Happy Weekend! Let's LINK Up

I've been waiting for this three day weekend, since October kicked off. Nothing really special planned, our oldest CJ is going to Debate Camp before his final try-outs for the team {not sure how he got to be so smart, but it wasn't from us}. The little monster and I will probably enjoy some arts and crafts and I'll finish working out the details of his Toy- Story themed 3rd birthday. Kinda just looking forward to wearing my fuzzy robe and traipsing leisurely around the house and catching up on some reading + shows we missed this week.

If you're here in the city I totally suggest you check out the Little Red Lighthouse festival this Saturday or The Open House NY  events which allows visitors access into amazing NYC architecture. These events have both been on my to do list the last two years, but who knows maybe we'll just get out of the house and check'em out. Anything amazing planned for the long weekend where you are? Just in case you find yourself staying indoors.....


Here's a few of my very favorite links from around the web {really hard to limit them this week}

3 NYC events to visit this weekend // Pumpkin Day in McCarren Park // Comic-Con //  Luna Park's Halloween Harvest


You have Some Nerve reading this!


Give your door a design- makeover with a splash of fun, unexpected color.

As it starts getting brisker, bring the fun inside with these creative ideas for indoor play.


Don't let all those freshly picked apples go to waste, make this cocktail.

This pumpkin french toast had me drooling.


The sheer back of this Jenny Jenny Packham wedding dress is stunning.

Let your wedding guests know you were each others missing piece with this puzzle piece guess book.


Comic-Con inspired manicures

Quirky clutches seem to be popping up everywhere.

Have the kiddies dress up in costumes of fashion's most iconic personalities for Halloween or better yet skip the princess outfit and dress your little girl in a real heroines costume.


Whatever your plans this weekend, live in the moments and enjoy!

Bunches of Xoxo's
                             Dellah

Lil' Monsters in NYC: Nickelodeon's World Wide Day of Play 2013

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say this but, sometimes it feels like we nearly have to bribe our nine year old CJ to get out of the house on the weekends. Whether we're discovering something new and undoubtedly amazing to do or visiting a family favorite spot, initially he'd most likely rather stay home and play Sklyanders on his Wii or watch a marathon of Ninja Turtles or WWE wrestling while chowing down on pizza to pass the time. We even have to hide the Nook and cellphones from our 2 year old who is way more technologically savvy then we ever imagined he'd be. Lucky for us parents, for the last ten years Nickelodeon has been hosting it's World Wide Day of Play events all around the globe to encourage kids to take time away from the television screens and gadgets and to get outside to be active and healthy.

This year, after numerous attempts and the recruiting of friends to help us score free tickets online to the Sept. 21st event [which sold out daily in under 5 minutes], we successfully surprised CJ, Tristan and their two cousins. The day included get your heart pumping outdoor activities, celebrity & character appearances and a concert performed by boy band Big Time Rush and actress/singer Ariana Grande in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. 

I hope you guys enjoy my pics below and here's great Nickelodeon, City of Play pictures. I'm also sharing videos that I posted on Instagram so you can get a quick glimpse at why Nickelodeon's World Wide Day of Play is an awesome way for kids to burn some energy while having fun, like my two boys who got in on the action [you can spot them tossing and catching a football in this video]. 

What are some ways you and your family like to stay fit and get moving?

Upbeat party music + a trampoline class with JumpLife make for a great way to start the day. 

A step class helped kids of all ages get coordinated by following patterns and beats.

The monster really had a blast with his cousins and proved he was a tough guy on the field.

A neighborhood cheer-leading squad, cheered on the rock-climbers.

Mini golfers, future pros.

Life size ring toss + running obstacles.

The stars of the Nickelodeon show, The Haunted Hathaways and characters from Nickelodeon and Nick JR. {The Power Rangers, Team UmiZoomi and The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles} drew lines of kids who were excited to meet them. As an 80's baby I think I was way more excited then the kids to see the Ninja Turtles.

Everyone was encouraged to get moving, to do their best and have fun!

  

True fans stood on line for hours near the stage as the afternoon ended with a free two hour concert from     Big Time Rush and Ariana Grande. I must admit, I was disappointed to see so many kids standing in line when there was so much fun to be had. To Nickelodeons credit they made several announcements to the fans to get out and play and be active.

The smiles on these kids faces were priceless, probably the best surprise ever and the best reward for us parents was a house full of kids who couldn't wait to go to bed! Make sure to mark your calendars for next year's World Day of Play event!

Lil' Monsters in NYC: Ain't No Party, Like an Urban Lawn Party

One of the best things about Summers in NYC are the abundance of fun-filled street fairs, block parties and festivals in some of the best neighborhoods on the weekends. The Urban Lawn Party hosted by the Greenwich Village-Chelsea Chamber of Commerce is by far a great one to check out for kid-friendly activities, tasty treats {even for your fury friends} and lovely vendors providing services and giveaways. Oh and not to mention, everything was absolutely FREE!

As soon as we arrived the boys jumped right in and grabbed colorful paints and a few brushes to contribute to the Sherwin Williams mural. They also took out the time to write, cheerful notes that they decorated for the elderly that received food deliveries from Meals on Wheels {pictured in middle,top row of first collage}.

One of the most popular activity tables for the kiddies was the milkPOP shop, where mini artists used puffy paints and vibrant hued markers to decorate their own tee's and totes that were illustrated with fun characters and doodles. The founder, Jena S. was extremely encouraging and sweet with the kids and would create drawings right on the spot. I really loved that through their promotion of cultural unity milkPOP had the children help decorate a mural in honor of Trayvon Martin and unity through creativity.

Giggles, high jumps + a teary eyed monster in the bouncy house.

This monster was so not amused by all the stunts his big brother CJ attempted while he got jolted around uncontrollably from side to side. To cheer him up he suckered his daddy into standing on line for some yummy frozen treats from Imperial Woodpecker Sno Balls.

It didn't take long at all for those crocodile tears to fade. We tried out the Cotton Candy and Tiger Blood flavors and can't wait to indulge in the other 44 choices from their menu. Grabbing sno balls was a great relief from the city heat.

Since we were just hangin' out on the stoop we figured it would be a great time for some family pics and these are by far our favorites. We've been told the photo of the four of us at the top of this page reminded people of a modern day "Cosby ShowFamily" and ironically we've been on a Cosby show mararthon on Hulu. 

Sweet Generation had some of the moistest and sweetest cookies and cupcakes we had ever tasted. The boys really enjoyed getting to sit down and decorate these scrumptious baked goods. The online bake shop is known as 21st century bake sale, on steroids {I love it}! and was created to help fund the art programs in the community.

Visitors at the Urban Lawn party got to enjoy massages and beautifully designed henna tattoos, while others got their hair colorfully spray painted and participated in games, leisurely strolled & lounged around on imported grass.

Even the Pets could get in on the fun with some pampering from the doggie boutique and organic treat shoppe withloveivan .

Since he was really little, CJ has always begged us to let him ride on one of those double-decker buses we always see around the city and although this one was stationary he was fine with just being able to head up to the top and thought it was pretty awesome that he had the entire bus to himself.

Even though it was scorching hot that day, I'm sure everyone who stopped by the Urban Lawn party truly enjoyed themselves with all there was to do. It was the perfect way to spend a summer afternoon and a great stay-cation memory for us and the monsters!

Lil' Monsters in NYC: Summer Stage Kids Global Family Day

We are always looking for an adventure, so last month the boys and I headed to Central Park for Summer Stage Kids Global Family Day for an afternoon filled with performances, activity stations and tons of fun and excitement for kids of all ages. This was our first time at this annual event and we were pleasantly surprised with all there was to see and do and the awesome Free goodies that families got to take home. 

When we first arrived we were greeted by Disney's VoluntEARs and the boys each took a turn at spinning the wheel to land on a healthy and fun physical activity to try out. Guests found themselves hopping on one foot, dribbling a basketball and hula-hooping. After the completion of the activity each guest was invited to choose from 4 Disney Blu-ray DVDs that included Pixar's Up, The Prince of Persia, G-Force and the Johnny Depp version of Alice in Wonderland. Other giveaways included puzzles, wrist bands, frisbees and Vinylmation Mickey Mouse collectible figurines.

My 34 month old Tristan totally chickened out of taking a picture with Jake from the Disney Junior show Jake and the Neverland Pirates and instead insisted that his big brother CJ do it. This only has me concerned  and is probably a good indicator of how the lil' monster will react when he sees all these ginormous characters next summer during our family trip to Disney World.

Princess lovers were thrilled to pose with the adorable Disney Junior character Sophia the First.

Kids got to take part in some Disney Junior television trivia and scored tattoo's and stickers while coloring treasure boxes that they got to fill up with other treats. 

Most guests filled up the bleachers first that were shaded by trees, while others spread out blankets or grabbed a chair with family and friends to enjoy the line-up of Summer Stage performers. The show kicked off with the Natural Rhythm Expression Band that had the crowd tapping their feet and dancing to the sounds of the Caribbean with Steelband and Calypso music.

The dancers from IFETAYO youth ensemble were all smiles as they graced the stage and gave an artistic, beautiful, high energy performance.

Two of our favorite Children's singers, Grammy nominated singer Elizabeth Mitchell and Dan Zanes joined together to sing a few tunes to get the audience moving and singing along.

In between performances Tristan got his face painted for free in honor of his currently favorite Marvel character Spiderman and CJ tried getting creative while building towers with the imagination foam blocks.

Little pirates and princesses that came to party were in for a  special musical treat. Once the Jake and the Neverland Pirates band hit the stage, all the kids and their parents were singing "Yo ho Let's Go!" 

 Nemcatacoa Teatro amazed the crowd with it's acrobatic stilt walking performance that left my boys in awe, despite being a little creeped out by their makeup and mysterious music.

I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend a stay-cation with my family and the perfect ending was heading home, making popcorn and watching G-Force as the boys played with the rest of their goodies before calling it a night.

We will surely be marking our calendars to attend this Disney sponsored event with our monsters for years to come. It's really a great way to enjoy some entertaining, culture filled performances with the family for FREE right here in NYC. Summer Stage Kids Global Family Day is an event surely not to be missed out on and your kids will smile for hours. 

Bunches of Xoxo's

                            Dellah

*Note this post is solely my opinion and written to give you a glimpse into what the event was like. I received no form of compensation for writing this. All images belong to Dellahs Jubilation except for the Summer Stage Kids Logo.