Places to Go - The Rough-Faced Girl at Synetic Family Theater (Arlington, VA)

This weekend we took advantage of a discount offer from Go Out and Play! (a wonderful local blog) and took the kids to Synetic Family Theater's production of The Rough-Faced Girl. Synthetic Theater relies solely on movement, dance, and music to tell a story, so no dialogue or narration occurs. I was somewhat nervous that this would bore my children (or confuse them) but the play mesmerized all three of my kids. Yes, even 2 year old T sat still for a whole HOUR taking in every movement (though he did occasionally scream things out like "look mom, she sad. why she sad?"). As an adult the production was both beautiful and entertaining, I sincerely enjoyed it, the dance and movement especially. The set design includes large ribbon-like sheets hanging from the ceiling, which the actors use to create things such as teepees and storms, as well as to climb and hang-from, circus-style. At one point, the actors chased each other through the audience and I thought my kids were going to burst with excitement (I also worried that the actors would trip over my purse).

The Rough-Faced Girl is a Native American retelling of the Cinderella story, in which a fire scars the story's heroine, hence the title, (the "fire dance" was one of F's favorite parts of the play). The play does a great job of making even the "evil" sister a sympathetic character. And, of course, it has a happy ending, in which beautiful blue cloth ripples in the air for a water effect while a marriage occurs. A great way to spend an hour with your children. I highly recommend it. The play runs through December 28th, productions occur on weekends (Saturday and Sunday) at 11:00 am. Tickets cost $12 in advance and $15 at the door. Click here for more info.

Things to Make - Land of Nod's "I'm Not Bored Anymore" Art Jar GIVEAWAY!!!!!

When Land of Nod contacted me about the possibility of hosting a review and giveaway at first I was elated (yay! free stuff, we love free stuff!). But then I became somewhat hesitant. I don't want to become one of those blogs that is always hawking other people's stuff and saying things along the lines of - "today we drank yummy Minute Maid juice with our breakfast (so nutritious, I wouldn't drink any other kind) then we packed up our safe, wonderful Odyssey mini-van so we could stay for free at the Ramada, which was seriously the best hotel ever." On the other hand, I work hard at blog and if companies want to give me free stuff (especially stuff that appeals to my readers) I'm okay with that. All of this is just to say that I promised myself that when it came to reviewing the "I'm Not Bored Anymore" jar I would be honest. If we hated it, well, then we hated it.

Luckily, the jar was a HUGE HIT. F actually called it "the coolest thing I've ever done" (seriously? even better than Disney? why do I even try?). The jar's magic apparently stems from the fact that it lets kids create on their own terms. Nobody is telling them what to do, yet at the same time they're being provided with all the "tools" that kids love - a whole jar full of confetti, googly eyes, glitter, pipe cleaners, pom poms, funky scissors, wood knobs, beads, foam shapes, felt letters, brightly-colored paper plates (these were a huge hit), etc. Even T had a blast "I like it mommy, I like it" (the jar is recommended for kids 6 and over but T scoffs as such age restrictions).

We now take out the jar every few days, as it has become our solution to those after-school BLAHs. And I really enjoy seeing the -sometimes odd - stuff my kids come up with - F decided to make her own "I spy" letter picture (I hate to be a downer, but the letters were pretty easy to spy), P created all these beautiful drawings with glitter details, and T lined up balls and pom poms in little rows. On the downside, the jar comes with glue and glitter-glue but we quickly ran out, so I'd make sure to have some extra around (extra scissors and scotch tape also proved helpful).

Anyways, if you'd like to buy one, they're available here for $29 (Land of Nod also sells a "junior" version for $24.95). Or if you'd like to WIN one, please either (1) "like" me on facebook then leave a message on my wall saying whatever you want to say (maybe write "i want to win!"?) OR (2) post a comment to this post stating your favorite rainy day activity. The giveaway ends one week from today on November 22nd. All entries must have a United States address for shipping.

HAVE A GREAT TUESDAY EVERYONE!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW OFFICIALLY CLOSED! CONGRATULATIONS TO CATHI FOR WINNING THE JAR!!!

Places to Go - Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (Vienna, VA)

I can't believe that after over a year of blogging, until now, I've never posted on Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. When the girls were toddlers, we visited Meadlowlark at least once a month; paved trails make the grounds stroller-friendly in all seasons and the scenery takes your breath away. The girls LOVE the children's garden, with its life-sized tea set and sand-box, both of which reside against the backdrop of a beautiful pond. After making "tea" we usually meander over to the huge gazebo on the lake, where we search for turtles and feed the fish. Meadowlark is surprisingly large (and hilly) with lots of different types of gardens and trails (butterfly gardens, cancer treatment gardens, wetlands, and meadows). I'm still not sure we've seen it all. The visitor's center includes a small store and a few animals. Click here to get more info.

HAVE A GOOD MONDAY EVERYONE!

MONDAY LINKS:

*The skinniest house in the world. Um, wow.

*Sam Kweskin (via DesignSponge).

*Get your hands dirty.

*7 Awesome DIY Plastic Animal Projects.



I took these pictures two years ago. Seriously. Two Years. Time keeps on flying, doesn't it? I wish I could remember exactly when F adopted headbands as her signature look. I can't quite picture her without them.

Things to Do - Take Pictures on a Train

Just some pictures from my train rides to and from NYC. HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND EVERYONE!! See you on Monday!

And thank you to everyone who entered our giveaway for the Sand Castle CD, all winners should have been contacted via facebook or email - I hope you like the music!!

WEEKEND LINKS:

*I really want to go here.

*Soviet-era bus stops.

*A Shade of Red. One lipstick. All types of women.

*Behind the scenes for American Gothic.

*100 Hanging Scissors. Sort of creepy, sort of cool. I guess that's the point.

*A new issue of Lonny is online. Our rug made the front cover (well, probably not the Ikea version that we own, but at least it LOOKS the same).

*Purephoto - it's pretty addicting. Even Gwyneth is a fan. I know it's uncool to like her, but I sort of like her. And while we're on the subject, I can spend HOURS perusing Saatchi online, especially the cheap prints section.

*Reasons to celebrate - 22 years ago the Berlin Wall fell.



By the way, I don't know the woman reading the book. I just liked how her ring-filled hands looked when reflected off the window.

Things to Read - Autumn Reads (for Adults) - Goons, Grids, and Seventies-Style Drama

1. (Goons) - I read Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad because Amazon insisted that I would love this book. After debating whether an algorithm could accurately predict my literary taste, I decided to give it a try (the novel's long list of literary awards - National Book Critics Circle Award Winner, PEN/Faulkner Award Finalist, A New York Times Book Review Best Book - bolstered Amazon's credibility). And, I must admit, Amazon knows me really really well (scary, huh?) because this was probably the best book I've read this year (I already updated my favorite books list to include it). The novel chronicles - somewhat loosely - people in the music industry, but the true joy of reading it stems from the fact that each chapter is told from a different perspective, often really random and unexpected perspectives, as minor characters from one chapter appear as narrators in subsequent chapters. The novel jumps around in time as well, so you see punk kids in the 1980s become drug addicts and/or music executives. Everyone has a story to tell. And, as a reader, all you can do is wait and hope that your favorite characters survive. Seriously, if you read one book in the next year, this should be the book.




2. (Life Off the Grid) - I'm somewhat fascinated by people who live off-the-grid (remember this post?), so when I read about Melissa Coleman's memoir - This Life Is in Your Hands: One Dream, Sixty Acres, and a Family Undone
. I bought the book immediately. Coleman grew up on a self-sufficient farm in Maine, in a small house that her father built using only a handsaw, hammer, level, measuring tape, and carpenter's square. The farm had no electricity, refrigeration, or running water. Coleman and her younger sister spent their childhood running naked through the fields "dancing on the blanket of apple blossoms, skipping along wooded paths, catching frogs at the pond, eating strawberries and peas from the vine, and running from the black twist of garter snakes in the grass." Hippies showed up every summer, eager to help to run the operation. Beautiful naked hippies. Which (not so surprisingly) took their toll on the marriage of Coleman's parents.

Coleman's memoir reads like a fall from paradise. After her younger sister drowns in the farm's pond her parent's relationship goes from bad to worse. And eventually their whole lifestyle is lost. At times I wondered how Coleman could remember her childhood so vividly, but still the book reads well and the story itself is fascinating, though incredibly depressing. Coleman does a wonderful job trying to empathize with everyone's situation (from her mother's near breakdown and desertion of Coleman to her father's abandonment of the farm and family).

The book ends without Coleman ever explaining how her unique childhood affected her adulthood (does she eat organic? is she a vegetarian? is she now religious?), perhaps another memoir is in the works? A farm-based Mary Karr? Regarding others pioneers of the sustainable movement, Coleman has this to say - "[m]any families, like us, would succumb to divorce or separation, and as [our neighbor] had long ago predicted, those who stayed put were generally the homesteaders without children." So much for my off-the-grid dreams.




3. (1970s Fashion Drama) - I'm not particularly into high fashion (to put it mildly). Lately I'm lucky if I have occasion to ditch the sweat pants for awhile. I decided to read Alicia Drake's The Beautiful Fall: Fashion, Genius, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris solely because of a review stating "It's like US Weekly, 1970s style." (With a review like that how could I NOT want to read it?). And I have to say, the book was quite a page turner. Mainly dealing with the endless feuds between Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld this book also dishes the dirt on Paris in the 1970s - cocaine, nightclubs, trips to Morocco, and fabulous parties with really obnoxious people. If you've ever wondered if people become famous because of who they know, then this book will convince you that without a carefully chosen entourage one's future in the fashion industry is doomed. As much as I hated most of the people in the book, I couldn't put it down. And now I keep googling Yves Saint Laurent in an attempt to see all his couture collections (I can't find anything, any advice on how to see runway collections from the 70s?). An addictive read.