For the past few years, I've traveled to Brooklyn, grabbed my editor Liz, and headed to the most fun conference filled with some of the best and smartest people making and promoting kids' music. We do it for love of the genre. And to fin…
Last summer, our editor Liz gushed about the wonders of Circus Smirkus, the amazing single-ring circus whose performers are all kids. And for those of us in the New England or upstate New York areas, every summer brings us another chance…
The minds behind Yo Gabba Gabba! are not content to settle with one successful kids show. In fact, they have just hooked themselves a certain daughter I know with a brand-new show--and some truly awesome rock music. And I'm betting a lot…
Film fans in the New York area are preparing for the New York International Children's Film Festival and we are too! Over the past 15 years, the NYICFF has become a huge family event, and a great chance to expose our kids to more than 10…
My seven-year-old can tell you whose lightsaber is purple (Mace Windu) and what sound a Droideka makes ( em! em! ), but he's never been able to sit in a movie theater and see one of his beloved Star Wars movies on the big screen. Until n…
Like me, you may have seen the Big Miracle ads on TV and thought--hmm, that could be kinda cheesy. So I was frankly a little surprised to find myself at a preview screening, laughing out loud, wiping tears (shhh) and thinking, wow, my ki…
One of the biggest resolutions we're seeing this year is a commitment to spend more quality time with family. The reality is that even for a homeschooling mom like me, our lives are so busy and interests so varied, we have just as much d…
If you're going to be in New York City this holiday season (shockingly, many tourists do this very thing each year!) this native New Yawker has an awesome tip for you. At least if you'd like to squeeze a performance of The Nutcracker int…
Growing up on the East Coast, our family beach vacations were always limited to the Jersey Shore (no, not that one), where the beaches were crowded and the water was pretty cold, even in the dead of summer. It wasn't until I was living i…
For NYC locals looking for some validation, a good laugh and a short break, we're got a great excuse to get a sitter--or employ the significant other to give you a night with friends this week. We've been seeing more and more talented pa…
As far as licensed characters go, I am admittedly partial to Julius, the cartoon monkey from Paul Frank. My kids are partial to him too, but they call him Paul. So how could we resist a chance to get up close with him at a traveling part…
This weekend, I had the pleasure of taking my kids and some friends to one of the greatest circuses I'd ever been to. The one thing that made it different than any other--the performers were all kids. Before you roll your eyes and imagin…
If there's any movie that my kids have been counting down the days to see, it's definitely Cars 2 , the long awaited sequel to the uber popular Cars movie that was first released when I only had one kid. Since then, we've watched it coun…
As my oldest daughter fast approaches her 7th birthday, I have become more acutely aware of how fleeting childhood really is. And the urgency to bask in her little-ness is now even more present after seeing a fascinating new must-see HBO…
The 1937 book, Mr. Popper's Penguins , figured into my early years. Chances are that you (and your kids) know and love the book, too--it's a classic. So when I learned it was going to turned into the movie Mr. Popper's Penguins starring …
When the late-afternoon crankies hit all three of my kids, my quick-thinking remedy has always been to put on some fun, danceable music to give us just enough of a mood boost to make it to dinnertime. And with a new kid-friendly disco CD…
My 4-year-old-any-second-now daughter is at the age where she's learned there's more to the world than just home, store, and school. She's asking about the places she can visit after a plane ride or two, and while most of them involve th…
When I took my six-year-old to see the newest Disney movie Tangled last Fall, I think I may have laughed, cried, and enjoyed it more than she did. Of course, I was also 40 weeks pregnant and hopped up on hormones. In honor of its DVD and…
Enjoy these, our editors' favorite books, music, and DVDs of the year to help keep our kids entertained and educated . And frankly, us too. Books for little kids Even after reading it oh, every night for a month, my youngest daughter sti…
Maybe you're visiting relatives in New York and need an excuse to get out of the teeny tiny apartment. Or maybe you already live there and need to spice up your family holidays. Either way, we've got the scoop on some hot deals that just…
In my family, our Christmas day tradition always involved a nice big breakfast, lots of coffee, lots of gifts, and then afterward, we'd bundle up and brave the crowds at a midtown movie theater for one of the big releases. (Yes, crowds -…
To me the holidays is nothing without our annual viewing of Rudolph. Herbie! The Abominable Snowman! The Isle of Misfit Toys who aren't quite misfits! It's all pure magic. So who's with me in jumping for joy that this year, A four-DVD se…
As a native New Yorker, I admit I'm totally biased when I say that this is one of the most magical places for a family to be over the holidays. Because I get so many emails each year from readers and out-of-town friends asking me about m…
My kids once had a gymnastics teacher who was training to be a Cirque du Soleil acrobat. He would take a ribbon that was hanging from the ceiling and spin himself up it as if gravity had no effect on him. It was freakishly amazing, a des…