Join in on the fun and add your link below!

Well folks, it’s that time for families to start on their new ventures now that school is out!

With that in mind, my family and I will be going on a small road trip to Pennsylvania and we’re making two stops along the way: Lancaster & Philadelphia.  I have family in both cities (my Dad is also buried in Lancaster) so it’s mainly to visit family and of course to get away for several days.

Our last stop before heading back to New York will be Washington, D.C.  It will be the first time for everyone in my family to visit D.C. so we’re all super excited!  We have plans to see the White House, visit the Smithsonian, tour the national monuments and memorials (hubby is a military guy) and probably take the Washington Metro (their subway system) to check out the towns.

And if that’s not enough, we’ll be riding in style in the brand new Volkswagen Routan — their new minivan.  The vehicle is stylish, comfortable (from what I heard) extremely spacious AND it has 13 cup holders! That’s insane, huh?. It’s a perfect fit for our family of five.

I can’t wait to receive the vehicle (it’s being sent to us for review purposes only) this Friday.  My kids are hoping they can watch movies and play the Wii in the back seat.

We shall see.

The next few posts will be about our long awaited road trip so you’ll be reading a lot about our adventures and of course viewing pictures about our trip.

I hope you’ll enjoy our new adventure!

P.S. To follow my road trip (I would love it if you would ) on Twitter, look for this hashtag: #VWRoutanTestDrive . Thanks

On May 22, 2010, yours truly will be co-hosting (along with some amazing NYC and Philly-based bloggers) The Official Kick-Off “Hebrew National’s Better-Than-A-Picnic” Picnic at Randall’s Island. It’s a fun-filled, free event (You MUST RSVP) where you and your whole family will have a fantastic time.

There will be free food (delicious Hebrew National hot dogs, of course!), drinks, activities for all, games, music and we’ll also be helping out a local charity (details to come).  Bring your chairs, blankets, sunscreen or whatever you like to the picnic.  If you’re a vegetarian, you’re more than welcome to bring your own food for your own family.

So, how does that sound?

If this something you would like to do, please send me an RSVP email to Lisa [at] NewYorkChica [dot] com with “Hebrew National” at the “Re” area, your name, phone number (just in case) and the # of people who are attending.

Please note: Although this event is a free-for-all, in order for Hebrew National to feed everyone, it would be nice to get a head count so that no one is without food and/or drinks! So please make sure you RSVP!

The event will start at 11:30 am and go on until 3:30 pm.  It will be held at Central Fields by Scylla Park.

(Click on the photo to enlarge to see exact location at Randall's Island)

Please check out and visit the list of amazing bloggers I will be co-hosting the event with:

Isabel, Alpha Mom http://alphamom.com

Jen, Next Kid Thing http://nextkidthing.com/

Suzanne , Mom Confessionals http://momconfessionals.com/

Amy O., Selfish Mom http://selfishmom.com/

Anna, Mommy Poppins http://www.mommypoppins.com

Carol, NY City Mama http://nycitymama.com/

Amy P., Long Island Parent Source http://www.liparentsource.com/

Kimberly, Mom in the City http://mominthecity.com/

Kelsey, Naptime Chef http://www.thenaptimechef.com/

Jo-Lynne, Musings of a Housewife http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/

Whitney, Mommies with Style http://www.mommieswithstyle.com/

Melissa, GirlyMama http://www.girlymama.typepad.com/

Emily, TheMotherhood.com http://www.themotherhood.com

If you are not in the NYC area and therefore cannot attend, don’t worry; Hebrew National will be at 8 other cities!  Each picnic with have their own unique theme and flavor so you won’t be missing out on any of the festivities.

May 31, 2010 – Boston

June 5, 2010 – Pittsburgh

June 11, 2010 – Raleigh

June 13, 2010 – Charlotte

June 19, 2010 – Atlanta

June 26, 2010 – Tampa

June 27, 2010 – Orlando

July 3, 2010 – Cleveland

If you would like to attend any of these events, please email cooper [at] themotherhood [dot] com for details.

For more information, you can visit TheMotherhood to get all the updates about the picnic.

For all you Facebookers out there, check out Hebrew National and “Like” their page. You can also check out photos from previous picnics and get updates on all the picnics from all 9 cities!

You can also follow the picnic on Twitter with the hashtag #Hebrewnational.

Directions to Randall’s Island: Click HERE to get directions from your area (any of the five boroughs) to Randall’s Island by entering your address. If you are arriving by car, click HERE to enter your address to get directions from Google.

Don’t forget to RSVP! See you there!!!

Disclosure: I am a sponsored co-host for this event.