Outdoor Places to Visit with Kids in Staten Island

One of the things I love about living in Staten Island is all the fun, kid-friendly places and activities available here. Beaches, parks, playgrounds, hiking trails and more - all a short drive way from home! Below are some of the places we visited and enjoyed since Nicky started walking:

1. Cedar Grove

Cedar Grove area, located to the right of Miller Field at the very end of New Dorp Lane by the water, is one of our favorite places to hang out. The little path that snakes along the beach through trees and shrub is a perfect place to let the toddler run wild and free. We often walk along the ocean or visit a small, secluded playground at the corner of New Dorp and Cedar Grove Ave.
If you walk towards Ebbits ave. you will find the entrance to one of New York's most private public beaches. After Sandy, this once privately-owned area was bought out by the City and rebuilt into a beach, now open to the public. It is small, gated, relatively clean and not crowded. 

A Day on the Farm

We've been doing a lot of day trips this summer, but our favorite place, by far, has been the Alstede Farm. We spent a day riding hay wagons, feeding farm animals, picking peaches and taking in the amazing scenery. I haven't felt this relaxed and at peace in forever. Watching Nicky climb onto a tractor, running through a field of peach trees and eating ripe, freshly picked fruit put a smile on everyone's face.

The farm has great activities for kids like a corn maze and pony rides and picking only costs $5 a person (plus you pay per pound for whatever you gathered.) Right now is the prime time for peaches, which is what we picked, as well as apples, some berries, melons and some vegetables (check out their PYO schedule for a full list)

After you are done picking you can visit their Farm Store for even more fresh & locally grown produce. We picked up some apples and tomatoes and they are beyond delicious!!

The farm is located about an hour away from NYC and is open 7 days a week. The surrounding towns are very peaceful and beautiful, it's quite a pleasant ride. We had an absolutely amazing time and I am pretty sure we will be back here again very soon!

Extra Income for Moms

A day in a working stay-at-home mom life - shooting a dress for Zema Boutique when my son decides to jump into the shot :)

Looking to make money from home? I've been doing it for 7 years and in this post I will share some resources for moms to make a few extra bucks online. Scroll below for 7 ways to earn!

It's hard to be a stay at home mom.

• You are responsible for the kids the entire day.
• You are the entertainer.
• The cook.
• The driver.
• The cleaning lady.
• The referee.
• The peace maker.
• The pace maker.
• You basically run the whole show.
• And the show often runs you into the ground.
• You have no breaks, no alone time, you make no money and you are at the mercy of other people's moods and schedules.

It's hard to be a working mom.

• The guilt of leaving your children every morning.
• The worrying for their well being while they are in someone else's care.
• The constant race to get everything done.
• The balancing act of staying on schedule.
• Comparing yourself to other parents.
• Doing your best to provide a great future for your kids.
• Carving out time to spend as a family.
• Carving out time to take care of your home.
• Crashing on the couch in the end of the day only to realize you still have dishes to do...

And then there is a middle ground - a working stay at home mom. 

• You get to work while staying home with your little one(s).
• You get to witness every moment of them growing up, to teach them, care for them, cry and laugh with them.
• You will be perpetually sleep deprived, sometimes walking two steps away from a nervous melt down and trying to decide what's more important - income or sanity.
• Some days you will need to cram an entire 8 hour work day into your kid's two hour nap.
• And yet, you get to be your own boss, set your own pace and reach your goals - on your own terms.

All that said, whatever path you choose to follow, most of us can use some extra income. Whether you are a stay at home mom who is looking to make a few extra bucks, a working mom struggling to pay the ever-multiplying bills, or are tired of the corporate world and looking to transition to work from home, there are lots of ways to make money over the Internet. Here are a few of them:

Seven Ways To Make Money From Home