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The @AmericanExpress Holiday Truck hitting the streets of NYC this weekend!! #AmexMakeMyDay

Raise your hand if you’re still running around doing last minute shopping? Are your family members in town visiting and you’ need something to do this weekend? The kids are about to go on a holiday vacation from school till January so what are your plans for them this weekend? I think everyone could use a couple of freebies. Yes, I said FREEBIES!! How would you like to enjoy a few days without spending any money? Well, this weekend Saturday, December 21, through Monday, December 23rd The American Express holiday truck will be hitting the streets of NYC and want you to enjoy free cupcakes and hot cocoa.

American Express is treating thousands to yummy Candy Cane Crunch cupcakes from (Baked by Melissa), and creamy hot cocoa at multiple locations throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Who doesn’t love freebies? Let me know if you were able to make it to a few of the stops and tweet about it on Twitter, or shout it out on a Facebook with hashtag #AmexMakeMyDay
Enjoy!!!

Cupcakes and Cocoa Truck Schedule:

Day 1: Saturday, Dec 21
– Meatpacking (Vehicle 1, stop 1) – noon
– Chelsea/Highline (Vehicle 1, stop 2) – 3 p.m.
– Midtown/5th Ave (Vehicle 2, stop 1) – noon
– Central Park South/Columbus Circle (Vehicle 2, stop 2) 3 p.m.

Day 2: Sunday, Dec 22
– Washington Square Park/Greenwich (Vehicle 1, stop 1) noon
– West Village (Vehicle 1, stop 2) 3p.m.
– Cobble Hill (Vehicle 2, stop 1) noon
– Park Slope (Vehicle 2, stop 2) 3 p.m.

Day 3: Monday, Dec 23
– Herald Square (Vehicle 1, stop 1) noon
– Midtown/5th Ave/Rock Center (Vehicle 1, stop 2) 3 p.m.m
– Bryant Park Area (Vehicle 2, stop 1) noon
– Soho (Vehicle 2, stop 2) 3 p.m.

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Categories Food, Free Events, Fun things to do in NY with Family, What's Going On?

NICKELODEON’S WORLD WIDE DAY OF PLAY IN PROSPECT PARK

28 Sep

September 21st was Nickelodeon’s World Wide Day Of Play in Prospect Park, Brooklyn NY and my kids were so excited to be a part of it. We arrived early and proceeded through the park. It was a long walk inside of the park. Once we got in the line wasn’t long at all and after security check my kids were ready to play everywhere. We started at the Zumba station where they were showing kids how to Zumba and have fun. They gave out CD’s, neon bags to carry around throughout the day, and magazines.

After that my kids going these enormous size bowling balls and pins, and toss the rings set. We also ran into Spongebob, Patrick, and the Power Rangers. The lines were long if you wanted a picture with them but my daughter took a few with the Power Rangers.

We headed over to the tennis exhibits so the kids can play one on one with the host from Figure It Out Jeff Sutphen. They were excited to meet him. I took pictures and video of them. He’s very friendly and funny.

Of course the main reason they wanted to go was to see Ariana Grande and Big time Rush perform all their songs. My daughter said she wants to marry James or Kendall. Don’t tell her I told you that. Lol. The line just to see the concert started at least 4 hours before the concert was even to begin. Everyone wanted to be in the front but when you have small kids sometimes the front is not the best. We were in the first group but I stayed near the back so my kids could sit on the gate and have a great view. There were also big screens so everyone could see.

Big Time Rush and Ariana Grande performed all their songs and sounded great live. My kids sung every single song and so did I. I hear the songs all the time in my house so I should know all the words. Lol. All the kids were excited and by the screaming and crying going on it was a hit.

Food was sold but with credit or debit cards only and there was free water stations. Birdseye vegetables also was on hand and gave out macaroni and cheese with broccoli which was delicious.

So after my kids played at a few more exhibits they were finally ready to go after a long day. If Nickelodeon comes back to New York I hope it’s in Central Park closer to home, but hubby drove us home so we didn’t have to take long train ride back. Lifesaver.
We had a fun filled day!! Enjoy the pictures!

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Categories Family, Free Events, Fun things to do in NY with Family, Kids, Travel, What's Going On?

NYC Dumpling Festival

27 Sep

Saturday, September 28th is the 2013 Tang’s National New York City Dumpling Festival at Sara D. Roosevelt Park (Chrystie St. Btwn Delancey St & Grand St.) from 12-5.
If you’re a fan of dumplings and want to see a live dumpling eating competition then this is the place you need to be. This event is free but food sample prices vary. Try dumplings from around the world like china, Italy, and Poland just to name a few. There will also be live cultural performances, and interactive games. All proceeds from this event will benefit the Food Bank for New York.
For more info visit http://www.dumplingfestival.com

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Categories Family, Free Events, Fun things to do in NY with Family, What's Going On?

HARLEM ARTS FESTIVAL 2013 @HarlemArtsFest

29 Jun

Today was the first day of the Harlem Arts Festival in Marcus Garvey Park. The festival is free and open to the public with something for everyone. There’s free live music, dance, theater, visual arts, spoken word, as well as activities and classes for youth and families. Artists came out to celebrate the legacy of Harlem by presenting their art. A group of performers on stilts opened up the festival by marching and playing instruments. That was a nice treat for the kids. If you head to the Gallery Walk you will find all of their work displayed. For the kids there’s Kid’s Corner where kids can paint, make sock puppets, or do arts and crafts. The Main Stage which is in the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater showcases the live music, dance, and theater performances. Second Stage is for acoustic performances, artist talks, and spoken word performances. The gentrifusafication performance and open talk was interesting. The performances on the Main Stage Evan Shinners, and Kris Bowers were very good.

Today there was a mask making workshop for kids. There was also a power yoga dance for everyone to join in, and a ballroom dancing workshop. My son said he could have taught that class. He did win a gold medal for ballroom dancing if you didn’t know, and he’s only ten years old.
There were plenty of vendors and sponsors on hand as well. Sweet Leaf Tea organic sweet tea handed out free bottles of their teas original, as well as mint and honey green tea. They also gave out free lip balms, sunglasses, hand sanitizers, and coupons. Popular Community Bank handed out mini basketballs for the kids. NY Sports Club handed out free complimentary 3 day passes to their gym on 125th street.

Food trucks showed up to show their support like Phil’s Steak (my favorite). You know I couldn’t go without having a Philly cheesesteak and took one home for my son. Also on board was Fishing Shrimp which I also tried because I love me some shrimps. Everything was fried just right and their whitings were very good. Snap Hot Dogs was another food vendor who showed up with their gourmet hot dogs. My kids loved their lemonade. There was also a Brooklyn organic coffee and tea truck. The best part was the lines weren’t long at all. We need more food trucks in Harlem.

There are also t- shirts and tote bags for sale. I won a tote bag through Twitter so I just had to pick it up. Love it!!

Tomorrow is going to be exciting as well, so if you didn’t make it today I encourage you to get out tomorrow. It’s from 3- 8 p.m. at Marcus Garvey Park 5th Avenue between 122nd and 124th street. Their twitter handle is @harlemartsfest if you need more info.

My kids and I had a great time and can’t wait till next year.
Enjoy the pictures!!

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Categories Family, Free Events, Fun things to do in NY with Family, What's Going On?

#AdventuresNYC @NYCParks

23 Jun

The kids and I traveled to the 9th annual #AdventuresNYC in Central Park on Saturday, June 22nd. This event was free and open to the public thanks to NYC Parks and Backpacker Magazine who sponsored this great event filled with lots of activities for families which included:

The North Face Zone
Bear Naked Climbing Zone
Health & Fitness Clinics
Bike Helmet Giveaway courtesy of NYCDOT
LL Bean Aquatic Zones (featuring kayaking, fly casting, and stand up paddle boarding )
Outdoor Gear Exhibits
Hand Cycling
Vermont Adventure Center
Live Music & Entertainment
Mountain Bike Expo
Free Bike Rental & Valet Parking
STHL Lumberjack Zone (including lumberjack show)

Other sponsors were Honest Tea, Cabot Cheese, Ecco, Tent & Trails, Citi BIke, Strider, The L Magazine, and KTU 103.5.

We try to make it every year and make sure we line up for the Bike Helmet Giveaway first because that line gets extremely long. This year there were about 10 people ahead of us. Not bad. We moved on to the North Face Zone where the kids did challenges for prizes and spun the wheel for more prizes. We won hats and stickers. The kids climbed on a bike as if they were hiking up a mountain. Played with the hula hoop and colored. Next was the Honest Tea tent where there were free samples of all their cold teas. Refreshing!!

The kids always rock climb and that’s where we headed to next. The sun was so hot I couldn’t wait to move to a shaded area. This year they had hand cycling for everyone. That was fun for them and my son went on twice. Lots of freebies at different stations. The stand up paddle boarding looked fun but we wasn’t getting wet. Cabot cheese is always good to snack on. Ecco had cute, comfortable sandals. Too bad they weren’t selling any. I wanted a pair so bad. LL Bean had a bootmobile that my daughter took a picture with. It was the biggest boot ever. She loved it!

We had fun once again and can’t wait for next year!! Enjoy the pictures!

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Categories Family, Free Events, Fun things to do in NY with Family, Travel, What's Going On?

@THEMAMASEXPO @nysci

6 May

The kids and I got up early on Sunday morning for a fun filled family day in Queens at the New York Hall Of Science for the Mama’s Expo. I was just there that Thursday with my son for his class trip but my daughter never been so she was in for a treat. I thought the trains wouldn’t be cooperating on the weekends but it was pretty good, crowded but we got seats going and coming back, and the walk from the train to the hall wasn’t as far as I expected.

We were greeted by @HonestTea booth who were giving out samples and pouches to the kids. Very refreshing!! Love Honest Tea!! There were so many vendors and they all were great.

I was on the press list so checking in was fast and we also received free golf tickets and admission into the VIP lounge where my daughter did Arts & Craft, made a t-shirt, and we saw a few new products for the babies.

My son got to show my daughter the things he did on his trip and remembered where everything was more than I did.(Short term memory loss for me) Lol.

They had a blast and also enjoyed the free samples of cupcakes, candy, and even a chocolate fountain that you could use pretzel sticks with. Yum!! I think the golf park was their favorite and the best free item was the goldfish that were being given out. We got 3. They also enjoyed the ginormous bubbles, rock climbing, and racing each other in wheelchairs. We immediately bought a fish bowl, food, and cleaner. We are still thinking of names for them. I made some purchases as well and met a lot of nice people.

We ate lunch there which was very good. Chicken tenders, pizza, @Applegate hotdogs, lemonade.

There were also singing and dancing in different parts of the hall. We enjoyed making our own lima bean plants.

Enjoy the pictures!!

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Categories Expos, Family, Fun things to do in NY with Family, Kids, What's Going On?

KID’S FEST AT 300 NY (FREE BOWLING)

2 May

Sunday May 19, 2013 FROM 10- 2 p.m. is Kids Fest Day at 300 New York which is a Bowling Alley on Pier 60 at 23rd St West Side Highway. Tommy Ten Pin invites families to come out for one free game and shoe rental, plus free treats and family friendly activities from 300 New York and other local businesses.

Reservations are recommended. Call (212) 835-2695</p

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Categories Free Events, Fun things to do in NY with Family, Kids, What's Going On?

HARLEM EARTH DAY 2013 (GLOBAL EARTH DAY)

20 Apr

The kids, my cousins, and I are going to start our Earth Day fun tomorrow Sunday 4/21 at Marcus Garvey Park for Global Earth Day. The park is located on Madison Avenue between 120th and 124th. It starts at 10am and ends at 2pm. It’s gonna be a full day of activities for everyone including dogs!! The list of activities are below and we can’t wait!! You can visit Facebook.com/HarlemParktoPark for more info and free eventbrite tickets.

10:00am- Window box planting (Harlem Flo- A Flower Boutique)
Farmers Market Information (Down to Earth Markets)
Skin Care Demo (Harlem Skin Clinic)
Coffee Sampling (Lenox Coffee)
Health and Wellness (United Healthcare)

10:30- Flat fix workshop (ModSquad Cycles)
Children’s Yoga (Chloe the Yogi)
Bottle cap frame art project (Barbara Coccioletti, Papa John’s Harlem)
Earth friendly robot project (Robofun)
Recycling Demonstration (Glen Nison, NYC Dept of Sanitation)
Face painting ( Layla Jade)
Energy saving demonstration (Con Edison Green Team)

11:00 am- Earth Day Parade (PS 180)
Adult Yoga (Bikram Yoga East Harlem)
Mini dog training sessions (Doggedly Devoted) At Marcus Garvey Park dog run

11:30- Flat fix workshop (ModSquad Cycles)
Adult Yoga (Land Yoga)
Nutrition for kids (Red Rabbit)

12:00 pm-Music/Entertainment (Sundae Sermon, Kwame and the Uptown Shakedown)

12:30- Flat fix workshop (ModSquad Cycles)
Mini dog training sessions (Doggedly Devoted)

1:00- Guest Speaker

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Categories Family, Free Events, Fun things to do in NY with Family, Kids, What's Going On?

THE MAMAS EXPO MAY 5, 2013 GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!!

4 Apr

The Mother of All New York City Expos is Back…

THE MAMAS EXPO – NYC’S PREMIERE EVENT FOR PARENTS

RETURNS SUNDAY MAY 5th 2013

Join Us on May 5th as the Boroughs Best

Resources, Experts, Entertainment, and Shopping Experiences Come Together Under One Roof for the Ultimate Day-Out for Parents and Kids

Queens, NY (March 7th 2013) – New York’s largest borough is proud to bring back the mother of all expos. On Sunday May 5, The New York Hall of Science will proudly bring The 2013 Mama’s Expo, NYC’s premiere event to local parents. Open to all parents, expectant moms, and children ages 0-6, attendees will have unprecedented, insider access to some of the best local services, entertainment, activities, specialists and products currently available for families in New York City.

From finding new local classes and schools, to the best innovative products and retail stores, parents will receive an exclusive look at all of the new resources available to make sure they are in-the-know!

Families will enjoy:

– Loads of free giveaways from the nation’s best kids brands

– Designated play areas and free sample classes throughout the day to keep kids busy

– Shopping and discounts from the hottest new retail companies

– The opportunity to speak one-on-one to representatives from top vendors and local businesses such as Happy Baby, Music Together, The Queens Botanical

– Garden, NYC Parks, Click & Improve, and more.

– Samplings of kid friendly food and treats

– On-site entertainment and performances

– All day access to the New York Hall of Science and the Science Playground

– And much more…

Expo Sponsors:

Radio Sponsor – WNYC

Print Sponsor – Queens Parent Magazine

Corporate Sponsor – Music Together

Sponsors – Click & Improve, Honest Kids, Happy Baby Brands, Wildlife Conservation Society, DDO Advisory Services

Visit http://www.themamasexpo.com for more details and featured activities.

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Categories Family, Fun things to do in NY with Family, Kids, What's Going On?

@DisneyLive Mickey’s Music Festival Review

24 Mar

Took the kids to see @DisneyLive Mickey’s Music Festival at Madison Square Garden on opening night courtesy of @havesippy. I kept thinking it was Disney on Ice for some reason which we saw at Barclay Center but this was nothing like that one. This was live on stage characters who wanted you to get up out of your seat and jam to the sounds of hip hop, reggae, rock, and country with the stars from Aladdin, Toy Story, and The Little Mermaid. Of course this couldn’t be a show without Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy. There were more than 25 Disney stars featured in the performance.

There was a performance where the little mermaid sisters danced and singed to “All The Single Ladies.” Loved it!!
There was also a meteor shower during the Toy Story act where the meteors came off stage into the audience which were giant inflated balloons. If you’re in the front rows you might get a chance to throw the balls around.
The Under the Sea lights of the fish and creatures under the water was cool in a 3D sort of way.

They had a great selection of music and we enjoyed ourselves and every act.
We got to have a meet and greet with Mickey and Minnie after the show and my kids were given gift bags. My daughter loved meeting Minnie I think she wanted to take her home with her. Lol.

Since a lot of schools are on Spring Break this would be a great time to take the kids to the show. You will be standing up and dancing and just having a great time!!