Laurie R

Laurie Rein is thrilled to have made a career of digging up activities (especially free ones!) for her twin daughters. Prior to working with Mommy Poppins NJ, Laurie wore many hats in the television industry including gigs as an NBC page, NBC copywriter, affiliate liaison for The Rosie O'Donnell Show and research manager for CBS. She is currently the Events Editor for Mommy Poppins NJ and can be reached at njevents@mommypoppins.com

Latest posts by Laurie

Weekday Event Picks for NJ Kids Feb 2-6: Zoo Playtime, Valentine's Storytime & More!

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Mon, 02/02/2015 - 3:00am

February kicks off with plenty of indoor fun to keep everyone warm and busy. Get a head start on Valentine’s Day with Valentine’s Storytime at Fire Me Up! Studio and free Valentine Card-Making at Pottery Barn Kids. Explore child-friendly museum activities at The New Jersey State Museum’s Hands-on Fun and The Hoboken Historical Museum’s Uptown Storytime. More snow in the forecast? Keep this list of snow day activities handy. And don’t forget to check out our event calendar for even more weekday and weekend events.

Weekday Event Picks for NJ Kids Jan 26 - 30: Family Fun Night & Sweetheart Clay Ornaments

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Mon, 01/26/2015 - 3:00am

Now that January is coming to a close, are you still feeling the post-holiday strain on your budget? Luckily, most of this week’s activity picks are free! Don’t miss the free fun at library programs, including Family Fun Night in Berkeley Heights, Fit4Kids puppet show in Chatham and Girls Who Code in Newark. Explore other free activities at Barnes and Noble and Thompson Park Creative Arts Center. Plus, enjoy low-budget active time at All About Fun and Fort Monmouth Recreation Center. And don’t forget to check out our event calendar for even more weekday and weekend events.

10 Ways To Turn a Winter in NJ into Virtual Summer

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Tue, 01/20/2015 - 9:00am

Now that New Jersey's in a deep freeze, is anyone itching for warm weather, beaches and swimming? While there are plenty of fun winter activities, I can’t help feeling like Olaf and dreaming of everything summer. Don’t let the cold keep you indoors and stop you from doing those summer activities you love. With warm clothing and a little imagination, there are ways to experience summer-type fun in the winter. So get out your bathing suit (perhaps covered with your winter coat), and pretend it’s summer in January.

Weekday Event Picks for NJ Kids Jan 19- 23:Awesome Animal Artists, Maple Tree Tapping and More!

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Mon, 01/19/2015 - 3:00am

The week kicks off with Martin Luther King Day, a day of peace and remembrance, as well as a day off from school. Keep the kids busy at Explore the Dream Through Art Workshop or a fun day of Skate & Play at Depford Skating, plus various other community events. Nature programs are popping up all over the state this week, including Awesome Animal Artists, Maple Tree Tapping and Kids and Critters Preschool Program. And get a taste of music and art at Rock Out with Mr. Ray and Fire Me Up! Studio’s Kid’s Night Out. Don’t forget to check out our event calendar for even more weekday and weekend events.

Weekday Event Picks for NJ Kids Jan 12- 16: Disney on Ice, Dinosaurs in the Deep & More!

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Mon, 01/12/2015 - 3:00am

Take a look outside. There’s no doubt that winter has arrived in New Jersey! If you’re searching for ways to keep everyone warm and busy during a frigid January week, look no further than here. Explore the earth’s creatures past and present at Adventure Aquarium’s Dinosaurs in the Deep or Frelinghuysen Arboretum’s Garden Sprouts. Warm up with story programs at Pottery Barn Kids, Terhune Orchards and Montclair Art Museum, or chill out at Disney on Ice Presents Princesses and Heroes. You may get inspired to give ice skating a try at one of New Jersey’s outdoor rinks. And don’t forget to check out our event calendar for even more weekday and weekend events.

Introducing Weekday Event Picks for NJ Kids: P'Jama Storytime, Creative Crafters & More January 5- 9

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Sun, 01/04/2015 - 8:00pm

We're kicking off 2015 with a new feature to help you enjoy even more fun activities with your kids. Starting today, every Monday we'll share weekday activity picks to enjoy Monday through Friday in addition to our weekend events round-ups. We're also adding an additional newsletter so our subscribers will get the new weekday events right in their in-box Monday mornings. Not a subscriber? Sign up now!

Happy New Year, everyone! With a new year comes a brand new feature for Mommy Poppins New Jersey: Weekday Event Picks. When my girls were toddlers, I put a lot of time and effort into digging around for activities to keep them entertained during the week. And now that they’re a bit older, I still look for the occasional activity to burn off some after-school energy. From story times to crafts to nature programs, there are tons of weekday activities for New Jersey kids to enjoy, many of which are free. Here are our picks for this week. Please see the links for more information on each activity. And don’t forget to check out our event calendar for even more weekday and weekend events.

Mostly Free & Fun Things to Do With NJ Kids This New Year's Weekend Dec 31- Jan 4: Disney on Ice, First Night, Sing-Alongs & More!

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Wed, 12/31/2014 - 5:00am

Can you believe it’s almost a brand-new year? As the holiday season comes to a close, take advantage of all the fun opportunities to say goodbye to 2014 and kick off 2015. Celebrate New Year’s Eve at jam-packed family events, including iPlay’s Family-Friendly New Year’s Eve Celebration, First Night Ocean County or First Night Morristown. Warm up those pipes and make it a musical new year with sing-along versions of classic films The Wizard of Oz and The Sound of Music. And you won’t want to miss everyone’s favorite characters on skates in Disney on Ice Presents Princesses & Heroes. For even more weekend fun, check out the full list of weekend activities in our Event Calendar.

Mostly Free & Fun Things to Do With NJ Kids This Weekend Dec 20- Dec 21: Adventure to Santa, Menorah Parade, A Christmas Carol & More!

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Wed, 12/17/2014 - 7:00am

Here it comes- the first weekend of Hanukkah and the last one before Christmas. While you finish your shopping list, checking it twice, make sure spend time doing something nice! If you haven’t visited Santa yet, there’s plenty of opportunity at Imagine That’s Breakfast with Santa, Red Lobster’s Breakfast with Santa and Cherry Hill Mall’s Adventure to Santa. Take part in great museum programs for the family at New Jersey State Museum’s Story Time and Montclair Art Museum’s Family Art Adventure. And get in the spirit of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa at The South Jersey Annual Car Menorah Parade and Sweet Honey in the Rock: Celebrating the Holydays. For even more weekend fun, check out the full list of weekend activities in our Event Calendar.