Author Archives: kristrange

Fletcher Cove Beach Park

19 Wednesday Jul 2017

Posted by in A Day in the Life, Activities, California, Child Friendly, Childhood, Family Travel, Kids, Life, Park, Photos, Summer, Things I Love, Travel

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Growing up in Southern California we used to go to the beach all of the time, but mostly on the weekends and for the whole day. So my beach memories are of very crowded beaches, getting sand kicked on all my stuff and always wanting to leave after a few hours. Now that we have the luxury to go to the beach midweek, and a few hours at a time, my appreciation has changed. This is the dream beach of my childhood.
Fletcher Cove 2017
Fletcher Cove is Solana Beach’s main central beach park located a couple blocks west of the intersection of Highway 101 and Loma Santa Fe Drive. The beach at Fletcher Cove isn’t big, but is still usable during high tide vs many other beaches along Solana Beach. Fletcher Cove Park has a nice little playground with grassy areas, a basketball court, and picnic tables that look out over the ocean. Plus showers and bathroom facilities (these are key when you have kids). Lifeguards here are on staff year-round.Fletcher Cove North
Fletcher Cove Sand Castle

We plan to explore Tide Beach Park next!

Meet your favorite celebrity authors at Barnes & Noble

17 Saturday Jun 2017

Posted by in A Day in the Life, Activities, Be a Tourist in Your City, Books, City Living, Education, Entertainment, Events, Giveaway, Life, New York City, Photos

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We are currently in the process of moving across country, so I am in full on purge mode. If I haven’t used something in the past fours years its getting thrown in the trash or donated. However, one evening I came across a box full of physical books (that were never unpacked from our last move) and a box full of books is super heavy. Not the most practical things to cart from apartment to house, state to state. Even though I rarely read books more than once, I don’t have the heart to donate them away. I love a good physical book, and every time I see my collection I am reminded of the times I read them. Many found memories of world travels, vacations and staying up late reading when my kids were newborns. So, I guess my box of book will be making it’s way across country in another move.

Meet Sherman Alexie at Barnes and Noble

When buying a physical book I can spend hours wandering through a book store, and thankfully I live close to a Barnes & Noble location in New York City to wander as often as I like. Plus my local Barnes & Nobel and other locations across the country are destinations for tons of exciting events. Barnes & Noble host more than 100,000 events per year, bringing major authors, actors, musicians to the stores across the country. At these events Barnes & Noble stores connect celebrity authors with local customers for just the price of purchasing their book.

Barnes and Noble Events

In June alone, the list of authors appearing across the country includes Sherman Alexie, Chelsea Clinton, Roxane Gay, John Grisham, Kevin Hart, Bethany Mota, Mike Tyson, and many more big name celebrities. Check out the Barnes & Noble Store and Event Locator for upcoming events near you.

Sherman Alexie Barnes and Noble

  • Sherman Alexie, You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me: A Memoir, Barnes & Noble Union Square in New York City, June 16 at 7 PM.
  • Don Winslow, The Force, Upper West Side Barnes & Noble in New York City, June 20 at 7 PM; Barnes & Noble Concord Pike in Wilmington, DE, June 21 at 6 PM; Barnes & Noble at The Grove in Los Angeles, CA, June 27 at 7 PM.

My local Barnes & Noble was packed for the Sherman Alexie event, for the release of You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me: A Memoir, about his mother and her unrealized greatness, that he is now realizing. He read from a chapter and some pomes from the book and told stories from his childhood and adult life. The best line of the event was “I don’t believe in ghosts, but I see them all the time”.

Barnes and Noble June Events

You Dont Have to say you love me

If these are not great enough, wait till you see the next announcement unveiling the fantastic events lineup for July.

Fully stocked felt bodega by Lucy Sparrow

07 Wednesday Jun 2017

Posted by in A Day in the Life, Activities, Art, Be a Tourist in Your City, Childhood, City Living, Food, Galleries, Handmade, Hotel, Museum, New York City, Photos, Shopping, Things I Love, Toddler

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New York never ceases to amaze me, so when I heard there is a fully stocked felt bodega at The Standard, High Line, I knew we had to check out this colorful art installation. 8’till late, a fully stocked felt convenience store created by Lucy Sparrow, one of the UK’s most exciting and original artists. Her practice is quirky yet subversive, luring the audience in with her soft, tactile, colorful felt creations.

8 till late its great

Open to the public for one month from Monday, June 5th, 8 ’till late’s felt fittings, freezers and fixtures is overflowed with every product you would expect to find in a Manhattan bodega; from candy to cereal, frozen pizza to Band Aids; all hand stitched in the inimitable Lucy Sparrow style. Customers will be invited to grab a felt basket, browse the aisles and select fluffy goods to fill their cupboards with all the home comforts.

Lucy Sparrow Ice CreamLucy Sparrow Frozen Food Deli counter Lucy Sparrow

Taking over six months to research, create and install, Lucy Sparrow is massively excited to be able to bring her felt creations to the USA, “Creating all of these iconic American brands has been brilliant and I can’t wait to see the reaction from local people on seeing a felt world full of their favorite treats!”

So Many Choices 8 till late

8 till late at your convenience

8’till late: A felt Convenience Store
The Standard, High Line
8am – 8pm
69 Little West 12th Street New York, NY 10014
Monday, June 5th – Friday, June 30th 2017

My budding photographer

01 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by in A Day in the Life, Be a Tourist in Your City, Brooklyn, Camera, Child Friendly, Childhood, City Living, Family, Kids, New York City, Park, Photography, Photos, Things I Love, Video

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Before my son had his own camera, he would always hijack my phone. I got tired of deleting hundreds of blurry pictures of the floor and the top half of his face from my phone, so his own camera was a great way to solve this problem. He now has free-rage to take photos of whatever he would like, and continues to get better at his craft. I still find blurry photos and “selfies” (see last photo in the post, lol) but every once in a while I find some treasures like these of his sister lilStrange.

H Strange

My Budding Photographer @growingupcultured

We were exploring DUMBO (short for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) and my son was chasing my daughter around trying to capture a photo of her with the New York City skyline in the background. He ended up getting his desired shot, plus of few other keepers in the process.

DUMBO NYC skyline lilStrange

NYC Skyline with @misslilstrange

Photo by H of lilStrange

jojo bow photo by H

Plus his token blurry selfie…

H blurry Selfie

Do your kids have their own camera?

Protect Like a Mother with Lysol

20 Saturday May 2017

Posted by in Activities, Animal, Baby, Be a Tourist in Your City, Brooklyn, Child Friendly, Childhood, City Living, Crafts, Education, Environment, Events, Family, Kids, Life, Maternity, Mom, Photos

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Across the animal kingdom, there is something universal and primal about a mother’s instinct to protect. Different species demonstrate amazing feats to protect their young… including human mothers. I’m working with Lysol to celebrate a mother’s natural protective instinct, honoring that a mother’s first priority is always the safety of her children – weather she is a lion, tiger, bear or a person.

Protect Like a Mother

Protect like a Mother LysolThis free, family-friendly exhibit pays tribute to the fiercest moms on the planet through larger-than-life interactive animal installations, including an orangutan, an octopus and an eagle. The installations will also chronicle motherly instincts through visual storyboards of the most incredible moms on Earth.

Lysol Orangutan

The mother orangutan remains in constant contact with her child for the first 6 months of its life.

Octopus sculpture

The mother octopus spends five, six months protecting her 56,000 eggs and then dies in the end to yield a possible two new octopus babies.

Baby Eagles

The mother golden eagle uses her 8-foot wingspan to protect her eaglets from danger.

Protect like a Mother in Brooklyn

Moms know what it takes to protect

It’s their DNA, and it’s in Lysol’s, too. Which is why Lysol is paying homage to the most incredible and protective moms on the planet – both animals and humans alike. Because no one protects like a mother. And nothing helps mothers protect against germs like Lysol.

Brooklyn Bridge Park Map

Head on over to the Brooklyn Bridge Park between 9AM and 6PM May 20th and 21st to take a look at this free exhibit. The image above shows you exactly where the exhibit is stationed – right under the Brooklyn Bridge.

My kids also enjoyed making a special card for me. My sons says “You’re my golden eagle, The mother golden eagle uses her 8-foot wingspan to protect her eaglets from danger. I feel safe under your wing, too.” My daughters card says “You’re my humpback whale, The mother humpback whale escorts her baby 3,000 miles through shark-infested waters. She’s one fierce mama. Just like you.”

Making Mama a card

Lysol Disinfectant Spray and Lysol Disinfecting Wipes kill 99.9% of harmful bacteria and viruses on hard surfaces. For more information on the brand, visit Lysol.com or Lysol.com/ProtectLikeaMother.

Do not miss this pop-up event because it is for this weekend only!

Grug and the Rainbow

13 Saturday May 2017

Posted by in Activities, Be a Tourist in Your City, Books, Child Friendly, Childhood, City Living, Culture, Entertainment, Family, Kids, New York City, Reviews, Theater, Things I Love, Toddler, Tourism, Travel

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Four years ago my son saw his first show at the New Victory Theater and it was Grug! So I was excited for lilStrange to get to see a show staring Grug for herself too. The experience was just as amazing for her, and now both of my kids are fans of Grug.

Grug and the Rainbow

Grug began his life as the top of Burrawang tree. Resembling a small, striped haystack with feet and a nose, he is fascinated by the world around him and solves everyday problems creatively and without fuss. In this theater production Grug embarks on an epic journey to reach the rainbow that always seems just beyond his grasp.

Grug Credit: Shane Reid

Photo Credit: Shane Reid

The story is very sweet and interactive, the kids get to participate with the actors in helping find different colors within the audience, to help build a rainbow for Grug all of his own. Grugs friends Cara the carpet snake and Snoot the echidna are also introduced to help with making a rainbow for Grug. My daughters new favorite color is Indigo because of what she learned in this show.

Grug and the rainbow and lilStrange

lilStrange even got to meet the playful puppets and imaginative storytellers from the Windmill Theater Company after the show, for a fun photo opportunity. Grug and the Rainbow makes its New York Premiere with The New Victory Theater at the New 42nd Street Studios from May 13-21, 2017. He is off to Canada then Australia after his time in New York City.

The show has an approximate running time of 40 minutes with no intermission. Don’t miss out on this fun show, perfect for kids aged 3-5.