Submitted by Kristen Haas on
As a parent, one of the most important things to master is dining out with your little ones. As they grow, it gets harder and harder and there are only so many improvised games that can be played with straws and sugar packets. Downtown Jersey City offers some great family-friendly restaurant options, so don’t live in fear–go out on the town, and take the kids with you!
Submitted by Roberta B on
Cirque du Soleil is back at the Santa Monica Pier, reminding us how lucky we are to live where we do, and we've got free tickets to share! There is nothing quite like the thrill of seeing Cirque du Soleil put up its Grand Chapiteau, and this year's treat is particularly fun for kids; OVO is a headlong rush into a colorful ecosystem teeming with life, where insects work, eat, crawl, flutter, play, fight, and look for love in a non-stop riot of energy and movement. Acrobatic bugs - what could be better?
OK, we'll tell you what could be better: seeing the show for free! One lucky Mommy Poppins family is going to win a family four pack with great seats to see Cirque du Soleil's OVO for free! Read on to find out how to score four free tickets to the February 1, 2012 performance!
Submitted by Anna Fader on
Sadly, ExerBlast closed in June 2013. Lots of kids in NYC need to get more exercise, but let's face it, so do we as parents. A new gym in Tribeca has created a completely different way for families to exercise together, making it a fun group activity. ExerBlast is so unique it's kind of hard to even explain. See our photo gallery and review—and then check it out for yourself.
ExerBlast uses high-tech gaming technology to create a real-world obstacle course for a heart-pounding adventure. Groups work together, moving through stations with different activities and challenges, and each person has an iPod that tracks energy expended and awards points. This is one game where kids actually have an advantage over adults!
Submitted by Kay on
Last week, we shared our favorite indoor places to play in Park Slope. There are also a number of playgrounds for kids in the nabe, including a bunch in Prospect Park.
Of course, only a handful of these playgrounds are true destinations. Here are our top five playgrounds in Park Slope , including a preview of one all Park Slope families are buzzing about: the currently under renovation J.J. Byrne Playground.
Submitted by Anna Fader on
[UPDATED: JANUARY 9, 2013]
This is the second in a series of posts about All-Inclusive Winter Resorts for Family Vacations in the New York City Region. In our previous post, we reviewed Woodloch Pines Resort in the Poconos.
If you like your vacations a little more on the rustic side, Ridin-Hy Ranch might be the answer. This Adirondack ranch resort offers good old-fashioned winter fun, hold the glitz and glamour. Winter activity highlights include horseback riding through snow-covered trails, sleigh rides, ice skating, snow tubing, snowmobiling, cross country skiing and nightly entertainment.
Submitted by Stephanie Ogozalek on
Sadly Bryant Park isn't having a Winter Film Festival in 2014. Who says free outdoor film festivals are a summer-only activity? On Monday, February 4, Citi Pond at Bryant Park launches its third annual Winter Film Festival and Mommy Poppins is a media sponsor! My son and I attended a screening of Happy Feet a few years back on a balmy, 17-degree evening. The movie was shown on a tremendous blow-up movie screen on the Sixth Avenue side of the ice rink. It was pretty cool (in more ways than one).
Think you are hearty enough to brave the freezing temperatures to catch a free flick? Read on to find out more about this fun, frigid film festival and ways to keep warm while you are there. Plus, make sure you come out for the very first screening, Disney's 1953 flick Peter Pan on Monday, February 4—the Mommy Poppins team will be there and we'll be giving out vouchers good for one hot chocolate at Citi Pond’s concession stand Ice Bites.
Submitted by Lia on
Keeping kids happy when it’s freezing outside isn’t easy. To get through winter last year, my son and I spent a lot of time at a drop-in center in Park Slope. He’s too old for it now, so I’m always searching for new indoor play spaces. I heard about The Gym Park in Greenpoint. We’ve been twice already and he loves it. We drove both times we visited and street parking was a cinch. Here is what else you'll find if you go.
Submitted by Nina H on
It’s a new year, which means a whole new season of packing lunches for the kids. How about making a resolution to try something new, healthy and delicious—not to mention fun?
If your kids are like mine, they want what they want in their lunches—until they decide one day that that's not what they want, and in fact they want nothing to do with [fill in the blank previously favorite food].
