We love South Mountain Recreation. There’s so many things to do there that are family friendly. It’s home to the awesome Turtle Back Zoo and the beautiful Regatta Playground. There’s pedal boats, Safari Golf, and great hiking trails, too.

When I heard about the Fairy Trail at South Mountain Recreation in Millburn, NJ, I knew I had to visit. I’ve always found the idea of fairies enchanting. As a child, my love for fairies began with a light pink fairy costume I wore in Kindergarten for Halloween. As a teen, I had a whimsical collection of fairy figurines and books. In my adult life, I rekindled my interest in fairies teaching my students about the mischievous sprite Puck in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Even before visiting the Fairy Trail, I was pretty sure this would be an adventure as exciting for me as it was for my kids.

Directions & Parking

Use GPS directions to 200 Glen Ave Millburn, NJ. Park in the Locust Grove Parking Lot.

We visited on a Saturday around 12:00 pm. There is a narrow driveway to the Locust Grove parking lot which was filled with cars parked on both sides and appeared full; however, as we traveled further up the driveway there were several vacant spaces available.

The Fairy Trail is the Rahway Trail in Locust Grove marked with 3 squares in a triangle pattern. The entrance to the parking lot is across from the Millburn Public Library.

Exploring the Fairy Trail

Therese Ojibway, a now 60 year old special education teacher, started building the intricate fairy homes about five years ago. Since then, she has maintained the delightful fairy homes and many more have been added by new visitors to the trail.

The Fairy Trail, or Rahway Trail, is a 2.25 mile long hiking trail. You can walk the trail following the entire Rahway River loop or you can turn around at any point making it a shorter more kid-friendly hike. Aside from passing many enchanting fairy homes speckled throughout the woods, you will also pass Hemlock Falls and Maple Falls Cascades, depending on how far you walk. 

With my 3 year old and 1 year old (my husband carried), we walked about a mile of the trail. There were at least 30 fairy homes along the way to stop and admire. Also, look for logs to use as balance beams, a natural see-saw made of fallen trees, and a wooden “troll” bridge to cross.

Notes:

• This is an actual hiking trail. Although the terrain is not too difficult, I would certainly recommend sneakers/hiking boots.
• The trail is not stroller friendly.
• There are no restrooms along the trail.
• You might want to bring a backpack with water and other necessities.
• You can bring/make your own fairy home to add to the trail, however all materials must be natural and biodegradable.

I loved seeing the excitement in my daughter’s face as we discovered each fairy house tucked into it’s natural surroundings. The trail was busy, but peaceful, and a great way to spend quality time with the kids. If you need a little enchantment in your life, strolling the Fairy Trail at South Mountain is the perfect way to spend an afternoon.

I don’t know about you, but I definitely grew up watching Sesame Street. In fact, I can probably contribute a good part of my preschool success to learning from Elmo and his friends. Now it’s so nice to see my own kids develop a love for the classic Sesame Street characters, too.

Sesame Street Live “Elmo Makes Music” Photo Courtesy of VStar Entertainment

Would your kids love a chance to see Elmo and his friends live on stage as they discover things about music they never new existed?

Enter the giveaway and one lucky NJ Mommy Blog reader will win 4 FREE Sesame Street Live “Elmo Makes Music” Ticket Vouchers. Vouchers can be exchanged for $35 price level tickets at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center Box Office in Newark, NJ for performances on October 7 (6:30PM) or October 8 (10:30am or 2:00pm), pending ticket availability at the time of the exchange. 

Tickets are available for purchase as well and are on sale now.

Sesame Street Live “Elmo Makes Music” Photo Courtesy of VStar Entertainment Group

Sesame Street Live “Elmo Makes Music” Photo Courtesy of VStar Entertainment Group

Carefully, read the contest rules below and enter for your chance to win. Good Luck!

CONTEST RULES:

• Enter below using your Facebook login or email address for your chance to win 4 vouchers to Sesame Street Live at Prudential Hall NJPAC on Oct. 7 or 8, 2016.
• Must be at least 18 years old to enter
• Only one entry per person
• One winner will be chosen at random on Tuesday, September 13, 2016 at 12:00PM.
  The winner will be announced on Facebook. The winner will also be notified through email.
• The winner will have 24 hours to respond by email to claim their prize. If they do not respond in the designated time they forfeit their chance at the prize. A new winner will be chosen.
• The winner will be mailed ticket vouchers to the mailing address he/she provides.
• Winner must exchange Ticket Vouchers for hard tickets at the NJPAC box office.
• Ticket Vouchers are redeemable for the $35 price level tickets at the NJPAC Newark shows Oct. 7 (6:30pm) OR Oct. 8 (10:30am or 2:00pm), 2016.
• Vouchers can be exchanged for tickets at the box office the day of the performance; HOWEVER it is highly recommended that vouchers be exchanged for tickets at the NJPAC box office ASAP prior to the date of the performance. If tickets at the $35 price level sell out, you will not be able to exchange them.
• NJMommyBlog is not responsible for vouchers that cannot be exchanged.
• Entry into this contest constitutes your acceptance of these contest rules.

Sesame Street Live “Elmo Makes Music” Giveaway

In March, G turned three, and since then, she has been channeling Spiderman and climbing on everything! Two weeks ago, I rescued her from the top of her toddler bed headboard. Last week, I found her on top of the kitchen table dangling from an open cabinet. This week, she was using the couch arm as a balance beam. Seriously, I thought that stuff ended at age 2?!

When I read NJ Family’s May Playground Spotlight about the extensive climbing structures at the newly renovated Morgan Pellowski Playground in Colonial Park, I quickly planned a visit. If G was going to climb anyway, at least she can do it at the park without risk of destroying the few pieces of my house that are still intact.

Directions and Playground Parking:

Using the GPS address of 156 Mettlers Road Somerset brought us to the expansive 685 acre Colonial Park. The playground parking lot is just off the main park drive next to the playground. I had no trouble parking, however, I visited on a weekday morning.

Morgan Pellowski Playground:

The playground has two main areas: the toddler/preschool section recommended for kids ages 2-5 and the big kid section recommended for the 5-12 year old age group.

Both playground areas are on a soft, cushiony rubber inlay safety surface material.

Both playground sections have park benches surrounding the play areas.

There is a small shaded pavilion adjacent to the big kid section with park benches along the perimeter.

Although there are many shady areas on the perimeter of the playgrounds, one drawback is that the playground areas themselves have little to no shade.

Playground Equipment:

Photo Credit: http://www.somersetcountyparks.org/parksfacilities/colonial/CP_Playground.html

Preschool Section:

The preschool section was created just right for the littles.  It has a jungle gym and slide, cozy dome, sensory wall, and roller table. We spent a little bit of time here, but G was eager to head up to the Big Kid area for climbing.

Big Kid Section:

The Big Kid section was “so cool” with lots of climbing involved. It was really unique with lots of interconnecting rope structures and sets of monkey bars. You won’t find slides or a typical jungle gym here. There were many play structures that I certainly had never seen before. The Sway Fun See Saw was a hit; it looked like two couches with a table in the middle that kids could sit on and rock back and forth. There was a standing see saw balance, spring platform, and moving discs with ropes to climb across. It’s definitely an area that will excite the kids and tire them out too.

Restrooms:

Restrooms are located adjacent to the parking lot and the preschool age playground. They were relatively clean. The women’s bathroom had a baby changing table.

Food/Picnicking:

The playground surroundings have ample open space and scattered trees shading areas of grass on both sides. There are many spots for picnicking on the grass under shady trees. We enjoyed a picnic lunch just outside of the big kid area.

If you’re not wild about eating on the grass, there are plenty of park benches. There’s a shaded center pavilion near the big kid area with benches surrounding it, or you could walk down to the large shaded Knob Hill pavilion off of the parking lot.

Forgot to pack lunch? Elizabeth Avenue, adjacent to the park, has a Subway, Panera, bagel shop, and pizzeria for a quick lunch pick up.

Colonial Park:

Colonial Park is huge, set on 685 acres and has lots to do other than the playground. There is a 1.4 mile paved fitness course, 18 hole putting green, mini golf, paddle boat rentals, dog park, arboretum, and sports fields. We only planned for a picnic and playground time, but you can definitely spend the whole day here. We did have time to walk down to the the water and enjoy the picturesque scenery. We even bumped into some deer strolling along the road on our way out of the park.

 Overall:

We spent a beautiful spring day at this park and playground and loved it. The playground equipment is really unique and definitely warrants a visit. The park surroundings are very picturesque, clean, and peaceful. There is plenty to do if you’re looking to plan a whole day visit. We would love to visit again.

You can’t be a true Jersey Girl without a love for the Jersey shore, right? Fist pump. Growing up, trips to the Jersey shore with family and friends were always a memorable part of my summer vacations, and today not much has changed. Nothing spells summer vacation like the sea salt smell in the air, a Kohr’s frozen custard in my hand, and well, these days…a massive beach cart “Jam-Packed” (Sing it, Jason!) with sand toys and two kiddos dangling out of it!

junglegymjam.com

When Jason Didner invited us to have some fun at the Family Beach Party/Album Release of Lollipop Motel, I dressed my kids in their beachy best and we hit the road with G & M’s favorite Aunties in tow. There’s nothing like a pre-Memorial Day day at the beach, the Old Mogul Theater “beach” that is. With help from the band and our imaginations, the historic dance hall in Montclair was transformed into a boardwalk scene with music, face painting, crafts, games, and food.

When we got to the Old Mogul Theater, we were greeted by the ultra upbeat and talented, “Jersey Jason.” Jason Didner and the Jungle Gym Jam released their first award winning album, Everyone’s Invited, back in 2014, and now they are celebrating the new release of their second album, Lollipop Motel, which captures the wonderful moments of a family trip to the beach.

We had a great time at this entertaining event. Special guests Miss Nina, popular children’s singer/songwriter, and Baze, Lollipop Motel album producer, Marc Bazerman, opened the show and got the kids up and moving.

Jersey Jason, his wife and co-songwriter, Awesome Amy, and the rest of the Jungle Gym Jam rocked the stage, playing all 12 songs from Lollipop Motel, while the kids ran circles on the dance floor showing off their moves.

It was impossible not to sing and dance along.

Even little M was on his feet and cooing along to the music!

Some of our album favorites:

Jersey Dinosaurs featuring Bruce the Jersey Dinosaur

My Superpower

The Ultimate Frisbee featuring Ron POLKA DOT Albanese

Along with the fresh beachy beats, sea shore inspired face painting, arts and crafts, food, and games kept the kids excited and entertained.

Painted Faces and Other Places Face Painting

There’s something special about the Lollipop Motel album. Simply put, it’s good music to share with your kids! I’m not going to lie, most times when G hops into the car and asks me to put on “kids music” I cringe a bit and turn the sound balance all the way to the trunk. Lollipop Motel is different. The lyrics are catchy and well-written, and the music itself has a great sound. Plus, all the songs have a beach theme, which is really fun. Lollipop Motel will put it’s young listeners in the beach spirit; it’s a great album to put on for the kids as you ride down to the Jersey shore this summer. In the album’s 12 upbeat songs, Jason Didner and the Jungle Gym Jam really capture the golden moments of being a carefree kid having a blast at the beach.

Note: 50% of all Lollipop Motel digital download proceeds go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital until 5/31.
junglegymjam.com

“I really liked that concert! Can we go again, Mommy?” G asked as we headed to the car. We will definitely try to catch this band again during the summer.

Jason Didner and the Jungle Gym Jam are coming to the Old Mogul Theatre in Montclair for a live show and Family Beach Party to celebrate the launch of their brand new CD “Lollipop Motel”.

junglegymjam.com

What: Family Beach Party/Jungle Gym Jam CD Release Event

Where: Old Mogul Theatre, Second Floor, 180 Bloomfield Ave. Montclair, NJ

When: May 14, 2016 @ 11am

How: Get tickets by clicking here: FamilyBeachPartyMTC.eventbrite.com  Enter special discount code: njmommyrocks for discounted tickets ($12.50 each).

junglegymjam.com

We first saw the popular kids rock band, Jason Didner and the Jungle Gym Jam, at Presby Memorial Iris Gardens in Montclair about two years ago. My daughter had so much fun moving to the upbeat music. It was truly a memorable experience for my little music lover. Now we are off to see the band perform again; this time at an indoor beach party.

On Saturday, May 14, Jason Didner and the Jungle Gym Jam are celebrating the launch of their new family-friendly, Jersey shore inspired CD, “Lollipop Motel.” Join them for a rockin’ indoor beach party at the Old Mogul Theatre, 180 Bloomfield Ave. in Montclair. The kindie rock band plays music with catchy beats and family-friendly lyrics that will keep the kids singing and dancing all afternoon.

Bring your beach blankets! The Old Mogul Theatre will be transformed into a boardwalk scene with beach inspired arts & crafts, boardwalk style concessions, carnival games, face painting, and live family music at the center of it all. Special Guests Miss Nina and Baze will get things started at 11am, then the Jungle Gym Jam will perform their upbeat beach-inspired rock album “Lollipop Motel” in its entirety.

“Come along and we’ll have a perfect day, day at the beach!” (Day at the Beach-Lollipop Motel)

We recently visited Pump It Up during their Little Tikes Jump session in Roselle Park. After having such a good time at The Bounce Factory, G was eager to try another bounce place with her friend J. We had fun! There was music, bouncing, storytime, bubbles, and a snack. The staff was super friendly too. It was a really positive way to start the morning!

Parking:

There is a large, free parking lot at Pump It Up.

Admission:

Little Tikes Jump (Children 6 & Under) $10.95 per child. Reserve a space online or call. Parents are free and can jump with their children.

Socks and a signed waiver required.

Included in the Little Tikes Jump admission is a 10 min story time, bubbles, a healthy snack and drink, and lots of time jumping on the inflatables.

Hours:

Little Tikes Jump is scheduled most weekday mornings from 10am-11:30am. Check the Pump It Up calendar on the website prior to visiting.

Inflatables:

Room A:

Room B:

Birthday Parties:

Pump It Up offers 3 types of birthday party packages on weekdays or weekends starting at $299.

Restrooms/Facility:

Restrooms and the whole facility was extremely clean. We were the first group inside in the morning and the whole place smelled of fresh cleaning and the floors were still damp from being mopped (The cleaning smell was actually a bit too strong).

Overall:

Pump It Up Little Tikes Jump was fun! It’s a great way for little ones to burn energy and a positive way to start the morning. I liked that the time is reserved for kids 6 and under and the little ones don’t have to worry about being trampled by the big kids. Parents can relax and hang out on the benches around the room’s perimeter or they can participate and get some exercise too. Pump It Up offers a lot more jump options that sound interesting-like Pajama Jump, Ice Cream Jump, Glow in the Dark Jump, and Mad Science Jump.  We will be back to give some of these a try, too.

Trailside Nature & Science Center is Union County’s Environmental Education Center located in the Watchung Reservation. It’s an educational kid-friendly museum, that’s FREE and open everyday from 12pm-5pm.  It is a place I often enjoyed visiting with my dad and grandparents as a kid. It was nice to visit here many years later with my own family and keep the tradition alive.

The Nature Center has 3-levels that feature interactive nature exhibits, learning classrooms that overlook the Reservation, a small children’s library, children’s discovery room, and some exhibits with small live animals such as snakes, turtles, and fish.

Parking:

Parking is free. There are plenty of parking spaces. You can park in the lots surrounding the Loop Playground or there is a large nature center parking lot off of New Providence Road.

Admission & Hours:

Admission is FREE.  The Trailside Center is open 12pm-5pm seven days a week, except major holidays.  We visited on a Sunday afternoon.  It was very calm at that time with only a few other families visiting with us.

Stroller Friendly

Best for kids ages 3 and up

Exhibits:

When you enter the building you are on the main floor which has several interactive exhibits, and a huge 34 ft American beech tree that fills the atrium. The lower level has a Children’s Discovery Room, a large fish tank with live fish and turtles, and several other interactive exhibits. The top level contains learning classrooms and two library sections with kid-friendly books and computers. New educational exhibits are listed below:

• Forest Community Wetlands
• Edge Habitat Night Theater
• Meadow Geology of the Watchungs
• Lenape Native Americans Backyard Habitat
• Children’s Discovery Room & Wildlife Viewing Area

Main Level:

Lower Level:

Children’s Discovery Room:

Upper Level:

Food:

Food is not sold at the Trailside Center, other than a vending machine near the lower floor restroom. A picnic area is located right outside the center next to the Butterfly Garden.

Restrooms:

Restrooms were located on each level of the museum.

Birthday Parties:

The Nature and Science Center does host birthday parties for children ages 4 and up.  All birthday parties are 45 min long and led by a Naturalist.

Overall:

Trailside Nature and Science Center is a free, small, kid-friendly interactive museum. Our visit was stress-free and fun. The center was not crowded and we spent about an hour there. Several of the exhibits displayed concepts that were too advanced for my preschooler to completely understand, but the bright displays, pictures, and hands-on areas were enough to keep her entertained. Before or after visiting the Nature Center, I would also recommend visiting the Loop Playground, walking some of the nearby nature trails, visiting Watching Stables to see the horses, and/or the picturesque Lake Surprise.

World of Wings is a bi-level children’s museum with a lot to offer. It features a beautiful butterfly atrium, live reptile exhibits, children’s soft play area, and much more. We visited WOW last year on G’s second birthday and to say she LOVED it is an understatement. This year, it was her request to visit on her 3rd birthday, too. It’s a great place with a big mix of kid-friendly fun.

Parking:

There is a good size free parking area in the front of the building. Both times we have visited on Saturday mornings and have had no trouble parking. I would imagine the museum is busier weekend afternoons when there are birthday parties.

Admission & Hours:

Adults: $18  Children (2-11): $11  Seniors, Teachers, Military, Students (12-17): $14

Bounce Area ($5) and Scooter Rides ($3) are additional.

*I’d say WOW is most appropriate for kids ages 6 and under.

World of Wings offers Groupons often.  Check WOW website for discount advertisements too.

Open Wednesday-Sunday 10am-6pm  Closed Mondays and Tuesdays

Strollers are only allowed for children under 2. Strollers are not permitted in the Butterfly Atrium & Soft Play area.

Socks are required for soft play area and bounce area.

Things to Do:

WOW features a large variety of things to do.

Main Floor: The main floor features the Reptile Exhibit Area with live snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, and hissing cockroaches, and the Butterfly Atrium. There’s also a small indoor playground with slides, basketball area (plush basketballs), scooter area, bounce area, and the gift shop.

Reptile Exhibits:

Butterfly Atrium: You walk carefully (Don’t step on a butterfly!) through the butterfly atrium on a circular path. The butterflies and small birds fly freely about the atrium. While we were there, a butterfly landed right on G’s shoulder and hung out for a bit.

Top Floor: The top floor features an arcade, large soft play area for kids 5 and under, Grub Club, and small rooms with various features (optical illusion room, 3D movie room, Wii Darts room, drawing/craft room, plush toys room, rock climbing area, bubble room, play kitchen room, dress up room). This is also where the birthday party rooms are.

Soft Play Area: The soft play area is extensive, safe, and clean. It has only one entrance/exit with an attendant outside. There’s comfy couches in the center for parents to relax. ***The soft play area has a private nursing room. This is the first place I have been to with a nursing room-kudos to WOW!

Food: WOW features the Grub Club offering kid-friendly lunch combos and snacks.

Restrooms:

There are several clean restrooms scattered about WOW on both floors with baby changing stations and step stools to help kids reach the sinks.

Birthday Parties:

WOW has several birthday party rooms and party packages available.

Overall:

We have been to WOW twice now and both times have had a very positive experience. Both times we visited on a Saturday morning and stayed until about 1pm. The museum was calm and uncrowded compared to several other bustling spots we’ve been to. It has a wide-variety of things to do and is extremely kid-friendly. I’d say the museum is most appropriate for kids 6 and under. WOW is definitely on our list of favorites.

April 2014: G with her favorite Aunties and little M in my belly!

When I think of your future, there is so much I want for you in life, and I promise to give you the world when it’s time. There’s just one thing I ask for in return. It’s a selfish request, I admit it, but here it is…

Stay Little.

I know you’ve heard me say this countless times. “Stay little!” I tease and you shout, “No Big! I want to get big Mommy!” It’s a little game we play. I pretend to fake cry as you answer, trying to make you giggle, but the truth is, behind my fake cry, there are real tears in my eyes. I see you with blinders on-as my 8lb 7oz baby girl, and probably always will. It’s that part of me that can’t bear to see you get big. That part of me just can’t bear to watch that cutie-pie two year old baby face changing into the face of a young girl.

Please Stay Little.

You’ll have plenty of time to grow up and be big; I promise. But for now, stay just as you are. I love that your hand fits inside mine. I love that you make friends wherever you go. I love that you talk non-stop from the moment you wake up. I love your high-pitched voice belting Christmas carols from the potty. I love your sensitivity to those who are hurting. I love kissing your little ski slope nose, de-tangling your unruly curls, and I love your chunky feet we call bread loaves. I love your mischievous giggles, your sidewinder eye glance, and your energy for days. I could look at you and watch you for hours. I love how beautiful you are. I love that your father and I made something so wonderful. I love how damn much I love you.

So, Stay Little.

Keep wanting me to tuck you into bed and fix your covers. Continue to run into my arms when I come in the door. Keep asking me, Why? Keep petting my hair. Keep telling me you love me the most and I’m your bestest friend. When you fall down and get hurt, keep letting me kiss your booboos. Let me rock you to sleep when you’re sick. Keep hiding in plain sight thinking you’re invisible, and telling jokes that don’t make sense. Keep dancing Mickey’s hot dog dance and calling the Clubhouse Crew your friends. Keep letting your little hand reach for mine when you get scared of the dark. Keep letting me love you more than you’ll ever know.

Keep staying the way you are right now-just awhile longer. Let me freeze time and build these memories to let me know for sure,

You’ll Always Stay Little to Me.