Stroller in the City | Blog for Mommies about kids, fashion, and NYC - Trends and Styles for Children and Moms in New York City

Turning 2

Published: June 17, 2013

I am realizing that the more kids you have, the faster time goes by. The days seem to move into weeks, weeks into months, months into years, and before you know it your baby is no longer a baby. This weekend we celebrated our middle child, Siella’s second birthday. It seems like only yesterday I was holding this little tiny peanut in the hospital and now she has gown into the sweetest, most lovable, and smartest little toddler I know. The love that she has in her heart just melts me everyday. She idolizes her brother and does things just to get his approval by saying “Cool Ry?”. And she is the best older sister to Gemma, always making sure her sister is ok and greets her every morning with tons of hugs and kisses. Her voice is deep yet squeaky at the same time and I hope it never changes!

Siella is insanely smart, and I am not only saying it because she is my daughter; but the words and sentences she manages to string along amazes me everyday. She knows her ABC’s and is able to count from 1 to 10, and even memorizes songs word for word. I remember bringing her on one of my monthly checkups when I was pregnant with Gemma and my doctor saying, “wow she is wicked smart”. And that she is.

But being smart also leads to tough personalities. She’s extremely strong minded and knows just what she wants. There is no stopping this girl. She wakes at 5am every morning sometimes earlier. And since she is potty trained, something she decided to do on her own, she uses that as an excuse to go potty so I don’t make her lay back in her bed. But I wouldn’t change my toughy for a minute. I feel she is very like much like me in her personality traits..determined and gets what she wants!

This year I decided to do a Mermaid Theme birthday party. She loves all of her Disney Ariel dolls so I figured this would suit her best. We invited a small group of friends and family over in our courtyard to celebrate. I hired a guy to come play music for the kids. Siella sat most of the time listening to the songs and participating with the shakers. The older kids even enjoyed it. I always make my kids birthday cakes but this year it was just too much so Tribeca Treats made this awesome themed cake. I did make the cupcakes with mermaid and fish edible toppers and also blue jello with swedish fish popping out to look as if the fish were swimming in the water..thanks to Pinterest for that one.

The day flew by and everyone had a great time! The following day, her real birthday and also Fathers Day, we decided to head to Citifield to catch a Mets Game. The kids, Jason, and I all had a blast! It was a gorgeous day and I couldn’t ask for anything more. I love our weekend outings! And now that Ryder is done with school I’m looking forward to more of them during the week!

I can’t believe my little girl is already 2. She’s growing up just way too fast! Siella, my little spitfire as I like to call her!

Posted in Parenting | Tagged citifield, fathers day, mets game, siella turns two | 3 Comments

Crafting with HP Photosmart Printer {&GIVEAWAY}

Published: June 16, 2013

My children love arts and crafts. With the amount of rainy days we’ve been having, there’s nothing like passing the time than with a little indoor crafts. I recently attended an HP event at the lovely Dwell Studio flagship store in SoHo and wanted to share this awesome craft you can do at home with your kids that makes a great homemade gift or even keepsake for yourself.

Personalized Photo Coasters:

Supplies:

4 inch tiles
Mod Podge Glossy
HP color printer and Original HP Ink and supplies
White paint and a small paint brush
Ruler and scissors
A sheet of felt or fun foam
Polyurethane and an applicator (or spray polyurethane)
Glue gun or Gorilla Glue

Step 1: Paint the edges of your tiles white

Most white tiles come with a tan edge. You can leave them tan or paint them white to give it a more finished look.

Step 2: Attach the Backing

To keep the tiles from scratching furniture, use a glue gun or Gorilla Glue (or any other heavy duty glue) to apply foam or felt to the back of the coaters. Cut the foam/felt to fit the bottom and use a decent amount of heavy duty glue to attach to the coaster.

Step 3: Choose and Print Your Photos

You will need a 4×4 photo for each coaster. Use your printer to print the photos onto HP 4×6 or 5×7 photo paper and cut it to size.

Step 4: Glue your Photos

Spread a thin, even layer of Mod Podge on the top of your tile. Place your 4×4 image on top of the tile in the center. Make sure to smooth out the photo so that it sticks to the tile! Add a second, thin layer of Mod Podge on top of the photo and smooth it from the center to the edges. Let the Mod Podge dry.

Step 5: Apply your Polyurethane Top Coat

Spray Polyurethane works like a charm and will protect your coasters from moisture! Spray a thin layer on the top and sides of the coasters. You can do as many layers as you want, but make sure the Polyurethane has time to dry between coats. (Note: it’s best to use the spray polyurethane outside of the house if you can)

Step 6: Let Coasters Dry

Once you’ve finished putting your coasters together, let them dry overnight. These make great gifts for birthdays, Father’s Day, and anything in between.

Get HP’s premier home printing experience for superb versatility and photo quality. Print, copy, scan to e-mail, fax, and access web content with the color touchscreen. My favorite feature is the HP ePrint where you can print from your smartphone or tablet from virtually anywhere. The HP Photosmart 7520 e-All-in-One printer delivers high-quality documents and lab-quality, fade-resistant photos using five individual inks. It also has a large, vibrant touchscreen enabled with popular print apps, such as Crayola and Scholastic, for printing web content without connecting to a PC. The HP 7520 prints lab-quality photos and everyday documents at home, plus scanning, copying, faxing, accessing the Web, and printing on the go.

WIN IT {$199 value}:

Leave a comment below tell me your favorite craft you do with your children.

Additional Entries:

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Contest starts today through June 25th 6pm EST.

SITC was not compensated for this post but did receive a printer for the purpose of this review.

Posted in Blogger Event, Giveaway, kids play, Things to Do | Tagged Arts and Crafts, Dwell Studio, giveaway, HP 7520 photosmart printer | 8 Comments

Ultimate Baby Gift Guide

Published: June 14, 2013

Gemma is one lucky baby I must say. She has received so many wonderful “welcome to the world” gifts from friends and family. I wanted to highlight some special and unique ones for you all and I hope you will use this resource as your Ultimate Baby Gift Guide. There is something for everyone!

1. Little Giraffe Blankie 2. Lulibox 3. Baby Bracelet by Wire Wrap

4. Kiaya e Bell dolls 5. Sew Blessed Stitches Monogrammed Burp Clothes

6. Crawlings knee pads 7. Personalized Leggings by Jennifer Ann

8. Baby Bella Maya 9. Little Hip Squeaks 10. BBBLOCKS

11. Avery Newborn Crown 12. Mustachifier

13. Little Alouette Teething Toy 14. Motorola Video Monitor 15. Tiny Sprouts

16. Adelaide Hair Clip

SITC was not compensated for this post but did receive some items for review.

Posted in kids fashion, kids play, kids stuff, kids toys | Tagged baby gifts, new baby, newborn gift ideas, Ultimate Baby Gift Guide | Leave a comment

Johnson & Johnson Celebrates 125 Years of the First Aid Kit

Published: June 13, 2013

This week I attended a very intimate event at the gorgeous Hudson Hotel celebrating 125 years of the First Aid Kit with Johnson and Johnson brand as well as Safe Kids Worldwide. The J&J Company includes BAND-AID Brand Adhesive Bandages and NEOSPORIN products. In 1888, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. pioneered the first commercial First Aid Kits, which were originally designed to help railroad workers care for the wounds and injuries they received from laying railroad track. Since then, the First Aid Kit has become indispensable in the daily lives of consumers and can now be found in family homes, the workplace and almost. To celebrate this milestone, the brands have launched a new campaign focused on everyday care that provides funding and resources to help educate consumers about the importance of first aid preparedness. The Everyday Care campaign kicks off with a partnership with Safe Kids Worldwide that leverages the support of Maggie Gyllenhaal on an initiative to prevent childhood injuries by helping educate children and their caretakers about sports safety.

Safe Kids Worldwide is a global network of organizations dedicated to providing parents and caregivers with practical and proven resources to protect kids from unintentional injuries, the number one cause of death to children in the United States. Throughout the world, almost one million children die of an injury each year, and every one of these tragedies is preventable.

Consumers can support this campaign by creating custom First Aid Kits. When they purchase three or more first aid products such as BAND-AID Brand Adhesive Bandages, NEOSPORIN products, Johnson & Johnson RED CROSS Brand First Aid products and BENADRYL Anti-itch Topicals products; they will receive a free first aid bag. For every bag redeemed, the Topical Healthcare Brands will donate to Safe Kids Worldwide.

I was so impressed by how far Johnson & Johnson and the first aid kit have come. We were able to see original kits dated back to the 1900′s and take a walk through time on how it has evolved to today. I was also able to sit down with Maggie Gyllenhaal and ask her why this initiative is so important to her. Here is what she had to say: Maggie has two daughters ages 6 and 13 months so she always has BANDAIDS and NEOSPORIN in her purse for just in case accidents at the playground. She is a wonderful mom always putting her children before her work. Overall, as much as she is in the public eye she still protects her kids.

Working together, we can do much more for kids everywhere. Join the effort at Safe Kids.

This post was a sponsored post via Momtrends.

Posted in Blogger Event, Parenting | Tagged Bandaids, Celebrating 125 years of first aid kit, Johnson & Johnson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Safe Kids Worldwide | Leave a comment

Kid Style File: Monster Republic & GIVEAWAY

Published: June 11, 2013

When I had Ryder almost five years ago, there was a serious void in the childrens boy department for cool threads. I remember not being able to find anything that wasn’t baby blue but luckily today; the boys market has come a long way. Monster Republic is a Los Angeles based company. Their philosophy is to create boys clothing 12 months to 10 years with the same edgy look found on the LA scene. Cool and hip yet unpretentious, Monster has the pure spirit of being boyish, fun, energetic, and devilish.

Monster is owned and operated by a husband and wife team and started because they could not find cool clothes for their young son. Monster Republic clothes make dressing boys fun and spark their interest in what they wear. Stroller In The City has teamed up with M.R. and are giving away $100 gift card to use toward the line!