MOM CONFESSIONALS

Did you know it’s Dr. Seuss’s birthday on March 2nd?!  To celebrate, Oceanhouse Media is giving away for FREE. starting today, in the App Store, Dr. Seuss Band.  The app reached the #1 spot in Music Games on the App Store. It also received an Editor’s Choice Award and a 4.9 Star Rating from Children’s Technology Review.  I am downloading it as I write this post!

Dr. Seuss Band includes beautiful 3D artwork inspired by Dr. Seuss and features:

• 2 Ways to Play – Go for high scores in the Music Game or use Free Play to compose your own tunes.
• 10 Original Songs – Play along with the soundtrack from The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss’s ABC, Hop on Pop and more.
•  5 Unique Horn Instruments – Play Seussian versions of the trumpet (insert shameless promotion of Trumpeting Media!), french horn, clarinet, trombone and flute.
•  10 Crazy Horn Effects – Customize the sound of your horn by adding fun effects like a fish bowl, train whistle, reverb and more.
• Mix and Match Horns – Swap parts of the horn while playing to create more than 120 horn combinations.
• 3 Difficulty Levels – Choose Easy for beginners, Medium for experienced players and Hard for experts.
• 26 Unlockables – Achieve high scores to unlock songs, horns and effects.
• Gamecenter Leaderboards – Compare your high scores with the competition.

I know my kids will be clocking some major time with this app, especially my musically inclined boy, Marcus.  Who doesn’t like free fun!?  Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

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From the moment you pick up a DaGeDar ball, you know you’re about to experience something cool!  This simple game of speed and skill is like no other.  Enter Dimension 33, the realm of the DaGeDar.  Drop the ball down the track and swoosh – you are hooked!

On the weekend of the hottest heatwave in ages, we hosted our DaGeDar Experience Party.  While we had a few cancellations due to the heat despite promises of air conditioning, it was understandably too hot for some to even head outside. Those who braved the heat and made it out did not regret it!

Setting it up was a cinch and while that was underway, the kids were already comparing balls, making trades and side wagers on who was going to win the races.  My 90 minute party wound up lasting over 4 hours as the kids set all up sorts of crazy games and strategies for perfecting their game. Each child took turns at the computer and registered their DAGs  on the DaGeDar DPS for additional online play.

This is the part why I love being a blogger.  It’s brought my family so much good fortune and I am always happy to share.  Already each child was going home with 2-ball set to take home, but each guest got to take home a piece of the action.  With 3 guests, one got to take home the grand prize of the DaGeDar Track, while another got to take home the DaGeDar carrying case and last but not least, one went home with the launcher.  While you might argue that the child who got the DaGeDar track was the big winner, they each seemed to think they got the best prize.

For ages 4 and up, DaGeDar is so much fun.  You can collect or trade your DaGeDars, with new series coming out all the time, each child can amass quite the army. Available at toy stores nationwide, Get your DaGeDar fun on!

GIVEAWAY: ONE (1) very lucky readers will win a DaGeDar 2-Ball Set and Carrier !  To ENTER, from now until August 31st 2011 you must Subscribe to Mom Confessionals.  For additional entries – 1st Option – If you follow me on twitter @momconfessional and re-tweet this giveaway (I just entered @momconfessional’s DaGeDar #Giveaway! http://wp.me/pLvfH-154) – 2nd Option – If you “like” us on Facebook and share the giveaway with your friends. DON’T FORGET to visit this FORM and leave a separate entry for each action. Giveaway only open to those with U.S. addresses and must be 18 years or older. Giveaway ends on August 31st 2011 at 11:59 EST. A winner will be selected randomly by Random.org and notified by e-mail.

{ disclosure:  A sample was provided for review, no compensation was received.  All opinions expressed here are always our own. }

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Childrens museums are one of my favorite kid busy activities. I love that there are more than plenty of activities for my wide-age spanned clan (18 months, 4 & 7 year old) as well as many that they can all happily participate in together.  They are way better than any amusement park in my book.  There is no worry of heat exhaustion or dehydration, plenty of air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter.  I relish in letting them run amok while learning at the same time, even if they won’t acknowledge the learning part.   The best part about childrens museums is what affordable fun they are with a museum membership.  While the childrens museum reciprocal plan has undergone some major changes with some facilities limiting the free access to 2 tickets, they are still worth every penny.

Living in the city, you have great access to so many children’s museums.  Just to name a few:  Children’s Museum of Manhattan, Brooklyn Children’s Museum and the Long Island Children’s Museum.  Included now are some of the science museums including the New York Hall of Science.

Recently we got visit one of our favorite childrens museum’s, Stepping Stone Museum, in Norwalk, Connecticut as guests of Kids Club Thirteen ambassador, Lisa of New York Chica.  Just a little over an hour outside of the city, it’s a well worth it trek.  A beautifully and recently renovated museum, my kids couldn’t get enough.  Most of our morning was spent in the newly expanded Tot Town.  On a fairly quiet weekday, they will allow an older child entry with their younger siblings provided they are behaved.  For this mom, this was important.  My little boy was allowed to climb and explore to his hearts content while his older siblings helped him at every turn.  It was endearing to watch how protective they were of their little brother.  Even so I watched his growing independence as his confidence grew with slide down and back up the tree house path.

One of our favorite stops in the museum was the Energy Lab.   Who doesn’t love water fun?!  Equipped with child sized lab coats, they were experimenting with levels and pulls — splishing and splashing abound.

There’s so much to do at this expansive museum, we had only touched on a few of the amazing activities this place had to offer.  We’ll definitely be back real soon and hope you’ll check it out as well!

P.S.  This is a breastfeeding-friendly facility with a comfy couch inside the Tot Town infant arena!

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because this post couldn’t be wordless…

This past weekend I was invited to a Summer Brunch Tasting at the very fabulous Four Seasons Garden Restaurant in our own backyard, New York!  While you wouldn’t normally consider a hotel restaurant as much than for tourists, this meal begs you to reconsider the notion and make Four Seasons New York your next reservation.

Housemade Donuts with a pinch of Sea Salt that made all the difference, I will be dreaming of these donuts for a long time to come...

I am no longer a Bloody Mary Virgin, I have become obsessed with their Pickled Bloody Mary (left)

This is my kinda pancakes, I love my berries. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven...

until I tasted the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes (a restaurant staple!)...

Fresh Burrata with Sundried Tomatoes... Move over Brie, there's a new favorite in town, all the way from Vermont to our table!

Reuben meet Benedict, best friends for life!

Buttery Wild-Caught Salmon in a Zuchini Pea puree that has me wondering how to poach salmon in Olive Oil and can I do this at home?

Oh! Were you FULL? I'm sure you have room for Pistachio cream tarte or Berry Panacotta... or how about a New York Oreo Cheesecake to go with your meal?

 

Reducing their carbon footprint, I’m thrilled to say this meal was Farm to Table fresh and beyond delicious!  While there we many celebrations being had around us, there doesn’t need to be one to enjoy the cuisine created by Chef Anthony.  Make your next meal as memorable as mine was!  There’s nothing like a Four Seasons morning!

Let’s say it together…

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On our most recent road trip to Myrtle Beach,  we happen to stumble upon a Ridemakerz store and checked it out briefly.  I wistfully mentioned how awesome it would be if there was one in NYC that we could have M’s birthday party at or even just as a special treat… when he’s a little older of course.

While that isn’t a reality yet, we were beyond excited to discover, and mate the excitement of, the upcoming Cars 2 Movie release with Ridemakerz in their newest line available exclusively at Toys R Us.  Ridemakerz has teamed up with Toys “R” Us once again in their Snap ‘N’ Go line for Cars 2 designed for kids ages four and up.  Kids can now customize the daring Lightning McQueen, best friend Mater, master spy Finn McMissile and Formula Racer Francesco Bernoulli, with such custom options as tires and wheels, blown engines and hood scoops, side pipes, spoilers and much more.

The kids and I were treated to a special launch event where we each got to trick out our own favorite Cars 2 characters. Upon arrival each child got a VIP ID card, making them a part of the Cars 2 Pit crew.  They got to choose their body, already fitted with a free-ride chassiz, customize their tirez, rimz and enginez as well as tricking them out with spy gear, spoilers and other body shop details too much for this simple mom to remember.  After they picked out their materials, off they went to the pit where a dedicated Pit Master helped them get down and dirty, assembling their cars.  This was serious work!  I think this experience may go down in the books as their best ever.  Crown me, best mom ever!

To create your very own Cars 2 experience, head on over to your local Toys R Us.  Each customizable kit comes with a Cars 2 character body and a range of accessories and ranges from $19.99 for a starter kit to $39.99 for a deluxe kit.  Additional partz are available for purchase separately.

The tech-y in me couldn’t help it, I needed the low-down on taking Ridemakerz customization to the next level. Word on the street is that all Ridemakerz parts are interchangeable.  To trick out your car even further, head to the Ridemakerz.com website and upgrade to a cool radio-controlled chassiz.

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Today the toddler and I had the pleasure of checking out the amazing Circus exhibit at the New York Hall of Science. The toddler had gone to the Big Apple Circus recently and was in love with all things circus.  She is constantly performing all sorts of gymnastic/acrobatic feats around the house to anyone who watch.  Watching her at the exhibit was my fun.  The wonder and amazement in her eyes as we traveled through the exhibit and read her all the science behind the tricks, hijinks and acrobatics of the circus were priceless.  She was full of excitement and questions.

The exhibit, in the central corridor of course, covered everything from learning the circus lingo — ballyhoo! — to checking out your balance on the balance bar.  They even had two hands on events, the high wire – where you got to walk like a tightrope walker, all while securely harnessed and the Elastic Acrobatics — flying through the air with ease!

The most popular exhibit and favorite by far had to be the Costume Area.  The line was wrapped around the exhibit as kids lined up for a chance to transform into their favorite circus performers.  My very own performer dressed herself up in a tutu and fluttered across the stage as the strongest man and tigers danced around her.

This exhibit is only open for a limited time, from June 11th through September 4th, free with your paid admission to the New York Hall of Science. So step right up and become a part of the bizarre, the unique and wondrously strange world of the circus!

  As a child I had fond memories at the New York Hall of Science and while one might assume after all these years it’s lost its luster, it’s BETTER than ever!

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I’m sitting here scarfing down some amazing pasta that my nephew and daughter made as part of their spring break fun!  Finding something to do altogether can be a challenge when you have kids of three very different age groups.  Unfortunately the infant had to sit this activity out, but he had a good ol’ time observing the cooking frenzy his older siblings were engaging in today.  There was enough activities to go around for everyone and I even got them to incorporate some veggies into their meal without any gripe!

The kids are dedicating this recipe to my sister-in-law who has recently been on a health kick.  I secretly am dedicating this recipe to them and their eating of veggies (yay!). No one knows the struggles of getting kids to eat healthy more than me and my picky eaters.   I love making tomato sauce because it’s simple to make and easy to tweak and of course incredibly healthy!  Did you know consuming tomatoes and tomato products will reduce risk of certain cancers, ultraviolet light-induced skin damage, osteoporosis, and other conditions? It’s also heart healthy!  — Think red, think heart!  Tomatoes are low in calories, but rich in nutrients like potassium, fiber and the POWERFUL antioxidant called lycopene making it a superfood!

We started off with a basic marinara sauce recipe, adding our usual carrots to sweeten and went from there to here!

Ingredients:

• 5 peeled (and chopped) carrots
• handful of broccoli heads (adding some color and some much needed green in their diet!)
• 5 whole peeled garlic cloves (add more or less if you’d like)
• 5 fresh basil leaves
• olive oil
• 1 can of Hunt’s Whole Plum Tomatoes (believe me, it makes a difference!)
• 1/2 box of pasta (we used shells)
• sea salt
• ground pepper

Tools:

• food processor
• peeler
• chopping knife
• can opener
• two pots

1. Adding a little olive oil to the bottom of Pot #1 and heat on a low to medium flame. Throw in garlic cloves and slowly roast for 20 minutes, careful not to burn them.
2. While roasting the garlic cloves, in your food processor, throw in and finely chop both carrots and broccoli heads.  We chopped them separately for more shared chopping time, but you can certainly do both at the same time.
3. Open the can of Hunt’s Whole Plum Tomatoes and in a separate bowl, let your hands do the mashing to a consistency you like.
4. Add mashed tomatoes, carrots and broccoli to the olive oil and garlic and let simmer on low for 45 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. While the sauce simmers, make your pasta as directed on the box.

A little less than an hour later, we’re here, sitting around the kitchen table eating up bowls of pasta with our homemade sauce.  If there’s one way to get your kids to eat veggies is to have fun making them!

If you’re sitting around this spring break with nothing to do, whip up a Heart Healthy Tomato recipe for someone you love!  Who will you dedicate your recipe to?

For more information about the health benefits of tomatoes, check out “Tomato Consumption and Health: Emerging Benefits” and this interactive webinar: http://www.rippeinfoservices.com/conagra-foods-science-institute/webinars/tomatoes-webinar.htm

Check out the 2010 Dietary Guidelines, http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2010.asp, which says we should try to eat one more serving of tomatoes each day because they are so nutritious!

 

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While strolling our neighborhood toy store I spotted these, Crayola Outdoor Colored Bubbles,  on the shelf and the child in me desperately wanted it!  They just looked soooooo cool!  I had to remind myself that I’m NOT a child.

Exercising some self-control, otherwise known as my husband’s evil eye, I walked out of the store withOUT it in hand.  Silently filed in the back of my head as some fun summertime play for the kiddies and I.

Has anyone checked these out?  I told some friends about it and they just thought I was kidding so up came the google page and….

Whoa!  The reviews on on what I thought was this little bit of fabulousness is all over the place.  Parents love it, and parents hate it… What do you think?

It comes in 5 gem like colors and I imagined great fun with the pink for the toddler and blue or green for the infant.  I’m all shades of mess any day so does it really matter if I get color stained if my kids are having a blast?

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{ As usual, comments are closed for this post’s GIVEAWAY }

It’s another iPhone round up!  I really do not know what I would do without my iPhone.  I recently upgraded to the iPhone 4 while the husband, headscratchingly traded his for a droid.  Why?  I have no idea.  I’ve tinkered with it and just don’t get it.  It is way more complicated than it needs to be and seems to be in some language only guys understand.  I will be keeping my iPhone — thank you very much!

The only conundrum with this easier interface is that the toddler is more than capable of operating my phone without supervision.  What, praytell, do you think she’s doing on the phone?

Checking out her favorite Juno Baby app of course!  I’m not really sure why it’s rated 4+ when their audience started with infants and only recently expanded to toddlers, but my guess is something to do with operating the phone itself.  Oh well!  My 3 year old is obviously way ahead of the curve to that respect!  She loves watching the 9 videos included, clicks away on the flashcards and can’t get enough of the interactive characters.  For a limited time, this gem of an app is available FREE!

Also in her “Ava’s Games” folder, she’s helping Strawberry Shortcake (99¢) at her Berry Bistro Café serving up perfect fruit smoothies.  This game is perfect for the girly girl in her and very age appropriate.  I even got into for a bit but this momma needs a little more incentive than 4 perfect berry smoothies at the end.  Sometimes she’s off on the Island of Sodor or Misty Island helping Thomas ($2.99), tilting and going along on his missions.  This game really tests your agility and tripped up this mom a few times trying to get Thomas up and over a hill or back under to grab some extra goodies.

When she’s done racing the clock, she can rest and relax to the soothing voice of Meryl Streep, reading the Velveteen Rabbit ($3.99) to her.  If she’s not over hearing her mother’s nagging voice she can even opt to hear me or daddy’s or even herself, through their innovative feature which allows recording in our own voices. We love anything that encourages the toddler’s love of books and at $3.99 a book, not to mention being read to by an ALL STAR cast, it’s a REAL bargain!

Other book available as apps include:

• Tom Thumb and the Knights of the Round Table – Told by John Cleese, illustrated by Tim Gabor with music by Elvis Costello. No bigger than his father’s thumb, tiny Tom Thumb is on a larger-than-life journey in the land of King Arthur where his small size leads to mishaps and adventure.
• Pecos Bill – Told by Robin Williams, illustrated by Tim Raglin with music by Ry Cooder. Pecos Bill is the bravest, orneriest cowboy in the Wild West, and the tall tales of his adventures are full of fun. The tale is one of courage, strength and humor.
• John Henry – Told by Denzel Washington, illustrated by Barry Jackson with music by B.B. King. The tale of Big John Henry and his hammer, faster than any machine, belongs in every child’s memory and has been a staple of American mythology for well over a hundred years.
• Johnny Appleseed – Told by Garrison Keillor, illustrated by Stan Olson with music by Mark O’Connor. The true story of John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, who roamed the frontier planting apple trees and spreading goodwill is intimately tied to the domestication of America. This app won Parents’ Choice Gold Award for audio.

When I finally get my phone back, I try to sneak in a little relaxing game of Traffic Rush (99¢), where I scramble to keep the roads CRASH FREE!  The rules are simple, but by no means easy.  I’m always trying to beat my last score.  If I haven’t had enough of my God Complex controlling traffic, my little cousin introduced me to Pocket God (99¢) where I control the lives of primitive islanders.  You can bring new life, and then take it away just as quickly. Exercise your powers on the islanders. Lift them in the air, alter gravity, hit them with lightning…you’re the island god!  Awesome!

I love my iPhone!

GIVEAWAY: Thanks to Ruckus Media Group, You can enter to win (1) of the iphone/ipad compatible prizes listed below:

• Velveteen Rabbit
• Tom Thumb and the Knights of the Round Table
• Pecos Bill
• John Henry
• Johnny Appleseed

To ENTER, from now until November 27th 2010, fill out this FORM.  Get up to (two) bonus entries. 1st Bonus – If you follow me on twitter @momconfessional and re-tweet this giveaway (I just entered @momconfessional’s Rabbit Ear Apps GIVEAWAY! You should too! http://wp.me/pLvfH-Hy) 2nd Bonus – If you “like” us on Facebook and share the giveaway with your friends.  DON’T FORGET to visit this FORM again and leave a separate entry for each action. Giveaway only open to those with U.S. addresses and must be 18 years or older. Giveaway ends on November 27th 2010 at 11:59 EST. A winner will be selected randomly by Random.org and notified by e-mail.

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There’s nothing I love more than toddler and me time and when we were invited to see Angelina Ballerina: The Musical I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to spend some q-time with her.  She had just begun dance lessons and was enthralled with all things dance.  She could be found often just twirling around the house and demonstrating all her moves whenever she could grab our attention.  For some reason I couldn’t figure out why I hadn’t added Angelina Ballerina to her TV line up — the toddler is our very own Angelina Ballerina!

Being that this was her first exposure to the theatre, I was very nervous.  Having heard stories about toddlers and their limited attention span at movies and shows, I was wasn’t sure what I was signing us up for.  But the toddler never ceases to amaze me.  From start to finish she was captivated!  Aside from having to hold her back — she wanted to run onto the stage and dance with Angelina — she was the perfect theatre attendee!  I admit to nervously glancing from my watch to my toddler wondering just how long she would last.  At the 1pm showtime, it was normally her naptime but I thought the length of the show, just a little over an hour, was just right for her age group.  Following the show, we got to get “autographs” from the cast and were treated to a dance workshop with Angelina and friends as well as a very special story time with author Katharine Holabird.  The toddler thought it was “the best day ever!” and that’s really music to my ears.

Vital Theatre Company & HIT Entertainment present “ANGELINA BALLERINA, THE MUSICAL,” with book and lyrics by SUSAN DiLALLO and music by BEN MORSS.  Angelina and her friends, Alice, Gracie, AZ, Viki, and even their teacher, Ms. Mimi, are all aflutter because a special guest is coming to visit Camembert Academy! Angelina and her friends will perform all types of dance, including hip-hop, modern dance, the Irish jig and of course, ballet, and they are excited to show off their skills to their famous visitor. Angelina is the most excited of all, but will she get the starring moment she hopes for? Based on the CG-animated series, Angelina Ballerina The Next Steps on PBS KIDS®, ANGELINA BALLERINA THE MUSICAL is a family-friendly show that will have the entire audience dancing in the aisles. Performances run Saturdays and Sundays at 11am and 1pm, October 2nd through November 21st. Tickets are $29.50, and $49.50 for premium seats(first 3 rows) but every seat in the house has perfect vantage. The show is appropriate for ages 3-12. For reservations, please click here or call (212) 579-0528. VITAL THEATRE COMPANY is located at 2162 Broadway, 4th Floor, at 76th Street, on the Upper West Side.  Grab your tickets now!

{ disclosure: attended media pink carpet sneak-preview }

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