Tuesday was nothing short of magical. For the first time ever, the folks over at Sesame Workshop hosted a small group of bloggers in the studio where Sesame Street has filmed for the past 40 years. We were lucky enough to actually witness a taping of the show. The scene involved Baby Bear and Telly Monster (manned by the amazingly talented puppeteer, Marty Robinson--much more later on Marty and his wife Annie Evans, who also works on Sesame Street). We had the opportunity to hang around the studio and witness all the action for nearly an hour. During that time I tried to snap as many pictures as possible without being disruptive to the cast and crew.
I spent a good amount of time loitering outside Hooper's Store.
I peeked inside Oscar's garbage can and didn't see very much trash.
I stood in awe of the world's most famous stoop.
I watched the cast and crew laugh during every take (even though they look very serious here).
I even got to pose for a picture with my fellow bloggers. I feel like a bit of a nerd because I wasn't my usual chatty self and I didn't get to meet everyone. This might sound mushy, but I was too busy trying to NOT be the blogger who wept tears of joy during the tour. Actually stepping foot in the studio was very emotional for me. I just kept thinking to myself, "Take this all in. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Don't miss a thing."
So why did Sesame Workshop invite bloggers for an exclusive tour of the set? Well, first of all, Sesame Street is about to begin its 40th season on November 10. Also, Sesame Street's website has been completely redesigned with all new games for the little ones and an entire new section for grown ups, which features my most favorite aspect of the new site, Sesame's Street's blog--Sesame Family Robinson. Written by husband and wife team Marty Robinson and Annie Evans (they were actually married on the steps of 123 Sesame Street--see the video below), the blog takes a behind-the-scenes look of their work on the show and chronicles their adventures as the parents of twin baby girls. Could you even imagine how awesome it would be to have not one, but both parents working on the world's most famous children's show?
The site also features a very cool customizable experience called "My Street" where kids can save their favorite games, videos and playlists. You can also go online and vote for your favorite Sesame Street clip of all time. Like every good Jersey girl, mine is Born to Add by Bruce Stringbean.
Thank you so much to the wonderful people who worked so hard to make this day special for the small group of bloggers who were lucky enough to score an invitation. I have no idea how or why I made that list, but I'm so glad I did.
I still need some time to fully process the fact that I actually spent the day on the set of Sesame Street in order for me to write a post with that contains something other than the words WEEEEEEEEEEE and WAAAAAAAAAAA, but in the meantime here's a picture of me in Big Bird's nest.
We celebrated a major milestone in our home tonight. E, who turned 5 months old yesterday, officially graduated from baby cereal and tried his first veggies tonight--Earth's Best Stage 1 Peas. E is my third Earth's Best baby. We've been crazy about the brand since P started eating solids in 2004. Last month the folks at Earth's Best invited me to a luncheon to celebrate the company's 25th anniversary, where I also got a sneak peak of all the products they have coming up for next year . You can read more about the Earth's Best event on my review blog, Cool Stuff We Dig. For now, you'll have to settle for pictures of my sweet E eating his first peas. Enjoy! He sure did!
So I had the bright idea of getting all five of the grandkids together for a portrait for my mother-in-law's 60th birthday. I called in our buddy and official family photographer, Mike Scicolone, because I knew he was the only man for the job. Not too many photographers can handle five kids under six. Our original plan was to do the shoot in the park, but the torrential downpours that lasted ALL FREAKING DAY didn't make for nice picture taking weather. Trapped inside my house with a couple of cranksters and a baby with a fever, Mike somehow still managed to get some amazing shots. If you're looking for a photographer, I can't recommend him highly enough.
This year we had P's birthday party at Unbelieva-Bills, where he got to star in his very own magic show. As someone who has both hosted and attended more than my fair share of kids' birthday parties, I have to say that Unbelieva-Bills was top notch. The indoor playground was fantastic, and not just because the kids had a blast. Parents loved the fact that the the playground is laid out in a way that the kids are visable from just about every angle. The magic show was a fully produced play with professional actors who were funny and engaging for both the kids and the grown ups. The game room is spacious and clean and the staff is is doting. I'm not sure how this turned into a site review, probably because I know that this is the first of many parties we'll be hosting and attending at Unbelieva-Bills. And now for a picture of the birthday boy!
Last week I live Tweeted from a media "lunch and learn" with top pediatric health experts at Goryeb Children's Hospital at Morristown Memorial (please note that Atlantic Health is a client of the PR agency where I am employed). Topics covered included sleep issues, anxiety, headaches, seasonal and H1N1 flu, and fitness. My original plan was to dedicate this post to Dr. Shah, the director of Goryeb's Pediatric Sleep Lab,who single-handedly made me feel better about the fact that E isn't sleeping through the night, but there were so many great tips and key learnings to come out of this event that I wanted to share them all with you. If you have a kid who doesn't sleep, watch the video.
Here is a brief summary of what the experts at Goryeb had to say about the topics that are top-of-mind for parents with school aged children.
Children and Sleep Issues with Ashish Shah, M.D., Director, Pediatric Sleep Lab
As a child ages, their sleep cycle changes. Typically, what we think of as a “night and day” sleep schedule is developed around the age of six months - this is not to say that a six month old child will sleep through the night rather it means that more of his or her sleep is consolidated into the night hours.
If children don’t sleep through the night, parents might perceive that there is something wrong with the child, however, most sleep disorders are rare. Sleeping problems are oftentimes behavioral and have to do with schedules and activities.
Older children and teenagers can improve their sleep by proactively adjusting their habits – such as, re-arranging time spent playing video games and watching TV and sticking to a normal bedtime on weekends.
Next Tara Gleeson spoke about anxiety. As a mom with a kid who just started kindergarten, I picked up some great tips on how to help Paulie cope with this major life change.
Back-to-School Anxieties with Tara Gleeson, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
More than 20 percent of children get back-to-school jitters.
Some anxiety can be positive as it sometimes can help boost productivity and keep us safe by limiting risk-taking. It only becomes harmful when it begins to impair a major life function.
Major signs of anxiety in children include headaches, stomachaches, sleep problems and reverting back to a previous developmental level such as bed-wetting or baby-talking.
Anxiety-related visits to the school nurse are normal for kids who have a difficult time attending school for the first time, transitioning back to school or getting used to a new school. This type of anxiety should usually diminish in days or weeks.
Getting kids to verbalize or visualize how they feel is an efficient way to determine the causes of their anxiety. Some tips include asking kids what the best and worst parts of their days were, asking them to draw a picture of their day and having them write their thoughts in a journal.
Some tips to help alleviate anxiety in children include: practicing breathing exercises, using a stress ball or similar tool and utilizing school resources, such as guidance counselors.
I thought I knew everything there is to know about seasonal and swine flu, but boy was I mistaken. Below is some great information from Dr. Baorto.
Dealing with Swine Flu with Elizabeth Baorto, M.D., Division Director, Pediatric Infectious Disease
Just like seasonal flu, swine flu has the potential to cause severe illness in children.
The common treatment for any flu once a child has it is to stay at home for 24 hours and rest.
Every child should get the flu shot annually (we took our boys on Friday). Other than receiving the vaccine, the best ways for kids to avoid getting sick from the flu are for them to stay away from other kids who are sick; frequently wash their hands; have them sneeze into their elbows; have them carry hand wash in their schoolbags; and avoid eating or drinking from the same utensils or cups as others.
As a result of the seasonal flu, 20,000 children are hospitalized each year and 36,000 people die each year.
Tamiflu, a prescription medicine that has become popular for flu treatment, should not be abused or overused because it can cause a child’s immune system to weaken.
Some major warning signs that a child may have any flu are fast breathing; belly breathing; flaring of the nose; blue skin; gasping; not being able to drink fluids; not interacting with others; and severe vomiting.
Swine flu is currently more infectious than seasonal flu because not as many people have been exposed to it, but it is not necessarily more dangerous.
David Scott scared the heck out of me, but in a good way. I think his smooth English accent helped soften the blow that we're raising a nation of fatties, but the statistics are seriously frightening. He's actually treated a 13-year-old kid who had to be taught how to run. Sad.
Physical Fitness Year-Round with David Scott, Exercise Physiologist, Goryeb Children’s Hospital Kid-FIT Program
In 2009, 31 percent of children in New Jersey aged 12 to 17 are obese. This current generation of children will die sooner than the last eight generations because of the unhealthy environment they are growing up in -- obesity and physical inactivity . Eight out of 10 kids who are overweight or obese will become overweight or obese adults.
Children who exercise are happier and healthier, but use of technology, such as text messaging and online shopping, sometimes leads to the limiting of childhood exercise.
Thank you to Goryeb for hosting this event. To anyone who submitted a question for me to ask the experts, I will have your responses soon.
P handled it like a champ. As for me, not so much. Luckily my sunglasses were big enough to cover my swollen red eyes. Husband even got a little misty! True story.
We're back from our vacation and while I wish I could say we're well rested, we're actually more tired than ever. It seems like Evan isn't a fan of sleeping anywhere other than his home, so we had seven consecutive restless nights. Sleep deprivation aside, our trip was fantastic and we can't wait to do it again next year. Our pictures are posted below.
I'm a full time working mom in the public relations industry who much prefers blogging to house cleaning. You can find me blogging here and the New Jersey Moms Blog.
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