Photo courtesy of Hebrew National
Recently I co-hostessed a Hebrew National Better-Than-A-Picnic. It was great that several Mom in the City readers (Lisa, Junnie, Jennifer) came out. I also want to say a special thanks to my blogging friends (besides my co-hostesses!) for coming out to support the day:
-Adiaha (Adiaha.com)
-Eddy & Divina (Dancing Hotdogs)
-Jennifer (Savor the Thyme)
-Kristina Brooke (Mom on the Rise)
-Liz (Mom-101)
-Marinka (Motherhood in NYC) (Oh my gosh…you have to read her humorous take on the day/her son’s notion of “community service”!)
-Nancy Horn (various sites)
-Nora Phemister (Chittypulga)
-Rebecca Levy (NYC Moms Blog)
We had a chance to speak with Cheryl Hines at the beginning. It turns out that she works with kids and public schools a lot, so it made her a natural fit to work with Hebrew National in this service project that supported the Magic Summer Lunch Box and The Food Bank For New York City. (On a side note, you can check out a preview of Cheryl’s upcoming fall show “School Pride”, which focuses on making over schools, here.)
(Thanks Suzanne for the picture!)
Later, we decorated lunch bags for the program. I asked Isabel, Jennifer’s adorable daughter what I should draw on my bag, so I ended up drawing a heart, butterfly and flower. It was nice and simple. I liked it, I hope that the kid who gets it a.) is a girl and b.) enjoys it!
After chatting with friends and eating a hot dog, I did something that I had never done before….rode a mechanical bull! To my surprise, that thing was not easy to get on/it was slippery. I was able to ride it for a bit, but I think that I was too tense, because my feet cramped up (?!) I did something to mess up the focus on my Kodak Zi8, so the picture is blurry BUT here’s my visual memory of my first (mechanical) bull ride. Yee! Ha!
Without a doubt, it was a fun day. I was so happy to be a part of this. If you couldn’t make it, why not create your own picnic and tie it in to a service project that is close to your heart? Below are a few tips from Hebrew National:
· Pick a date and invite your favorite people – family and good friends.
· Find an open, green space like a backyard or a local park – make sure there’s a grill and a place for kids to play.
· Create a simple but yummy menu that includes Hebrew National hot dogs (of course!)
· Ask your guests to each bring a side dish like fruit, baked beans or potato salad; or a menu staple like hot dog buns and ketchup.
· Make the event truly memorable. Choose a local charity that’s meaningful to you and your family. Call the organization and tell them you’d like to do a service project for them at your picnic.
In any event, if you do decide to host a picnic and you happen to rent a mechanical bull, let me know. I want a second ride!
Disclosure: I was compensated to serve as one of the co-hosts for this event. I hope that my guests had as much fun as I did!