I started this blog with one daughter, kept it up with the other, to spend time together doing something we enjoyed.
However, things change and people evolve. My daughters are older, busier, and not as interested in writing.
From now on this blog will be mostly mom with occasional contributions from my daughters and maybe even my husband.
Nothing else will change. We'll still focus on sharing fun places to go, fun things to do, and more, and we would  still love to hear your views too

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Where-To-Go Wednesday - Fashioning Wonder A Cabinet of Curiosities


What:
Fashioning Wonder: A Cabinet of Curiosities 

Where: Museum at FIT
             227 W. 27th St.
             New York, NY
Who: All ages

When: Through April 20, 2025




A cabinet of curiosities is a collection of objects that illustrates nature, art, and science. They were popular in the 16th century through the 18th century and were harbingers of modern museums. Numerous items of clothing were often included in cabinets of curiosity. The current exhibit at the Museum at FIT  contains an array of items that might have belonged to a curiosity cabinet.



This exhibit, one of the most interesting the museum has ever hosted, is divided into ten sections according to themes. There is a section of items that resemble or are adorned with works of art. Another section included items resembling animals or decorated with animal prints, and another is related to birds. There is even a section that consists of items resembling the human body: skeletons, muscles, etc. These are only a sample of the different themes covered in this quite captivating exhibit. For more information, visit www.fitnyc.edu/museum/exhibitions/fashioning-wonder/index.php



And that's our view. The Museum of FIT is free to visit and is open Wednesday through Sunday. For further information or to plan a visit, go to www.fitnyc.edu/museum/visit.



Tune in tomorrow for Theater Thursday.

All pictures used in this post are our own. If there is a problem with any image, contact us here and we will look into the matter.

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Tips for Tuesday - Books: Cat's People & All the Stars Align; Movie: Audrey's Children

We may have been given complimentary copies and/or access for review purposes to any books, products, and/or any other visual or audio media mentioned below. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

Books: Cat's People & All Stars Align


Today we recommend Cat's People by Tanya Guerrero. This is a really satisfying novel about a group of strangers who form bonds with one another because of a stray cat. The characters are extremely engaging. They feel so real, and their problems are so relatable. It is heartwarming how they all come together and become like a family.

Even the fact that the cat at the center of the book is given a point of view does not come across as hokey, but just adds to the book's charm. If you are looking for a book that will give you warm, fuzzy feelings, this book is a good choice. 

Just be warned, however, that some parts of the book deal with grief, which may be triggering for some people, although it is handled well. 


Today we are talking about All the Stars Align by Gretchen Schrieber. Everyone in Piper's family falls in love at first sight, and she's afraid it won't happen for her. Then, she meets Forest, but she knows nothing about relationships, so she enlists her friend, Leo, to help her, except that he is in love with her.

While the premise of this book sounds sweet, the reality is somewhat creepy. The way Piper sees Forest and immediately becomes convinced that he is her forever person is more disturbing than romantic. It takes two to fall in love at first sight; otherwise, it's just an unrequited crush, and Forest does not seem particularly interested in Piper when they first meet. If he could hear her thoughts, he probably would have run away screaming, thinking that she was a crazy stalker, and he would have good reason to.

It is hard to care about the character of Forest anyway because he is not very developed. The story concentrates more on the relationship and interactions between Piper and Leo. Forest is more of a plot device to keep Leo and Piper apart; otherwise, there would be no story. As for Leo, his feelings for Piper are sweet, but he handles them quite immaturely, so it's hard to care about him either or feel like he would be better for Piper.  

It is also incomprehensible that Piper, who has lovely, caring parents who encourage her to be herself and choose her own path in life, is more interested in following the expectations of her narrow-minded and controlling aunts. The aunts are actually quite disturbing on a whole other level as they enlist Piper in their scheme to reunite her divorced parents, a scheme which resorts to outrageously extreme methods. These are not the kind of family members she should want to idolize and emulate; these are the kind of family members she should want to run away from and cut out of her life. 

Movie: Audrey's Children

Today, we recommend Audrey's Children, an inspiring true story about Audrey Evans, a pioneering doctor in the treatment of childhood cancers and the co-founder of the original Ronald McDonald House. Although the fast pace at the beginning makes it a little hard to get into and figure out what is going on, once Audrey's character is established, the film moves along at a better pace and becomes easier to follow.

Audrey was quite a remarkable human being. Her care for and devotion to helping her patients, even if it meant she had to be a bit of a maverick sometimes, was very admirable. Thus, the film about her is quite moving, but it can also be heartbreaking sometimes due to its subject matter regarding terminally ill children. It is probably too triggering for those with a relative with a life-threatening illness or a loved one who has died of a terminal illness, particularly a child. Otherwise, it is definitely worth seeing.

And that's our view. Audrey's children is in movie theaters now. 

Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday.

All images except film images used in this post are our own.  Film images have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, contact us hereand we will look into the matter

Giveaway: Win a copy of Get Lost With You in the Honey Bunny Giveaway

Welcome to the Honey Bunny Giveaway Hop

hosted by Mama the Fox and Mom Does Reviews

For some serious romance fans, vicarious love experienced through reading books can be almost as good as the real thing.  Sometimes, it's even better because things always seem to work out perfectly in books, but not always in real life. 

If you like your romance with minimal conflict (or at least real conflict), you may enjoy Sophie Sullivan's Get Lost With You. This is the story of childhood friends and neighbors who have had strong feelings for each other for a while but have never acted on them. For more about this book, see our previous post Tips for Tuesday - Get Lost With You. Enter to win a copy below.

Giveaway Dates 4/1 - 4/15

Giveaway Open to Ages 18+ US

Once you have entered our giveaway, hop around to the other blogs listed below to see what other great prizes you can enter to win.


(Linkup closed)

Disclaimer: Hosts and participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors and self-sponsoring bloggers who do not fulfill prize obligations. Please also note that we have been having a huge problem with people not following giveaway entry requirements and/or claiming to follow our blog and/or any of our social media and not actually doing so. Accordingly, please remember that following all instructions for any and all giveaway entries is mandatory for that entry to count. Entries will be checked, and any that do not follow all instructions will be disqualified. Please do not claim entry for following our blog, Twitter, or whatever if you do not actually do so. If you consistently enter our giveaways claiming to be a follower and are not, you will be disqualified from any chance of winning our current giveaway and any future giveaways. If you follow our blog and/ or social media, don't let your entry be disqualified. Be sure to leave your follower name and/or the name you commented under. All pictures used in this post are our own. If there is a problem with any image, please contact us here, and we will look into the matter.

Images used in this post have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used by permission. If there is a problem with the rights to any image,  contact us hereand we will look into the matter.