Mommy FTW

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?

You’ve had a long (but typical) day taking care of  your little one, perhaps doing some laundry, attempting to keep the house in semi-order, and all around being super-mom.  Bath time is over, and your baby is snoozing in his crib – and now it’s time to cook dinner?!  Um – no.  It’s time to order out!  My husband has gotten me into using this online service called Seamless Web.  It allows you to order via their website and pay with a credit card (even include the tip amount you want to leave).  It’s fast, it’s easy, and it’s great because so often I realize too late that I don’t have the cash to pay for delivery!

Do you live in one of these cities? Then give Seamless Web a try!

All you have to do is check out the Seamless Web website, sign up for a FREE account, and then check the delivery options for your area.  They actually operate in 14 cities.  If they don’t have your favorite places to order from, you can suggest them.  Currently there’s about 20 choices for my zip code (11205) – and more are coming all the time.  Again, Seamless Web is free – there is no charge to sign up, and no charge to order.  I admit I was nervous the first time I used it…. but my food arrived safe and sound!

Here's the process you can expect once you order.

Once you order on the Seamless Web website, your order prints out at the restaurant.  Then the restaurant will confirm your order, and you will get a confirmation email.  Then the food appears at your house, like it normally would – you sign the receipt and start chowing down!  As of yet Seamless Web does not have an iPhone App, but I heard from them via twitter that they are working on one.  I’ll let you know when it comes out!

Last Spring, Summer, and Fall Cameron and I could be found running around Fort Greene Park with Stephanie Severe and her stroller fitness class.  Personally, I hate to exercise (especially cardio!) but I knew after having Cameron I needed to get myself active again, and this was the best way.  Stephanie’s class is challenging (but not TOO challenging,) fun, and affordable.

Working out, having fun... and you don't need a sitter!

The new Spring session is about to start up – and since I am such a fan I wanted to post the information about it:

Stroller Fitness is a 45 minute class full of cardio, flexibility, stability and strength held in Fort Greene Park. Classes are open to all fitness levels. We utilize the entire park to keep it fun and challenging for you and entertaining for the kids. Any stroller type is suitable – a jogger is not necessary. Children of all ages are welcome as long as you think they can manage the 45 minutes in the stroller.

Classes will be held on MONDAYS AT 3 PM and WEDNESDAYS AT 11 AM starting the week of April 19th. The six week session costs $90 for 1 class per week and $180 for 2 classes per week. If you pre-register for 2 classes per week and attend all 12 classes I will give you a complimentary 30 minute core training session!

Please email Stephanie at stephanie AT stephanie severe DOT com to register.

FYI moms, my fitness level was low (so don’t worry if you aren’t exactly in tip top condition) and I used my Maclaren Techno stroller – you really don’t need a jogger.  Just bring some water, a snack for the little one, and a towel or picnic blanket that you can use when working out on the ground.

Want more info?  Check out this article I wrote for the Local last summer about Stroller Fitness.

One thing I am really excited about for the summer is getting Cameron on my husband’s bike and sending them off for some outdoor fun (sometimes with, and sometimes without mommy!)  We got our bike seat on Amazon – I had pretty much already selected it ages ago because some friends of ours had it, and loved it.  It’s one of those seats that goes on the front of the bike:

Adventure, here we come!

It has 360+ reviews on Amazon, with an average of 4.5 stars – not too shabby!  Anyways, being on the front of the bike means more excitement for Cameron, but also makes mom a little more nervous.  But no matter where on the bike you’re going to put your baby, you definitely need a helmet!  I did consider buying one online, but I wanted to make sure that it fit properly, since this is so important.

Put a Helmet on that Baby!

So, we went to check out Bespoke Bicycles (64-B Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene 718-643-6816).  They were extremely friendly, and had exactly what we needed!  Plus, the price was comparable to what was being sold on Amazon – so I was more than happy to support a local business and get better service at the same time.  So for all your baby / kids bike related needs, check out Bespoke Bicycles!

Ready to go...

One of the most amazing parts about Fort Greene is the incredible park!  I know Cameron and I have spent countless hours soaking up the sun, taking walks, and enjoying the playgrounds.  If you love the park as much as we do, then join the Fort Greene Park Conservancy.  Not only will you feel good about yourself, but you’ll get a spiffy T Shirt (I got one in Cameron’s size – they also have onesies and adult sizes) and members get discounts to local businesses.

Love Fort Greene Park? Then Join!

Here’s the member levels, and what you get:

SAPLING Student/Senior -Donation: $20
What you will get: Benefits from Participating Merchants

PINE – Donation: $40
What you will get: New Logo T-shirt, Benefits from Participating Merchants

CHESTNUT - Donation: $70
What you will get: New Logo T-shirt, Benefits from Participating Merchants, Invitation to exclusive Chestnut members-only events

OAK – Donation: $120
What you will get: New Logo T-shirt, Benefits from Participating Merchants, 20% discount on General Admission Ticket to Annual Gala Event, Invitation to exclusive Oak members-only events

GRAND ELM – Donation: $250
What you will get: New Logo T-shirt, Benefits from Participating Merchants, 20% discount on General Admission Ticket to Annual Gala Event, 10% discount on second ticket to Annual Gala Event, Invitation to exclusive Grand Elm members-only events

And these are the member benefits from local merchants (more to come!):

Audra Tsanos:
Music for Aardvarks and Other Mammals: $25 off any Class
The General Greene:
5% off anything in the store. The ice cream cart will have a buy 10, get one free card.
Kiki’ Pet Spa and Boutique:
10% off all products and services.
Madiba Restaurants:
Free Glass of Wine or Beer with purchase of meal.
Private Picassos
10% off any class.
Smooch:
Buy one coffee or wine, get one free.
Thirst Wine Merchants:
In purchase of 4, 10% third bottle of wine.
The Art Shack:
10% off any class or camp week.

Check out the Fort Greene Park Conservancy facebook fanpage for the latest info!  And use this link to join!

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

Update: I passed by the tree on Friday evening and it looks like the limb removal was successful.  Hopefully it will recover just fine!

the Tree on Friday

Don't worry - It's not a goner!

This morning Cameron and I were playing in the playground at Fort Greene Park and I saw one of the park workers adjusting the tape around the gigantic tree that recently got hit by lightening.  I picked up Cam and we walked over to talk to her because I was curious to find out what the fate of the tree was going to be.  I was hoping they wouldn’t have to cut the whole thing down.  Well, thankfully, they won’t have to.

The park worker told me she had sent a picture of the tree to “Forestry” (I’m assuming those are the city-tree-expert-folks) and they said they thought they would be able to save it, and just remove the split part.  She said they would be coming by Friday with the chipper and chain saws.  Apparently there’s lots of trees down in the city, some in playgrounds, that have taken higher priority in terms of clean up than this one.

If you have a little one that loves machinery that makes loud noises (like mine does!) you might want to check in the park tomorrow to see if there is some chipping and chain saw action going down.