Mommy FTW

These last few days have been very fall-like!  I’m sure summer isn’t over yet – but more rainy and gloomy days are on the horizon, so I decided to do a re post / update on an old topic I visited last winter – Indoor Baby Friendly Places in the Fort Greene / Clinton Hill area:

The Booklyn Flea – On Sundays you can find the Brooklyn Flea indoors at One Hanson Place (the big clock tower) from 10am to 5pm.  The Flea is on the main floor and lower level.  According to one mom, the lower level has food options, and the upper level is where the sales go on.  She said the lower level is a great place to take kids and let them roam around, and that there is space for strollers.  So if you are looking for a weekend activity – check out the indoor Flea!

Story time at Greenlight Bookstore – Greenlight Bookstore is located at 686 Fulton Street and has a free story time on Saturday mornings at 10:30 AM.  Check it out for more weekend fun.  And for any day of the week – Greenlight has a great childrens book section – you can browse while your child plays in the cardboard house, draws on the chalkboard, and snuggles with the giant stuffed bear.

Story time at Brownstone Books – Brownstone Books is located at 409 Lewis Ave in Bed Stuy.  Story time happens every Wednesday and Saturday from 12-1pm.  Unfortunately this is smack in the middle of Cameron’s nap time, so I have yet to check it out.  The suggested donation is $5.  For more information, check out the Brownstone Books website.

The Clinton Hill Library – Not only does Clinton Hill Library (380 Washington Ave) have a great and free Reading for Babies program on Tuesdays at 11:00 as well as Toddler Time on Fridays at 11, it’s a great place to take your kid to let them roam around even when no scheduled activities are going on.  We spent many a cold winter day here!

Chuck E Cheese – Now this one, I never would have thought of!  One day a few of us moms and babes were hanging out at Der Schwarze Kölner and one of the moms said that she had just been at Chuck E Cheese with her little one.  She said that it was her nanny who had originally suggested it, and although she was skeptical – it turned out to be a great place for him to roam around, and it was free (since they aren’t playing any games).  Chuck E. Cheese is located in the Atlantic Terminal Mall.

Der Schwarze Kölner aka the Beer Garden – As I mentioned above I’ve been going to the Beer Garden (710 Fulton Street) with Cameron and some other moms + babies.  It is a great rainy day (or super hot day, or snowy day) option – and they are so welcoming and nice!  Read more about Der Schwarze Kölner at this other post I wrote.

Finally, there’s the Brooklyn Children’s Museum.  It’s not really in Fort Greene / Clinton Hill – but it’s just a short drive away.  I did a complete write up on the Children’s Museum here, so check it out to get all the news you can use!

If you have other ideas to share, please leave a comment!

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

Every Sunday from 12 -6pm in September Myrtle Ave between Hall and Clermont in Fort Greene / Clinton Hill will be closed to traffic – and open to fun!  It’s called Move About Myrtle – and of course, it’s free.  Here’s a little preview of the events that are scheduled:

September 5th: Back-to-School celebration with activities for the whole family!
September 12th: Brooklyn Food Coalition’s GRUB FEST featuring the biggest potluck ever, a Mac and Cheese contest, and fun for foodies of all ages!
September 19th: “The Case of the Curious Pedestrian” will offer playful public art installations, performances and surprises on all five blocks…and the FDNY Smoke House!
September 26th: It’s Bicycle Day, and our 2nd annual tree giveaway!

And every Sunday: kids activities and games, sidewalk cafes, free yoga and dance classes by Move With Grace studio, music and performances, merchant specials, free tastings, and raffle prizes!

I will add more info as it becomes available – so stay tuned!  And see you on Myrtle Ave in September!

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

My go to shopping spot for fresh food in Fort Greene is definitely the Farmer’s Market at Fort Greene Park on Saturday mornings.  But – sometimes my rations run out before Saturday rolls around again.  Now there’s two more options for farm fresh produce on other days of the week:

Fresh fruits and veggies in our neighborhood at the Myrtle Ave Farm Stand

On Thursdays from 4-7pm you can find the Myrtle Avenue Farm Stand located 177 Myrtle btwn Prince and Navy in front of the Ingersoll Community Garden.  You can find beets, carrots, lettuce, collards, potatoes, white onions, basil, broccoli, eggplant, peppers, parsley, corn, peaches and red plums at great prices – nothing costs over $2.50 per bunch or pound!  The Farm Stand is open through October 28th, 2010.

Youthmarket on Lafayette

My Little O recently reported that on Fridays the Lafayette Youthmarket is stationed at the corner of Lafayette and Washington Avenues in Clinton Hill, every Friday from 1pm to 7pm, until October 29, 2010.  The market offers fresh, locally grown produce at reasonable prices. It is a part of GrowNYC, which is a network of youth-run urban farm stands in New York City.

So check out the Farm Stand and the Youthmarket and get some healthy, tasty, and fresh food for your family!

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

It’s no secret that Cameron and I are a big fan of the Library. On any given rainy day you can find us at the Clinton Hill Branch (380 Washington Ave) and of course, we are there on Tuesdays for Babies and Books. This week I saw a sign posted about a rally this Saturday (May 15th) to Save the Brooklyn Libraries.

Save the Libraries!

I had heard the libraries were in trouble but I didn’t realize how dire the situation was! Currently the Brooklyn Public Libraries are facing a $20.6 million cut in city funding. If this goes through, 16 libraries will close, weekend hours will be severely limited, and programs for children, teens, and seniors may be cut. If you are as much of a fan of the library as me, please join the rally on Saturday, May 15, 2010, from noon to 2 PM. It will be held in front of the main branch at Grand Army Plaza. You can also donate to the Support our Shelves campaign. There are several easy ways to send in your dollars – online, at the Brooklyn Public library website, by phone (call 718-230-2738 ,) via text message (text BOOKS to 50555 to make a $10 donation,) or you can pick up an envelope at the front desk of the Library and mail in your donation. If you have any questions about the Support Our Shelves fundraiser, email them to supportourshelves@brooklynpubliclibrary.org If you can’t make it to the rally, you can also call 311 to let the City know how you feel. For more information, visit the Brooklyn Public Library website.

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

I always struggle to get Cameron to eat his vegetables, so when I stumbled upon the fact that he loves the broccoli rabe that Maggie Brown (455 Myrtle Ave  718-643-7001) makes I was super happy.  My guilty pleasure to order from this comfort food restaurant is the fried chicken.  It comes with sides of mashed potatoes, the broccoli rabe of course, and a biscut.  Cameron enjoys snacking on all of this, and the chicken too.

Yum yum gimmie some!

Now unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get Cameron to eat the broccoli rabe that I make – but I’m happy to take any victory (especially in the vegetable department) no matter how small.  So, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill mommies, next time you order out, try Maggie Brown.  Maybe you will have a surprise veggie victory as well.

During our last little heat wave I called 311 to find out when the sprinklers and water fountains would be turned on at the local parks. According to them, sprinklers are on from 10am – dusk once the weather reaches above 80 degrees for three consecutive days between Memorial Day and Labor Day (but not before, no matter the temperature). So, unfortunately we’ve still got about a month to wait.

Last summer, the Camel Park Sprinkler in all it's glory

Strangely, (but thankfully) the water fountains at Greene Playground (near PS11) and at Edmonds Playground (aka Camel Park) are already on. I wish they would get the sprinklers going as well! Both Cameron and I could use a little cooling off!

I also did a little checking to find out when my beloved Clermont Pool will reopen (Cameron and I spent many days there last summer!) According to this page at nycgovparks.org NYC pools won’t open for the 2010 summer season until “Late June.”

For more NYC info, you can call 311 (they were very nice and informative,) you can check the 311 website, and you can even follow 311 on twitter!

Did you know Clinton Hill Library has DVDs for Kids?  Probably!  But I didn’t!  I know it’s not exactly shocking, but I had never even thought to explore beyond the little Children’s section.

There's lots of great Kids DVDs to choose from

I was in the Library last Friday and we had just gotten Cameron his Library Card (all it takes is a picture ID from Mom, and it takes about 5 minutes).  I saw another mom checking out an Elmo’s World DVD and I asked her where she got it.  She showed me where the DVD section was – it’s in the back right corner if you are facing the kids section from the entrance.

Cameron loves anything to do with firetrucks

Elmo Plus Dogs? Fantastic!

They’ve got lots of great options!  I am sure we will be back for more.  And it’s just one more reason to support Clinton Hill Library in their Support Our Shelves campaign.  Check out this previous post to find out more about how you can donate to the Library.

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

Yesterday Cameron and I headed towards Clinton Hill Library for Story Time, but we were a little early, so I decided to pay a visit to Greene Playground (located next to PS 11 on Greene between Waverly and Washington Ave in Clinton Hill). I went to this playground for the first time a few weeks ago with some other moms for a playgroup. I fell in love! Although it is just one block away from Underwood Playground, it is often MUCH less crowded. In fact, yesterday, Cameron and I had the whole place to ourselves.

Greene Playground has two sets of equipment – one is great for toddlers because it has a big ramp instead of lots of stairs. It’s also got some bells, and a twisty slide which ends pretty close to the ground – no big drop off at the end. There are 6 baby swings as well. The other set of equipment has some rings to swing on, a few bridges, a bigger twisty slide, and a few steps – although none of them were too big for Cameron to handle. There is also a set of “big kid” swings. The base of the playground is that soft rubbery stuff, which is nice for babies learning to walk that happen to fall a lot (namely Cameron!) There is also a small sprinkler (not on yet – but soon!)

So, if you are at Underwood and it gets a little too crowded and crazy, consider walking down the block to Greene Playground. It’s a breath of fresh air, and a gem of a playground!

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

I was walking down Myrtle to the Post Office this morning and I decided to duck into Mr. CoCo to see what it looked like. Overall it seems pretty nice – it’s basically like a smaller version of Elly’s on DeKalb. They’ve got a small selection of produce which looks decent (for a bodega) lots of organic grocery items, and some frozen foods that Cameron likes to eat, including Dr. Praeger’s stuff.  I’m a little disappointed that they seem to be shrink wrapping some of their produce (see some of the peppers in the picture) – but overall, its not too shabby, and that’s more of a pet peeve of mine.  I asked the woman at the register if they were really open 24 hours, and she said yes.  So if anyone needs some organic milk at 2 am – you know where to check!

The Produce

The Frozens

Clinton Hill Library (and all the Brooklyn Public Libraries) are asking for our help!  And, given how much time Cameron and I have spent there (for Story Time and just hanging out on cold and rainy winter days) I am more than happy to oblige.  If you are interested in supporting the Library and it’s programs here’s info on how to do it:

Donate to the Clinton Hill Library today!

Online: You can visit the Brooklyn Public Library website and make a donation there.  You can send your money anywhere – even specifically choose the Clinton Hill branch.

By Phone: You can call 718-230-2738 and make a donation.

Via Text Message: You can text BOOKS to 50555 to make a $10 donation.

By Mail: You can pick up an envelope at the front desk of the Libarary and mail in your donation.

If you have any questions, email them at supportourshelves@brooklynpubliclibrary.org

I am guessing you’ve spent money on Music Together or other types of classes for your child – so please consider sending some money to the Library.  They offer a great, free service to the community and deserve our support!