$10 for $20 Two-Hour Bike Rental

I love Central Park. When I lived in Manhattan, I took my kids there all of the time and we still frequently visit its various spots. There really is something for practically everyone to see or do in New York City’s Central Park. That is why this famous park, which sits on 843 acres, is the perfect place to take a self-guided bike tour with friends or family. With this deal from Central Park Sightseeing Tours, you get to choose one of three types of bikes (comfort, mountain or hybrid) to go exploring. A helmet, illustrated map, chain lock and bike basket are also included. That’s a good deal for the normal price of $20 and an excellent one for $10!

Another thing that I like about this Central Park Sightseeing Tours deal is that you can buy up to 10 deals per person plus up to an additional 10 deals as gifts. Personally, I think that it would make a great gift to get this deal for a group outing or as a gift. (Just note that you can’t use tandem bikes, baby seats, or trailers with this offer.)

{Post image courtesy of Central Park Sightseeing.}

-Starter Series Book Collection with Seven Titles or Beginning to Read Book Collection with Six Titles ($15)
-First Library Collection with Seven Classics ($45)
-Birthday Party for Ten Children ($249)

A love of reading is one of the greatest gifts that my mother passed on to me. Thankfully, I have been able to pass this same gift on to my two sons. I like to joke that my oldest son Michael was weaned at the local public library and my youngest son Sean was weaned at a local bookstore. Sean started pre-k this year, so our visits to our local bookstore have drastically decreased. On a day that he was off from school, I took him to the bookstore. He smiled a huge smile, opened his arms and declared, “I’m home!”) Be still, my book-loving heart!

There is a lot of discussion regarding ways to help kids love to read and to love books. What has worked for me is simple…consistently exposing my kids to a variety of books. I didn’t stress when my oldest son wasn’t reading super early. His dad and I just kept reading to him daily and had a wide variety of books for him to look at. He started “reading” by looking at books, memorizing his favorite little books and eventually connecting the words that he was reading to the words that he was saying (along with phonics and all of that other good reading “stuff”). By first grade, he was reading Harry Potter…and understanding it better than I do! All of that is written to say that having books around our homes is essential to raising kids who love books. (My mom had a bookshelf of books too. They were mainly “Harlequin” romances though, so my vocabulary was a bit “special” for a little girl .)

Anyway, that is why I love today’s deal from The Scholastic Store in SoHo. I have attended events at Scholastic and I love the bright, colorful store. If I lived in SoHo, it would definitely be my “go to” kids bookstore. With this offer you can pay $45 for the $89.95 Little Ones Library collection. It includes classics like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Good Night Gorilla and Pat the Bunny along with board books including Clifford Cares, Adorable You, Hide-and-Peek and a puppet book of Old Mac Donald Had A Farm. For older kids, you can purchase 7 books in the Series Starters set for $15 (normally $29.95). The books include Geronimo Stilton, Secrets of Droom, Magic Tree House, The Puppy Place, Ready Freddy!, Jigsaw Jones and The Magic School Bus Science chapter books. Books, glorious books!

(If your child really loves books, you can also purchase a birthday party for 10 from May 2012 to December 2012 at a 50% savings.)

{Post image courtesy of Foodie City Mom}

$39 for a $99 G-Shock Watch (Free Shipping!) at swagshopcentral.com

I love being a mom. Yesterday (Mother’s Day) reminded me of the best parts of motherhood – unlimited hugs, kisses, homemade cards and “I love you” declarations. When my friends who don’t have kids ask me what is the biggest challenge of motherhood, my consistent answer is “time”. When I was single and even married without kids, my time did not require as much thought. I could come and go as I pleased to a large degree. Having kids changed that. If I have somewhere to go and my husband or the babysitter isn’t at my home when I need to leave, it’s not like I can just leave the kids at home alone and go about my merry way…unless I want Child Protective Services at my home when I get back. A sense of time is essential in a mom’s life. That is why I love today’s deal for a G-Shock watch. If you’re looking for a “tough” watch to keep track of (your even tougher!) schedule, grab this one before it sells out.

{Post image courtesy of The Capitol Deal}

- $39 for $79 Three-Hour Mother’s Day Cruise Around New York City from Above All Cruises

- $50 for $125 worth of jewelry by Modnitsa Atelier

- $35 for $80 One-Hour Swedish Massage at Tribeca Health & Fitness

{Images courtesy of their respective sites.}

- $25 for $70 Signature Aveda Packages with Blowout and Style, Makeup Application, and Hair-Spa Treatment
at Asanda Aveda Spa Lounge

- $69 for $198 60-Minute Massage & Apricot Body Scrub at Green Zen Organic Spa

- $20 For A $40 Spa Manicure & Pedicure at Magnolia European Organic Spa

{Images courtesy of their respective sites.}

-$39 for $155 60-minute papaya facial at Lash Den

-$15 for $34.99 Mossimo® Women’s 1-Piece Swimdress Collection – Assorted Colors from Target (Free Shipping!)

-$54 for a $109 45 Minute Massage with Hot Stones at Tribeca Spa of Tranquility

{Images courtesy of their respective sites.}

- $99 for $300 4-Course Takeout Mother’s Day meal from David Burke at Bloomingdale’s

- $34 for $127 16×20 Gallery-Wrapped Canvas with Free Shipping & Handling from PixWraps

- $49 for a $160 Value 60-Minute Swedish Massage; Choice of a Manicure or Pedicure, AND a Sauna Treatment

- $20 for $40 to Spend on Flowers for Mother’s Day at Teleflora

{Images courtesy of their respective sites.}

This Sunday, May 13th, is Mother’s Day 2012. There is still plenty of time to purchase great gifts for your mom/the “mom-like” figures in your life. (There is also time to forward gift ideas to the people who call you “mom”/mother of my child/etc. ) In that spirit, I will be sharing some deal picks on Mother’s Day Gifts this week. There are three great offers today…

1. $30 to Spend Online on Gift Baskets at CherryMoonFarms.com

2. $20 for $40 Worth of Flowers and Gifts at FTD Online

3. $19 for $90 20-Page Deluxe Photo Book with Super Gloss Pages at MyPublisher

{Post images courtesy of respective deal sites}

I am focused on getting up all of the Mother’s Day 2012 gift ideas, food & drink recipes and giveaways over on Foodie City Mom. I want to make sure that I leave you with some links to 8 family-friendly activities that are taking place in NYC this week though, so enjoy! (Unless indicated with an “*”, the events are FREE)

1. (May 2nd – September 9th) Madison Square Art: Charles Long

2. (May 10th – May 20th) BRONX WEEK 2012

3. (May 10th and May 12th; noon – 1pm each day) FAMILY WORKSHOP: MOTHER’S DAY SPA SURPRISE at Sony Wonder Technology Lab
*5 materials fee per child

4. (May 10th; 2pm – 4pm) Holiday Crafts: Mother’s Day

5. (May 12th, 1pm – 5pm) Hudson River Pageant

6. (May 12th, noon – 5pm) Island Sounds: A 500 Year Music Mash-Up (Staten Island)
*$5 for adults, $4 for students and seniors. Children under 12 are admitted free

7. (May 12th, 11am – 4pm) National Train Day New York

8. (May 13th, 10:30am – noon) Second Sunday Family Tours at the Guggenheim: Women of the Guggenheim
*$15 per family

Photo: Tanya Ahmed

{All images courtesy of their respective websites}

MAY 2012 SPECIAL “2 for 1″ offer for Godspell at the Circle in the Square Theater
[$67.50 each (Reg. $135)]

The theater is another one of my “things”. In fact, Broadway was one of the main reasons that I chose to go to college in NYC many moons ago. If you enjoy musicals, then this modern-day recreation of the Gospel of St. Matthew is just the ticket! With this offer, all seats at selected performances are $67.50. There is a 2 ticket minimum and an 8 ticket maximum and it is valid until 5/31/12. You can see a snippet of the show below:

{Post image courtesy of Godspell}