In my world—where children’s activity centers and enrichment
programs abound—Moomah is in a category all its own. It’s a café with a relaxed
country-in-the-city vibe, a menu of yummy, natural options and walls filled
with art and do-it-together projects. It’s also a family oasis offering
classes (and drop-in crafts) in everything from fiber arts to dramatic play,
and a wondrous installation called the Funky
Forest.
If the melding of a café and a children’s activity retreat sounds
unorthodox, or at the least untried, all I can tell you is that it works like
dream—and the dreamer is the owner, Tracey Stewart. Moomah reflects Tracey’s
interests and sensibilities as well as her warm and generous personality. When
you read our interview with Tracey you’ll see what I
mean. No need to give much of it away here, though I will note that she has
the distinction of being our first cover subject to get a little teary when
talking about her husband (yup, that guy from The Daily Show) and what a good partner and father he is. I
suspect he would he say the same of her as a wife and mother.
When I think about it, Tracey’s not the only wonderful
dreamer (and NYC mom) featured in the issue. We have stories on Tara Mandy, who
created the fabulous websites StrollerTraffic and ScooterTraffic; and Julia Pimsleur Levine, the force behind all those great Little Pim
language learning products. Stephanie Goldstein isn’t a mom, but
if her boutique Stoopher & Boots is any indication, she gets it!
This is also an issue with a lot of good service
stories. Depending on the age of your children, some of you may make a
beeline to the 2012 Stroller Guide; others will appreciate the camp stories. The Classes Guide is the common ground
with great ideas for tots and tweens alike. Ditto Winter In The City, an especially helpful resource if you want to take the kids
skiing locally or go on a hot chocolate family crawl.
Or we could all just meet at Moomah (with or without the
kids)!
Happy January,
ERIC MESSINGER
EDITOR
