NYC-Area Readers: Circle Line's Kids Costume Cruise This Saturday, October 25!

Disclosure: My family received complimentary passes for a Circle Line cruise; all opinions expressed are my own.

If there's one thing that never gets old it's seeing the NYC skyline in all its glory. I've had the opportunity to take a few harbor cruises and in August we made a family event out of surprising Nia on Circle Line's Pirate and Princess Party the Saturday before her birthday. I was also doing double duty sampling for GoGo squeeZ that day, and as we pulled up to the dock Nia slowly realized what was about to happen and started exclaiming, "Mama! We're going on the boat?!" She smiled so big and I knew it'd be a hit. 

It was!

I'm thrilled to share that there's still time to get on board this weekend's Halloween Costume Cruise. Featuring Baze and His Silly Friends, this special kids cruise will offer a family friendly 75 minute sail to the Statue of Liberty with an interactive LIVE tour guide and special Halloween entertainment. The kids are in for a spooky fun time with a strolling magician and face painter onboard.  

The Pirate and Princess Party was my 2nd time being on a Circle Line Cruise, and I have to say the staff is excellent. They run the kids cruises very efficiently and they're a lot of fun - I especially like seeing how excited the cuties get for the interactive games and music! I really wish I had thought to put Nia in her princess costume for the Pirate and Princess cruise (I was still in a bit of mind-fog post Grayson - at least she was donning pirate stripes!), but please know that kids get allllll decked out for the cruises so make sure your little one is on point! Nia had fun going around to all the stations (especially face painting), and the 75 minutes really does fly by!

The cruise boards Saturday, October 25 at 9:30a.m. and sets sail at 10a.m. returning promptly at 11:15a.m. Tickets are $29 for adults and $20 for children. Cruises depart at Pier 83, located at West 42^nd Street and 12^th Ave. To purchase your tickets click here.

Do you think your kids would enjoy a harbor cruise? Have you ever been on one?

Leave Your Troubles on the Water

Summer's still going strong for us (nope, it's not over til my birthday September 22!), and the past few days we've had quite an aquatic time along the Eastern seaboard. Take a peek:

A double rainbow after dinner in Portsmouth, NH

Happy to have the pool to herself at our hotel in Manchester, NH

Mr. Lovebird enjoyed GoGo squeeZ on the the Circle Line Cruise's Pirate and Princess Party for Nia's 4th birthday

Our first family trip to the Jersey Shore this season - spy that sand on the baby feet???

We have some big things going on around here (hence the single blog post last week O_o), and we're ending the summer in a very exciting way that I can't wait to share publicly. 

Have a good week everyone (it's Nia's birthday week), and if I get a bit temporarily sporadic here follow along where I'm plenty busy over on Instagram ;-)

How was your weekend? Any bodies of water involved?

 

Winners: Seseame Street Live at Madison Square Garden

Morning! This was basically me on the walk to/from school this morning:

Despite the warmer temps here,  it's treacherous out! About to head back out for an errand so please send some non-falling vibes my way.

Anyway, before I go I wanted to share the 2 winners of the Sesame Street Live tickets giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway    
Congrats to both of you and thank you to my friends at GoGo squeeZ for making this giveaway possible! I'll be in touch with the winners shortly via email.

Have a good day everyone and stay safe especially if it's slippery where you are!

NYC Flash Giveaway Alert: See Sesame Street Live for FREE This Weekend!

Disclosure: I'm a compensated member of the GoGo squeeZ squeeZ Squad; all opinions expressed are my own. 

I'm at my last day of covering Toy Fair 2014, but I'm popping in to share a fun, flash giveaway brought to you by my friends at GoGo squeeZ:

{Image Credit}

**Two packs of 4 tickets to Sesame Street Live at Madison Square Garden for this Saturday, February 22 or Sunday, February 23 (any showtime listed on link) - that's right 2 winners will be selected!**

I took my daughter to her first Sesame Street Live when she was almost 2 years old (you can see her experience including her major side eye here), and I have fond memories going as a kid with my cousin!

To win it's super simple: just use the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway ends tonight at midnight with the winner announced tomorrow morning - good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now back to Toy Fair . . .

Plan Your GoGo squeeZ Play Day and Get a Free Coupon!

Disclosure: I'm a compensated member of the GoGo squeeZ squeeZ Squad; all opinions expressed are my own.

{Image Credit}

Now that 2014 is in full year GoGo squeeZ is kicking off with an exciting nationwide Play Day this Saturday, January 11*. To encourage a year dedicated to playfulness, GoGo squeeZ invites you to plan your Play Day here and receive a free coupon good for $1.25 off your next pack of GoGo squeeZ.

*Be sure to follow GoGo squeeZ on Facebook to see which cities they'll be in!

To add to the fun GoGo squeeZ launched it's first national commercial this week; check it out:

 

Is your family fans of GoGo squeeZ? What type of Play Day will you plan? It's going to be in the 50s but rainy here in NYC so we're planning on an indoor play day!

 

My Birthday Weekend Recap

I shared my big birthday hair reveal yesterday, and I have to say year 33 is off to a great start!

At the moment I'm writing this my legs are feeling like they're still moving - it was just that crazy this weekend. GoGo squeeZ events and a couple kids' parties had us all over, and I was so thankful for the beautiful weather we had here in NYC. Late afternoon yesterday truly felt like the official start of fall that it was.

I welcome autumn with open arms! 

Here's where we were up to...

Check out the vlog here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fun with Anna Banana Band! (Turns out Anna is also from Columbus, Ohio!)

Maker Faire is officially my new *must attend* in NYC! The former science fair nerd in me was in heaven here.

Yes, boys and girls, that is a REAL LIFE Mouse Trap. Anyone else play that game as a kid??? They set it off, but I arrived after it had already happened, however you can see it in all its glory here.

Bambino Chef is one of our favorite kids' spaces!

This was her 3rd piece of birthday cake yesterday; to say she was cake wasted is an understatement

Thank you for all the social media happy birthday wishes! So nice to hear from my family and friends =)




P.S. Today's the last day to enter my Kidfresh entree giveaway - there will be 3 winners!

September, I Love You Already

One weekend down, and I already know this is going to be an amazing month (and not just cause it's my birthday!). It was a beautiful weekend here in NYC, and I only wished it could've been this nice for Labor Day Weekend. 

Maybe next year . . . 

Here's what we were up to:

Mr. Lovebird caught mid-yawn. I knew it was gonna be a long day for him; mama had work to do so they had a fun-filled day!

I am the biggest skeptic of these cart escalators and the first time I mustered the courage to use one of course my cart full of GoGo squeeZ for an event at Whole Foods got stuck - it was only a few minutes though so I'll give it another try.

Sometimes it's the only thing you need

Celebrated Virgo season with an awesome view, my sisters on the left and Melissa, the birthday girl (aka my Wellesley lil sister) on the right

Yep, time to give my scalp a rest for a couple weeks; I hope this turns into an OK a beautiful twist out this week right before we leave Friday for an out-of-town wedding. GAHHHH! And yes, a full transitioning update is in order...

Oh yes! This morning I marched this silly lil monkey off to her first full week of school (btw the rug was pulled from under us when we found out the first day of school that they're moving in under 3 weeks; thankfully she'll have a bigger classroom, and it's still walkable!):

Is your September off to a good start? 



P.S. I haven't forgotten about Hi Virginia - we've had some wonky laptop issues if you couldn't guess by my recent Twitter gripe. I'm workin' on it!

Lovebirds Take on Wanda's Monster

Disclosure: I received complimentary tickets to a performance of Wanda's Monster to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Earlier this summer as a member of the GoGo squeeZ Squeez Squad I attended a blogger breakfast hosted by Wanda's Monster, the NYC-based play about a little girl's friendship with the shy, funny, purple monster in her closet. While I didn't attend the play, my interest was piqued, and I was thrilled when I was invited to return to see the show with my family. 

Wanda's Monster plays in the Vineyard Theater just off energetic Union Square and features lyrics and music by Laurie Berkner, who writes witty songs for kids that are easy for parents to groove to as well (we're huge fans of Pig on Her Head in our household!). It's appropriate for ages 2-10 years old, and I realized as we attended about a month prior to Lil Lovebird's 3rd birthday that it was her first musical. 

The theater staff were kind and inviting and a band warmed up the audience right before the performance. Nia took a while to warm up, and I was curious to see how she'd do sitting through a live musical performance. With an approximate one hour running time without intermission I was pretty confident she'd make it through, but unfortunately, after a few glances at the monster when he appeared she was not too happy and rather than wail or shriek in fear, she cried silent tears, quietly telling me she was sad before bursting out. I felt so bad for her and had to carry her out about half-way through before returning a bit later.

Mr. Lovebird saw Wanda's Musical in its entirety and the time when we watched it all together he and I laughed at the wit and humor of the writing - it really is great entertainment the entire family can enjoy especially if your little one is up to it. 

Despite Nia having a rough time - the kids were a mix of ages and Nia wasn't the youngest - I do highly recommend Wanda's Monster. There's also the opportunity to do a meet-and-greet after the performance, which we didn't stay for, but I saw other kids thoroughly enjoy the chance to get up close and personal with the cast. Being a big kid myself, I did the first time I visited Vineyard Theater:

Wanda's Monster runs until September 8, 2013, and you can purchase tickets here.  

Have you attended a live play or musical with your little one? How was it their first time?
 
 

Join Me & GoGo squeeZ at Pogopalooza This Sunday in Union Square!

I've been a part of GoGo squeeZ's Squeez Squad for almost two months, and it's been a blast! If you follow me on Instagram you've seen some of the GoGo squeeZ events I've been at, and this weekend I'm gearing up for our biggest yet: the Mobile Playground at Pogopalooza in Union Square this Sunday, July 28.

The Mobile Playground will also be at Tompkins Square park on Saturday, but I'll be attending Pogopalooza on Sunday at Union Square with my family and would love to see some of my readers there. Pogopalooza is the premiere pogo-ing event with the opportunity to see pro-pogoers and even try pogo sticks on your own! There will be fun giveaways for kids as well as plenty of fun games and of course free GoGo squeeZ!

Speaking of pogo-ing my sister captured this cool pic on Instagram of a kid on a pogo stick and it seems like ever since I've been seeing them pop up around the city. It definitely brings a bit of nostalgia doesn't it?

Have you ever been on a pogo stick? Which nostalgic games are your favorite? I LOVED playing jacks and pick-up-sticks as a kid! 
 
 

So What's the Big News?

Last year after attending my first blogging conferences (BlogHer and Blogalicious) I started thinking about my blog differently and as a result some amazing opportunities began to open up. I'm in a much different place with blogging now than I was a year ago (and I still have quite a ways to go!), but one of the goals that stood out to me time and time again during the conferences was about forming authentic partnerships with brands. 

Coming from the professional world of marketing and advertising I understood the business-side of the industry and over the past year I've looked for opportunities to align myself with brands I really believe it. 

With that in mind, I'm excited to announce my first brand ambassador position as part of NYC's GoGo squeeZ Squad!

As part of the squeeZ Squad I'll be spreading the message (and yumminess!) of GoGo squeeZ throughout the city! If you follow my blog regularly -  and on Instagram especially - you know I love being out and about the city and seeking out unique and engaging events to enjoy with my family. Most importantly, it's a natural partnership of which my Lil Love Bird fully approves . . .

And speaking of Nia, we'll be at Bryant Park today (rain or shine!) celebrating at GoGo squeeZ's mobile playground so if you're in the area please come play with us!

There will be a special celebrity guest appearance (be sure to follow me on Instagram to see who it is!), and I'll be back here of course to share an event recap soon. 

To learn more about the squeeZ Squad check out this link (scroll all the way to the bottom). I'll be sure to let everyone know once it's updated with my profile as well!

Do you or your kids like GoGo squeeZ? Which is the favorite flavor in your household?
 
 

P.S. Stay tuned later this morning for a fab giveaway . . .