Anna Fader

Founder of Mommy Poppins

A fourth-generation Brooklynite, Anna started Mommy Poppins in 2007 to help families find the best things to do with kids in NYC, with a particular emphasis on sharing activities that are free, affordable, and enriching. The site, used by millions of families, has grown to become the ultimate resource for parents in the major US cities, plus travel guides for 100s of destinations.

Anna is a believer in the magic of summer camps, traveling with kids, and that you can raise kids on a budget and still have a rich life full of amazing memories. Anna's first Mommy Poppins book, The Young Traveler's Journal and Activity Book, published in 2025 and co-written with her daughter, Amelia Eigerman, brings that ethos to life, in addition to this website.

Latest posts by Anna

Quality Time: Plant Some Garbage

Submitted by Anna Fader on Mon, 02/05/2007 - 8:58pm

Quality Time postings are dedicated to activities for spending time with your kids to get the most out of your time together.

Kids of all ages love gardening projects, especially ones that magically transform something from one thing to another. One minute that big juicy oval thing is a piece of fruit sitting on their plate, and the next it's an activity. Talk about getting to play with your food!

Everybody knows how to plant an avocado, but did you know you can also plant many other things like pineapples and mangos. Mangos actually make one of the most attractive houseplants.

Eat Your Organic Veggies

Submitted by Anna Fader on Sun, 02/04/2007 - 11:10pm

We planned on eating a wide varieties of veggies, really we did. It just seemed like, with kids, our fruit and veggie shopping never really made it past the B's on the food alphabet chart - we were stuck at Apples, Bananas, Beans and Broccoli - maybe some Carrots. We never got anywhere close to Squash or Zucchini.

That was until we signed up with Urban Organic, a Brooklyn-based business that will deliver a box of organic veggies to your door once a week. You don't get to choose what you get. They send the same box to everyone, although you can make up to three alterations a week and you can tell them a couple things you never want to get.

Life is Good: Bulk TP Delivered to Your Door

Submitted by Anna Fader on Sun, 02/04/2007 - 4:15pm

Everybody knows about FreshDirect, but did you know that you can also have bulk groceries delivered to your home? For some reason costco.com doesn't sell the basic stuff we like to stock up on (diapers, toilet paper, paper towels, detergents, etc). Then we found yourgrocer.com, a local business that will deliver basically the same stuff as Costco, without the tempting gadgets you don't need and the three hours of your life lost forever.

We stock up on toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies and detergents, but we have also found it great for buying huge bags of broccoli florets, carrots, lemons and limes, sandwich bread, organic milk, and grapes. It's great for huge packs of string cheese for a fraction of the cost and lots of other snack foods. The only thing we've been disappointed with is the baby carrots which have been slimy the last couple of times.

Mommy Poppins' fearless investigators compared prices between Costco and YourGrocer and found them to be comparable. Prices range from cheaper to much cheaper than FreshDirect (except for beverages for some reason) and they deliver right to your door. There's a $10 delivery fee, but no club membership, so it's a great help toward living the modern American dream of never having to go outside for any reason.

Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts

Submitted by Anna Fader on Fri, 02/02/2007 - 3:25am

Going to the museum is a basic staple for parents on rainy or cold days, so Mommy Poppins always has her ear to the ground for interesting ways to spice up a visit - when we heard about Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts

Quality Time: Take the Amy Sedaris Get Crafty Challenge

Submitted by Anna Fader on Tue, 01/30/2007 - 4:00pm

I don't think this was intended as a kid activity, but, you know, city kids are sooo sophisticated - we're just always doing cool stuff with them, like entering into adult contests hosted by celebrities on hyper-intellectual radio shows. So here's an opportunity to explore your child's artistic genius and exposing it for all the world to appreciate and have fun all at once - multitasking!

All's fair in love and preschool admissions

Submitted by Anna Fader on Sun, 01/28/2007 - 11:02pm

Preschool admissions - they're the worst. Yeah, there's elementary school, middle, oh yeah, high school and, the big one, college admissions. They're all bad, but preschool is the worst. Why? Because you're still young and naive - not jaded and beaten down like you will be by the time the others come around.

Interviews for 2 year olds? First choice letters? Trying to figure out if there really is such a thing as a "feeder" school? Wouldn't it be great if all the preschools all just lined up and offered themselves to you, and you could just pluck the one you liked the best? Well, keep dreaming, that ain't gonna happen, but the next best thing is the Downtown Preschool Fair.

Free Family Programs at The Skyscraper Museum

Submitted by Anna Fader on Fri, 01/26/2007 - 1:06am

Here's a different activity. Ever been to The Skyscraper Museum? Did you even know it existed? Whether your kid is a budding architect or just needs to appreciate those giant towers about him a little more, head on down to this relatively new Battery Park City institution.

Anna Fader

Latest posts by Anna

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