mommy's blog

One of the things on our list of 100 things to do with your kids in NY before they grow up is to watch them inflate the giant balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. If you want to go this year, here's some tips for seeing the balloons, plus the best place to find a spot for the actual parade and news about the new parade route:

Wanda contacted me via twitter looking for recommendations of where to eat before going to see the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular with her family. Since I've been meaning to write about family friendly restaurants in Midtown for ages I figured I'd just answer her here.

For over a decade I worked right across the street from Rockefeller Center and, like anyone who works near there knows, the food choices can be down-right depressing. (Oh, wait, maybe that was just my job.) But there are some good choices if you know where to look for them, from special occasion restaurants to quick and inexpensive eats.

Here are my top picks for kid-friendly places to eat near Rockefeller Center:

Every once in a while I find something that I think is the absolute perfect holiday gift and want to give it to everyone on my list. This year my singular obsession is the new DVD created in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street.

Since we've become parents we've grown used to the period between Thanksgiving and New Years being a big blur of activity. The Holidays are a wonderful time in New York City and we try to enjoy its magical moments, whether it's with out of town guests or just with our own children. One thing we know is that there's always too much to do.

We hope our Holiday Guide will help you a little bit by providing you with lots of information organized and in one place, whether it's how to get a Christmas tree or where to volunteer with your children, and lots and lots of fun Holiday activities which we'll keep posting as the information becomes available. One event we hope you'll make time for is our Holiday Toy Swap and Drive.

Mommy Poppins is teaming up with A Child Grows in Brooklyn to host two great events and we hope you can come!

RSVP NOW!

Right before the Holidays is a great time to clean out the toy chests and make room for the new incoming toys while encouraging the spirit of giving.

Bring your gently used toys to our Toy Swap.

Find new treasures to take home.

Bring a new, unwrapped toy for out Holiday Toy Drive.

Everything left over at the end of the day will be donated to charity.

Kidville will be providing children's activities
and free open gym time.

Enjoy healthy snacks from Susie's Supper Club
while you browse and chat with friends new and old.

Door Prizes! Space is limited. First to RSVP will win an item from our swag table: video games, dvds, cds, toys, books and more.

There are lots of places to go ice skating in New York if you don't mind waiting on long lines or skating shoulder to shoulder with rowdy teenagers. We've picked out the best indoor and outdoor ice skating rinks in New York City where you can avoid the lines and the crowds (at least some of the time). All of these places offer ice skating lessons and ice skating birthday parties and almost all of them even offer hockey. Check each website link for additional information.

If you haven't noticed, Sesame Street has been celebrating its 40th Birthday. And it's been quite a celebration. They've gotten a street named after them and Google has been doing cute Sesame Street artwork on their homepage. But I think the coolest thing is happening at the Brooklyn Public Library where they are having some special events and kids can get a very special library card.

Thank you to everyone who entered our launch giveaway for our artists and Artisans Guide and left such great comments. We have picked our winners using a random number generator.

There are more and more fun shows for kids popping up on Broadway and more and more ways to find cheap tickets to Broadway shows for kids. Here's a rundown of the top ways to find discounted tickets to Broadway shows, with some that are only good for kids. Plus, as this post is going up, Kids Night on Broadway tickets just went on sale today, so snap those up right away. They sell out fast!

Are you the one who all your friends turn to when they need to be in the know, especially when it comes to kid stuff? Are you always on the lookout for the coolest stuff for kids and parents, the latest bit of news and the off the beaten track activities? Are you passionate about raising your kids in New York City and always out exploring its nooks and crannies?

Mommy Poppins is looking for a new blogger or two to join our team. Someone enthusiastic and knowledgeable about New York and the things that make living in New York City with kids so great. Someone who wants to share their knowledge with our readers, with a talent for picking out the cool and unique.