juicy fruit twitter party happening tomorrow!

Oh, how I love the summertime... especially after the winter we had here in NYC. Let’s make the remaining warm weather days of summer count! I'm hosting One2One Network's #JuicyFruitFunSide Twitter Party tomorrow (Thursday, July 31) from 1-2pm ET and you're invited to be there. We’ll be talking about childhood nostalgia, fun with family, and how to sweeten up the summer with Juicy Fruit. Also joining as my co-host is Heather Smith of Our Kids Mom.

Product Info: Chew on this: Juicy Fruit® recently expanded the family circle. It’s now available as Juicy Fruit® Fruity Chews and Juicy Fruit® Bubble Gum, and both kids and “kids at heart” will love it!

Prizing: Throughout the hour, @One2OneNetwork will be randomly drawing 15 winners to receive two (2) Six Flags Great Adventure park passes for the 2014 season (US residents only). Whether you’re a rollercoasting daredevil or perfectly happy cruising down the Lazy River, there’s guaranteed fun for everyone. If you don’t reside within 60 miles of a U.S. Six Flags Great Adventure theme park, you’ll have the option to receive a $50 VISA gift card instead. Everyone who RSVPs and participates is eligible to win!

Date: Thursday, July 31
Party Time: 1-2pm ET
Where: #JuicyFruitFunSide on Twitter
Who: @BabyMeetsCity, @OurKidsMom, and @JuicyFruit
Prizes: Fifteen winners will receive two (2) Six Flags Great Adventure theme park tickets for the 2014 season. ARV: $137. (If you don’t reside within 60 miles of a U.S. Six Flags Great Adventure theme park, you’ll have the option to receive a $50 VISA gift card instead). Must be US resident to win.
RSVP: http://one2onenetwork.com/juicyfruitfunside-twitter-party/

madeline in new york: the art of ludwig bemelmans

The little gals and I made a special trip to the New York Historical Society last week to check out their new exhibit, Madeline in New York: The Art of Ludwig Bemelmans. We loved it! I've always felt that one of the more fun aspects of being a parent is getting to read aloud some of my favorite books from childhood... in a way, re-living my early years in the process. Madeline definitely tops the list of my favorite all-time characters. Such a spunky girl (who else could say "pooh, pooh" to a tiger?!)

The exhibit delves into Bemelmans' life as a young immigrant working in the hotel industry in NYC, the inspiration for Madeline, as well as his life as an author, artist, restaurateur, fabric designer and comic book illustrator.

A few fun facts for you: During Ludwig's time living at the famous Upper East Side Carlyle Hotel, he painted murals on the walls of their bar while he and his family lived rent-free (Bemelmans Bar was later named in his honor and the murals are still there for you to see). On view you'll find correspondence between he and Jacqueline Kennedy, whom he was collaborating with on Madeline at The White House until his death in 1962 (his grandson, John Bemelmans Marciano, later finished the book). Also, I had no idea Bemelmans sketched out the outline of Madeline on a menu at Pete's Tavern in Gramercy Park (side note: I once went on a disastrous blind date there).

What a treat to learn so much about a truly fascinating man! I highly recommend visiting if you're a Madeline fan, children's book buff and absolutely if you're a lover of all things NYC.

While there, we also checked out the DiMenna Children's History Museum, which is located downstairs. Their children's story and craft time during the week is Madeline-themed while the exhibit is on view, and the gals had so much fun listening to a story and making charm bracelets! I must admit this was our first visit to DiMenna, and it's a bit of a hidden gem. We'll definitely be coming back.

Check their calendar for exact times and dates for story and craft time.

an afternoon on the lower east side

The girls and I headed downtown the other day to check out the new street art installation by Kelsey Montague, a lovely gal I happen to know thanks to social media and this here blog. Amongst her many talents, she and her sister also run a pretty cool ethical fashion website called Nikita and Vesper. Kelsey's wings (and the hashtag #whatliftsyou) have caused quite the stir online, thanks to poses from Taylor Swift and an interview on Mashable. Kelsey hopes to raise awareness for social justice and organizations like the Coalition for the Homeless in addition to furthering her artistic pursuits. If you'd like to be an angel or fairy for a moment, check out the wings on the corner of Kenmare and Mott in Nolita!

Next, we headed to Morgenstern's Ice Cream on Rivington Street. Like every other toddler on the planet, the girls are obsessed with ice cream, and Morgenstern's didn't disappoint. It's such a pretty little space, too. I love that the servers wear old fashioned hats, and the decor is bright and cheery. It was such a hot day, we could have stayed all afternoon! While the girls munched on cones (reasonably priced at $3.50) I had the most refreshing mango cooler with pomegranate soda. DELISH.

Such a fun summer afternoon!

mulan comes to the east village (and a giveaway!)

The Red Poppy Ladies, a world-renowned percussion group from China, is performing MULAN THE MUSICAL here in NYC, now through September 13th at La Mama Theatre in the East Village. Millie and I had a chance to check out a performance this past weekend, and we really enjoyed it!

Truthfully, I wasn't sure what to expect -- I knew they were a drumming group, but I wasn't sure how they would be able to translate their sound into a story, much less the one of Mulan, the young girl who disguises herself as a man and selflessly goes to war so her ailing father is able to stay home. Well, all I can say is WOW. The drumming was amazing; I couldn't believe how well the ladies synchronized throughout the performance, and not just on the drums... the "fan dance" was one of my favorite parts.

With the assistance of a screen in the background, the moving story of Mulan's bravery is shared with the audience. That was helpful as it allowed me to give Millie a "Cliff Notes" version of what was going on as the story progressed. We left the performance thoroughly entertained, and the only down side was Millie asked me for a drum set on the way home. Meanwhile, I was reminded once again of one of the major positives to living in a major city -- the access to performances like this one. I would highly recommend this show (and I'd say it's appropriate for age 4 and above).

I'm VERY EXCITED to be giving away 4 tickets to a performance of MULAN THE MUSICAL. Check out the easy entries on Rafflecopter, and I'll announce a winner next Thursday, July 31st. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

big apple books: nana in the city

Nana in the City
by Lauren Castillo

In Lauren Castillo's new book, Nana in the City, a young boy goes to visit his grandmother in the city. He's not exactly looking forward to the visit, however, as it's hard for him to understand why anyone would want to live in such a loud and busy place. With the help of a beautiful cape that Nana sews for him, the grandson soon discovers that city living can be quite magical -- busy, yes, but equally alive and exciting. In the end, he comes to understand why his nana would want to live in such a bustling place.

I just adore this book. The illustrations are quite lovely (see more of Castillo's work here), and I can relate to the story in more ways than one. Though I have lived in NYC for nearly 14 years, people still ask why I would want to live here, let alone raise children in such a place. While the city is not without its aggravations (and who knows, maybe we will move one day), I just love how this book captures the excitement and liveliness of this place we call home.

I'm kind of thinking I'll be a nana in the city one day.

a road trip to coastal maine

They say when you become a parent, the word "vacation" no longer applies. Travel with children is called a "trip." And there is something to be said for that. For the most part, our "trip" last week was not what I would call relaxing. But despite bouts of whiney behavior, motion sickness in the car (and car trouble, by the way), a sea of children's menus and a lot of late-to-bed nights, we managed to make the most of our time together. I really welcomed the change of scenery, and coastal Maine, which was our ultimate destination, took my breath away with its raw and unencumbered beauty.

Not to mention the lobster.

Our first two nights were spent at Point Lookout Resort in Northport. Point Lookout operates as a conference center primarily but is also open to individuals and families. We discovered the resort through Preferred Family, which is an excellent resource when researching vacations, as they have properties all over the world that cater to families (and thanks to their handy travel planner located on the home page, I'm already thinking about our next getaway...) 

Our two-bedroom cabin was comfortable and roomy, and the property itself has a number of activities available. We took advantage of their soccer field and hiking trails -- there's even a bowling alley! The Copper Pine, Point Lookout's on-site restaurant, benefits from the property's own organic farm, which we had a chance to visit. Doesn't get anymore "local" than that. 

We also loved the fire pit that was dropped off at our cabin... perfect for s'mores (turns out our girly girls thought they were too "sticky," which of course meant more for us). A private beach available to guests is located across the street and the quaint village of Camden is only a 10 minute drive away. All in all, Point Lookout was the perfect location to kick off our trip. 

The next night we spent camping in Searsport, Maine, right on the ocean. As campgrounds go, this one was clean, well-managed, and you truly couldn't beat the view. Great playground, too! And for the record, one night of camping is my limit until I can invest in a more comfortable pad or cot. My poor back... 

Our last two nights were spent in Ogunquit, located in southern Maine. While the town and harbor are quite beautiful and there is plenty to do there (we took a lobster boat ride and walked along the stunning Marginal Way), it was a bit of a shock as it's much more touristy than the mid-coast. The girls did enjoy the Ogunquit Trolley (parking is a bit of a nightmare in the main part of town) and Footbridge Beach, which we visited on our last day, was just the relaxing afternoon we needed. We stayed on the inlet side, and the water was calm and cool and the sand felt great between our toes.

So yeah, even though this was a "trip," I still wish I was on it. Here's hoping your family travel this summer is whine/motion sickness/drama-free. We can dream, can't we?

Disclaimer: For the purposes of a review, our stay at Point Lookout Resort was complimentary. All opinions expressed herein are my own.