Natalie on My Little Adventures, Mt. Laurel, NJfinally had the chance to check out My Little Adventures yesterday (it is on the 45 mins + commute side
Tess on Wittlebee or not to be is the question?Thanks for the heads up. They might of hade good intentions but need to work on customer service. New follower
Hipster Henry on Wittlebee or not to be is the question?They are for little feet for sure. They will go to a lucky lady baby at H's preschool tomorrow! 
Jenny on Wittlebee or not to be is the question?I have boys who would definitely NOT allow me to put those things on their feet...but how big are they?Hipster Henry on Wittlebee or not to be is the question?Hi Jenny. Thank you so much for your comment. It means a lot to me that you took the timeJenny on Wittlebee or not to be is the question?oops -- I meant will *not* be the style you choose yourself. Jenny on Wittlebee or not to be is the question?I love your blog, but I have to disagree with you on this one. Wittlebee is a terrific service, assuming
Lindsey Love on Have a Garden Party TOMORROWThanks so much for the tip, Sibyl! Sophie and I are going to enjoy the Morris Arboretum *gratis* thanks to
Ellen Stumpf on Sorry to Burst Your BubbleColored bubbles + white deck= 1 sad Mommy. I do not recommend! 
Driving miss Charley on Sorry to Burst Your BubbleWow, moms need this product about as much as we need "new and improved" permanent chalk! Thanks for the headsNatalie on Dive In!It is truly amazing how so many people who live in the suburbs so close to a city like PhillyHipster Henry on Dive In!I do rag on the suburban parents a little. But it is only because I know that when it comesNatalie on Dive In!I love all your posts and always crack up when you mention suburban parents, because I am one but I
sharon on Dive In!thanks so much for the reminder. our vaca is in 6 weeks and i just ordered mine today as wellsharon on Spouts + Seedlings Program is a Wednesday MUSTtotally agree about the environment. my son is actually 2 1/2 and i had hoped he would get the ideaHipster Henry on Dive In!I can be pretty last minute these days too. My pool bag is about the only thing I am onHipster Henry on Spouts + Seedlings Program is a Wednesday MUSTI was worried about the same issue because I brought Oliver with us. He is too young to understand sittingsharon on Spouts + Seedlings Program is a Wednesday MUSTHi, I thought it was great. The instructors were awesome and animated as you said. The garden itself is beautiful,
Jenn on Dive In!Great post thanks for sharing. It always seems that I went to the last minute to grab all the swimmingHipster Henry on Spouts + Seedlings Program is a Wednesday MUSTHi Sharon, Have to ask...what did you think of Sprouts and Seedlings...you ended up having a great day for it.Hipster Henry on Weekend Warriors #2: Sunday @ The PMAI am working hard to find good stuff for you! You just have to promise to give me feedback if
Becky on Weekend Warriors #2: Sunday @ The PMAWow I had no idea! This is fantastic! Thank you :-) Hipster Henry on Spouts + Seedlings Program is a Wednesday MUSTHI Sharon. Hopefully you had a good time like we did and let me know what you think. I amsharon conley on Spouts + Seedlings Program is a Wednesday MUSTSounds great... especially for my very active 2 1/2 year old little guy... i just signed us up for tomorrowJenn on Weekend WarriorsThank you thank you! This is so helpful and much appreciated looking forward to checking out all your insightful venues:)Hipster Henry on Retreat from the OrdinaryWell I figure someone should benefit from my inability to stay home all day. Thank you so much for reading
Caity on Retreat from the OrdinaryI can't wait to try this place out! I have to say I love how you go out and discoverHipster Henry on My New SalvationI don't think you can get there directly from, say No Libs, but there were a ton of buses upBecky on My New SalvationWHOA!!!! this sounds AMAZING!!! do you know off hand about public Transit accessibility? (i am going to look into it,Becky on Attn: Weekend Warriors #1Thank you so much for looking out for us working parents!! :) This will be my last post…I promise…reminding you about the FREE Family event: Meet the Ballerinas. Don’t forget that Fiona’s Fairys in the Piazza is also having killer sales for the event on all tutus, Wonderboy and Stun apparel. Get some culture and a steal…now that is one stop shopping family fun. All the details are below!
See you there and come say hi!
Ramonita de Rodriguez Branch
600 West Girard AvenueFor me the library is an exhausting trip. From getting the boys out of the car and in the doors to getting them to not fall off the kiddie computer stools, to getting them to not leave a path of destruction in their wake and to getting them to not totally disrupt the whole place…can be a little much. So we don’t go as much as the boys would probably like.
Recently we took a stroller up Girard to the Ramonita de Rodriguez Free Library Branch. This would be the go to library for No Libs families. Meaning I could stop treaking into Center City and over to the tiny one in Fishtown. My biggest issue was its location at 6th and Girard. Which I think everyone would agree is a little rough looking. The walk ended up being fine and I would say that 6th Street is probably the highest I would stroller on Girard.
The library itself is small but half of it is the children’s section which is great. I would say the children’s section at RRB is a little smaller then the one in Center City. There are two computers in the pre-school section and a huge reading rug for the little ones to hang out on. The space is really bright and airy and I was really surprised by how inviting it was. There were children there after school and they were doing their homework and talking quietly. They also all seem to have a really nice relationship with the Children’s Librarian, Elizabeth Kenny, who has been doing major outreach with the local schools.
For my NoLibs Moms the verdict is….Yes it is okay to stroller there. Yes the library is super stroller friendly (ramp outside) and I think it is worth checking out and will come in handy. And it was really nice to grab books and then stroller to the park…even if I could not get the both them to sit down and read at the same time.
Worth Mentioning:
They are closed Saturday and Sunday so this is not an option for my Weekend Warriors.
Summer Reading Game kicks off in June.
Sister Cities Park
18th and Lombard (across from Four Season’s Hotel)/ Benjamin Franklin Parkway
6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.
Sister Cities Park is a new mini park that is wedged in one of the busiest sections of the city. Just across the street from the Four Season’s Hotel and the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul you will find this hidden gem. Here is the low down. The Children’s Garden is super nice and sweet. It winds up a small hill and you can look down onto the boat pond. There are misters and rocks and little stools all over the place. Like I said it is nice but it entertained the boys for about 2 minutes. The boat pond is mini with a zero elevation entry (think infinity pool for kids) but the bridge that you cross to get to the children’s garden runs along the tiny shallow pond and does not have any guard rails. If you have new walkers…or if you are trying to watch two children and one of them is a new walker this is just something that you have to navigate. Not a huge deal but I could totally see Ollie taking a tumble. The boat pond is set up so kids can rent mini boats or bring their own to float. The pond is so tiny I really suggesting bringing your own tug boat from the bath.
But the main attraction for my boys quickly became the “fountain” and at 9:30 a.m. soaking wet, running around and screaming they quickly became the main attraction for everyone walking by. I don’t really consider this a fountain because you are actually supposed to run through this one and get wet. Jets of water in a circle pattern randomly shoot out of the ground from 10 different locations soaking everyone that dares to stand close enough. The blue stone plaza that surrounds the fountain is large with stone benches all around it. They have positioned it just far enough in the park that you feel like the kids are protected from the traffic. Except for the entrance, the park has a low fence running all around it. To read about the inspiration behind the fountain click here. The boy easily spend 45 minute to an hour playing in the fountain.
For food and restrooms you have West Philly’s Milk and Honey Cafe who have set up shop right in the middle. They have both indoor and outdoor seating. Please note that if you click on the Milk and Honey Cafe link they have an image of a park but that is totally not what the park looks like…not sure why they would do that. Their image has been highly photoshopped making the park look spacious and huge which it is not. There is also a little Visitor’s Center just off of Milk and Honey. This is open 7 days a week and you can buy tickets for local attractions here as well.
Overall thoughts are….the park is cute and very well done. It will be a destination for the fountain and Milk and Honey Cafe but not so much for the boat pond and children’s garden. For parking the Sister Cities information site is totally unhelpful. There is kiosk (“metered”) parking all around that area but there is not a ton of it because you are in the center of major traffic. The Free Library of Philadelphia, Centeral Branch is just a stones throw away. Those, 2 hour limit, parking spaces right in front of the library turn over pretty often so next time I go that is probably going to be my best bet. I will be bringing my stroller b/c the area is so busy don’t feel comfortable carrying one and holding the hand of the other to get from my car to the park. I can see us packing lunch, going to the library and then heading to Sister Cities Park. If you check their calendar of events you will find some new kid programs starting in June. I will throw those on the Daily Options Calendar shortly. For more pictures of Sister Cities Park go to HipstHenry Flickr.
Thank you local Moms Maggie & Cynde for telling us to check this out!
Worth Mentioning…
* Soaked does not begin to describe the boys after playing in the fountain. On a hot day pack for this park like you are going to the pool. Towels, bathing suits and back up clothing are all a good thing to throw in the stroller. Or you can do I what did an stroller to Gap Outlet after wards on Chestnut Street for round two of clothing.
* I do think this spot will be crowded this summer with very few places in the city you are actually allowed to take a dip in. This will become a destination for city kids of all ages.
* There were a fair amount of homeless people walking through the park but they were petty much just passing through and just as interested as everyone else in the new park.
G SPA
817 N. 2nd Street Philadelphia, PA 19123 visit website>I do… NOW. I have converted from Genesis Nails to G Spa which is the next block up on 2nd Street. I have raved in the past about the after mani/pedi massage at Genesis and that has not changed but lately when I am in there I feel like that episode on Seinfled where Elaine goes to get her nails done and thinks everyone in there is talking about her and making fun of her. If you go there you know exactly what I am talking about. Something always feels a little off in there with the under the breath giggles and the quick sideways glances and conversations. Which is not really relaxing. Plus the whole process can take a really long time. Sometimes after they put me in a Pedi chair I actually think they have forgotten about me.
So I was actually relieved when Genesis was overbooked and turn me and a friend away the other night…instead of telling me the usual story of it is only a 5 minute wait which apparently means 30 (oh the laundry pile I could have pretended to fold in that time).
G Spa was the exact opposite of Genesis. It was quite, relaxing and we sat right down. It was everything Genesis is without the “take a number feel.” They have all the same polish options including organic ones for you greenies. The pedicure was excellent. The service was great and never once did I think they were making fun of me. Oh and they totally give you a massage while you are waiting for your nails to dry. They also have massage tables downstairs. I find that with nail places no two visits are ever the same but I would encourage you to check this G Spa out for a more relaxing experience. The owner was really sweet and it was super quite and super relaxing.
Worth Noting:
The prices are about the same give or take $5.00.
If they did happen to get a big rush I am not sure they are staffed up for that.
Their hours change with the season so please double check their website before you go.
*Cash only, ATM on site
Wittlebee.com
“Kid’s Clothing Club”
A few weeks ago I posted about a new company called Wittlebee. You pay a monthly fee ($39.99) and they send you a small box with around six pieces of clothing for your child each month. The clothing in your box is mainly determined by your child’s favorite color and the three questions below:
1. What is your shopping experience like? I have no idea how this helps them determine what my kids look good in.
2. What type of personality does your child have? Options: Preppy, Diva, Princess, Sporty, Hippie. I selected Preppy because their preppy picture looked more Hipster to me (picture below). Basically it was the closest I could get to something I thought I site below.
3. What type of climate do you need clothes for? Options: California Dreamin’, Cold Weather Cuddles, Around the House, Summer in the Country, Rainy Days. I went with Summer in the Country because again it was the closet thing I could relate to (picture below). Again it had a Hipster look. They need a Toddler About Town category.
Three weeks later my boxed arrived….wait until you see what was inside!
The items I liked were the three pieces from American Apparel: two t-shirts and one pair of sweat pants. Great but not exactly rocking my world.
The items I hated were the “Caddy Shack” looking, scratchy shorts that I am not even sure my grandmother would wear and the matching babyish airplane T-shirt. (Label: Gioberti). These pieces were totally mass-produced in China and of low quality. Next we have the Park Ranger PJ set that must be seconds because they have obvious flaws, scratchy pj bottoms and I can already tell this is going to shrink like crazy when I wash it.
The piece de resistance has to be the red mary jane JazzyToes socks that were also in the box. It was pretty much an identical scene as to when Ralphy from the movie A Christmas Story pulled out the pink bunny Pj’s his grandmother had made him for Christmas. Honestly they get points for making me laugh. Especially since there is a typed note thanking me for trying Wittlebee and that everything in this box was hand selected for my “boy”. Two words: NAILED IT!
Overall I think they did a really bad job of delivering a quality product and good styles. I am however going to keep the box and I will tell you why. Wittlebee cost $39.99 / month. I filled out all my information on their site and then chickened out and never made the purchase. So they sent me a promo code for $10 off. So I paid $29.99 to get my first box. The three American Apparel pieces I like retail for a total of $40 so in the end I made out by default and CLEARLY the red JazzyToes are priceless.
So for now I will remain my children’s chef, laundress, housekeeper, chauffeur, fun finder and HEAD STYLIST (except hair by Jenny at Crimson. I have my limits. ).
Worth Nothing:
* Looking back the personality survey missed some major questions like: what brands do you normally wear or what stores do you buy your child’s clothing at.
* They don’t tell you on the website that it takes a long time for box to ship. When I called to check the status of the order is when they tell you it take two weeks to pack your box. They told me they are working on speeding that up.
* What I find interesting is that they have an icon right on their page that says 100% Satisfaction Guarantee but when you click it- it just take you to the personality survey. There is zero information about what to do it you are not Satisfied.
* They also claim that a stylist will be calling you to talk about the items you want in your box in more details. That never happened and to be honest I don’t have time to do that.
* I first heard about Wittlebee through a deal on PlumDistrict.com (a daily deal website for moms). That just goes to show you that those site could care less about the quality of the companies they are doing business with.
* I will be regifting the Jazzy Toes so I apologize in advance.
Inside the Art Star Bazaar
Penn’s Landing May12-13th 11:00-6:00 p.m. FREEI put my type-A self on the shelf today and embraced my hipster side as I hopped on my bike and headed down to the Art Star Bazaar at Penn’ Landing. What a beautiful day and leave it to the Art Star ladies to create a really great event that was busy, interesting but never overwhelming. If you can’t go today you should really try and check it out tomorrow because it will be running through the weekend from 11:00-6:00 pm.
The show features vendors from all over the country. There is everything from handmade furniture from Farmhaus to indie-darling Peg & Awl’s chalkboard notebooks. Chances are if you are heavy into design blogs you will get a chance to meet and talk with the artist you have been crushing over. The vendors are really nice and happy to tell you all about their work. I thought that the prices were reasonable considering that these are all handmade items. You will see a lot of hipster mustaches on things so you might be a little over that by the time you are done but I am willing to bet all the other colorful lovely things will make you forget about it. You are going to find expertly made, different stuff at the bazaar. To put it in perspective this is like crafting Olympics. This is like one big Etsy store.
For families I think the show is actually a nice thing to check out. It is pretty stroller friendly, busy but not overly crowded because the tents are spread out. There are band on the Penn’s Landing stage (which throws some shade if you need it) and there are boats going up and down the river constantly. For food you have the typical over priced festival fare but you will find a few specialty food trucks to grab a more tasty bite from.
Some of tent I loved were Farmhaus, The Wind and The Sail, Norma & Henry, Little Hip Squeak and Peg & Awl but there are a ton of great vendors for you to check out no matter what you like. If you can’t make it take a look at all my pictures at HipsterHenry Flickr.
Peg and Awl
The Wind and The Sail
Norma & Henry
I just found this and I think this is a super cool way to spend a Friday outside. Tomorrow is National Public Gardens Day and Better Homes & Gardens Magazine is footing the bill for admission into public garden all over the U.S. Just click here and fill in your information to get your free coupon. Here is a list of PA gardens that you can get into gratis.
Bartrams Garden / www.bartramsgarden.org, Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania / www.morrisarboretum.org, Shofuso Japanese House and Garden / www.shofuso.com, The Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College/ www.scottarboretum.org, Tyler Arboretum / www.tylerarboretum.org. For a complete list click here.
Have Fun!
Summer Reading Game at the Free Library
All Branches
I just found out that the Free Libary of Philadelphia (all branches) will be kicking off a Summer Reading Game from June 18th to August 10th. We are already walking out with a greedy stack of books weekly from the library…it would be great to throw some prizes on top. The more they read the more stickers they get on their game board and they can even win prizes. The biggest prize is a bike. This is a game board from last year to check out. All of this great information comes from, Elizabeth Kenny the Children’s Librarian at Ramonita de Rodriguez Library, 600 West Girard Ave. No Libs Moms keep an eye on this neighborhood library because Ms. Kenny working on some great programs for the kids…
To help jump start the Free Library’s Reading Games The Ramonita de Rodriguez Library will be throwing a kick off party on Tuesday, June 19th, 2012 from 3 – 5 PM – There will be Magic, Puppets, and Ventriloquism will be performed by Dave Carr. Sign up for the Summer Reading Game to start earning prizes and enjoy the magic show and refreshments! – Family event. Stop in the library and grab a summer reading game board.
It is time for the Art Star Craft Bazaar at Penn’s Landing. If you don’t know who Art Star is but love “hipster crafting”…(one of a kind items that don’t bite it that range in price from $1 to $2,000 and actually take a ton of skill to create) you are about to fall in love…HARD. Art Star is single handedly bring back unique and one of a kind product one artist, carpenter, woodworker, designer, potter and crafter at a time. I don’t always buy something when I go to Art Star Boutique but it is always a treat to see how artist are pushing the limits. Soooo I can’t wait for the Art Star Bazaar this weekend!
This weekend at the bazaar you will be looking at tent after tent of talented artist that have been hand picked by Art Star owners Megan Brewster and Erin Waxman. Having a soft spot for the kids they have brought in NLARTS (Saturday only) which will be hosting an “art making table” featuring a recycled flower design, bugs, and games. Kids of all ages are welcome to join. For the music line up click here.
There is a ton of underground buzz around the one man show Ben McBrien, the owner and carpenter behind FarmHaus, which makes to die for rustic modern furniture and cabinetry. Truth is you have seen his work at restaurants and probably bellied up to the bars he has built all over the city and didn’t even know it. Commision…yes you can do it….a farm house table or a coffee table that you will love forever and your friends will hate you for. Find out what all the hub bub is about at the bazaar because he is one of the vendors.
Amtrak’s National Train Day
30th Street Station, 2955 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
This Saturday from 11:00-4:00 p.m. you can stop by Amtrack’s 30th Street Station and have a great time without ever leaving. I have never been to this event but the more I read the more I want to go. I did find out from another Mom that the lines can be long so you are going to want to go early and be prepared. The cool thing is that it looks like there is a ton of stuff going on.
Activities:
Here is a list of what is going on but you want to click here for the day’s schedule so you can plan your trip around exactly what you want to see.
Train Equipment Guide: Now this sounds fancy because space is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. Walk through privately owned, luxury railcars and explore freight and commuter trains, as well as current Amtrak equipment. Click here for the complete details. There will be no ticketing system this year, so be sure to arrive early! Exhibits open at 11:00 a.m.
Amtrak Kids Depot, Model Train Displays, K-9 Unit Demonstrations, Amtrak High Speed Rail Display, Amtrak Culinary Experience & Live Entertainment