Friday, October 23, 2009

More Kids Stuff for Halloween

Here is a list of some more stuff to do for Halloween with the kids spanning over the next two weekends.


What: Monster Mash & Bash
Where - New York State Museum

When: October 24, 25, and 31st, Noon - 4PM
Cost:
$2.00 Admission

Extra Info: Be sure to wear your costumes for a parade around the museum each day at 1pm. There will be face painting and other Halloween style fun… with a special guest from the Smile Monster (smilemonster.com on 10/25 and 10/31). Ages Toddler – 10 years. If you are an adult (duh!), check out the spooky haunted house they have for you.

____________________________________________

What: Halloween Hayride

Where: Ellms Farms, Ballston Spa

When: Friday and Saturdays in October from 7-10pm

Cost: $8.50, online registration required

Extra info: This ride is designed for everyone, so it’s not haunted. Cider and donuts included. If you can’t do the hayride, Ellms Farms has a ton of stuff to do. Check out their jumping pillow, corn maze, and moo-moo-choo-choo. One of my family’s favorite places to go this time of year.


What: Halloween Trick or Treat

Where: The Children’s Museum at Saratoga

When: October 31st, 1:00PM – 4:30 PM

Cost: $5 for children, adults are free.

Extra Info: Children can trick or treat around the museum and then do join in on some games and activities. Children and adults are encouraged to come in costume. The museum will not open until 1pm on that day.


What: Malloween

Where: Crossgates Mall

When: October 31st, 12-3pm

Cost: Free

Extra Info: Safe trick or treating for the kids hosted by Radio Disney
__________________________________

What: Halloween Trick or Treat

Where: The Children’s Museum at Saratoga

When: October 31st, 1:00PM – 4:30 PM

Cost: $5 for children, adults are free.

Extra Info: Children can trick or treat around the museum and then do join in on some games and activities. Children and adults are encouraged to come in costume. The museum will not open until 1pm on that day.


What: Halloween Open House
Where: Five Rivers Environmental Education Center
When: October 31st, 1-3:30 PM
Cost: Free

Extra Info: Family fun combining the magic of nature AND Halloween.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

APL Monster Mash

Another Halloween event for your little ghouls. We were at the library earlier today and saw the staff setting up the room. It was so cute. It looked like teachers setting up the high school gym for a homecoming dance. They were actually hanging up a DISCO BALL! I vowed then not to miss this party. I wonder if they rent the ball out as well. Happy Haunting.

Here is the info. from the Albany Public Library website:

Looking for a fun, free, safe Halloween event for your kids this year? Then head on over to the Main Library on Oct. 23 for our Monster Mash Halloween Bash!

Join us at 161 Washington Avenue from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, for this fun event for children and their families. Everyone is encouraged to wear a costume and enjoy:
• Ghostly tales for a family audience by Mary Murphy, a local writer and storyteller
• Dracula’s dance party where kids can do the Monster Mash, Thriller dance, and more
• Scavenger hunt to find Halloween memorabilia around the library
• Kooky crafts and face painting
• Bounce house for the little kids
• Kid-friendly Halloween short films and movie clips
• Ghoulish goodies and treats for everyone (Hannaford is our hospitality sponsor for this event)

The Halloween party takes place after regular library hours. Lots of library staff and volunteers will be on hand to help families make the most out of their time at the Monster Mash. Please join us for the festivities!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Haunted Bookstores

Here are what Border's and Barnes and Noble are doing for Halloween. I'm always on the lookout for things that allow me to get my money's worth out of these costumes.

Borders

Kids Halloween Spooktacular

October 24, 2009 2:00 PM

Albany - Borders
1 Crossgates Mall Rd.
Albany, NY 12203

Bring the whole family to celebrate Halloween with fun games, spooky music, scary crafts and more! Ask a bookseller for more details.

__________________________________

Barnes & Noble

More Halloween!

Storytime
Join us for Halloween fun as we read stories about masks, make our own masks, and do face painting following storytime!
Friday October 30, 2009 11:00 AM

Colonie Centre
131 Colonie Center Suite 355, Albany, NY 12205, 518-438-1728

________________________________________

Halloween Is Here!

Storytime
Trick or treat, the big day is finally here! Join us for stories of masquerades and other Halloween adventures! We will make paper plate masks following storytime!
Saturday October 31, 2009 11:00 AM

Colonie Centre
131 Colonie Center Suite 355, Albany, NY 12205, 518-438-1728
_______________________________________

Monday, October 19, 2009

Necklaces you can't eat

As I was meandering around Stuyvesant Plaza the other day (after my weekly Pumpkin Spice Latte indulgence) I poked my head into The Pottery Place to see what kind of stuff they have going on. I have made a couple of things in there with the kids that we have given as gifts to the grandparents... gifts that only grandparents could love. You know, mugs, picture frames etc. that either have handprints all over them or are painted brown (because all the pretty colors mixed together make brown).

Anyway, I noticed that, in addition to pottery, they now have the cute silver charms you can design yourself. What caught my eye were the really sweet ones that your child can fingerprint into and and add their intials or other designs. (having the fingerprint around your neck might come in handy... might save you the trip for the Safe ID)

My first thought was, 'Now this is some kind of child-made jewelry I can get into.' Not that I don't love the pipe cleaner bead bracelets or the cheerio necklaces...but I find these are probably more durable, and less perishable for that matter.

The prices are pretty reasonable, I guess. I don't really know because I don't make my own jewelry. There are a couple of different options, but you can get enough silver clay for up 4 little charms and studio time for $40. I think they might make a really sweet gift for yourself or relatives.

Their website is under construction, but you can read a little more in the Stuyvesant Plaza newsletter or go to the Lilly Ollo website to find out more about what you can make.

The Pottery Place also offers classes if you feel like you'd rather have someone helping you. You can find their contact info here.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

You lose sir... you lose

Ok. I am kind of annoyed at myself for letting myself get annoyed at this, but hey, it happens.

Today at the Thacher Park Fall Festival (which seemed sadly quiet as opposed to last year... maybe because it was so bloody cold) they added a little choo-choo train ride for the kids which was basically some souped up barrels pulled by a tractor. Anyway, it was a popular ride and there was a line forming. As the children from the previous ride got off, my kids lined up to get on. There was a little boy who didn't get out of the car my son was in line for. I figured he just needed a few moments to say good bye to the train, no big deal, but his dad walked over and said he would be riding on again. I very politely asked him if he could ask his son to get out and wait in line again so my son could get a ride. It seemed fair enough to me. Apparently, not to him. He basically spazzed out and refused. After a few more comments, he ended up yelling at me (in front of a line of children and parents, mind you) "Jesus... why don't you get a gun and shoot me!"

I have often heard that when you bring up Hitler or the Holocaust in an argument, you automatically lose. Well, I am now extending that rule to saying things like 'get a gun' and 'shoot me'. Especially in front of kids.

Well done sir. Not only did you teach your son that he is entitled to get things regardless of how it affects other people, you also taught us all how to fly off the handle.

Thank you dear readers for indulging me. I feel better now. Moving on.com.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Safe ID's

Safe IDs... It's just one of those things you do to fulfill your role as a responsible parent.. You know, like getting them a car seat, and bibs, and stuff.

We got one made a couple of years ago for my first born. Honest to god, this is a conversation I had with my husband the other day:

Me: Hey, we never used that Safe ID we got a few years ago.
Husband: Uhh...that's a good thing.

Here are some locations you can go to get this card made, if you so desire. And here's to you never having to use it.

October 16, 2009

Albany County Sheriff's Department
Family Fall Festival
Cohoes Community Center
22 Remsen St.
Cohoes, NY 12047
Hours: 5:30pm - 7:00pm

October 17, 2009

Albany County Sheriff's Department
SHOP FOR A CAUSE
Macy's - Colonie Center
200 Colonie Center
Albany, NY 12205
Hours: 10:00am - 4:00pm

Albany County Locations with Walk-in hours

  • New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services
    4 Tower Place
    Albany, New York 12203
    1-800-FIND KID
    Hours: Tues, Wed, Thurs 9:00am - 4:00pm
  • Sherree Sebast
    Albany County Sheriff's Department
    75 Remsen St
    Cohoes, NY 12047
    518-720-8006
    Hours: Mon - Fri, 9:30am - 3:30pm
  • Police Officer Kelly Kimbrough
    Albany Police Department
    126 Arch St
    Albany, NY 12202
    518-434-5173
    Hours: Call for hours of availability
  • Police Officer Carl Duda
    Town of Guilderland Police Department
    5209 Western Turnpike
    Guilderland, NY 12084
    518-356-1501
    Hours: Call for hours of availability

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Ain't no party like a Play-Doh party...cuz a Play-Doh party don't stop

...unless you forget to put the lid back on it, and it dries up... that's pretty much game over.

Anyway, Get your Fun Factory sculpting on at the Albany Public library. Join in on the Play-Doh party!

From their website:
Event: Play-Doh Party at Main
Location: Main Library
Begins: 2:00 pm (Sunday, October 18, 2009)
Ends: 3:00 pm (Sunday, October 18, 2009)
Description: Toddlers, preschoolers, elementary children and their adults are encouraged to play sculptor in the Children's Room using provided Play-doh, Fun Factories and various household kitchen tools. Who doesn't like Play-doh?

It could be as fun as this:




*Ding! From Kenner.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Vermont is for Mothers pt. 2

Leaf-peepin' at its finest

Heading from the Vermont Country Store to Manchester is one heckuva fall drive. The town of Manchester, from what I saw, was filled with outlets, cute little shops, a fancy, schmancy ORVIS etc. Let me put it this way...according to their website, they are THE Vermont experience... so close your eyes, imagine Vermont, and you are probably picturing Manchester...only, with a Gap Outlet .

The highlight for me is the Northshire Bookstore. I always heard about them from their underwriting spots on WAMC, but didn't know what I was missing. It's like The Book House on maple syrup flavored steroids. Overall, a really great independent bookstore... lots of cool books, stationery, unique gift items, nice cafe and a second floor dedicated to the kiddos. Check out their website for their literary events or their blog.


Get it??? Nothing IS written in stone. Wah, wah, wah.
(Right before the entrance to the bookshop)



Final stop before home found us at The Village Peddler and Bearatorium in East Arlington. It's a cute little shop filled with teddy bears and chocolate, chocolate, chocolate (AAACK!) I got some homemade fudge (Almond Joy and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip... because sometimes you feel like a nut etc..) and enjoyed it all the way to the car. Look here for some chocolate math. Random.

Holy Carp! That's a chocolate bear!

So basically, the purpose of these two posts was to say: Quick! You have to go to Vermont now, before it gets too cold and annoying. (Can you tell I'm not a skiier?)



Sunday, October 11, 2009

Vermont is for Mothers pt. 1

...and lovers, kids, friends, pets, moose, etc...anyone who really enjoys a fall-tastic drive through the foliage. Last week, my friend and I took our annual fall pilgrimage to The Vermont Country Store and Manchester. It's a bit of a drive, but let me show you why it's worth your while. Here is the first of my posts dedicated to the Green (but currently multi-colored) Mountain State.

Purveyors of the Practical and Hard to Find

The Vermont Country Store puts the sundry in 'various in sundry'. This place is crawling with sundries. It feels like Mr. Olsen's Mercantile Shop.


Clean up in style.


Scrum-diddly-umptious candy store. Willy Wonka would be tipping his velvety top hat in approval. Rows and rows of glass jars filled with candy. I'm a big fan of anything you have to scoop out into little bags so that put me in the right place.

They also have tons of free samples of cheese, dips, jams, jellies, common crackers etc. If you don't mind crowds dipping en masse, I don't see why not you couldn't fill up here and skip lunch.

One thing that caught my eye was brown bread in a can... and despite my friends assurance that this was totally normal, the concept of baked goods in can seems to be going against nature. Call me olde fashioned...or new fangled... but I just can't wrap my brain around that one.


The Country Store ain't afraid of a little controversy. Here is proof that they are 100% behind the Right to Dry campaign.

(For even more VCS controversy...or should I say 'scandal'... check this out.)


In the apothecary section you can buy balms, ointments, soaps, perfumes (like the ever popular Ben-Hur and Wind Song) and other hard to find beauty items.







...and toys, toys, toys. Rock 'em, sock 'em robots, potato guns, squirting nickels, and loads of other classic toys that are hard to find. Smurfy.

You could spend hours in hear browsing around. Don't forget to check out the discounted section upstairs. But beware, order something from their catalog and you will be getting a new one in the mail every other week. They are fun to look through, though.

There is also another shop across the street that sells some other Vermonty items as well as some delicious fudge. (Sorry, the name escapes me right now, but you can't miss it).

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Henry Hudson Puppet Show - All Ages Show


This is a bit of short notice, but if you are free on Thursday, October 8th at noon, head over to Hudson Valley Community College for a free performance by the Arm-of-the-Sea Theater entitled:

"Mutual Strangers: Henry Hudson
and the River that Discovered Him”

Noon
Thursday, Oct. 8
Maureen Stapleton Theatre, Siek Campus Center

Here is a description from the website:

A large-scale mask and puppet theater performance, “Mutual Strangers” marks the 400th anniversary of Hudson’s world-changing voyage in September 1609. A small ship sent from Europe to find a northern route to the Orient sails 150 miles up a river on the “unknown” North American continent. The events that transpire on that voyage – the encounters of European sailors and indigenous people and the information brought back to the Dutch East India Company in Amsterdam – prefigure the interaction of cultures that will shape a new nation. “Mutual Strangers” re-imagines from multiple points of view Hudson’s voyage on the river that now bears his name. The play is based on the log of first mate Robert Juet, and the oral traditions of the Lenape and Mahican peoples. It is designed for audiences of all ages.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Campfire Ghost Stories

The Brown Lady

"Specters, Strange Sights, and Visions"

What: 200 year old ghost stories told around a campfire.

Where: Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site (32 Catherine St in Albany)

When: Saturday, October 10th, 5:30 - 7pm

Cost: Free ($2/person donations are appreciated)

From their brochure:
Do you believe in ghosts? The people of the 18th century did! Join us around the campfire as we read the same ghost stories that our Founding Fathers woud have over 200 years ago! We will examine what visions of "specters" and "appartions" tell us about the lives and beliefs of early Americans.

Mulled cider and refreshments will be served. BYO blankets or lawn chairs.
For more information call 518- 434-0834.

(Event will move inside if the weather gets nasty... seating will be limited)

Monday, October 5, 2009

Omi Fields Scultpture Park

Beached iceberg

Last week the kids and I headed on a little road trip down to Ghent to visit the Omi International Art Center Fields Sculpture Park. It was a beautiful fall drive and a great place to take the little ones. Imagine 100 acres of farmland dotted with contemporary sculptures...out in the open, hidden in the woods, and part of the landscape. We were the only people there that day, so that added to some of the surrealism of the place. The website says you should plan for at least an hour to walk around and view the sculptures, but we spent three hours there without even thinking about it. We wandered from fields to the forest discovering some really whimsical scenes... overall a beautiful day.



From their website:
The Fields was founded in 1998 as public grounds for viewing contemporary sculpture with over 80 works of art on view. Several new pieces are added every year and temporary curated exhibitions are opened to the public each June. There are six distinct areas for viewing sculpture comprised of rolling fields, wooded knolls, and wetlands. A path for viewing the sculptures follows the edge of a natural pond surrounded by trees, providing a shaded backdrop to view the pieces.


Visitor Center Hours:

Thursday through Sunday 11am to 5pm

Sculpture Park hours:
Sunrise to sunset every day

Picnic Area and Bicycles:
You may choose to view the park on one of our bicycles or on foot. Picnic tables and seating areas are located throughout the park for your enjoyment.

The Fields Sculpture Park
at Omi International Arts Center
1405 County Rt.22
Ghent, New York 12075




Saturday, October 3, 2009

Thacher Park Fall Festival

Fall. That's what it's all about.

The Thacher Park Fall festival is as autumny as pumpkin pie. Join in on making your own scarecrow, live music, hay mazes, pumpkin painting, scavenger hunt, and even get a tea reading. There's also a little visit from Buzzard Bill and Helderberg Hilde..haven't heard of them before, but they sound like a legit addition to local lore. Don't forget your cameras!

Helderberg Hilde?

Saturday, October 17, 2009 10:00 AM - 04:00 PM

Parking fee is $5 parking per vehicle. Rain date is Sunday, October 18. Call 872-1237 for additional information or visit here.

Here's the full schedule for upcoming events at Thacher Park. There is a cool bat-themes Halloween event that looks fun for the kiddos.

(Pictures courtesy of 2008)

Arts and Crafts

Make your own scarecrow, but be prepared to take him home with you.

Friday, October 2, 2009

The Haunted Capitol

Halloween is here and it's time to get spooky. I don't know how appropriate this is for little ones, but adults might really enjoy this. The OGS is offering a free 'Capitol Hauntings Tour' which allows you to explore the spooky legends and history of the historic capitol building.

Hours:
Daily tours will begin on Monday, October 5. They will be offered Monday through Friday at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., until October 30. Evening tours will be offered on October 21-23 at 7 p.m. and on October 27-30 at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday tours will be offered on October 17, 24 and 31 at 3:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Due to the popularity of this event, those interested in participating in the tours are asked to reserve a spot by calling 473-7582.
You can find out more information by going here.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Buckingham Pond


I haven't done a playground review in a while and as I was looking back at pictures from the summer, I realized that there were a bunch of places I visited that I love and needed to share before it gets too much colder and less inviting.

Buckingham Pond (officially Buckingham Lake) is one of my favorite playgrounds in Albany. It's one of those quiet, breezy places that makes every day perfectly seasonable. Everytime we visit we end up spending way more time there than anticipated... not because of the playground, which it does have, but because there is a great walking path around the pond (.72 miles around, perfect for little legs), plenty of pebbles to throw, and lots of wildlife to spot. It's just a really nice quiet spot in Albany. I'm also a big fan of playgrounds where all the equipment is pretty close together so you don't have kids running miles away from you to get to the swingset. Another cool little feature is that people often ice-skate on the pond in the winter.

Pea Soup... or as Runny Babbit likes to say 'Sea Poop'


Here's a map.



*Purple Dinosaur Rating - 0
But..as you can see, there are three perfectly lovely green dinos (purple's less carnivorous cousin) and these babies do just fine.

Consignment Sale Weekend

There are a couple of sales going on this weekend so I thought I would share. Stock up on winter stuff...it's here already.

Encore Kids LLC
Children's
Consignment Sale



Located at the Saratoga Fairgrounds. Click here for more info. Over 200 consignors. Until Oct. 3rd.

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O!Baby Children's Consignment Sale Click here for more info.

Friday October 2, 2009- Sunday, October 4, 2009 (half price day)

Sale taking place at the Columbia County Fairgrounds

Main Fairhouse in Chatham, NY

Thanks Abby and Leanne!
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