Musical Folk: Our Music Together Experience

Living in the greater New Haven/Waterbury area, we have access to some amazing family-friendly programs. Music Together through Musical Folk is one of them. And it is the best activity we have done for our son, hands down. 

Coming up next month will be FOUR years since we began Music Together classes. We couldn't be more grateful for the impact it has had on our son's life. He is creative, thoughtful, imaginative, and simply LOVES music. He can hold a beat, he has been exposed to numerous types of musical genres and instruments, enjoys the theatre and concerts, and carries a tune better than my husband. And I accredit these characteristics to his time in Music Together program. 

We started when Ness was barely 3 months old in a Music Together babies class. As a parent of a premie, I was very skeptical of taking him out and about but this was the first program I wanted to try and I am so grateful I did. My favorite part of that class? The moms have all become very good friends AND the kids have as well. They're all turning 4 right about now and we're all celebrating their milestones together STILL four years later. Incredible.

Music Together has 9 collections and once you make it through all nine, you can continue and simply repeat. In the 4 years we've been a part of this incredible program, we have participated in 13 full sessions. We have done all 9 collections, repeated 2 of them, done 2 summer sessions (usually a "Best Of" or "Greatest Hits" collection), as well as a few short winter sessions provided by Musical Folk. 

Music Together is a music AND movement program. So don't you think you're going to just sit back and watch.... NO WAY! This is not a drop off program. You'll be just as involved as your kids, being a role model to them as well as the other kids in the class. And it is marvelous! Research has proven that this involvement helps your child learn and grow developmentally appropriate skills as well as creates an ideal learning environment where it is open and accepting. The children learn and grow together with their parents, other children, and teachers. 

Music is truly priceless and it bring a magic to children's faces that is truly immeasurable. Stop and take a step back in one of their classes. The kids are having FUN. They are enjoying themselves. 

And also, the PARENTS have fun too. 

It is an incredible way to have bonding time with your child as well. You learn songs to share together as well as methods to calm and soothe your little ones. We have often said our Music Together CDs are magic in the car. I know many of my friends can agree on that one too! 

Ness learned to sing and dance right along side learning to walk and talk. It doesn't matter the age of your child to enjoy and learn from this program. You can be a baby up to starting elementary school. It is truly remarkable and the impact it has on children all ages is just astonishing. 

The teachers at Musical Folk are simply THE.BEST. Each and every one of them has a unique talent that transcends into their teaching. While they all teach the same collection, they each have their unique spin and methods to come across and bond with each and every one of the children in the class. 

Spring registration is now open and the session begins the first week of April. I truly cannot recommend this program enough, regardless of how old your child is. 

Want to try out Music Together with Musical Folk in the greater New Haven area? Sign up and use code NAOMI40 to get $40 off your semester! 

Thank you to Jamie Morel for the beautiful snapshot photos of our experience! 

Must Eat Monday: L'Orcio, New Haven

Restaurant week, how do I love thee, let me count the ways. Numbers one, two, and three: L'Orcio.

For some reason, we forget how amazing this place is and every time we go we're always blown away. 

Restaurant week is a great time to go because you can get three courses for about the price of an entree, which is always nice for the wallet. 

The beef carpaccio was exceptional. Fresh, shaved, and topped with an arugula salad.

We also had their escargot appetizer, not served in the typical way, and was delicious.

We ordered our toddler their gnocchi with butter and parm as he devoured it. We get it to come the same time as our appetizers because it's a big portion and it takes him a while to eat it. 

 

The butternut and sage ravioli was light and fluffy and the sauce was slop-it-up-with-bread-worthy. 

The veal saltambuca is truly extraordinary. Like no joke. The best dish on the menu.

For dessert, we had nutella crepes and their chocolate torte special. Both were simply amazing. 

And our son enjoyed a small dish of whipped cream, so he was happy as a clam! 

Have you ever been to L'Orcio? If not, you should totally go! 

Hindinger Farm Fall Festival

Every year, we say we're going to head to the Fall Festival at Hindinger Farm and every year, we somehow don't make it. Well, not this year! We have actually been getting our weekly CSA from their farm for a few years now and their produce is incredible but what we love even more is the family-run business and warm, welcoming atmosphere they have each and every day. 

Their Fall Festival is no joke! There is SO MUCH to do for the entire family! On top of what is always at their farm on a daily basis for kids to do, they add a plethora of activities, games, and more for this event! 

They had an adorable photo booth area set up for families to take pictures, as well as an actual photo booth was there with props and all. We really enjoyed the authenticity of this one with the bales of hay, Indian corn, pumpkins, and more. 

Their pumpkin patch was well-stocked and had a variety of sizes of pumpkins to choose from plus they had a BIG assortment of mini-pumpkins and gourds for those who want to be extra creative when decorating their front porches!

They always have this amazing wood train play area at the farm that kids (and adults) can play on every day. But today it was jam-packed with tons of families having a blast, including our little one who just kept following all of the big kids! 

They have this incredible fenced-in animal farm where the kids can come and visit and watch the animals in their natural state. They have chickens and lots of goats of all ages and varieties. Today, the kids really enjoyed the rare opportunity to watch them get fed! 

Talk about creative! Inside these bales of hay were bowling pins and balls (or baby pumpkins) and the families could bowl! And what was super smart on their part was the sand under the pins to keep them from falling over from the wind.

All kinds of activities were set up for families to enjoy. Ladderball was one of many! 

 
How bout those pumpkins?! They carved the pumpkins so kids could "golf" and aim for inside the pumpkin head!

The ring toss was fun for our little guy. He had a blast trying to get the hoops onto each pumpkin. I'll admit- this one was hard! 

They have a collection of kids toys and bicycles at the farm every day. But they brought out some extra special ones today. This one was a HUGE hit with Ness - we even googled it to see if we could get one for our house! 

Is it a true fall festival without a hayride?! Well, even though there wasn't any actual hay on our hay ride, there was a giant tractor pulling us so we'll call it a hay ride.

And if you don't selfie, did it really happen?!

They have food trucks and barbeque available for purchase and we LOVE that Caseus Cheese Truck was there so we took advantage of it as a family today!

And no fall fest is complete without a cider donut. Think we got enough donuts for the three of us?! Nope. 

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Hindinger Farms. They are a wonderful family, they run an incredible farm stand year-round and this Fall Festival is simply fantastic. They go above and beyond and are so giving to the community and families come from near and far. It is free to attend and all of the activities are free, you only have to pay for your food. If you go, be sure to say hello to Mrs. Hindinger. She's almost always behind the cash register. 

Have you even been to Hindinger Farms before?! 

Must Eat Monday: 116 Crown, New Haven

First off, we went for a girls night here for my book club on a Thursday night. We sat in a cubby booth (as we called it) in the bar area and had mostly off of the happy hour menu because we couldn't resist the items and prices, but for the life of me I can't remember what some of them were, so my apologies in advance. If you're in the market for fun cocktails and delish apps and food, 116 Crown is the place for YOU!

My friend's face says it all, right?! Sorry, Alyssa! This is one of the specialty cocktails where they don't tell you the ingredients until after you order and it comes to your table. And yes, that's fire.

One of these was the Glitterati, and sadly I don't remember the other one. But both were so good we ordered them again! 

The deviled eggs. A MUST get!

Fish tacos special. We licked the paper for more sauce they were that good! 

Nachos special. SO good. 

Polenta special. Served with some balsamic amazingness underneath a seared and grilled polenta cake. The herb butter on top tasted great even on extra nacho chips!

Their risotto did NOT disappoint even our pickiest friend who came. A self-proclaimed risotto aficionado too! 

A cocktail with a spear of fresh English peas. I mean, who comes up with this?!

Almost too pretty to drink. Almost being the key word. We drank it.

Another special I don't remember - sorry!

Phenomenal salad, light, airy, and super fresh!

The fromage and charcuterie choices were exemplary and we had a blast devouring this board! 

And of course, dessert. Who doesn't want do-it-yourself s'mores after indulging for two hours?!

Have you been to 116 Crown in New Haven yet?! What are you waiting for??