What Parents Do When the Kids Go Away

Dog approaching WubbleX. 

My nest has been empty since September, though 2 of my kids came home for Thanksgiving. But we have a dog that (sort of) fills the void, and we've replaced our cereal shelf in the pantry with an overflow liquor cabinet.

I satisfy my urge to play by engaging the dog and we recently had good times with WubbleX, a ball that you inflate with helium. It looks like a giant bubble and I can just imagine how thrilled my kids would have been with this when they were little. 

She brought the ball into her already to filled bed.

Since it is filled with helium, WubbleX is for indoor play only - it will float away outside. Once you get it to optimal size, about 9 inches in circumference, you have to pull the straw used to inflate out and quickly cover the hole with a sticky patch. This is really a 2 person operation, and for adults only, but once we got the ball inflated, our dog chased it till she collapsed.

Our labrador is known for destroying her prey - er, toys - so we put the WubbleX away for those cold days when we don't want to spend hours in the park tossing her ball.

Whether you are playing with this with a child or a dog, don't let anyone play with this unsupervised. The ball is supposed to be quite durable, but I wouldn't trust a kid with it alone.

If the WubbleX starts to deflate, you can pump more helium in; we used up most of the can filling it the first time. You can buy the toy at Target or ToysRUs.

Note: this is a sponsored post. Opinions expressed are my own.

Mia Mariu Make Up Giveaway

When I first started wearing make up, I chose organic and natural products because they weren’t tested on animals.

As I grew older, and more sophisticated, I transitioned to mainstream cosmetics – but then I got pregnant and switched back to organic and natural make up again. I figured that if I was eating organic and natural food, what I put on my body was as important as what I put in it.

Then I had my first daughter, and I had to wear organic nail polish. I didn’t want my baby putting her mouth on chemical enamels.

I sort of fell off the organic make up bandwagon over the years, but then my youngest child, the one with the most sensitive skin, began developing rashes from drugstore cosmetics. Plus I read that lipstick contains small amounts of lead.

In other words, it was time for a make-up make over.

Mia Mariu hydrating lipsticks are made with vitamins A, C and E, minerals and anti-oxidants. As a bonus, they also taste better than chemical lipsticks.

And as another bonus, Mia Mariu is offering a Colors For Your Every Mood package to one reader. The package comes with three lipsticks, a uniquely you touch up kit, with mineral powder, mineral blush and three mineral eye shadows, and a make up brush. 

The touch up kit is great for travel, or even just a night out, and the mineral products provide long lasting color.

The retail value of the makeup package is $109.

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To enter the giveaway, leave your name and email in the comments.

Disclaimer: Mia Mariu provided me with a sample Colors For Your Every Mood to review. Opinions are my own.

Fitness Challenge: Day 77

Over my years in Park Slope, the basement gym at the corner of Union Street and 7th Avenue has gone through many iterations. The latest is Slope Fitness, which has a guaranteed lifetime membership rate for the first new members.

While the gym is essentially the same as the previous one, it has a few nice touches. One is free coffee, an incentive for those who drag themselves to early morning workouts.

Another is an extensive class list, including a spin class that adds an abs workout, and Fight Club, combining aerobics, boxing and martial arts.

There is a free supervised play area for children while parents work out, and in the fall, there will be dance classes for children.

Broadway Kids

One of the joys of traveling to New York City is gorging on theater. You can see a different show every night, and even two in the same day if you add a matinee (typically offered on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays).

But what if you are on vacation with young kids? Some shows are appropriate for children, but others are not. Or maybe they can’t sit still for a show.

This is where Playtime childcare comes in.

Playtime is for tourists and New Yorkers alike, and is offered at the off-Broadway theater, Playwrights Horizons. But you aren’t restricted to seeing a show at Playwrights Horizons. You can also see a show at Signature Theatre or Westside Theatre, both of which are very close to Playwrights Horizons.

The childcare is free for Playwrights Horizons subscribers, so most NYC visitors won’t be eligible, but the cost is a very affordable $15 per child.

My teens babysit in NY, and that is the going rate per hour. If you see a 2 hour show, you are essentially getting the second hour free.

And if you were to arrange a babysitter through your hotel, you would pay far more, plus you would need a sitter for longer. Since you are bringing your kids to the theater, you only need a sitter during show time, not travel time

Playtime is for potty trained kids, ages 4 to 12. And the child minders, arranged by Sitter Studio, are themselves dancers, actors and musicians, so your kid can expect a fun time.

In fact, check out the names of the sitters. In a year or two, you might see them onstage!

Fitness Challenge: Day 19

You have to remember a lot of stuff when you go to the gym, but most important are your clothes and work out sneakers. I often forget one or other and trudge back home.

If you are traveling and forget fitness clothes, you might be out of luck, but if you are at an Omni Hotel, you can have a Get Fit Kit sent to your room.

The Omni Berkshire Place, in NYC, sends a bag with a kettle bell, a couple of resistance bands and a Pilates ring, along with a mat.

If you know how to use the equipment, you can have a decent in-room workout, though the light kettle bell won't build any muscle.

The kit is also great if you are traveling with a young child who can't be left while you go to the fitness center. You can let her watch TV, read books or even nap while you work out. Squeeze the Pilates rings between your knees while you do crunches and intensify your abdominal work.

Those resistance bands are great while doing lunges; step on the band, hold an end in each hand and do a bicep curl while you lunge.