Toms River Mom

Hi, and Happy Easter. Well, almost! As I sit here hunting for March events for kids, I’m realizing something—there are a lot more events going on these days than there were a few months ago. To me, that means SPRING IS COMING!!! I can’t wait!

I’ve listed here a few fun Easter ideas as well as all of the Easter events I can find for families in and near Toms River. If you find any of your own that aren’t listed PLEASE send them to me at TomsRiverMom@gmail.com. Thanks so much.

Here are the Easter events I’ve found:

March 18, 2010 thru April 11, 2010 — The Easter Bunny will be at the Ocean County Mall.

March 20, 2010 — Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at Imagine That! Museum in Florham Park, NJ. Check their website or call (973) 966-8000 for details.

March 28, 2010 at 1PM SHARP — Easter Egg Hunt at Jenkinsons Aquarium/Boardwalk. All ages. Check their website or call (732) 295-4334 for details.

March 28, 2010 at 1PM SHARP — Easter Egg Hunt in Seaside on the Beach and Boardwalk. All ages. Check their website or call 1-800-Seashor for details.

April 3, 2010 — Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at the New Jersey Children’s Museum. All ages. Check their website or call (201) 262-5151 for details.

April 4, 2010 — Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at the Ocean County Mall for Simon Kidgits members only. It’s from 9:00AM through 10:00AM. Reservations are requested. Please call (732) 244-8201 to register. Admission to the breakfast is $5.

Things you can do at your home for Easter!

Or, of course, you could have your own easter egg hunt! It’s fun. It’s easy. And the kids LOVE it! You don’t have to make it huge, just get a few of your close friends to come over with their kids. Make the hunt a BYOB (Bring Your Own Basket) so each kid has his/her own personal basket. Get small things and toss them in the yard, or the house if it’s too cold outside. (Although, most of the kids don’t mind the cold if there is good loot to be found). If they fit in easter eggs, great. But if not, that’s fine too. As long as they fit in the basket everybody’s happy.

Have some appetizers and drinks for the parents and snacks for the kids, and you’re good to go. You don’t have to do anything elaborate – just have FUN! If dad want’s to get more involved, throw a Easter Bunny costume on him and have him play with the kids outside, it’ll be a great photo op too!

Click here for some fun and funny easter egg hunt ideas.

Keep an eye on the Crafts page for fun Easter crafts that you can do for an Easter playdate, or any time!

Winter is here and it’s impossible to spend a long time outside…so what to do? Plan a playdate! Some may think it’s a daunting task, but it’s really not. Here’s what you do:

1. Come up with a theme. It can be an upcoming holiday or season (St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Spring) or bug or animal (spiders, dogs, frogs). Obviously, it can be anything.

2. Search the internet for preschool age crafts pertaining to that theme. There are a few websites here that have great craft ideas (kaboose, parents).

3. Pick a date and send out an email to your friends with similar aged kids so they can all do the crafts or activities.

4. Prepare a list of materials you’ll need and go to A.C. Moore or another craft store to get what you need.

Do most of the set up the night before if you can, and then there will be less to do the day of your event. You can ask some of the other guests to bring a snack, or a part of lunch if it’s going to include lunch. People are usually willing to bring something – especially if they are not hosting.

If you keep this going, hopefully some of the other parents you invited will do the same thing in a few weeks and you’ll be able to keep the kids active over the winter months.

Most important – HAVE FUN! The kids just love the company. Even if you skip the crafts and just have them play they will have a great time!

While searching for things to do, I’ve come across a few local theatres that seem to have kids in mind. If you find yourself at any of these theatres this winter with your little ones, send me a message and let me know how it is. Here are a few of the listings I’ve found that look like fun!

First Avenue Playhouse
123 First Ave.
Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716
Phone: 732-291-7552
They are showing Cinderella

Two River Theatre Company
21 Bridge Ave.
Red Bank, NJ 07701
Phone: 732-345-1400
They are showing “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”

Eatontown Playhouse
37-13 Route 35 N.
Eatontown, NJ 07724
Phone: 732-888-0339
They are showing “Babes in Toyland” (by kids, for kids)

The Strand Theatre
400 Clifton Ave.
Lakewood, NJ 08701
Phone: 732-367-7789
They are showing “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” and “Beauty and The Beast” and “The Secret Garden” and “The Wizard of Oz”

STAC Open First Theatre
1000 McKinley Ave.
Manahawkin, NJ 08050
Phone: 609-597-0553
They are showing “School Hours Rock Live! Jr.” and “Little Shop of Horrors”

Welcome to TomsRiverMom.com!

As a Toms River mom, I find myself looking at dozens of websites to find out what to do with my kids on a daily basis, what’s up for the weekend and what activities are around for them. I am hoping to make life a little easier for all of you moms (and dads!) out there by putting all of the information I find on this website to save you all the trouble of hunting!

The “Event Calendar” will be a primary focus for future events going on locally. You can click on a day and all events going on on that day will be listed, or scroll down and the next few events will be listed to the right under the calendar. The directory is has tons of entries to make your searching easier. It lists any and all stores, activities (ie: dancing, music, gym), day trip ideas, child care, museums and anything else we can think of that will be helpful!

We will have discussions on parenting tips, photos, events, really anything anyone wants to talk about on the Facebook page at TomsRiverMom.com – look it up and become a fan today!

If you sign in, you will have the ability to comment and/or rate postings, enter classifieds (soon) and more.

I will look online, in the papers and postings for any events or things happening around Toms River for kids, but if I miss something or if you know of something that is going on please feel free to let me know about it by emailing me at TomsRiverMom@gmail.com. Our craft and recipe categories are also growing daily because of many of you that are emailing me your favorites — keep ‘em coming! I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks!
Aly (Lemke) Williams

Autumn is here, so it’s time to pack up the mini-van and head out to the Pumpkin Patch!

Here are a few options in Ocean County:

Silverton Farm – 1520 Silverton Road, Toms River , NJ.
Call ahead – 732-244-2621
Pumpkins, hayrides, organic produce

Berry Fresh Farms – 151 Brick Blvd, Brick, NJ (Just after Burlington Coat Factory on Hooper)
Call ahead – (732) 477-0606
Pumpkins, haunted house, hay maze for kids, lots of pumpkins and fresh produce

Argos Farm - 1250 Lacey Road, Forked River, NJ 08731
Call ahead – 609-693-3513
http://www.argosfarm.com/seasonal/ (new prices from last year listed)
pumpkin patch-pick in the field, corn maze, tractor-pulled hay rides, restrooms, pony rides, farm animals, birthday parties, school tours

DeWolf’s Farm - 10 West Colliers Mill Road, New Egypt, NJ.
Call ahead – 609-758-2424 or dewolfarm@aol.com
Pumpkins

Emery’s Berry Farm – 346 Long Swamp Road, New Egypt, NJ.
Call ahead – 609-758-8514 or berryfarmer@aol.com
Heritage blueberries, raspberries, pumpkins, pumpkin patch hay ride
(Pics from 2009 at TomsRiverMom.com page on Facebook)

Manahawkin Pick Your Own Berry Farm - 178 Beachview Ave., Manahawkin, NJ.
Call ahead – 609-597-3437
Hayrides, corn maze, sunflower forest, pumpkins, mums, fall deco and farm animals.

This one is in Monmouth… but it looks great!

Casola Farms 178 Highway 34, Holmdel, NJ
Open 7 days (more stuff available on weekends)
732-332-1533

http://www.antoniocasola.com/fallfest.html

Below is a website for more pumpkin patches in the entire state of New Jersey.

And this site has LOTS of information about pumpkin patches all around the state!

http://bestofnj.com/2009/09/24/halloween-in-nj-haunted-houses-hayrides-parades-and-pumpkins/

Instead of heading to the grocery store to get your peppers, head down to the farmers market while it’s still open!! Take your kids with you, talk to the growers and give them a lesson about how people grow the food we eat. Let them help you chop them up or toss them in the sauce, and they will be so proud of themselves for helping!

The Downtown Toms River Farmers Market is a Jersey Fresh designated market featuring produce from nearby farms plus locally produced food stuffs. It is held at Huddy Park every Wednesday from June 13 to October 24, 2007 from Noon to 6 p.m. Huddy Park is a lovely riverfront park that offers a place to relax by the water or even have a picnic to enjoy your freshly purchased produce.

Huddy Park is most easilty accessed from Exit 81 on the Garden State Parkway. Go east on West Water Street from the Parkway. It is less than a mile to Huddy Park. Park in the municipal parking garage across the street from the park.

http://www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/NJsepumpkins.php

http://www.americantowns.com/nj/trenton/news/pumpkin-patch-farms-and-pumpkin-picking-guide-for-new-jersey-nj-10761

Here are a few links with all of the pumpkin patches in Ocean County, as well as the rest of the state. Good Luck, have fun, and go on a hayride for me!!

Grant Avenue in Seaside Heights
Admission fee for competitors and vendors
BBQ competition in Seaside Heights, $10,000 in prize money
800-SEA-SHORE