Cousin Nana from San Francisco!

Things we did... Steve McQueen Exhibit at the Met (ahem, Alexander, that is - ongoing error on my part), many fun art projects, lots and Lots of dancing, Sunday paper in the park (or "Church", as we like to call it), walks around the neighborhood, bagel eating - toasted pumpernickel with tomato for Nana, plain with tofu cream cheese not toasted for Finley and my new love - the everything bagel toasted with tofu cream cheese. We took the bus and dipped our bods in the Red Hook Pool, took the subway to Manhattan and went to castings and Nana watched Finley while I went to a wee job. We met back up at the fountain in Washington Square Park then onto my old block for Mamouns falafel on the stoop with Mitch. Then it was back to Brooklyn to pack up the car and all (Craig too!) for a night adventure drive to Southampton. There with Grandpops and Bebe had few mostly lazy and sandy days on the beach. Finally we headed back to Brooklyn for a couple last and rainy days around the apartment (my junk drawer is now sublime.) Thank you for coming, Nana - we love you! Murray is in deep kitty mourning...

Breakfast Papa Style

I hate to do this to you Craig but a) I warned you I would and b) it's just too good not to! To be fair, it was early morning and when I woke up I went downstairs for about 10 minutes and that's when she woke up... he was so bleary from just having gone to bed that I think he thought he was just giving her a snack, but still!

Thinking games

Ready to move beyond "I Spy", I was very excited to read this on Park Slope Parents (an email group and local list serve):


"My kids are a little younger (3 and 5) and we like these thinking car games, geared to the younger set:

1) I'm thinking of something and it has... [this is a twist on 20 questions, but for smaller kids who aren't quire up to the task of generating lots of questions - provide three+ descriptives to help the child guess ("Whiskers, paws and meows"). Make it easier or harder based on age.]

2) Rhyming roots song... [Credit for this goes to my mom, a first grade teacher. Teach rhyming roots with a song, you do the first few, and then the kids figure it out and chime in to spell the word. For early phonics. "I can spell CAT.... C-A-T. I can spell BAT... B-A-T. And on and on. Kids will start to add their own first consonant to make their own words. Every once in a while, my Mom would end that root series with the phrase: "Isn't it incredible! (sung in opera voice), and that was sort of a verbal high five, before switching roots. Corny but kids LOVE it.

3) Rhyming guessing game: "I'm thinking of something that is white and cold and it rhymes with glow."

4) True or False: make statements that are either silly or true and have the children answer - "True or false: Whales like to eat apple pie?"

5)Mommy doesn't like.....: This is a quirky game that my kids made up that is a road trip hit in our family. I like it because it invites the kids to think about others. In the car, we go in turns. The person speaking has to think of a person and then think of something that other person really likes (for me it is always latte), and then they say: "Mommy doesn't like LATTES!" Of course I do like Lattes, so we all say "no-no-no-no-no!" and laugh. (Each time we say the opposite of the truth, then we say "no" a lot in silly voices, then we laugh.) The first round is easy, but after that, it is interesting to see how children perceive the preferences of others in the family, and also how well they manage the trick of reversing it...which they find hilarious.

Happy travels everyone!

Jill (mom to 2 good road-trippers)"

Happenings - Summer 2011

Stoop Sale-ing


Coop Shopping

Last Day of Huggs Having!

Playground Playing!




Wonderful gifts from afar receiving! Scones overnighted from San Diego (delivery snafu - finally consumed 3 days late, but amazingly...still good!) A very small accordion from Nana in San Francisco who is coming to visit next weeeeek! (Gracie, I can see you rocking in the corner.)

Bebe Day Travelling. The Bronx. A wonderful thing to do with someone is to take them on a day trip to where they grew up. I loved watching your face, Bebe as you explained, told stories and pointed around. With lunch on Arthur Avenue at the end (the owner, The Mama below even sang us an aria...) Another great adventure for Grandpops, Bebe, Finley and Me:)

Puppet Show a-going

Backyard worm digging

And finally... summer side sleeping!

Concerts in the Park

Celebrate Brooklyn! Free concerts all summer a few blocks away. This was our first and a special one that also celebrated Brooklyn author Ezra Jack Keats. A woman read from books that were displayed on a giant screen "Jennie's Hat" and "Maggie and The Pirates" (for your next trip to library, Silas!) The actual concert was Dan Zanes who also share the stage with a children's orchestra, a Marimba group from Seattle and and dance troupe from Bed Sty. Mr. Zanes puts on a great show - he and his very talented and young band (the woman who played fiddle could also jam on the spoons) I caught Finley busting some serious moves wearing a serious dance face. My personal favorite moment was during the last song - he had everyone on their feet, there was a breeze was blowing and we were all singing "The Sidewalks of New York" in a round until people just naturally walked away. Afterwards we scootered down the slope homeward to bed. I WISH I could have had everyone I know here to go to the West Side Story movie screening complete with choreographers teaching the audience to dance like a Jet. The last concert will be while my cousin Nana the Fairy Godmother is here for a visit... Alvin Ailey's Revelations!! So perfect. Brooklyn, have I told you lately that I love you?

Scooters rock

Yesterday...

First unassisted swim!

Okay there is a serious floaty suit assisting but she definitely felt free like a fish! We were with my friend Marni and kids last week in Montclair, NY. I love to think how there must be lots of summer invitations and adventures that start with this sentence - "I have a friend that has a pool..."

We Welcome Emerson James Douglas!!

Yay, you finally made it!! Born on the fourth of July. Baby, you're a firework! (Finley's favorite "popular" song;) Congratulations Kelli, he's so dreamy.



Our

First Ballet Class!

Finally!!! There was a substitute teacher for the first one- Miss Sarah will back next week. It's at the YMCA in a beautiful room. She loved it and showed us all the new moves after. I got busted filming the class but it was worth it:)

butterfly garden complete!

What an experience! It was so much fun waking up everyday to see how they had grown or if they had hatched from their cocoons. I myself loved taking these macro pictures of them. How intense and extremely majestic they are! Thank you West Coasties!! The video runs a little long but I couldn't handle the edit process;)

Good Grades and Gay Weddings!

I have not posted about going to school here in a while. The day of talking about not what I want to do but what I have actually done is HERE! I finished my first college course yesterday with a 94 on my final. This is after a week of practice finals during which the first three grades were 45, 36, 48! There was actually a very real possibility that I would need to take this class again, happens all the time. The day I got a 72 I knew there was hope and when I got a 96 I knew everything would be OK. During the course of this class I learned not only basic algebra (which I don't remember EVER knowing) but also many things about about school and myself in general like...

I learned how to study - I have tools! Notecards and highlighters and page marker thingy's and reading glasses;) I learned how to test. I learned I can test when nervous, can calm myself with breathing and affirmations. I can sit and learn in a room with rowdy 18 year olds and want to strangle them and then not strangle them. I can trust in my brain. I can learn as well as anybody (part of me deep down always thought college was for "other" people and that I couldn't do it) I learned how to just get down to studying- I can spend a LOT of time getting ready to study. I learned I can be very disappointed and want to give up and then NOT give up and succeed. (I think I learned that one before but it felt new;)) I can ask for help - Professor Han spent a fair amount of time with me, my Aunt Liz was back and forth sending scans of homework and emails and my cousin Phebe was there with help I didn't even know I needed and so many others out there supporting me with thoughts and calls and texts. The last thing I learned was don't drink before the final - even a small amount - nervous test pee syndrome;) - I had already learned don't drink too much caffeine before a test a few days earlier. Fall sememster starts with a full load of psychology 101, math 1175, biology 101, and english 101. I am VERY grateful that I had to cut my teeth on this summer class. Looking forward to my days as a brainiac. Onward! Lifelong evolution... weeeeeeee! I will also add that Craig and Finley were so supportive and we worked very well as a team - I definitely didn't do this on my own... Craig didn't sleep much and Finley watched a TON of show but we made it.


AND the other really great thing that happened yesterday was Governor Andrew Cuomo made gay marriage legal in New York State. Way to GO New York! I want to see a conga line, a band wagon of other states lining up for this one!