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
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://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:
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$19.50 plus tax
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Adults 13 – 61:
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$22.50 plus tax
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Seniors 62+:
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$19.50 plus tax
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2 & under:
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Free
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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.
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.
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.
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
