So with a hop, skip and jump (and a car and train) I got myself to New York for an event hosted by Ragu. I was psyched that Molly Ringwald was going to be there. Since I barely know any “stars” of today it was nice to hear a familiar name of “my” time. The event was short but pretty well put together. We got to the the “loft” which...

Two years ago this time I set out to blog, not knowing exactly what the tide would bring in. It all started with a little Flip video camera. I wanted one. Hubby objected. His reasoning was we already had a very expensive one collecting dust in the cupboard. Ok, so he was correct, but the Flip video camera came in pink and they were cute. Anyway he heard about the rave...

Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina the Teenage Witch) and Soleil Moon Frye (Punky Brewster) are teaming up together to celebrate International Friendship Month this February. These ladies are actual friends in real life and are focusing on the joy that close friendships bring to people’s lives. Melissa and Soleil were co-hosts of a Gain-sponsored “Better Together” Friendship...

Every so often a neat campaign comes along where you can help just by a few clicks. The fact that you may win something is just icing on the cake. Kelly and accomplished master baker and cake decorator Buddy Valastro, from TLC’s “Cake Boss,” recently joined forces at a fun event to bake lavishly decorated cakes in support of The Ovarian Cancer Research...

Wow, I knew there was a reason I broke up the Atlantis posts, but now I am hoping I can recall it all. Pretty tough considering I am staring out my window to seen snow on the ground. Sigh, I can almost feel the sea breeze on my face as I look at those “summer” Atlantis laundry still not put away. I refuse to put them away, in the hope that Spring appears earlier...

4:00 am: The cabbie did not show 4:30 am: Dragged the kids to South Boston 5:10 am: On my way to NYC (Acela @ $140) 9:00 am: Penn Station 9:30 am: Checking out the latest by Zhu Zhu Pets (Kung Zhu) and the adventure begins … Toy Fair 2010 New York City Over 100,000 Toys 7:00 pm: Private Lego party to introduce Lego Board Games (stay tuned for updates) 9:00 pm: Outside...

I was recently invited to a private breakfast with Hasbro along with a few bloggers. This was all in the mood of the upcoming Toy Fair in New York. There was a chance I was going to miss the Toy Fair, even though I had a press pass to it, but I would sooner miss that than a more intimate event with bloggers and a behind the scenes look. As a blogger we regularly get media...

A group of unique hamsters are gearing up for some Kung Zhu fighting!  Zhu Zhu Pets, the hottest toys of 2009, have earned their black belts and will reveal their skills in a new line-up of toys — Kung Zhu battle hamsters. These hamsters combine the whimsical, mild-mannered fun of the original Zhu Zhu Pets with a level of action and excitement that appeals specifically...

Well if the Disney on Ice a few months ago took your breath away then you are in luck as another round of Disney On Ice is set to his Boston. This time the Mad Hatter; a Royal Valentine’s Day Ball with the Disney Princesses, including Cinderella, Ariel and Tiana; a Hawaiian luau with Lilo & Stitch; a winter wonderland with Woody and Buzz Lightyear fromDisney/Pixar’s...

As much a wrapped gift is always welcome you cannot beat a getaway to prolong the gift. I received a few suggestions from the tourism guys of New Hampshire and I thought I would share a few of my favorites. Of course I have not yet tried any of these wonderful places (I will be away at a blogging event) but there is no reason why you guys can’t check them out. For...

Everyone love great quality, but no one loves to pay them (celebrities don’t count). I have been a bargain hunter for a while. I gave up looking for trendy items for myself  after I ballooned like a whale in pregnancy. I then began to focus on buying clothes for my baby. Since I knew I was having a girl I went crazy buying her clothes. Since then I had another...

Printable Valentine cards are dime dozen today. Don’t get me wrong, the printables save my butt when I need to give my kids an activity to buy me a few moments of sanity (all in the life of a SAHM), but many are pretty commercial and, dare I say it – BLAND.  In fact I mostly ignore pitches of printable cards but when the guys from Gnaana sent me an email...

I know you would have been eagerly awaiting Day 2 after reading Day 1 but a stiff neck on my end has somewhat delayed things. Also after that whole experience with the dolphins it would be difficult to imagine how it could get any better. I was thinking the very same thing that night as I wearily went to bed by 9pm, which is not like the 2am bedtime I have at time. Anyway...

Yes, today is the day Punxsutawney Phil comes out of his hiding place and tells the world if there will be six more weeks of winter. I am so not keen on another day of winter let alone 6 more weeks of winter. Of course I should moan less considering I just had a few days in Atlantis, right? I somehow forget that Groundhog Day is a day for all rodents, be it mice, chipmunks,...

So I am back. It happened really so fast and yet so wonderful. If you don’t know I was invited to  a special media trip on behalf of Jet Blue, Lego and Atlantis. I know what you are thinking: Lucky girl. And you know what you would be correct. I have been thinking for days, while I tackle my mountain of laundry that awaits every vacationer, of how to share with...

With snowy winters comes jackets, hats and mittens and though they bring vivid memories of me fighting the kids over dressing for the cold, there is another “cold” that is more troublesome. Yes, the one that brings snotty noses, fevers and pains.  When I was alerted to another surprising concern about how people are dishing up their dose I was skeptical....

If you know me personally then you would have heard me rant and curse at my dishwasher, and not without reason. I live in a community where all the homes were built at the same time and sold with (the cheapest) appliances. We bought the house after the owner had put the current model through the rigmarole for over 10 years. Since we don’t believe in replacing something...

When I was approached by a team representing Jet Blue, Atlantis and Lego to attend a special event with a child at Atlantis I was in the throes of bath-time woes and tantrums. In fact hubby had just arrived from work and I was telling him about it, then it struck me. This was in the Bahamas. I was being invited with my kid. The event was for them and it was all paid....

A few weeks ago I saw some tweets going around about a Martha Stewart Blog Special. Since a few months ago I overslept and missed my train to another show, I felt this was like a calling. I mean anything that spells blogging has my name on it, right? After muddling though my wardrobe trying to find something that would qualify for being in the audience, oh not because...

You may be wondering what’s up with Mommy Niri. I mean I have not been posting as often, not because I don’t have oodles to share (because I do) but just because these days I am behind EVERYTHING. Not just on my blog but in my life too. As you can see I still have the Christmas lights up, and yes that is Halloween decor out. A good thing you can’t...

You read about my review of Jello mousse way back but thanks to House Party I got to host a Jell-O Mousse and Jenny McCarthy party. What can I say about a night of fabulous (girl)friends, yummy Jell-O Mousse and kick-my-butt Jenny McCarthy’s Your Shape for wii? Nothing! Check out the pics and video to get a sense yourself. Disclosure: House Party provided me with...

Somehow I don’t really hold myself accountable to resolutions, though I should. Yet there is something highly ominous about the 1st day of the 1st month in a brand new year that makes me feel yesterday was but a fleeting memory but today I start afresh. I somehow feel that whatever I did before is all but forgotten and this new year I can tackle anything. Of course...

Chef Rachel Klein I had given up eating gourmet meals with my sweetheart a while ago. If we ever did get a babysitter (as rare as that blue moon) the meter running would sure to be an incentive to gobble and go. I had resigned myself to either eating at those places with friends, forking out the big bucks for a sitter or just be content with a lifetime of Chuck-E-Cheese...

I really wanted to feature a craft for December but with all the holiday specials (yeah those 12 days of giveaways are really time cruncher) I almost gave up hope that was ever going to happen. I was at the Build A Bear screening of Holly And Hal at the home of Stampin Up wonder woman Tami and I was dazzled. As I looked around at her crafts I was so inspired I wanted to...

I came across BookDads while working with Hooked On Phonics and I have always been impressed with their quality of their content. It was exactly why I reached out with Steven and Brian to share what they considered their favorites for the season. The holidays are a very busy time for the Book Dads family and our multicultural, transracial, adoptive household.  In the...

I attended a Build-A-Bear screening party hosted by local Stampin’ Up representative Tami. Not being very crafy, who am I kidding I am not craft AT ALL, I was worried I would be out of my element. I was the only blogger (who was chosen to feature the event) amongst some serious crafters. We started out watching the Holly And Hal the movie from the Build A Bear guys....

So many exciting things have happened recently that I have missed sharing them with you. Now that the conference dust has settled I will try to play catch up. While at Blogalicious Maria Bailey, a woman I highly respect and was thrilled to meet at Type A Mom conference, interviewed me on MomTv. Photo by Carol Cain, NYCityMama.com SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Maria Bailey...

I am normally cautious about news items I publish but this I thought was worthy enough. Imagine finding step-by-step instructions to over 85 common stains. Not only finding the solutions but also helps finding which products to use, right down to where to find them. Not only does it dish out advice but it can take it too. Your tips and tricks (however quirky they are)...

I had attended a Team Mom blogger’s brunch where Good Housekeeping was one of the sponsors, and they offered guests the opportunity to tour their site. Of course I said yes. I may be behind the times but no one says no to an icon like Good Housekeeping. Although I knew I would be exhausted from being in New York all day (which normally means a 4:00am wakeup call),...

Well, this is the 1st Holiday Guide of Mommy Niri. I have been back and forth about whether to create a guide this year or not but eventually caved in to how valuable it would be. This list would be a growing list with a mixture of some stuff that I have already reviewed on my blog, and some that I just loved so much that I had to mention. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title:...

Since I had vague memories of last year’s luncheon with Stop & Shop, I made a promise that this year I would relax more. My older child finishes school by 10:30am (I know too early for me too) so I took her straight from her pre-school along with my feisty 2 year old since they had childcare provided. Knowing that my kids hardly eat if children or crafts are...

I had always admired Beth Feldman (known as @rolemommy which is her twitter handle) and had finally had the opportunity at the Jillian Michaels wii launch in New York. I was over the moon when I found out she would be in Boston for the Boston leg of the See Mom Run book tour. The book, See Mom Run, sounds fabulous and I can’t wait to dig in. It is filled with the...

While at Blogalicious I met the wonderful Ananda Leeke of the Sisterhood Blog Talk Radio. I never did get around to the video interview that she was conducting, somehow I hate watching me in videos, so we are doing a live radio interview. You will join me, right? SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Listen To Mommy Niri Live 11/5/09 9pm EST!", url: "http://www.mommyniri.com/2009/11/listen-to-mommy-niri-live-11509-9pm-est/"...

While mommy was away, I was holding down the fort. In came the opportunity to see Benjamin Moore’s Natura Paint at the Natick Mall. So, I decided to cover the event for Mommy Niri with a borrowed camera and leaving the kids with my friend. Well, it was one of the booths at the mall that I would have normally passed by without noticing but since I was looking for...

You already know that Mommy Niri is an Office Max “Max Mom” and you would have seen the contest for $100 for nominating a teacher, and even watched as I surprised a teacher with the Office Max guys with $1000 worth of supplies (this was one of 1000 schools in the country. In fact you may have even seen my post on the Office Max party I had to collect supplies...

When I received an invitation to be an ambassador for the Macy’s Path To Peace program I had barely read the entire mail before I said yes. My plate is actually full, and then some, but this project was too close to my heart to say no to. What is the Macy’s Path To Peace program you say? Well this is what the project says “Spearheaded three years ago...

While Wal-Mart and Amazon (and now Target) are slugging out for the top 10 best sellers for lowest prices (so far at $8.99), Barnes & Noble announced Nook, the Wireless eBook Reader. Just a few months after announcing their Free eReader app, BN surprised everyone with Nook. Nook marries innovative technology and sleek design – a good competition for Kindle...

I recently attended the Time To Play event in New York, where the Top 16 toys were going to be revealed. I knew nothing more of the event except for that snippet of information. Anything that screams “toys” though has me as an ardent listener. I was greeted by the registration guys with an empty bag and as I looked back at them puzzled they told me it was...

Mommy Niri was invited by 360 PR to the attend and tweet about the 49th Ad Club Creative Awards held at the World Trade Center in Boston, MA. Now if you know me, you know this is not the norm for me to be attending an event of this nature, but how could I miss an awards ceremony. Besides high school and college I don’t remember attending any other.  Added to the...

You would already know that Mommy Niri is an Office Max “Max Mom”.  You also know that I hosted a local Office Max party to collect supplies for a local teacher. You may even know I held a contest for $100 Office Max Gift Card for a deserving teacher. Well what you probably did not know is that Office Max is giving $1000 to 1000 schools in office supplies....

Between all of the parties that I have been hosting lately from the Zhu Zhu Pets party (and I even have one up for grabs), to the ELF Makeup Party to the Healthy Choice Party you would have thought that my home was a Party Central, but this Office Max party had a touch of difference.  This party was to collect school supplies for a local teacher. If you did not already...

So you know how some people are all about certain channels which they love? Well Mommy Niri is a total Food Network junkie. I never get to watch the shows normally during the day as I limit television viewing for my kids but I am known on occasion to sneak snippets in. Well when I heard that Food Network star Robin Miller (She hosts Quick Fix Meals) was going to be demonstrating...

hWhen I received the invitation to attend the Stonyfield Blogger event memories of my girls being babies and eating came flooding back. If you don’t know by now, though in honesty you would be hard pressed to find someone who has not heard of Stonyfield, Stonyfield is the makers of organic yogurt among other things. If you were a mama like me, who was not too particular...

This Wednesday, September 23, so you can be a part of the first-ever National Family Game Night! On this day, Hasbro is encouraging families across America to spend an evening at home playing games together to reconnect and reenergize relationships. I was fortunate enough to meet with the guys from Hasbro at BlogHer and just received a shipment of a nice selection of...

Mommy Niri With Jillian Michaels Although I am not a fitness fanatic (I know, I know I could do with a visit to that alley) even I had heard of Jillian Michaels. The shredheads tweeting on Twitter and along with her  in”The Biggest Loser” has made her an icon of sweet pain.  When I heard of Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010 event, I knew that I had...

Imagine having a year’s worth of chilcare paid for! Imagine having the stress of having to get that money wiped from your life for a year! With the economy as tight as it is I do not need to do any convincing on this at all, do I? Care.com is offering you a chance to win $12,455 ! Who is Care.com? Care.com helps you find local child care, special needs care, tutoring,...

While at BlogHer the Lands’ End team offered to send us a FeelGood sweater shipped to our home. At the time I was just appreciative of one more swag item I would not have to tote, but when it arrived home I was amazed at how soft it was. Now, with the purchase of every FeelGood Sweater, Lands’ End is helping many families stay warm. With their FeelGood campaign,...

COME TOGETHER, a fundraising campaign by Macy’s, aims to feed 10 million people suffering from hunger. The campaign encourages people to host special dinners and ask their guests to pledge a donation to Feeding America. In return, Macy’s will match these donations dollar-for-dollar until the total goal of 10 million meals is reached. People can participate...

Sprout is one of our favorite channels at home, and with a 2 and 4 year old it should come as no surprise. The preschool channel is one that I can feel safe as it is a24 hour channel targetted well for that age.  I have to admit though that the bedtime show is not one that my kids get to watch since the are often tucked away by then (and this mom blogger is grateful...

Week 5 brings us to Beauty makeovers. Thanks to E.L.F makeup and a wonderful makeup artist Laurie we were able to have a fun makeup party. Don’t worry I captured some tips for you too (and trust me they are amazing tips).  I know you are thinking lucky Mommy Niri, but you can win your own makeup kit by attending the snazl party. I promise to post more details on...

The 4th week of SnazL Stories has arrived quickly and I guess it is time to get to mommy business and share some tips and tricks. Brushing And Bathing is our theme this week. All stories will be about how you get your kids to brush their teeth or make bath time fun. Well join in to share your bathing and brushing tricks and tips come on over Wednesday at 9pm EST. Mommy...