Fill the Gap in your family's weekend plans!

This Saturday's temperature is projected to reach 51 degrees with sun in the sky and no sight of rain or snow.  How do we feel about that?  GREAT!  We surely made do at out Prospect Heights Pumpkin Painting Patch, hosted in conjunction with Blue Marble Ice Cream on Halloween weekend (Apple Cider and cookies helped warm tummies all around!), but we can not tell a lie:  It sure would have been nice to buck the snow and head outside for some real painting, without the concerns that hanging indoors held for the families who participated.  Bag-of-Tricks-Babysitting pros Sam Pinkleton and Rae Stimson left no doubt that fun would be had by all, with Rae's custom pumpkin creations giving a nudge to tots who needed some inspiration for their own and Sam's quick-thinking making a way for even the goopiest pumpkins to be displayed (Paper plates did the trick!) without sacrificing any of their color, but we're hoping that the weather won't be a factor this weekend, when one and all are invited to join us at Union Square Gap while We SIT, You SHOP!
     We loved seeing everyone's creative costumes at our makeshift pumpkin patch, with a special shout out to the family that arrived as Dorothy, the Scarecrow and the Yellow Brick Road (Way to go, Dad!), but this weekend provides a low-drama opp for you to dress yourselves, and your family, sans the "helping" hands you're accustomed to shopping with.
     Gap and Bag-of-Tricks-Babysitting hope that we'll see you there!  Pop by anytime from 10am-1pm, sign in your sweeties with our sitters, and roam the bi-level store worry-free while the youngest members of your family craft cute turkey magnets sure to be the hit at Grandma's Thanksgiving!  No need to RSVP, but for updates on upcoming We SIT, You SHOP partnerships with your fave retail spots, "Like" us on Facebook (NY City Explorers) and follow us on Twitter (NYCityExplorers).

The Monster Mash: It was a Preschool Smash!

It may feel like early Summer outside of the walls of our playspace, preschool and offices, but with Thanksgiving fast-approaching and the trees outside our windows long-since having been stripped of leaves, NY City Explorers already has a plethora of fun Fall events under our belt for the year! From our Explorers Academy Preschool Halloween party and monthly EAP Parents Playgroup to the FREE Prospect Heights Pumpkin Painting Patch sponsored in conjunction with Blue Marble Ice Cream and We SIT, You SHOP, sponsored in conjunction with Gap at their Union Square store at 122 5th Ave, our seasonal calendar has seen enough action to tide us over until the New Year! The best part? The mid-November date that's highlighted on our Google calendars mean that we still have over 6 weeks of fun ahead of us before we ring in the New Year!
Pre-Halloween snow may have made trick-or-treating next to impossible for much of the Northeast, as cute costumes had to be forsaken for warm sweatshirts and flashlights over the weekend, but the kids at Explorers Academy Preschool were thrilled to have the chance to celebrate all things spooky and silly on Monday, October 31st, with parents and younger siblings onhand to partake in the fun right along with them! With Miss Elisa sporting the wartiest witch costume this side of the Brooklyn Bridge and Miss Dina channeling The Wizard of Oz as the sweetest scarecrow we've ever seen, the students' world was positively transformed into a charming childlike fantasyland, complete with a scary story room, perfectly pumpkiny cupcakes and a magician who worked his magic on the parents, even convincing Louis' usually impeccably tucked-in mama Julia to take part in the show! We're thrilled that she was such a great sport!
Snacks are super and the magic show stupendous, but everything took a backseat when the costume train rolled into town, making the way for Sadie the Strawberry, Freddie the Bat and a trio of Spiderman look-alikes as interpreted by Rio, Kai and Flor! The very cutest costumes were made complete by EAP teaching assistant and Bag-of-Tricks-Babysitter Rae Stimson, who drew, dotted and sketched facepaint creations fit for the stars!
Anytime parents are participating it's a special occasion; The hard work can come when their tiny tots would rather snuggle securely in their arms than get involved in the goings-on at hand. Luckily for us, the teaching staff at EAP made sure that that wasn't a problem, as Elisa, Dina and Miss Christine tangoed through the room, scooping up children and encouraging their participation in the costume parade as they went.
And because no analysis of a costume party would be complete with out it: The award for best costume, as decided unanimously by out panel of teachers was Freddie's dad, Mr. Bryan Mechutan, popular as the Pope for the afternoon! We confess: Fun was had by all!

Woman, Wife and Mom on Ditmars Ave: A Review of the Best Bakery for Families in My Borough!

By Amy Yurcan

Am I in defense of Queens because I live there? You betcha! Would I trumpet the glories of Ditmar's Boulevard's finest bakery even if it wasn't around the corner from the fab one-bedroom I share with my hubby and child? Maybe not, but since it is, I will, and in this era of Park Slope's transition into the new UES, as my generation's singletons begin to become families and the real estate just across the bridge from either of the more desirable boroughs, in Astoria and Long Island City, looks more enticing with every yearly rent increase, Martha's Bakery is one of the many reasons that this mama will hold on to that one-bedroom for dear life! For those of you considering a move to the most culturally diverse of boroughs for your own family as well as for those of you already snuggled into my Old World Old New York nabe who have yet to appreciate its full sweetness, I invite you to peek into my world for a moment, a sip, and a nibble.

Sitting securely, but not too proudly on the corner of Ditmars Ave near Steinway Street is my favorite excuse to take a detour from whence I'm going: Martha's Country Bakery! A walk to the playground, trip to the laundromat or dash to the market for a last-minute dinner ingredient rarely ends without a walk through the doors, a perch on the patio or a peek in the window at all things good and delicious. I'll admit that hubby and I have planned date nights more than once with the exclusive plan to have a reason to sip cappuccino (him) and eat gelato (ME!) under the cozy comfort of Martha's outdoor awning. I rarely bring cash when I pop in, as the $15 credit card minimum insists that I grab not only the odd treat, but more, more and more for later! (At a super-reasonable NYC price of $4 for a slice of the best peanut butter mousse cake I've ever had, $15 buys more indeed!) With the days of rock 'n roll dives behind me and coffee bars that moonlight as wine "bars" in my now, the best possible "round-the-corner haunt is one where date night, school birthday cupcakes and Sunday afternoon company pie purchases roll into one, and Martha's is just that place.

Rows of feel-good Fall pies, tiered trays of treats and a freezer of authentic gelato (Hazelnut please!) are almost as much reason to sit for a spell as the staff. If you don't speak Greek, be prepared to point your desired order out on the menu board or in the display case, but the warm smiles and free samples (my 13-month-old Olive rarely leaves without a taste of gelato or complimentary cookie in paw) are worth the chance that you may have to repeat your order a time or two until you get the swing of things. While you shouldn't expect to hear contemporary folk music over your cup of tea, nor would you want to. For all intents and purposes other than yummy treats and frothy cappuccino, Starbucks is a few blocks away. It's not an accident that the menu at Martha's insists that your tush on one of their chairs is only welcome for 30 minutes after your order is filled. And wi-fi? No way.

My critiques? There aren't high chairs available, and while my husband heralds the merits of their specialty coffee drinks my plain ol' black cuppa leaves something to be desired in the taste department. As for gluten-free or vegan options? Not a chance! The outdoor seating, perfect baked goods and smile on Olive's face as she gobbles one of Martha's cookies more than make up for that. Besides, as I said, Starbucks is around the corner if you really need your mud. Now pardon me please, as I wash the plate that shows the last signs of of the peanut butter mousse cake that was my lunch...