Celebrating Dad

Dad turned 82 this week, so we went to one of our favorite restaurants, London Lennie’s, on Woodhaven Blvd. in Queens.

Of course, we tried to spoil him rotten with multiple presents. Maxine and I also baked him a small cake.

We got Dad some shirts, funny socks and a napping blanket. I also got him some cute photo frames.

It was an amazing night. Cheers to Dad and many more birthdays to come!

Celebrating Mom

My mom is a leap-year baby, so when it’s a leap year, it’s a big deal. This year is even more special because she turned 80.

We celebrated at our favorite local restaurant, Via Trenta in Astoria, on her birthday.

Last week, we celebrated with family and friends at Luigi’s Restaurant in New Hyde Park.

We had an amazing menu!

The day was filled with smiles and laughter.

We had a few interactive elements.

Also, shared some fun pictures of Mom.

We also had some goodie bags!

For the adults
For the kids

It was a fun afternoon. I’m glad we got to celebrate Mom, and cheers to many more birthdays to come.

Halloween at Kanga’s Indoor Playground and Cafe

I’ve wanted to check out Kanga’s in Long Island City with the family for a while now. We ended up attending their Halloween party over the weekend. They had arts and crafts, face painting, and a discovery dig activity. The indoor playground was cool and had separate fun areas for various age groups. I also appreciated that they had a small cafe to get food; nothing fancy, but it was at least something. We will be back!

Lil Goblins at The New York Junior League

We attended the annual Lil Goblins Halloween party at The New York Junior League. The event was a lot of fun. They had a balloon artist, a magician, cookie decorating, and trick-or-treating. My daughter, Maxine, was a cute lil ballerina 🎃.

Visiting Watermark at Pier 15

Last week, I had a Mom’s night out and celebrated my good friend Louanna’s 42nd, I mean 24th😉, birthday at Watermark at Pier 15.

It’s an outdoor restaurant right by the water with a killer view.

I chose the messiest foods on the menu 🤣, but it was all yummy. I had corn, steak tacos, and a seafood platter with oysters and lobster.

The restaurant was a vibe, with a DJ and a lively crowd. The best part of the night was randomly catching a drone show celebrating Hip Hop. Second best, some drinks came in pouches!

I will say the only downside is the bathroom situation. There are no restrooms in the restaurant area; you have to leave and use public bathrooms with only a few stalls, or you can use the public porta potties.

Overall, a fun night and I would recommend it for a good time.

Weekend in Maryland

In Early May, my husband, daughter, and I went to Maryland for a friend’s wedding.

The wedding was on Sunday, so we left New York Saturday afternoon and arrived at night. The first stop before the hotel was Cracker Barrel, and we ordered a feast. Maxine got the scrambled egg and biscuit. Andrew got the country fried steak with green beans and bacon mac and cheese, and I got the chicken fried chicken with broccoli and dumplings. Everything was yummy. Maxine ate all my dumplings, so I wish I had gotten a larger order. I know for next time! We need a Cracker Barrel in NYC.

We stayed at the Homewood Suites by Hilton Frederick. It was a nice hotel near many restaurants and, most importantly, had an indoor pool. Maxine and I took advantage and were the only ones in there.

For lunch, we got food from the Silver Diner. Maxine got silver dollar pancakes, Andrew got a sausage omelet, and I got a shrimp and grits dish. Everything was good.

Then came the wedding! The wedding and reception were at Dulany’s Overlook. The space had a country feel; the main venue was a barn.

Here are some pictures of our night.

Beautiful grounds
Enjoying some watermelon and cheese
Fam pic!
The lovely couple
😍
👯
Maxi was all over the dance floor
Line dancing!

Before we headed home on Monday, Andrew wanted to check out a buffet situation, so we ended up at the Golden Corral. This is the first I have heard of this chain; the food was pretty good. I got about three plates worth of food.

😍
One of my plates

Overall, it was a great weekend trip, and I want to come back to explore more soon.

Celebrating Easter

I’m a bit late, but I want to share my Easter this year. It was extra special because I helped organize an egg hunt at the New York Junior League (NYJL), and I had family from California visit.

We had approx 70 kids participate in the egg hunt at the (NYJL). The kids decorated their egg-hunting bags, bunnies and chicks, and photo frames. It was a huge hit.

Here are pictures of my family enjoying the event.

Maxine creating her bag
Savvy and Maxi
Eggs with Tita!
❤️
Family Pic

For Easter, I did most of the cooking. I wanted to cook ham but couldn’t find any, so chicken it is!

With my family from California.

This year, I went a little light with the Easter baskets. Less is more!

Maxi’s basket
My nephew’s basket. Went with a board game.
Got a dot activity book for my niece.

For family activities, we did cookie decorating and classic egg coloring.

Nothing better than spending quality time with the family.

Shawshankd Cocktail Experience

Earlier this month, I celebrated my friend Adrienne’s birthday in true Adrienne style with an immersive adventure. This time we got ourselves locked up in jail for the Shawshankd cocktail experience. The show is inspired by the movie and was fun and laid back. Our group had a blast because we all embraced the role-playing aspect of the night. The strong drinks were a bonus.

Here are some pictures of the night.

Birthday girl showing off her drink!

Need to find my next adventure!