Carrie Taylor

Latest posts by Carrie Taylor

19 Awesome Houston-Area Breweries Where Kids Can Play, Too

Submitted by Carrie Taylor on Fri, 02/12/2021 - 3:41pm

Houston's craft beer scene is top-notch, which we probably don't have to tell you. But what might come as a surprise is that it's also very kid-friendly; some of the area's best brews are housed in stellar spaces with outdoor games and room to play. Here are some spots we love to go as a family because there is room for the kids to run around; they are unpretentious; they don't make my husband and me feel bad if our toddler starts malfunctioning during our visit, and the beer is delicious.

For our favorite kid-friendly eateries, check out our roundup of restaurants with plenty of playing room as well as our favorite Hill County wineries to visit with the rest of the family in tow.

Seismique Interactive Art Museum: Houston's Out-of-this-World Experience for Families

Submitted by Carrie Taylor on Wed, 01/27/2021 - 5:48am

Enter the worm hole. Photo by Christopher Brielmaier courtesy of Seismique

In what might be described as the inside of Dr. Seuss' imagination fused with Tron, with some added Bladerunner for a kick, Seismique is Houston's newest interactive museum, with enough LED lights to give Clark Griswald envy. Located in a massive former Bed Bath and Beyond space in West Houston, Seismique houses 40 state-of-the-art gallery exhibits and experiences designed by local and international artists. Even among Houston's many wonderful museums, this new addition stands out as a welcome distraction and escape from reality.

11 Amazing Kid-Friendly Hiking Trails in Houston

Submitted by Carrie Taylor on Fri, 10/16/2020 - 11:04am

Kids walk a nature trail at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. Photo courtesy of the Houston Arboretum

Houston's urban sprawl may not bring the word "hiking" to mind when thinking about things to do with kids. But let me tell you, the city has many amazing pockets of forests, streams, and wetlands that can be accessed by some pretty great hiking (as well as biking) trails. And we're not talking paved trails in the middle of a tree-less park; the easy hikes below make you almost forget you live in one of the country's biggest cities.

All of these parks and hiking trails are easily accessible for small children, and many are stroller and wagon friendly. Be prepared to add hiking to your list of favorite family activities after checking out these kid-friendly trails and parks.

Ways to Support Local Businesses in Houston During the Pandemic

Submitted by Carrie Taylor on Tue, 05/12/2020 - 3:23pm

For the Love of Charcuterie delivers goodies for you to enjoy while you are stuck at home. Photo courtesy of the shop

As Texas slowly reopens, local businesses need your support more now than ever. From bakeries to fashion designers to toy stores, you can shop small and show some love to Houston-area local businesses offering modified hours, curbside pickup, and even home delivery of their goods and services.

We've already told you about some of our favorite local toy and book stores offering pick up and delivery, and outlined our favorite restaurants serving special-occasion meals, but they're not the only local haunts getting creative to keep the doors open. When looking for ways to support local businesses, we'd like to offer a couple of tips: First, consider buying directly from local businesses instead of third-party delivery services, which often gobble up much of the profit. Second, even local spots not featured below are likely selling gift cards. Consider purchasing one now to use down the line.

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!

6 Easy Indoor Fort Ideas To Make with Kids

Submitted by Carrie Taylor on Tue, 04/21/2020 - 9:19am

Pillows, old sheets, and clothespins! There's something magical about the indoor forts we create with our kids. These homemade creations become reading nooks and superhero hideouts—havens for imaginative play. It's indisputable: kids love forts. While there are plenty of forts you can buy online, we think the best kind is made from whatever you have around the house.

Use these tips for creating amazing indoor forts with your kids. And for more ideas (literally hundreds) of things to do with kids at home, check out our Boredom Busters Activities Guide.

Easter Brunch & Dinner Takeout and Delivery Picks in Houston

Submitted by Carrie Taylor on Fri, 04/10/2020 - 8:23pm

Get a taste of wordly cuisine for Easter from Traveler's Table. Photo courtesy Traveler's Table.

Easter or Passover meals will not be the same this year; fewer seats around the table; less preparation needed. These Houston-area restaurants are working hard to still make the holiday special for families with special Easter breakfast, brunch, and dinner meal options for delivery or takeout. Check out our picks for Easter 2020, from barbecue to lamb chops to DIY mimosa bars in a box.

Decorate the table with Easter crafts and dyed eggs, set up a creative Easter egg hunt, connect with loved ones via Zoom or FaceTime (maybe try your hand at virtual charades), and savor the holiday.

Virtual Concerts, Storytimes, Events, and Classes To Stream from Home this Week

Submitted by Carrie Taylor on Wed, 03/18/2020 - 1:51pm

Mo Willems invites kids into his studio at lunchtime to create some of his beloved characters. Photo by Ally Noel

The past few weeks have been marked by uncertainty as we continue to deal with the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Parents are faced with working from home, entertaining children with something other than Frozen 2, and maintaining some form of normality in the family schedule. We have now stocked our event calendar with virtual activities and events from all over the world. In the wake of families being urged to avoid groups and stay close to home, something really cool has happened: artists, singers, and museums from every corner of the world are creating awesome events like s tory hour s, digital tours, and performances—allowing families to stay engaged despite being homebound and discover new favorite activities and music... and we are loving it.

We've also been busy—creating an exciting new feature for these unusual times, called Poppins@Home. Watching all our favorite kid spots closing their doors, we immediately realized that not only were families going to lose out on being able to get out to museums, play spaces, gymnastics classes, and more, but all these businesses were going to be in hot water. So for the past week, in addition to working on our Coronavirus Guide for Parents and switching over all our content to be about things to do at home like 63 Easy Science Experiments for Kids Using Household Stuff and 21 (Mostly FREE) Online Learning Resources, Apps, and Games for Kids, we've also been building a whole new platform for virtual classes and programming.

You can get an early look at Poppins@Home now. We're still working hard to add lots more content on it and inviting our favorite kids' programming providers to join in, too. So stay tuned for even more. And, since we worked fast and furious on it, if you find any issues using the site please let us know. Or if you know businesses who should be on there, please send them the link.

Stay safe, have fun, and tune in to all the great things we've found for families to do in this new virtual world. We will continue to update this post as the situation evolves and more events become available.

And do get outdoors if you can. Sunlight just might be the best disinfectant, and we hear spring is due to arrive this week.

Coronavirus Closures in Houston: Schools, Museums, Libraries, Play Spaces

Submitted by Carrie Taylor on Fri, 03/13/2020 - 10:42pm

It's our job at Mommy Poppins to bring you the best ideas, events, and places for family fun. But with this week’s continuing and unprecedented response to the coronavirus pandemic, we’re here to tell you where not to go. As you probably already know, most of the kid-friendly programs, events, and yes, even schools, have been shut down for the near future. To help you best plan and prepare for this tough stretch, we’ve compiled the schools, museums, zoos, play spaces, and more that have closed their doors to help stop the spread of this virus.

If you and the kids are stuck at home, we’ve got plenty of ideas for you! With our hundreds of ideas for games, crafts, and activities, “I’m bored” shouldn’t be a phrase you hear too often. So be sure and check out the Mommy Poppins Coronavirus Guide for Parents, which is filled with fun activities as well as insider tips for keeping your loved ones safe and healthy. Our event calendar is also being updated with cancellations and postponements. We here at Mommy Poppins Houston send best wishes to everyone affected by this virus.