Capital District Family Newsletter 1/26/12

Publisher's Note:

Dear KOA readers:

Have you ever been grateful for something bad that happened?

The other day, I was driving alone in the car. I was happy, because I'd just been in a warm-and-fuzzy meeting where good people were making plans with KidsOutAndAbout to benefit local not-for-profit organizations. I enthusiastically merged left onto the highway...and nearly sideswiped a minivan. A huge BEEEEP alerted me, and I was able to swerve out of the way. There was no excuse for it; it wasn't snowing, visibility was fine... I just somehow didn't look carefully enough to notice that the van was merging from two lanes over. The consequences could have been disastrous. Now, I happen to have a vivid imagination, and I sometimes have to make sure I don't talk myself into the heebie-jeebies. This time, though, I'm letting the what-ifs have as much airtime in my head as they'd like, to remind me that while there are times and places to relax our focus, we can't do it when people's LIVES are at stake.

Thinking this through and feeling like [insert bad word here that mothers never use] about it for a few days, I've come to see the difference between anxiety and focus: Focus behind the wheel = good, anxiety behind the wheel = bad. So my intent is to let this temporary anxiety be the little jolt I needed to bump up my focus, and then let it go and just keep the focus. (Wish me luck.) So in the end, I'm grateful that it happened. The main consequence is positive. And, if you don't mind... can it please be a little reminder to you? Nothing profound, nothing deep, just a note from a mom: Please drive safely. Let's be careful out there. Thanks.

2) Congratulations to the winners-thus-far in our big Capital District Sledding Survey! We'll keep the survey live until the end of January, and announce the official winners then, but as of now, here are the Top 3 Sledding Hills in the Capital District, as voted by our readers:
   1. Capital Hills Golf Course, Albany
   2. Tawasentha Park, Guilderland
   3. Frear Park, Troy

3) We've got all of these other lovely local resources on our site devoted to winter, like places to ski, places to sled...pages that are just not being used because of the lack of snow! So our most popular page these days is our big Indoor Play Center page.

4) Hannaford Kidz Expo update: Plan Plan PLAN ahead to March 3, when you'll want to visit the Hannaford Kidz Expo at the Empire State Plaza... and not just because KidsOutAndAbout will have a booth there. It's free, and there's a ton of stuff to do. Here are all of the details. And if your organization is interested in having a booth there (about 3000-5000 people attend that day!), click here.

5) Does your organization offer classes, camps, or events? Organizations that offer family and kid-friendly activities—even if they are technically outside of Albany—can receive a free listing on KidsOutAndAbout.com, can manage it easily, and can post events to our extensive online calendars at no cost. For more information about getting a free organization listing, click here for a little video (make sure to turn on your speakers). There are also additional (low-cost) ways to obtain extra visibility to our readers, so please contact our Business Manager, June Santini at june@kidsoutandabout.com, about that if you are interested.

--Debra Ross, Publisher

From your editor, Katie Beltramo:
 
6) This weather sure isn't cooperating with our efforts to embrace winter! Last weekend it rained while my family and I were skiing, but conditions remained really quite good. But the above-freezing temperatures and more rain are back again through the weekend, so if you're hoping to snowshoe, ice skate, or sled, you might be out of luck.
 
7) Of course, some outdoor special events are planned no matter what, including Snow Fest with Armlin's Army, NYSERDA & Schoharie River Center. There's always Free Outdoor Ice Skating at the Empire State Plaza, but on Saturday afternoon from noon until 3 pm, they'll also have world champion bobsled and skeleton athletes to meet and greet the skaters.

8) Meanwhile, there are great family theater options with Shrek The Musical at Proctors Theater, Sesame Street Live "1-2-3 Imagine!" with Elmo & Friends at the Palace Theatre, and Hansel & Gretel at Steamer 10 Theatre.

9) Several museums have special programs, including Sundae Funday at the New York State Museum and a  Saturday Morning Workshop at The Hyde Collection: The YOU Collection. If you haven't visited the Kid Stuff: Great Toys from Our Childhood. Albany Institute of History & Art exhibition, there are only a few more weeks, so if the weather's bad, this weekend's a great chance to try it.

10) The Bravo Family, the Wall Family, the Woods Family, the Smart Family, and the Walker Family are our fictional families that take their kids to activities based on their particular interests. Here is what they are up to this weekend:

The Walker family focuses on health and physical fitness. Here are their plans this weekend.
Friday: Homespun DELMAR Barn Dance
Saturday: Snowshoe Hike at Up Yonda Farm
Sunday: Yoga Kidz and Teen Yoga at the Albany JCC

The Bravo Family loves the arts.
Friday: Sesame Street Live "1-2-3 Imagine!" with Elmo & Friends at the Palace Theatre
Saturday: Kid Stuff: Great Toys from Our Childhood. Albany Institute of History & Art
Sunday: Shrek The Musical at Proctors Theater

This is the Woods Family. They love nature and the great outdoors.
Friday: Free Outdoor Ice Skating at the Empire State Plaza
Saturday: Ice Fishing Clinic for Kids at Moreau Lake State Park
Sunday: Snow Fest with Armlin's Army, NYSERDA & Schoharie River Center

The Smart family focuses on educational and cultural activities. They also shop smart!
Friday: Troy Night Out
Saturday: Drop In Family Storytime at the East Greenbush Community Library
Sunday: Sesame Street Live "1-2-3 Imagine!" with Elmo & Friends at the Palace Theatre

The Wall Family prefers indoor activities. Here is their weekend itinerary:
Friday: Story Art at the New York State Museum
Saturday: Saturday Musical Playdate for young children by Kindermusik with Miss Lisa
Sunday: Hansel & Gretel at Steamer 10 Theatre

11) Here is your day-by-day weekend guide to upcoming events:
Friday, January 27
Saturday, January 28
Sunday, January 29
 

12) RESOURCES

Everything that's free (upcoming events that are free...258 of them on the calendar right now!)
Top 20 Places to Take Kids in the Capital District
Indoor Play Centers
Places to ski within driving distance of Albany
Places to have birthday parties
Private Schools
Preschools
Extracurricular classes
Clubs/Scouts/Teams for Kids and Parents
Libraries
Parks / Outdoor recreation areas
Kid-friendly restaurants
Organizations & schools that provide resources for kids with special needs
Upcoming shows and performances
Museums

13) Have you checked out the results of our survey of Top Places to Take Kids in the Capital District? No? Well, check out the new page: Top 20 Places to Take Kids in the Capital District

Here are the Category Winners!
Favorite Indoor Play Center: Tiny Tots Tearoom
Favorite Outdoor Play Center: Hoffman’s Playland
Favorite kid-friendly museum: New York State Museum
Favorite nature center: Thacher Park/Nature Center
Favorite farm (agri-entertainment): Indian Ladder Farms
Favorite professional sports team: Tri-City Valleycats (baseball)
Favorite children's theatre: Proctors Theater
Congratulations to all of the winners, and thanks to all of you who voted!

14) Folks who "Like" the KidsOutAndAbout.com Albany listing on Facebook find out about stuff in advance and even can enter Facebook-only giveaways, so make sure to Like us! These Facebook-Only Giveaways happen frequently, so don't miss a thing..."like" us today!

15) Have you wondered about creative places to host your child's birthday party in the Albany-Troy-Schenectady area? There are 96 Birthday Party Locations on our list; check them out!

16) I'm sure you can think of other folks who would enjoy finding out what's up for kids and families every week, so please, think of a few friends and forward it along! Here is the direct link they can use to sign up, themselves.

Have a great weekend! And please drive safely!

Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com

Katie Beltramo
Editor, KidsOutAndAbout.com