Out and about… – Page 22

The Great Jack O’Lantern BLAZE

Posted on October 30, 2013 by RocklandNYMom Posted in Out and about..., Uncategorized .

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Disclosure: I did not receive any monetary compensation in exchange for this post

This year we thought (A) was finally old enough to go to The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze, which is an event put on yearly by The Historic Hudson Valley at Van Cortlandt Manor, Croton-on-the-Hudson, NY. We went with the family of one of (A)’s best friends from school. As a group we decided to go earlier in October as we were fearful of the weather getting too cold based on the fact that both of us infants in addition to our preschoolers. Tour times go every half hour beginning at 6:30 pm and ending at 10 pm. We had tickets for 7:30 because we wanted to make sure that it was dark enough but not too late for the kids. The timing was near perfect. During the week (including Fridays) tickets cost $16 for Adults and $12 for Children 3-17, with Children under 2 free. On Saturdays Adults are $20 and Children are $16.

We love to decorate pumpkins, and get into the Halloween spirit and this was perfect for that! It was awe inspiring. What these people do with pumpkins (both real and some not) is really amazing (especially since I have difficulty carving a straight line, (D) usually handles the intricate carving). It was not scary, and both of the 3 year olds had a great time. Since you are on a structured path, they were both able to navigate their way through holding the hand of a parent and each other. I would recommend a jogger stroller or a baby carrier for this event as the path is stone and difficult to navigate with a regular stroller. It was also a bit crowded so although my jogger was fine, it may have been better to use my baby carrier instead. I would also recommend taking your youngster to the bathroom when you first arrive or right before you get there, because the bathrooms are near the start so you have to walk all the way through to get to them.

There is a great little gift store at the end where you can purchase anything Blaze related. They have a great little children’s book that was written and illustrated to explain the Blaze and the Van Cordlandt Manor. We got home and had to purchase more pumpkins to carve at (A)’s request, we now have a grand total of 4 this year (usually we max out at 2). See the pictures of our adventure below!

The giant spider web that the boys were fascinated with. There were tons of different sized spiders crawling around as well.

This Giant Clock is at the last turn, and is super cool with its moving pumpkin ticking away the time.

Here is a picture of me and (A) after carving one of our 4 pumpkins.

Here are our other 3 Pumpkins.

Gabi Rocks Neuroblastoma Family Fund Raising Event

Disclosure: I did not receive any monetary compensation in exchange for this post

This story was shared with me by a classmate of (A)’s…

Gabrielle Paige Olivo was a typical sweet and adventurous two year old who loved all things princess, Dora the Explorer and her ballet classes when, just this past August, two and a half weeks before she turned three, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma is a particularly aggressive form of cancer that affects only children. Gabi’s diagnosis came just 2 days after her new baby brother, Alex, came home.

Upon learning that the tumor was malignant, Gabi’s father John immediately rushed her to Long Island Winthrop hospital where it took 3 surgeons to partially resect the tumor that was in her stomach. It had grown to be the size of a grapefruit. Furthermore, the cancer was found to have spread to her legs, shoulder, ribs, and lymph nodes. Gabi never showed a single symptom. The family never even got a chance to be a foursome before they were split apart with one parent living in the hospital with Gabi and one taking care of brand new baby Alex at home. Since then Gabi has had 3 rounds of intense chemo therapy as well as a stem cell harvest to prepare for the marrow destroying consolidation treatment. She has a very long road ahead.

While her family was quickly thrust into an edition of “extreme parenting,” fun loving Gabi has kept up her smile and dance moves the whole time. Whether she’s decorating her OWN crown, singing her theme song “I Totally Rock”, or making sure her baby dolls are properly swaddled, this little girl is proving that she’s not only a beautiful little ballerina but also a strong fighter and her family is tackling this difficult situation head on. As such, it seemed only fitting with a rocker like Gabi to have a benefit concert in her honor.

Little Shanti Yoga- Review

Posted on October 22, 2013 by RocklandNYMom Posted in Out and about..., We're Having a Party .

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Disclosure: This is a sponsored post as I was invited to attend Little Shanti Yoga’s class. All opinions expressed here are my own. —

**Highly Recommend

This past Sunday, (A), (E), and I got a chance to check out Little Shanti Yoga. I was very excited. The New City Library currently has a program with them. You must sign up weekly for the class. Unfortunately, it is during the morning when (A) and I are at school. I would have signed him up to go if there were sessions in the afternoon.

(A) strikes a pose.

The studio founder and owner Miss. Wendy is a certified yoga instructor, and a holistic health coach. She has a background as a preschool teacher, and decided to put her two talents together. Her classes range from ages 2 months to 18 years, and also includes classes for those with special needs. There are “mommy and me” classes, kids only, and family yoga (sounds like a good family activity to me!). Miss. Wendy has many interesting specialty classes including some that are girls only, and mother daughter. One of these that I am very interested in is the “Yoga and Gardening Workshop.” This encompasses two things that I am a big fan of! Little Shanti does classes at local libraries, and many of the area schools too! All of the available programs can be found on their website http://www.littleshantiyoga.vpweb.com. You can also follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/littleshantiyoga.

The cost of a session is typical to that of all classes for kid, if you break it down to price per minute (ppm) it’s actually a little cheaper. I really like that sessions are less than an hour in most cases. (A) is three and like most kids his age, he can rarely focus for an entire hour. That means that for a portion of many of the activities that I have taken him to we are paying for time that he is not using.

Miss. Wendy gives (A) magic lotion.

Miss. Wendy uses her background in childhood education to drive the classes. This is great, especially given the new common core agenda. The kids did not just do some yoga poses. She really gets the kids engaged and she also incorporates coloring and literacy into her sessions. During the class that we attended she read pages from the Halloween book “What am I Halloween?”, and then taught the kids the corresponding poses for the characters read. This is all while teaching other important aspects of yoga, like slow controlled movement and breathing. If a child fell out of step (and in a 3-5 year old class this is often no matter how good your child is) they were simply encouraged to get back into the class with a personal invitation. “(A) can you show me how to be a spider?” If everyone wasn’t on the same page class did not stop. It was obvious that in this environment it is understood that kids are kids and that they will eventually get back into it after their little break. This level of comfort is especially nice with this age group since they are trying so hard to be individuals. At the end of the class there is time to calm down. Miss. Wendy puts a pillow on your eyes and gives magic lotion out only if someone wants it. The kids love the novelty as well as the personal choice portion. They get to relax and have a moment to destress. The lights get turned off and in her calm voice when they are ready the students get to put away the pillows and those of their parents.

The class winds down at the end.

(A), (E), and I really enjoyed the class and I would recommend it to anyone. We all felt good afterwards ((E) didn’t tell me but she smiled and cooed plenty). (A) said that he had fun and asked when we could go back to yoga class. He told me that he liked Miss. Wendy, which is always a win in my book. I like that it gives my ever moving three year old a way to channel energy and teaches him to calm down and destress a little. As an educator and mother you cannot ignore what is going on with the common core, and Miss. Wendy is on the mark with her incorporation of literacy. A resounding theme with parents of children who are immersed in the new curriculum is the stress of the difficult work and the numerous tests that they are forced to take, so it seems that the ability to calm down and destress is more important than ever for children and parents alike. I am going to try to get (A) into a class from here on out. A+++ for Little Shanti Yoga.

Have a children’s class or program you would like me to spotlight? Contact me at rocklandnymom@yahoo.com.

Guilt free, school approved snack…

Posted on October 16, 2013 by RocklandNYMom Posted in Out and about..., Yumm! .

Disclosure: I did not receive any monetary compensation in exchange for this post

(A) attends pre-school and has a snack day once a month where I am responsible for sending in a snack for the whole class. I look forward to the opportunity to send something healthy and yummy for the kids. I also hate to be typical, I don’t want to send the same pouches and whatnot that everyone else does. Granonut is perfect since we have restrictions about nuts (as most schools, daycares, etc do).

Granonut was created by a Rockland Native who has a nut allergy and still wanted to be able to enjoy healthy granola. Granonut is an all natural, nut free granola made locally in Bronx, NY! If you or a loved one have a nut allergy (or even if you don’t) check out www.granonut.com!

Check out some of the new flavors that were just added including a festive Pimpkin Spice!

Superhero Training At NCL

Posted on October 15, 2013 by RocklandNYMom Posted in Out and about... .

Disclosure: I did not receive any monetary compensation in exchange for this post

(A) and I attended Super Hero Training at the New City Library today. I have missed library activities since (A) started preschool. Most activities for his age group are done in the morning while he is at school. Today we lucked out because school was out for both of us, so we capitalized on the opportunity, plus its superheroes! (A) and I were so excited!!

(A) vaporizes a villain with silly string at the New City Library.

It was defenitly a worthwhile trip. Training was an hour long, from 10:30-11:30 am. It included a craft (color your own moving super hero), two stories (superman and my mother’s x-ray vision), and several super hero themed educational activities.

Activities included:

x-ray vision practice
super touch (can you tell what you feel in the box?)
boxing practice (punch in a bowl covered in tissue paper)
a super snack
kryptonite clean up
vaporizing a villain

(A)’s favorite part was vaporizing the villain of course! It was a great way to spend an hour watching children play and learn without knowing! At the end each hero received a certificate signed by several famous supeheroes and lots of laughs.

I am really looking forward to our next library program together! For more information on your local library and its childrens programs, check my past post on library fun.

Loving Libraries!!!

Posted on October 9, 2013 by RocklandNYMom Posted in Out and about... .

Disclosure: I did not receive any monetary compensation in exchange for this post

Your local public library is a fun adventure for your kids, and one that many of us have forgotten… They have amazing programs for kids-adults that too few people take advantage of. As a member of the New City Library I have taken part in many, many of their programs, and what could be more cost effective than FREE?!! Many if not all of the libraries below will allow anyone to go to their programs, with preference given to those who live in their area. (A) and I have participated in art classes in Blauvelt, and story times in Haverstraw as well as the Terrific Twos, music classes and story times at our own library.

Below I have listed the public libraries in Rockland, each is a link to their children’s page. There are too many programs to list here. Check your surrounding area and if you don’t find anything try another. Be sure you call or stop in to register as space at all of these events is always limited. Want something that you don’t see at any of the local libraries? Stop by the children’s desks and suggest something. I have listed the upcoming events in New City that we will be attending.

Public Library Sites

New City Library

10/14- 10:30-11:30 Super Heroes at the Library

10/23- 6:30-7:30 Fall Craft

10/26- 11-12 Shadow Puppet

11/6- 6:30-7:30 Thanksgiving Craft

11/7- 6:00-6:45 Mr Kurt at Night

12/5- 6:00-6:45 Mr Kurt at Night

12/14- 10-11:45 Magic Show

12/18- 6:30-7:15 Oh Deer Craft

Clarkstown Central School District Parents saw this and am LOVING IT!!! Paws for Reading (this is not the link for our program, but one like it) will be at the New City Library on 10/19, 11/9, and 12/7. Struggling readers read to a dog, who is trained to listen attentively and they don’t judge. It is ONLY open to CCSD students who are struggling readers. If you are interested contact the library. Live somewhere else and love the idea? Call your local library and suggest it to them.

Pearl River Public Library Blauvelt Library Nanuet library

Orangeburg Library Nyack Library West Nyack Library

Finkelstein Library Haverstraw Library Tappan Library

Valley Cottage Library

October-Fire Prevention Events!

Posted on October 8, 2013 by RocklandNYMom Posted in Good Cause, Out and about... .

Disclosure: I did not receive any monetary compensation in exchange for this post

October is Fire Prevention Month and many of the local firehouses are doing great things to reach out to the community! I have contacted them to see what they may be up to, i will continue to update as i hear back. Check out below to see if yours is participating!

Nanuet Firehouse Open House 10/13/2013 12-3pm

Congers Firehouse Pancake Breakfast and Open House 10/13/2013 8-12pm

Nyack Fire Chiefs Parade- 10/5/2013- Will feature at least 60 fire apparatus!

NJBG Fall Festival

Posted on October 7, 2013 by RocklandNYMom Posted in Out and about... .

Disclosure: I did not receive any monetary compensation in exchange for this post

The festival was free to enter which was nice, and I love the gardens, it’s a great place to run around and play. With the leaves changing it was lovely. The craft fair was small but he people lovely. Several of them stopped to chat or play with (A) and his friend.

It was super kid friendly, they set up bubbles, had a story corner with small chairs and fall books, a coloring station, some cut outs for photos (YESS!!), and those were all free! We got to paint a pumpkin (not free) and face painting and a hayride were also available for a price. We didn’t do those as they were super pricey for a small fall festival ($10 to ride for a kid and adult together).

Food was pretty good and reasonable, basic festival fare (pizza, hotdogs, barbecue). You could bring your own no problem since its an outdoor space, Saturday was a great day for a picnic too.

Over all a great time was had, I would recommend this festival to anyone with kids 2-5.

My wiggly worm!

Beautiful turned leaves

Bubble fun for all!!

Squirt Soccer

Posted on September 30, 2013 by RocklandNYMom Posted in Out and about..., Uncategorized .

Disclosure: I did not receive any monetary compensation in exchange for this post

My son (A) is three, and I am a nationally licensed soccer coach. So, naturally I want him to play the sport, or at least expose it to him. I tell myself often that if he ever decided that he didn’t want to play anymore I would accept that with grace. Luckily I haven’t had to deal with it yet. Physically strong from the get go he has always been involved in some sort of physical activity (gym class, swimming, etc).

I looked extensively for a program for young kids when I thought he was ready. Which in his case was 2. The first program that I signed him up for was not about the sport or the kids. They had way too many players signed up and way too few helpers, and the person running the program had them waiting in lines!!! Have you ever seen 2 and 3 year olds wait in line? It’s painful for you to watch too!!! To add insult to injury it cost an arm and a leg to join. As a coach this killed me, I was really hoping to have someone else run practices so that I could be “mommy” and not coach.

Thanks to a friend I found St. Francis Squirt Soccer. The program is run by a couple who are parishioners at the local church and love the game. The subscribe to the same basic principles that I do, never turn a kid away if you can help it, try to encourage fun and love of the game and incorporate the basic skills.

This program is limited only by the number of coaches they can find to help out, and everyone helps out. Each parent who dedicates their time to coach means that 10 more kids have a team to play on. For less money than the gas that it takes to get there, your child gets a t-shirt and an hour of fun once a week. They learn basic skills taught with love by parents willing to spend quality with their kids and yours, and you are supplied with cones, goals and a list of fun games to play in case you can’t think of any.

It’s no wonder that there are over 120 kids age 2.5-5 years showing up each Sunday morning at 9 am to play ball, during both the fall and spring months. I am so happy to have found this program for my children and will continue to coach until they age out. As long as the program is running, I will continue to sing its praises and recommend to anyone that I know.

Halloween Haunts 2013!

Posted on September 19, 2013 by RocklandNYMom Posted in Out and about... .

Disclosure: I did not receive any monetary compensation in exchange for this post

I love Halloween! The creativity, dress up, candy, who wouldn’t?! The only problem is I am not a big fan of being scared, which is good for now because the kiddies are young. I went on a search for things to do in our area for them and here is a list that I compiled! Click on the link to get more information.

***Those with an asterisk are geared toward those a bit older.***

New Jersey Children’s Museum, Paramus