Shari Simpson

Shari Simpson

Shari Simpson has Anna Fader and Mommy Poppins to thank for learning to appreciate her own state. Before she started editing Mommy Poppins NJ, Shari dragged her spawn into NYC for any type of "culture"; now she knows all the good stuff to be had in New Jersey and is not so fast to hop on that PATH train. In her other life, Shari is a comedic playwright ("Maybe Baby, It's You", Dramatic Publishing, Inc.), a humor blogger ("Earth Mother just means I'm dusty"), and a freelance writer. She is mother to four (two human, two pug) and resides in Hoboken, where she can be found jogging along the waterfront or dragging her Brownie troop of 30 crazy little girls around town.
You can also follow Shari on Google+.

Latest posts by Shari

Christmas Tree Farms in New Jersey

Submitted by Shari Simpson on Fri, 11/18/2022 - 6:29am

Find the perfect tree at a Anne Ellen Tree farm.

Looking for the best Christmas tree farms in New Jersey? Check out our rundown below of great places throughout the Garden State to find the perfect tree.

For many families, cutting down a Christmas tree is an annual tradition that marks the beginning of the holiday season. If you're thinking of going the cut-your-own route this year, start your Christmas tree search by checking out our list of New Jersey Christmas tree farms.

Many farms sell refreshments to keep you fortified during your search, and some also offer seasonal farm fun like Santa visits, scenic wagon rides, and marshmallows around the fire pit. Don't feel like cutting a tree down yourself? Most farms will cut it for you and take care of the drilling and baling.

Note that the lack of rain in 2022 means some farms may have fewer trees than usual, so shop early!

Once you've checked that off your list, be sure to take a look at our write-up on where to take Santa pictures and visit our Holiday Guide for New Jersey families for even more ways to celebrate the season.

Halloween and Fall Foliage Train Rides for New Jersey Kids

Submitted by Shari Simpson on Thu, 09/13/2018 - 9:30am

The Whippany Railway Museum's Pumpkin Festival includes a ride on the Pumpkinliner and other festive fall fun.

Halloween and hayrides go hand in hand, but if you really want to up your game this year, take a trip on a Halloween train! If you have a junior conductor in your family, don't miss out on one of these four seasonal NJ railway adventures—plus one across the Delaware in Pennsylvania.

From spooky to scenic, these rides offer a unique bit of fall fun for the whole family: passengers can take a seat in a vintage caboose, travel through gorgeous fall foliage, visit a pumpkin patch, and even trick-or-treat onboard. After the ride, round out the day with autumn activities like corn mazes, crafts, and a costume party.

Check out our NJ Fall Fun Guide for even more seasonal family fun around the state.

Halloween Fun at New Jersey Zoos with Boo at the Zoo

Submitted by Shari Simpson on Thu, 09/07/2017 - 12:35pm

Whether you're looking for an alternative to traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating, or you just want to have a little extra Halloween fun in the days leading up to the big event, the zoo just might be the place for you. Visiting with the animals is always an enjoyable way to spend a family day, but throw in some candy, costumes, and spooky activities, and you're bound to have a howling good time.

Cool Summer Camps at New Jersey Museums and Zoos

Submitted by Shari Simpson on Wed, 01/04/2017 - 8:19pm

Looking for something a little different for the kids this summer in Jersey? A half-day or full-day spent indoors in a cool art museum or outside at a lively zoo may just be the ticket to an unusual summer experience. Here are the best museum and zoo camps we found in New Jersey. You can find many more New Jersey summer camps in our Camp Guide and Full Directory of Listings.

Morristown Game Vault: Classic Gaming, Pinball, and Family Fun

Submitted by Shari Simpson on Wed, 08/10/2016 - 3:35pm

For those of us who remember dashing into the video arcade with our permed hair and stirrup pants to see who had the high score on Frogger, there are two pieces of good news: First, all those vintage games are cool again, and secondly, they're right around the corner in New Jersey—and we don't mean down the Shore on the boardwalk.

The Morristown Game Vault opened earlier this year with Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Q-Bert, and 85 other classics, and it's quickly becoming the hot spot for both nostalgic parents and their hip kids. My family recently spent a happy afternoon pinballing, joysticking, and button-pressing at this wonderful new family fun zone. Read on for the highlights.

Aether Game Cafe Opens in Hoboken

Submitted by Shari Simpson on Mon, 07/18/2016 - 1:32pm

I love board games, so imagine my excitement when I spied a new venue in Hoboken: a cafe devoted entirely to sitting around and playing Scrabble. And Pictionary. And Clue. And... well, you name it, and the Aether Game Cafe has it. Read on for my review of this delightful spot for gathering, eating snacks, and playing Monopoly. And Dominion. And Dungeons and Dragons. And... well, you get the idea.

Ride Back in Time with the Kids at Whippany Railway Museum

Submitted by Shari Simpson on Thu, 06/30/2016 - 2:30pm

For those of you with train-loving kids, an afternoon at Whippany Railway Museum will float their boats (or kick their cabooses, maybe?). We spent Father's Day riding the rails, looking at cool old train stuff in a tiny, wonderfully packed-to-the-gills museum, and generally stepping back in time, sans electronic devices.

Read on for the highlights of our fun day spent in the company of Southern Railway steam locomotive No. 385 and friends.

Coding Classes for Kids in NJ: CodeAdvantage

Submitted by Shari Simpson on Thu, 03/24/2016 - 9:00am

When it comes to technology, I am quick to play the "I made it through college with a typewriter and Wite-Out" card when talking with my kids. This inevitably garners an eyeroll and probably rightly so: our children were practically born with devices in their hands. And since statistics predict that by 2020 over 1 million computing jobs will be unfilled in the US due to lack of candidates with the right skills and experience, perhaps it's time for me to embrace the need for my kids to have some mad computer skillz. So I was thrilled when my 10-year old son was offered a coding class at CodeAdvantage, and a Minecraft one to boot, which is just about his favorite thing on earth. Read on to hear about our CodeAdvantage experience.