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 August 30 - September 5, 2018!
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 deadlines. 
UPCOMING / ONGOING:
THURSDAY, AUGUST 30:
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31:
SATURDAY, SEPT 1:
SUNDAY, SEPT 2:
MONDAY, SEPT 3:
TUESDAY, SEPT 4:
WEDNESDAY, SEPT 5:
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We are T minus 2 weeks til back to school here in NYC, so I wanted to take a moment to share with you a couple of our favorite school items we got last year - they survived to live another year - SCORE!!!  Stuck On You is an Australian brand that sells personalized, well, everything for kids and families! We're talking book bags, bento boxes, lunch bags, clothing labels, clothing stamps, pencil cases, hats, planners, you name it! Last year, we worked with them as part of our 2017 Back to School Giveaway, and were provided a personalized Book Bag, Bento Box and Cooler Bag for my son who was off to Kindergarten. (Stay tuned for our 2018 Back To School / Family Fall Favorites Giveaway going live in September!!!) What's great is that each Stuck On You item you choose can be personalized - you choose the color, the image, text, and font! (Please see my Safety PSA at the bottom of this post!!!). It's fun for kids, and the parents!  His backpack has gotten TONS of mileage over the past year, carrying his gear to school in Brooklyn every day and even journeying to Japan and Maine with us! I love the gender neutral light mint he chose, though it did get pretty dirty thanks to a water bottle that quite often leaked. But, with a quick scrub in the bath tub it was looking good as new each time (see photos - these are after 1 year of use), so no worries there!! We got the "large" size ($44.95 on sale currently for $35.96) which fits full sized folders and holds his lunch box and everything, but they do have a mini sized too ($24.95 on sale now for $19.96) for the preschool/day care set.  We also got Bento Value Pack ($59.95) including the leak-proof bento box and bento box cooler. The cooler comes with an attached bag that zips closed to hold the included reusable ice pack, and this bag fits the bento box perfectly! The bento box has a removable partitioned insert, and SEALS SHUT when closed, meaning you could put a dip in one of the compartments and it won't leak into another compartment or into your bag when shut!! How amazing is that!!!  So, if back to school shopping, or just looking to replace some old items, definitely check out Stuck On You! And now on to an important message... ***CHILD SAFETY PSA*** Many warn not to put your child's name on any items that will be viewable out in the public, which usually means their backpack and jacket. The concern is the risk of a stranger seeing it and calling your child by name, making them think that it is a safe person. This is obviously a HUGE safety concern, however simply keeping their name off of their backpack won't cut it. I urge you to talk to your children regularly about the dangers of not just strangers, but "Tricky People" (read more here). In this day and age of social media and oversharenting (guilty!!), it's quite possible for your child's name and/or face to be quite well known. Not just that, but a stranger could be lurking and overhear you calling your child's name. Just because someone knows their name, or their parent's name, doesn't mean they're safe. Just because they're a stranger, doesn't mean they're dangerous. Unfortunately, even a teacher, a friend's parent, an uncle, a friend, anyone could have bad intentions. Without scaring them too much, we have to teach them to always be cautious, know to tell their caregiver immediately if ANYONE says or does ANYTHING that makes them uncomfortable. Know how to react in an emergency (scream, kick / scratch / gauge out eyes) etc. So, keep your child's name off of his or backpack if it makes you feel better (you could still personalize it perhaps with a nickname or initials or simply a logo or character they identify with), but know you need to be more proactive than that. My kids don't take a bus or have after school care yet, so I'm not too concerned with their names on backpacks that simply go from home to under the stroller to school cubbies, and they're always with me anyway. But once they're traveling too and from school/camp/activities on their own, I certainly plan to leave names and identifying objects off of their backpacks. However, my kids are quite familiar with "strangers" knowing them and their names on a regular basis (because of our presence on social media), so we have the talk regularly about why people know them, what a "tricky person" is, why it's dangerous to run off or linger behind me on the sidewalk, etc. At 2 and 5 years old, I'm not sure how much they really "get it", but it's a conversation that must happen, often, and it evolves as they get older. So, what do you think!? Do you personalize your kids' stuff? How do educate your kids about "stranger danger" and "tricky people"? Leave a comment below, and be sure to follow us across social on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and YOUTUBE, and stay tuned for our HUGE Fall Faves Group Giveaway!!!!!! Check out Kenzo sporting his Stuck on Me backpack at the airport in Japan: 
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 August 23 - 29, 2018!
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 deadlines.
UPCOMING / ONGOING:
THURSDAY, AUGUST 23:
FRIDAY, AUGUST 24:
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25:
SUNDAY, AUGUST 26:
MONDAY, AUGUST 27:
TUESDAY, AUGUST 28:
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29:
A single stroller that converts to a double stroller in just seconds, with no spare parts to lose!? This is the key feature of the brand new budget-friendly Evenflo Pivot Xpand. Keep reading for my full review and to see why it's a great choice for anyone with 1 child, twins, and siblings. And oh yeah, don't miss my demo video at the bottom to see it in action!!
**Disclaimer: I was provided with this stroller free of charge for my honest review, and there are affiliate links included (you don't pay more but I'll receive a small commission from purchases made after clicking). But don't worry, I'm no sell out - all thoughts and opinions are my own and completely 100% unbiased! Feel free to comment below, on social, or on our YouTube video with any questions and I'll reply ASAP!
Out of the box, the Pivot Xpand had the quickest and easiest set up of any stroller I've experienced, and we've had more than 10! Honestly, I could have done it without the manual, though that was concise and easy to understand. I had it in single mode in less than 5 minutes, including opening the box! From there, it converts to double mode in all of 15 seconds and I'm not even exaggerating. It's incredible!! This feature is definitely the selling point of this stroller - everything you need to convert from single to double stroller is built into the frame! You simply slide the top seat connectors into a higher position. Pull out the lower seat's connectors, and snap those seats on. Done!
Evenflo Pivot Xpand Key Features:
Of course, no stroller is perfect. There are a few less than ideal aspects I have to mention, since I pride myself on honest reviews. This is a somewhat compact tandem (especially when comparing to the last tandem I reviewed), which is great for navigating tight corners, but it also means that the seats are too close in some configurations to allow for recline or adjustments of foot rests. It's not a huge deal, you'll just need to play around with what configuration will work best for your kids. My girls prefer facing eachother, and lucky for us, this configuration also works great for full recline and use of foot rests - hoorah! One other minor issue is that when the front seat is rear facing, you'll lose some use of your basket, especially if the foot rest is down. Again, not a major issue, but something to keep in mind. The belly bars are great, but I'd love to have snack bars available (Hint hint, Evenflo, if you're reading this, get on it)! I'm not sure if they have rain covers for this stroller or have any coming out, but 2 of the Manito Beta Rain Shields should do the trick (we haven't tested those, but we love the Manito Elegance Alpha Double Rain Shield on our Joovy and StrollAir side by side strollers)! 
DON'T MISS MY VIDEO DEMO!!
See how it converts from single to double, how the handle & foot rests adjust, check out the seat recline levels, canopy, the self-standing collapse, and more!
So, what do you think!? Pretty amazing stroller, right!? You can buy it now on Evenflo's website and Amazon (affiliate link).
**updated in 2019: They also now sell the GOLD Pivot Xpand version (in many colors), check it out here. You can buy the 2nd seat of the regular Xpand here, and the 2nd seat for the gold Xpand here. You can buy the rider board here. 
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 August 16 - 22, 2018!
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 deadlines.
UPCOMING / ONGOING:
THURSDAY, AUGUST 16:
FRIDAY, AUGUST 17:
SATURDAY, AUGUST 18:
SUNDAY, AUGUST 19:
MONDAY, AUGUST 20:
TUESDAY, AUGUST 21:
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22:
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 August 9 - 15, 2018!
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 deadlines. 
UPCOMING / ONGOING:
THURSDAY, AUGUST 9:
FRIDAY, AUGUST 10:
SATURDAY, AUGUST 11:
SUNDAY, AUGUST 12:
MONDAY, AUGUST 13:
TUESDAY, AUGUST 14:
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15:
updated since originally posted 5/27/2016
In addition to mommying 3 littles, running this blog & Bay Ridge Families, and managing social media for a handful of companies, I'm also founder and admin to a few Bay Ridge groups on Facebook. I created the groups when my son was 3 months old, because being a SAHM with a baby was terribly isolating and I had no mommy friends or sense of community! The groups that I am most proud of, and simply couldn't live without, are the Bay Ridge Baby/Toddler/Kid Mamas groups. A group that started with just 5 members in 2013 is now a community of 4000 supportive mamas!! The following list includes businesses run by these mamas (and their partners) - local brick & mortar shops in Bay Ridge, online stores, direct sales, blogs, you name it!! Shop Local and Support Small Businesses!!
LOCAL SHOPS, RESTAURANTS & SCHOOLS:
LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHERS
LOCAL SERVICES
LOCAL SERVICES FOR BODY & MIND
DIRECT SALES
ONLINE SHOPS & GIFTS
BLOGS & PODCASTS
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 August 2 - 8, 2018!
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 deadlines.
UPCOMING / ONGOING:
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2:
FRIDAY, AUGUST 3:
SATURDAY, AUGUST 4:
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5:
MONDAY, AUGUST 6:
TUESDAY, AUGUST 7:
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8:
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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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