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.

I’ve got another year ’till Cameron is heading to Preschool for the first time – but I know that since the summer is ending lots of families out there are gearing up for back to school!

Recently, Darcy, a Fort Greene mom, and General Manager of Habana Outpost (757 Fulton St, in Fort Greene) emailed me to let me know that on Monday September 6 from 12-5 Habana is hosting a FREE Back to School Bash.  Here’s the info:

Bring the kids out for one last day of summer fun at Fort Greene’s favorite family eco-eatery! This year there will be free stilt walkers, clowns, face painting, games, prizes, crafts, a dance party and as always free notebooks and pencils for all school aged children while supplies last.

Thanks for the heads up Darcy!

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.

Today I stopped in at the Home and U store on at 394 Myrtle Avenue between Clermont and Vanderbuilt.  I found some really great items there for Cameron (at LOW prices) so I wanted to share so it was on your radar!

In the back by the cash registers I stumbled upon the most amazing Truck book (it’s called My First Truck Book).  Apparently the version I got isn’t made anymore (which I am guessing is why it ended up at Home and U).  But honestly, I don’t care if it’s a few years out of date – since the book itself was still brand new!  Anyways, I paid $2.99 – on Amazon a newer version is over $7, and is smaller in size.  Not too shabby!

And, picked up a small Elmo doll which Cameron immediately fell in love with.  At $1.99 it was worth every penny.

They also have lots of spray bottles to choose from – which are great fun at the sprinklers and playgrounds.  And plenty of other odds and ends toys for summer fun.

And, don’t forget I got Cameron’s little watering can there, which he uses to help me water the plants in the garden.

I will certainly be back to dig for more items.  The store can seem a little cramped and disorganized, but if you take a look you can find some low cost treasures.

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

Lately I’ve been getting lots of google searches for information about the Clermont Pool at PS 20 / Parham Playground in Fort Greene, so I decided to do a compilation post with all the news you can use!

Clermont pool hours of operation – the pool has two main sessions, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm, and 4:00 pm – 6:30 pm.  If there is a line forming (only 30 people are allowed in at a time) the lifeguards will enforce 30 minute sessions, which means after 30 minutes they will clear the pool and let the line in.

Your little one needs to be wearing a swim diaper.  It’s fine to wear a hat, and I haven’t seen them care about what color shirt you, or your little one is wearing.  The only rules I see them really enforcing are “no jumping” and no lounging on the deck of the pool.

There is a shower that you are supposed to use before you enter the pool – and I would recommend after too!  By the way, they clean the pool every morning before it opens.

Cameron and I take a dip

The water is already plenty warm.  Believe me, I am a baby when it comes to cold water – and it’s just fine!

If you bring a stroller, park it on the side where the line forms near the bike rack.

You can bring a bag into the pool area.  I generally leave my phone at home and just bring a bag with sunscreen, a diaper change, a towel, and some water.  I come to the pool already wearing my bathing suit so I don’t have to leave the line to change.

Defend your place in line – there are only 30 spots and lots of the kids will try and cut in line.  Just be sure of yourself and your spot.

If there is a line, and you really want to get back into the pool immediately because you little one is having tons of fun, dash out as soon as you can after the lifeguard blows the whistle for the end of the 30 minute session.  You might get back in for the next session if you are speedy and lucky.

The pool is only 3 feet deep – kids must be 3 feet 8 inches to enter on your own (without a guardian).

Only one adult/caregiver is allowed per child – so 2 parents can’t go in with one child.  If you talk to the security guy at the gate he will let you swap out.

If your little one needs to use the bathroom the security guy will let them leave to use the facilities and then come back.  Don’t worry – you won’t loose your spot in the pool.

There is a small “gutter” area (for lack of a better word) around the edge of the pool that is an inch or two deep, and about 8 inches wide.  This area is great for getting your little one used to the water, for getting in and out of the pool, and for splashing in general.  Cameron loves to jump into my arms from this area, and to have some splash time.

And now – go and enjoy the pool!  If you want more information, check out my other posts about Clermont Pool.

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

As I reported for A Child Grows in Brooklyn, Clermont Pool (At Parham Playground / PS 20 on Clermont between Willoughby and Dekalb in Fort Greene) opens June 29th! I stopped by this morning on my way home from the sprinklers at Underwood Playground to check out the scene. I was happy to see it is full and ready for action! And boy, did it look refreshing. I took some pictures of the rules and posted signs to give you all an idea of what to expect. See you soon for a refreshing dip!

I think twitter is an amazing way to get and share news about your neighborhood, talk to brands directly, and just have fun. I follow a lot of twitter accounts of websites that I read regularly because they will often post extra information – little tidbits, pictures, and news updates – and the brands will sometimes post about special sales, contests, and promotions.

Try twitter, even if you just want to follow people and not post. It's great! Plus, people will think you are cool.

So, if you give twitter a try, here’s my list of people you should think about following:

Brands:

Huggies – Huggies – my diaper of choice for Cameron, weather its their Little Movers, Overnights, or Little Swimmers. Whoever does their twitter is amazing. They are really active with the community, and love to share everyone’s pictures and advice.  Plus, there are lots of giveaways!

PullUpsBigKid – Huggies Pull Ups – for those of you who are potty training, get expert advice.

Sephora_Expert – An expert from Sephora (which is also on twitter) that gives expert advice and will specifically answer all your beauty questions. Go ahead, ask them a question!

FreshDirect – Fresh Direct – the grocery delivery service.  They offer lots of specials via twitter.

diapersdotcom – Diapers dot com – My go to spot when I’m in a pinch for baby supplies. Who can resist free overnight shipping?

PatagoniaNYC – Patagonia – Find out when the sales are on, and get excellent customer service. They even put Cam’s sizes on hold for me to be sure what I needed was there when I got to the store.

CCCalifornia – C and C California – I love this company’s super soft tee’s and clothing. Follow them to find out about all the sales and specials going on.

Neighborhood news / local bloggers:

PolishBar_Bklyn – Polish Bar of Brooklyn – This local mani-pedi spot is my favorite in the neighborhood.

Brownstoner – Brownstoner.com – Get up to the minute updates on what’s going on in brooklyn.

OneHungryMama – OneHungryMama.com – Get great food + kid related info.

fortgreenepark – fortgreenepark.org – Get local news straight from the Fort Greene Park Conservancy.

PrattArea – prattarea.org – The Pratt Area Community Council

LOVEofBROOKLYN – fortheloveofbrooklyn.com – If you love photography and you love Brooklyn, then you will really enjoy these tweets.

BrooklynKids – brooklynkids.org – the Brooklyn Children’s Museum – get the latest scoop on the new exhibits and activities.

achildgrows – achildgrowsinbrooklyn.com – All the news any Brooklyn parent can use.

clintonhillblog – ClintonHillBlog.com – Covering news specific to our ‘hood.

BKLocal – fort-greene.thelocal.nytimes.com – the New York Times Local covering Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.

bklynbotanic – bbg.org – the Brooklyn Botanic Garden – see pictures, and learn about events.

PATHBrooklyn – parentsaroundthehill.com – See the latest from Parents Around the Hill.

camerongood – See what my son Cameron is up to. I post lots of pictures, and we check in on Gowalla, so you can see where we are at.

mrsbetsygood – That’s me! I tweet a lot about neighborhood news, as well as random stuff about my life in general.

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.

Our vacation is coming soon and it’s made me think of the 5,000 things I need to do to get Cameron prepped and ready to go!  It’s also made me think about posts I did last summer which maybe some of my readers might have missed:

Baby Sunscreen Thick and Annoying?  Try This! – My favorite sunblock for baby…. check it out!

This is my pick for best baby sunscreen

Hot Baby? Heat Rash? Try a Soothing Bath – A simple home remedy to help deal with heat rash

Swings? Check. Shade? Check. Camel Park – It’s a classic for a reason – Camel Park is small but shady, and great for summer.

Hot Baby in the City – Last summer Cameron was rocking Lucky Wang Kimonos – and I plan to get him more this summer too.

Cute and Cool!

Swim Diapers Get a Second Life – How to reuse your swim diapers, and get more for your money!

Clermont Pool – You MUST go! – It’s not open yet, but once summer is in full swing you have to check out Clermont pool!

Are you ready for the hot days of summer?