New York City: Fifty NYC Hotel Review
If you are looking for a convenient midtown New York City Hotel to many of the city’s best attractions, along with plenty of space, the Fifty NYC is an excellent hotel to stay at.
Fifty NYC hosted my mom and me when we visited the city in August and we were blown away by it. It was my mom’s first time in the city and having a wonderful hotel really made the weekend extra special. (You can read all about what we did here.)
Great Location
As I mentioned, Fifty NYC is located in Midtown and is so convenient. It is located just two blocks from Rockefeller Center, and just a few more blocks from Times Square, Theater District, Fifth and Madison Avenue Shopping, popular eateries and NYC’s most famous landmarks.
We walked or took short cab rides pretty much everywhere. It also is conveniently located near the subway, though we did so much walking that we ended up never taking the subway! The front desk has free NYC maps, which we always had with us in case we got turned around.
Kind Staff
Every staff member we encountered was incredibly kind and helpful. Everyone was very service-oriented and just a pleasure. They were always willing to point us in the right direction and offer advice for navigating the city.
Lots of Space
The single most attractive aspect to Fifty NYC is the incredible space in the guest rooms. New York City hotels are known for being small, but this was not the case at the Fifty NYC. We stayed in a spacious Terrace Suite, which included a bathroom, separate bedroom, living room, dining area, kitchenette and terrace.
It was astonishing, especially for New York City. The beds were comfortable and we had everything we needed to relax after long days of exploring the city.
I also appreciated the desk and high speed internet to catch up on work while I was traveling.
Beautiful decor
The Fifty NYC is decorated beautifully, with art throughout the hotel.
Social
Fifty NYC also hosts a daily “Social Sips” with free wine and beautiful views. We stopped by one day and met lovely guests from all over the world. It was a really nice extra.
Affordable
Fifty NYC is priced very affordably, with specials available seasonally on their website. I would definitely stay again and highly recommend this hotel if you are looking for a great stay in New York City.
Thank you to Fifty NYC for providing our stay. All opinions my own.
You’ll Never Buy Microwave Popcorn Again Thanks to This
This microwave popcorn popper is perfect for popcorn lovers!
Our family loves popcorn, but microwave popcorn is expensive and not good for you. Most microwave popcorn contain GMO oils (like corn oil or soy oil), artificial flavors, and added chemicals.
That said, popping popcorn on the stove can be a bit tedious. Thankfully, I discovered this popper that lets you pop your own popcorn in the microwave. It’s the best of both worlds – healthy and convenient. (Yes, this post has Amazon affiliate links in it, thank you very much!)
This microwave popcorn popper is just $10 on Amazon and will become your new favorite kitchen tool. It folds flat for easy storage in your drawers or cabinets. We use it several times a week and LOOOVVEE it. When I Instagram storied about it, it was one of my most popular swipe ups ever.
At first I thought making my own popcorn would be hard or I would burn it, so I let the popcorn maker sit on the shelf. But it is so, so easy! To make the popcorn using your microwave popcorn popper, simply use a butter or oil of your choice, add 1/3 cup kernels and put it in the microwave. Cook time varies based on microwave. I just use the popcorn setting on my microwave and it comes out perfect every time.
Drizzle the popcorn with butter, season with your favorite seasonings like salt, cinnamon or chili powder and you will have a tasty snack the whole family will love.
This microwave popcorn popper also makes a GREAT gift. I literally gave these to everyone I knew for Christmas one year.
To complete the gift, be sure to include some popcorn kernels. Basic yellow or white corn is fine, or you can get fancy with some Amish popcorn. You can also find a multitude of seasonings online, like this one with Cracked Pepper Asiago, Sizzling Sriracha, White Cheddar.
Another extra you could add to a gift are popcorn bags, small popcorn bowls or a big popcorn bowl.
I hope you love this popcorn popper as much as we do!
For more gift ideas, check out this list of 150 stocking stuffers.
Gift Idea: Latch Hook Kits
My daughter loves to create, so I have been looking for different kits and crafts for her to try.
Amazon has some latch hook kits on sale that are perfect. With fall break around the corner, as well as Christmas, buy a kit or two to have on hand or give as a gift.
Adeline’s fall break started this week and she has been hard at work on her first kit. Latch Hook is incredibly simple, even if you have never done it before, and she got the hang of it after watching a few quick YouTube videos with me. (I used to latch hook as a kid, but I was a bit rusty on the process.) A muffin tin works perfectly for sorting the kit yarn and keeping everything tidy.
Most of the kits are just $7.99 – $10.99, so they are a super affordable activity/gift. As an Amazon affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you.
Latch Hook Kits
Wonderart Cupcake Latch Hook Kit
Wonderart Hoot Latch Hook Kit
Wonderart Best Friends Latch Hook Kit
Wonderart Treble Clef Latch Hook Kit
Wonderart Heart Wreath Latch Hook Kit
Wonderart Sunshine Rainbow Latch Hook Kit
Wonderart Latch-Hook Kit, Unicorn
This is just a handful of the kits available. View all of them here.
The kits do not come with a latch hook, so if you need one, you can buy one on Amazon or at your local craft store. I bought one at Michaels for about $2 thanks to a coupon.
Did you latch hook as a child? Is it a hobby that your kids enjoy?
Family Game Night | Family Costume Theme
Without question, this is my favorite family Halloween costume theme we have ever done – family game night! We had an absolute ball with this family Halloween costume theme, and it was a huge hit with everyone who saw it.
Of course, many games could be mixed and matched for this theme, but we chose classics that are also family favorites – Operation
Operation Costume
Matthew was the operation man. To make his costume I dyed a white sweatshirt and sweatpants flesh color. I then cut all the body part pieces out of felt – red first, then white. I had Matthew put on the sweats and pinned the pieces in place to make sure everything would look right when on his body. Then, I hot glued the pieces to the sweats.
A couple key accessories were also important for the Operation costume:
A red light up nose
Brown bowl cut wig (I did have to trim it a bit to get the right effect)
Tweezers made out of grill tongs, some red electrical tape and red electrical wire, which I bought by the foot from home depot).
Uno Costume
You might remember when we did family Alice in Wonderland costumes, and Elias was a card from the Queen’s court. I used the same basic design to make my Wild Uno Card costume.
The Uno card costume base is a large white piece of felt folded in half, with a hole cut for my head. (I love using felt for costumes because it doesn’t fray and no sewing is involved.) Then, I layered on the felt pieces to build the card – first a large black rectangle, then the red, blue, yellow and green smaller pieces. I made templates out of paper first so I wouldn’t mess up cutting the felt. I bought the felt in large pieces at JoAnn fabrics.
If I were to make this Uno card costume again, I would make a stencil to cut out the word WILD. I did mine free hand and it wasn’t as perfect as I would have liked. Outlining the details in puffy paint helped tie everything together.
Mr. Moneybags from Monopoly Costume
Elias’s Mr. Moneybags Monopoly costume was the only one mostly bought. I found a kids tux (with shirt and bow tie) on ebay, then bought gray dress pants, a top hat, and white mustache.
Using an old canvas grocery bag, I covered a plastic pumpkin treat bucket to make it look like a money bag. I then added a black puffy paint dollar sign.
A friend loaned us an old cane to use, which was definitely the way to go since it was great for photos, but not needed/wanted during trick-or-treat. Of course, some Monopoly money to pass out added to the Monopoly costume’s authenticity.
Princess Lollipop from Candyland Costume
Adeline’s Princess Lollipop Candyland costume was totally spectacular and blew my vision out of the water (excuse the crummy photo of Princess Lolli to compare her to!). I bought this yellow pageant dress and gently removed the lace off the front. I cut and hemmed the bottom to make it the right length. (If you don’t sew, you could easily do this with Stitch Witchery).
Then I cut big and small felt circles and rectangles to make the lollipops for the Candyland dress, adhering them with Stitch Witchery.
I bought this purple wig and made a crown using colored foam and lollipop sticks. (I bought a foam crown from the craft store and mounted the orange foam for stability. Using foam made the crown a lot lighter than if we would have used real lollipops.
At the last minute I made a large felt lollipop out of felt and glued it to a kabob skewer. It added an extra amount of whimsy to the Princess Lollipop costume and delighted Adeline.
Orange Hippo from Hungry Hippos Costume
When we first decided on this theme, I thought it might be a hard sell to Ezra, but he LOVED the idea of being a Hungry Hippo. He said he wanted to be an orange hippo, so I dyed a sweatshirt and sweatpants orange (find kids white sweats here).
I made the hat using this tutorial, modifying it to be a bit smaller for a toddler. The only modification I made was that I built a foam visor in it, which made it comfortable and easy for Ezra to wear. Even with the modified sizing + foam visor, it was still a bit long for Ezra. I would recommend making it ½ the size outlined in the tutorial.
I took a Styrofoam ball and strung fishing line through it to look like he was catching a ball in the game.
Our family game night Halloween costumes were a joy to make and wear. It was a Halloween to remember.
Check out our other family Halloween costumes
For past family themes, check out our Super Mario Bros. Red Riding Hood, Alice in Wonderland and Wizard of Oz family costumes.
Like this theme? Please pin it on Pinterest!
5 Reasons to Try FabFitFun + 50% Off Coupon
Time is running out to take advantage of this incredible deal on the most popular subscription box in America – FabFitFun! You can get your first box for 50% off with the code OMG50, which is the lowest price on record (affiliate links used in this post). I think this is one of the best deals we have seen this year and with the holidays around the corner, it is a must-try!
Here are 5 reasons to try FabFitFun
1. You won’t see this deal anytime soon
FabFitFun often offers $10 off coupons, but not 50% off. I don’t think I have ever seen it! If you have been on the fence about trying FabFitFun, definitely take advantage of this 50% off deal. The fall box is valued at $211 – $345.99, depending on what is included in your box, so to get it for $24.95 is insanity. This is an incredibly rare coupon code and a phenomenal deal.
2. You would pay that much for just one item in the box
The products in the FabFitFun box are valued individually at $18-$80 a piece, which means buying the 50% off box is like buying one thing and getting the rest free. See the full list of products below.
3. It really is fun
One of the things I love most about FabFitFun is that many of the items are things you would never buy yourself, which makes it so much fun to receive. We all need a treat once in awhile! It’s like opening a present from your best friend, who always finds the best gifts. My friend Catherine is a long-time subscriber and she said, “It is literally one of my favorite things ever. I get so excited every season to make my selections and see what I receive. And the things you get really are as expensive as they say! It’s such a good deal.”
4. It makes a great gift (or gifts)
With Christmas around the corner, you could also use the box as a gift, or break it up into smaller gifts. At $24.95, this is an affordable way to get some shopping done — and give amazing, on-trend gifts.
5. You’ll be introduced to products you never knew you wanted
Because the FabFitFun curators cultivate the best in home, beauty, and self-care products, you’ll definitely discover things you have never tried or known you wanted. I have bought several boxes over the years and the quality is always excellent and luxurious. I also love that the boxes include a variety of items in multiple categories.
What’s Included In the Fall Box
The fall FabFitFun box will include 8-10 items. Every box includes these three items:
- Aveda Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair ($30)
- Harper + Ari Exfoliating Sugar Cubes in Juice Cleanse ($16)
- Human + Kind Body Souffle ($18)
Your box will also include some of the following items. A few you will get to pick and a few will be a surprise. You can also add additional items for $10 each. I added on the Kut from the Kloth wallet and the cheese board. I’m not sure if I am going to keep them or give them as gifts, but the price was too good to pass up.
- Plush ultra soft plaid scarf ($75)
- Anthropologie travel yoga mat ($50)
- Mobile white advanced teeth whitening kits ($89.99)
- Kate Spade lunch tote ($30)
- NassidMD Detox Pads ($45)
- Kut from the Kloth Slim Striped Wallet ($60)
- Twine cheese board with plate ($30)
- The Better Skin Co. Lava Magik ($32)
- Baublebar Farah Ear Crawlers ($34)
- Cosmedix Pure C ($54)
- Epare Dual Salt and Pepper Mill ($21.95)
- Afterspa Hair Towel Wrap ($18)
- Trestique Mini Eye Essentials ($48)
- Skinvolve Body Boost Gel ($45)
- Aramatherapy Associates Deep Relax Roller Ball ($29)
- Wander Beauty Baggage Claim gold eye mask 6-pack ($25)
- Skin & Co Roma Truffle Therapy Face Toner ($30)
FabFitFun in a quarterly subscription service, but they make canceling easy if it isn’t right for you. At this price, it is definitely worth trying.