My Must-See Christmas Movies

 Beyoncé has taken over much of my entertainment this Christmas season but I am still trying to squeeze in movies of the holiday season. 

This is a list of my 10 must-see movies of the season in no particular order. 

1. Home Alone

McCauley Caulkin is adorable in the first movie of this series. He is funny and charming.  If all of these things happen in real life there would be arrest and deaths but in Home Alone, we learn the importance of family. 

2. The Santa Clause 

I can watch any of the three movies of this series. The North Pole is so charming, it is definitely a place I would like to visit. Tim Allen plays a great semi reluctant Santa. 

3. Yogi Bear Christmas

This just reminds me of my childhood.  My favorite part is when Cindy Bear sings about her love for Yogi. 

3. Snow Globe

Love, love this movies. For one, there aren't many sappy holiday movies featuring people if color. Christina Milian plays an adorable woman who is wishing for an escape from her chaotic family during the holidays. 

4. Jingle All the Way

Arnold Schwarzenegger has played in many action packed movies. It is refreshing to see him in a comedy. And add the charismatic Sinbad and SNL alum, the late Phil Hartmen and you have a classic. 

One year my son requested the fictional action figure, Turbo Man for Christmas, thanks to eBay, I was able to make it happen. 

5. Elf

This movie is ridiculously funny. It's filled with one liners by the SNL alum Will Ferrel. I quote this move year round. 

6. Charlie Brown Christmas

This special is a must see. The dancing around the piano, the depressed Charlie Brown, the scraggly Christmas tree, all leading to the true meaning of Christmas.

 

7. Garfield Christmas

Another blast from my childhood past.  The song "Let's have a good old fashion Christmas down by the farm" is a fav. 

8. Barney's Night Before Christmas

This movie reminds me of my little sisters when they were preschoolers. We would watch the previews on VHS which included a song by the Wiggles. Then we would sing along with the songs of the Barney special. 

 Their rendition of the North Pole is magical as well. 

9. A Christmas Story

"You'll poke your eye out", the lamp of the leg, the Tongue stuck to pole. So many great things about this holiday classic. 

10. Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer

This Cartoon Network Holiday special is a fun movie to cuddle with the kids and watch.  It was made in 2000 so the pace and animations are good enough to keep my kids interested. 

Not a Dog Family

For years, my kids have requested a puppy. Their friends had dogs that they would see at play dates.  The dogs were so tame and did tricks and my kids wanted one of their own. They also watched movies and envied the way the pets were a source of constant companionship for the families. The dogs were also able to save people, be match makers, heal the sick and save Christmas.
As an allergenic and asthmatic child, I always had cats. And although they caused me to sneeze and wheeze and go to the hospital, I enjoyed having them.

But when my children would request a puppy, I would tell them, "We are not a dog family". I always knew that dogs took more care than other pets. It wasn't like a fish that just needed a bowl of clean water and an occasional sprinkle of food.  A dog needs more.  They need to be walked and fed throughout the day and they need a lot of companionship.  Even cats are easier pets to care for.  Cats’ toilet indoors and can entertain themselves more. 

My kids typically have to be cared for after school since I am a working mom.  So we spend at least ten hours out of the house.  We also like to go out for an occasional show or dinner. We also like to take vacations. Not to mention, I like to go out with friends from time to time.  Dogs need a lot of attention.

Whenever I would remind them of our lifestyle the kids would quickly understand that we were NOT a dog family.  

But then GUILT set in. The kids were dealing with some issues that come when families break up… I felt sympathetic to the idea of a dog. Then an opportunity came for a Pomeranian-poodle puppy. FREE OF CHARGE. She was the cutest little thing. I named her Fiona and brought her home.
Immediately, our lifestyle was a conflict with dog rearing.  The day that we picked her up, the kids and I left Fiona with a friend to go on an 8 day trip to China.   

During my trip, I read books about dogs.  When I got home, I watched shows like Cesar, the Dog Whisperer.  I even got the puppy care packet at Pet Smart. And after 7 months of caring for Fiona, I learned two things; puppies are resilient and forgiving and that we were not a puppy family.
Fiona was a lovely dog; she was easily trained and very bubbly.  She was good company and had a nice temperament with kids.  But with work, two kids and the “extras”, I was exhausted.  Even my son, had had enough of the puppy care.  The kids never wanted to walk her.  Sometimes they didn’t have the energy to play with her.  Going on even short trips took so much planning.

Opportunity came for me to let Fiona go to another family.  My co-worker, a single mom, was dealing with the same 5 letter word GUILT and she wanted to give her son a puppy. To that I said, here you go, a fully trained, smart puppy, free of charge.

I bribed my kids with a toy to release ownership of Fiona.  My daughter still misses Fiona.  We get occasional pictures and cute stories.  I am happy that Fiona is in a new family and we are back to our lifestyle.  I will try to keep guilt from rearing its head again because we are not a dog family.

Review: 3 Christmas Shows and It Is Not Even Decemer Yet!!! 2 Comp and 1 BOGO

Review: 3 Christmas Shows and It is Not Even December Yet!!!! 2 Comp and 1 Bogo

I have to admit, I am one of those people who welcomes the Christmas decorations after Halloween. To me Christmas is not just a day it's a season. I have already set my Pandora to Mary J Bliges' A Mary Christmas. I have already added my favorite holiday movies to Netflix.

The Christmas shows and performances start in November in New York City and tickets are on sale for some shows all year! In this blog I will review the 3 shows that I have seen so far.

The Christmas Carol

Theatre at St Clements

November 20, 2013

The Christmas Carol like The Nutcracker is a Christmas classic that is offered in various locations in New York CIty and in varying versions.

This version of The Christmas Carol was in an off-Broadway theater and the tickets were “comp” tickets offered by clubfreetime.com. My membership has allowed me to see several wonderful “comp” performances in New York including Fuerza Bruta.

This adorable version of The Christmas Carol stayed close to the original story. It had a talented cast of 5 people who played all of the characters of the play. Scrooge was played by one cast member while the other 4 members played all of the characters of the play including the ghosts. Tiny Tim was played by a marionette.

My family and I sat in the center of the third row. It was a Wednesday night show, so my kids and I were out on a school night. We planned ahead, I made sure both kids completed their Thursday assignements in advance.

I would recommend this play. They had an interactive version of “Deck the Halls” to start the show. The cast was very talented. The sang, played instruments and even moved furniture.

The Christmas Spectacular

Radio City Music Hall

November 26, 2013

I started going to the Christmas Spectacular when my youger sister was a few days shy of her third birthday. 17 years later, you can call it a family tradion. I take my two teenaged sisters and my children. We have gone with various friends and families through the years. This year my friend came with her teenaged niece and nephew.

Part of being able to go with a large group and getting great seats is to buy tickets early using one the various “bogo” buy one get one free codes. I also save money by going to the box office to buy the tickets so that I do not have to pay extra service charges.

The seats we had were great orchestra seats!

The Christmas Spectacular stays true to its name. It includes a bouncy Santa, high kicking Rockettes, 3D illusions, a live orchestra, ice skating, a version of the Nutcracker and a Nativity scene that includes live camels.

The Christmas Spectacular is a must see.

Shea, Prince of Christmas

St Lukes Theatre

November 29, 2013

The tickets for this show were also “comp” tickets from clubfreetime.com.

I will warn you, this show is very corny. You have to have serious Chrsitmas spirit to see this show. A young man named Shea from New Orleans is the self proclaimed Prince of Christmas. He sang many Christmas classics and a few originals. There was a Princess of Christmas and she had a lovely voice and allong with nice vocals, she brought comic relief to show. Another stand out was the drummer who sang two songs one was a reggae Christmas carol. We had a good time. Our seats were in the 5^th row. I went with my kids, one teenaged sister and my friend. We had enough corny Christmas spirit to leave the show with smiles.

I appreciate that these were COMP tickets.

Recovery

October was a busy month. 


I hosted a birthday party for my daughter.  The party included my family, friends and their kids and my daughters' classmates.  

She requested that her party be in the Hamptons, but we compromised and had it at Chuck-E-Cheese.  It was a monstrous success. 

I went on to celebrate my birthday at several different locations with various people.  I hung out with my boyfriend, my family and a multitude of friends.  

I went to the 40/40 club in Manhattan.  I went to restaurant/ bars in Brooklyn; Therapy Wine Bar, Beso, Milk River and Peaches.  I also partied at Katra nightclub.  I had a Libra dinner at my cousins’ house.  I had a wonderful thirty-something birthday.

The biggest thing that I went through mid-October after the celebrations was a surgery.  It was a surgery related to a "black cyst" (yuck), that formed due to my prior C-sections.  Double Yuck.  After years of misdiagnosis, I found the surgeon who knew what it was and how to tackle it. 
My parents and sisters thankfully helped me with my kids during my surgery and recovery.

My boyfriend graciously helped to take care of me. He rode me to and from the hospital, he made sure I ate and he supported me.  

My doctor said it would take up to 6 months to recover. But in less than a month, I was feeling better than ever without that nagging cyst.
The recovery of my physical body made me think about how we recover from everything whether it's heartbreak, injury, divorce or death. We go through phases. Some are harder than others but they seem to have the same three steps. 

1. The Pain - Whether it is physical, mental or emotional the first step is painful. We often wonder whether we will ever feel better again. We believe that our current state will last forever. But then the next phase comes. 

2. The Work - We have to get up and do things to improve the situation. Fortunately and unfortunately, I was back to my grind.  This included taking the train to get my kids to and from school and going to and from work.  This was only after four days of rest.
It was painful but I managed to get it down. I got my rest and I also got moving. I took medicine when needed.  But the physical movement helped me to get better. 

When we recover from something emotionally painful we also need to "get moving".  We may need to get spiritual guidance, talk to friends, journal, yoga…  We have to do some kind of “work” to improve.

3. The Recovery – I felt myself getting better day by day, but one day came when I realized I was no longer sore and I no longer needed a pain killer.  I no longer needed an alternate way to sleep.  (It was very uncomfortable to lay flat post-surgery.)
There comes a moment when you notice you feel better when experiencing other situations.  We realize our lives are no longer focused on “that issue”.

I am very thankful for the wonderful surgeons at Lenox Hill Hospital and for the support I received after the surgery. 
Now that I am getting better, my kids and I have to hit the town so that I can continue blogging.

ExposureMom

Some Of ExposureMom's Tips for Motherhood

In 2009 my cousin adopted a beautiful baby.  Before her little one came home, I sent her an email with my tips for motherhood.  At that time, I had a 4 year old daughter and 7 years old son.

 

Here goes:

 

 

 

1- Stare and take it all in, the time goes by so fast.

2- The less a toy can do on its own the better it is for child development, ie:/ blocks, blank paper and crayons, puzzles, etc

3- Potty train before they can talk back, before the "no" phase. before 2.

4- Our kids are not ours. They are their own people on their own voyage. We are just lucky that we were chosen to care for them.

5- Even if they HAVE to do what you say; hear them out, let them have a voice.

6- Let daddy hold them the "wrong" way, etc. The kids love it and they survive.

7- Don't let your dislikes become theirs. Expose them to different things with no bias.

8- Say I love you but it is not just what you say is what your face says when they enter a room or when you see them after work. The love is in the gestures and embraces.

9- Kids LOVE discipline and structure. It makes them feel safe.

 

I still stand by these tips four years later.

Switched at Birth - American Sign Language

I canceled my cable subscription over a year ago saving me over $1000. I subscribed to Netflix for $7.99 per month and later Hulu for $7.99 per month. Most of my television viewing is from those channels via my Roku box.  With Roku I can subscribe to free channel as well as channels with paid subscriptions. I occasionally watch channel 2 via my antennae since it is the clearest channel.

With Netflix, I tend to watch television in bulk. I consume back to back episodes of series. During my LOST phase I watched whenever I was home, I was so focused on the cast getting off the island.

This summer we were glued to the series Heroes. We watched all of season one. My son said his two favorite things about summer were the trips and watching Heroes. We were entranced.

One of my guilty pleasures is watching television series on ABC and ABC family programs and movies. Pretty Little Liars, Revenge and Switch at Birth are some of the series.

I recently started to watch Switch at Birth on Netflix. The two main characters are teenagers who were switched at the hospital after they were born and given to the wrong families. One of the twins is deaf.

During the course of the show, the characters do American Sign Language. The main character speaks and signs but some of the supporting casts' members do not speak so there are captions.

 My daughter and I (my son doesn't watch it with us) spend a lot of time reading subtitles. My daughter started saying that she wanted to learn sign language.

My daughter sometimes says things and miraculously, it happens.

The day after she made that statement, I went to pick her up from her after-school program.  The program is a free program though the NYC parks department.  One of the staff members from approached me to see if I want my kids to participate in free sign language classes during the after school program on Fridays. Hmmm, why yes, of course.

So for 30 minutes every Friday, they will get to learn a new language and also get an understanding of how people with different abilities communicate. Imagine the strength and coordination that it takes to use your hands to communicate all day. 

This is another wonderful opportunity to expose my kids to something new and positive.  And to make it better, it is free.

ExposureMom

Summer Vacation 2013

Part 1 - Fresh Air Fund

I had always wanted to do the Fresh Air fund for my children but would never complete the application.  This year a dear friend gave me the boost I needed.  A parent at her kid's school worked with the fresh air fund and she was sending her two children as well.  So I hurried and got the paperwork done.

My kids loved their experiences. The families that were chosen for each of them were a perfect match.

My son had the "brother" he had longed for. An eleven year old boy with similar interest as my son. They enjoyed electronic games, superheroes and creating.  My son raved about the cooking. The standouts her the spaghetti and pancakes.

My daughter had a charismatic "sister" only one year older. She marveled at going to a beach home and having the option of her own bedroom. She got to know all of the family members quickly and shared her own personal stories with them. She went to summer camp during the weekdays and had a ball there as well. 

When they returned I could feel my sons' heart break. He missed his new "family" dearly. My daughter came home with bags of goodies from her host family. It was a marvelous experience for both.

http://www.freshair.org/

Part 2 - Freebies

My kids weeks were filled with free activities from NYC parks department and North Brooklyn Development Corporation. 

Camp- My kids enjoyed their camp in Greenpoint Brooklyn. The location was challenging for me because I had to transfer to the dreaded G train when we took public transportation. It was tricky to get to work from that location. Surprisingly when I did drive I was able to get a parking spot. 

My son and daughter were returning students so they benefited from knowing many of the staff and students. They also made quick friends with new students as well. My son made a very good friend and my daughter was a social butterfly. They went on trips including going to see the movie Turbo, seeing a puppet show, going bowling and a myriad of museums.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dycd/html/home/home.shtml 

Swim - I saw so much progress in my children's swimming. The parks department does a lottery that lets the children get free swim lessons.  My kids were chosen for three sessions of swim. It was offered three mornings per week. My son was often used as the model student to show the practice moves. I was so proud. My daughter started the summer not wanting to put her face in the water. But by summers end she was a swimmer, moving about in the water confidently.

http://www.nycgovparks.org/programs/aquatics 

Golf-  With my kids getting golf twice per week with the NYC parks department and on Saturdays with The First Tee golf program they improve a lot.

The parks department golf class was at a local park and was free and twice per week. It was conveniently located a block from the swim class.

The first tee was affiliated with the Brooklyn Golf Center and it was on Saturday. It cost $25 for 7 week sessions. The kids both improved greatly in golf.  Both kids liked all of their coaches but first tee is located on a driving range and offered more authentic golf classes. My son was even able to go to Riis Beach Golf range during the course of the summer.

 http://www.cityparksfoundation.org/sports/junior-golf-center/

http://www.thefirstteemetny.org 

Tennis - Both kids were very excited about being introduced to tennis. My son really loved it and took to it quickly.  It was only about 6 weeks but it was worth it and I would do it again.

http://www.cityparksfoundation.org/sports/tennis/

Mini-Vacations at the end of summer 

During the course of the summer we enjoyed going to the beach, summer concerts, restaurants, and an overnight stay at Sesame Place. 

I only took two weeks off for the summer but the end of summer is when we focused on family fun. We usually travel to Orlando and spend at least a week enjoying Westgate resorts and Universal. This year we took a small trip to Wildwood. A whale watching boat ride of of the Rockaways. And a small trip at the edge of Long Island. 

Part 3 Wildwood 

This was my first time going to Wildwood, NJ. It is the area between Atlantic City and Cape May. I traveled with my two kids and my dear friend. The boardwalk was really nice and bigger than I expected. There werethree separate amusement parks and two water parks. There was a real variety of rides. Rides for small children and rides for dare devils.  

Since we came on a Tuesday, we got a special. $24 for unlimited rides from 1-6.  It did not include the water park. Since individual rides cost between $5-$8, I decided to get the special. I only got it for the kids and determined that if they got on at least 5 rides it was worth it. After about 7 exciting rides we ventured down the boardwalk to the next set of rides. 

The next set of rides were very far. There was a $3  trolley that would ride you back and forth but we walked and were exhausted.  By the time we walked over, it was 5 pm and guess what???!!!  There was no power.  All of the electricity was out.  So the kids were given a voucher for unlimited weekday ride from 1-6pm at the amusement parks of Wildwood.

We decided to head to the Jersey Shore and enjoy the beach.  The shoreline was very, very, very, far from the boardwalk but once we got there we had a great time.  We splashed around, swatted bugs, and jumped the waves.  We ate at a great restaurant that had $2.99 meals for kids on Tuesday.  The kids enjoyed huge 12inch pizzas.  And the seasoned shrimp cocktail was yummy.

When we went back to the boardwalk the next day to use our vouchers, it rained.  The rides were never turned on.  We went to the indoor game room.  Before we left we were given another voucher.

We headed back to NY but stopped at the Golden Corral.  For $28 the kids and I had unlimited food and beverages.  My steak was really good.  My daughter loaded up on cotton candy.

THE HOTEL

The hotel was listed as a resort, Sandy Shore Resort.  I will say the hotel staff was friendly and it was close to the boardwalk.  The hotel was a mess.  Icky would be a good word to describe it.  The hotel that I booked could not accommodate our group so we were moved to their sister site across the street which was closer to the board walk.  Still Icky.   It had a small outdoor pool and the water could be described as "creamy".  The balconies had clothes and towels hanging over them and they were filled with people who sat and stared all day.  We would go to the boardwalk and come back and they were there staring.  A little creepy.

Part 4 - Whale Watching at the Rockaways

I found a 4 hour whale watching trip that left from Queens, NY with American cruises.  I got the voucher from groupon for $22 per person. I bought three tickets and went with my children.

The excursion went down to Sandy Hook, NJ.  There are whales and seals there.  The company raved that they have a 70% rate of success in viewing these aquatic mammals.  The staff said that the preceding Friday they had the best sighting of animals ever!!

I packed snacks.  But I did not pack beverages at the companies request.  They sold beverages on the boat.  I was one of the few people that followed this direction.  Many people had their own bottles of water.

 Once the boat started moving, it went with speed and force.  It was more like a speed boat than a cruise.  We bumped up and down.  I was nauseous but the kids loved it.  They laughed at every bump.  The girl sitting next to threw up over the edge of the boat.  

When we arrived at the location there were no whales or seals.  There were a few jumping fish.  Because there were no ocean mammals and people were getting sick, we returned to the dock.  All in all, we have a good time on our mini-cruise.  American Princess gave us all a voucher for another cruise that was good for a year.  

 http://americanprincesscruises.com/vessel_specs.htm

 http://www.groupon.com
 

Part 5 Riverhead and Amagansett, Long Island



For our Long Island excursion, I went with my two children and my dear friend accompanied us again.

We started our Long Island excursion at the Long Island Aquarium.  The cost:

Admission Rates

General
Children 3 – 12:	$19.50 plus tax
Adults 13 – 61:	$22.50 plus tax
Seniors 62+:	$19.50 plus tax
2 & under:	Free

We really enjoyed this aquarium.  

 Before you enter there is a seal display which was a free treat.  We enjoyed the sea lion show where the sea lion “danced” and performed.   

The kids went into a salt water marsh where the played with crabs and other small animals.  They could have stayed there all day.  

We fed the sting rays which cost an extra $3.  We marveled at the colorful salt water fish and at the shark exhibit. The otters were adorable. 

They also have a section that shows all of the animals that are being treated at the aquarium.  The aquarium works with the Riverhead foundation to help nurse injured animals.

 
 
 

 

http://www.longislandaquarium.com 

Hotel 

The location was not 5 star but it was a big step up from our Wildwood "resort".  The room smelled like cigarette smoke but the staff was friendly.  They even gave us air freshner.  

I had not realized that our hotel the Swiss Motel was around the corner from the Tanger Outlets.  The staff informed me of this when I asked for a place to pick up dinner.  

We got some food from the outlets and went back to the hotel to enjoy the sunset.

 

The next morning we headed to the Tanger outlets!!! Admittedly, I am not a serious shopper but we had a good time perusing the outlets looking for discounts.  My friend found a cute Dooney and Burke bag.  I found a cute green Coach bag and Michael Kors bag.

http://www.tangeroutlet.com/riverhead/

After the outlets we headed to Amagansett, Long Island for a clam bake.  My sons' school mate invited us.

 But on the way we visited the Big Duck.   The Big Duck is a building in the shape of a duck. It was originally built in 1931 by duck farmer Martin Maurer and used as a shop to sell ducks and duck eggs.  We used it as a photo op.

http://bigduck.org/

 

We then went to Amagansett and had a great time at the clam bake.   On the way back to Brooklyn we stopped in Queens to visit my friends annual labor day barbeque.  We had a great time enjoying our local vacations.

ExposureMom