Apple Blossoms

While chopping up an apple core for the compost, I noticed that the seed pockets formed a lovely flower shape. I gave the pieces to Kiddo with some paint to do some printing. He especially liked how the stem made a natural handle, so he didn't have to get his hands messy (he's very fastidious). I'll be looking at my kitchen scraps in a new light.
Make sure you cut the apple cross-wise to find the blossom.

Map Activities, part 4

Although I have been trying to avoid buying more stuff, I broke down and bought this map at the local toy store which is dangerously close to our house. Honestly, I had no specific ideas for an activity but when I rolled it out Kiddo solved that problem by saying "If I was in Canada I would take a boat to Africa." (The continents aren't labeled on this map but Kiddo loves pointing out Africa on maps!)

So, while I fixed Kiddo his lunch I asked, "How would you get from here to there?" questions. Sometimes I had to point out the country for him, or give him clues to find it. Some of his answers were pretty interesting, involving round about routes and multiple forms of transport (including bikes!).

I'm glad I got the map since it has been nice to point out locations when the opportunity arises. We have it on the wall now and Kiddo likes to sit on the footstool and study it.

Reading Assignment: Mystery Bottle

Transportation Tuesday

The Parking Garage.

Holiday Weekend Bonus Post for Cookie Lovers

It's so Un-American of me, but I don't care much for peanut butter. I do like almond butter, but never eat it up fast enough if I buy it, and let me say that almond butter is not cheap. Looking to use up half a jar before it went bad a little google search led me to Maple Almond Butter Cookies.

Mmmmmm, sooooooooooooo gooooooooood.

Marble Races

A good way to spend 20 minutes (or more!): marble races.

I love when kids demonstrate there is no need for elaborate toys to have great time.

And Daddy-O didn't think we should by a bench for our table instead of chairs....

Summer Plans

Warning: If you don't live in the NYC area, this post may bore you. Or it may give you some ideas of your own. Who knows.

Perhaps it was the especially cold winter, or more likely, spending more time inside than usual because of the New Baby, but I feel exceptionally excited for summer and have been making plans inside my head for all the excursions we can go on. This is particularly unusual because I really loathe the heat and humidity of summer. Perhaps my excitement will fade once they arrive...

In the meantime, I have been making a list of places I want to visit with the kids. Some of them we have visited before, others are new. Some I can drag the kids to by myself, others require additional adult supervision (and the loan of a car from the in-laws) to be enjoyable.

Wave Hill. If I go nowhere else, I want to go here. Check out their website.
Alley Pond Environmental Center.
TheatreworksUSA's free summer show this year is Click Clack Moo Cows that Type. YEEESSS!
Governor's Island. Good for picnics, ferry ride for bonus points with Kiddo.
Roosevelt Island. Tram ride is extra, extra bonus points.
Brooklyn Bridge Park. Great new playground, with pirate theme.
Madison Square Park. Free concerts and theatre events. Plus the delicious Shake Shake for major Kiddo bonus points.
Socrates Sculpture Park. Kiddo might not be into the art, but I want to check it out.
Marionette Theatre at Central Park. Currently playing Peter Pan.
Battery Park City Playgrounds. Includes the fantastic "big slide"!
Pick a Playground, any Playground.
Riverside Park.
Celebrate Brooklyn. How could I have never gone to any events, when it is only a few blocks away? Crazy. The Ezra Jack Keats Family Concert looks great.
Intrepid Air and Space Museum. Honestly, this seems boring to me. I might send Daddy-O and Kiddo on their own.
Gateway National Reserve. Looks relaxing.
Lefferts House. Good standby for Thursday and Friday afternoon fun.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Of course! Free workshops for kids Tuesday afternoons.
Pedal Boating. Not quite sure how this would work with New Kid.
New York Hall of Science. They have a seasonal outdoor Science Playground.
Berry Picking: Blueberries and Raspberries! Haven't found a good organic location yet, though.

OK, I'll stop there. I'm sure we won't do all of this, but it's sure fun to make the list and dream big!

Note the absence of indoor places... no rain, please!

Did this post bore you? Excite you? What are your summer plans?

Transportation Tuesday

"Mom! I want the baby to watch me play with my cars and trains!"
Let the indoctrination begin.

Cooking by Numbers

Every parent knows the experience of planning an activity they think will be enjoyable only to have it dissolve through a combination of tantrums, whining, uncooperative behavior (and let's face it, I'm not just referring to the kids!) and frustration. It is all too common a scenario. What is less common is having an activity in which you place little hope of success but are pleasantly surprised by an enjoyable experience. It just so happens that despite all my pessimism, all the stars were aligned last week when Kiddo and I made soft pretzels. Even New Kid was happily observing it all from his bumpo perch. I guess it is all about expectations.

I had wanted to make soft pretzels for years. Why had I not done it. I don't know. That's just how I am.

I was expecting to do it all by myself as Kiddo showed no signs of interest. Until, of course, I involved numbers and counting. (If you are new to this blog you will be unaware that Kiddo obsesses over numbers. If you read regularly, you will be bored by this subject.)

Me, talking out loud to no one in particular: " I am going to divide this dough in half, that makes 2. Then I cut the 2 pieces in half, that makes 4. Hmmm, when I cut 4 pieces in 2, I wonder how many I will have?....."

Here Kiddo counts to 16.
He measures 16 inches of dough.
Then, he acts uninterested. I try making pretzel shapes. They come out weird. So I make an 8. "Mommy, make a 1!" After helping me make several more numbers, he started in on the alphabet. Here he is shaping an A.
He also loved brushing the dough with egg whites.And sprinkling on the seeds.Originally the plan was for Daddy-O to take these for snacks in his lunch. They never lasted that long. The recipe says to consume within 3 days. No problem.

Kiddo has even been begging me to do this again. I'll try not to have high expectations.

Weekend Bonus Post for Frugal Beauty Hacks

I have recently gone "no poo".

Now that I have your attention, I can explain that it is not as disturbing as it sounds.

In my salad days I enjoyed beauty products like hair mousse and body shimmer (this product is pretty much the biggest waste of human and earth resources. Really, body shimmer? Who needs that?). I also naively used to think I had the skill to apply makeup. Even if I didn't think that these kinds of products were an unnecessary drain on our resources, who has the energy to deal with that stuff. If I have free time in morning (and that is a big IF) I am not going to apply makeup, I am going to eat breakfast.

So, I have long given all that up. But don't worry, I still take a shower, brush my teeth and wash my hair. I used to wash my hair with a shampoo bar. I liked it, it worked just as good as regular shampoo, without the chemicals and without the packaging. But that was the problem. Just as good. Not better. One thing that is really annoying about shampoo is that my hair would get greasy if I didn't wash it every day. Recently I kept hearing about people who washed their hair with baking soda and conditioned it with apple cider vinegar. This just didn't seem like it would work at all. Way too weird. Too weird, even for me. But last month I gave it a shot. Despite having to give up the enjoyable lathering experience of the shampoo bar, I am really liking it. I don't have to wash my hair everyday, and because there is no weight to the soda, my hair's wave is more pronounced, something I used to try to achieve with countless beauty products. Also, who knew that apple cider vinegar actually leaves hair tangle-free and silky. This was the most shocking revelation.

This post is long enough, so if you are interested in all the details, you can read all about it here. Some people say there is a period of grossness while the scalp adjusts to not being stripped of its goodness everyday, but I didn't experience that.

If you think I am nuts to worry about the chemicals in shampoo and beauty products take a look at the Environmental Working Group's Cosmetic Safety Review, an excellent resource. You can find their safety rating for all your beauty products. And then freak out.

You can also support the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act.

Gross, Gross, Gross

I hate chemicals. I also hate bleach. I refuse to use bleach, except in emergency situations. Like when the cat, perched on the top of the kitchen cabinets, vomits blood all over the kitchen. Yes, that happened.

However, I really want to hook up a bottle of bleach to a garden hose and hose down the bathroom. I can't stand the pee smell anymore. I clean, it smells fresh for maybe 20 minutes. Those of you with boys might know what I am talking about. Or maybe girls cause this, too. I don't know, I only have boys. It's not like he even misses the mark anymore, but yet the pee smell continues. And continues. And continues.

Am I alone? Does anyone else share my frustration with this perpetual gross-ness?

Generation Gap

I suppose it may seem strange to some, but I love cemeteries. They are not creepy at all, but full of history. I could go on about how I am fascinated by the endless, and sometimes bizarre, ways people choose to memorialize themselves, but I won't. Here in Brooklyn we have the beautiful (and huge) Green-Wood Cemetery, which was designed to be enjoyed by the living. I was doing a bit of sleuthing as a favor for a fellow genealogy-nerd and decided a visit to the cemetery would make a good outing.

It was a beautiful day, and Kiddo loved it. (I won't mention about how the baby carrier was jabbing me the whole time making me less than comfortable... oops, I just did.)
We encountered a pink snowstorm....some interesting paths...Kiddo practiced his mapping skills...I always thought it would be better to be cremated, but this looks like a nice way to be remembered...I am not usually a flag-waving patriot, but it is kind of cool to see this lady in the distance...
You might have a famous cemetery near you.

Transportation Tuesday

It's a long line for the car wash. The mailing tube, in case you were wondering.

Unplugged Project: Magic

This past week Kiddo got a brand-new mattress which came in a giant box. This giant box magically transformed into a rocket ship, a boat, a train, a hideout......


For more magic, visit Unplug Your Kids.

Weekend Bonus Post for Shameless Self-Promoters

For Local Blog
in BrooklynI have learned that my blog has been nominated as one of the best local blogs for Brooklyn at Parents Connect. I didn't realize I was considered a "Brooklyn Blog", but I'm into that (and you can vote for me by clicking on the button, if you are so inclined). While this whole blog-nominee-thing fascinates me, I am even more excited to have learned of these two blogs:

Pistols and Popcorn: how did I not know about this blog? And what is even better? The bloggeress (I love making up words) teaches kickboxing to young kids. Sign us up! Oh, wait you have to be 5. Sign us up next year! What a good outlet for boy energy! And girl energy, too. Before I had kids I used to think gender-schmender; but now that I have two boys I think, "OMG, the boys are crazy!" And I love her post on How to Be a Mom.

The Word on Columbia Street: I like Red Hook. It is not visited as much as it should be because there is no subway line that services the neighborhood but it has a the best public pool as well as ball fields and a wonderful community farm.

I should also mention I have always loved A Child Grows in Brooklyn.

How can people vote for my blog (but you can) when clearly, these awesome bloggers put way more effort into their blogs than I do? But seriously, you can. Although, I think I have to vote for these other people. But you don't have to.

PS. I also am glad to discover the gocitykids site that is hosting the awards because it it very comprehensive. Check it out for your city.

Scrabble

Keeps kids with OCD busy for hours!
OK, not hours.

Map Activities, part 3

Every map has a compass...

Compasses are fun!

But a little tricky...

So it's a good thing we got one that led us straight to the playground!

Transportation Tuesday

Kiddo: "Mom, I need a rope!"
Mom: "Why?"
Kiddo: "So I can lasso my diesel train!"
Of course.

Unplugged Project: Powder

Everyone needs a little powdered sugar in his or her life.

Especially if it is your birthday.

Last week was Daddy's birthday so Kiddo and I made delicious Sour Cream Fudge Cupcakes. You must try this recipe (don't use Splenda -- euw.); it is on back of the quinoa flour package. It is so delicious, and I don't even like chocolate that much. The quinoa flour makes them taste subtly peanut butter-y.

We used Kiddo's letters and a paper heart as inside out stencils for powdered sugar to relay a very important message.


For more unplugged projects with powder as the theme, visit Unplug Your Kids.

Weekend Bonus Post for Tulip Lovers

Check out these lovely ladies I grew in my community garden plot this year.
On the left is Estella Rihnveld, on the right Orange Favorite.
Earlier we had some Keizerskroon (the Dutch language is awesome). The loveliest bulbs you can find are at Old House Gardens. I can't decide what new ones to plant this fall!

White Trash Montessori

.... or Montessori for the cheap and lazy. Don't get me wrong, I love Montessori, the idea of it. I am not equipped with the finances (Have you seen the prices of the material? Good Lord.) or energy to do it right. However, I like to think I am not a total disaster.

One of the Montessori basics is the set of Geometric Solids. Like all the Montessori equipment, there are tons of ways to use them. One activity matches the 3D solids to the corresponding 2D shape.

Here's our version:Kiddo told me the rectangles were a train yard. Of course.
A former neighbor gave me a lovely hand-me-down set of natural wooden shapes so at least we have shapes like a cone, pyramid, sphere, half sphere, different prisms, etc.

The best part of this activity? While Kiddo sifted through his block bucket (that's right, I didn't even take the proper blocks out for him and put them on a little tray, Montessori style) for the appropriate shapes I got to eat my favorite snack: avocado and pretzels. He also spent a lot of time arranging the blocks, esp. the rectangles and squares!

Extra Credit reading: Captain Invincible and the Space Shapes

Here are some admirable Montessori moms who get it right:
Montessori Free Fall
Chasing Cheerios
A Bit of This and A Bit of That