Here's our roundup of the kids' activities and family-friendly events going on in the Greater Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn for the week of February 29 - March 6, 2020!
Don't forget to sign up for our e-newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay in the loop of all the local goings on!! All the events and ads below are linked, so click away for more details and to double check before heading out for an event (time changes, cancellations, and mistakes do happen on occasion). Click here to submit your Bay Ridge area family-friendly event or program for a complimentary listing in an upcoming events roundup! Businesses are invited to read more about advertising with us and to sign up for our advertisers' newsletter to receive occasional ad specials and upcoming deadline. Disclaimer: This post includes some affiliate links - you don't pay more but we receive a small commission from purchases made after clicking. 
ONGOING:
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29:
SUNDAY, MARCH 1:
MONDAY, MARCH 2:
 
TUESDAY, MARCH 3:
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4:
THURSDAY, MARCH 5:
FRIDAY, MARCH 6:
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Moms, I think we can all agree that we love our kids more than life itself. We'd be lost without them. They're everything! But... sometimes... we need a break. Am I right?! A break from the monotony, from the pressure to be doing everything for everyone, from the whining and fighting. Basically, from being a mom. Needing a break doesn't make you a bad mom. I would argue in fact that taking a break actually can make you a better mom!
This break can come in the form of an hour at the gym, a mani pedi at the salon, or a kid-free lunch with some friends. Maybe you already do this regularly, maybe not, but if you're ready to take it to the next level, taking a full day and night away (or a full weekend, or gasp, a whole week!?), you might just find yourself fully recharged and ready to embrace those kids and your many duties at 100% again. Not just that, but getting away and out of your typical setting can give you a real chance to reconnect with yourself, to remember who you are beyond "mom", "wife", "domestic engineer". Remember when you actually had interests and hobbies, before they were taken over by your duties of meal planner, butt wiper, laundry doer, and booboo kisser. It's time to find and nurture those interests again! Let this blog post serve as your inspiration and motivation, a little nudge to treat yourself and plan your own mom getaway!!
I became a mother just over 7 years ago. It took me 5 years to take my first night away. I know... crazy! Our twins had just turned 2 years old, my husband was alwaysssss working, and I was so overwhelmed and stressed out. I had a mini breakdown (mommy tantrum??), got some amazing advice from my twin mom squad on Facebook (love them!!) and decided to heed that advice by booking a night away!! I went solo, to Atlantic City (weird destination, I know, but Tropicana hosted me and it was amazing - read about that trip and watch the video here).
Fast forward 2 more years and I was more than ready to do this again. Except this time, I didn't want to go alone. I wanted a relaxing but FUN momcation!!! So I reached out to the oh-so-amazing Crystal Springs Resort, because we had visited as a family over the summer and luuuuuurved it (see that blog review & video here), but I was itching to go back without kids! They offered to comp my stay again, in exchange for me covering my wonderful momcation! I invited one of my best mom friends, Rhianon of Brooklyn Boy Mom (together we have SEVEN CHILDREN!!! Me 3 and Rhi 4). See how much fun we had in this video and keep reading for more details!!
Why Crystal Springs for your Momcation?
LOCATION: Just a 90 minute drive from NYC, you'll find yourself in the beautiful northwestern New Jersey foothills at Crystal Springs Resort! It's not a bad drive either - I hadn't driven in over 6 years and was terrified but totally did it - easy peasy!! The hotel and grounds are simply beautiful (no wonder they host countless weddings, reunions, and conventions year round!). ACTIVITIES:
ACCOMODATIONS:
Both times I've stayed at Crystal Springs Grand Cascades Lodge, we've been provided with a Suite, which I highly recommend. Having a full kitchen and living room is so nice and makes lounging around and being lazy at your home away from home a terrific option! Go out to one of their many restaurants when you want, or order pizza or make your own meals when feeling lazy. We stopped at a grocery store on the way up so that we'd have stuff for breakfast and snacks and what not. Our Suite had 1 king bed room, 1 huge bathroom (with L'Occitane toiletries - niiiiiice!!!), a pull out sofa in the living room, a fire place, a balcony, washer and dryer, and a full kitchen (well, minus a microwave - oops, we had to take our popcorn home!!) 
DINING:
They have many options to choose from, whether looking for quick and casual or fine dining for a special occasion. Between the visit with my family and this more recent momcation trip, I've eaten at every one of their restaurants except for their seasonal farm-to-table al fresco Chef's Garden (I'll be back next summer for that one, to be sure!!) and they're all outstanding! You can't go wrong! Since we couldn't go to their 4-star Restaurant Latour last time (no kids under age 12 allowed), I wanted to make sure to check it out this time (reservations recommended, so plan ahead). Boy oh boy am I glad we did!! Their head Sommelier led the wine tour we took at 3pm, so we were even more excited to head over that evening and request the wine pairing menu ($55) with our 4-course meal ($115) . They also have 7-course, but despite each course being fairly small, we were stuffed by the end of our 2 hour dining experience!! I'd never done a wine pairing before, and basically know nothing about wine. I actually hadn't a clue that wine choice can either make or break a food. Making the wrong pairing is comparable to drinking orange juice after brushing your teeth - yuck! The sommelier will choose the perfect wine for each of your courses (guests choose courses independently, the table doesn't have to agree), coming over to the table personally to explain about the wine and pour it for you. It was such an incredibly luxurious treat for me, who is more of a 2 slices of pizza and a hard seltzer once a month kinda gal. Because I'm not used to this kind of gourmet dining, I have to be honest that the menu was a wee bit intimidating, but our waitress was the sweetest thing and helped make us feel at ease while handling all of our many questions! 
I'm sure the menu options change frequently, but for an idea of what to expect, here's what I ordered and the wines they paired for me (everything tasted as amazing as it looked!!!!):
Course 1: Roasted Crones (gnoccheti, fermented garlic, sunchoke) with Grgich Hills (Fume Blanc, Napa Valley California 2016). 
Course 2: Venison (creamed turnip, preserved wild berries, juniper) with Cascina Fontan (Barbera d'Abla, Pieomonte Italy 2017). This was my first time having venison, and you never know what you're going to get with "gamey" meat, but it was absolutely delicious! To my unsophisticated palette it was like an extremely soft and delicious piece of steak.
Course 3: Rohan Duck (chestnut, persimmon, black seed vinaigrette) with Stokes' Ghost (Petite Sirah, Monterey County California, 2015). Talk about a piece of art, how about this plate!?
Course 4: Chocolate Ganache (coffee, buckwheat crumble, hazlenut), with l'Abricot wine and a platter of Turkish Delight! Yum. Just, omg, yum.
Oh, and we can't forget the most amazing and visually pleasing bread basket everrrrrr!!!! Hello activated charcoal bread, like, what!? So neat (and soft and yummy!!), with spreads like beet and garlic - ohmahgerrrrrd y'all!!!!!
We ended up doing 3 days and 2 nights at Crystal Springs on this most amazing Momcation. We stayed up "late" (still asleep before midnight), slept soundly without being pulled out of bed in the middle of the night to escort a little one to the bathroom, binged Netflix in bed, ate amazing food without hearing our kids whine about how disgusting it is, lounged poolside, sweat it out in the sauna and jacuzzi, cuddled with rescue puppies while kinda doing yoga but really just wanting to play with puppies, and even did our first TikTok ha!!!
Arrived home to a shockingly neat and tidy and quiet household - so impressed that my husband got laundry done and got the kids to clean up before I came home!! The kids were so cuddly and sweet, didn't throw a single tantrum for a whole hour after I arrived hahahaha!!! Seriously though, I feel so friggin' refreshed and ready to be the best mom I can be!!!! But I also can't wait to go on my next momcation... So, are you inspired to book your own Momcation yet!?!? You really can't beat Crystal Springs for the destination - no matter what you're looking for, you'll find it there! They have really fun packages too such as "Robes & Rose Girlfriends Getaway", "Mom's Midweek Spa Day" and more! So get on it - gather some friends and get you on a mom getaway!! Be sure to check back in to let me know how it went (better yet, shoot me an email and maybe I can join)!!! 
Here's our roundup of the kids' activities and family-friendly events going on in the Greater Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn for the week of February 22 - 28, 2020!
Don't forget to sign up for our e-newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay in the loop of all the local goings on!! All the events and ads below are linked, so click away for more details and to double check before heading out for an event (time changes, cancellations, and mistakes do happen on occasion). Click here to submit your Bay Ridge area family-friendly event or program for a complimentary listing in an upcoming events roundup! Businesses are invited to read more about advertising with us and to sign up for our advertisers' newsletter to receive occasional ad specials and upcoming deadline. Disclaimer: This post includes some affiliate links - you don't pay more but we receive a small commission from purchases made after clicking. 
ONGOING:
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22:
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24:
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25:
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26:
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27:
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28:
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Mabel's Labels and includes some affiliate links (we receive a small commission from purchases made after clicking), but all thoughts and opinions are my own and unbiased.
We're not new fans of Mabel's Labels over here - we've been using and loving their waterproof washable labels on our kids' water bottles for a while now and they're awesome!! Which is why I'm so excited to collaborate with them on a review of some of their other products - we're talking shoe labels that help kids learn left and right shoes, silicone ID bracelets in case your kids get lost, silicone bands for bottles, and emergency labels for lost items, medical alerts, and more!! Watch my unboxing demo video below, keep reading for more info, and don't forget to enter to win some Mabel's Labels goodies in my $280 Value Fab Feb Kids Giveaway here!!
Little Kid School Combo
This variety pack of labels is perfect for the toddler and little kid set, including 122 extra-durable, washable, dishwasher/laundry/microwave-safe labels and 2 tags. That's 40 small rectangle labels, 70 clothing labels, 6 sets of shoe labels, and 2 mini tags for $42.95. Perfect for backpacks, clothes, lunch containers, shoes, toys and more. Everything is totally customizable - you choose the first and last name (or as I do, just the last name for items that are shared between your kids), font, and image! My absolute favorite item from this pack is the shoe labels - it splits the image in half and you stick it to the inner sole of your child's shoes, so when they place them down they can quickly understand which is the left and right shoe - BRILLIANT!!! And adorable! If you want to purchase outside of the combo, you can find the Preschool Shoe Labels here (12 sets for $21). 
Silicone Bottle Bands
Sold in packs: 2 for $9.99, 3 for $13.50, and 4 for $17 - these personalized silicone bottle bands are dishwasher, microwave, and sterilizer safe and a great way to label items temporarily. A great hack for daycares and parents of several kids who share bottles and drinkware, as my 3 kiddos do! They're designed to fit snugly, and you can see they fit our Contigo bottles great (these are the widest bottles I've come across, and it's not easy to get the bands on and off of these, which is actually good because my kids definitely won't be able to pull them off and play with them). You can customize image and color so kids who can't read yet will be able to easily find their bottle or cup. 
Emergency Contact Labels
Including 2 large labels, 2 medium labels, 8 small labels, and 2 metal tags, these brand new emergency contact labels are a great way to label key information such as medical concerns, emergency contacts and medications. Coming in bright colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, or black) they are attention grabbing and extremely durable, waterproof, and great for car seats, bikes, medical devices and sports equipment. Get the whole set for just $19.99. 
Silicone ID Bracelets
As a mom who is always outnumbered by kids, with or without my husband, I love love LOVE these silicone ID bracelets for when we venture out of our comfort zone into crowded areas such as amusement park, zoo, or while traveling! Customize with name and phone number and never worry about whether or not your child correctly remembers your telephone number again! Get 1 bracelet for $10, 2 for $16, or 3 for $21 and choose from 3 sizes: 2-4 years, 5-8 years, and 9+ years.
Such amazing products, am I right!? Don't forget to enter to win some goodies from Mabel's Labels in my $280 value giveaway here, and you can shop for all of Mabel's Labels products here!
Disclaimer: We were provided free tickets in exchange for this review, but all thoughts and opinions are my own and completely unbiased!
I should preface this by stating that I'm not a huge sports fan, and especially not one of ball sports. So when I tell you how much fun I had at Harlem Globetrotters today, it really means something! It wasn't just about sports, it was more like 50% sport and 50% family-friendly exciting performance. So I don't know if I should even call it a game? It was a game involved... there were 2 teams. It was definitely rigged, but I couldn't quite figure out if it was 100% choreographed or not. No matter, it was really fun either way!
The basketball skills were just insane. Beyond the typical players you would expect, they also had a woman player, who they announced was a brand new mom, as well as a player who was under 5' tall! There were lots of fun tricks like spinning balls on fingers and suuuuuuuuuuper long shots. I was expecting all of that, growing up with Harlem Globetrotters on TV and all that. What I hadn't expected was how funny it was!! Lots of joking around and slapstick humor between the players and between the players and referees. At one point they were giving each other huge wedgies and one player ripped the underwear off of the ref, which were prop underwear and big enough to fit a large bear, cue player running around waving them like a giant flag (see below left image).
Perhaps my favorite part was when they started playing the opening song to Lion King, and all the players walked up into the stadium. One found a baby and held him up, Baby Simba style, omg so stinkin' cute!!!!! Sorry for the blurry image (below right) but i was maxed out on my camera zoom!! 
My kids are a bit too young (4, 4, and 7), mixed with the fact that they have zero sports experience or interest, so they were into it about 70% of the time and then would drift off, beg for a tablet, or start climbing their seats, but that never lasted too long because there would be something super exciting happen that would pull their attention right back in.
All in all it was a really fun day out with the family! I highly recommend catching Harlem Globetrotters when they come to your neck of the woods! They're currently on their "Pushing the Limits" World Tour and you can save SAVE 25% for ALL Harlem Globetrotters Games with promo code FUNFAM!! You can view their full schedule here - they'll be playing throughout the US, Canada, and even several countries in Europe!!
Here's our roundup of the kids' activities and family-friendly events going on in the Greater Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn for the week of February 15 - 21, 2020!
Don't forget to sign up for our e-newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay in the loop of all the local goings on!! All the events and ads below are linked, so click away for more details and to double check before heading out for an event (time changes, cancellations, and mistakes do happen on occasion). Click here to submit your Bay Ridge area family-friendly event or program for a complimentary listing in an upcoming events roundup! Businesses are invited to read more about advertising with us and to sign up for our advertisers' newsletter to receive occasional ad specials and upcoming deadline. Disclaimer: This post includes some affiliate links - you don't pay more but we receive a small commission from purchases made after clicking.
ONGOING:
MID WINTER RECESS CHILD CARE:
Plan ahead for your children's care during Mid Winter Recess (Feb 17 - 21, 2020), here are some options on our radar:
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15:
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17:
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18:
 
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19:
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20:
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21:
Here's our roundup of the kids' activities and family-friendly events going on in the Greater Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn for the week of February 8 - 14, 2020!
Don't forget to sign up for our e-newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay in the loop of all the local goings on!! All the events and ads below are linked, so click away for more details and to double check before heading out for an event (time changes, cancellations, and mistakes do happen on occasion). Click here to submit your Bay Ridge area family-friendly event or program for a complimentary listing in an upcoming events roundup! Businesses are invited to read more about advertising with us and to sign up for our advertisers' newsletter to receive occasional ad specials and upcoming deadline. Disclaimer: This post includes some affiliate links - you don't pay more but we receive a small commission from purchases made after clicking.
ONGOING:
MID WINTER RECESS CHILD CARE:
Plan ahead for your children's care during Mid Winter Recess (Feb 17 - 21, 2020), here are some options on our radar:
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8:
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10:
 
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11:
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12:
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13:
 
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14:
Disclaimer: This giveaway has been sponsored by the brands included, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. This post also includes some affiliate links - you won't pay more but we'll receive a small commission from purchases made after clicking.
One of my New Year Resolutions was to organize a big group giveaway once a month, and so far so good!! For February, we have a fabulous $280 value jackpot of goodies for your kids! Read on for details on the great prizes, and enter to win in the Rafflecopter app at the bottom of this post!
PRIZES:
$100 Credit from DiscountGlasses.com
With affordable frames for babies through adults, both prescription glasses and prescription / non-prescription sunglasses, DiscountGlasses.com has your entire family covered! I love that they have an easy virtual try on for most frames on their site, and free returns and 1 year guarantee. Simply visit your eye doctor or optometrist to get your prescription, go to the website to select your frames, enter in your prescription and upload it to the site, and your new glasses will arrive at your door in no time! My 4 year old daughter and I have gotten several prescription glasses from here, and all 3 of my kids have gotten non-prescription sunglasses from here as well. You can see my full review here, and my hilarious #DollyPartonChallenge featuring my frames here! For babies and toddlers, they even have bendable hingeless (unbreakable basically) frames - watch my daughter unboxing and trying on her Miraflex below! Our grand prize winner will receive $100 credit to DiscountGlasses.com (affiliate link). 
Zahler Gummies - 8 Pack of Assorted Kids' Vitamins!
A third-generation family company, Zahler produces over 150 unique supplements. Each of the healthy, all-natural herbs, vitamins and minerals in their synergistic blends of superior formulas is proven effective in studies and in direct experience with the public, and are also certified kosher. Our grand prize winner will receive a 1 bottle of each of the following 8 packs of children's gummies (1-2 month supply each): Vitamin D, Fiber, Multivitamin, Omega 3, Immune Support (with Elderberry, Zinc, & Vitamin C), Melatonin, Calcium & Vitamin D3, and Vitamin C - a $90 value!
Mabel's Labels Variety Pack
Whether you have a baby or a big kid, Mabel's Labels has what you need to make sure everything is labeled beautifully - from clothes and bags to shoes and bottles! Heck, you can even label your grownup gear!! Our grand prize winner will receive a really great fully personalized variety pack, including their Little Kid School Combo (122 labels and 2 tags, even shoe sole labels to help little ones learn left and right feet!!), Bottle Bands (2 stretchy silicone bands per bag, perfect for cups and bottles), and Emergency Contact Label set (12 labels and 2 tags), a $73 value!
Munchie Mug Snack Cup
Munchie Mug snack cups are not only spill-proof, they’re also SHAKE PROOF! The unique lid features 2 overlapping pieces of fabric, that are extremely effective at keeping snacks in, and they’re much gentler on the hands than traditional plastic snack cup tops! What’s more? Free from BPA/Phthalate /Lead /PVC and proudly made in the USA, these are the only snack cups your kids will ever need – a staple in every car, stroller, and home! You can buy them on their munchiemug.com and Amazon. Our winner will receive one in their size (12oz or 16oz) and color of choice! Don't miss my demo and review here:
ENTER TO WIN!!!
Enter to win in the Rafflecopter app below - open to US residents ages 18 and over. Only a comment on this blog post is required to enter (don't forget to tell the app you did so), but the more actions you take the more entry points and chances to win you'll accumulate! Some actions can be taken daily!! Good luck guys and don't forget to keep coming back as we'll have new giveaways with new themes (babies, pregnancy, home goods, etc) each month!! |
 
About Me ^_^I'm a NYC metro area mom blogger living in NJ with my Japanese husband & our 3 kids (twins plus 1). This blog is chock full of product reviews, family travel guides, and giveaways galore! It's also home to Bay Ridge Families, and several guides focused on kid-friendly activities and guides to South Brooklyn, Hudson Valley, and New Jersey, as well as family-friendly destinations beyond the NYC area (check the menu bar!)  
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