Friday, December 20, 2019

More winter fun for the entire family

The Cianciottos are once again filled with excitement as the winter season has arrived. For them, winter isn’t just about Christmas (although that’s the highlight of the season); there are a lot of other activities, and events families everywhere can enjoy.

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As such, Joseph Cianciotto shares a few more of the best activities the entire family can participate in and enjoy.

Night fairs: Night fairs are great in themselves. But when the winter atmosphere is added, it becomes a festival on its own. Night fairs have games for children, food stalls, retail booths, and everything in between. Such an event is definitely a favorite of families everywhere. Plus, it helps the local entrepreneurial community, as well.

Snow sleds: In places where there is ample snowfall, Joseph Cianciotto recommends that parents always keep a sled handy. Sliding down a small hill of snow can be the best adventure any child will experience. However, to make it safe, Joseph Cianciotto suggests carving out a path towards an upward curve that ends in a snow wall.

Ice skating: Ice skating can be daunting for beginners who are terrified at the prospect of falling on their behinds. However, with the proper training, people can get the hang of it in a few minutes – and when they do, it’s a blast.

Joseph Cianciotto is a digital media native and family man from Long Island, New York. For more articles like this, visit this blog.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Old-school family fun: Board games

Joseph Cianciotto makes it a point to spend as much quality time with his family. He’s come up with a list of some of most fun things to do given a certain time of the day and day of the week. On Saturday nights, one of his favorite activities is playing board games.

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For Joseph Cianciotto, board games are great for several reasons. First off, the entire family gets to participate in the fun. Second, it takes away the kids (and parents) from their electronic (which even with games, is primarily for one person only).

Since board games are a huge part of Joseph Cianciotto’s recipe for a great Saturday night with the family, he shares today his favorite board games.

Monopoly: The king of board games, no other title comes close to Monopoly. Arguably the most popular board game in history, Monopoly has evolved, with different versions of the game being released. Today, people can find “Star Wars,” “The Simpsons,” “Harry Potter,” and other famous pop culture franchises being played via the Monopoly format.

Scrabble: The immortal word game, Scrabble has provided families countless hours of enjoyment and education. Yes, not only is the game fun, through it, children learn new words and develop many facets of their language.

Clue: One of the more interactive games out there, Clue requires family members to role-play and analyze each other’s strategies. It’s exciting, suspenseful, and ever-so-fun. And because the level of fun increases with the number of players, Joseph Cianciotto believes this game to be best enjoyed with family members and friends.

Joseph Cianciotto is a digital media native and family man from Long Island, New York. For more articles like this, visit this blog.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Camping: A family activity for any season

Out of all the family-oriented activities, one of the most well-rounded and beneficial ones is camping in the great outdoors, notes Joseph Cianciotto, a devoted family man from New York. When planned well, a family camping weekend has the potential to become one of the most unforgettable experience for all the members of the family.

Below are some of the greatest benefits a family can reap from a camp-out.

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A reprieve from urban living

Camping in the great outdoors with only the family is probably the best reprieve one can have from the hustle and bustle of urban living. Everything is slowed down, especially for the parents, and for a brief shining moment, they forget the stresses of work.

A reprieve from technology

In this day and age, when various electronic gadgets have driven a wedge between family members, a camp-out is very much a welcome reprieve. Without mobile phones, laptops, and other handheld devices, families can go back to basics and spend time talking to one another.

An opportunity to learn new skills

Joseph Cianciotto explains that through camping, children learn how to do things they generally won’t learn in school, such as pitching tents, using a compass, cooking food, and roasting mallows.

Joseph Cianciotto is an executive creative director and lives in Long Island, New York with his wife and two daughters. For more articles on parenthood, visit this page.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Places to visit in New York City with the family

Being a resident of Long Island, New York, Joseph Cianciotto is very familiar with Big Apple. He believes that while it appears to be a daunting town, to say the least, there are several places that are family-friendly.

Here are some of the monuments and attractions in New York City that families should visit if they find themselves vacationing in the area.

Image source: lovingnewyork.es
Central Park

This 843-acre park is a green haven for many of the residents of New York. It has a ton of attractions and may even take more than a day to explore in its entirety. Off the top of his head, Joseph Cianciotto recommends visiting the city zoo, Strawberry Fields, and the Loeb Bathhouse. However, if parents want a quiet afternoon and let their kids play – the Great Lawn is the place to be.

The Museum of Natural History

Children will most definitely love (and learn from) their visit to the Museum of Natural History. Just like Central Park, it would take visitors more than a day to explore all its wings. Countless interactive shows teach kids in a way they’ll appreciate.

The Statue of Liberty

Probably the most iconic monument in the entire United States, the Statue of Liberty is a must-see for families who are visiting the Big Apple for the first time. The boat ride and tour guide make the entire experience a lot more fun.

Joseph Cianciotto is an executive creative director and lives in Long Island, New York with his wife and two daughters. For more articles on parenthood, visit this page.

Friday, August 16, 2019

How children can benefit from learning martial arts

Joseph Cianciotto believes that some activities in which children engage at an early age are far more beneficial to them than others. One of these activities is martial arts. Most martial arts provide life lessons that mold children and prepare them for life ahead.

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The first lesson children learn from martial arts is discipline. They learn how to act and move within their teacher’s instructions. Instilling discipline at such an early age may not be all that fun, but it lets children know that there are some things they should do and some things they shouldn’t. Knowledge of these boundaries are extremely important and reinforce the values children learn from their parents.

Another important lesson that children can learn from martial arts is patience. In most martial arts, learners won’t be able to do advanced movements without learning the foundations first. Children are inherently impatient creatures and may be resistant to such structures. However, through constant training, they will learn that many things in life can be attained if they are patient enough to learn the ropes.

Martial arts also instill both confidence in one’s self and respect for others. As children advance in their martial art, they begin to believe in themselves and their capabilities to not only defend themselves but others as well. They also start to gain a sense of respect for others and their opponents, which is a key aspect in their journey toward adulthood, explains Joseph Cianciotto.

Joseph Cianciotto currently resides in Long Island, NY with his wife Jen and two daughters. Visit this blog for more articles about family and parenthood.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Curbing technology: A key value for families everywhere

In his line of work, Joseph Cianciotto deals with a great amount of technology, which he uses to help businesses grow and develop. He believes that no other aspect in the world has advanced civilization quite like technology. However, the role of technology inside a family home is very different, explains Joseph Cianciotto. Today, far too many households have become slaves to technology, with smartphones, tablets, personal computers, and other gadgets ruling everybody’s lives. It’s very common to see entire families with their heads buried in their electronic devices, no longer communicating with each other.

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And Joseph Cianciotto believes this has to change.

First of all, parents who set rules and specific schedules on gadget usage should adhere to these rules and specific schedules themselves. After all, their children won’t have anyone else to follow but them.

Joseph Cianciotto also notes that now is the time to bring back good old-fashioned family fun. They can play board games, engage in more physical activities in the yard, or even pick up a new hobby like sports – all of which, can be done together.

The value of family bonding should never be replaced by technology, Joseph Cianciotto states, especially for children since what they learn at home will be the foundation of everyone’s future.

Joseph Cianciotto is a digital media native with creative chops complemented by a strong business acumen. He currently resides in Long Island, New York with his family. For similar reads, click this link.

Thursday, June 13, 2019

The Mammoth Cave: A must-see for the entire family

While scouring the internet for their next big adventure, Joseph Cianciotto was reminded of a national park he’s been wanting to revisit for ages—the Mammoth Cave in Louisville, Kentucky. Now that Joseph’s children are old enough to appreciate the many wonders of nature, he believes that now is the time to take his family there.

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The Cianciottos have been to a number of national parks in the past, but never to one quite like the Mammoth Cave. For starters, this national park is located underground and is comprised of a number of caves. In fact, the Mammoth Cave is the longest cave system known to man, with over 400 miles of underground pathways.

Joseph Cianciotto believes that it may take his family two days to fully enjoy what the national park has to offer. Aside from the Mammoth Cave itself, there also is a beautiful campsite just outside the surrounding areas where families can camp out.

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However, it’s also not lost on Joseph Cianciotto that his children may find the dark and winding paths of the cave system a tad creepy, which is why he plans to sign up for the group tour together with other families. And adding to that, Joseph Cianciotto will also have a family gathering with the wife and kids to show the Mammoth Cave on his laptop, just to get everyone excited.

Joseph Cianciotto is a digital media native and family man from Long Island, NY. To read more on how to enjoy New York with the family, visit this website.

Monday, May 20, 2019

Great hiking spots in the United States that are also family-friendly

If there’s one thing Joseph Cianciotto is extremely proud of, it’s that his wife and daughters love to go on adventures with him. Over the years, the Cianciottos have toured around the country and have explored many enchanting natural reserves that far too many Americans have never seen in their lives. But even with all their past trips, the Cianciottos have more places of their list of future travels.

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Here are three of these places.

Mammoth Cave National Park

Down south, in Kentucky, there’s a national park known as the Mammoth Cave. The actual cave is as fun and magical as the name suggests. There’s just so much in this place that captures the imagination, from Crystal Lake to Rainbow Dome, which makes it a place for people of all ages.

Mount Rainier National Park

While they might need to fly out to get to Washington, Joseph Cianciotto believes it’s worth it just to experience the beauty of Mount Rainier National Park. This has to be late summer to early autumn trip though because that’s when the best parts of the park bloom.

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Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Another great place that Joseph Cianciotto doesn’t mind buying a few plane tickets to visit, the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado has been on the top of the Cianciottos’ list for years. While the place is often unforgivingly hot, there’s a lot to be enjoyed such as sand sledding and hiking.

Joseph Cianciotto is a Long Island, NY resident and a digital media native whose creative chops are complemented by a strong business acumen. Read more about him here.

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

What to expect from Netflix’ take on The Watchmen

By now, fans of comic book adaptations and superheroes would be aware of the upcoming Netflix reimagining of Alan Moore’s The Watchmen. But what’s interesting is that its creator has gone on record to insist that, unlike the movie some years back, the series is not an outright adaptation of the acclaimed graphic novel, explains comic book buff Joseph Cianciotto.

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The hype is certainly present, as this new Watchmen iteration is being developed by Damon Lindelof, the man behind successful TV sagas Lost and The Leftovers. Lindelof explains that the series will take place in the same universe of the graphic novel, but it will present new heroes and storylines and not simply reprise the plot of the original. Nonetheless, Jeremy Irons is starring and playing Adrian Veidt, so we can still connect the series with the novel.

Image source: denofgeek.com
Lindelof has likewise been somewhat ambiguous in his posts about the TV series, saying that he has no desire to “retread nor recreate nor reboot” the twelve issues of Moore and Dave Gibbon’s comic books. In the same breath, he cautions that his series is also not to be interpreted as a sequel. Instead, Lindelof insists that the source material is sacred ground, and while the new story will be set in that world, his version will be more contemporary: it “will resonate with the frequency of Trump and May and Putin."

For now, what’s sure is that the new HBO show is generating both excitement and anticipation, especially with the cable channel’s hugely popular Game of Thrones now in its final season, Joseph Cianciotto adds. In any case, we should expect to see (and judge for ourselves) this intriguing new Watchmen take late this May.

Digital media native Joseph Cianciotto obtained his degree in Visual Communications from Carnegie Mellon. He resides in Long Island, NY with his wife Jen and daughters Hannah and Sophie. Visit this blog for similar posts.

Essential equipment for camp

Joseph Cianciotto has spent quite a number of springs getting his kids ready for summer camp. He still remembers the first time sending them off and getting a call a few days later about how much stuff the kids still needed that weren’t in their bags.

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Because of this, Joseph Cianciotto has decided to share with new parents the essential equipment for camp. Now, take note, this just doesn’t apply to summer camp. If your kids are scouts, they’re most likely going to have to camp a few times within the school year.

First things first—is the camp going to provide lodging? If not, tents and sleeping bags are a must.

Next up—clothing. This can be confusing for parents who are packing for their kids for the first time. The rule of thumb, though, is to always pack light so it doesn’t take a lot of space in the bag and the kids won’t have a problem carrying the bag.

image source: erasmustravel.org

Then, parents can include basic items with their clothing, such as shorts, flip-flops, underwear (this should be a third more than needed), socks, swim clothes (rash guards and trunks), sleeping clothes (pajamas), and a rain coat or jacket.

Once all the clothing has been included, it’s time to put hats, sunglasses, sunblock, insect repellant spray, disinfectant alcohol, jug with a washable cup, towel (more than one), toothbrush, toothpaste, tissue paper, soap, shampoo, a comb or hairbrush, laundry bag, first-aid kit, and emergency cash. If there’s still space, you can add an umbrella.

Are there things that we missed? Feel free to comment in the comments section below.

Joseph Cianciotto is a digital media native and family man from Long Island, New York. For more articles like this, visit this blog.

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Fun family food tours in New York

New York is a known haven for foodies. It is recommended for everyone who comes by to have a taste of what the city has to offer. There are hundreds of food tours around the city that introduce people to the rich Big Apple cuisine, and also to the city’s culture, history, and architecture. Parents can also bring along their kids in some of the tours, which NYC resident Joseph Cianciotto recommends, as it provides a great opportunity for families to bond.

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Below are examples of food tours suitable for families:


Pizza Tasting Bus Tour: New York-style pizza is famous all over the world and this tour lets participants visit some of the finest pizzerias in different NYC boroughs. The tour takes just half a day, is facilitated by a certified pizza enthusiast, and uses a big yellow school bus for a more authentic experience.




Image source: queensfoodtours.com
Long Island City Food Tour: Long Island, where Joseph Cianciotto currently resides, is a vibrant neighborhood with a colorful industrial past and an artistic present. Tourists can bask in these while enjoying the unique cuisine through the Long Island City Food Tour. Some of the many types of culinary treats that participants can enjoy include a burger with a recipe over 100 years old, genuine French patisserie, and Italian artisan dishes with recipes straight from the heart of Naples.


Find out more about how families can enjoy New York together by subscribing to this Joseph Cianciotto blog.

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

A tribute to families with long-time, successful businesses

Passing down family values has always been integral to the development and stability of society. Family businesses could be the site of such diffusion of values.

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Children of business owners inherit a place in their family business. Some of them eventually run the entire enterprise and expand. These children follow the footsteps of their parents, who followed in the footsteps of their parents. Some children are happy keeping the family business going, while others push toward expansion and growth.

While most of the basic family values are taught outside the business, within the family-owned entity, children still learn a lot from current leadership. A perfect example of one of these lessons is financial stewardship, or the efficient management of resources. This is one very important value that children, whether they choose to take on the family business or not, can use as they mature.

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Determination is another important value family businesses teach future generations. Business is like life in the sense that there are ups and downs, highs and lows, failures and successes. Children who are exposed to their family businesses are exposed to the realities of running a business early on and grow up aware of all the challenges of entrepreneurship.   

Management, professionalism, and effective communication are some of the other values children could derive from parents in the course of running the family business.

Read more about creating lovely memories with your family on this Joseph Cianciotto blog.

Outdoor games that are both safe and tons of fun

There are very few experiences in life as unforgettable as spending time with the family in nature. Not only does a camping or hiking trip calm the minds of parents, it’s also a great time for children to unplug from the technology of the modern world and reconnect with nature, themselves, and the people closest to them.

On that note, here are three games and activities that are both safe and fun for the entire family.

Image source : azureedge.net


Camping Olympics

Camping Olympics should be prepared before going on a trip. It’s a whole day affair that’s both tons of fun and can be done almost anywhere in a campsite. From races on a sandy beach to diving competitions on a lake, there’s nothing like Camping Olympics to ignite that healthy competitive spirit. However, parents should keep everything light and breezy for the kids and for safety purposes.

Image source : huffpost.com
Scavenger hunt

The scavenger hunt is another activity that requires some preparation, but once it’s done right, it can be one heck of an adventure, especially for children. If the kids are below seven years, parents should participate or act as guides. Older children though can compete by themselves.

Scary stories

This classic camp activity never fails to bring everyone closer together -- because they’d be too afraid to be alone at night. Having each family member tell a scary story at night while roasting marshmallows and sipping on hot chocolate is one the greatest bonding experiences in human history.

Read more on how to create lovely memories in New York with your family visiting this Joseph Cianciotto blog.