Upstae New York

If you are visiting Upstae New York here is a recommendation if you are traveling with kids. Albany is a nice city to visit, very quiet and there are a few spots that are good especially in the Spring and summer when the flowers are in bloom. Kids over the age of 8 will love the USS Slater. Go aboard a real destroyer ship. there are lots of ladders so if you are afraid of heights or have difficulty climbing up or down a steep ladder dont go on this. We all had a great time and the guide was fantastic and made the trip all worthwhile. You get to see how over 200 men lived on board this ship. Very educational and makes you appreciate things more.

Less than an hour away from Albany in a town called Cobbleskills, is Howe Caverns and Secret Caverns. I would suggest you visit both to see from different perspective of a wonderful area of caverns under the earth! Howe Caverns is more commercialized and had easier walking area that has been cleared and paved. There is also a boat ride on the underground lake. No Bats! The tour is about 1 1/2 hours and the guide we had was really great made it a lot of fun. Lots of walking so make sure you get your sneakers. Secret Caverns is smaller and there are not too many people who visit there. There are over 150 steps to go up and down into the tighter caverns and the ground is wet and slippery. At the end you will see a huge underground waterfall, beautiful site. Fantastic as well but I would not recommend it for anyone with young kids as well as those who have trouble walking. The tour guide was very knowledgeable but the price was a bit too high I think, I understand why since they are trying to make money and to compete with the more advertised Howe Ceverns. Outside of the Secret Cavern is a an area that you can see a partial ice in the ground that the tour guide stated never melts !

We stayed at a nice place, Cobbleskills Best Western Inn. Nice price, good room. There is an indoor pool that is good for our young kids and the hotel really does cater more to families with younger kids. there are rooms that face the pool which is convenient to just run in and jump in the pool rather than walk all wet through the lobby to get to your room. There is a restaurant in hotel which was ok. Vey hard to find places to eat in the area, no franchise restaurants only small local eateries and a diner.

Along the way we stopped off Saugerties which is near Woodstock. There is the Saugerties Lighthouse that has a nice trail that ends up in the lighthouse. Beautiful view and a great walk through the woods, bridges and beautiful flowers, walk on the beach with the fantastic view of the Hundson River. As you get closer to NYC there is Bear Mountain that has a nature trail with museums and animal conservation. Great place to visit with kids, a lake on the way takes you through native american artifacts, animals, revolutionary war era artifacts and more.

Check it out, New York State has some nice budget getways for the weekend !

Selling all great items

http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/igmato

Selling all great items

loved the ending of life on mars and battle star gallactica

great ending to great shows. i loved battlestars ending it had a message, explanation of the many things from our own history as well as forewarning about our future and destiny. the show ended really well and i will miss it.

life on mars had a really unespected ending that i found very refreshing and brand new. it did leave one question at the end when you see the 70's white shoe on the the ground what was that all about? i am not sure why this show ended i thought it was a really good and smart show that was really entertaining. i cant believe that it wasnt doing that well.

Mackinac Island Michigan weekend getaway

Here's a weekend getawy recommendation for a great island in northern michigan called Mackinac Island. A few suggestions for a great getaway:

Carriage tour takes you around the town along the coast which allows you to see the beautiful homes.

Grand Hotel has very fancy delicious food and fireworks the weekend we visited. The movie Somewhere in Time with Christopher Reeves was filmed in this hotel..

Bike tour through the State Park is fantastic. Visit the Arch Rock which is the island's best wonder.

Butterfly House has many exotic species.

Take an aerial tour of the island.

Sailing tours of the island is very relaxing.

Eat at the Historic Island House Hotel, the restaurant specializes in steak and seafood. Classy.

Good parks to spend a nice day with kids

Seabreeze park which starts from Ocean parkway to W. 8st. in brooklyn is great. It has an area to play ball, ride a bike, roller blade and skate. There is a nice playground that is full of swings, slides and lots to entertain the kiddies.

Marine Park is another great park that is pretty big. I love to go play ball and fly a kite with the kids. They also roller blade and ride there bikes there. Great playground and in the summer the sprinklers are turned on in the specific area so put on the the swim wear and let the kiddies have a blast.

poconos places with kids

great ideas for visiting poconos with kids in spring/summer:

bushkills falls: water falls, paddle boats, small indian museum

claws and paws: nature trail, rustic walk, great for kids of all ages, dino dig, go inside a a huge bird cage and feed birds, feed a giraffe, daily show, fast food sold on site.

shawnee water park: great for kids under 12, small and entertaining, magic show.

lakawanna coal mine: an authentic coal train takes you inside a coal mine, daily tours. in scranton.

Summer camps

There a number of camps in the area that offer great activities. I sent my son for one summer to Manhattan Beach camp in brooklyn and would not recomend this place since the manager is pretty arrogant. There were problems with the bus not coming or coming late. One day the bus came 30 minutes early due to an early dismnissal that i was not notified of and the bus matron left my 6 year old with a neighbor who said that he knew my son. It was a
good thing that this was actually my neighbor. when i called the manager he said well that is my son's fault. they are lucky i didnt sue them i just took him out of the camp.

For the past several years he has been going to shorefront y on coney island ave which is really nice and they go on many trips as well as have an indoor pool. I would also recommend seagate camp that is fantastic i know someone who has been sendingf their children there for a number of years, also kingsbay y is great and well as marine park camp. My best advice is to visit all the places, ask some parents and do your research. the camps are pretty expensive these days and you need to be sure that they will provide all that they offer.

what is a passive aggressive

ok well, today at work someone asked me what is a passive aggressive individual. It seems that in my line of work I come accross patients who may be acting in an aggressive way or in a passive aggressive way because that is part of their symptoms and it is my job at their threapist to try to change that behavior. There are staff who are also passive aggressive. so the definition of someone who is aggressive but in a passive way would be someone who smiles in your face and acts like a friend and then causes you to get in trouble or will block your car in the parking lot so that it will take you a long time to get out all the while saying " oh, I'm sorry I didnt realize i was blocking you ". passive aggressive people hide their true anger and aggression and leave only little clues to their true self. The aggressive person will tell it to your face when they dont like you and are upfront where as the passive type will seem like a friend but will hurt you in the end. Most of the time the passive aggressive person will bottle their anger up until it explodes. the aggression will have to come out some how like a boiling tea kettle.

Cooking ideas

Trying to find good recipes that are tasty and kids will also like. My husband and I love Thai food but we realize that some of spices are a bit too spicy. Cant seem to find healthy ideas that kids will like as well. My
older son loves Japanese food and loves sushi. I am tired of the old cookbook and receipes I have so here is one that I made last night and was a great success as a main dish surved with rice and some salad:

Chicken Curry

6 boneless chicken breasts cut in half and diced
2 cloves of garlic that are minced
3/4 onions, I used vidalia but this can be used with any sort. chopped.
1/2 cup of green peppers.
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of margerine
2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt or salt substitute



Directions:

In a skillet saute the chicken that has already been diced in olive oil till the chicken is cooked thoroughly.

Reove the chicken and set it aside.

In the meantime melt margerine in the skillet and saute the garlic, onions, peppers till they are soft.

Add the curry powder, thyme and salt blending them with the sauted vegetables.

Add the chicken and stir well.

Enjoy !

Brooklyn Kids Activities

NY Aquarium,
Coney Island Astroland is open for its last season
Brooklyn children's Museum is great for toodler, preschoolers and younger elemntary school aged kids
Brooklyn Botanical Gardens
Prospect Park Zoo: small and great for kids of all ages.

Great places to visit with the kids

The Spring Break is almost here and I am sure that many parents would like to go to nice places in the area with the kids. NYC has lots to offer if that is where you are from. I would recommend Intrepid, it has reopened. Try to take children who like walking around and looking at historical museum artifacts. Younger children may become too tired. This place is approrpiate for elementary, middle school and High school students.

Another favorite of mine is the American Museum of Natural History. You will definely need the entire day and even so may not finish the whole museum. I had return for another day with the kids. The touring/visiting exhibits are often extra price. It is a great place for kids over 6 years old since younger kids will become easily tired. It's really a lot to handle in one day, a lot of walking so if you can split the exhibits in 2 days that would be better. There are combination packages for the museum and planetarium which I doubt anyone can finish in one day unless you pick the exhibits you want to see and skip the rest. The museum is stroller and wheelchair accessable except for some parts such as the minerals section that was a bit hard with the stroller I had with me. There are a lot of tourists and the place will be packed during weekends/holidays. There are cafeterias throughout the museum but they are pricey ! I saw a number of people bringing their lunch with them and eating in one of the dining areas, I would check first with the museum website to make sure you can carry food in. The best part is that there is a subway that goes directly into the entrance of the museum so if the weather is not so great you dont even have to come out of the museum.

Accross from the museum is Central Park. Other ideas are Statue of Liberty, Manhattan Children's Museum, Seaport.