What we're reading 3, kind of...

Currently, I am not reading anything!  Except skimming through the occasional magazine.  Usually, its Real Simple.  During the day, I don't have time to read and in the evening, I don't feel like it.  I just want to veg out and watch a marathon of something good on TV.  Currently, we are watching The Wire.  Now that is some good TV!!!  I won't give any spoilers.  We are on the last season and I could watch all the episodes in one night, but I don't want it to end.  It's a show that follows a group of detectives and various "bad guys"-drug dealers, politicians, etc. in Baltimore. So, if you are having a break from reading and haven't already seen this show, check it out.

Onto the kids.  Currently, Mena is into Olivia and the Missing Toy and pretty much any book from the Olivia series.  The books are written by Ian Falconer .  The stories, which feature a pig named Olivia are funny and I really enjoy the minimalistic illustrations.

Idris is totally into zombie and comic books, as well as, graphic novels.  However, he has summer reading to complete, so we had to pick something off of the approved list.  He chose Hoot, by Carl Hiaasen.  It's about a boy who's new in town, who befriends some other kids and they try to prevent the destruction of an owl colony.  He's not that far into the book yet, but says "It's Cool," which translates to "I haven't made my mind up about this book yet."  Anyway, the book won a Newberry Award, so it must be pretty good.

What are you guys reading this summer?

Adventures in road-tripping with a newborn and a toddler-Saratoga Springs, NY

Finally!!! The baby is napping, my daughter is out with Nana and the oldest is away at camp.  I am sitting in my childhood home which my mother has made into her own garden oasis.  I am enjoying a lovely cup of coffee and I have time to post!
Last Saturday, we drove our son up to The Adirondacks to attend summer camp.  On our way home, we stopped in Saratoga Springs, which was beautiful.
We had the younger two, so getting pics was a bit of a challenge since my daughter is still adjusting to the new baby and has become very clingy.
Anyhow, we spent time in Saratoga Spa State Park, which looks like one of those gorgeous college campus's from 80's films, but better and bigger.  There are big plush lawns and buildings from a time when beautiful architecture was appreciated.  There are geysers throughout the park and many have been tapped so you can just pull up and fill up your water bottles right there!  Which, many folks were doing.  People even pulled out there huge 5 gallon bottles (several of them at a time.)
We enjoyed walking in the springs, until my daughter didn't enjoy it.  She's at a stage where she likes something and then doesn't like it within seconds.  She's suddenly scared of bugs and the cloud of dirt that formed in the water when she moved, and a numerous amount of other things.  She has a strong personality and wants what she wants IMMEDIATELY, ha!  We also did a brief hike because my husband didn't pack the back pack to carry her and we didn't want to have to carry her all the way back.
After the park, we decided to head to the Downtown area, which was full of people and plenty of restaurant options.  We chose a Mexican restaurant and ate the quickest meal ever for several reasons.  It was noisy inside and too hot outside.  Also, it was the witching hour for Mena, so she wasn't into sitting in her high chair or with Daddy, and recently she's started doing this high pitched screaming-thing and then laughing when she's getting tired.  So we took a short walk around and grabbed some ice cream and headed to NYC.  FYI Ben and Jerry's has cotton candy ice cream that is soooooo good!
The ride home was lovely......NOT!  The baby wanted to nurse about every 45 minutes-1 hour, so a 3 hour trip turned into 5 1/2 hours by the time we hit the lovely traffic at Lincoln tunnel.  Thankfully, there was a parking spot waiting for us, which is huge here!
All in all, it was a lovely day!  We would definitely like to head back there and stay over for a few nights to enjoy the many mineral spring spas, visit the park again and try some different restaurants, but definitely not until the kids are a little older.

Making time for my girl

So the baby is finally here and.....It's a boy!!!!  Its been about a month since my last post as I have been quite busy with the  kids.  Anyway, I have learned a few tricks along these last few weeks which I will discuss in another post.  One of them has been learning how to squeeze in some much needed one on one time with my 21-month old daughter.  She is definitely in toddlerhood and although she loves her brother and is learning how to be patient, she needs her Mommy time.  So whenever I can, I try to give her my undivided attention.

Some days its impossible, and she makes do.  Today it was playing out in the backyard and a few days ago, we managed to make cookies.  The fun thing about toddlers is they enjoy doing pretty much anything.  So I do manage to get some chores done, although they take forever with my "Little Helper!"  And she loves, loves, loves going for walks.  Today, we played with her toys and then attempted to re-pot some plants.  She was scared of the earth, so I ended up repotting by myself. The gloves were a hit though!

It has definitely been more difficult to get acclimated to life with a new baby this time, but slowly, make that very slowly, we are getting there.

Do you have any tips to share?

Summer planning

It's that time of year again!  I like to sit down with my family and create a list of activities/trips we'd all like to do during the summer.  This year is slightly different because we'll have the new baby and aren't planning on taking a big trip, which has actually decreased some anxiety with having to plan and budget for it.  Also, because of this new baby and the fact that I have the entire summer off (yay...that has only happened once in my adult life!), funds are lower, so our plans can't be ostentatious!

I usually try to enroll him in day camp for a while, but he's at a weird age (too old for certain camps and too young for others), plus I will be at home so he can just hang with us.

I always check out the community paper for local events, "Like" local group pages on Facebook for great word of mouth info and check out online sites like Timeout and Uwishunu for ideas.  Also, join Living Social and Groupon for discounts.

Here's what we came up with this year.  It has pretty much the same things as last year, with a few things added in.

What summer plans do you have?

What we're reading 2

I enjoyed Americanah so much I decided to try out the second book by author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Half of a Yellow Sun.  It tells the story of two sisters during the Biafran War in Nigeria during the sixties.  Apparently, a film has already been completed and will be released this year.  Yay!  So far I have to say I am enjoying it.

For the boy, its Holes. a book about a young boy named Stanley who has been cursed with bad luck and sent to a boys detention camp when he was wrongly accused of stealing some shoes.  Its a little more difficult reading for him, which is good and presents a challenge for him.  I can't tell you how many books I have read and reread at different ages.  Each time I found a new understanding while reading.

Lastly, for the little lady.  We grabbed this book from the library and she absolutely loves it.  I will be adding it to the collection we have at home.  Its called Don't Wake Up the Bear.  Your little one will love it if you become animated while reading it.

Share any titles of books that you find awesome in the comments!

Central Park Zoo

Last week, us here on the East Coast were treated to Spring-like weather.  I happened to be in NYC for the weekend so I decided to take the kids to the Central Park Zoo.  Its a great small zoo and has an additional children's zoo, where they can see farm animals also.  After maneuvering through the subway with the stroller (I give it up to you NYC moms who deal with that on a daily basis), we made our way streetside again and checked out the zoo.

It's priced pretty reasonable ($12 for adults and $9 for children over 2 years old, $8 for seniors) and that includes admission into the children's zoo.  We checked out the petting zoo first and Mena was excited to see the animals from afar.  Idris, whose not afraid of anything, decided to introduce Mena to the goats, which was the sweetest sight to see.  Lots of people commented when I was pregnant that I was crazy to have my children so far apart.  I have to say, its actually been nice because he helps out so much and she really looks up to him.  They have this cute little relationship and he loves being able to show her new things.

Anyway, we fed the animals and then moved on to the main zoo.  There are a few exhibits, our favorites include the sea lions, the rain forest, the snow leopards and the red pandas.  Unfortunately, the polar bears were closed.  The weather was awesome.  I actually got to walk around without my coat on and rock my shades.

If you're in the city, definitely check it out.

What we're reading

I love to read but definitely don't set aside enough time for it.  I am trying to change that.  So every so often I will try to post what books are being read in my house.

Me

It's a story about an African couple who are apart and rekindle their relationship.  I just started it and so far it has rekindled my love with reading!

Idris

It's a survival story for tweens about going to sleepaway camp.  My eleven year old loves this series!

Mena

Her absolute favorite book.  She requests it every night and has started to memorize it and yells out words during certain parts!

What are you guys reading this month?

A much needed rest

Hey there! I was in dire need of some rest from everything.  So, I haven't been posting, or picking up much time at work and have just been focusing on my family.  Since my last post much has happened.  I lost my mother in law to cancer.  That has got to be one of the most devastating, aggressive diseases out there.  This is the second family member I have watched be taken by this disease and no matter how often you experience it, nothing quite prepares you for the end.
I had a birthday, which in spite of what was going on, we still had an enjoyable dinner.  My husband seemed to enjoy doing something nice to get his mind off of things.  I was also the Matron of Honor at my sister's wedding, took a trip Down South with my husband(post coming soon)and enjoyed Thanksgiving with almost all of my family except for one brother (that's a first for us since everyone is so spread out.)
I wish I could say I read some great books and did some cleaning out of things or took a class, but the truth is I just did the mundane day to day activities and vegged out in front of the TV and took naps in the middle of the day, which is great, by the way.  I think I have had my fill for the most part and am ready for some new activities, which means....New Posts!

So, enough about me...what have you all been up to?

Autumn

I'm back!  I got exceptionally busy the past few weeks and am finally starting to slow down and realized I haven't made a post in 3 weeks!  Anyway, we are officially in one of my favorite seasons.  I had my first pumpkin spice latte, ummmmhhhhh, what a treat!  Soccer season has started.  We visited a farm and got some caramel corn, gourds and Indian corn.  I got my fall decor, mums and pumpkins and finally rocked a pair of boots!

What things do you do to enjoy yourself during this season?

It's (groan) Back to School time!

It's that time of year again and I have to say, I am not looking forward to it.  I can't stand coming up with cold lunch ideas daily, dealing with the hustle and bustle that goes along with getting children out the door by a certain time, the millions of papers that he brings home, fundraising (it's hard for me to sell things I'm not interested in), and homework.
I have the child that has said almost since day one, "I don't like school!"  Learning, Yes!  School, No! And, with the education system the way it is now, I can't say I can blame him.  School is not what it used to be.  Kids have to take a placement test for kindergarten, I mean, how ridiculous is that?!  He did fine on it, but nowadays if you haven't sent your child to preschool or homeschooled them, they may not be ready for kindergarten.
Children aren't given as much time for recess, gym, lunch or free time.  The curriculum just keeps being added to and I feel bad for the teachers because they aren't allowed to be as creative because their reviews as educators are contingent upon the scores students receive on standardized testing.  My son's first grade teacher once told me that she liked to take her students for a walk in the afternoon, especially during the fall and spring months, so the children could have a break and learn about nature, at the same time...she had to stop because social studies was added to the curriculum and she didn't have time for that anymore.
Anyway, my child is what one might call a kinesthetic learner.  He learns best through "doing."  So, for him having to sit in a chair for hours (literally, the children have multiple reading lessons for 2 1/2 hours) is torture.  Needless to say, the principal and I are on a first name basis.  Our current school system is a horrible fit for HIM.  I say that in caps because it is not a horrible system, there are some great teachers, he goes to gym 3 times a week and music twice a week (our budget has been cut, but not as much as in other systems.)  Private school is not an option at this time, nor is homeschool (been there, done that.)
So, today was the start of another year.  I will continue to be optimistic, like always, that this time will be better and we won't trudge through another year.  This year he's going into the 5th grade and its his last year of elementary school.  I was excited and sad.  The Boy is definitely growing up, as he should, but a part of me wishes I could keep that sweet little boy forever!

Do you look forward to back to school time?  How do you prepare for it?  How was the first day for your children?

Home again

We have finally returned from our trip and like always, its bittersweet.  I love California!  Its beautiful, its laid back and the light there is unlike anywhere else I've been, not to mention, I will thoroughly miss my family.  However, its so nice to be back in my own home and easing back into our routine.

I didn't have a good internet connection while there, so I decided to forgo adding looking for a wifi spot to my daily activities and skipped blogging while there.
This trip was quite a different one for me, which I will go into further detail in another post.  I don't like to be on a schedule per say, but I do make a list of things I'd like to do when I vacation.  That way I can usually get to most of them, as I please but also have chill days.  What I noticed to be a recurring theme on my list was choosing outings which allowed us to take advantage of California's greatest resource....the outdoors.

One of the places we visited was Muir Woods National Monument.

Oh my, it was majestic!.  The forest is located in Mill Valley (right outside of San Francisco) and is full of beautiful, huge redwoods.  They have several hikes you can take, which vary in intensity and length and can show you such locales as the coast.  We decided to take a short one hour hike through the forest.

I took photos, which as hard as I try, can't grasp the true beauty there.  Maybe its because while hiking you are inhaling the fresh, crisp air, and enjoying the forest sounds, which without sounding too crazy are intoxicating.  While walking we came across a sign that had this written on it:

In every walk with nature,

   one receives far more

      than one seeks.

                    -John Muir

This said it all for me!  If you are in the area, definitely check it out....

I'm going, going, back, back to Cali, Cali

After a 3 hour delay, a wonderful flight on Virgin America,  and some scary turbulence, I am so thrilled to be back out in California!  I have been coming out here annually since I was 6 years old and even lived out here for most of high school.  Last year, since I was pregnant I didn't want to travel quite so far, so we skipped the trip and I missed it.  I usually go straight to the Bay Area, but this year I decided to hang out in the LA area.
First off, let me say, there is nothing like the beautiful light from the sun in California.  The weather is gorgeous, its been about 80 degrees and sunny, most of the time.  I have been here countless times so I don't have any major plans I just kind of wanted to go with the flow and experience SoCal as a grown up.
Our first outing was to Venice Beach.  I remember going as a child and enjoyed swimming and buying little trinkets along the walking path.  It was nice to take my son to see the local artisans,  the skate park and allow him to pick out some trinkets..he's loves tchotchkes!
It was nice experiencing Venice as an adult.  I love the aesthetic there.  The colorful homes, the murals and all of the succulents, they literally are everywhere.  I know that LA is truly in a valley and that there are deserts surrounding the area, but it wasn't until this trip and seeing all of the native cacti and succulents  that it became official in my mind.  We checked out the canal, which I had never seen in person and accidentally interrupted a scene they were filming for Californication.
We ended the day with my favorite fast food burger joint in Cali...In and Out burger!