Ally Noel
Ally Noel has lived in Connecticut for over two decades. Before becoming a parent, she worked as an Educational Technology Specialist, helping schools and teachers integrate technology into learning. Now, she’s all about discovering the best family-friendly adventures, activities, and hidden gems. Share your tips, questions, or just say hi at ally@mommypoppins.com, and follow along for family fun at @mommypoppinsct.
Latest posts by Ally
We all are following the “Stay Safe, Stay Home” guidelines, but why not have a little fun and spread the love that makes Connecticut the best place to call home? Our little corner of New England is bursting with local businesses that could use our support more than ever right now. Families can support Connecticut businesses by ordering meals (or meal kits) from local restaurants, buying gifts from independent toy stores and bookstores, investing in gifts or virtual classes from area museums and attractions, and more. (Remember, when you buy directly from one of these companies rather than a third-party service, you can ensure that more proceeds go directly to the small business itself.)
And while you're showing your support for the businesses you love, we hope you'll count Mommy Poppins and our small business partners among them. You can support Mommy Poppins by sharing articles you find useful with friends or on your social media channels, checking out our directory of virtual classes, camps and birthday parties and telling businesses you found them through Mommy Poppins. Also, as part of our effort to keep our local parent writers and this website afloat and support some of our favorite family businesses, we've created Poppins@Home, a platform for small businesses to share free and low-cost online classes and birthday parties with kids all over the country. Please consider trying a few of these fun, affordable, and creative classes—and spreading the word among your friends—as yet another way to support, uplift, and get through these challenging times together!
Just because many local toy stores and bookstores are closed does not mean you have to order great gifts and reads from Amazon. Some of our favorite shops and craft places in Connecticut are packing up the fun, placing it in a bag, and making it available for curbside pickup or delivery.
Now, you can pick up a perfect birthday gift for that car parade, grab a new chapter book, or plan a family fun night with a paint-your-own canvas party—all while supporting local businesses. Check out our favorite board games and virtual entertainers for more gift and fun ideas.
Mother’s Day festivities might be different this year, but being housebound doesn't mean moms need to deprive themselves of a special brunch or dinner. Connecticut restaurants and catering companies are giving mom a break from kitchen duty with takeout meals, from mimosa kits to DIY bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches, that can be delivered or picked curbside.
Along with a special brunch or dinner, these homemade Mother's Day cards are sure to complete mom's special day.
Did you know plastic milk jugs make awesome fairy houses, or sugar cubes are a fun substitute for Lego bricks? Sometimes we all need a little inspiration to get our creative juices flowing. And we're here to help, with a mega list of 100 arts and crafts projects you can do with your kids in the comfort of your own home.
Our list of creative boredom busters, includes everything from paper crafts, like crafting a decorative paper mache bowl, to our best slime recipes, inventive STEM activities, and projects perfect for the artsy preschooler in your life.
So, embrace your inner maker, roll up your sleeves, and craft some memories and pretty cool finished projects in the process!
Life in quarantine has forced families to think of creative ways we can get together during the novel coronavirus outbreak. And if you need a break from playing board games with whomever you share a home, a virtual game night makes for an excellent (and refreshing) alternative. Whether you choose Zoom, Hangouts, FaceTime, or Skype, there is virtually no end to the technological tools that keep us connected.
Group games are so important to kids for so many reasons. You can still sing your heart out with friends, challenge grandparents to a round of Pictionary, or ask your cousin to play a game of Battleship. Despite the circumstances, kids just want to have fun. So, let the games begin!
For more ideas on pandemic parenting, visit our Coronavirus Guide for Parents with hundreds of activities and things to do with kids of all ages.
Almost overnight, many parents have begun working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Juggling the challenges of keeping our families’ homeschool education on track while maintaining our work schedule from home is not an easy task.
The Mommy Poppins team are seasoned WFH pros. With a handy set of noise-canceling headphones, we can work in almost any situation. When the sign on the door that states “Working:Do Not Enter” stops ...well... working, this list of independent play activities should keep everyone engaged and entertained. Some of these activities require a little bit of set-up depending on your child’s age. Take one tip from this pro: save screen time for the end of the day. It’s the perfect activity to wrap up your workday or respond to a few last emails.
We've rounded up our favorite TV shows and movies to stream right now, as many parents are finding we need to rely more on screens these days! We tried to make these picks our favorites, meaning ones that we don't feel too bad about letting them gorge on or even watching with them (our laptops balanced in laps, of course).
Read on for more than two dozen of our parent-tested-kid-approved shows (and a few movies) that are streaming on Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, and Prime.
For families, creating a pantry with enough staples that you can make several meals when you don't have time to hit the store can be a lifesaver. We're big fans of Trader Joe's recipes for easy weeknight cooking, so whenthings get busy, I turn to Trader Joe's to start stocking up.
Kids may love going to Trader Joe’s for the free stickers, hidden stuffed animals, and lollipops. But, for me, I have always loved the number of convenience foods this specialty food store provides, aka, entire gourmet meals I can microwave or throw into a single pan from frozen—and have ready sometimes in as little as 7 minutes. The packed shelves can seem overwhelming for anyone to navigate, so we’ve created this list of 15 best meals from Trader Joe's recipes, combining veggies, proteins, whole grains, and flavor.
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