Did you read Amy Sohn’s book, Let’s just say her shtick about Park Slope moms is on par with Joan Rivers.  She saves her meanest words (ahem, satire) for “cargo-wearing”,  “frumpy” stay-at-home moms.  Grrr! I LOVE my cargo pants. Grrr!

But, on the positive side, there is Brooklyn mom Carolyn, who blogs at .  She, on the other hand, knows how moms can find themselves in the same outfit day after day- as she states, “It was just too easy for me to pull the same pants and cotton t-shirts out of the closet each day.” Of course- those same pants and cotton t-shirts FIT!  At any rate, Carolyn, has decided that she wanted to help herself and other moms to look great for little money, so she started .  She blogs about clothes that you can wear to the playground that are fuctional and fashionable and then tells you where to find these trends and products for the best price.

I guess I am particularly fashion-less because I just learned about from Carolyn last month!

Since I trust Carolyn’s advice on fashion, I knew I could trust her reviews on Brooklyn resources. I asked if she could write some reviews of Brooklyn places and classes- and she said, “yes!”.  From her, I learned of 3 new places I want to go- and her reviews are full of helpful hints. So, here they are:

Cobble Hill Coffee Shop
314 Court Street @ DeGraw, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Phone:
Cuisine: Diner/American
Hours: 7am – 11pm
This new diner replaced the old Donut Shop (which funny enough didn’t sell donuts!) on Court Street in Cobble Hill. It has quickly become our go-to place for a family brunch on weekend mornings. Unlike many of the brunch restaurants in the area, this place is open at the crack of dawn which suits our early rising kids. The food is good and includes all the diner standards (like the pancakes which my preschooler son can inhale an entire order on his own!). The wait staff always makes a fuss over the kids. The only catch is the size. Only two of the tables in the restaurant work well for families. However, we have never had a problem getting one of them. I would recommend bringing a folding stroller if you bring one at all due to limited stroller parking.

Ikea Cafeteria

1 Beard St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Phone:
Cuisine: Swedish Meatballs & other child friendly favorites
Hours: 9:30am – 8:30pm (restaurant)
This is one of my best mommy secrets: Ikea is an awesome free playspace on cold or rainy days. On rotten days, I bundle up the kids and head to the Ikea in Red Hook. On the showroom floor, they have a fun area full of toys and tables where we can play in the tents and try out all the kids’ beds. They also have a child’s room set up with a miniature play kitchen where my son loves to pretend to cook us all dinner. As a mother of an active preschooler and baby, it amazes me how Ikea seems to have thought of everything to accommodate families. They have a family restroom with changing table, nursing chair and potty all in one room! It’s situated handily right by the kids’ area and the cafeteria. The cafeteria is also a cheap breakfast or lunch option. It’s one of the few places I have been brave enough to bring two young kids on my own. They have tons of Ikea high chairs and booster seats available. Plus they have these great rolling tray carriers that allow me to go through the cafeteria line with one child in the Ergo and one in the stroller. The line is full of child friendly food like meatballs, mac & cheese and fish. They have child friendly drinks including juice boxes and milk. They even sell baby food if you happen to forget a jar. They provide a microwave and bottle warmer, bibs and children’s plates and silverware! Plus someone cleans up after you are done! Does it get any better?

Fairway
480 Van Brunt St
Brooklyn, NY 11231
Phone
Cuisine: American
Hours: 8am – 10pm
I am not the biggest fan of grocery shopping with two kids, but I will make an exception for Fairway. The store in Red Hook is one of our favorite family outings. In the current economy, their prices are hard to beat plus they have a fun eating area that looks out over the New York harbor with amazing views of the Statue of Liberty. In the winter, it’s all under cover of a tent and in the summer, the kids love to play along the water and watch the boats. The food is inexpensive and decent. It’s perfect for a breakfast of French toast or pancakes. We also pick up hot food like from the steam tables near the deli at the front of the store and bring it to the picnic tables in back. One of my personal favorites is the lobster roll for $8. They have high chairs so it works great with a baby. Plus you can pick up a few groceries! It’s one of the places that makes me grateful that we live in New York. I can’t think of a single grocery store in suburbia with such an amazing view.

Artscetera
Arfie’s Art & Play Class
During my son’s young life, we have taken quite a number of classes throughout the Bococa area. My favorite by far was the Arfie’s Art & Play class at Artcetera. He started the class a few weeks before he turned two. I really wanted him to have some exposure to creative arts, but I also knew realistically that he had a pretty short attention span at this age. It was the perfect mix of music, physical activity and artistic creativity. The class helped him work out his wiggles then gave him his first real exposure to painting and coloring with really fun craft projects. It was great practice for preschool the following year because he got to practice social interaction with other kids plus allowed him the opportunity to learn to focus for things like table time and listening to a teacher’s instructions. We ended up taking it for multiple semesters, and it was definitely a favorite both mom and kid!

Castle Spa

131-10 11th Ave
College Point (Queens), NY 11356
Phone:
Weekdays: $35/person; Weekends: $45/person
For Valentine’s Day, my husband and I wanted to try something new. As the parents of two small children, we rarely have time together as a couple except of the odd dinner out here and there. We saw an article in Time Out New York for Castle Spa and decided it would be an adventure as well as break us out of our usual dinner out rut. We had an amazing time! The spa is a huge Korean bathhouse with four different levels. You enter on the main level and pay. Here you receive your watch-like bracelet that allows you to pay for everything else in the facility. At this poing, we went our separate ways to the locker rooms. The women’s side had lots of comfy sofas full of lounging women enjoying masks and taking naps. There was a small locker for shoes that you unlock via your bracelet. You also pick up your spa uniform here: pink/orange shorts and t-shirts for women and blue/gray for men. Next you go to your larger locker where you can store all the rest of your things and change into your swimsuit and uniform. In locker rooms, there are single sex baths and saunas. On the upper floors are the mixed baths and saunas along with a food court and Korean restaurant. My husband and I met up on the next level and quickly made our way to the outdoor pools on the third floor. It was a chilly 40 degrees outside but the baths were really warm. They are large pools with many different stations with massaging jets that target all different parts of your body. There are also indoor pools as well for those that prefer to avoid the cold dash back inside. On the second floor, the spa also has many different saunas, each with different theme like Jade, Gold, and Mineral Salts that potential help with every health problem you could imagine. The spa does offer the usual services like massages, manicures, etc but we didn’t try any that day. While we went as a couple, this would also make a fun day out for a family. It’s very kid friendly with many families around. Our children our young, but I could see this being a great outing for kids kindergarten and older who enjoy water play. I would recommend reading the reviews on Yelp for perspectives from a lot of different people (. Overall, it’s not super cheap, but when taken as an unusual NY experience that is fun for a special occasion, it’s pretty amazing!

South Beach
Father Capodanno Blvd. & Sand Lane, Staten Island, NY

(link to map: )

South Beach is a fun, family-friendly beach just over the Verrazano Bridge from Brooklyn. It’s has a free decent parking lot, long board walk, nice stretch of beach with clean sand, playground, sprinklers, clean bathrooms and snack stands. It’s a quick drive from the Bococa neighborhoods and makes a fun day trip for little kids and families who find Jones Beach or Robert Moses too far. The waves are very light so it’s perfect for getting little kids used to the ocean. This is one of our favorite places to cool off in the summer. During the summer the beach and boardwalk host regular festivals and fireworks in the evenings.

AllAffairs

Between 23 Avenue & Bay Parkway718-
We recently threw a joint birthday party for my son and daughter (3 yrs & 1 yr).  We had about 10 preschoolers and decided a children’s table would make our craft (decorating a frame from OrientalTrading.com) and cake a lot easier.  I tried a few places in the city and but most had pretty high minimums.  I found a good deal in AllAffairs.com in Midwood.  They have no minimums if we were willing to pick it up on our own and decent prices.  They rent 6ft & 8ft children’s tables along with plastic chairs (with metal legs) for children.   If you do want delivery, they have a $50 minimum with a charge for delivery depending upon your location.  It’s best to probably place an order in advance to make sure they what you need in stock.

My Favorite Brooklyn Memberships
As a family, we have memberships to three different places that have served us well by providing TONS of entertainment options and saved us a lot of money (perfect for this crazy economy!).

1. Brooklyn Children’s Museum
website:
The basic family membership is $75. This gets two adults and all the children in one household into the museum. In of itself, this is great. The Children’s Museum is one of our favorite weekend haunts and is great for both of our children (baby and preschooler). The perks are great though – the membership also gets you into over 300 other places across the country including the NY Hall of Science in Queens, Liberty Science Center in New Jersey, the Transit Museum in Brooklyn and the Staten Island Children’s Museum. These savings can really add up over the course of a year plus you get a lot of variety!

2. Wildlife Conservation Society
Website:
This membership gets you into the Bronx Zoo, the Prospect Park Zoo, the NY Aquarium, Central Park Zoo and the Queens Zoo. The basic family membership is $120 but there are a couple of different options as well. If your children are all under the age of 3, you can join at the Individual Premium level for $90 and get in one adult plus one adult visitor; kids under 3 are free. The premium level on both the Individual and Family memberships also offers unlimited access to all the “extras” at the Bronx Zoo. All of the memberships include four free parking passes as well.

3. Brooklyn Botanic Garden
website:
When we are looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of urban life, but we can’t leave the city, we make a trip to the BBG. It’s so serene, and the plants and flowers are breathtaking. In just a few months, the cherry blossoms will be at their peak and this is a sight not to be missed! A family membership to the garden is $75 and includes admission for two adults and all children. It also includes four parking passes. My favorite perk though is access to the members’ only picnics once a month during June, July and August. During the picnics, the garden welcomes members only to picnic on the Cherry Esplanade. It’s a kind of urban utopia of kids playing and adults lounging on picnic blankets all enjoying the summer air and the beauty of the gardens. Picnicking is not allowed at any other time so it’s truly a special experience.

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