NY Baby Show 2017 was the best yet!

Last Sunday at bedtime, I asked K3 what his favorite part of the day was. After spending a busy day in the city, there was a lot to consider.  He answered, "the baby show," and when I asked him why, he told me, "the people".  Of course I thought that was so sweet and adorable, but the more I thought about it that night, the more I understood how great the day was for him.  At every single stop in the huge expo hall, someone was giving him a compliment or a treat.  He got to play with a lot of new, fun baby gear, and everybody gave him tons of attention.

Here are some highlights and favorites from the day.

This was our first stop when we got inside the show, and K3 had to be bribed away from this table.  There's just something about new books.

The Pello was something that I could see all of my boys lounging on as well as something that would be convenient to pop the baby in when I'm doing laundry, getting dressed, or whatever.  I like how easy it was to carry and how soft it was.  I may just have to get one for the dog too, because she will totally try to claim it!

Trips to Fire Island would be made so much easier if I had this set up. The design of this Austlen stroller is gorgeous and the storage capacity is outrageous.  Plus, they just released beach wheels, so we could take it right down on the sand.

This Summer Infant potty had K3 captivated.  It looks like a big boy potty, it makes a flushing sound, and it was filled with chocolates.  I love that it had a built in wipe dispenser and is easy to clean.

Other favorites include Goumikids (the sweetest organic mits, booties, and sleepers- I will definitely be stocking up for the baby),  Littlebeam nursing pillows (small enough to easily tote around, use in the car, etc.), Savor (easy to organize keepsake storage), Storksak (diaper bags that would make me feel grownup and pulled together), and the thing I totally cannot wait to get into my house- Dirty Soap. It's a hand soap that changes colors when you've scrubbed enough.  I don't know about you, but my kids are known to squirt soap in their hands and rinse it off before they even get a good lather. This is a game changer!

 And of course it was a gorgeous day, so we ended it with a walk around the neighborhood.

 

*Disclosure: I was provided with free passes for the show and was compensated for this post.  All opinions are our own.

Sunday Funday in NYC

This past Sunday, the boys and I took a drive into the city to attend the New York Baby Show and enjoy a sunny day.  With all the stress of house buying/selling and wedding planning, it was great to have a day that consisted of nothing but fun things and quality time.  

Most of our favorite things in the city are on the west side- including big boats with water slides.

When I asked the big boys about their favorite part of the day, they said the treats- because almost every booth had cookies, candy, or cupcakes for them.  This meant they wanted to stop and talk to everyone to see what sweets they were offered.  That worked for me because it gave me time to learn about a lot of new products and make some new friends.  I ended up buying a new baby carrier from Bitybean (I saw that Suzanne bought one the day before, and I figured she certainly would know a good baby carrier when she sees one) and the BiteSizers from Mixed Pears.  

My favorite part of the day was the Momtrends Blogger lounge.  It was great to see a friend from Mabel's Labels and snack on the yummy food.  But selfishly, it was great to leave the bigger boys with The Nanny League to enjoy some pampering from the Glam Squad.  They are expanding to Long Island soon, so check it out!  

The thing that made my kids the happiest was their time with East Side West Side Music Together.  At first, just JD and O were sitting for the class while I fed the baby, but K3 is mighty proud of his new clapping skills and demanded to be included.

It was such a great, family-friendly day, that I made Keith promise that we would all go together next year.

Can't leave without hitting up at least one playground.

*Disclosure: I was compensated for this post and provided with free passes for the show.  All opinions are our own.

No Place To Go is the Place To Go

I am in love with my new relationship with MamaDrama because it leads me to such great things.  This past Sunday, my best friend and I attended an unsurprisingly awesome performance of Ethan Lipton's No Place to Go at Joe's Pub.

The tag line for this show is that it is "for the 100%", and that is exactly right.  Or at least I felt like it was for me.  It was my favorite type of funny- smart humor, well timed, and timely.  

"The company where he’s worked for the past 10 years is moving to another planet, and playwright Ethan Lipton doesn’t want to go. Part love letter to his co-workers, part query to the universe, part protest to his company and country, NO PLACE TO GO delivers a hilarious, irreverent and personal musical ode to the unemployed in this unforgettable evening."

It's people like Lipton that make me optimistic about the future of our country; that there are still opportunistic, creative minds out there encouraging people to think is important.  Thank goodness he didn't "settle for candy"!


I can't do the humor justice, so here's a little snippet of one song from the show:

You can still catch No Place To Go through April 8th.  I promise you won't regret it!  

**I was not compensated for this post, but I would like to thank MamaDrama and The Public Theater for providing our tickets!  Please check them out.  They're awesome!

I love being so close to NYC

It's no secret that we enjoy spending time in the city, but it's even better when I get to leave the boys (or at least one of them) at home and enjoy some time out with other moms.  This past week I was invited to two events that really spoiled me.

Last weekend, I attended Love, Loss, and What I Wore thanks to an exciting new program, PLAYTIME, the first ever child enrichment program that provides arts, culture and care for kids while their parents see an Off Broadway show.  The show literally made me laugh and cry over & over & over.  The cast was stellar, and the clothing-as-metaphor story lines made it a perfect choice for a girls' night out!  

The most exciting thing about the event was my introduction to playtime!  For much less than the cost of a babysitter, playtime! provides your children the opportunity to play and be creative with NYC artists, musicians, actors, & dancers while you enjoy some of the best Off-Broadway productions running.    Unfortunately for me, playtime! is for children ages 4 & up, so my kids won't be able to attend for a couple years.  As a dancer, going to the theater was a big part of my life before I had the boys, and I hope this program continues and grows so that we can take advantage!


And on Tuesday, O and I attended a Travel in Style event sponsored by Baby Cargo (I wrote about my love for their strollers at NY Mom's World, and I am so excited to see their new liners, footmuff, and stylish stroller bag! Who doesn't want to change up the look of their stroller every once in a while?), Citrus Lane (The goodies in their box came in handy on the trip home!), and The Peninsula Hotel (Truly the most helpful staff I have ever come across- I felt like a VIP before I even crossed the sidewalk.)  


I was happy to finally meet some of my favorite NY bloggers in person, learn about a bunch of fun new travel products, and carry home bags full of awesome swag.  (I wrote about a couple of the products that caught my eye at the DiaperBuds blog.)  I was also happy to see some products that we already use and love- like DiaperBuds (They are launching SwimmieBuds! Woohoo!) and Hold-On Handles (if you are a regular reader, you see JD successfully using these from time to time).  We have 2 big trips coming up over the next two months, so I am always looking for the best new things.

I brought O along because he was supposed to stay asleep in his cozy Baby Cargo stroller during the event- which of course means he woke up right after we walked in.

**I was not compensated for this post, but I would like to thank MamaDrama and Trumpeting Media for inviting me!  Please check them out.  They're awesome!

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Toddler

Last week we took a quick trip in to the city, and JD has not stopped talking about the "booty truck" and the ICE CREAM CONE!

(Did you miss me? I know I've been MIA around here lately, but I have been busy interviewing mompreneurs for New York Mom's World, talking about our transition to a toddler bed and must-have sleep products at sleep.com, reviewing aps, theater productions and wine tasting rooms for LIParentSource, and kicking off the DiaperBuds blog with tips about getting through the airport with ease.  Now that I'm getting into a schedule with the other sites, I will be posting regularly here again.)


(Oh, and our NYMomsWorld facebook page is getting close to 1000 fans!  We'd really appreciate it if you gave us a like!)

My 47th Week in Droid Pics

This was a super busy week!  I am so happy that it is raining today, so I have an excuse to stay home and recuperate.  

Monday

First day in underpants!

Tuesday 

Our elf, Timmy, arrived.

Wednesday 

"Please don't make me get out."

Hubby brought me a McDonalds sundae.  Putting my feet up never felt so good.

 Thursday

Chasing all of the squirrels out of the playground.

They kept trying to climb under the stroller. Maybe I should clean out the crumbs.

There was no line at the Shake Shack, so we felt obligated to get some fries (and a strawberry shake for Mommy)

Friday 

The boys were really good, so Timmy brought them slinkies.  

Checking out the Statue of Liberty from a distance.  JD was much more interested in all the BOATS around her.

Swinging in the shadow of the Freedom Tower.

He may be using the potty as a way to get out of his seat during long car rides, but telling him to just go in his diaper feels wrong.

JD went to a classmates' birthday party at a place with bouncers.  He was SO EXCITED.

Saturday 

A ton of Christmas sprinkles but no time to make cookies = candy covered pretzels. 

 Sunday

O demands Gatorade. 

The boys were in awe of the Sesame Place Christmas decorations.

O had a little trouble with the mittens.

And he looked a little queasy on the teacups.

JD was in heaven.

 Monday

Back in Madison Square Park & enjoying a squeezy pouch.

JD insisted on being carried, but he kissed me the entire time, so it was okay.

I'm linking up (a little late) with Amy.  Go check out her week :)

My 44th Week in Droid Pics

So I was bummed that I missed posting a Tuesday Tip idea I had for today and logged in tonight with the intention of making up for it by putting together a fun Wordless Wednesday. Then I realized I never even posted my week in pics from last week.  I'm a hot mess. What can I say?


So here's our week!

Monday

O and I had a lunch date on the High Line.

 Tuesday

And a playground date while JD was in school.

We've been having some awesome weather & a lot of picnics.

 Wednesday

I finally surrendered the infant carseat and set up the new big boy seat.  And he's pointing at ELMO on JD's PJ shorts.    But he also says ELMO at anything red.

 Thursday

We were trapped outside waiting for this guy to creep away from the handle.  This picture doesn't do him justice.  He was HUGE.  

Fun with the produce stickers.

I found my baby in the newspaper.

 Friday

JD can climb the rock wall by himself.

The only way I could get him to nap was to make a pile of pillows on the floor & stay with him.

We hosted a play doh playdate for our Moms Club.

Saturday 

We saw a Sesame Street puppet show at the library.

My best friend & I spent the night in Atlantic City finally celebrating our 30th birthdays.  We are now closer to 31.

Sunday

It was my very first night away from O, but it sure felt good to sleep in & spend the afternoon at the spa!

I'm linking up with Amy.  Head over there and check out everyone else's weeks!