Place to Go - Colonial Landromat (Playhouse Park)

Further to the previous "Life So Sweet Chocolates" post, we were happy to find a fun place to go nearby that was a great surprise. There is a cluster of three totally cool little wooden playhouses, in front of a landromat on Main Street in Trumansburg. I can't find photos online, except on this blog. The address is 16 Main Street in Trumansburg, and it's worth a visit.

Places To Avoid - Life So Sweet Chocolates Tour

My kids love Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and I searched around on the web to see if there was something like a chocolate factory tour near Ithaca, and I was very happy to find out that one existed. The website says the tours are "great fun" and that they even do kids parties, so I took the chance that the tour might be kid friendly. Big mistake. The "tour" was a sit down lecture. My kids don't do lectures.

http://www.lifessosweet.com/EVENTSTOURS_ep_40.html

Places to Go - Hedgehog Show

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eastern-States-Hedgehog-Show/125000537573838?sk=info

Place to Go - Ithaca Festival

When you go to the Ithaca Festival, be sure to seek out the lady with the treasures you must sift in the sand for. For $3, you get a bag of sand, and you can find gems and an item she will turn into a necklace for you. My daughter LOVES it, and has to go around twice every year.

Things to Do - Hunt Eggs

Trumansburg Golf Course Annual Easter Egg Hunt

http://www.tburgminigolf.com/EasterEggHunt.htm

Things to Do - USTA Junior Tennis

This Saturday at Cornell Reis Center from 6-8 PM, USTA is having a Junior Tennis Intro for free.

http://www.youthregistration.com/search/

Search for 14850

Places to Eat - Ithaca Pizza Review

I like pizza. I am from NYC, I rephrase, I LOVE pizza. Further to that, I became unable to tolerate eating gluten (as in bread, pasta, pizza dough, anything made from wheat) for 6 years after my first child for whatever reason, and for 6 years craved pizza above all, followed closely by beer and pbj. Now that I am cured (becoming a mom a second time may have been the key), I like to eat pizza at least once a week, though it doesn't always work out to happen as frequently as I'd like. This site will help me, I am sure. Though my current favorite is Sicilian Delight Pizza at the Ithaca Mall, and I don't see that on this list.

http://www.ithacapizzareview.com/

Kid Spots Link - Ithaca Discovery Trail

Wish these guys had an RSS feed, they have a listing of current events/activities going on at the 8 big kid spots in Ithaca: Cayuga Nature Center, Cornell -- Lab of Orinthology and the Cornell Plantations, The History Center, The Johnson Museum of Art, The Museum of the Earth, the Sciencenter, and the Tompkins Library.

http://www.discoverytrail.net/index.php

Place to Go - Arnot Maple Weekend

Every year, my family attends this event, and it's happening Next Weekend - March 19th and 20th. There's a small shop with a large vat in it where they are boiling sap into real maple syrup. That's about it. And it's enough - the smell of the steam on the vat makes the trip worth it. There are free samples to taste the syrup, and you can walk over to their lodge house, where they have a pancake breakfast.

http://www2.dnr.cornell.edu/arnot/Maple%20weekend.pdf

Place to Go - Cornell Hilltop Jamboree

Just went to the Cornell Barton Hall Hilltop Jamboree -- they had various moonbouncers, mini golf, caramel apples, popcorn, cotton candy, pizza, a climbing station, and a repelling station, all for $3 a person (all you can eat food and water included). You can't beat that price, and we spent all four hours there and my kids had a blast since everything was tailored for them. Highly recommended.

http://events.cornell.edu/event/hilltop_jamboree_community_carnival

Things To Do - AAA's Best of Buffalo

AAA Western NY's "The Best of Buffalo":

Things to Do


Buffalo Zoo

Delaware Park

National Buffalo Wing Festival, Sept 3 & 4 2011

Things to Do - Write to Santa Claus

Macy's will send $1 to the Make a Wish Foundation for every letter they recieved addressed to Santa Claus @ The North Pole.

http://social.macys.com/believe2010/?cm_mmc=VanityUrl-_-believe-_-n-_-n#/santas-post-office

Things to Do - Build a Greenwall

A couple in NYC built a greenwall in there house from 400 plants. I think it would be very neat to build one, and have my kids stuff all the plants in the pockets for me.

How To Link Here.

Things to Do - Upcycled Kid Play Furniture

These people bought a used $30 piece of furniture and turned it into a play kitchen. I wish I could do that.

Giggleberry Creations Blog

Things to Buy - Aidan's Monsters

Saw on LikeCool.com today that a five year old artist is selling his art to pay for his chemotherapy. 


Aidan's Monsters on Etsy. 

Things to Do - Make Pizza

Watch this video, a guy named Scott Weiner makes NY style pizza in everyday oven, and it will inspire you to try it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/economybites/homemade-pizza-oven_b_766798.html

Things to Do - Enter Halloween Photo Contest

Disney has a Family Halloween Photo Contest going on. I wish I had known before I bought our costumes, I would have tried to put together a theme for my entire family (which I guess I could always do next year).

Things to Watch - Kid Videos

The Cat in the Hat Knows Alot About That

Kid Mango - Online Kid's TV

Things to Do - Visit Cornell University

I parked on College Avenue at a meter this Sunday (on weekends you don't need to pay the meter, which is good since I did not have change with me), and I strolled through Cornell to watch the sunset, #28 on this list. Highly recommend it. 

What's Up This Weekend - Catskills Harvest Festival

I wonder how far Delhi, NY is? This looks like it could be a neat little festival at Maple Shade Farm. 

Still Seeking - Pumpkins

Looking for great pumpkins at great prices. They are $.30/pound at Grisamore Farms. I've seen lockboxes at the side of the road that sell them for $3.00 each. Are there prices better than that? I want a place I can get great big ones, and not feel too guilty. 

What's Up This Weekend - Mackensie Childs Fall Festival

Hmmm...never gone to this MacKensie Childs event. I wonder what it's like. We've been to their Christmas Tree Lighting, that was cold, but interesting. Best part of that evening that I can remember though was eating at Fargo Bar and Grill...yummy. Hey, just noticed there's also a Halloween event, and the Great Pumpkin will be there. 

Things to Do - Iron Kettle Farm

I have been to Iron Kettle Farm three other times during the fall, but for some reason, I did not know they had kid's rides there. They have a small train, and a corn maze, an obstacle course, a fun barn walkthrough, and a scary barn walkthrough, a hay bale castle, a trike track, and a wiggle scooter ride-on area. I have two kids, and I had to buy a dozen tickets for each (which cost $13/dozen). They do have an ATM. And plenty of portopotties and picnic tables. We had a great day; there was tons to do. We didn't even get to ride the hay ride. 

Things to Do - Carve Pumpkins

Free Pumpkins Carving Templates, available at Pink Raygun. Just click on the template you like and print out the PDF. 

Places to Avoid - Ithaca Apple Festival

The Ithaca Apple Festival is great for Downtown Ithaca. Tons of new students from both Cornell and IC flood the commons and probably bring in tons of money for local businesses and vendors. And yes, there's tons of tents and stuff to see, if you can see above the crowd, but it is just NOT a place to bring kids and strollers. There are just too many people. And the lines are just too unstructured. Your stroller-ed child will be staring at the backs of knees above all else, and you will invariably hit and run over pedestrian toes no matter how careful you are. And un-strollered children will not fare much better, as they will be tossed and squeezed through tiny cracks of spaces all in an effort to just make it back to your car. Or, maybe it's just best to go on Friday, and avoid the weekend. I haven't tried that yet. But it will take me a long time to get up the gumption.