About Mommy Poppins
If you didn't know any better, you might think New York City was a terrible place to raise kids, only for the rich and fashionable, with nothing for children to do outdoors besides dodge traffic. Mommy Poppins is all about helping our readers know better, a lot better. Written by real, unpretentious moms for real parents like you, you'll get the inside skinny on what's going on in the city for kids and their grown-up entourage.
What we love: free stuff, cool, artsy activities, discovering urban nature, exploring the city's nooks and crannies, grown-up events that are fun for kids and let us feel like our old selves again, and doing all that kid stuff that most people think you have to move out of the city to do. What we don't love: crowds, over-commercialization, advertorial content, and lame events that weren't worth the subway trek to get there. On Mommy Poppins you'll find a lot of the former and none of the latter.
Some of our regular content includes:
Monday's Linkin B'Logs — who has time to read and keep up with everything you need to know? Our weekly post summarizes all the NYC mainstream media, plus the blogosphere with links to the must-read articles for that week.
Thursday Giveaways — We're always looking for a good deal for our readers. Approximately every other Thursday we give away something we think you'll actually want. No strings. All you have to do is leave a comment. We don't collect emails or give them to anyone else, unless we tell you we are going to.
Free Fun Fridays — On Friday we post just the really cool events we know are going to be worth the trek. Most of them are free or cheap, but we're not above pointing out incredible activities that are well worth the cost.
Little Naturalists — A monthly feature on the real wild side of New York, sharing with you what's going on in natural New York that you can experience with your kids right now.
Community Spotlight — Every month we feature someone in the community that is doing something exceptional for kids or parents. We also give free advertising to small, local mom and pop businesses. If you'd like to apply for a community spotlight ad, email shea@mommypoppins.com
Our Guides — Approximately every month we put out a new guide that collects all our great content onto one page and gives you an easy way to find in depth information on whatever you're looking for.
Previous Guides:
You can also use our search feature at the top of the page or browse our categories in the left sidebar to find articles.
Check out our event calendar for our picks of what's going on any day of the week.
Who is Mommy Poppins?
Anna Fader, Founding Editor — Anna grew up in NYC, but she never really loved it until she had kids and New York suddenly became a much smaller, friendlier place. Today her two children enjoy small-town NYC life, playing little league, seeking out experimental street theater, collecting ants in the city parks, taking free art classes at MoMA, and attending a wonderful public school—the only thing Anna wishes they had more of is time.
Nina Watkins, Managing Editor — A life long New Yorker, Nina feels that this city has gotten way too expensive and is always looking for little tricks and tips to share on how you can take advantage of it all without becoming an investment banker. She spends her days running from playground to computer and hopes her next kid will be a 3-hour napper. Nina lives in Queens and loves good Chinese food, toothpicks, clothes swaps and getting to watch vintage Sesame Street with her little daughter.
Shea Jensen, Marketing Manager — An Air Force brat, born overseas, without geographic roots, it's no wonder that, in rootless NYC, Shea finally found home. Raising her two boys on Long Island, Shea uses any energy she has left to make frequent trips into the city to give her boys lessons on being cool city kids—even when that means riding the train in only to ride the subway all over and turn around and go home again. In her spare time, Shea loves to run and someday, when she has more time and energy, plans to run the NYC marathon. For now, she'll settle for chasing after her boys as her daily exercise.
Judy Sklover, Event Editor – Judy has made NYC her home for 25 years. Known to the BPC community for her endless energy, Judy works in Early Childhood Education at a downtown Nursery school, at an afterschool program, was PTA president at her children's school for 5 years, makes specialty cakes for clients in her spare time, and is now adding Mommy Poppins Event Editor to the list. Judy has two children who are her joys and keep her on her toes and believes that you can always squeeze another job or task in the day as long as you are passionate about it!
Contributors:
Bess Abrahams — New Yorker, kale connoisseur and believer in the power of embodied experience, this mom walks the middle ground between extremes. By day she is a therapeutic yoga teacher for children with serious illness at Montefiore Hospital, author of Airplane Yoga and a birth and yoga instructor. By night she enjoys baths, books, and blogs. Bess grew up in Greenwich Village, but has recently discovered the joys of living in Brooklyn, particularly the parks, the community and watching her son scoot down the block in just a helmet and diaper.
Jodi Nelson Call — Jodi lives in Brooklyn, NY. She has been an English Teacher in Seoul, a Bartender in Japan, a Substance Abuse Counselor, Record Store Owner, Night Club Operator and Coffee Slinger (not all at once) in Utah, and a Events Promoter, Children's Room Designer and Muay Thai Kickboxing Instructor in New York. Currently she is wholly committed to seeking out, experiencing, and reporting on every cheap, free and amazing thing to do with her son in any of the five boroughs.
Leslie Day — Leslie is an environmental and life science educator at The Elisabeth Morrow School and an adjunct faculty member at Bank Street College of Education; created and taught the City Naturalists Institute for Teachers program for the Central Park Conservancy; and has a doctorate in science education from Teachers College Columbia University. Leslie and her husband live in a houseboat on the Hudson River in Manhattan where she pens the Little Naturalists column for Mommy Poppins.
Karina Glaser – In the ten years Karina has lived in NYC, she has always made her home above 116th Street. She loves exploring the city, a passion that has increased exponentially with the birth of her daughter in February 2008. Karina works part-time for an international non-profit health organization, and enjoys sewing, quilting, and basically anything that involves creativity and colors. She lives in Washington Heights with her husband, daughter, dog, cat, and fish.
They've made our mothers so proud:
"we're big fans...what makes Mommy Poppins special is its sensibility: it brims with love for the city, and has a reliable eye for things that are novel, worthwhile, and often free."
"Hats off to www.mommypoppins.com. The Web site devoted to helping parents make the most out of New York City life with their young ones recently launched neighborhood guides that focus on kid-friendly enclaves."
"...we can't necessarily meet your every last need. Enter Mommy Poppins, a.k.a. Anna Fader, a native New Yorker and mother of two whose blog clues readers in to great experiences all over the five boroughs and tells what's new on the home front. "
"A great website...great ideas"
We've also been featured here:
The Happiest Baby on the Block - The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Baby Sleep Longer (DVD)
