow! He loves it.

 

May

 

The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival was so much fun! Saw these cute little goats.

 

June

We spent a week at our favorite NJ beach, Ship Bottom, Long Beach Island. We didn't know then that the beach and town would be devastated months later from Hurricane Sandy.

 

July

 

We saw the Imagination Movers three times in 2012, including this time in July at Sesame Place! So much fun!

August

Fun at the Turkey Hill Experience! Ice cream samples galore!

 

September

 

My baby turned FIVE in September! And found out he was going to Disney World in 60 days!

 

October

Some spooky fun at the Morris Arboretum in the fall!

 

November

 

We visited Grover and the gang at Sesame Place in November for the opening weekend of a Very Furry Christmas. Saw the Imagination Movers there again too!!

A fun family day at the Garden State Discovery Museum. Here the boys are encased in a giant bubble!

 

December

We had our first family visit to Disney World! Meeting Mickey was just one of the highlights!

We spent the afternoon on Lido Beach in Sarasota too! Loved being on the beach in December!

The kiddo sang with his classmates in a lovely Christmas program at school! Such cuteness. Happy New Year!!

 

 

The mouse king battles the Nutcracker

Before I had a kid, I had a lovely social life that included arts and culture events often.  One of my favorite subscriptions  I had was to the Pennsylvania Ballet.  Copelia was the first ballet I ever saw at the Academy of Music.  With my subscription I got to see Dracula as a ballet!  And almost every December I saw a performance of the Nutcracker.  To me, the music of the Nutcracker is my holiday soundtrack.  It's beautiful to listen to and to see the dancers interpret the music into dance is amazing.

When I had my son I knew my budget and lifestyle would be altered.  I made a mental note that when my son was five he would be old enough to see a performance of the Nutcracker.  Not only would he be able to handle the theatre atmosphere, but he would be young enough to not think ballet is only for girls.  To me, the Nutcracker was all about Marie, the young ballerina who received the Nutcracker as a gift and danced with the Sugar Plum Fairy.  I have changed my outlook on the Nutcracker and am focusing on the Mouse King's battle with the Nutcracker and his victory, in order to show my son that this ballet is for everyone, not just girls.  I think he will be mesmorized by the entire experience.  From the stage, the live orchestra, the Philadelphia Boys Choir singing, and that amazing growing Christmas tree, it will definitely be entertaining to him.

I am excited to have been invited to attend a performance of  George Ballachine's The Nutcracker by the Pennsylvania Ballet with my son in December.  This is the 25th year the PA Ballet has been perfoming this particular ballet and I know it will be just as magical as ever. I've learned that tickets to the Nutcracker start at $20, so it is possible to make this a special gift for a child to experience the Ballet and Theatre.  I can't wait to see his reaction and find out if this could be a new tradition for us, for at least a few years!

 

Artists of Pennsylvania Ballet in George Balanchine's The Nutcracker™, choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust. Photo: Alexander Iziliaev

 

Discovering and playing

We spent the afternoon today at the Garden State Discovery Museum, a kids' museum in Cherry Hill, NJ. We went over a year ago there and the kiddo frequently mentioned how much he'd like to return for a visit. I bought discounted admission tickets via Groupon.

The little guy had fun. He loves the diner section and played there twice, taking our orders and serving us a variety of plastic foods. His favorite section is the replica of a tv news set, his favorite news, Action News. He played the parts of director and cameraman while the parents were the newscasters. It was really cute!

There is a mini hockey rink so the boys got to play some hockey and pretend to be Flyers. Then they played a little basketball. It was a great day of play and imagination!