on Netflix InstantI could blame Van for my new love of the show Shaun the Sheep, but the truth is, when I play an episode during lunch he doesn’t even watch it.
It’s me that finds it adorable and I wish more kids programming was as thoughtfully made and blissfully quiet.
That’s right, no obnoxious screeching voices here, just cute sheepy shenanigans and music.
3601 35th Avenue, AstoriaThe Museum of Moving Image underwent a major renovation recently and looks great. Their current semi permanent exhibit is a fun look at movie making. It explores costumes, sound design, acting, editing and more with crowd pleasing artifacts (like Chewbaca’s mask, a Freddy Krueger prop and a large Blade Runner model) as well as fun hands on features.
Kids we having a great time doing voice over work and making special effects while Van and I made our own little video which we could and did buy as a flip book in the gift shop (pictured below).
It’s a family friendly environment and all ages will love the current Jim Henson’s Fantastic World exhibit. Just good to note: no strollers or photos allowed so bring that carrier for little little ones.
Many actual puppets are on display from Kermit the Frog, to Miss piggy, Fraggles to Bert and Ernie but Van was simply tickled with the Mahna Mahna and backup singer puppets – laughing and pointing when we got near them. He also found an old Kermit video about jazz absolutely hilarious.
Some of my personal favorites were early drawings of big bird, some wicked Skeksis jewelry from the Dark Crystal, and a delightful early film he made that plays on a loop on the middle level called time piece. Also be sure to watch the La Choy dragon commercial within the commercial video loop. It’s awesome.
On our way out we couldn’t resist the unique gift of a black and white Elmo doll, a strange Japanese product that van has taken a liking to wrestling with, hugging and eating it’s eyeballs.
Really look forward to taking him to future exhibits at this great new space.
Little Fugitive, to be honest, was forced on me by an old friend years ago, and I never fully thanked him. It’s a classic, simple film that effectively shows a day in the life of a little boy.
Forced into exile when he’s convinced by his older brother’s friends that he’s killed him (a plot point that’s not as grim as you might think), adorable Joey runs away to Coney Island until his brother finds him.
Despite being a non-actor, Richie Andrusco is fascinating to watch as he gathers bottle, eats watermelon, and makes friends. It’s just as fun to see the old fashions, signs and scenery of Coney Island circa 1953.
Available on netflix instant, this is a great find for lovers of old New York and anyone in the mood to feel like a child again.
by Jonas Sickler and Kaaren PixtonI am one happy mama. Taking after his parents, Van loves books!
He gets adorably excited pretending to read and just can’t seem to get enough of them.
Among our favorites are these “Indestructibles” paperbacks; named so because they can’t be ripped, and are meant to be grabbed, chewed and bent. And I can attest that their claims are true – Van has put these through the ringer and they are merely wrinkled.
Dear friend Grace sent us our first (and still Van’s most beloved) a quirky take on Hey Diddle Diddle. The retro but modern illustrations by Jonas Sickler are absolutely charming. We loved them so much we ordered nearly the whole series.
Kaaren Pixton is the other illustrator who leads artistic, fun paintings to the animal books.
A great gift for little ones.
10 West Seventh Street, St. Paul, MNOn a recent visit to Minneapolis, we took a day at the Children’s Museum of Minnesota. Now, I remember LOVING such hands on places while growing up, and while most of the exhibits were for kids older than Van, we had a blast.
From a lego land exhibit about knights, castles, and dragons (with a joisting corner to boot!) to a tiny town where kids could don costumes (like firemen and postal workers), from an indoor jungle with simulated clouds and lighting kids could move themselves to a sidewalk art patio, there’s plenty here to keep a kid happy.
Van loved looking at everything and made fast friends with the stuffed animal puppets that littered the rooms (surprisingly not available at the museum shop – Van absolutely loved the woodchuck and I would have got it for him, but alas.)
The most awesome part for us though, was the baby room, where kids under 3 can let loose. Van was thrilled to spend time in the padded lily pad area that had mirrors, toys, and fun stuff to climb around.
What a great idea! (Will have to see if our local museum boasts a similar room and make a date to go there soon if so).
Everybody’s Doing ItThere’s a new movement in mothering. It says no to the common ideas babies should be left to cry, it supports co-sleeping, breastfeeding as long as you want, and babywearing. Some call it Attachment Parenting, some call it trusting your instincts, some call it spoiling your baby (pshaw!). Some think it’s a luxury, others think it’s insane.
But no matter what your philosophy on parenting, most moms can agree that at least the babywearing part is pretty awesome. And it’s been done the world over for pretty much forever though has only become a trend in the US fairly recently.
I started carrying with the ubiquitous (and terrible for your back) Baby Bjorn, but moved on to other, better structured carriers like the Gemino Becco and the Ergo. But my newest love is the wrap (and as you can see Van loves it too).
I was surprised how easy wrapping is and comfort wise, it feels like I am pregnant again rather than lugging around a big baby.
I found a gorgeous aqua hombre wrap from Girasol at Caribou Baby, which is an incredible resource for moms and moms to be. Owner and friend Adriane knows as much as anyone on the subject of babywearing and will help you get the hang of it.
I’ve found that the Girasol is a free trade product from Guatemala and they often come in rare limited edition colors – making it an special purchase which is really fun for us moms that thought our days of buying exclusive coveted items for ourselves were over.
194 Withers Street, #1, Guest Written by Jim:Last Sunday (Father’s Day) Van and I attended our very first swim class. Along with two other dads and their respective infants, we hopped into the heated pool of a luxury Williamsburg condominium for our first AquaBeba session.
With the focus on allowing children to become comfortable in the water (as opposed to the rather dire sink-or-swim methodology so many of us experienced growing up), the 5-week program is run by Danilo Krvavac, an affable Serbian (and Olympic swimmer) who lives in Williamsburg with his wife and young daughter.
Extremely patient and full of useful techniques to make the experience as easy as possible for children (maintaining parent-to-baby eye contact throughout the class, walking backwards in the pool so your child always feels like they’re moving forward, saying your child’s name to maintain focus while you ‘condition’ them to become more comfortable with water flowing over their head, offering toys to distract and swim to… the list goes on and on), the class provides a tranquil, supportive place for children to develop swimming skills.
Fleeting recollections of swimming lessons I endured years and years ago at a Southern Connecticut YMCA conjure up unpleasant images of aggressive swim coaches dunking my head underwater–the exact kind of trauma Danilo seeks to avoid. In fact, poor Van (who had been having a hard time teething all week) just wasn’t in the mood for the final submersion exercises, something that would have only irked the swimming instructors of my youth and driven them to more aggressive tactics–but Danilo was totally cool, instantly recognizing that my poor baby was stressed enough and that the last thing he needed was to go under water. Maybe next week.
If you live in the area and are thinking about teaching your child to swim one day please take my advice and consider enrolling in this class. In fact, Aqua Beba offers pre-natal classes for pregnant ladies to just float around in so you don’t even have to have a baby (yet) to sign up.
One of the most compelling reasons to do so is safety: the sooner your child is comfortable in the water, the better; but another good reason to start your child early is that very young babies still have breath-holding reflexes from their days in the womb and Danilo can leverage this innate ability in such a way that children have a much, much easier time learning how hold their breath under water.
And besides, it’s hard to imagine a more enjoyable Sunday morning than one spent in a heated pool with your splashy baby.
from iPlayI was so thrilled to find this sunhat from iPlay on Amazon. The summer sun can be dangerous, especially if your baby’s as super white as Van is. This wide brim hat made of 50 SPF fabric keeps him protected.
I’m not shocked that I’ve seen tons of little ones sporting the same one and have moms asking where I got mine. Most places offer nothing but flimsy hats with tiny brims that do little to block out the rays.
Plus, it’s adorable.
This is a summer must have!
by George Selden (1960)I feel like I have to confess something. I began the season, continuing my attempt to do things I’ve always meant to by reading Dune. After getting through more than half, I found I was just not into it. Humorless messiah science fiction has never been up my ally but I do feel like I failed some level of nerdom… alas.
But, in an equally nerdy move, I went on to read another classic I missed the first time round, The Cricket in Times Square.
I love to crack open a young adult novel now and then, but this is for even younger audiences, so I’ll probably be reading to Van in a few years. (Now, how to do the Chinese accents without sounding, er, disrespectful…)
The story of a cricket who makes a splash in the subways below Times Square with his musical talents is thoroughly charming and only takes a couple hours to read. The illustrations by Garth Williams are cute and the characters are endearing.
I was even inspired by it to write a couple children’s books myself.
Great Umbrella StrollerJim hasn’t been this excited about a piece of baby equipment since, well, never.
The UPPAbaby G-Lite Stroller is, in fact, very light, making it ideal for apartment walk ups. It folds and unfolds easily (which is a huge plus and also surprisingly rare), handles bumpy sidewalks well, has a nice canopy to block out sunlight, and looks great.
The only minor drawback is a pretty small carrying space below.
We found ours for half off on Gilt Groupe, so it might be worth checking their for a repeat offer.