Philadelphia Moms

Philadelphia Traditions: Light Show at Macy's

Last year, I wrote about the Holiday Light Show at Macy's.  I wound up taking my son, who was 16 months old at the time, and to my surprise, he couldn't have cared less.  I thought the lights would be enough to capture his attention--babies love sparkly things right?--but it turns out he was totally distracted by the kids around him instead.

Of course, the show is back again this year through December 31st.  Again, I'll be bringing my son, but I have a feeling he'll be more focused on the lights themselves this year.  Shows run every hour on the hour.  The center court tends to be a mad house on the weekend, so if you're able to, sneak in with the kids in the middle of the week.  If you have to go on a weekend, get there early!

Rittenhouse Square Tree Lighting

Looking to take the kids to a tree lighting?  Well, I messed up and forgot to post about the one this past Sunday at Headhouse Square.  The good news is that the one at Rittenhouse Square is this Thursday, December 3rd at 5p.m.  I have a feeling Santa might make an appearance...

For more information, visit here.

Black Friday Sale--Learning Express Toys

Okay, so you're likely getting all sorts of emails and circulars for Black Friday shopping.  Here's one you may not know about it: Learning Express Toys in Cherry Hill, NJ (other locations in Broomall, Springfield and Exton, PA).

I've written about Learning Express Toys before: it's sort of a perfect marriage between Toys R Us and independent retailers.  This weekend, Friday through Sunday, everything in the entire store is 20% off.  And from 6am until 9am on Friday, November 27th, there's an additional 10% off!  That's 30% off everything in the store during those three hours.

I, for one, will be all over it.

Who Doesn't Love a Parade?

Last year, my husband took our then-16 month old son to the Thanksgiving parade, in part, so that I could get things started in the kitchen without him underfoot.  At the time, I was thankful for the quiet so that I could develop my "game plan" for hosting dinner that day.  But when my boys got home and my husband recounted how wide my son's eyes got at all the BIG BALLOONS! I began to regret that I didn't get to see his reaction first hand.

This year, we're not hosting Thanksgiving, so I won't be turning my oven on at some ridiculous hour (or at all) and we're again taking our little dude to see the parade.  I can't wait because kids young and old love a parade, especially ones with big balloons.

You can find parade details here.  It runs from 8:30am until 12pm, beginning at 20th and JFK and ending in front of the Art Museum.  Last year, my husband got to 20th Street around 8:30 and found that most of the parade had already passed, so the 8:30am "start time" might be when it arrives in front of the Art Museum. 

It's something fun and local to do with the kids.  It might not be the Macy's Parade in NYC, but it's still pretty cool.

Halloween

Just a reminder of the following Halloween options for your little one tomorrow:

Please Touch Museum--all day Halloween fun--plus all the usual PTM fun!

Franklin Square-- Trick or Treat Trail from 12-3 p.m.

Seger Playground--Halloween Party from 3-5p.m., located at 11th and Lombard Streets.

Plus, there's a Halloween Festival at Three Bears Park at 5:30p.m., located on Delancey Street, between 3rd and 4th Streets.

Have a fun and safe Halloween!

Trick or Treat!

So Halloween is next Saturday and maybe you're wondering what do to with your little one?  Especially those of you, like myself, who live in a neighborhood that doesn't exactly seem trick-or-treat friendly.

Well, you can start the fun off this weekend with Boo at the Zoo at the Philadelphia Zoo. The festivities are both Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and the whole family is encouraged to dress up! There are magic shows, crafts, games and even a presentation on the animals of Harry Potter (?!?).  The events are free with admission and children should bring their own bags to collect Halloween treats.

For October 31st itself, there are a couple of good options.  Check with your local playground or recreation center to see if they are hosting any Halloween-related events.  Seger Playground at 11th and Lombard Streets is hosting a Halloween party and parade on Halloween from 3p.m. until 5p.m.  The party is free and open to all.  There will be treats and food for the kids. 

Franklin Square is having a Trick or Treat Trailtomorrow, October 24th and Saturday, October 31st from 12p.m. until 3p.m.  Kids can make their own treat or treat bags (while supplies last) and collect some treats throughout the park.

Also on October 31st, the Please Touch Museum is hosting a not-so-spooky Halloween with healthy treats for kids, themed presentations and $1.50 off admission for anyone in costume.  The PTM knows how to party, so you can bet it'll be a fun destinations for kids this Halloween. 

Remember that Harvest Festival I posted about last week at Reading Terminal?  Turns out the weather was so abysmal that it was postponed until tomorrow, October 24th.  It's supposed to rain (yet again!) so who knows if it'll actually happen. 

Lastly, in case you're looking to leave the city and kill two birds with one stone, I just received an email about the Marketplace at Garden State Park's Fall Festival, this weekend, both Saturday and Sunday.  Located in Cherry Hill, NJ on Route 70, there will be pumpkins, wine tasting, music and face painting. PLUS, you can get a jump on your holiday shopping. Elmo will be at the Learning Express Toys, located within the shopping plaza. 

If you have heard of any other great fall/Halloween events, either leave a comment or shoot me an email so we can share!

Reading Terminal Market Harvest Festival

Well, the weather's supposed to be crappy this weekend and these rainy days always leave me wondering what to do with my toddler.  Sometimes we head to the Please Touch Museum, sometimes Adventure Aquarium, but if it's not raining too hard I'm going to make a trip to the Reading Terminal Market at 12th and Filbert Streets. 

Tomorrow, from 10 a.m. to 4p.m., is the Reading Terminal Market Harvest Festival.  The plan is for Filbert Street to be closed to traffic and transformed into a farm-like environment, with hay, a pumpkin "patch" and food stands. Inside, there will be face painting and arts and crafts.  Plus, of course, there will be all of the awesomeness that Reading Terminal Market always offers: great food, fresh flowers and seasonal goodies. 

Even if the outside farm idea is a wash-out, you might want to come on down and give the kids a little taste of the harvest in the city.

Got Milk? At the Franklin Institute

Looking for something to do with the kids next week?  Well, I received the following press release from the good folks at the Got Milk? campaign:

The “got milk?” Official Drink of Halloween Tour is stopping in Philadelphia on Tuesday, October 13 to host an event at The Franklin Institute for moms and children to provide some quick and easy tips for a healthy and safe Halloween. At the event from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., families can enjoy Halloween-themed recipes made with chocolate milk, snap celebrity-inspired Chocolate Milk Mustache photos and enter to win “got milk” giveaways and Halloween-themed prizes – all while learning tips on how to make this Halloween a little healthier!

Here’s a spooky fact: two out of three kids fail to get enough calcium and studies show that kids who drink chocolate and other flavored milks have higher calcium intakes than those who don’t. They also tend to drink fewer sugary sodas and fruit drinks and are more likely to be at a healthy weight compared to kids who drink little or no milk.

 

EVENT DETAILS:

Date: Tuesday, October 13

Location: The Franklin Institute

      222 N. 20th St.

  Philadelphia, PA 19103

Time: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

 

At the event, Philadelphia moms and kids can:

- Snap a celebrity-inspired chocolate Milk Mustache photo to take home as a souvenir

- Participate in Halloween activities and answer the latest “Twivia” question posted by @MilkMustache on Twitter for a chance to win fun prizes

- Sample delicious and nutritious lowfat and fat free chocolate milk from local milk processors

- Taste and learn how to make fun Halloween-themed recipes

- Interact with fun educational museum exhibits

- Receive tips on how to make this Halloween a safe and healthy one

Fourth Annual Fall Festival in Midtown Village

Do you know what Midtown Village is?  I didn't either until this time last year, when Midtown Village hosted last fall's festival.  At any rate, it's an organization of businesses either on or clustered around 13th Street.  Now when I first moved to Philly 12 years ago, 13th Street was not necessarily an area where you'd want to hang out.  But over the years, it's been transformed, with many lovely restaurants and boutiques.  Among my personal favorites are Open House and Duross and Langel. 

At any rate, Midtown Village is hosting its annual fall festival this Saturday, October 3rd, from 12p.m.-8p.m. at 13th and Sansom Streets.  The event is rain or shine, and unfortunately, the weather forecast is calling for rain at the time of this post, but let's hope it holds out for awhile.  There will be music, food and a "little villagers" area that I believe will involve a moonbounce.  Because what party is complete without a moonbounce?

So let's do an anti-rain dance and head on over on Saturday.  Turns out you don't have to leave the city to get in a little fall fun after all.

Fall Is In The Air

I know this is a site about Philadelphia and things to do IN Philadelphia, but I can't help but think of Fall as a great time to sneak out of the city for a bit.  What, with apple- and pumpkin-picking, hayrides, festivals and whatnot, there are a lot of good reasons to take a little day trip.  Here are some of interest.

Brandywine Harvest Festival, September 26 & 27 and October 3 & 4. If wine is your thing and you've got a child who is easily portable, check out these wineries for tours, tastings and music.

Peddler's Village Scarecrow Competition, through October 25th. Get some shopping done and let the kids decide which scarecrow they think takes the cake!

Linvilla Orchards Apple Festival, September 26 & 27.  Includes music, children's games and pie eating contests.  Plus Linvilla has apple picking every day and Pumpkin land is open.  Hayrides through mid-November.

Pumpkin Days at Tyler Arboretum, October 17 & 18. Pumpkins, a haunted barn and scarecrow-making.  Fun for all!

Monster Pumpkins at Longwood Gardens, October 2-31.  Check out some truly unusual pumpkins, plus visit the new Indoor Children's Garden.

Pumpkin picking--Looking for a place in NJ to pick your own pumpkins?  Here's a link to some pick your own farms.