CONEY ISLAND’S 23RD ANNUAL SAND SCULPTING COMPETITION

August 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment

pic 1

Astella Development Corporation and Alliance for Coney Island present the 23rd Annual Sand Sculpting Competition & Unity Day Celebration, sponsored in part by National Grid in collaboration with New York Aquarium and Luna Park. Sixty mounds of sand on the Coney Island beach, prepared by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, will be transformed into artistic creations by professional and amateur sculptors during the annual Coney Island Sand Sculpting Contest and Unity Day Celebration. The family friendly event is free to attend, and features a complete event program with live entertainment, a DJ, plus contests and giveaways.

Learn More and Register:
Visit the Coney Island Fun Guide to learn more. Sign up FREE for the event here. 
This event is hosted by Astella Development Corp. and the Alliance for Coney Island

“We look forward with excitement to collaborate with Alliance for Coney Island for this year’s Sand Sculpting Contest and Unity Day Celebration,” said Judi Orlando, Astella Development Corporation, Executive Director. “For over two decades, we’ve been amazed by the impressive sculptures and love to see families and friends joining together for this constructive and fun event.”

Registration to compete in the event for cash prizes is free of charge. The amateur sculptors, coming from Coney Island and beyond, will compete in five categories:
[Read more…]

Filed Under: family, kids, lifestyle

Bronx Zoo August Events

August 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Come take a ride on the thrilling Dinosaur Safari! Witness over 20 animatronic creatures roar, hiss, move, and spit water on this electrifying prehistoric journey. Make sure you catch this exciting ride before it goes extinct, now until September 8th. On Wednesdays – Sundays, catch Adaptations! A Dinosaur Musical, and gain insight into the adaptive traits that help the zoo’s modern animals survive and thrive. For details,  times and information, check out bronxzoo.com/dino.  For exciting discounts, check out  bronxzoo.com/t-rex.  And you can take a chance and win a fabulous weekend of NY activities and free entry to Dinosaur Safari, by entering the Dinosaur Safari Sweepstakes at Bronxzoo.com/sweeps.

5 13 12 099

[Read more…]

Filed Under: family, parenting

How to Survive a Flight With Your Young Child

August 14, 2013 by 6 Comments

Flying with your baby or toddler can be hectic, especially during long flights. Not only do you have to make sure you and your child are comfortable, you have to make sure that everyone else around you is not disturbed by your child. It’s definitely hard work.

If you have small children and are planning to take them on a flight with you soon, here are a few tips that will help you survive a long flight with them.

flying with kids

Booking Seats Around Sleeping Schedules

It’s no surprise that kids get antsy during long flights. When they get antsy, there’s a higher risk they’ll cry or throw a tantrum. Instead of booking flights during the day, why not book your flight so that it synchronizes with their sleeping schedules? For example, if you know that your children usually take naps at 2 p.m., it may be best to book a flight at around that time in order to have them sleep throughout the flight. Overnight flights may also work.

What Should You Pack

If you’re traveling with a child, always be sure to bring toys or activities to keep your child occupied throughout the flight. Also, be sure to bring an ample amount of snacks just in case they get fussy and need a snack during the flight. Blake Zimmerman, veteran travel guru, advises parents to take their kids on a tour of the aircraft as well, which will help keep them stimulated and occupied.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: family, kids, travel Tagged With: , , , , ,

CONEY ISLAND FANS NAME NEW PEDESTRIAN PLAZA: DREAMLAND PLAZA

July 31, 2013 by Leave a Comment

After a week-long voting contest on Facebook, Coney Island fans select Dreamland Plaza as the name for the brand new pedestrian plaza located at the southern end of West 12th Street, adjacent to the famous Riegelmann Boardwalk. The contest was posted last Monday on the popular ConeyIslandFun Facebook page (www.facebook.com/coneyislandfun), which has over 190,000 followers.  Along with the winning name, other possible names included Tilyou Plaza and Ward Plaza. From the start Dreamland Plaza was the crowd favorite, generating 83% of total fan votes.

“We were hoping to capture of piece of Coney Island’s rich history with the name of the plaza, and are very pleased with our fans name selection. The plaza is meant to be a public space for our visitors and residents to enjoy, so we couldn’t think of a more perfect way to select a name than by turning to our fans, for which the plaza is ultimately for. This plaza is part of the Alliance’s initiatives continue Coney Island’s transformation, and offer additional public spaces within the Coney Island amusement district”, said Johanna Zaki, Alliance for Coney Island, Director of Operations.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: family Tagged With: , ,

Monsters University – Melon Mike

July 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Monsters University is out and to celebrate the new movie and Summer. Why not make a ‘Melon Mike’, courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Watermelon Mike Recipe

Directions/Recipe Below

Supplies Needed:
One Small or Medium-Sized Watermelon
One Cutting Board
Non-Toxic Tempera Paints (white, black, and red/pink)
Small Paintbrush
Newspapers
One Kitchen Knife
Four Cornhusks
Glue

1. Prep your area, lay down some newspaper first. You will need a kitchen knife, cutting board, paint, paint brushes, and newspapers to work on.
2. Prep your monster/melon. With the help of a parent or adult, use a kitchen knife to cut a
round watermelon in half vertically on top of your cutting board. Take one half of the watermelon, and place it so that the green outside is facing you.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: crafts, disney, family, lifestyle, movie

DropCam -Video Monitor Review and Giveaway

July 16, 2013 by 59 Comments

 

Disclosure: The DropCamHD Wi-Fi Video Monitoring, was provided to me to help facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.
DSCF3832I would say that there definitely is a time and place that everyone would feel better with a camera. I would love to have a camera that could be versatile. I must admit to you that The DropCam is the ultimate solution for that. You can use it for your home, business, or even for your baby.

About DropCam:

  • Quick and Easy Set-Up
  • HD Video Quality
  • Bank-Level Security
  • Location Aware
  • Digital Zoom
  • Activity Alerts
  • Mobile Apps
  • Two-way Audio
  • Night Vision
  • Scheduling
  • Optional Sharing
  • Automatic Updates

Dropcam automatically encrypts your live footage and streams it securely. Instead of saving cumbersome files to your desktop, the optional DVR service stores your [Read more…]

Filed Under: baby, family, giveaway Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

‘Pork Chomps’ – Great Dog Treats and a great giveaway

July 15, 2013 by 31 Comments

Disclosure: The below mentioned Dog Treats from Pork Chomps were provided to me to help facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.

PorkChomps

In our home, our 4-legged pet is not just a dog, he is definitely one of the family. Brutus is a great dog, and we are always looking for new great things for him. I would love to introduce you to some great products that Pork Chomps has to offer.

About Pork Chomps:

Pork Chomps are The World’s Most Perfect Chew!

9 out of 10 dogs preferred Pork Chomps to rawhide. That’s because Pork Chomps are made from naturally delicious baked pork skin. Unlike ordinary beef rawhide that has to be basted or flavored to get a dog’s attention, pork skin has a natural flavor that’s exceptionally appealing to dogs – and a delectable texture, too.

Pork Chomps naturally satisfy their need to chew while promoting healthy teeth and gums. Since the Pork Chomps are baked, they are healthier and less likely to stain furnishings or carpets than rawhide.

Pork Chomps are available in a range of styles. They come in an assortment of tasty flavors, from peanut [Read more…]

Filed Under: family, giveaway, review Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Barney: Imagine With Barney-A Great Kids DVD- Review and Giveaway

July 11, 2013 by 8 Comments

Disclosure: The Barney DVD was provided to me to help facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.
BarneyImaginewithBarney

Barney has another great DVD coming out July 9th.

About the DVD:

Come along for an imagination extravaganza! Join Barney and his friends as they use their imaginations to visit places near and far and explore their creativity through drawing, song and dance! The dinos explore a tropical island paradise when they bring a painting to life and go for a ride when they build their very own bus and airplane using imagination and teamwork! The dinos always know how to have a tee-rific time with creativity [Read more…]

Filed Under: family, giveaway, kids, movie, review Tagged With: , , , , , , ,