Day 1) Mini food tour adventure: NYC is full of great spots. Take one morning morning to go sample hot chocolate all over the village, or decide who has the best waffles in Manhattan. If kids are picky, have them make a list of their favorite places and splurge by adventuring to a few of them in one day. (*Note* the best part of this adventure is some full, happy, and worn out kiddies by time you get home. Naptime, anyone?).

Day 2) Craft Day: St. Patrick’s Day is coming up and that means green everything! Make sure to cover your work space with newspaper in case of spills or accidents. We love:

• Construction paper rainbows. Directions: attach rainbow paper to a “cloud” made of cotton  or cut out of white paper.
•  Pots of gold. Directions: terra cotta flower pots can be painted on and filled with chocolate that looks like gold coins.
• Try-on leprechaun mask mirrors. Directions found here.
• Green garlands to decorate. Directions: cut strips of green paper, roll and stapling into a circle, repeat to make a chain.
• Shamrock decorations. Directions: cut out of construction paper or just colored onto regular paper.
• Dye Easter Eggs. Directions: Hard boil a dozen eggs, purchase a dye kit, dip eggs into colors as desired. 
• Make an Easter Bunny. Directions: cut out two almond shaped white pieces and have lil’ ones color the inside pink leaving an inch or so border. Staple or glue these on to a paper plate. Attach two googley eyes. Use a foam shape or color in a nose. For whiskers, take pipe cleaners cut in half and glue them coming out from the nose. 

Day 3) Museum Hopping: Luckily, NYC has plenty of fun museums to take lil’ ones to. Check out this great guide of museums for kids based on how old they are. Most museums let lil’ ones in for free or deeply discounted rates, making this fun and affordable!

Day 4) Spring Cleaning: This may not be the most fun activity on the list, but it’s sure to keep lil’ ones occupied. Take a day out of the week and have lil’ ones clean out their room or pick one chore to help with around the house. Getting lil’ ones in the habit of helping clean will help you and them in the long run! This is also an opportunity to share stories, memories, and crafts that turn up (and scrapbook them if you’re into that). If lil’ ones are looking for change rearrange the furniture in their room or add a new decoration as a reward for a job well done.

Day 5) Playdates: One of the best resources moms have is other moms! Get together with a few friends and have a playdate party. Keep lil’ ones entertained with Wii games, puzzles, a dance party/contest, homemade pizza making, or movies while having the chance to chat with other adults.

Day 6) Scavenger Hunt: This one can take as much or little planning as needed. Kids (supervised by an adult) can find things throughout the city, or can stay inside the home and find things. Scavenger hunts can also include mundane things such as “eating lunch” or “checking the mail” as well as wacky and ridiculous like “do a headstand and take a picture” or “find someone wearing a pink hat.”

Day 7) Relax: With school the next day, take this day to unwind. Pop some easy homemade cinnamon buns in the oven with lil’ ones, put your feet up, and enjoy a movie. Finish up any homework, pick out outfits for the next day, catch up on some reading and enjoy family dinner.

Our enthusiastic sitters are always happy to help out and take kids on adventures all over the city or help entertain them in the home! Enjoy break!

-Lauren has been babysitting for years and works in-house at LLD. Her favorite part of spring break is curling up with a book, hot chocolate, and fuzzy slippers!

In addition to being enrolled in a music class that starts in January, my daughter and I went to our first class at our local library this past Friday.  We loved it!  The teacher was wonderful, and it was great to get back out into the world of the living and into a room full of other parents, child care providers, and little ones.  These classes are extremely popular (they are free for one thing), so you must sign up in well in advance—registration opens on the 15 or 16th of every month.  I found myself rushing out of bed first thing this morning to make sure we were all signed up for January—as I clicked through the registration process and glanced out the window to see that the sun had not even risen yet, I realized that I had turned into one of those crazy parents who thinks their son/daughter needs to be enrolled in every class, group, infant band audition so as not to miss out on anything (before she even knows that there is food beyond breast milk).  The bottom line is that I, of course, want the best for my child (as do most parents who sign up for these classes). And I’m trying to think of myself as not crazy for setting my alarm to sign up, as I’m convinced it’s been the most effective way to find the best classes for me and my daughter.

-Samantha is a former LLD sitter, event planner, and elementary school teacher. She and her husband live in New York and are first-time parents

Hold the cheese, please
The command “say cheese!” has been used to invoke smiles since at least the 1940s. While it generally succeeds in getting the mouth formation into a smile, if the eyes aren’t matching a grin then the result is often closer to a terrifying zombie face (something to keep in mind for Halloween). Try conjuring up laughter instead of smiles on command – singing ridiculous songs, making animal noises (I’m working on mastering a seal bark), or telling jokes.

The little details of life
Pay attention to all the tiny details that are making up the whole scene you want to capture. Maybe you want to remember your son’s beautiful curls, your daughter’s tight fist around her favorite blanket, or your children’s hands intertwined as they sit together. Come in close and capture fractions of the entire setting.

Up, down, over, under
Think of different vantage points to photograph your children from instead of staying seated with them. Lay on the ground to be eye level with a baby, climb up on a chair to tower above a toddler, or hang out under a chair and have your child peek out from above you.

Glorious lighting
Soft, even lighting will generally be the easiest to photograph in and will help to produce the most pleasing results. If you’re outdoors, look for open shade (shade caused by large objects such as trees or buildings where a large light source – generally the sun – is still illuminating the area). Indoors, try to move your child close to and facing a window. Having your subject in direct sun will usually cause squinting or shielding eyes, and harsh shadows. You can also try filling in some of the shadows by bouncing a little more light back on to your subject. Anything white will work if you bring it close to the face: poster board, a blanket, or a large piece of paper. This is usually easiest if you have someone else there to hold it while you take the photo.

Most important: have fun!

-Emily Dewan is a Photographer based in NYC. She specializes in glimpses of life of families with their children and pets. She loves barking like a seal to get children to laugh. Find out more on her website, blog, Facebook page, or Twitter feed. 

What will you need:

1. Tap water
2. Rubbing Alcohol
3. Clear narrow necked plastic bottle (water bottle will work just fine)
4. Food coloring
5. Clear drinking straw
6. Modeling clay or play-doh

Directions:

1. Pour equal parts of tap water and rubbing alcohol into the bottle, filling about 1/8 to a ¼ of the bottle.
2. Add food coloring to the water and alcohol mixture and mix well
3. Put the straw in the bottle, but don’t let it touch the bottom.
4. Use the modeling clay/ play-doh to seal the top of the bottle so the straw stays in place.
5. Hold hands on the bottle and see what happens to the mixture.
6. When done with experiment, make sure bottle is disposed of and not reused!

Cool science explained:
The mixture in the bottle will expand when it gets warm, which means it will no longer fit in the bottom of the bottle and must move up through the straw. If the bottle were to get really hot, the liquid would have to come through the top of the straw. Put the bottle in the sun & shade to see the difference (feel free to mark lines with sharpie).

*Note: this thermometer will teach a little bit about science and temperature, but you won’t be able to record an exact temperature unless you buy a real thermometer.

-Lauren D, creative intern with LLD by day & babysitter & older sister by night. 

Avery loved the giant tires on the tractor!

Next we visited a farm that raised all sorts of animals. Cows, goats, horses, chickens, and I think I may have seen a turkey. This was in additional to their dogs, cats, and pond full of extremely large and funny looking catfish. The look on her face when we pulled up was priceless. It is like she was thinking “Mommy, farms really do exist!” She had the opportunity to feed the 2 day old goats from a bottle, pet Sceeter the cow, and feed the catfish. She also chased the chickens around the farm (or were they chasing her?) for what seemed like hours while I hid behind my Grandpa, scared that one may head my way.

The baby goat was one of Avery’s fave parts of the day!

One of the best parts about the day was how much the farmers enjoyed having us there. They are so passionate about what they do and to share that with others made their day. We will definitely be making this trip a regular part of our summer!

-Mindy is a former LLD sitter and lives in Chicago with her daughter and husband.

Diaper cakes are a great functional centerpiece!

I made it myself according to the directions, not hard, just time consuming. Making it with a helper was much more fun. We first took apart smaller diaper centerpieces made for girls and turned the pink accents into blue. That was an easy fix. The finished product, the diaper cake, which was decorated with “Where the Wild Things Are” accents made for an excited Grandma-to-be. I don’t think I’ve seen her so excited since we found giant ice cream cones from Dairy Queen for only 50 cents back in college. Her “Wild Things” ideas should make for quite a cute shower. As the animals in the story said to Max, “We’ll eat you up we love you so” This baby will have all that animal love and more.

Never forget the sunscreen!

The many sounds, sights, and smells of summer that I have always loved and anxiously await all winter long are here. This time along with the sound of birds chirping and the ice cream truck, I hear Avery’s amazing laugh as she goes down the slide and says  “One more time Mommy…please?”

One more time!

This time along with the sight of the beautiful flowers blooming and the sun shining all day long, I see Avery’s beautiful smile as she picks flowers for me in the backyard. This time along with the smell of dinner on the grill and fresh cut grass, I smell Avery after a long day outside playing and in desperate need of a bath. But I have grown to love that scent because I know it is a sign of a fun day in the great outdoors!

-Mindy is a former LLD sitter and lives in Chicago with her daughter and husband.

• What is Jam with Jamie & what inspired you to start it?  

Jam with Jamie provides musical entertainment for birthday parties, playgroups, and events for children, from 0 to 5 years old, all over New York City and the Tri-State area. My inspiration stems from working as a music teacher in preschools and for the company, Citibabes. My mother encouraged me to start my own company to provide private entertainment for birthday parties and playgroups, so in 2008 I took her advice. I got my start at a family friends’ birthday party and from there Jam with Jamie kept growing and growing. Now, 5 years later, the Jam with Jamie team has six entertainers. We are currently in the works to expand to Nashville and Miami!

•  Describe a typical party appearance with Jam with Jamie 

Parties include live singing and guitar playing with one rockin’ entertainer who interacts with the children through instruments, animal puppets, shakers, parachutes, and bubbles to add to the fun. For forty minutes, children will be up on their feet dancing and shaking to familiar tunes, that even adults enjoy! It is truly fun for the whole family and specials requests are always welcome!

Jamie incorporates the theme of the party into the entertainment!

•  Tell us more about your new online Children’s Song Series!

We are so proud to announce our most recent venture with Howcast.com. There are 38 videos that children can sing and play along with at home. We hope we can spread the joy of music to little ones and help them connect to new songs and classics with these videos. Here is a link to one of our favorites, and please check out the others. It’ll keep you and your kids occupied for hours!

A couple of my favorite videos from the Children’s song series are Baby Shark and Two Little Blackbirds.

• What else are you up to?

When I am not performing at birthday parties I am also an actress. I have done a ton of children’s theater, even when I was a child myself! I have performed in “The Little Mermaid” and “The Velveteen Rabbit” at The Player’s Theater. I am currently performing as the rock and roll granny in the new Laurie Berkner musical, “Wanda’s Monster.” We were just nominated by the Off-Broadway Alliance for “Best Family Show” which I am very excited about. Look out for news on our upcoming run at The Vineyard Theater over the summer!

• How can I book Jam with Jamie for my party?!

Contact us through our website or you can call us at 917-822-0186. Also, follow us on Twitter.

-Jamie has been working with children of all ages as an actress, teacher, and entertainer for the past ten years. She has taught numerous music and movement classes in Miami, Florida and at Citibabes and Kaplan Nursery School in New York City. Jamie has also performed in many off-broadway children’s theater productions, most recently as the Rock and Roll Granny in Laurie Berkners’ new musical, “Wanda’s Monster.”  Learn more about Jamie on her acting website.

Worth all the work to hang out with friends!

It was a lot of work to produce a little pleasure. Collecting, dusting off, pricing and boxing is time consuming and exhausting. I traded yoga for the exercise I got running up and down the stairs for those two days. Then there is the unpacking. I hope my friend knows that a second set of hands will be needed when I arrive. Do you remember that I mentioned a little pleasure? Well, that is being able to hang out with her and laugh like hyenas when the customers want to pay 10 cents for an item marked 25 cents or just reminisce about our crazy years at BGSU. Tune in next week for the results.

-Mama Bell

Waverly is a chapter of girls exploring creative activities that inspire us to develop our own talents through writing, adventure, and community service. We aim to be girls that lead by example in friendship and in passion! Held on a Saturday afternoon, together we discover culture and reinforce our findings with a craft. Imagine a day in Paris: visiting a French restaurant, taking a cooking class with a chef, starting a cook book, and stopping off at the MET for a private tour of an exhibit highlighting the unique beauty of Paris. The girls connect with a place, dream in their own ways, and have tangible examples of how to be inventive at home! Waverly was launched in Greenwich, CT last October and will be opening a chapter in NYC this fall!

Every single girl needs role models, inspiring her to be her best self and provide experiences that encourage connectedness and growth. A Waverly afternoon is run by a twenty-six year old gal along with a Greenwich Academy High School volunteer, both focused and committed to being exceptional examples for the next generation! Waverly role models (Waverly Writers) contribute once a month to The Waverly Journal in which they share their unique experiences and interests. The Waverly Journal is available for girls of all ages!

Waverly will be visiting Greenwich, CT and Baltimore, MD in June, Nantucket in July, and Southampton in August! We would love for you to join us during one of these weeks this summer! Please email waverlynyc@gmail.com for registration information and for more information about the monthly letter, The Waverly Journal.

 -Molly Wills started Waverly as way to encourage future generations of girls from a creative standpoint. She is a current LLD sitter and lives in CT.