Film fans in the New York area are preparing for the New York International Children's Film Festival and we are too! Over the past 15 years, the NYICFF has become a huge family event, and a great chance to expose our kids to more than 10…
I am absolutely smitten with The Lorax , one of Dr. Seuss' most powerful characters. The book has such a strong environmental message that continues to resonate within me and so many of Dr. Seuss' fans, so I must admit that I had very hi…
We have always loved the versatility of Dan Zanes' music and the multicultural sound of so many of his songs, whether they're in his collaborations with the children of South Africa's Agape Orphanage in singing Zulu folk songs , or in a …
My seven-year-old can tell you whose lightsaber is purple (Mace Windu) and what sound a Droideka makes ( em! em! ), but he's never been able to sit in a movie theater and see one of his beloved Star Wars movies on the big screen. Until n…
Like me, you may have seen the Big Miracle ads on TV and thought--hmm, that could be kinda cheesy. So I was frankly a little surprised to find myself at a preview screening, laughing out loud, wiping tears (shhh) and thinking, wow, my ki…
If you're going to be in New York City this holiday season (shockingly, many tourists do this very thing each year!) this native New Yawker has an awesome tip for you. At least if you'd like to squeeze a performance of The Nutcracker int…
There are a lot of days when having a kid with social challenges isn't particularly funny; when his feelings get hurt, when making friends is difficult, when he despairs of ever "getting it right" when it comes to following society's rul…
As much as I love listening to the awesome music that comes my way as part of being CMP's primary kids' music reviewer, I find picking my favorites to be one of the harder tasks I have to do. It's like deciding if I like salted caramel b…
I first saw Godspell on Broadway as a young girl back in the 70s (I know I know, I'm old) and fell in love with it forever. As one of my favorite all-time musicals, I was counting down the days until I could catch its return to Broadway.…
Like singer Laura Veirs, Massachusetts musician Alastair Moock has had a long and successful career playing American folk music for grown ups. And similarly, both musicians started making kids' music after the birth of their children, bu…
I still remember the first time I saw Kevin Clash, the man behind Elmo, on a TV show--and I couldn't believe my ears. Who knew a big guy like Kevin was the voice of the lovable--and, yes, sometimes annoying--little red guy on Sesame Stre…
The thing about kids --and I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume it's not just my own who are like this-- is that they don't always have the patience to hold yoga postures or meditate. But they certainly like stories. And excitem…
Dad-of-two Mike Park knows a thing or two about the music biz: He was once the energetic lead in the big '90s ska/punk band Skankin' Pickle, touring with the likes of Rancid, Primus, and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. He's also the founder…
Everyone loves the heartwarming story of a boy and his dog. But when that boy is Victor Frankenstein and the dog is a reanimated but still loyal (and cute!) corpse, you know Tim Burton is involved. If you and your kids liked The Nightmar…
For NYC locals looking for some validation, a good laugh and a short break, we're got a great excuse to get a sitter--or employ the significant other to give you a night with friends this week. We've been seeing more and more talented pa…
The good ol' days sort of lose their luster for me when I think about a life without indoor plumbing, internet access and Starbucks. But, I will give them one thing: Their folk songs sure were beautiful as evidenced in this lovely and pl…
Garfield and Odie, Ren and Stimpy, Sylvester and Hector--cartoon teams of cats and dogs have been used to teach kids a wide variety of lessons for decades. (Sometimes just how to beat each other up.) But now, the creative minds at HBO fa…
Certainly the giggles and happy sounds coming from my 7 and 3 year old daughters as they watched the brand spankin' new Prima Princessa DVD would be enough to convince any mama how fabulous it is. Even so, I figured as a self-proclaimed …
My kids and I know that our lives are made even more awesome because of all the friends who join us on our adventures, something I couldn't help but think about while listening to Dan Zanes and Friends latest release. One that happens to…
One day the kids are happily singing along to Yo Gabba Gabba; the next, they've somehow learned lyrics to a Katy Perry song that makes me blush. Ugh, they cross that bridge so fast. I suggest you slow your older kids down a bit with The …
Last night, like so many other moms, according to our Twitter stream , I pencilled in the premier of NBC's new modern mom-com, Up All Night and set the DVR as back-up. As you can well imagine, 10PM is bloody late for me these days. So I …
Did I mention that there were a lot kids' music releases this summer? If you saw Part One in our review of great kindie releases yesterday, you've read---and hopefully heard--of new stuff from Caspar Babypants, Belle & Sebastian and The …
While I was busy applying yet another layer of SPF 50 to my fair children, some of our favorite kindie musicians, and one newbie to the genre, were putting out great music to get us through the next few months. Thankfully, unlike my fadi…
I like Star Wars as much as the next mom. Okay, so maybe I like it a little more than the next mom, considering I can speak a little Huttese. I love that the Star Wars world is timeless, exciting, iconic, and fun, and I really love shari…