Raven Snook

Raven is a writer, editor, performer and mom, who was born and bred in NYC, just like her husband, her mother and now, her daughter. As a writer, she's contributed articles to New York Magazine, Time Out New York, The Village Voice, the New York Post, TV Guide, Better Homes and Gardens, iVillage, AOL TV and Moviefone, Parents.com, and worked as an in-house editor for ParentsConnect.com and TimeOutKids.com. As a performer, she's appeared on many downtown stages (sometimes even for pay!), a couple of obscure films and TV shows, and The Maury Povich Show as a female drag queen. She's also the founder of Hot Mama Burlesque, the world's only all-moms burlesque show. After being the NYC editor from March 2011-March 2015, she is now happy to just be a blogger as she pursues additional writing opportunities.

Latest posts by Raven Snook

Weekly Wrap Up: Updated NYC School Zone Maps, Comedy for Kids, Farewell to February Break

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 02/23/2012 - 3:00pm

We've had a really busy February break, although it wasn't all work. Yes, we wrote new posts about comedy classes and shows for kids and how to find accurate NYC school zone maps (that second one took us a half a day to research!). But we also spent a lot of time having fun with our kids. Stephanie took her son snow tubing, Anna went on a behind-the-scenes tour of Radio City Music Hall and I sent my daughter to a half-day camp... and she demanded to stay the entire day because apparently the counselors are more fun than I am. (Maybe she was just sick of walking the dogs.)

Our sites outside of NYC have been busy, too. If you're thinking of taking a day trip this weekend, how about visiting one of the many indoor miniature golf courses in New Jersey? Meanwhile, hot on the heels of NYC's Summer Camp Guide come roundups of Long Island summer camps in Suffolk and Nassau Counties, and performing arts camps in Connecticut's Hartford County.

If you want to stay on top of everything that's going on in New Jersey, Long Island, Connecticut, Boston or Los Angeles, you can subscribe to our free newsletters. Read on for everything we covered on Mommy Poppins NYC this week.

Weekly Wrap Up: February Break Fun, Summer Camp Guide, Ringling Bros. Circus Ticket Giveaway

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 02/16/2012 - 4:00pm

Is it just us, or is the lead up to the three-day weekend going really slowly? We can honestly say that we're looking forward to the holiday even more than our kids (who, let's face it, have more fun at school than we do at work... oh how I wish I could have recess).

Not that we didn't have any fun this week: We continued our focus on Jackson Heights with posts about great places to eat and play in the neighborhood. And in anticipation of next week's public school break, we rounded up the best things to do over midwinter recess.

Outside of NYC, our New Jersey site is giving away a family four-pack to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's brand-new circus spectacular Dragons, which is playing three tri-state area venues. Our Connecticut site rounded up the best indoor play spaces in Hartford County. And all of our sites have roundups of great activities to do over Presidents' Day weekend in case you do a day trip.

Check Out Mommy Poppins' 2012 Summer Camp Guide

Submitted by Raven Snook on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 10:00am

You know what keeps me up at night this time of year? Summer camp. Every February I feel like I have to start the whole process over again. It's tough to find a program that balances my child's interests with my strict budget, which is why I've spent many a winter asking friends for recommendations, hitting camp fairs and, when I was really desperate, googling.

I know I'm not alone. All moms and dads go through this seasonal stress. That's why we created the Mommy Poppins Camp Guide, to help parents like you (and me) find the programs that best fit our families. Here's some of what you'll find in our 2012 Camp Guide.

Weekly Wrap Up: February Break Camps, Jackson Heights, Valentine's Day, Sesame Street Live Discount

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 02/09/2012 - 4:00pm

Are you ready for February break? We've been writing about cool places to visit while public schools are off like cozy indoor gardens and the reopened South Street Seaport Museum. If you're up for braving the cold (it's finally starting to feel like winter), you could take a walking tour of a new-to-you area like Jackson Heights, Queens, which is our neighborhood of the month.

Looking for a fun day trip? Get inspired by our posts about 100 things to do on Long Island with kids and 30 things for families to do in Fairfield County, Connecticut. And if you have to work over break, we sympathize. That's why we rounded up midwinter recess camps.

Weekly Wrap Up: Snow Tubing Near NYC, Black History Month, Cool Kids' Theater

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 02/02/2012 - 4:00pm

Go Chuck! The Staten Island Zoo's famous weather-predicting groundhog didn't see his shadow, which allegedly means we'll have an early spring. (Not like we needed him to tell us that.) If your kids are worried they won't get a chance to play in the show this winter, we've written about a bunch of nearby resorts that make their own so families can go skiing or snow tubing.

Of course the weather doesn't need to cooperate for you to enjoy winter culture. This week we did a post on kids' stage shows we're excited about, and we also have roundups of cool kids' concerts and family film festivals like BAMkids, which takes place this weekend.

Outside the city, our Connecticut site followed in NYC's and LA's footsteps by sharing a list of 30 things to do in Hartford County with kids. If you're taking a trip up that way, it's worthy of printing out. Speaking of traveling, NYC public school midwinter break is coming up. We've got lots of great day trip ideas in our Winter Fun Guide, including indoor water parks and no-car destinations.

Kids Club THIRTEEN: Visit NYC's Top Family Attractions and Meet Your Favorite PBS Kids Characters

Submitted by Raven Snook on Tue, 01/31/2012 - 4:00pm

We've been highlighting Kids Club THIRTEEN events in our weekend posts for a while now. We partnered with the club because its goal is much like Mommy Poppins': To create lasting memories and a sense of community. For $75 (which goes to support THIRTEEN's quality programming), families can attend 13 exclusive events at cool cultural institutions like the Brooklyn Children's Museum, the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater and the DiMenna Children's History Museum, where they'll meet beloved PBS Kids characters in person, and participate in enriching and entertaining events throughout the tri-state area.

I attended a Kids Club THIRTEEN event with my daughter at the South Street Seaport Museum a few years ago, and she still talks about meeting Curious George and the way the ship swayed on the water as we took a tour of a historic vessel. Read on to find out more about the benefits of joining Kids Club THIRTEEN, plus details on how to save 51% on an annual membership.

Weekly Wrap Up: Family Film Festivals, Cool Kids' Concerts, Yoga for Children

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 01/26/2012 - 4:00pm

It's hard to believe that last weekend there was enough snow on the ground to go sledding. This week, temperatures were so mild, we actually saw a few shoots popping out of the ground. But don't be fooled: Winter isn't going anywhere. That's why we posted about a lot of fun indoor activities this week, like children's yoga classes, sing-alongs and a bunch of family film festivals. You can find more cool seasonal activities in our Winter Fun Guide

In the interest of brevity, from now on our weekly wrap ups will primarily feature stories from Mommy Poppins NYC, although we'll highlight posts from our sister sites when we think they'll be of interest to our New York City readers, like Connecticut's awesome roundup of family ski resorts or New Jersey's extensive roundup of summer camp open houses. Also of note: Los Angeles' 100 things to do in LA with kids before they grow up, modeled on NYC's popular post. It's gone viral in the city, so if you're planning on visiting, this list is worthy of printing out. If you want to stay on top of everything that's going on in New Jersey, Long Island, Connecticut, Boston or Los Angeles, you can subscribe to our free newsletters.

Weekly Wrap Up: Deals and Discounts on Kids' Classes, No-Car Ski Trips, Chinese New Year

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 01/19/2012 - 4:00pm

We're spending a lot of time inside these days visiting some of our favorite indoor spots, from museums to play spaces to fun stores where kids can run around. We've also been taking a lot of classes, which is why we're thrilled to offer our readers deep discounts to ten NYC programs we love.

Of course we have spent some time outside, too. As you can see from the photo above, last Saturday my daughter and her friends had a blast ice-skating at Lasker Rink. (That said, we spent brutally cold Sunday holed up in the Children's Museum of the Arts, which was a madhouse!)

If you're looking for seasonal fun, we've got some great ideas in our Winter Activity Guide. This week, we wrote about no-car ski trips from NYC, and our New Jersey site covered pond ice-skating, snow tubing, ice fishing and snow shoeing. We also have posts on family ski resorts and snow tubing spots in NJ. And if you're looking to celebrate Chinese New Year, we've got roundups of awesome parades and festivals in NYC, New Jersey and Connecticut, so you can ring in the Year of the Dragon all over the tri-state area.

And that's just a bit of what's going on. Here's what we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut, as well as selected stories from our sites in Boston and Los Angeles.