Alina Adams

Alina Adams - NYC Writer

Alina was born in the former Soviet Union, spent her teen years in San Francisco, and came to New York City to work for ABC Daytime and ABC Sports. She spent her pre-marriage/pre-kid years as a figure-skating researcher and producer for the U.S. and World Championships, the 1998 Olympics in Nagano and various professional shows.

After learning that international travel and resentful toddlers don’t mix, she switched to PGP Productions and its soap operas As the World Turns and Guiding Light, where she wrote New York Times best-selling tie-in books and developed interactive properties like AnotherWorldToday.com.

The birth of her third child (and the process of enrolling her two older kids into NYC schools—a full-time job in itself!) convinced Alina that she was not, in fact, Superwoman, and prompted her to leave TV and turn to writing books, including romance novels (Counterpoint: An Interactive Family Saga, When a Man Loves a Woman), figure-skating mysteries (Murder on Ice, On Thin Ice) and nonfiction (Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime Drama’s Greatest Moments).

In addition to contributing to Mommy Poppins, Alina blogs for Jewish parenting site Kveller.com and is in the process of turning her previously published backlist into enhanced e-books with multimedia features like audio, video and more. Follow her exhaustive and exhausting efforts to become a Mommy Media Mogul (is that a thing? If it isn’t, it really should be) at AlinaAdams.com and on Google+

Latest posts by Alina

News: Fancy Nancy's Latest Debut, New Public School Holidays, UWS Dance Store Closes

Submitted by Alina Adams on Tue, 03/31/2015 - 11:00am

It's a short school week, with Good Friday and the first night of Passover falling on the same day. Speaking of the upcoming holiday, NYC public schools may be adding another day off to its calendar soon. We've also got news of a program expansion at the South Street Seaport Museum and the chance for students to win $1,000 for their school library. Also, you'll want to hold on to your boas and tiaras, kid-lit icon Fancy Nancy is going to be a TV star!

News: Ringling Bros. Retire Controversial Act, a Beloved Bookstore's New Home and One School Dumps Homework

Submitted by Alina Adams on Wed, 03/18/2015 - 11:02am

The arrival of spring isn't the only thing greening NYC these days! We've got details on a contest to improve school green spaces. Plus, Ringling Bros. plans to retire a controversial act, one NYC public school completely reimagines homework, destination kids' stores on the move and, just as things are warming up, Disney won't let winter go with confirmation of this sequel.

News: New Public School Holidays, Playground Safety, Kids' Volunteering Opportunties, Will You Go Screen-free This Weekend?

Submitted by Alina Adams on Wed, 03/04/2015 - 1:30pm

Although park weather feels like it's still a ways off, it will come eventually, so the city is examining all our playground equipment in an effort to prevent accidents (and lawsuits). Another new city policy: Expect some new public school holidays on the calendar next academic year. Plus, we've got the scoop on a cool volunteering opportunity for teens, a day dedicated to no screen-time, high-school placements for next fall, a big move for a little urban farm and more.

News: Performers Wanted for Kids' Circus Show, A New Baby Penguin at the Central Park Zoo, Public School News & Would You Wear These Buttons on Your Pregnant Belly?

Submitted by Alina Adams on Sun, 02/22/2015 - 10:00am

Even though the kids were on break last week, we have lots of school news to report. We also have the scoop on a couple of cool new family businesses, kids' auditions for a circus show and a new line of funny buttons for pregnant women devised by a Brooklyn dad. Plus: England can keep their baby prince—we've got our own royal birth at the Central Park Zoo!

News: Renovated Asser Levy Playground Opens, Dumbo Arts Fest Calls it Quits, Disney Frozen News

Submitted by Alina Adams on Wed, 02/04/2015 - 2:00pm

It's a grab bag of good and bad news this week. Let's start with the good: After a long renovation, the popular Asser Levy Playground has reopened, Disney revealed a featurette about its upcoming Frozen animated short and there's a new indoor play space growing in Brooklyn. Now the bad: One of our favorite FREE annual family festivals, the Dumbo Arts Fest, has called it quits after 18 years! We've got the details on all those stories and more in this edition of our biweekly news roundup.

Coding for Kids: Free Apps That Teach Kids Programming

Submitted by Alina Adams on Mon, 02/02/2015 - 1:30pm

We're always writing about how important it is for kids to learn to code. That's because most of the jobs our children will one day apply for will require basic coding skills. Even if your kids don't dream of becoming the next Bill Gates, computer programming can still teach them critical thinking, logic, creativity and patience. Plus, they can learn to make their own websites and video games, which is pretty cool.

News: Applications for Free Summer Camps, Two Central Park Playgrounds Close for Renovations, Broadway Auditions for Kids

Submitted by Alina Adams on Wed, 01/21/2015 - 3:30pm

It's a whole lot of good news this week! (For once, right?) We've got the scoop on three FREE summer camps currently accepting applications, Central Park playgrounds currently undergoing renovations and how your kid can audition for an upcoming Broadway show. Plus an office with complimentary childcare? Sign us up! All that and more in this edition of our biweekly news post.

Best NYC Kids Birthday Parties: 5 Amazing Birthday Party Ideas

Submitted by Alina Adams on Sun, 01/11/2015 - 2:00pm

If you're the type who likes to go big, New York City certainly offers some over-the-top party ideas that will make your child's birthday a magical, memorable, only-in-NYC experience for kids and parents alike.

We've come up with five Manhattan party packages where young kids can enjoy unique activities worth the splurge. You can find even more party inspiration to suit every budget in our Party Guide.

Alina Adams

Latest posts by Alina

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