Anna Fader

Founder & CEO of Mommy Poppins
Anna was born in Park Slope, spent her early years in the West Village. By the time she graduated high school, she had lived in 4 of the 5 boroughs. Growing up in NYC in the '70s meant the streets were her playgrounds. Museums and avant garde music venues were the kid-friendly activities. And living downtown taught her the importance of creating community for families in NYC.

Now, raising her own two children in the city, she tries to create the same sense of magic and community she felt growing up, despite today's more commercialized version of kid-friendly New York.

She started Mommy Poppins in 2007 to share a more artsy, educational, uncommercial, community-oriented vision of raising kids in New York City. Today Mommy Poppins is relied on by millions of families as the authority on the best things to do with kids beyond New York City: from Boston to Philly, Los Angeles, Houston and travel guides for dozens more cities and destinations.

Latest posts by Anna

Eat Your Organic Veggies

Submitted by Anna Fader on Sun, 02/04/2007 - 11:10pm

We planned on eating a wide varieties of veggies, really we did. It just seemed like, with kids, our fruit and veggie shopping never really made it past the B's on the food alphabet chart - we were stuck at Apples, Bananas, Beans and Broccoli - maybe some Carrots. We never got anywhere close to Squash or Zucchini.

That was until we signed up with Urban Organic, a Brooklyn-based business that will deliver a box of organic veggies to your door once a week. You don't get to choose what you get. They send the same box to everyone, although you can make up to three alterations a week and you can tell them a couple things you never want to get.

Life is Good: Bulk TP Delivered to Your Door

Submitted by Anna Fader on Sun, 02/04/2007 - 4:15pm

Everybody knows about FreshDirect, but did you know that you can also have bulk groceries delivered to your home? For some reason costco.com doesn't sell the basic stuff we like to stock up on (diapers, toilet paper, paper towels, detergents, etc). Then we found yourgrocer.com, a local business that will deliver basically the same stuff as Costco, without the tempting gadgets you don't need and the three hours of your life lost forever.

We stock up on toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies and detergents, but we have also found it great for buying huge bags of broccoli florets, carrots, lemons and limes, sandwich bread, organic milk, and grapes. It's great for huge packs of string cheese for a fraction of the cost and lots of other snack foods. The only thing we've been disappointed with is the baby carrots which have been slimy the last couple of times.

Mommy Poppins' fearless investigators compared prices between Costco and YourGrocer and found them to be comparable. Prices range from cheaper to much cheaper than FreshDirect (except for beverages for some reason) and they deliver right to your door. There's a $10 delivery fee, but no club membership, so it's a great help toward living the modern American dream of never having to go outside for any reason.

Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts

Submitted by Anna Fader on Fri, 02/02/2007 - 3:25am

Going to the museum is a basic staple for parents on rainy or cold days, so Mommy Poppins always has her ear to the ground for interesting ways to spice up a visit - when we heard about Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts

Quality Time: Take the Amy Sedaris Get Crafty Challenge

Submitted by Anna Fader on Tue, 01/30/2007 - 4:00pm

I don't think this was intended as a kid activity, but, you know, city kids are sooo sophisticated - we're just always doing cool stuff with them, like entering into adult contests hosted by celebrities on hyper-intellectual radio shows. So here's an opportunity to explore your child's artistic genius and exposing it for all the world to appreciate and have fun all at once - multitasking!

All's fair in love and preschool admissions

Submitted by Anna Fader on Sun, 01/28/2007 - 11:02pm

Preschool admissions - they're the worst. Yeah, there's elementary school, middle, oh yeah, high school and, the big one, college admissions. They're all bad, but preschool is the worst. Why? Because you're still young and naive - not jaded and beaten down like you will be by the time the others come around.

Interviews for 2 year olds? First choice letters? Trying to figure out if there really is such a thing as a "feeder" school? Wouldn't it be great if all the preschools all just lined up and offered themselves to you, and you could just pluck the one you liked the best? Well, keep dreaming, that ain't gonna happen, but the next best thing is the Downtown Preschool Fair.

Free Family Programs at The Skyscraper Museum

Submitted by Anna Fader on Fri, 01/26/2007 - 1:06am

Here's a different activity. Ever been to The Skyscraper Museum? Did you even know it existed? Whether your kid is a budding architect or just needs to appreciate those giant towers about him a little more, head on down to this relatively new Battery Park City institution.

Observed: Unique Baby Names Now Common

Submitted by Anna Fader on Thu, 01/25/2007 - 2:01am

After a New York Times article this weekend reporting that Hispanic parents have opted to name all their boys Angel, The New York Observer reports that affluent New Yorkers are competing to label their children with the most unusual names possible.