Beth Whitehouse

Long Island

Parenting and Kids Reporter at Newsday

I cover parenting and kids for Newsday's Explore LI/Family and https://t.co/dOd0XLuomu. Blended family includes son in college and step-daughter in grad school.

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Articles

Two Mom Crews hosts playdate for families with two mothers to connect

1 week ago | newsday.com | Beth Whitehouse

Samantha Rose and her wife, Jessica, recently brought their 18-month-old daughter, Mackenzie, to a playdate at My Play Space in Babylon for a metaphorical look in the mirror. All the families at the inaugural Two Mom Crews gathering had two mothers. They came together to make new friends, to bond, and, perhaps most importantly, to see their lives reflected at them.
Fire Island pedicabs receive state license for expanded operations

1 week ago | newsday.com | Beth Whitehouse

Pedicabs will begin running Saturday from Robert Moses State Park to the Fire Island Lighthouse and the border near the Fire Island community of Kismet and continue through Thanksgiving. The state has licensed Fire Island Pedicab owner Justin Galbraith to run six six-seater pedicabs, says George Gorman, Long Island regional director for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Long Island's luxury picnic trend grows

2 weeks ago | newsday.com | Beth Whitehouse

Monica Lipton and her husband, Michael, took a 25th anniversary trip to Tuscany — in their own Long Beach backyard. The Liptons hired Let’s Picnic Long Island to set up an evening luxury picnic for two dozen people, with a long, low table set with lemons and eucalyptus branches for an Italian villa feel. The decor included linen tablecloth, candles, real china, cloth napkins, flatware and glasses. Guests sat on pillows on the ground. "I was blown away," says Monica, 50, an interior designer.
Outdoor playground coming to Children's Museum of the East End

2 weeks ago | newsday.com | Beth Whitehouse

A new outdoor playground will open in June at the Children’s Museum of the East End in honor of the Bridgehampton venue’s 20th anniversary. "We had a backyard that was a blank canvas, an open space," says Liz Bard, one of the museum’s co-presidents. The colorful playground will offer slides, swings, sand play and opportunities to climb on steel cables both vertically and horizontally, Bard says. "The whole playground is really focused on climbing and gross motor skills," Bard says.
Splish Splash in Calverton adds exclusive event to 2025 season

3 weeks ago | newsday.com | Beth Whitehouse

For the first time, Splish Splash water park in Calverton will be open at night. Visitors will walk through lighted-up trees on their way to ride the designated water slides and enjoy a pulsing, colorful LED light show while in the Kahuna Bay wave pool. A DJ will spin tunes under the stars. Neon Nights are scheduled for 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday evenings from July 11 to Aug. 16 at the venue. "We looked for something new to add to our event lineup.
Day trip: Family fun at American Dream in New Jersey

4 weeks ago | newsday.com | Beth Whitehouse

The word mall should be jettisoned from the description of American Dream — the venue in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is more like a Disney World-esque entertainment center. Go there only to shop at the more than 250 stores and miss the point entirely. Go to ski or snowboard on a snow-covered indoor mountain, and now we’re talking. Swim in the DreamWorks Water Park with multiple tube slides to choose from. Ride one of the indoor amusement park roller coasters that soar into the rafters’ duct work.
Long Island summer preparations at Jones Beach, Oyster Sloop Priscilla and Adventureland

1 month ago | newsday.com | Beth Whitehouse

As temperatures outdoors hover in the 40s, Melonie Cunningham sits at a sewing machine to attach a white ribbon to the inside of a canvas beach umbrella so that once temperatures hit the 80s families visiting Jones Beach can sit in the shade. That umbrella is one of about 500 that Cunningham, a New York State Parks employee, is helping to repair — the white ribbon ties the canvas to the metal spokes of the umbrella.
Prom 2025 etiquette: Long Island high school seniors share tips

1 month ago | newsday.com | Beth Whitehouse

Nicole Proto, 17, a senior at Valley Stream Central High School, says she hopes she and her date will make their entrance to their senior prom this June in a rented white Porsche or vintage Cadillac that matches her dress. "To me, prom is the most important event — it’s like a runner-up from your wedding almost," Proto says. "Everything has to be perfect."But, you know, no pressure. So, how to make the prom "perfect" from promposal to after party?
How single-income families make it work on Long Island

1 month ago | newsday.com | Beth Whitehouse

As the cost of living on Long Island has mushroomed, so has Kelsey Stanya’s family. She has three children under age 4. And that has created a question for her family that many Long Island parents with young children ask: How can we afford to have one of us stay home full time? The answer is not easy, Long Island stay-at-home parents say. Getting by on two incomes on Long Island these days is challenging enough.
Brown bunny brings Easter diversity to Wyandanch

1 month ago | newsday.com | Beth Whitehouse

Taniesha Russell drove more than three hours each way to bring her daughter, Teighan, 4, from Maryland to Wyandanch to see Buster Bunny — an Easter Bunny with brown fur meant to give families options beyond Easter Bunnies with white fur. "I’ve been searching for a brown bunny for a few years," says Russell, 40, who works for the federal government. She saw Buster Bunny featured on TikTok and says she decided it was worth the trip.