Sledding!

This post has been updated from when it was first published December 29, 2012.

Well, we finally got some snow here in Ithaca, and it's time again for kids (and parents) to grab a sled and find a hill to zoom down! We are fortunate to live near an excellent hill, at the Eastern Heights park off of Snyder Hill and Skyvue Road. That park has a small hill and 2 very long slopes. The hills at Cornell Planations and near the Cornell Daycare are popular, as are hills by Belle Sherman and South Hill Elemenary Schools. Out of town, Rice Hill by Taughannock State Park is a biggie. Another popular spot is the cemetery outside of Brooktondale on Lounsbury Rd.

If you know of any great places to go sledding, please put them in the comments section or send them to ithacasahm@gmail.com. Thanks!

Cash mob and mama's night out Feb 8 in support of Bloom after recent robbery

Since last winter, Bloom has been providing Ithaca families with a fun and interactive play space and ethically sourced retail options. The store has adorable clothes and toys and offers free-play, organized play, class, birthday party and date-night options.

Sadly, Bloom was the target of a late-night robbery in early January. While  Co-owners Draya and McKenzie feel incredibly lucky that their store and merchandise were not damaged, they lost a considerable amount of cash and were responsible for fixing their shattered door, neither of which are being covered by their insurance.

 Mama's Comfort Camp leaders are organizing a cash mob and Mama's Pajama Party to help! Please come out Feb 8th and help to replenish some of their funds and help them feel that their store is loved and safe! Draya and McKenzie say they are amazed by and grateful for the outpouring of support they have received from the community.

        Feb 8

12-5 pm Cash Mob! Come out and buy some great stuff. Goodies, 2pm children's yoga and Miss Angie's Music&Motion to follow.
8:30-10 pm Mama's Comfort Camp Pajama Party come show your support and indulge in some treats, music and self-kindness. Wear comfy clothes.

More details can be found at the Facebook Event page.

Cry Baby Cinema!

Okay, you guys, I am SOOO jealous right now. Ithaca is finally getting something I wished we had when my little ones were babies! Starting January 23rd, Cinemapolis is providing a service they call "Cry Baby Cinema" every Thursday! Here's the deal:

• Special Weekly Matinees for Grown Ups w/ Babies
• Each Thursday, Doors Open at 11 am
• Babes-in-Arms, Strollers, and Carriers Welcome
• All Five Regular Movies Screen with Lower Volume and Dimmed House Lights

**Parents should remember that these are NOT "family" films. They are screening their regular slate of films for grown-ups and welcoming babes-in-arms, strollers, and carriers.

If parents are bringing children old enough to take a seat in the theater and watch the film, they should do so only after reading up on the content of the films and ensuring it meets their own personal criteria for what is appropriate for their child.

Admission for Children attending to view the film will be our usual child rate of $6.50. Babes-in-arms, infants in strollers, and carriers will be let in for free. Adult tickets will be the usual matinee rate of $8. 

I asked Brett Bossard, the executive director of Cinemapolis to tell me more about how this parent-friendly option came to happen.  

 

"Cry Baby Cinema was the brainchild of board member Allison Andersen and her fellow education committee member, Karen Rodriguez. Karen had attended similar screenings at the Brattle Theater in Cambridge, MA. The committee discussed it at length, finding the right time, the right day and the right way to present the concept, and what you see is what they arrived at!"

 

The movies will be screened with dimmed house lights and slightly lower volume to allow parents to more easily care for their little ones in tow. For more information on Cinemapolis and to see what's playing, check out their website at http://www.cinemapolis.org/.

At the Car Wash!

 For the last 2 years, Finn has spent 80% of his free time playing with cars and trucks. His favorite thing in the whole world being  Monster Trucks (see Monster Truck Birthday Party). When we found ourselves home one day, I decided it was time to have some fun. We had recently been through an automatic car wash where I'd had the idea to make something like this for his trucks. So we scrounged around the house for car wash items and this is what we came up with.

We found a foam box we weren't using anymore (I think it was a cd holder at one time). This would serve as the main drive through part of the car wash. I cut holes in the frame big enough for monster trucks to drive though (and therefore Hotwheels cars would fit as well).

 

I planned where ribbons and felt pieces would hang down and attached them with wooden skewers.

 

I found that hair rollers made the perfect car wash accessory, so to keep them rolling, I put a plastic peg through the floor for it to sit on. I had to cut into the side a bit for the rollers to be wide enough and still work. 

 

We had a front to a toy hospital that was rarely played with. This served as our entrance.

 

I hot glued everything in place and let Finn play with it. BUT the car wash wasn't done....

 

I poked holes in some flexible tubing we had and threaded it through the top of the car wash and into a squeeze bottle (Wilton brand). I blocked off the open end with hot glue and some red duct tape.

 

SQUEEZE! It's time for these trucks to get wet!!

 

 

 Between Finn and his friends, this car wash has had hours and hours of play and is still in great shape! Finn's favorite is to put them in the sandbox first and then run them through the car wash.

 

I've been highlighted in another blog

I feel very honored that the lovely and talented Rebecca Miller chose to highlight me in a series of interviews she is doing on creativity. Check out the blog post at Flathead Mama!

Having some way to express yourself or create

something is good for the soul.

Keep Those Toes Toasty with Merryweather Outdoors

Merryweather Outdoors, an Ithaca based business run by Susan Mann has mission to make children’s outdoor wear that keeps kids WARM and DRY and FOCUSED ON FUN. We love spending time outdoors, but come the cold weather, it’s always a challenge to think of how to dress toddlers and preschoolers so that they stay warm. Its not a lot of fun playing outside with cold hands or cold feet. And winter boots for this age group can be particularly intimidating – heavy, hard-soled, stiff and uncomfortable. Sue says “As a South African I grew up outside – we had to be cajoled inside for meals.” That love of the outdoors is something that she wanted to pass along to her son. “I’ve come to love winter – it can be so magical – but that first winter with Luke, we couldn’t find appropriate footwear that would actually keep him warm. Everything we could find was just your standard winter boot downsized to a baby – that didn’t work for us”. The Merryweather infant winter boot system is the product of Susan's first winter as a mother. It is an adaption of the Inuit mukluk concept, which Sue’s outdoor-educator, Canadian, winter-loving husband had introduced her too. “Once we had some footwear we felt actually worked, we went skiing, sledding, snow-shoeing, ice-skating, snow-man building and yes – even overnight winter camping in a snow cave – and baby and all had warm and toasty feet all the time."

Merryluks, Cabin Booties and Super Socks can be worn separately or layered to create the perfect protection for indoors or outdoors. Merryluks are flexible, adjustable and waterproof, not to mention CUTE!

You can learn more about this fabulous local company at http://www.merryweatheroutdoors.com/ and check out the Merryluk boot system in person at Jillian's Drawers, Bloom or Mama Goose.

How can I tell if a movie, TV show, book or game is appropriate for my child?

Every parent makes choices about how their child consumes media, and what they are allowed to watch or read. But how can you learn what is appropriate for your child without having to watch or read everything in advance? Common Sense Media to the rescue!

I discovered this website when I was looking for a longer movie to watch with my daughter. A couple of friends had recommended Finding Nemo, a perfectly appropriate movie for some 4-year-olds to watch with their parents, but we quickly discovered that it was not right for OUR 4-year-old. Our daughter was extremely sensitive to tense situations in movies and TV shows, and she was terrified for the poor little fish who seemed to get into one harrowing situation after another. Hoping to find something longer than 22 minutes that we could enjoy together, I Googled "age appropriate movies" and www.commonsensemedia.org came up.

This website is run by a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization, providing trustworthy information and tools as well as an independent forum, so that families can have a choice and a voice about the media they consume. Common Sense Media rates movies, TV shows, books, music and apps. An expert reviewer gives their opinion on the content and gives the media a sliding scale rating of how appropriate it is for what ages and why. Content is rated using criteria including educational value positive messages, positive role models, violence & scariness, sexy stuff, language, consumerism and drinking, drugs, & smoking.

On top of the expert opinion, parents can give their opinions as well. While these user opinions are not always helpful, they are sometimes very insightful. I've chosen to skip certain shows that the expert mentioned would be fine because of parent comments along these lines, "While I see how this movie can be fine for some kids of this age, my sensitive child was very scared of the witch that appears half way into the movie."

I have not used the website for media other than TV or movies, and not all shows are represented on the site, but in short, Common Sense Media can be a very useful tool for parents and caregivers.