Getting Around NYC by Subway with Kids

Riding the subway is the fastest, easiest way to get from point A to point B in NYC. And it's a great way to travel with kids. But if you're not 100% familiar with the subway system, are traveling with a stroller, or hit schedule changes, it can really stink. We've rounded up the best online resources to make it easier to get around NYC by subway, especially with kids.

There are now a few sites that give accurate subway directions. Just type in your starting and ending addresses and they will tell you the best routes.

Free Skiing for Fourth and Fifth Graders near New York City

Picture 6.pngAfter some pretty bad years for skiing, they say it's going to snow a lot this year. If it's true I'll feel pretty lucky to get a good ski year when my daughter is in fourth grade. Why? Because fourth graders get to ski for free. New York, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Vermont all have free ski programs for fourth, and sometimes fifth, graders and you can apply to all of them.

Click on the links below for applications and more information, but the basic deal is that you apply for a ski free passport and you will receive a booklet of 3 passes per participating ski resort that allow your child to ski free when accompanied by a paying adult. The applications cost between $10 and $19, or in the case of New Hampshire, they require a little school project about NH skiing history. The passbooks also usually include one free lesson also.

Linkin B'logs - More Gifted & Talented Schools, Talking about Miscarriage, Palin's Next Crazy Baby Name and More

Has the recession come up in conversation with your kids yet or are you too busy talking politics with them these days?  Links this week include tips on how to broach the subject without freaking them out, good news about more gifted & talented public schools to open in the boroughs (cause not all smart kids live in Manhattan) and lots on baby naming including the city's report on the top baby names for 2007.  Plus, the crusader of crazy baby names, Sarah Palin, has one more wacky one up here sleeve...

Best Halloween Fun Tips and Links on the Web

Sheetal_2008_costume.JPGIt sure is a world wide web out there. So much good stuff. We've rounded up our best finds for fun and helpful tips for parents from all over the internets. Below find, decorating and costume ideas, how to make your halloween greener, your jack o'lantern spookier, and tons of other tips.

Free Fun Friday: Rain Dates and Indoor Halloween Weekend Events

halloween.jpgI know that the Washington Market Park Halloween Parade and Party has been postponed from Saturday and will now be on Sunday, October 26 from 3-5pm. Also The Fort Greene Park Halloween Festival and the Halloween Festival at Fort Trotten Park (both of which sound like lots of fun) will both be postponed to Sunday. Please try to call ahead to any events you might be going to on Saturday and make sure it wasn't canceled or postponed.

But don't let the rain dampen your Halloween Weekend spirit. Here are our picks for indoor activities for Saturday, October 25th, 2008. Click on the links below for more information about each event.

Make Your Own iPhone: Cause Your Kid Needs One Too!

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I admit it, I got to a point where I actually felt like I needed an iphone. The rationale went like this: with an iphone I could stay in e-mail touch even when I was at the playground or waiting at school or during those times when my daughter falls asleep in the stroller. It would make me more productive and also a better mom cause if I could work at those times then maybe I wouldn't have to work when we were home and instead just focus on playing. So when our cell phone contracts were up we rushed over to the Mac store. Of course, my husband had also worked out a completely different but just as "valid" rationale as to why he needed one as well.

But while we were at the store, I realized I had a problem. My previous cell phone was such a piece of junk that I had gotten into the habit of letting my 2 year old play with it but I knew there was no way I was going to let her touch my new iphone. I needed one for her.

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