Halloween in August

Funny Girl

Lyla is at the age where she says so many things that make me laugh -- some intentional, some not. I want to record them before I forget. So here are a couple of things that made me laugh in my first installment of "Funny Girl".

• The other day, we were out picking up supplies for the hurricane. She asked me what was in the shopping bag and I told her there were candles inside. She gasped and said "wow, it's my birthday?"

• Lyla calls her hair color "blondie". This morning, she got a piece of hair in her mouth. She came up to me and said "help, mommy, I have a blondie in my mouth."

Hurricane Preparedness

Hurricane Irene is supposed to pummel the New York coast this weekend. I'm not typically the type of person who gets really worked up about stuff, but I have been glued to weather.com for the last 12 hours.

Here is how we started our day:

Me (still in bed): Mark, you are going to think I'm crazy, but we need to talk about something.
Mark (getting ready to leave for work): Okay, what's up?
Me: We need to come up with an evacuation plan if the hurricane hits us. I'm looking at the NYC hurricane evacuation map and our neighborhood is in Zone A -- the highest risk zone.
Mark: You're right. I do think you're crazy.
Lyla (lying next to me in bed): Daddy, you makin' mommy iced coffee?
(I love that girl)

Mark is clearly not as concerned, but I went ahead and made a little "emergency kit" just in case we are evacuated. We have a new flashlight, lots of batteries, a case of water, lots of pirate's booty and a brand new bag of m&ms. We should be set.

And since we will likely be homebound all weekend, I picked up "how to potty train in three days or less." That might be the biggest disaster of all.





P.S. After I wrote this but before it posted, Mark called to say that we may need an evacuation plan after all.

Road Trip: Game Farm and Aquarium

A couple of weeks ago, my mom, my sister and I took all three kids on an overnight trip to the Long Island Game Farm and Long Island aquarium. It was a fun but hectic two days running around with the kids. My sister's friend asked me if I would review it for her parents' newsletter, Macaroni Kid, so the below post is what I wrote for her. It was fun to keep my review in mind throughout the trip. I'd love to do more reviews like this in the future.

***

As summer winds down, if you are looking to take your family on one more adventure before school starts, why not try the Long Island Game Farm Wildlife Park & Children's Zoo, the Long Island Aquarium, or both! You can manage both in one day if you start out early. For the more adventurous types, make it an overnight trip. That is just what my sister and I recently did with my two-year-old daughter, Lyla, and her two boys, Nicolas, 4 and Christopher, 2. Oh yeah, Grandma came along for the fun too. We left at 10am on Thursday morning and were home by 3pm on Friday afternoon. First stop, the Long Island Game Farm.

Long Island Game Farm

The Long Island Game Farm is about an hour drive from Long Beach. It is located at Exit 70 off the Long Island Expressway. As you walk along the wooded pathway, you feel like you are walking into the jungle. The Game Farm has a very calm, relaxing vibe. You can follow various nature trails that lead to places like "Bambiland," "The Nursery," and "Old MacDonald's Farmyard." On a Thursday morning, it was not very crowded and the kids could run around freely without getting lost in the crowd. It is a small, very manageable zoo, so you can really stop to visit each and every animal. We saw everything, including the dog show, in just over two hours. The dog show stars a former professional clown and his dogs, most of whom were rescued from shelters. The dogs perform a variety of tricks, such as jumping rope and skateboarding. Most of the kids in the crowd seemed to enjoy the show, but our three were more interested in trying to get on stage, so I only really watched with one eye.



Our favorite animal was the giraffe. For six dollars you can buy a huge cup of food with grain and carrots to feed the various animals. Save the carrots for the giraffe – he will swoop down and eat them up. The kids were amazed to see his long neck bend in half to join us for a snack.







The kids also had fun feeding the sheep and llamas, who aren’t afraid to lick your face!




Another favorite was the baby animals. Lyla got a kick out of hugging and bottle-feeding the baby goats.









Nicolas and Christopher really liked the pony ride, which cost $2 per ride (Lyla was not interested).





Other animals that were fun to see were the cougar, zebras and camel. We didn’t get a chance to see the Alligator Jump-a-Roo or the Lemur Feeding, which are included on the daily schedule of events.


There are also a few children’s rides. Grandma took the three grandkids on the tea cups, which was free. There is also a carousel and a train ride, which each cost $2 per ride.

Tips:

• Children 2 and under are free. Admission for children 3-11 is $15.95; adults $17.95; and seniors $15.95 

• Bring bug spray – the flies attack! 

• There are hand-washing stations throughout the park. Use them often, as you will have the opportunity to touch many different animals.
 


Long Island Aquarium and Surrounding Area

After leaving the Game Farm, we headed to Riverhead, about a seven minute drive. We reserved a room at the Hyatt Place East End, a brand new hotel directly next to the Aquarium. The room, with two queen beds and a pullout couch, was big enough for three adults and three children. The hotel has an indoor and outdoor pool, great for an afternoon swim. There is 24-hour room service and a free continental breakfast (which gets mobbed if you don’t get there before 9am). The room itself was immaculate. I was happy that the room had a mini refrigerator so we could store all of the snacks, juice boxes and milk we brought for the trip. I was surprised that the room did not have a bathtub. Lyla had to take a shower, which is not her preference, but not the end of the world either. After checking into the hotel, we went out to lunch. We got several recommendations from the hotel (including free kids’ coupons at Friendly’s), but the easiest, most convenient place to eat was next door at Jerry & The Mermaid. We sat on the back deck and it was very family-friendly (it even has a sign that says so!). After lunch, Nicolas went for a swim while the little ones took a nap. If mommies need a little break, they have two options: wine or shopping. We chose shopping. The Tanger Outlets at Riverhead are less than ten minutes away. My sister and I indulged in a little retail therapy while Nicolas, Lyla and Christopher ran wild. There are also several wineries nearby, but we didn’t get to visit on this trip.

Friday was Aquarium day. After a harried breakfast at the hotel, we were at the aquarium when it opened at 10am.

{Vacation Cheerios = Fruit Loops!}

{Vacation Cheerios all over the floor}

{The Culprits}

You have a few choices for admission – the Aquarium only, the Aquarium plus the Long Island exhibition center (a butterfly exhibit) or a pay-one-price admission that includes Aquarium Admission, $5.00 Arcade Card, Unlimited Submarine Simulator Ride and Unlimited Discovery Tower. Given the age (and attention span) of our group, we opted for the Aquarium only admission. In the lobby of the aquarium is Ray Bay, where you can feed and touch the stingrays. The kiddies were timid to touch at first, but after some cajoling each had the chance to pet the smooth, slimy creatures. I was amazed at how friendly – even playful – the stingrays were toward people. One even intentionally splashed Grandma. Definitely a highlight of our visit.






When you move past the lobby of the aquarium, you enter the Rescue Center. The Long Island Aquarium also rescues, rehabilitates and releases sea animals. We saw several rescued sea turtles. And we were invited to a sea lion release that is taking place at the end of the month.





Moving past the Rescue Center, you enter the main indoor exhibit area. It is beautifully curated to look like the lost city of Atlantis. We loved the touch tank, where we touched starfish, clams, hermit crabs, and horseshoe crabs. Nicolas was fascinated with just about every sea creature on exhibit, but the fan favorite awards probably go to the seahorses, the octopus and the clownfish (hello, Nemo!). My personal favorite was the Lost City Shark Exhibit. It has a bit of a cave-like feel – dark and cold. And there are some big sharks that swim really close to the glass (Lyla was petrified). It was the most crowded part of the Aquarium, so make sure you hold hands!









Before heading to the outdoor exhibits, we went to a sea lion show, which was short and sweet (perfect for our group). We learned a bit about the differences between seals and sea lions and watched the sea lion do some tricks.
(Don't they look fascinated?)














The outdoor exhibits include penguins, otters, reptiles, an interactive salt marsh, another Ray Bay and snow monkeys (Nicolas asked the very good question of why there are snow monkeys in an aquarium). There was also a special demonstration with baby crocodiles. The kids each got a chance to hold a baby croc! Remember Lyla, the little girl afraid of the sharks? Well, she held the baby croc, NBD.







After a juice and snack break, we charted our departure. The exit is through the gift shop, so, of course, we got suckered into buying various souvenirs and knick-knacks for the little ones.

Tips:

• Bring lunch and eat at the Riverside Pavilion. It is shady and breezy with beautiful views of the salt marsh. 

• Be sure to grab a map as you enter the Aquarium. On the map, there is also a list of daily events – take a close look and plan your day accordingly. 

• For older kids and adults, there are some great interactive experiences such as a snorkel adventure, shark dive and submarine simulator that must be booked in advance.

Happy Travels!

2 1/2

My little lady is 2 1/2 today. The whole eastern seaboard shook in her honor. The earthquake had a profound effect on Lyla -- the Imagination Playground closed its doors for nearly two hours, forcing Lyla to go on the new neighborhood carousel about a dozen times. In addition to a few tremors, we celebrated Lyla's half birthday with a cupcake in Daddy's office and some serious dressing up in princess dresses.

We are having so much fun with Lyla lately. She loves to say "oh my gosh" all the time. I can't even capture it in words -- I have to get a video. She sucks in her breath and has this shocked look on her face and says "oh my gaaawwwwsh".

Lyla follows me around the house and says "mom, whatcha doin'?". But she says it every two seconds. The other night:

Lyla: "mom, whatcha doin'?".
Me: I'm making dinner.
Lyla: "mom, whatcha doin'?".
Me: I'm still making dinner
Lyla: "mom, whatcha doin'?".
Me: Now, I'm opening the fridge.

You get the point. It sounds annoying as I put it into words, but right now I think it is so cute. Ask me again in a week.

She is still a narrator of her every move, but now she also likes to give me a brief synopsis of whatever book, tv show or movie she is into. Beauty and the Beast is the movie du jour. About 10 times a day I hear her say something like "Papa lost his horse and Belle found it and the Beast was mad and they danced."

Everyday brings something new and something that brightens my day.  I saw a quote recently that sums up our life with Lyla -- "So many of my smiles begin with you."

Happy Half Birthday, LG.

Scary Movie

Beauty and the Beast.  When I ask her if she wants to turn off the "scary" scenes, she refuses and just covers her eyes instead.

Teardrop Park

One of my favorite secrets spots in our neighborhood is Teardrop Park.  It's kind of hidden in Battery Park and never really crowded.  It is just a spash park with a bunch of rock formations.  It really feels like you are out of the city -- I call it our urban oasis.  Last Sunday, the weather was kind of threatening all day and we couldn't decide whether to head to the beach or stay in the city.  We ended up staying and spending the morning at Teardrop.  We had the entire park to ourself for most of the time we were there (that is unheard of for NYC parks in the Summer).