photo courtesy of Chicargobike

Our middle guy is starting to talk about his upcoming birthday party – “upcoming” meaning, we’ve still got some time to plan.  Lots of time, in fact.  In the meantime, it makes us think about what we did last year: a make it ourselves Bike Festival.

Our party had three parts: bike decorating, a freewheeling parade, and cake time.

pre-Party:

• Beforehand, we found out if each kid we invited was a two wheeled or training or balance bike rider. We had test ridden the route for the parade a few days ahead of the party. We live close to a university campus which is a great place for this kind of fun. If you are heading to a park or just around the block you’ll need some grown-ups at all the alleys and intersections to keep an eye on everyone.

Bike Decorating:

• 

  photo courtesy of Chicargobike

  On the day of the party, there was a table out in front of our house with a pitcher of punch, small sandwiches, and snacks. In fine Chicago tradition, garbage cans across the street closed off our small cul-de sac. A better method for closing the street might be to call your Alderman and get it officially blocked off! People looking for parking kept trying to sneak by. A boom box was playing techno music good for biking. Then we pulled all of our extra bikes and trash bikes out so that grown-ups who “forgot” bikes could ride if they wanted to. A pump and some tools got a lot of use – everybody needed to fix something.

• As the kids and their parents arrived we helped everyone unload their bikes and welcomed them. We gave everyone bells, pinwheels, spoke covers, and silly handlebar streamers (bought in bulk from Irv’s Bikes old stock and a party store) for favors at the start and got to work winding crepe paper into spokes and getting the bells and streamers on.
• We cut up thick plastic disposable plates to get 2 rectangles out of each, popped 4 holes in each rectangle and threaded a zip tie through in a figure 8, around the seat stay or fork: instant bike motors! This was the cheapest and most fun part, and all those kids still seem to have the motors on their bikes many months later.
• The decorating took ages – but everyone had a blast fiddling and munching and talking. With snacks it was fun and a little bonk insurance for the kids who might not have had lunch yet.

Freewheeling Parade:

• After decorating the bikes and getting everyone full of snacks and ready to go, we got organized for our parade. Older kids helped get everyone up on their bikes and they mixed in with the younger riders to keep the pace right. There was a big range in the skills of our paraders and we wanted everyone to have fun. A couple of shy riders got into the box or onto the tandem right off the bat so that they would not worry about riding at all.
• We rode down our street and then up onto the sidewalk to the campus, where we rode in a big circle and looped around many times before turning home. Tired paraders got hoisted into the box or tandem or we just slowed the parade a bit to pace everyone to get back home.
• Parents silly enough to get on one of our trash bikes – rescued and refurbished zombie bikes that live in our garage – helped keep the ride moving, and some wrapped themselves in crepe paper to do it. One had the loud portable radio. Other parents relaxed at our house, talking out front.

Cake Time:

• When we got back, we pulled all the bikes up on the sidewalk and cut the cake. All the guests and any neighbors that happened to be out visiting got some.

Then it was time for everyone to pack up and go. We heard some kids even fell asleep on the way home.

It was wheely fun.

photo courtesy of Chicargobike

Our tips for making a bike fest work:

• Check with a bike store to see if you can get streamers or bells or something silly in bulk (we had a good experience with Irv’s in Pilsen). Just winding crepe paper was fun. Don’t forget the plastic plate spoke buzzer motors.
• Try to make sure everyone has had a little food before the parade.
• Tote a loud radio with fun music.
• Know which kids are less confident riders and keep the pace light. It should be fun for everyone and faster riders will just have fun rolling with all those other kids all decorated up. We went in circles so people could go at their own pace but never get left behind.
• It’s handy to have a sag wagon or other option for tired riders. You don’t need a cargo bike – a trailer to sit in, or a scooter to borrow while a parent carries the child’s bike might do just as well.
• Don’t ride all those kids in the unblocked street – it’s not Kidical Mass. We had parents watching the intersections and keeping everyone going but we had a huge pack of kids and only a few parents, so we stayed on the sidewalk until we got to the campus.
• This is also a good party to just have in a nearby park. No traffic to watch at all then.

…

We are two parents who ride everywhere in Chicago with our three children ages 10, 7 and 3. We’ve kept riding as our kids grow and our lives get more complicated. Our lives biking before kids color our ideas about staying on the road. Before our ten years here in Chicago, D. lived in Munich for eleven years. I spent a year and a half in Munich. I led unsupported bike tours for kids, and I helped run an after school off-road bike and racing program for at risk kids in a small town in Massachusetts, fit around my day job as a baker. Our posts are written by one or the other of us and our opinions reflect who is behind the keyboard.

Why is everyone compelled to give children junk food at every event?

Math night: colored popsicles, Choir: Processed ice cream and a bag of candy, religious school: ice cream with every imaginable topping.  It is ubiquitous! Even when I take my kids on a bike ride to a local park to see tadpoles and hike around, the well intentioned ranger offers a lollipop.  What is this need to ply our children with junk food at every possible opportunity?  Isn’t the experience reward enough? The last straw for me is when a group of parents wanted to buy a cotton candy machine for our school.  Once a year at Art Night (which is a fabulous, enriching event at our elementary school) the school rents a cotton candy machine.  Don’t ask me how this became a traditional or what in the world relates this junk with art…but ok, once a year, we can choose whether or not to partake.  Buying a machine is another matter. Besides issues of storage and cleaning, I can predict that at each and every school event, that machine would be rolled out so we would get our money’s worth!   Aren’t we supposed to be advocating for our children? 

I can tell from the way other parents roll their eyes, that they think I’m a bit much.  “What’s the big deal, it’s a party”…but you know what? It’s not just a party here and there anymore.  It is ubiquitous.  No longer are treats a treat! They are becoming a regular part of our kids’ diets.  As a naturopathic doctor and mom of three, I am passionate about nutrition and want my children to make good food choices that are actually health promoting.  Every day in my practice I educate my patients about nutrition.  With my pediatric patients, we talk about how foods help your immune system, help build muscles, give your brain the nutrients it needs to help with learning.  With older kids, I emphasize foods that will help their skin and hair look healthy and beautiful, help athletic performance, ok, and even make you look great in those new jeans.  Personally, I  need to eat healthfully and stay fit if I want to have a fighting chance of keeping up with my family, work and community involvement!

In our family, it is not about obesity, though the rate of obesity in America is increasing at an alarming rate.  It is about consistently choosing healthy options.  Whether it is a meal, a treat, a relationship, it is up to us as parents to advocate for our children. This is a topic of discussion in our household.  Hmm. You eat the healthiest food in your class. You have the best behavior and are in the highest reading group? Coincidence?  Maybe not.  We talk about this not to push kids to be perfect, but to emphasize that healthy choices have desirable benefits.

I feel vindicated when they turn down Hi-C or Sunny Delight, or decide not to eat the “chemical ice cream” or green yogurt.  I work hard as a parent to help them develop a palate that includes a variety of healthy foods, and to choose treats that have some nutritional merit.  They can trade in a junky snack for a more organic option.  I am not a purist.  I appreciate the indulgence of a little chocolate, some good ice cream or an icy frozen yogurt.  It’s not the sugar that I object to, though I do try to keep it to a minimum, it is the artificial colors, artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup, and trans fats… to name a few ingredients that I don’t want my children to ingest. I would prefer them to have ice cream without chemicals, juice pops, frozen yogurt, home baked cookies, popcorn, or fruit kabobs with fresh whipped cream as a treat.  I can think of many other snacks that aren’t pure sugar with color, chemicals and artificial flavors.  Food doesn’t have to be laden with fat, sugar and chemicals to be delicious.

Why do I always have to be the heavy…the junk food police?  I find it frustrating as a parent to have to monitor what choices are available at every event and deal with my children bargaining and harassing me about junk food while I would rather be enjoying my meal and socializing.  If mostly healthy choices are offered, it limits the negotiations, meltdowns, and viral infections that often follow a sugar fest.  And hey, I would like to be the good guy sometimes too! The one who doles out the treats! If they receive junk food everywhere else, I never get to be the one to style them out with my healthier versions.  If junk foods were not present at every event, I don’t even think kids would miss them.  It is up to us to encourage a change in food climate.  School parties can include a cookie or brownie, but how about adding a fruit plate, and some cheese and crackers, carrots and hummus, yogurt and fruit.  Let’s teach our children and ourselves that every event doesn’t warrant binging on junk food, and that healthy foods or even the experience itself can be the reward.

…

Amanda M. Levitt, ND  has been practicing as a board certified naturopathic physician for over 10 years, applying her expertise in nutrition, herbal medicine, and other natural therapies to treat digestive problems, women’s health issues, pediatric conditions, and a wide range of general health concerns. Dr. Levitt is an owner and practicing physician at Whole Health Natural Family Medicine in Hamden, CT.  Dr. Levitt has three beautiful children and a wonderfully supportive husband.

Forest Fairies Mini Sessions

Includes 1 hour session, 10-15 proofs, 2 custom designed albums & 1 desktop portrait.  See below for details!

Every year with the arrival of summer, we welcome long sunny days, beach time fun, and the long awaited return of backyard barbeques and family gatherings. For us parents, we also welcome the never-ending stream of invitations to children’s birthday parties, bar and bat mitzvahs, graduations and christenings. Of course, we love to celebrate children and their milestones. We just can’t seem to find the right answer to that age old question… “What gift should I get them?”

Enter Doolidoo.com, a new website and free service allowing parents and kids to create a wish list that can be shared with family and friends… It’s an easy activity for parents and kids to do together.  Simply add items to your child’s wish list, like toys, clothes, or books and share with your family and friends. It’s really that easy. Since Doolidoo.com is an independent website, you can list ideas from different stores and websites. You can even go beyond traditional gift ideas and request bigger ticket items like a swing set or a computer. Friends and family can then make any-size monetary contribution towards that gift through paypal (think group gift giving without the hassle of coordinating or collecting money). With Doolidoo.com, you can “wish for” memberships to museums, zoos, aquariums, summer camp or even list a request for a charitable donation to a worthy cause.

Just imagine… you create a wish list on Doolidoo.com. Your family and friends are relieved to have great gift ideas at their fingertips (as you can easily share lists through email or Facebook). Your child receives gifts from his or her wish list. There are no duplicates or unwanted toys. You save time running from store-to-store making returns (phew!).  After all, Doolidoo.com was created by a mom who understands the true value of time well-spent.  So for all you moms and dads out there, try Doolidoo.com and take the guess work out of gift giving.

Doolidoo.com was created by mom, Jeannette Farah, with the hope of simplifying gift-giving for parents, kids, and their families and friends. Jeannette, a native of Switzerland and a self-proclaimed true “Swiss Miss”, lives in Hamden Connecticut with her husband and two children. The idea for Doolidoo.com came to her while she was up late one night caring for her newborn son. Two years later, Doolidoo.com is launched, providing a free and easy way to take the guesswork out of gift-giving. Kids wish it. You list it.

Since it opened in 1995, the CRRA Garbage Museumhas welcomed more than 300,000 people who came to learn to take better care of our environment, but nobody has ever been to the Garbage Museum for a birthday party.

Yet.

The Garbage Museum is offering a chance for one lucky person between the ages of 3 and 12 to enter a drawing for a complete birthday party at the Museum. Entries are $5 each, with forms available at the Garbage Museum. The winner will be drawn at the Museum on Wednesday, June 15, 2011.

Proceeds of the raffle will benefit the Garbage Museum and its award-winning sustainability education programs.

“We’ve never hosted a birthday party before, so this really will be a unique prize for one lucky girl or boy,” said Education Supervisor Sotoria Montanari.

The winner and 25 of his or her guests can celebrate with Trash-o-saurus, a one-ton dinosaur made from trash. The party will include a Museum tour, a craft activity, a movie, a goodie bag for each guest, cupcakes, ice cream, juice and decorations.

All entries must be received by Tuesday, June 14, 2011. The winner need not be present at the drawing.

The CRRA Garbage Museum is located at 1410 Honeyspot Road Extension, Stratford. For more information, call 203-381-9571 or find the Garbage Museum on Facebook. Admission is $2 per person, free for children age 3 and under.

The Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority is a quasi-public agency whose mission is to work for – and in – the best interests of the municipalities of the state of Connecticut. CRRA develops and implements environmentally sound solutions and best practices for solid waste disposal and recycling management on behalf of municipalities. CRRA serves 96 Connecticut cities and towns. CRRA also runs sustainability education programs through the Trash Museum in Hartford andGarbage Museum in Stratford. For more information about CRRA and its activities, visit http://www.crra.org. Computer users can also discuss CRRA at its blog, http://crra-blog.blogspot.com.

924 Whalley Avenue in Westville ~  203-589-5377

Join Wunderlee Arts’ puppet class and learn to make your own puppet and also practice improv performing with puppets.  Class fee is $145 for 5 one-hour classes, includes materials. Classes are held on Saturday and Sunday for children 10 years and older.

Plus, Wunderlee Arts offers individual guitar lessons. Rates for children under 11 years of age are $25 per 1/2 hour lesson; children ages 11 and up (including adults) are $35 per 1/2 hour lesson or $55 per 1 hour lesson.

It’s been on our list for a really long time.  And after such a great visit the other day, I wondered why we had waited so long to make it over to Westport to play.

Earthplace was having a ‘Meet the Critter’ morning (as they often do) and so we managed to get out of the house and over to Westport by 10 which is darn impressive for us these days.  And truth be told, we were an eensy bit late so barely caught the story before the critter.  The critter of the day was a ferret and all the little kiddos were pretty happy campers after getting to pet a critter, even if it was only a ferret.  It was a short but sweet morning activity but Becky, the naturalist in charge, stuck around to very happily point out many of the other critters that were housed in the Ecology Resource Lab including a salamander, some frogs and the teeniest, tiniest turtle I think I’ve ever seen.  Becky was actually really enthusiastic, in a way that makes it obvious a person really enjoys their job.  So refreshing.

A handful of kids lingered peeking into the tanks looking for slimy critters, some got out their snacks, others started playing with blocks and the rest scattered into two of the other rooms at Earthplace.  We followed the crowd into their interactive natural history museum where M peered through scopes, did some crayon rubbings, had a puppet show and thoroughly loved the thingamagigger near the entrance.  I don’t even really know how to describe it, but every kid stopped to play with it and every kid was enthralled by it.  I know.  This is totally not helpful.  But the thingamagigger was cool, trust me.  In their museum the Tiny Tree House was a dedicated space for little ones like my 8 month old E with several toys and a special crawling cubby lined with bright colors, interesting patterns and images of cute baby faces.  What is a crawling cubby, you ask?  Well, first, I’m pretty sure that’s not really what it’s called.  And second, it’s a narrow space that’s up off the floor and fenced off.  Big kids could get into it, which was fine with me, but little crawlers couldn’t easily get out of it.  More importantly, it was like a safe zone for little ones up and out of the way of big kids playing nearby.  Kudos to Earthplace for remembering that babies like to play, too.

After enjoying our packed lunch in a food-friendly zone, we eventually made our way into the Animal Hall, where they house critters like bunnies, birds, an owl, some snakes including a very well fed boa, and more.  It goes without saying that a room filled with live animals is a guaranteed hit with the kiddos.  Since it was a decent day we stepped outside to see their birds of prey.  We got a great look at every bird out there, including two gorgeous bald eagles and my all time favorite, a barn owl.  B-e-a-u-tiful.

Because it was February and lots of snow was still on the ground, we came prepared with snow gear in case their trails were open.  They were, sort of, but we never really made it past their preschool playground (which is open to the public during non-school hours).  With a newly updated, fully equipped playground, I had to drag M away from there at the end of the day.

With a “Mommy, I’m so happy you brought me here!” as we were getting into the car, Earthplace gets a solid A from a momma that’s always in search of a good nature center to spend the day.  Can’t wait to explore Earthplace again once things warm up out there!

the essentials:

Westport, 10 Woodside Lane, #203-227-7253

Open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm; Sun 1pm-4pm

Admission is $7 for adults & children 12+, $5 for children 1-5 & Seniors, FREE for children 1 and under

My first tour of the year is January 15-26th. I will be flying solo and hitting Connecticut, New York (and for the first time, Atlanta)! Concert dates will be posted shortly!

For this tour, I will be doing music classes at peoples homes, birthday parties, private house concerts and shows. If you would like to host a class, birthday party or private house concert – please let me know!!

MUSIC CLASSES ON THE EAST COAST

“Music Circle” classes feature original and traditional children’s songs and nursery rhymes. Each class is balanced with familiar tunes and routines as well as new songs you and your child can learn together. Melissa will focus on building confidence, sharing, language development and overall music appreciation. Host a Music Circle Class in your home and Melissa will bring the music to you.

Classes are 45 minutes – $25 per family (CD included!)

Ages 0-6

Products will also be available for sale after the class for a special discounted rate!

*FREE for the host with a min. of 6 families joining

**Infant only classes are also available – (30 min – $20)

SCHOOL SHOWS

Read, Sing and Dance-Along with Melissa Green!

Interactive Pop-Folk Family Music and Sing-Along Picture Books

The concert features interactive pop-folk family music from Melissa Green’s first and second album and sing-along picture books including Melissa’s  published book, The Seahorse Song – a playful countdown song. As a former preschool teacher, Melissa’s songs include counting, coordination and inspire kids to use their imagination.  Her show is high energy and will have everyone – kids, parents and teachers – up on their feet.

Program Length: 30 minutes

Age Group: 0-7

Cost: $250

Phone: 323-854-4881

*Book a concert and The Seahorse Song Book and both of Melissa’s CD’s can be added to your school at no charge!

WHERE I WILL BE

Sun 1/16 – Sun 1/23 – CT, NY, NJ, MA, RI

Mon 1/24-Wed 1/26 – ATL

For more information contact melissa@greencirclemusic.com

www.greencirclemusic.com

One of my favorites is doing an “interview” once a year (or more) with M.  It was one of those things I came across somewhere and thought, now that’s a cool idea.  It’s basically a list of sentence starters.  But what’s cool is that if you ask the same set of “questions” every year, the answers evolve in a way that gives a tiny glimpse of what your kiddo was like.  So far we’ve done it two years in a row and it was both sweet and funny to see how her answers changed because her world just keeps getting bigger and bigger.  Oh, and we also did if for both Mommy and Daddy even though the examples below only show Mommy.

Here’s the “interview”:

• I really love it when my mommy…
• My mommy likes to wear…
• My mommy always tells me…
• My mommy loves to relax…
• I like it when my mommy…
• The best thing my mommy cooks is…
• When my mommy shops she likes to buy…
• My mommy’s favorite thing to clean is…
• If my mommy could go on a trip, she would go to…
• I love my mommy because…

Here are some of my favorites so far:

• The best thing my mommy cooks is pancakes. (7/09)
• When my mommy shops she likes to buy cheese. (7/09)
• If my mommy could go on a trip, she would go to the playpark. (7/09)
• I like it when my mommy dunks me in the pool. (7/10)
• If my mommy could go on a trip, she would go to Music Together class. (7/10)
• I love my mommy because she makes delicious pancakes for breakfast. (7/10)  (yes, I see the theme, too.  here’s the recipe because they really are that good.)

Have you ever found yourself staring at a newborn’s tiny toes?  Or just slipped your finger under the hand of a newborn, in awe of each perfect, tiny detail?  These are just some of the reasons I love photographing newborns!  I get to record forever the details of this oh, so short time of their lives.

During the first weeks of a baby’s life they are so incredibly tiny, even the ones that didn’t seem so tiny while being born!  Their heads might be a little or a lot squished, their skin peeling or covered in a fine peach fuzz, some have a  full head of hair, while others have none at all.  There is that little bit of umbilical cord where their belly button will be, wrinkled skin, and some little ones even have rolls. Then there are the perfect little lips and tiny little noses!  Okay, I think you get the point – they are each incredible, unique and just yummy!

My newborn sessions are extra long, so there is plenty of time if the baby needs to eat, be comforted or changed.   Most newborn sessions take place in my natural light studio located in Milford, where I make it nice and cozy warm, and have great light.  If you have a space in your home that you think would work with nice natural light, and prefer that I do the traveling, that is a choice too.  I encourage parents and siblings to be a part of the photographs, too.  Even if it is just your hands in the photograph – you will want this proof of how tiny they once were.  Believe me, my son is now 14 and towers over me, yet I can remember when as a baby he loved to fall asleep with me holding both his feet in one hand.

I have a special running until the end of 2010, book your newborn session by December 31, 2010, and receive a voucher for $100 in studio credit. Even if you are not due until July you can take advantage of this by reserving a spot near your due date.

I’ve recently been invited to a few kid’s birthday parties and several friends have just had babies.  Now with the holidays approaching, I’m gearing up for another onslaught of gift giving. I’m always in a bit of a quandary about what to get, especially when there isn’t a registry involved.  Though I’ve learned to stay away from the mini drum kit and the car that has 5 different siren sounds!

My go to gift has become Just the Right Book.  It combines the excitement of getting gifts in the mail along with brand new books chosen just for your child. Giving them the right book at the right time could make them a life long reader and that’s what I’d call the perfect gift.  (Full disclosure, I recently started working for Just the Right Book!, that’s how much I liked the gift!)

Here’s how it works…You tell us about the child, tween, teen in your life – their interests and activities – and we’ll have the RJ Julia Book Experts choose books based on what you tell us. Now the fun part…we’ll send gift-wrapped books to their door as a Series (throughout the year) or as a Collection (all at once).

What better gift to give this holiday season than the love of reading? (Plus, the excitement you see on their faces when they realize there’s mail for them is priceless!)

Quarterly gifts, where books come 4 times a year, start at just $49. Visit our website at www.justtherightbook.com/sc/kidhaven.

P.S. Here are a few titles we’ve recently recommended for kids:

(Ages 0-2) If they like all things furry, they’ll love The Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens or Tiny Little Fly by Michael Rosen

(Ages 3-5) If they like silly stories, they’ll love Barry the Fish with Fingers by Sue Hendra or Two Little Boys From Toolittle Toys by Vincent X. Kirsch

(Ages 6-8) If they’re ready for a more engaging story, they’ll love Lulu & The Brontosaurus by Viorst or Paddle to the Sea by Holling

Visit www.justtherightbook.com to see all our gifts for Kids, Teens, and Adults or call us at 877-654-5872.

Attention all Parents of Preschool and Elementary School Age Children:

We have a great place for you and the kids to Play and have Fun Together!

The United Athletic Centers is an awesome indoor athletic facility that offers programs for kids and parents!   UAC offers a variety of affordable programs for families.

Check out their LITTLE STARS programs offering Soccer, Baseball, Lacrosse, Basketball, and Softball for kids starting as young as 2 years old through 13 years of age.   Parents – you can fit in a workout while the kids are involved in their sports classes.

SUMMER CAMP at UAC is the place to be.  Your kids will love it here!    Summer camp offers a variety of sports and organized playground games.  The kids play all day long!  Sports are introduced through fun games and drills. Older athletes will play full games of basketball, soccer, flag football, baseball, kickball, capture the flag, and many many more. There are ½ day camps at $75 a week and full day camps available.

UAC throws the best, action-packed, hassle-free BIRTHDAY PARTIES.  Your Kids will have a blast while you sit back and enjoy the party. UAC handles set up and clean up!  Kids will play the sport of their choice for one hour. Options include:  Soccer, Basketball, Flag football, Baseball, Kickball, Dodgeball, Capture the flag, Obstacle Course, Floor Hockey, and Wiffle Ball.  A fully trained staff member organizes and referees all of the games. Also included is a ½ hour in our fully decorated Party Room.  3 levels offered that can include pizza, goody bags and invitations.

UAC offers SPORTS CLINICS run by former professional players and coaches in Soccer, Lacrosse, Baseball, Basketball, and Futsal.  Your child will learn from the best coaches around.  They will be taught the fundamentals necessary to become a successful player. The physical aspect of the instruction will provide a basis for developing confidence and a better understanding of the mental part of the game as well as improve each player’s skills and knowledge so they can play at their highest level.

UAC is building strong ties with the community by providing kids with an enjoyable introduction into the world of sports. With affordable and exciting children’s programs United Athletic Centers is an excellent place for the entire family!  Log on to www.UnitedAthleticCenters.com or call 1-866-526-7081 for more information.  UAC has locations in Stratford at 1330 Honeyspot Rd Ext, Fairfield at 176 Lindwood Ave and Waterbury at 28 Hamilton Park Road.

Come spend a morning with us this week at the new Painted Pomegranate located at the JCC in Woodbridge. It will be our first official week open to the public! Come and allow your children to explore our many stations including art, science, sensory, dress up and more! We also allow access to our 10 ft high playscape equipped with tunnels, slides, nets and gidgets and gadgets galore. Come for the fun!!!

We are open from 8:45-3:30 Monday-Friday (but will be closed on Tuesday for the first day of Passover), and admission is $10 for families for up to two hours. Please visit The Painted Pomegranate for more details about upcoming classes.  For more information, you may also reach us at 203-387-2522 extension 227 or via email at danielab@jccnh.org.

Have you ever looked back at pictures of when you were a child and totally gasped at what you saw? Have you ever wondered “where did I get that awful hair style and why did they even let me go out looking like that? Well, that’s exactly what happened to me! My mom took it upon herself to give me straight line bangs. How bad could that be? Well, she also cut my side burns. It was awful! For that very reason, I am very picky about who cuts my hair and now my child’s.

Given my childhood experience, we-hubby and I-have decided that our little guy will never endure such pain, LOL!! I have made every effort to find a great hair salon for kids but came to find out that there are not many around.  That was until someone mentioned Roller Coaster Cuts! Roller Coaster Cuts is owned by Six Flags and currently has two locations, one in Blue Back Square in West Hartford and another one in King of Prussia Mall in Philadelphia.  My first thought was that anything associated with Six Flags has to be fun. Though that is true, I do have to admit that I was still a bit skeptical on what the experience would be like. How could Six Flags have a hair salon? Could this hair salon really be as great as the experience you get from riding on the Batman ride? Well, the hour drive from Fairfield was totally worth it! My two year old had a blast! From the moment we walked in, they made him feel like royalty. The staff was very friendly and smiley. Overall, superb! My son was a little intimated by the mascots but that’s only because he is two years old. They were so sweet and really tried to make him comfortable but he was not having any of it. That’s alright he loved all the other wonderful things the hair salon had to offer.

From the moment we stepped in, we were greeted with an incredible welcome and led to the counter where we gave our name.  In a flash, we were at the hair dresser’s station, where my son was greeted by his hairstylist in a very kid friendly manner. She then swept him off his feet and sat him in the booster chair that was thoughtfully added because of his age. He just stared at her wondering who she was and what she would do. She talked to him for a little while to make him comfortable and then she turned on the flat screen TV, which was directly in front of his station, to an episode of Thomas the Train. He was in heaven! He sat there so quietly while she worked her magic. Not one peep was heard. When she was done, including buzzing the back of his neck, she walked us over to the shampoo station. I thought he might lose it at this point but instead he lay back on the comfortable table bed and enjoyed his shampoo massage while watching a roller coaster ride on the TV above him. Before I forget, they use either a Paul Mitchell for kid’s line or a Fairy Tale organic line upon request. When he was done she finished his style session back at her station. Voila, a handsome groomed little boy emerged. He was really on cloud nine.

We didn’t leave immediately because there were many other wonderful things we still had to look at. They have a Thomas the Train table with all the trains for kids to play with,  soccer and footballs to run around with, make your own bubble bath sand station, lots of unique toys, a princess station, apparel, candy. They even had Max and Ruby stuffed animals! I have been looking for those for ages! My son is obsessed with Max and Ruby though he watches them very infrequently.

That’s not all; they host kid’s parties as well which includes pulling out the red carpet and paparazzi. You can’t ask for anything more, parent company Six Flags totally got it right! Roller Coaster Cuts is the place to go next time your child needs a cut and tell them that you heard about them through Savvy Mom on Call.

I have an amazing giveaway to offer one of our readers.  Please post a comment about your personal hair cut experience as a child. The best story will receive a complimentary haircut for your child at Roller Coaster Cuts! The winner will be announced on Monday, March 29^th.

Until next time Savvy Parents!

Happy Spring!

Sincerely,

Savvy Mom on Call

Ingrid lives in Connecticut with her husband and 21 month old son.  Ingrid recently launched Savvy Mom On Call, the first baby planning service in Connecticut.  With a knack for helping ease the overwhelmed feeling that often accompanies the news of having a baby, Ingrid is the go-to gal for everything baby.