1. Membership to the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (http://www.cmom.org/): In theory this is one of my favorite things. I recently purchased a membership as a pre-preschool for my oldest son. (He’s one of those March birthdays, so he doesn’t meet the 3 year, 9 months pre-k guidelines.) They have a bunch of great activities including circle times, arts and crafts, etc. I would be remiss though if I didn’t tell you the two things that bug me about this museum…
a. They don’t allow food in the museum nor do they have an eating area. Every mom (that I have spoken to about this) agree that this rule is insane. Many moms (and I won’t name names!) break this rule and feed their kids in a quiet corner anyway.
b. The museum can be super crowded on days when the weather isn’t nice outside. It can be somewhat claustrophobic. On one such super-crowded day, I saw a little kid with a runny nose wiping his nose and touching the various toys. I tried to get to my son with the almighty wipes after he played in that same area, but it was too late. Of course, both of my sons got sick for a week afterwards. That was the day we got our membership. I briefly considered asking for a refund, but I’m glad that I didn’t …overall it really is a great place and I’m sure that it will become one of my favorite things.
2. City Threads (http://www.citythreads.com/) Winged Guitar Double Layer Tee – Navy: I don’t usually get excited about kids clothes (in part, because they grow out of them so quickly or maybe it’s just because little boy clothes aren’t as cute/don’t have as much variety as little girl clothes). However, there are exceptions, like this tee. My oldest son has it. It’s too cute! As soon as the tee came in the mail, Michael opened it and declared it his "new favorite shirt". When he puts it on, he says, "this is my rocker shirt", runs to get his toy guitar and puts on a rock show. (Where did he get that?!) In any event, the tee is not inexpensive (it starts at $48.50) but if your little one likes to rock (and you don’t mind getting comments about how cool your kid’s tee is from total strangers), you should get it.
3. Skip Hop (http://www.skiphop.com) Playspot: I was on the fence about buying this play area, but I decided to give it a try primarily for three reasons: 1. It was cuter than the alphabet coverings; 2. My wood floors are hard and I needed an area for my baby to start practicing his crawling; and 3. Initially, I though that I could find a better price than a $79 playspace, but after researching comparable EVA foam surfaces, I realized that this is a bargain price. Overall, I really like it and it has served its purpose. Both sons like to play on it. The baby is learning to crawl (although it’s primarily backwards crawling at this point). Best of all, it is a soft spot for the baby to land when he does that toppling over thing that all babies do. The only negative (that is product-related anyway) is that the surface scratches rather easily. The other "sweet negative" is baby related. Now that Sean (my youngest) has learned that he is mobile, he’s all over the place…including off the Playspot, halfway under the sofa, etc.! I tell you, babies find a way to scoot to where they want to get (which is usually the place we moms don’t want them to be…very cute though)!
4. Brightly Colored Nail Polish: I’m usually pretty conservative when it comes to nail polish colors…red on the toes, pink on the nails. Lately though I’ve been trying new colors. I only have them used on my toenails, because bright fingernails require too much upkeep for me. Maybe it’s the after-baby effect. After my first son was born, I lightened (highlighted) my hair. With this son, I’m brightening my toes. (Okay, maybe there’s really not a link there.) Anway, it’s fun to experiment with a variety of shades. Both my husband and I especially liked Huckle Buckle (a lavender shade). OPI’s Russian Navy and Golden Rules! are next on my pedicure shades list.
5. Apple Muffins from TJ Bakery & Cafe (http://www.tjbakerycafe.com/): They make some of the best apple muffins that I have ever tasted. I warn you in advance that you may get addicted once you have one. If you try hard enough though, you might even be able to convince yourself that they’re healthy (because of the apple chunks that you can see in the muffin) even though with their buttery smell and taste, you will know that they are not. (Their cupcakes are also especially yummy.) Reserve this favorite for a special treat.
6. Bowen’s by the Bays (http://www.bowensbythebays.com/): We rented a two bedroom private cottage at this reasonably priced Hamptons resort for a few days and had an amazing time. They had tennis, a swimming pool, a kids’ playground, shuffleboard, a putting green and much more. What I really liked is that the cottage was fully furnished, including kitchen necessities which are great when you’re traveling with kids. The owner, Eileen, was very friendly and helpful. She directed us to the best family-friendly places to eat and suggested various attractions. (We ended up going to the Atlantis Aquarium, which was a really great pick.) Most of all, I enjoyed the fact that we could just relax as a family. They had a shed full of games that you could take out. We played board games together as a family at night and it was wonderful. Our three year old beat me and my husband at Life (how humbling – he was getting money on practically every turn!) and he had the most real estate at the end of our Monopoly game…so of course, he had a blast. The time flew by and my oldest son cried over the fact that we had to leave. Already he’s asking, "When are we going back to The Hamptons?" (We’re asking the same question!)
7. Hire My Mom (http://www.hiremymom.com/): Since according to the U.S. Census Bureau, "over 5.4 million mothers put their careers on hold to stay home with their children", this is a much-needed site. It helps moms find temporary and part-time work that the moms do from their own home offices. Of course, I’m a big fan of moms working from home, so it’s great to see more businesses adapting to this movement. (Note that membership is $99 per year or $29.95 per quarter. I don’t especially like to pay money upfront for the possibility of getting a job, but I would make an exception in this instance.)
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