Keeping it short, sweet, and personal this weekend with good ideas from a few Brooklyn moms I like….
What to do:
My friend Diana — who owns fab Park Slope women’s clothing and jewelry boutique Diana Kane — is the lead parent organizer of this weekend’s P.S. 39 Spring Carnival. Join the festivities — food! games! ponies! a bouncy house, and more! — this Saturday. And support a local school while you’re at it.
What to get:
My friend Lainie — who, with her chef husband, owns South Slope eatery Sidecar — turned me on to these genius Nylon kids’ knives from Curious Chef this week. Kids can safely chop and slice right alongside you in the kitchen with blades that will handle food but won’t harm little hands. I foresee lots of tomato, avocado, mango, and melon slicing this summer. I’ve ordered my set — and a vegetable peeler, too! — J. and M. are psyched.
What to try:
My friend Cay is taking her family to Yosemite and San Diego this summer — and she’s doing a housing swap with a local family there, through HomeExchange.com. I’ve thought a million times about doing this…. But have never gotten around to it. The idea of exchanging homes with another family on vacation is highly appealing, though — think of the money you could save! and think how much more accessible it could make destinations you’ve fantasized about as well as those you’ve never even considered! — so I’m snapping pics of our house, plunking down the $100 annual fee, and signing us up! Cay says they’ve had offers from families in France, the Netherlands, and more. Count me in.
I’ve already got my eye on this 3-bedroom home in the South of France, right on the beach — note the view above — and very close to where our friends Kim and Pierre live.
(FYI, you can search homes for free to get an idea of what’s available — you don’t pay the fee until you’re ready to sign up and list your place, so let the travel fantasies begin….)
Happy weekend!



Thought that photo looked kind of familiar…btw, have access to beach place the beginning of July so it is so on the list of to do while you are here!!
yay, Kim! we are EXCITED! vive la Camargue!