ONCE UPON A TIME in a little hamlet called Baristaville, there lived a nine year old girl whose life had transformed from the land of plastic pink princesses to the land of literary princesses, fairies and gardens. What is it like on the other side you ask? Simply said, it is fantastic.
My children and I have become big fans of the show “Once Upon a Time” and luckily, like I said, they are now both into the scholastic side of this world. Alas… to discover there was no Princess Jasmine. The mouse in red shorts giveth and the mouse taketh away. Interestingly we have also learned that Snow White of “Snow White (Schneeweißchen) and Rose Red” is not the same as “Snow White (Schneewittchen) and the Seven Dwarfs.” The difference was lost in translation.
I believe children are naturally interested in gardening, watching things change and grow. Combining our love of classic literature and gardening has captivated us and bewitched us at the same time. After all, shouldn’t every garden be an enchanting, magical place?
Below is a list of storybook type plants with a guide for the new gardener to the more experienced gardener. Click on any of the plant names to see a picture of the plant and more information.
Have a cute kid? I know, we all do, but if you think your kid is “model” cute then bring him or her to Lili, Meili and Beau on Sunday, June 10.
The Montclair children’s boutique will again host an Open Call for Children Models for Generation Model Management, A NYC based childrens’ model & talent agency. Bring your child, between the ages of 12 months and 10-years-old (max height of 59″) to Lili, Meili and Beau on Sunday, June 10 from 11 am and 2 pm and he or she just may be chosen as a model.
Lili, Meili and Beau will also take 20% for any purchase made that day.
Grab your keys, pack the kids into the car and arrive at your destination in less than two hours! A few of our suggestions could be made into an overnight trip too.
Here’s a list of some day trip destinations we’ve written about that are fun for the entire family:
Signing up for Rec programs in Montclair just got easier. The Department of Recreation and Cultural Affairs now offers residents online registration and payment for all Recreation programs and permits through Community Pass. This one-stop shopping allows residents to create a family account to sign up for all recreation programs including summer camps, pool passes, sports and more. Check out the spring/summer programs here.
To create an account, go online here. Then click on the “Create your account now!” link.
Can’t read my,
Can’t read my
No he can’t read my poker face.
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(Mum mum mum mah)
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(Mum mum mum mah)
~Lady Gaga
Courtney Leonard, a recent Bloomfield mom, has a poker face. She started playing Texas Hold’em over ten years ago when she lived in Tallahassee, FL. While doing an internship at the Public Defender’s Office, she made her way in to the monthly poker game the older male attorneys held. She learned a lot and she learned that she loved poker.
Years later, Courtney ended up in NYC and became a mom and missed that monthly game night. She shares, “After I became a mama and experienced that isolation and loneliness that I think many mamas feel after having a baby, I was desperate for a way to hold on to some sense of self and not just my new identity as a ‘mama.’ So, I helped set up a poker group in the Battery Park and then again in Queens when we moved there. It was such a blast!”
Now she is in Baristaville and is organizing a Mama’s Poker Night:
Spring is here, and with it come lots of activities to enjoy. Whether your little ones love to kick a ball into a Goooooaaaaal! or kick a leg high into the air, we have a book that they will love to read and emulate – hopefully until we can count on milder weather!
The My First series from Little Simon, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, has wonderful photographs of children enjoying activities together. The text actually teaches youngsters basic moves in their chosen activity: Ballet, Karate, Gymnastics or Soccer. Aimed at 3-5 year olds, the pages are sturdy and have fold-outs. The photographs are also combined with drawings, which makes it more fun to read and look at with a preschooler. And for those spring-feverish kids, the books actually have physical activities for the kids (and come on, the grown-ups too!) to perform. The ballet book has a great video to show steps.
Wednesday is the start of the 25th annual Fleet Week. New York City’s week long tribute to honor our brave U.S. Navy and Marine Corps begins on May 23 and ends in a Memorial Day ceremony on the Flight Deck of Intrepid with the unfurling of the 100-foot-long American Flag.
There are special events, Broadway performances and outdoor movies planned all week. Check out the schedule here. Most events are free, unless their held at the USS Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. Kids will love seeing the parade of ships, tours of military ships, and entertainment shows. Moms will love seeing those cute guys in uniform.
Sharron Miller’s Academy for the Performing Arts (SMAPA) will present the talented dancers of The Performance Workshop Ensemble, along with other scholarship students from SMAPA, on Sunday, June 10. This year’s theme is IMAGINE.
The performance is packed with premieres and audience favorites. First up is the premiere of former Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater member Christopher Huggins’ Chaos, former Ailey principal dancer and SMAPA faculty member Adrienne Armstrong’s Le Joie de Danse, Montclair State University graduating senior, Lauren MacAllister’s 5013 and Miller’s Praise. This year SMAPA proudly introduces members of the Junior Performance Workshop Ensemble in the premiere of Miller’s Imagine. SMAPA is celebrating 16 years as a non-profit arts education organization serving Montclair and neighboring communities. All proceeds from this concert will benefit Scholarship Funds which serve hundreds of children each year.
This year SMAPA has chosen to honor Samuel Huber for his consistent commitment and support of SMAPA and the Performance Workshop Ensemble over the past 16 years. Samuel Huber has been involved with education for over 25 years. He is currently on faculty at Newark Academy in Livingston, NJ, has taught at the university level, and was Head of School at the Montclair Cooperative School. With his wife, Cathy Weiss and daughters, and as Montclair residents he discovered SMAPA and all that the school offers. As a trustee of the Stone Foundation of New Jersey, he has encouraged support for SMAPA, and is proud to have contributed to its growth.
SMAPA is also proud to graduate 3 senior members, Marisa Illingworth, Lauren Bomberg and Shannon Toomey all of whom will attend colleges or universities in the fall.
Helen Laser, a senior at Montclair High School, has been named a silver medal winner by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers in the 2012 National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, in the novel writing category. Laser’s young adult novella, Red Things, is one of only twelve novels to be awarded a medal (from 800 manuscript submissions from across the country). A ceremony at Carnegie Hall on June 1, 2012 will honor the winners.
I didn’t expect to make it to Nishuane School’s Mayfair this year, since we were going on the Circle Line Kids Cruise Kick-Off. But when we returned to Montclair at 1:45 pm and my daughter saw the clock, she screamed, “There’s still time for Mayfair!” Then when she saw our tired faces, she said, “Come on guys, live a little!” How do you say no to that?
So we kept on driving until we reached Mayfair and I’m so glad we did. There was lots of fun to be had. Immediately the girls took a turn trying to knock a teacher in the dunk tank. My 2nd-grader was thrilled to dunk Mr. Eder, her gym teacher. Then they ran to the bouncy house and other attractions. When my youngest daughter found the Friends of the Montclair Township Animal Shelter table with kittens and puppies, that’s where she stayed until we left.
It was another awesome Mayfair, which is easy to see in the slideshow of wonderful photos taken by Chanda Hall!
