Wonder Women

While growing up I don't remember having anyone I considered my hero.  (Although, I thought it would be super cool to be Punk Brewster!)  Fortunately, I have been surrounded by amazing women my entire life.  Right now is no different.  There are so many amazing women in my life that touch me and teach me.  They are truly, my superheros!

Recently, two women I admire have been interviewed (by different people) and their stories, published.  I hope to, someday, be more like these women.

The first is a brief video about Mehrsa who use to live in Harlem when we lived there.  I really look up to Mehrsa.

The second is a Q&A with Lorinda, who is raising six(!!!) kids in NYC.  I've only spoken with her on a couple of occasions, but I've always felt inspired when I'm around her.

Why didn't I learn my lesson...

Less than 24 hours later from the fruit munching incident, I went into the bedroom to get the kids' clothes for the day.  I was gone for two minutes!  This is what happened:

No, it's not regular lotion...it's self-tanning lotion, of course.  If you see a blond oompa loompa wandering NYC, that's my boy!

Guess which mischievous little boy turns two on Saturday?!

Why I don't leave the room anymore...

I went into the bedroom for a few minutes to put nurse Simon and put him down for a nap.  This is what I came back to:

He was drenched in peach juice.

I now know which peach was ripe and ready to eat.  And I guess we will have fajitas (with avocado) tonight instead of tomorrow.

The Everything Weekend

This weekend was jammed packed full of fun!  It was one of those weekends where there was so much stuff going on in the city that I wished I could clone myself and do it all.  But no, we had to forgo some fun for other fun, which turned out to be quite fun!

Here's our weekend in (a lot of) photos:

For years I've wanted to take advantage of the free kayaking on the Hudson.  We happened upon it while just walking along the river (at W 72nd St) with no lines, so I did it!  Isabella was nervous at first, proclaiming she wanted to go back and just watch with Daddy, but within minutes she was having a blast and playing captain.

We met up with some of our favorite people, ate lunch at Pier i Cafe, and then frolicked in the grass.

We went to an awesome pirate-princess-party for another favorite little person.  The pirate-princess-party had a perfectly pink pinata, of course!

We went to the World Science Festival in Washington Square Park.  We had fun.  I rubbed elbows with several of my former competition.  And I kept thinking, "I could be here.  I should have a booth."  But reminded myself I am in the most awesome science adventure every day with these three little ones.  The booth can wait; these babies will not.

looking for fossils

playing with center of gravity

making patterns with magna-tiles

 We even stopped briefly at the Housing Works Street Fair and picked out some new books for the kids.

Right Now

Riding the "bug carousel" at the Bronx Zoo.

Imagination Playground

Mommy Poppins has a series called "Destination Playground" and I'm hoping we will make it to most of these playgrounds this summer (definitely all the ones in Manhattan).  I'm pretty determined to still "live" in NYC (and not just the UWS), but with three kids (two confined to a big stroller) it requires a bit more planning.  Specifically, finding our way with subway elevators.  

I love this next month because 1) the weather is perfect for playing outside (not too hot yet) and 2) the school kids are still in school.  So the playgrounds are relatively "calm" during the mornings.

We recently trekked to the David Rockwell Imagination Playground near South Street Seaport.  Yes, it is a haul from the UWS with 3 kids, but they loved it!   We took the 2/3 from W 72nd to Chambers St.  Then walked from there.  It took us about an hour, door-to-playground.  Isabella walked most of the time (scooted a bit of the time), which means we move pretty slow sometimes.

We did come to this playground last year, but the sun (and lack of shade) made it pretty intense in the heat of summer.  If you go remember to bring hats, sunglasses and tons of sunblock!

The playground is open 10am-6pm (9am on the weekends, I believe).  We got there right when it opened.  It took the attendant almost an hour to get everything done (set out all the sand toys, building materials, put up the umbrellas and unclog a filter) before he finally turned on the water.

The kids loved it and were completely worn out on the way home!

Memorial Day Weekend

Last weekend was awesome!  We really packed a ton of fun into 4 days.  Brian was able to "work from home" on Friday, so we hopped on a train to Connecticut and spend Friday and Saturday with family.  Brian's sister, Heather, kept asking, "What do you want to do while you are here?"  My response, "Nothing!"  And that's what I did.  I lounged on a shady swing as much as possible, holding my baby, and watching my kids run and play with their cousins.  It was paradise.  I was so lazy that I didn't even take photos (I kept thinking about it, but getting that camera was too much work!).  Okay, I snapped one:

My little Joan of Arc

We were back in the city late Saturday night and had a fairly normal Sunday except for a fun picnic with old friends in Harlem.  It was so lovely that I forgot to take any photos.

Early Monday morning we picked up a zipcar and headed to Brighton Beach (just east of Coney Island) with Brian's brother, Spencer, who flew in late Sunday night.  The bag full of swimsuits somehow never made it from our apartment into our car.  But the kids, of course, didn't care.  While at the beach I remembered how much I love to take photos.  My favorite thing to photograph?  My children playing at the beach.

I love this photo!  I think it may be the only one with me and my busy brood.

Oliver loved the water!  He couldn't stop laughing.

Isabella was very brave and loved it!

Out running Uncle Spencer--not easy to do.

Like I said, he loved the water!  "ow" as he calls it.

Artistic sandcastle.  Her first solo castle.

Once the beach got too hot (about noon) for our fair skin we grabbed lunch and then headed back to Manhattan to drop off Spencer so he could hang out with a friend.  Then our little family drove up the Palisades Parkway, along the Hudson River.  It's one of my favorite, just outside the city, drives.  We stopped in Piermont (super quaint little town) to relax and run at a playground.

A beautiful stop along the Hudson River.

Playground in Piermont

My beautiful baby!

Afterward we drove slowly home.  Not pictured: the many scoops of ice cream consumed over the course of the weekend.

Right Now

Oliver stomping. Isabella and (uncle) Spencer playing tag.
Me...reflecting on the proposal of the cute couple that just happened
on the nearby bench. I love my big backyard.

Signs of Summer

Summer must be on it's way, since this is how we are spending our days:

bulldozing

sliding

rock climbing

picnicking

water playing

swinging

boo-boos and tutus

munching mangoes 

more swinging!

When life gives you rain...

make rainbows!

I think yesterday was the first day in the last two weeks that it didn't rain.  We decided we needed some rainbows to celebrate the sunshine.

I can usually commiserate with others over such gloomy weather.  But I've actually enjoyed the rain these last couple of weeks.  Some reasons I'm grateful for the rain:

1. We had relief from our seasonal allergies (Isabella and I).
2. There wasn't a desperate to be outside as much as possible and therefore we were on schedule.  Something my little Oliver needs.
3. It is so amazingly green!!!  I love it!  As we were walking down our street today Isabella asked, "Is this Georgia?" (meaning Savannah) "It is so beautiful, just like Georgia!"

Right Now

Swinging in the blessed sunshine. Oh sunshine, we've missed you so!!!

The Brooklyn Half Marathon!

This is a "right now" post but deserved it's own title. I still can't
believe I did it. I reached two of my three personal goals for this
race 1) run to mile 9 and walk, if needed 2) run through the finish
and 3) finish in 2.5 hrs or less. I finished in 2 hrs 34 min. It was
awesome. Im exhausted. I'm sore. But I DID IT!!!!!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Inspired by my favorite blog: SouleMama