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Healthy Eating, Lifestyle, Motherhood, Product Reviews, Sponsored, Things to do
Summer Picnic with Kids
- 6:06 pm
- 7 Comments
- by Adanna Dill
So I have a really good weekend story to share but you have to promise to read all the way to end (or you will miss the best part). Saturday was hot here in New York City, so hot that I didn’t take the kids outside so they stayed in and enjoyed The Super Knight’s leftover ice cream cake and watched Zootopia. That worked on Saturday but by Sunday they weren’t having it, they wanted to get out of the house. Since we had a really nice picnic last Sunday, I figured we do it again this week.

[Tweet “#UnleashClean at your picnic with kids because there will be spills and maybe an uninvited guest! “]

Now a summer picnic with kids seems really simple right? but it’s not. My kids are super picky about everything from finding the perfect spot at the park to what we should eat. Oh, did I mention the dragon flys the size of my head buzzing around that makes it even harder to find the right spot?

First things first, we I decided that since it was so hot we needed to keep our snacks light and healthy. I packed fruit cups with green grapes and strawberries, sour cream flavored popcorn and sea salt crackers that I topped with olive tapenade. To make sure that the fruits remained fresh, I placed a Viva towel in each up and covered with cling wrap. Over on Snapchat, I shared the refreshing mix of seltzer water with strawberries, mint leaves, and blueberries that I made in a big mason jar for us.

Once we found the perfect spot I laid out our spread and decided to relax for a bit until the little ones insisted that we get up and blow some bubbles together.

Well with no support our blanket blew over, thankfully not completely but enough that our drinks spilled. Fortunately, I had Viva Towels that I’ve mentioned a few times before on hand. I love Viva Towels because they are strong and durable like cloth. The Viva Vantage towels are perfect for cleaning more grimy dirt like dirt on our picnic blanket because of it’s a scrubby texture

I love the job that Viva Towels do so much that I even packed some and folded them as napkins.

Anyway, the kids went right back to alternating between playing and snacking (especially The Princess Fairy she loved the snacks).

I settled in with a magazine until my daughter looked up and announced that there was a raccoon in the tree above staring at our picnic. I thought she was joking until I made eye contact with him myself. A seriously chilling moment guys!

[Tweet “I #unleashclean at our Sunday picnic and a raccoon showed up”]

Listen, you may think I’m a wuss and I know it’s not cool to show your kids your fear but there was something about the way that raccoon that scared me. He looked like he was ready to come get our picnic AT THAT VERY MOMENT. I’ve never packed up so quickly in my life. It’s hilarious in retrospect but as I put all out things away and he started moving around in the tree and the fear in my body was too real.

I explained to my kids that raccoons are nocturnal and although they are sometimes spotted during the day that could be a sign that he’s sick. They both felt really bad and thought he was cute. Me on the other hand, I couldn’t stop thinking about his claws and the eye contact we made but I hope he’s okay and if he was sick they were able to get him help. We told a couple who were playing nearby with a ball just so they didn’t accidently hit him and they immediately went over to bring it to the park’s staff attention. This lead to a small crowd gathering around the tree (which I am sure scared the raccoon).

Needless to say, after the raccoon showed up at our picnic, I’m probably done with picnics for this summer. I think we can find something else fun to do.

Ever had an uninvited animal show up to your picnic?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
New York City Kids, Things to do
BAD MOMS Screening NYC with Makeovers
- 11:09 am
- 0 comments
- by Adanna Dill
[Tweet “New movie BAD MOMS screening held in NYC with makeovers! “]

Are you the mom who is overcommitted and doing everything for everyone to the point that you’re about to snap at any moment because you’re overwhelmed? Well, new move BAD MOMS may just be about you.

Here’s the synopsis:

In this new comedy from the grateful husbands and devoted fathers who wrote The Hangover, Amy has a seemingly perfect life – a great marriage, over-achieving kids, beautiful home and a career. However she’s over-worked, over-committed and exhausted to the point that she’s about to snap.

Fed up, she joins forces with two other over-stressed moms on a quest to liberate themselves from conventional responsibilities – going on a wild, un-mom-like binge of long overdue freedom, fun and self-indulgence – putting them on a collision course with PTA Queen Bee Gwendolyn and her clique of devoted perfect moms.

Sounds like a funny movie most of us moms will be able to relate to and get a little giggle. BAD MOMS starring Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Jada Pinkett-Smith will be released on trailed on July 29^th.However, my NYC readers can attend a fun advanced screening on July 21st at 7:00pm. This will be a screening with makeovers for attendees…the perfect mom night out!

To attend this advanced screening of BAD MOMS RSVP here. Remember to arrive early as the passes are first come, first serve.

Oh and just in case you haven’t seen the fun trailer yet, check it out below.

Are you excited to see the BAD MOMS movie?
Activities, Motherhood, New York City Kids, Things to do
NYC With Kids: The Art and Whimsy of Mo Willems Exhibit
- 12:00 am
- 0 comments
- by Adanna Dill
My kids are obsessed with the Elephant and Piggie book series by Mo Willems! I mean they’ve memorized many of his books and they laugh really loud and raucous whenever we read them. My daughter’s love for the Elephant and Piggie books even led her school librarian to order them for the school’s library. They’re little but clearly big fans so when I heard about The Art and Whimsy of Mo Willems exhibit taking place at the New York Historial Society, I knew that they had to go.

The Super Knight next to Piggie wearing a necklace he made at a craft station at the NY Historical Society.

I decided to take them last Sunday when I discovered on the museum’s website that the Elephant and Piggie characters would be there on that day. The kids were so excited they spent the entire ride sharing different scenarios about how their meeting with Elephant and Piggie’s meeting would go and what they would say to them. They didn’t have to wait a long time to meet the beloved characters because we were greeted by Elephant and Piggie the minute we walked into the museum. My kids immediately forgot all that they planned to say so we took photos of them together (photos they now really cherish) and we went off to do some crafts in a little station set up on the first floor. I love that the museum had these activities inspired by the exhibit for children because not only did it make the experience more exciting, it gave us parents some fresh ideas of ways to use Mo Willems characters to encourage creativity.

The kids made necklaces and we quickly head up to the second to The Art and Whimsy of Mo Willems exhibit. The NY Historical Society has a children’s museum which is where I thought the exhibit would be housed. However, I think there was so much more to the exhibit beyond the children’s books that adults would appreciate. For me it was learning more about Mo Willems creative story, I wasn’t aware that he started out on Sesame Street and I was fascinated watching all of his drawings as he developed his characters and stories. These were things that didn’t mean much to my kids especially my toddler well except that he worked on Sesame Street (they love Sesame Street).

My kids were excited about playing on the bus from the ‘Pigeon Drove the Bus’ book. The bus also serves as a cute little reading nook but we went on a rainy day so it was a really packed area where parents relaxed and read to their kids. There are a few other places where you can sit and enjoy the books with your kids if you visit. I love that there are so many of his books there as I think it really brought the exhibit to life. Since the kids have most of the Elephant and Piggie books in their library collection we used the opportunity to check out other Mo Willems books.

There was also a really cute gift shop in the exhibit where you could purchase signed copies of your child’s favorite Mo Willem’s books and well as toys and gifts inspired by his work.

I think this exhibit is worth a visit if your children are fans of Mo Willems books or even to introduce them to his work. When we left the museum, the first thing my son said was, “I love Piggie and Gerald!” and I knew the visit was all worth it for him. If you’re going to be in New York City this summer, this is definitely an exhibit you should visit with your kids. The exhibit ends on September 25, 2016.

Here is a video of our visit to The Art and Whimsy of Mo Willems exhibit.

Thank you, New York Historical Society for providing my family with complimentary admission. You can learn more about The Art and Whimsy of Mo Willems exhibit and the museum address and hours here!