November 2011 - The Culture Mom

30Nov

Hanukkah Activities in New York City

Every year during this time we are reminded that we live near the greatest city on earth. Christmas is spectacular and we love seeing the tree at Rockefeller Center, the decorated department store windows, the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall and so much more. But, NYC has just as much to offer its Jewish residents who celebrate Hanukkah. Whether it be a massive candle lighting with hundreds of other New Yorkers or Family Day at the Jewish Museum with art and music, you and your child will have many opportunities to celebrate and learn Read More

28Nov

Passports with Purpose: Supporting Literacy and Going to Disney

Posted by The Culture Mom 1 Comment

When I try to imagine a world without books, it's just too hard. My whole world revolves around the written word, it always has. When I was a child, I ran home from school to read books. My mother took us to the library all the time. When I finally got around to reading the classics, it was as though a whole new world opened up to me. I majored in Journalism, started my career in television but naturally found my way into the publishing industry where I have worked for the last eleven years. My love for reading and books has never waned and I am Read More

26Nov

Time Can’t Stand Still

Posted by The Culture Mom 1 Comment

Sometimes when I look at my daughter, standing over 4-1/2 feet tall, I have visions of her an infant. How did my little girl grow so tall? Where did her fabulous curls go? How did she develop into this fabulous tween? It feels like yesterday we brought her home from the hospital, and that was nearly nine years ago now. Where did time go? As much as I enjoy each phase somehow even more than the last, as everything seems to be getting easier with every milestone, I sometimes want to stop the clocks. Of course, I have no desire to go back to Read More

24Nov

My TV Debut for Social Good

Posted by The Culture Mom 1 Comment

It all started a few weeks ago. I read a blog post by one of my favorite writers, Jill Smokler of Scary Mommy.com, that caused me to immediately take action. She was asking readers who felt they had money to spare to offer $25 donations that could be used to buy grocery store gift cards for readers who said they couldn’t afford to buy food for Thanksgiving.Her goal was to match two donors to each person asking for assistance on her blog. She had been moved to do something as a response to remarks made in her "Confessional" section on her site by women Read More

23Nov

Film Review: Hugo

Posted by The Culture Mom 2 Comments

MV5BMjAzNzk5MzgyNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTE4NDU5Ng@@._V1._SY317_

"Films have the power to capture dreams," we are told by a character in the new film Hugo, which opened today across the country. When I was in high school, I watched every film that crossed my path. They were either foreign films or black & white classics. I remember the day that I saw Cinema Paradiso. I was completely transported into another place and time and was reminded about the power of film and the effect that it's had on the world and my own life. Twenty-five years, I have once again been transported with an unusual and incredible Read More

22Nov

2011 Holiday Gift Guide

Posted by The Culture Mom Leave a Comment

If you’re trying to come up with some ideas for your holiday shopping for your kids without breaking the bank, here are some of the newest toys out on the shelves that I’ve personally tested on my kids.. Shopping for other people, even your kids, can sometimes be frustrating, so hopefully this list will ease the experience a bit. We're quite into family night, and the new game Brain Breaks by Cranium is quickly becoming one of our favorites. With more than 200 games that can be played in 60 seconds or less, families race to beat the timer using Read More

22Nov

Giveaway: Family Four Pack to the NYBG Annual Holiday Train Show

Posted by The Culture Mom 30 Comments

I've talked about this before and I'll talk about it again, but the NYC New York Botanical Garden’s annual Holiday Train Show is always a highlight of our holiday season. It has become a special and memorable experience for all of us. When our kids were babies, their eyes popped out at all the moving trains buzzing around the room. As toddlers, they started to chase the trains and watch the lights flashing around the room. Now that they're entering tweendom, on a recent visit they began to ask about the incredible landmarks scattered through the Read More

17Nov

Getting Up and Giving Back with Striiv

Posted by The Culture Mom Leave a Comment

I have to admit. Since I started this whole work at home/some office time/being a mom thing, I'm exercising less. What can I tell you? My time is more limited than ever. I have multiple projects going on at the same time, and with the constant children/babysitter/mom breaks and mishaps (last week my sitter was in the hospital), there is less time than usual to get up and move, I am exercising less than I ever have in my adult life. I still have a membership at the gym, but I refuse to give that up, knowing and hoping that one day I will return on a Read More

16Nov

Review: Seminar on Broadway

Posted by The Culture Mom 5 Comments

I have a been a longtime fan of Alan Rickman. The first time I fell in love with his acting was in the film "Truly, Madly, Deeply". His performance has stood out in my mind ever since, and that was about 20+ years ago. I havecontinued to watch his career progress with roles in "Sense and Sensibility", the "Harry Potter" films, "Love Actually" and most notably for me, Noel Coward's "Private Lives" on Broadway over 10 years ago. He garnered a Tony Award nomination for that performance, and it was well deserved. So, when I found out about his latest Read More

16Nov

Listen to Your Mother Coming to a Town Near You

Posted by The Culture Mom 8 Comments

About a year ago, I was surfing the internet and came across a show called Listen to Your Mother. I was immediately intrigued. As a social media marketer who lives and breathes NYC theater, I wanted to be a part of it. Here was a show that merged two worlds I care most about. Created by humorist Ann Imig of Ann’s Rants, the show was a “live reading by local writers on the beauty, the beast, and the barely-rested of motherhood.” It was amazing, and I was intrigued. I made sure that before BlogHer ended, where I finally came face to face with the Read More