We are so pleased to have an awesome giveaway for you and your family just in time for Spring! We are offering one lucky winner a mini photo shoot in Central Park by Sprout and the Bean photography ($395 value). In order to enter you must visit the Sprout and the Bean website and leave a comment on this post as to WHICH is your favorite photo and WHY. The winner will be notified by email on Friday April 9th.

Description of a Mini-Session:
- One (1) hour of candid portraiture in Central Park.
- Pre-set Spring day in late April or early May.
- 100-150 unique images captured and presented in a gallery.
- A gorgeous online viewing gallery with a private link to share with family and friends.
- One each custom 4×6, 5×7 and 8×10 enlargement of a chosen favorite image.
- Mini-Session includes coverage of mom, dad and child.
- Online gallery is live for a period of 10 days post session.
- Additional enlargements and other fine-art photo items are ordered a la carte.
- A private pre and post session consultation appointment is set between client and photographer.

Everyone’s a winner!
Sprout and the Bean is giving away $100 gift certificates redeemable towards prints to everyone that posts a comment, with the booking of their first session. **For new clients only. Good until 9/30/2010″** Use Promo Code: EGC100.

About Sprout and the Bean:
With photography in her genes going back to her grandfather and her aunt, this self-taught children’s photographer has fast become one of NYC’s most sought after. Paloma Sendrey mixes a genuine candid eye with the laughter and glee of childhood to capture the true essence of your child’s personality! Her portraiture is beautiful and evocative in it’s simplicity, composition and richness. Paloma’s unique ‘film & proof’ sessions are still quite popular, even in this age of all things digital. But should you desire, she does cover both digital and film sessions, taking great care and time – so you’ll never feel rushed! She comes to you – home, park, hip urban nabes’ and at the beaches! Gorgeous fine-art Museum Boxes, Plexiglass Mounts and Aluminum prints are just a few of her unique and modern post-session offerings!

On Sunday, our family attended a matinee of “Funundrum”, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s circus’ latest and greatest three-ring spectacular. It was my 20 month old’s first circus experience and the first time in a long time for my husband and me. It was simply amazing and a far cry from the sawdust and clowns that we remember as youths. “Funundrum” did not disappoint – it was a huge elaborate extravaganza fit for Madison Square Garden! My son, although still young for the circus, loved every minute of the over 2 hour show. The highlights for him (and us!) were the elephants, of course, who are just amazing standing, sitting, or doing tricks, the glow-in-the-dark motorcyclists driving around in a steel cage at high speeds, and all of the dare-devil trapeze artists. The music and theatrics were larger than life and nothing other than “The Greatest Show on Earth”! We can’t wait to go again next year!

For half price tickets through March 31st click here.

The Dr. Seuss iPhone apps are on sale for a limited time only for $0.99!

For Dr. Seuss lovers of all ages, these apps are interactive – you can either read the book out loud with your child (or have them read it!) or have the app tell the story.

Here are the titles currently available:

Books: The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss’s ABC, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Camera: The Cat in the Hat Edition and The Grinch Edition
Game: Grinchmas!

DID YOU KNOW?
The top 10 in-demand jobs in 2010
did not exist in 2004.
We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exisit
Using technologies that haven’t been invented…
in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.
The U.S. department of labor estimates that today’s learner will have 10-14 jobs…
by the age of 38.
1 in 4 workers has been with their current employer for less than a year
1 in 2 has been there for less than 5 years.

This mind-blowing video on the progression of information technology is NOT TO BE MISSED!

Last week, we found ourselves stuck inside AGAIN as a result of YET another walloping snowstorm. On the worst day of it all, our doorbell rang. It was the kind people from DinDins, the brand-spanking new NYC toddler food delivery service, who braved the storm just to make sure that our toddler was well fed! Boy were we happy they did!

DinDins meals are all homemade, prepared by a cook and a nutritionist (mother and daughter team – love it!), using only the best possible organic (and often local!) ingredients. They do not use any preservatives, additives or artificial ingredients yet their food tastes great!!! Hallelujah! And… they deliver right to your door.

We tried the “Healthy Fried Rice with Eggs, Peas and Corn”, the “Baked Penne with Roasted Winter Vegetables”, the “Cranberry Zucchini Mini Muffins”, and the “Artichoke, Corn, and Chicken Quesadilla”. Everything was delicious! My son agreed to eat rice for the first time ever and was absolutely obsessed with the penne. I myself loved the cranberry muffins and fully admit to “stealing” more than a few bites of the muffins and the quesadillas. Having so many options is crucial, especially with toddlers, when you have no idea what they are going to go for on any given day. With DinDins, you can freeze the food for up to three weeks and have it all right there at your fingertips. Also, the DinDins menu will change often so “we” won’t get bored of any one thing. You can subscribe to their newsletter for product updates and nutrition tips, and also check their menu for what’s on tap. DinDins is committed to being green and uses packaging that is almost all recyclable. And… did I mention it was only $2-3 a meal?

Finally, healthy food for our toddler (something very important in our house) at the snap of my fingers even when mommy can’t (or won’t) cook. As I say, anything to make life easier! Thank you DinDins!