Places to Go (Vacation) - NYC Girls' Weekend

Times Square, the High Line, a sustainable dinner at The Green Table, lots of shopping, the 40%-off-everything-in-the-store sale, TOO much wet snow/rain, tapas, a very pregnant Jenny, a very NOT-pregnant Sarah, Dancing at Lughnasa at the Irish Repertory Theatre, lots of wine and cider, Central Park post-snow, free bellinis with brunch, and two good friends who read the same books that you do. What more could a girl want for a weekend away? (well it would have been nice if the trains ran on time, but let's not be picky)

Things to Do - Life In Three Hour Increments

Our schedule has changed a lot this year. In previous years, we spent most of our afternoons adventuring - finding new places and exploring our favorite hang outs. But this year P attends preschool until 12:30 each day and we pick F up from kindergarten around 4:30. I'm trying to adjust to life in three hour increments. T and I have accustomed ourselves to adventuring close to home (we spend a lot of time at Longbranch Nature Center and the National Zoo). Some days I miss the freedom that comes with a disregard for the clock. Other days I like the fact that we now have a pattern to our days. I now understand all too clearly how fast the early years of childhood have passed us by. We rarely bring a stroller anywhere anymore. And soon diapers too will be behind us, which seems incredible after 6 years. P has a social calendar that's full through December (seriously, that girl loves a playdate). F can spend over thirty minutes trying on the right outfit, making sure all the accessories match. And T is no longer a baby at all. Odd.

This fall, my favorite part of the day has become picking up F from kindergarten - watching T run to the door as they release the kids, throwing his arms around F's legs. Whereas P plays it more coy, she waits quietly, but as soon as F says "hi, sissie!" P lights up, suddenly telling hundreds of stories about her day (stories that she refuses to tell me). Often all the kids spend a few minutes running around the playground - older kids and younger siblings combined. Or playing hide and seek under the low-hanging trees that surround the school. Finally we all make our way home - listening to F recount the ins and outs of her day - who moved up to "superstar" on the classroom playchart, what children moved down to "think about it", who her new best friend is, new moves from dance class, or new projects in art. And T picks up sticks. And P tries to balance on the curb. Happiness.

WEEKEND LINKS:

*I posted some new pics at Because It is A Holiday, stop by and say hi here.

*A good friend just started a parenting blog entitled The Wise Hummingbird, full of great stories and things to do with children. Please check it out.

*For those of you who live in the DC area, Not-So-SAHM has a great review of the new grossology exhibits at the National Geographic Museum.

*Josh Reames. I love these.

Things to Read- Three Parenting Books for People Who Dislike Most Parenting Books

I have mixed feelings about parenting books. Sometimes I find they act as a wonderful light in the storm, so to speak. Other days, they force me to overthink and over-question everything I do. Thus, sometimes I need parenting books that emphasize the fun and wonder of life and that "let me be me" for lack of a better term. These are my favorites and I reference them often:



1. (The Tao) When I was pregnant with T my yoga teacher recommended The Parent's Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents
to our prenatal class by saying that she kept a copy on her nightstand and read a few pages every night. At the time I remember thinking, "seriously? every night?" I now keep a copy on my desk and read it weekly if not daily. In today's environment of helicopter parenting I find comfort in a book that reminds me to look at the world and accept it and love it. The Parent's Tao Te Ching contains so many wonderful quotes, that I had a hard time choosing only a few to share:

*"Don't mistake your desire to talk for their readiness to listen. Far more important are the wordless truths they learn from you. If you take delight in the ordinary wonders of life, they will feel the depth of your pleasure and learn to experience joy. If you walk with them in the darkness of life's mysteries you will open the gate to understanding."

*"Stay at the center of your own soul. There is nothing else you can do."

*"Your children have important lessons to learn, but even more important ones to teach . . . . How to pay complete attention. How to play all day without tiring. How to let one thing go, and move on to another with no backward glances."

*"If you overly protect your children they will fear failure and avoid pain. But failure and pain are twin teachers of important lessons. Unless your children fully experience both how will they know they have nothing to fear?"


2. (Astrology) Like most pursuits that require an element of faith, I'm not exactly a believer in astrology. Nor am I a disbeliever. It interests me as do many other systems that attempt to explain why we are the way we are. When the kids were babies, however, I couldn't stop reading Your Starchild
(An Astrology Guide For You and Your Child), I was just so curious about who they were, what they would be like. Now days I enjoy rereading the book and see how my children's actual personalities line up with their "predicted" personalities (P is SUCH a scorpio). Dan thinks the whole book is crazy-talk (which makes sense, he is SUCH a Virgo). But, as crazy as it sounds, I really like the book's advice on how to parent children with horoscope signs that are different from your own. Even if the book's predictions turn out wrong, it serves as a good reminder that often my way of viewing the world will differ dramatically from how my children view it and that I can't always utilize a "one size fits all" approach to working with three completely different kids.





3. (Freethinking) As I've mentioned before, I'm not religious. I think most religions have a lot to offer, but the details stress me out (why no gay marriage? what's the problem with halloween? who is the holy ghost anyways? didn't any of the animals try to trample noah? why does god ask to have the whole town murdered just because a few people worship another god?). Anyways, I really want to expose my children to religion (the good and the bad) but I'm not always sure how to do that. In this pursuit, I've found Raising Freethinkers: A Practical Guide for Parenting Beyond Belief to be a really great resource. The book contains a lot of practical advice for raising children who aren't afraid to question everything. Regarding religion, the authors recommend providing unfiltered access to religious ideas and specifically inviting children to doubt and questions your own conclusions ("at every stage, in every way possible, underline the fact that she has the right to decide for herself."). Raising Freethinkers also deals with such tricky subjects as death, ethics, celebrating life, and community, with tons of resources - both suggested books and suggested community resources, such as the Unitarian Church.

Things to Do - Halloween

The radio announced that this Halloween was especially dark, they didn't explain why, perhaps because daylight savings time doesn't start until next week. On the upside, at least the snow fell two days before the festivities began.

T trick or treated with us for the first time this year (usually he stays home and hands out candy with Dan). He seemed both confused and amazed; at first T had no desire to wear his costume, but when he saw all the other kids he asked to put it on. P remembered to tell every house about her peanut allergy (seriously, what's with all the Reese's? I felt like we were dodging bullets all night), one couple even went back inside and gave her oreos from their pantry because they didn't have anything peanut-free in the bowl, how nice is that? Our friends went as Blu and Jewel from the movie Rio, aren't their home-made costumes amazing? The best part was watching them flap their wings and "fly" through the night. And F's favorite part of the evening? Going home and giving her candy out to the new trick or treaters, hence how we recycled the peanut butter goodies. So goes the cycle of Halloween.

Hope you all had a good All Hallows Eve!!



I had to take a few pics of all three kids before we attacked the night. Wish T would have worn his Elmo, but perhaps the sword better demonstrates his true warrior personality.

Things to Make - The Story of a Box

I'm somewhat addicted to Amazon's Subscribe & Save Program (why run out for toilet paper when you can have it delivered to your door for free?) - the prices are good and free two day shipping continues to amaze me (I'm a dork like that). My husband, on the other hand, has problems with all the packaging waste, so I set out to prove to him that where he sees extraneous boxes, we see an all-day craft project.

Stage 1 was easy - I simply asked P and T if they wanted to ride in a "boat." So they spent all morning in a large box. I didn't even paint it or anything as they seemed perfectly content "steering" their simple vessel throughout the waves of our living room. But finally (of course) the sides collapsed. At this point, T decided he wanted a house, but P decided he really needed his own castle. On to Stage 2 . . .



In a half-hearted attempt to make a collapsed box look more castle-like I added "pillars" made from old paper toll rolls (I just cut slits in the bottom of the rolls to attach them to the sides of the "castle"). Then the painting began - one color at a time (some sense or order was needed). T painted everything in long thick lines ("look mommy, I make railroad tracks. lots of railroad tracks.") Maybe I've been in momland for too long (maybe???) but I actually think T's whole creation looks rather impressive (move over Picasso, we've got SKILLS). Or maybe it's just that T was having the time of his life. Finally painting came to an end and we waited for the pigment to dry.

T spent a large part of the next day walking around with his "castle" wrapped around him. I assumed we'd tape the sides together and make an exit on the bottom but he preferred to wear it. At some point he decided it was now a horse and galloped around. A rainbow horse. okay.

And finally, the box made its way to recycling. But at least we showed it love.
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*DON'T FORGET to enter our giveaway for a copy of the Sand Castle CD. Seriously, really great music, you won't be disappointed. Click here for the info. And if you enter through the facebook link, make sure you BOTH like the facebook page AND leave a comment on the wall (otherwise it's hard to tell if you are actually entering the giveaway).