The Tribeca Film Festival is set to kickoff this weekend in NYC, with all kinds of kid-friendly activities to boot.
But one highlight caught my attention: Tribeca Film Festival will screen the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film to celebrate…wait for it….25 years of Turtle Power.
In addition to tonight’s screening, the Turtles’ year long celebration began when they flipped the switch this morning atop the Empire State Building. The Empire State Building’s lights will go green in honor of Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), directed by Steve Barron, was selected as the Drive-in movie feature at the Tribeca Film Festival. The outdoor screening is scheduled for tonight at 8:15 PM at the World Financial Center Plaza (200 Vesey Street). Open to the public, pre-activities starting at 5:00 PM include a pizza party, face-painting, photo opportunities with the Turtles, dancing, and martial arts demonstrations with the TMNT and The American Taekwondo Association. And of course, The Turtles’ pal, April O’Neil, will join in the fun.
25 years, really? I officially feel old.
Category: Uncategorized
Landmarks to Power Down for Earth Day
New York City’s Empire State Building, Chicago’s Sears Tower and Seattle’s Space Needle will show solidarity with kids across the country by “turning off their lights” tonight for Earth Day at 9 p.m. local time– as kids simultaneously do the same in their homes, as a symbol of environmental consciousness.
“Powering Down” the Empire State Building’s tower lights, the Sears Tower’s antenna and the Space Needle’s exterior lights is part of Nickelodeon’s ongoing The Big Green Help initiative, which is designed to empower kids to take action on the environment and connect them to energy saving and earth-friendly activities in their everyday lives.
Nickelodeon’s The Big Green Help is a multiplatform campaign that provides information and tools to help explain climate change to kids through on-air messaging, grassroots activity, and online gaming. To-date, more than 2 million kids have pledged to participate in The Big Green Help.
Happy Earth Day!
Happy Earth Day, all. The sun is trying to peek out over here, but they’re calling for rain later in the day. But alas, if I finish my to do list, it’s my hope to get out and enjoy Earth Day with the little guy.
Next year Earth Day celebrates 40 years. What does that mean exactly? Well, for starters, I believe that environmentally speaking, we’ve become more aware. But with the effects of global warming obviously becoming more apparent, it’s clear there’s so much more to be done.
So, as many of us already follow suit, it’s so important to be more conscientious about the Earth year-round, not just on April 22. Not just for us, but especially for the kids, and their kids and their kids. We might not be able to undo the damage that generations before us have done, but we can certainly foster sustainable and healthier habits that will go a long way.
As we usually tell people, we’re not over the top eco-freaks. But, for our kid’s sake, we do what we can to make the right choice. We might not be able to afford all organic groceries, we might not have the capability to compost or cloth diaper full time, but we hope to make up for it in other ways. Perhaps one of our greenest choices to date was to ditch the SUV and buy a more fuel-efficient car. Not only is it cheaper for us gas-wise, but it’s a much better choice all around.
As our choices get greener and greener, I can absolutely see it rubbing off on the kid already. At the playground just last week, Jack found an empty plastic water bottle on the ground. He instinctively picked it up, mumbled his jibberish and grabbed my hand, as if leading me somewhere important. I asked him, “Does that go in the trash?” He mumbled back and led me to the trash and recycling containers at the other end of the park. He obviously doesn’t know which container was which, but the fact that he knew it didn’t belong on the ground and in a container somewhere made me pretty damn proud.
Here’s to everyone making greener choices everyday, not just on Earth Day!
originally posted at Babyrific
graphic via innoko
Silikids giveaway winner
Thank you everyone for participating in the Silikids giveaway! The winner, picked at random via Random.org, is comment #4 from Elizabeth. I’ll send you an email later today, Elizabeth.
Everyone else, please don’t forget the other great giveaways going on this week —>
And tomorrow, I’ll have a pretty cool giveaway in honor of Earth Day!
Bugaboo celebrates 10 years + a giveaway
It’s hard to believe that it’s already been 10 years since this ubiquitous line of strollers began populating streets in Holland. Since then, Bugaboo has become a household name among many new parents worldwide, as well as a part of many celebrities’ baby gear aresenal. In celebration of the high-end stroller line’s 10 year anniversary, from March until July, the company is announcing various exciting offers. To find out about these offers, check out their site and sign up for their emails.
As if exciting offers aren’t enough, Bugaboo has teamed up with another brand well known to modern parents–Paul Frank.
In February, Bugaboo announced that the Cameleon can now be outfitted with the Paul Frank Special Collection. Who doesn’t love Julius the monkey? The iconic Paul Frank characters adorn the Special Collection, which includes two tailored fabric sets, two footmuffs and two blankets. Retail prices are $129.95 for the tailored fabric set; $159.95 for the footmuff; and $49.95 for the blanket.
Speaking of cool blankets, Bugaboo added Micro Fleece Blankets to their accessory collection not too long ago. The blankets come in a spectrum of colors that coordinate with the entire Bugaboo line. The Micro Fleece Blanket is super soft, weather and water repellent and ideal for a brisk spring day at the park. The blanket retails at $40
I have a Red Micro Fleece Blanket up for grabs!
Want it?
It’s easy: spread the word about the Next Kid Thing launch and comment below.
Email, Facebook,Twitter, StumbleUpon–whatever social networking site you choose.
For additional entries: share the news on more than one social networking site and comment with each additional link.
This contest ends next Tuesday, April 21 at 11:59 p.m.
Goodies: Be sure to check out their online community, Bugaboo Friends, for tips and other great info.
*******This contest is now closed***********
Silikids: review and giveaways
With all the news involving BPA lately, this company is one that shows the direction that the baby gear market is heading.
In light of the growth of environmental awareness and social consciousness, especially among new parents, many of us seek safer and much more sustainable products. Silikids, founded by two moms who, in a search for alternatives, decided to turn to silicone, one of the safest and most durable materials on earth, into a product line for children.
After recognizing the lack of hygienic, practical and non-toxic products Giuliana Schwab and Stacey Feeley founded Silikids. They have created a unique line of mom-inspired products, which are germ, mold and toxin-free, hypoallergenic and made entirely out of silicone.
Silicone is a non-porous material made from sand, which is unique for its hygienic, safe, durable and green benefits. Silicone is more frequently being used in children’s products, and is already commonly used for baby bottle nipples, pacifiers, teethers and baby spoons.
The Silikids collection currently includes:
· Siliskins-silicone sleeves for 4- and 8-oz. bottles (bottles included)
· Silibibs-soft and easy to clean bibs made entirely of silicone
· Silipads-silicone kneepads for crawlers and toddlers
I had the chance to check out these products, and I was so impressed. The quality and durability are absolutely what I look for in the products that I normally buy. The functionality and eco-friendliness are clear cut selling points, too.
With many families shying away from questionable plastic baby bottles, glass bottles are once again a popular alternative.
The Siliskin sleeves for glass baby bottles are a protective sheath that helps prevent the bottle from breaking. In addition to being functional, they’re fun and colorful, too!
The Silibibs are easy to clean bibs that are a great alternative to the flimsy plastic bibs out on the market. In addition to catching crumbs, many of those plastic bibs catch their fair share of germs if they’re not cleaned properly! These silicone bibs are a safe bet.
Even though my kid is beyond the crawling phase, I appreciate the innovation of the Silipad silicone kneepads. Bumps and bruises are part of our daily routine, but we could’ve definitely used these in the crawling days to cushion little knees from those hard surfaces.
All Silikids products are priced at less than $25.00 and are dishwasher safe, washer/dryer friendly and can be boiled for sterilization. These products which are fairly new to the market can be found at various stores and online retailers.
I have an orange pair of the Silipads and two 4 oz. sized Siliskin sleeves up for grabs.
Want to win it?
Visit the Silikids site and leave a comment with the products you’d like to try.
For additional entries: blog, tweet, stumble or share the news of the Next Kid Thing’s official launch on any social media site. Please leave a comment for each additional entries.
*****This contest is now closed******
Peter Rabbit skincare
The children’s classic book and well loved character, Petter Rabbit now has a line of organic baby products. The Peter Rabbit branded baby products from Econatura includes baby shampoo and wash, baby conditioner, baby body oil, baby lotion and Intense Therapy Cream for Baby. The products have been developed from plant-based formulations, are hypo-allergenic and contain natural antioxidants, making it a great option for children and even sensitive adults. Check out the ingredients here.
The Peter Rabbit Econatura line, which was awarded 2008’s “Best Baby Line” from Natural Solutions magazine, are available exclusively at Whole Foods.
Goodies: Visit Econatura’s site to get a coupon for $2 off of Peter Rabbit organics.
Etsy find: MiaJoie Elena Organic Baby Shoes
As I was perusing Etsy, I fell in love with Jessica’s shop, MiaJoie. Jessica creates stylish, unique and eco-friendly shoes and accessories, with a penchant for sweet baby girl shoes. Problem is, I don’t have a girl. It’s a good thing that MiaJoie also has unisex shoes, too.
With Spring in the air, nature and newness comes to mind, which makes me love the Elena style so much more. This versatile style is made from two types of organic cotton. The poppy flower is made from reclaimed vintage satin and finished with ruffle toe and a tiny coconut bead. This sweet style comes in sizes 0-4.
It’s no surprise that MiaJoie’s Peyton Cork Baby Shoes/Booties was recently featured in Pregnancy and Newborn Magazine.
For the love of the game
In our home, Opening Day of baseball reignites the April-October daily regimen of bonding over baseball. America’s past time is loved by so many, so it’s no surprise that these days, the love of the game extends beyond the game itself. From the littlest baseball fan to the aspiring ace, here’s a short lineup of fun gear in honor of opening day:
Topps recently took baseball cards to a new dimension–quite literally–when they unveiled 3-D Live. With a webcam, baseball card collectors can now view a 3-D avatar of players from select 2009 Topps trading cards on their computer screen. Rotate the card, and the figure rotates in full perspective. Augmented reality is a combination of a real image with a virtual one. 3-D baseball cards? Now that’s a brand new ballgame!
We grew up in a cul-de-sac, so in our baseball games, we used car bumpers, manhole covers and curbs as bases and we mentally kept score. But for the high tech set, Junk Ball has a pretty cool Ghost Runner Baseball that’s designed to remedy all that guessing. The Ghost Runner electronically keeps track of runners on base and the score. And with lights and sounds, it also tracks innings played, team at bat and the number of outs in each inning. It automatically switches teams after three outs are recorded. Information is entered into Ghost Runner’s electronic home plate with the touch of a button/base.
Learning to love baseball isn’t just a rite of passage reserved for boys anymore! The baseball greats might be rolling over at the thought of a Princess-themed baseball set, but who says girls can’t play too? Little Tikes has a T-ball set in pink that just might hone even the girliest girl’s budding ball skills.
It’s never too early to start grooming them to play ball. From an early age, tots can learn to perfect their swing to the tune of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and “Play Ball” with Playskool’s Swing ‘N Score Baseball.
Nature’s Baby Organics Winner!
Number 27 is Aimee W.! Congrats, Aimee! It goes to show you that multiple entries multiply your chances, indeed.
Please stay tuned for the next giveaway and news about the official launch week!