Friday Do-Over: Vegetable Chemistry

For my Friday Do-Over, I will direct you to Science Bob, who featured our Purple Brew Experiment from Nov 2008.

txt 2 bp

omg pls turn off tap alrdy. enuf. kthxbye
m&k

On the Hook (Bits of My Weekend)

My father is in town for a visit and we decided to explore a bit of Red Hook. Red Hook is a waterfront Brooklyn neighborhood and, although it has an interesting history (and you've seen On the Waterfront and A View from the Bridge, right?), it is not generally on the list of tourist destinations. It has enjoyed a bit of a renaissance in the past few years, but only escaped total gentrification due to the total lack of subway service. It was in the news a few years ago over the brouhaha of the new Ikea and Fairway (housed in one of the more interesting supermarket buildings you will have seen) which plopped down on the piers.

We started out by taking the FREE Ikea shuttle from our neighborhood, which dropped us of at... uh... Ikea. But we weren't here to shop. Behind Ikea is Erie Basin Park (Ikea's attempt to salvage the maritime history on which it is now standing). Kiddo and New Kid loved the rolling planks. So fun to run over!

Don't worry New Kid, you'll be able to do it one day, too.

A giant compass.

Flowers and chocks.

We took a joy ride to Pier 11 in Manhattan and back, courtesy of the FREE Ikea water taxi.

Had a glance at Lady Liberty.

Not all of the waterfront is a welcoming park, but that's part of the lure of Red Hook.

A taste of Red Hook past.

We had a delicious lunch in the garden at home/made (so yummy I forgot to take a photo) and stopped at the famous Baked for cupcakes.

They looked as weary as we felt upon arriving home at the end of the day.

Stop by Six in the City for more Bits of My Weekend

Friday Do-Over: Window Colors

This is a low-maintenance version of all those beautiful stained glass projects you see on kid art websites. Usually they involve either sticky paper or ironing crayon filings. I don't know about you but I am not interested in ironing my kid's art. I like to keep HIM busy (although, admittedly, the results of melted crayons are lovely). First published 4/4/09

First I cut the sides of a plastic sheet protector so that it folded open.  I gave Kiddo some colored cellophane that I had cut into shapes. A better alternative would be to have the child cut out shapes, but that kind of focus was beyond Kiddo today.
Kiddo placed the shapes on the plastic. It seems so obvious now, but I had not thought of putting the cellophane on both sides of the plastic! As he did that I thought, "ooooh, color mixing! Excellent twist."

Once Kiddo was done we taped it shut and hung it up in the window. It was pretty challenging to get a photo without the fire escape or child safety bars in the background!Does anyone know of any picture books that are illustrated in a stained-glass style?

Mom's Bookshelf

As SAHMs of small children know, we must find something to do to keep our brains sane. For me, it's reading. Honestly, I don't know how I find the time to read. It is sometimes a page at a time. Literally.  Here are some of the books I've read recently with brief (and opinionated) commentary.

Eaarth. Ummm, read this book. I agree with Barbara Kingsolver.

The Omnivore's Dilemma. One of the most fascinating books I've read (In case you are wondering, it is not just an indictment of the food industry). Supremely well-written.

The Story of Stuff. You don't need all your crap. Really. You don't. But seriously, I thought reading this book would be an exercise in reading what I already knew, but it wasn't. Enlightening. Don't be complacent. Insist your government take action.

Searching for Pemberly. Ridiculous. I checked this out because the bookmobile has a dearth of good books for grown-ups. I had no idea a book this long could be written entirely in exposition.

Jane's Fame. Read this instead of the above.

In Defense of Food. Please put down that CAFO hamburger. It's disgusting.

No Impact Man. Live a full life, not a full-of-stuff life. 

Green Metropolis. Cities are awesome.

The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power. I picked this up after hearing an interview with the author. Frightening. But why am I not surprised?

How to grow more vegetables.... Intense, I'll have to start next season.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Why not? A brush up for the new movie.

PLUGS:
Hollywood Car Wash. My friend Lori wrote this book. Amusing. Glad I don't work in Hollywood.

P.S. What I Didn't Say. This is not the kind of book I would normally choose (that is not criticism, I just don't usually go for "personal growth stories"). However, Shannon wrote an essay so I read it. Enjoyable.

The Bentlefay Papers. My friend, Kathy, writes this delightful web-novel (wevel? webel? wovel?). Easy twice weekly installments always bring a little sunshine to my day.

The Little Re-Arranger

Pots and pans should never be kept in kitchen drawers. They look so much nicer on a bench.

Practical Life: Kitchen Geometry

It's old news that cooking requires some math skills. Kiddo put his to some good use when we recently made some sausage and potato pockets.
Measuring to see how many more inches we need to roll the dough in order to make 12 in squares:

Measuring 6 inches to divide into 4 equal squares:

Folding opposite corners of squares produces triangles:

Magic!

The Best Restroom in NYC (Bits of My Weekend)

I've been wanting to link up with Bits of My Weekend for a while, so here goes. Today we went into Manhattan to see The Butterfly Garden at New Victory.

It was wonderful. Innovative. Beautiful. I have never seen anything like it, and I have seen A LOT of theater. Go see it.

In Times Square we met some lovely ladies handing out Wonka candy. Perfect -- since we just finished reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

This one was very enthused to have her photo taken. 

After the show we headed over to Bryant Park, a gem of a city park. Let me whet your appetite.

A reading "room".

With books for kids.

Ping Pong. Check out the lady referee. I love her.

Pétanque.

These guys take their game very seriously.

Swinging and watching buses.

Rocking.

The lawn beyond the fountain stretches to the rear of the main branch of the NY Public Library. In the winter it transforms into a skating rink.

There is also a carousel, as well as free yoga, delicious sandwiches and free summer movies. But best of all is the restroom. I'm serious. I've been to Bryant Park many times, but had no idea.

When Daddy-O and I met afterward we both looked at each other in total amazement. Just check out the welcoming flower arrangement (and velvet ropes!).

Clean (always a winner), fresh flowers (several vases), mahagony (well, OK, mahogany-like) stall doors, mosaic tiles and..... classical music. Just piped-in music, but maybe next time it will be live. I wouldn't be surprised. When I took this photo it was in the morning. I visited again later (I had a large beverage, OK?) and there was a line. 

It was worth the wait.

Extra Credit Reading: The NY Times on Public Restrooms.

Friday Do-Over: Blowing and Drifting

First published 4/15/08

"Air and Wind" was the theme in this morning's Science Class. Judging by the kids' involvement, it was definitely one of the most successful classes. Kiddo loved all the activities and so when he was being annoying during dinner preparation Mom set up the sailboat activity. It did the trick. Place some water in a tray or pan and fashion a sailboat out of a foam base, a skewer or toothpick and a square of paper. Demonstrate how the boat can be moved just by blowing towards it. For extra fun, use a straw and add other items to the water. It is also "educational" to explore how the water moves differently when you blow on it gently, with gusto, through the straw above and below the surface.Yes, yes there can be splashing but it's only water and what is a little mopping up when there is 20-30 minutes of peace to be found? (Plus Kiddo did a good job of wiping up his own spills. Mom was impressed.)

Busy Work IV: Taking Notes

If you a familiar with Jack and Annie, you know that Jack loves to take notes. Taking a cue from one of his favorite heroes, Kiddo now likes to take notes in his preschool journal. Today's subject: space. I guess he is practicing for college.

As a side note I feel like I should say that I don't initiate or even encourage these busy work ideas that Kiddo comes up with. Nor do I feel that Kiddo's engagement with this kind of activity is proof that he is smart. He's just a quirky kid.

Treats for Friends

I offered to bring some treats for Kiddo's class. I made brownies and was wrapping them in waxed paper (since I gave up plastic wrap). Kiddo's idea was to write the names on stickers. He wanted to do something else, so I dug out these number beads and he made bracelets with all the kids' names. He was very proud of himself and I was thrilled to get rid of some junk use up some craft supplies. But he also loved doing it because one of his quirky pet projects is spelling the names of all the kids in the class.

Good for motor skills, too.

Plastic-Free Bread

When I used up the last of my cling wrap a few months ago I decided not to buy it again. I haven't missed it at all. It's easy to find alternatives and my favorite is using a wet towel (It has to be wet) to cover rising bread dough. Why is it my favorite? Because I remember my grandmother did the same thing.

P.S. Don't be too impressed by the homemade bread. Even though I make a loaf every other day, I use this no-knead recipe. Go ahead, try it. Pretend to be a supermom, wrist deep, kneading bread all day. No one has to know your secret.

Greenspace All Around Us

I need not explain that there are a million things to do with kids in the city, but one of the things I love best is that no matter where you are, there is usually a playground or park within a 5-10 minute walk. Every week, Kiddo has a regular appointment in another neighborhood, but I don't have to worry about keeping New Kid out of trouble in the waiting room. We just head out the door for a quick trip to the nearby park and playground.

For those of you with a few spare hours, check out this list of the parks in Brooklyn alone.

Math + Hearts = Love

If you ever read Kiddo's Art blog, you might know that he draws me with a heart as my head. I guess I am now also a hero, as my head is a dramatic purple heart. But the most touching part of this card?

Inside he did some math for me. 

That's my crazy kid.