No Sleep Till Brooklyn….#$@%& NO!

Andrea and family frame

Andrea Elovson: Philly’s Sleep Training Coach

This is going to be a sleep training PSA. Henry screamed with horrible acid reflux for 6 straight months. For 6 straight months I held screaming Henry vertical 24 hours a day. I saw no one. Family barely came to the house and you can forget about going anywhere in a car. A trip around the block probably only happened three times. For 6 months I alone the majority of the time in a 900 sq foot – third floor Rittenhouse walk-up.

The biggest game changer in that would have been hiring a sleep coach. I trained Henry myself and we got through it but I paid the price with anxiety and feelings of being completely overwhelmed. I totally thing it is super hard to pull the trigger and hire a sleep coach and it is my biggest regret.

logoIf you have a baby that is not sleeping have a family meeting and talk about getting a sleep coach like Andrea Elovson. Andrea lives here but has worked with over 300 families around the world. More importantly local Moms that I trust are singing her praises.  After Mom friend Kate H. went from exhausted rants on facebook about her new baby’s lack of sleep to saying things like…..

“She goes into her crib awake and plays quietly for a bit and then within a 1/2 hour is asleep. It’s like having a whole new baby!”

…I knew it was time to share with all of you.

I have talked to Andrea in detail about what she does and I am constantly checking in with families she is helping. She is a gentle, knowledgeable Mom of three kids that will work with you to create a plan that is right for your whole family. Like me Andrea’s toughest customer was her first son and she remembers how terrifying it was which is what makes her good.

“My toughest customer was my first son. As a new mom, I thought he was tough because he just wasn’t sleeping like the sleep books said he should. And when I started implementing some changes to bedtime and nap time, he was not happy! Hearing him cry was heart breaking. I felt so guilty leaving him alone for even short intervals while he was trying to put himself to sleep. The guilt and fear that I had as a new mom—that the crying meant he was feeling abandoned, that I was breaking our bond, that he would grow up to not trust—was terrifying.” – Andrea

Sleeping-baby frame

I have to go back to Kate H. because she is a perfect example of someone who was in crisis over her little ones lack of sleep and after working with Andrea things her house have changed dramatically over a very short amount of time. But don’t take my work for it …..take Kate’s:

“I will say she is now sleeping through the night which is a strange turn of events in this house but a welcomed one. Andrea was patient and listened to us. She took into account all we wrote in the information sheet prior to our phone conversation. She took time to speak with me before hiring her as well which made the decision to do so an easy one. She was accommodating to our wishes and honest about our worries. She has a lot of really practical facts that helped us understand how sleep works for babies and eased our concerns about the option to sleep train. She gave us options as well which helped as well. She really involves herself and cares, I’m so grateful for all her help and it’s been a huge success!” – Kate H. 

Andrea Elovson will be running three classes this month at Center City Pediatrics. If you are not sleeping because your precious bundle of joy is not letting you make a point to check out one of these:

Ask A Sleep Coach: 0-6 mos. Monday, May 8th 10:00 am to 11:30 am

Introduction to Sleep Training: 6-18 mos: Monday, May 13th 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm

Special Seminar: Why Won’t My 4-5 Month Old Sleep? Monday, May 20th 10:00 am to 11:30 am.

 

 

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Free Music Workshops for Kids 3-18

Rock to the Future title Page

Rock to the Future

FREE SATURDAY WORKSHOPS

St. Michael’s Church 2139 E Cumberland Ave, 2nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19125
visit site>

rttflogoCLEARTILT-300x235Did you have a chance to join a band in your teens? Me neither. Sounds pretty cool right? Today’s teen bands are leaving the garages of the burbs and setting up shop in giant church auxiliary rooms. At least that is where you will find the kids of Rock to the Future. Hidden on the second floor of St. Michael’s Church in Fishtown lives Rock to the Future. Run by Jessica and Josh Craft this program is targeted at providing music lessons for underserved youth in Philadelphia at no cost to them or their families.

guitarspractice zone

 

the stagepink guitrYou enter through the side door of the church but when you enter the main Rock to the Future room it is like entering your favorite music teachers classroom back in the day except this room has a stage, some serious guitars and lots and lots of amps. The number of kids in after school rock bands is at its max and with performances all over the city at some great small stages it shows these kids are really learning something. You might have even seen them at Union Transfer open for our beloved favorites The Lara and Joe Show.

H&O drums

If you would like to get your little one into music I highly suggest you check out Rock to the Future’s FREE Saturday workshops. Each week focuses on a different age group ranging from 3 to 18. For all the details click here.

Ages 3-5
1st Saturday Each Month
Learn the fun basics of music! Sing together, learn tempo and rhythm, get moving with music, and even build your own instrument! A parent or guardian MUST attend.

Ages 6-8
2nd Saturday Each Month
Get ready to move to the beat! Each month we are offer unique workshops that will have your kids singing together and having fun. We will learn the basics of music through interactive games, recorder playing, hand percussion, and work together to make music! A parent or guardian is encouraged to attend.

Ages 9-18
3rd Saturday Each Month

Is your child the next rock star? Each 3rd Saturday of the month, Rock to the Future offers free workshops that focus on singing, playing together and collaboration, songwriting, percussive instruments, and learning guitar basics. A parent or guardian is encouraged to attend.

Families 
4th Saturday Each Month
In an age where families cannot find time for family dinner or find themselves connecting through television and technology, take a step back and enjoy each other through fun, engaging music activities! Sing, write, and play music together! These workshops are for families with children of any age (3-18). A parent or guardian is encouraged to attend; children under the age of 6 may not attend without a guardian.

 

 

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Pinocchio @The ARDEN

Pinocchio title page

PINOCCHIO

2hours plus 15 minute intermission
April 10th -June 23rd. 

Arden Children’s Theatre

Arden Theatre Company, 40 N. 2nd St., Philadelphia, PA 19106.
For tickets, call 215.922.1122.
visit website>

Again Arden’s Children’s Theater has one you need to put on your list. Last week the boys and I checked out their latest production of Pinocchio. Like every other Arden show we have seen this rendition was not what I expected and wonderfully creative.

Pinocchio SEt

Making of Pinocchio framedWhen you take your seat you see a set that basically looks under construction. The actors come out as construction workers ready to work until they are surprised that an room full of kids that happen to be there. They tell the audience the show is canceled and all the kids (even mine) yelled back with the excitement of not really understanding what was going on. This goes on for a while before the construction workers agree to tell the audience the story of Pinocchio as a compromise. With that the construction workers and the “under construction” set quickly turn into the story of Pinocchio. The play is interactive, funny and a great modern adaptation of the original story and I wish the pictures did it justice.

Fairy and Pinocchio framedPinocchio_with cricketBecause this play is equally entertaining for both kids and adults I don’t want to give away too much. The surprises and all the different twist that this adaptation takes is half the beauty of the play. The actors were wonderful. The fairy part is hilarious and the simple creativity of the cat and owl costumes make you want to PIN them to your Halloween Pintrest board for this year’s costumes. Also my favorite was when the cricket asked the following riddle…”What is easy to get into but hard to get out of?” All the kids (not mine) yelled “JAIL.” I think that is hilarious and just the right amount of wrong. The correct answer is trouble.

The boys never took their eyes off the stage and for Ollie that is HUGE….MAJOR (in the words of Rachel Zoe). One of my favorite things is to watch the boys during the play. They were laughing, smiling, curios and darn I say fell in love with Pinocchio. To the point where I was that mom at the end holding their crying 2 year old tapping Pinocchio on the arm for a high five because Ollie was not going anywhere until he touched Pinocchio (sorry Pinocchio).

meeting Pinocchio

Fear Factor:

There were a few parts that Ollie (2) was a little scared but to be fair their are episodes of Bubble Guppies that scare him these day so unless you child is a really sensitive you will be fine. He sat on my lap I soothed him and he was fine each time. Henry (3) was fine the whole time and pretty much mimicked the big kids.

Tickets:

Pinocchio has been extended till the end of June giving you plenty of time to order tickets for your crew. They have limited availability for the show over the next few weeks, but starting in mid-May good seats are available for most performances. Adults: $34-$36
Teens: $20-$22
Kids: $16-$18

Tips:

If you are a stay at home parent or your can take a morning off I love the 10:00 a.m. shows. These shows are usually reserved for school trips but they sell a few tickets for the general public. With the school kids there you feel less concerned about making any commotion. The place was packed with seven year olds that the boys loved watching and listening too. The boys also responded to their excitement and interaction during the play.

Intermission:There is a 15 minute intermission. Pack snacks and a drink for this and go out in the lobby. Food and drink are not permitted in the theater but to be honest I always bring a little something in case of an emergency.

Lunch / Dinner: The play will end around noon making it the perfect time to stop into the Continental for a bite. We hit up Shane’s Confectionary on our way to the car.

Parking: There is a $12.00 (day rate) self pay lot right across from Arden. If you go during the day this will probably be open b/c the school kids come on buses. If you go at night an are running late this lot might be booked. We usually park one -two blocks away on the Market Street Bridge or on Front Street (3 hour parking for $6.00). At 10:00 am you have your pick of space a night it will be a little different depending of the day of the week you go.

 

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Soccer Shots PSA: For new parents.

Soccer shots title pageSoccer Shots Newbies

visit site>

I am going to do a PSA for Soccer Shots because I think first season parents need to know that we have all been there. If you don’t know Soccer Shots they are a great youth (toddler) soccer program with several location in the city.

Here is the deal… Our first season with Henry (at age 2) he sat with me on the blanket eating snacks most the time. We did not push him we just let him try it out. Let’s put it this way I spent more time on the field then he did. When it came time to enroll in the next season I said No – Henry hated it and his Dad said do it. We enrolled Henry and what a difference a season makes. Henry (age 3) is now in this third or fourth season and he loves it. He listens, he can’t wait to go, he participates and I am all alone on the blanket.

soccer shots henry hi-jacking

Ollies first yearThis is Ollie’s first year. He is a lot less passive then Henry and instead of sitting on the blanket he pitches a fit in fact most his team mates pitch a fit the entire time. I am here to say THIS IS NORMAL. As a parent this sucks for you b/c you can’t tell if you should push them to try it or stand back and let it ride. Today Ollie actually started playing and I have to say he did great till the last 10 minutes.

Yesterday I watched a Mom and Dad chase their son every 5 seconds who kept making a run for it. To that Mom I have to say….you did awesome. You kept at it and you made it through the whole session.

I have been there. I watch new parents every week and if you are thinking of trying it give it a whirl. The coaches are more than understanding with toddler moments and they keep the class moving. If you are having a first season just hang in there and know that next season will be a lot easier. Which is something no one tells you.

soccer shots me and henry

xoxo

Sibyl

 

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NEW GOOSE

outside ddg opening party

Duck, Duck, Goose Playroom +Toy Store

702 Haddon Ave.
Collingswood, NJ
visit site>
admission $9 on a non Grand Opening Day!

I have been so happy that many of you have written to me loving Duck, Duck, Goose after you read about it a year ago on HipsterHenry. So I am guessing you will be even more please to hear that they have moved into a larger space in Collingswood, NJ.

puppet wall

Make sure you checkout the Grand Opening this Friday, April 19th from 4-7pm. Ribbon cutting at 4:00pm followed by refreshments and free play!!!!!

If you have never been to DDG they focus on unplugged green play and is a wonderful place for ages 0-4. I say 0 b/c honestly sometimes you just want to get out of the house with your newborn and shake someone else’s puppets in their face. You can totally do that here.

The new space seems like more than double the old space and there are brand new things to play with and of course the classic train table that the boys were glued to. More green toys, more play, more space and birthday parties on Sunday is what the new DDG is all about.

dotted rugDDG full view

Even though they were still putting on the finishing touches DDG let us come in and take a sneak peek and sneak in a little play as well….ooops! The boys were busy as soon as we got there giving it their official seal of approval. These pics are just a sneak peak so you have to stop into DDG new location to see for yourself! There is a metered parking lot in the back and the new location is only a block away from PATCO….which for me sounds like a nice little adventure tie in for the boys. Afterwards we hit up POP SHOP across the street for ice cream at the counter to reward ourselves for a job well done.

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Johnson Corner Family Weekend

Line of tractors

I Can’t Get Noooo Trac-tor-faction

Johnson’s Corner Farm
133 Church Road, Medford, NJ
visit site>

Johnson’s Corner Farm is one of few places we have a membership to. Does this happen to you….when you buy a membership to a place it become the kiss of death. However Johnson’s is one of the few exceptions.

We have spent many a wonderful morning, afternoon, weekend and holiday at Johnson’s Corner Farm but if you are still on the fence why don’t you come out to their Family Fun Tractor Show and 1/2 price ticket weekend and give the spot a road test. Yes this die hard city Mom is all about a little tractor show now and then. We went last year and the boys ran around the tractors, jumped on top of them and pretended to plow the fields as I snapped picture after picture.

blue tractor

  • The hayrides will run form 10:00 am  to 4:00 pm to on the hour both Saturday and Sunday. These will be an educational Spring tour with Farmer Johnson at varies crops and points on the Farm. (no crops for picking until Strawberries (mid May)). Cost is 3.50 per person for the Hayride.
  • There are also gardening classes available for children immediately following each hayride. Classes are 3.50 per child for the gardening class (class is short and sweet) where the children learn about seeds sun and soil and leave with a mini 4 seed garden.
  • If the weather is great we will be Spalshin’ on the splash pad! Right now it is supposed to be 50-60 but honestly throw some towels in the back of the car. You never know.
  • Farmhouse Lunch Menu will be available all day, both days.
  • From the bridge it take about 30 minutes to get to Johnson’s Corner Farm.

You are now armed will all the details for a great family option this weekend. For pictures of Johnson’s Corner Farm please check out HipsterHenry Flickr.

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Good, Clay Fun

YAY CLAY STUDIO for hh.com

YAY CLAY STUDIO

3245 Amber Street
Philadelphia, PA 19134
(Port Richmond)
Keith@madebykeith.com / 201-953-0340
 

I think we have stumbled on another one of Philadelphia’s best kept secrets. YAY CLAY in the Port Richmond section of the city. Founded by Keith Grabowsky, YAY CLAY provides adult, children and parent / child classes for all ages in free form clay and on the wheel. Another thing I want to call out is if you have a child that is dealing with ADHD, ADD or autism Keith has done some really great work and specializes in working with children that are affected by these issues.

Our Experience.

5. YAY close up of Henry

First thing I noticed Keith is kid centric. What I mean by this is he is high energy, uses silly words and the boys warmed right up to him when he said they could call him Mr. Noodle Brain. We took the small freight elevator up to YAY CLAY so if you are chlausterphopic telling you right now take the stairs. The studio is organized, fresh, bright, clean and intimate without being small.

2. YAY Studio whole room final

1. YAY Studio sink final

6. YAY henry and penguinThe boys sat right down and went to work on making surfing penguins. Again I have to hand it to Keith he kept Ollie’s attention making this big O’s most successful class to date. Keith keeps it fun, focused on the kids and has them create subject matter that they are interested in. The boys build each piece of their penguin and were very proud of their creations when they were done.

Next Henry moved over to the pottery wheel. (Ollie would have taken the mud puddle approach so he worked on making a duck with clay). I didn’t get on a wheel till high school and what a mess that was. Keith has Henry happily making a plate and a cup in a controlled manner with minimal mess. I never would have though to put Henry on the wheel at age 3 but with he right guidance he did awesome. Those two actually made it look simple and I have spent time on the wheel I not it is not easy.

7. YAY CLAY Keith and Henry

Why I am Recommending it.

8. YAY end photo

Any time your child can learn from a working artist that is as talented, young and as energetic as Keith you are getting a huge value in what they are being asked to do and exposed to. The room can hold eight children but the classes are kept to 2 to 4 to 6 kids at a time depending on the program so that they can get enough individual attention. YAY CLAY class kept my boys attention for 90 minutes. That is pretty amazing. Keith has run a very successful studio in the burbs and we are lucky enough that he has moved his studio here so we can now take advantage of it. It was also awesome that he had water and snacks which helped to keep the boys on track a bit.

9. YAY CLAY Henry with his creations

YAY CLAY can do small classes, birthday parties and is totally mobile. So next time you are thinking of hiring a balloon artist to entertain the kiddies why don’t you take it up a notch with YAY CLAY. This spot is not going to be a hidden secret for long….especially since I have just told all of you. The pricing is also really decent.  Just give Keith a call and let him know what kind of experience you are looking for! My recommendation is that if you are looking for something new in a really fun and warm enviroment you call Keith and talk to him about classes. He is very informal and really loves working with kids.

YAY CLAY is a ceramic studio that operates 7 days a week. The studio is open from morning until night and aims to work around parent and children’s schedules – so just let them know what days and times work best for you.

For all our picture of our experience at YAY CLAY check out HipsterHenry Flickr

Neighborhood: Port Richmond

10. YAY OutsideGet over it. My Rittenhouse Moms are going to have the toughest time with this and I get it. It is outside the beauty bubble…noted. When I lived in Rittenhouse I barely ever crossed over Spring Garden. Things have changed and you are free to move about the city in search of great classes for your kids.  To put it in perspective it goes Northern Liberties, Fishtown then Port Richmond. YAY CLAY is in a great old converted warehouse space on a wide street with tons of free parking. At night the street is also lit up like Christmas. I found it to be very Philly but very safe. So get your urban panties on and get over the area. P.S. this is in the same building as Wonderboy and Stun children’s clothing line if you have ever been to one of their warehouse sales.

How to Get there:

Take 95 North to Allegany Ave. Drive up Allegheny and make a right onto Amber Street. YAY Studio is in the second big brick warehouse space on the right. The building number is clearly marketed on the outside and it is a touch pad code entrance.

YAY CLAY JUST LAUNCHED A FB PAGE. GO GIVE THEM SOME LOVE.

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hOMe Tour #2: 716 N. 4th Street

716 title Page

 Neighborhood: Northern Liberties

HomeJab.com

$750,000.003200 Sq Ft3 Bed, 4 Bath, 6 Balconies
 

It’s time again to scope out the inside of another house in the city. Ollie and I got the chance to check out a brand new, giant single family home at 4th and Olive in Northern Liberties. 1/2 a block from Honey Sit n’ Eat to put it in perspective. The developer is actually the founder of HomeJab.com, Joseph Jesuele. He is young, new and local.

Home Jab logo

I am a city mom so when I look at a house I am trying to find the right balance between the look of the life I want and the reality that we are a very kid-centric, toy loving family. In other words…can I have a rock star livingroom that does not have to be sacrificed to our growing car, trucks and Legos collection? Is this house the answer?  YES! There are three bedrooms tons of beautiful bathrooms and a basement to die for.

Now on to the good stuff….

I simply love this first floor. The open concept and the flow is great. There is plenty of room for your coats + boots in the back hallway closet and a powder room. The elevated kitchen is a great look out spot or VIP room for your Top Chef side. There are two balconies, access to a small outdoor space and I also found an amazing place to hide all the toys that try to invade your oasis.

Enter the house through your one car garage or your front door on Olive Street and walk up into your living room…

716 First Floor final

then check out your elevated kitchen with a balcony for the grill, plenty of room for a prep table and of course a high chair….

716 kitchen finalNow you can crash in your über cool living room that gets a ton of natural light…

716 livingroom finalOr finish your Tiffin take out in your dinning room….

716 Dinning room finalScooting up and around the window filled staircase you wind up on the second floor which has two bedrooms and two full baths with giant and when I say giant I mean giant showers. Every bathroom in this house btw looks like a master bath.

Bring it on up through another window filled level up to the third floor. Through frosted french doors is your master oasis. The master is a great size with two walk-in closets another killer bathroom and it even includes two more balconies and a side room. the side room would be a great office, sewing room (cough), or the ideal place for a new baby.

716 Master final716 Master nook

One more level up and you have a giant roof deck with amazing views of the city including the Ben Franklin Bridge.

716 giant roof deck final

 

NOW for anyone that has kids and is dying for more space let’s go to the real eye candy…

The finished basement: storage closet, giant wet bar, bathroom, 16′ ceilings and windows that make you feel like you are outside and not below street level.

716 basement final

This is a great family home and to see more pictures…especially the bathrooms just go to HomeJab.com. The deal with HomeJab.com is that you are getting a beautiful video tour of a ton of city homes that are on the market. It is one my favorite ways to dream about my next house. Here is an extra tip….HomeJab.com just launched their Facebook page so LIKE them and get videos of the latest city homes right in your feed…like little presents if you an HGTV junkie like me.

 

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Let’s Go to the Movies!

Croods title X

The Croods

98 minutes

I have little movie buffs. If there is one thing my 2 and 3-year-old can do it is hunker down with their personal popcorn and bubble water and watch a movie. Kid’s movies as you know are far and few between so we go to all of them and we make an event out of it.

This weekend we saw the Croods which uses the voice star power of Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds and Nick Cage to drive a story about the first family….cave family that is.

The-Croods-wallpapers-6 X

CLICK the picture to check out a movie trailer!

I could stand to get out a lot more but honestly the movie was really good. I mean people clapped at the end. The whole thing is about how a family can work together to stay alive even when they don’t always agree. The main dynamic is the overprotective cave father and the teenage daughter molotov cocktail. The animation was great and beautiful at times. A huge plus was that the fear factor was minimal.  Ollie (2) is my gage on what is considered “scary” and he was fine the whole time. To put it in perspective he finds BRAVE (so do I), The Guardians, and parts of Transylvania a touch scary.

Belt X The boys had those great moments where they laughed out load and we will probably be buying this on Apple TV when it comes out. You will fall in love with BELT who clearly steals the show.

 Side Note:

We saw it at Cherry Hill AMC. Which was crowded and I wish we had bought our tickets on-line ahead of time. They do have kiosks there. You can see the movie in both normal and 3D. We never buy a ticket for Ollie and his job is to play the under 2 role which he is awesome at. I also toss candy in my purse before we go from my movie candy stash in the pantry….Judge away America!

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Headache Free EGG HUNT

bunny jam up

Egg Hunt & Easter Bunny

Johnson’s Corner Farm

133 Church Rd., Medford, NJ 08055
609.654.8643
egg hunt information and times>

We did the Johnson’s Corner Farm Egg Hunt again this year and the boys had a great time. If you child is under 5 years old and has a short attention span this one is for you. Here is how it works.

1. Go into the barn and buy your tickets.

2. Get on the wagon and allow yourself more than 30 minutes from Philly to get there so you don’t make everyone wait. Oh and make sure everyone has used the potty so you don’t make everyone on the hay ride wait even longer. (yep that was us. super sorry).

3. Take a nice little  hay ride to the bunny site.

DSC_012 wagon

4. Sit on the hay bails where you find out that the Easter Bunny left a slew of eggs in the pines to the right and asked if you could help clean them up for him. *Gasp!

hay bails

5. Release your child into a small wooded area where eggs are broken out by color in 5 different areas of the pines.

blue eggs

6. Come back to the hay bails were your child sort the eggs by color into giant baskets (that is right you give them back) and then gets a goody bag that has a little toy, pencil, candy, lollipop….let’s put it this way…H&O were more than thrilled.

color sorting

7. Immediately after take the hay ride back to the barn and have a little meet and greet with the big EB himself. Hop up on the tractor, take a pick and you are done.

Henry and EB

8. Grab some cider donuts, a pie or some dinner on the way out and your night is complete!

cider donuts

Worth Mentioning:

* We went on a cold day so bundle up.

*You can bring your own baskets or they give you strawberry cartons to put your eggs in.

* You do pay for everyone…kids and adults.

* The ride out to the hay bails feels like 10-15 minutes. The ride back feels like 5.

*Bust a move off that hay ride and inside to the back of the market so you can be first in line for your pic with the EB. ***Please note the line moves like butter so if you have a new walker in the group or you wore your heels to the farm…don’t sweat it.

Happy Easter ! (if that is your thing)

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