The boys have been taking art classes with a wonderful teacher. Each week, Tara introduces the kids to a different artist and they work on a project inspired by the artist’s work. My house is covered in decorated soup cans (Warhol), painted collage (Chuck Close and Gustav Klimt) and sculpture. After the kids filled a [...]
Mother’s Day Shopping
This is always so tricky. My mom, mother in law, grandma and sisters are just about the biggest blog fans I have. You know I like surprises, so I can’t very well go showing what I’m buying this Mother’s Day. Let’s just go with some items that that have caught my eye that I wouldn’t [...]
DIY Lego Travel Activity Box
I made the boys some lego activity boxes to surprise them with for our three hour drive to Legoland. I bought each an unfinished 8 by 8 wooden box with a clasp at Michaels. After my mother in law and I poured through hundreds of legos trying to find enough of the same color to [...]
Surprise. They Don’t Like Surprises.
The latest wonder of my world: is it really possible that some people, in particular two people born of my very DNA, don’t like to be surprised? In college, I almost show up a day earlier than my parents expected. SURPRISE! I’m home on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, not Wednesday. Surprise!! I’m home on December [...]
Gigi’s Treasures
There’s been far too much carnage far too close to home. Amid the horrors of this week – in Boston (and yesterday in Texas), its been a comforting distraction to be with my grandmother in Florida. For sure, Gigi has seen her share of national and world tragedies since she left Poland in 1936 at [...]
Truth. Fib. Lie. Dealing with Kids and Lying
Ryan started telling tall tales somewhere around age four. They were so harmless I can hardly remember them. Like most kids, he had lots of creative explanations about things he did or saw. I remember a few whoppers from my childhood; mostly ones I told after being caught doing something wrong. Once, on vacation in [...]
The Scooter Guide to Washington, D.C.
Scott, Ryan and I spent last weekend in Washington, D.C. Any guilt I felt about leaving our three year old with his grandparents melted away with our first walk around the White House. No naps, no stroller…just lots of patriotic sightseeing. First, What Makes Me The Wisest Lady in the Land One word. Scooter. Having [...]
April Fools’ Day: 2013 Edition
Do you remember that amazing steamboat museum I took Ryan to in Kansas City last year? You don’t? Neither does he. Thank goodness I keep a blog as proof of major life experiences – you know, like viewing 200 tons of a virtual time-capsule from the remains of a ship that sunk in the Missouri River [...]
A Date in A Bar
Phew. We have been busy. Good busy, getting ready for and celebrating the holiday of Passover with family and friends. My kids have stayed up way too late and we’re all just tired. Tired + Passover’s dietary restrictions (no eating bread and many grains) = challenging. I was as prepared as ever as I’ve been [...]
Tooth Fairy In The House
If you remember, Ryan’s big goal for his sixth year was to lose a tooth. I am pleased to report that all his wiggling (plus a shovel to the mouth and a recent skiing wipeout) paid off. I thought I was ready. I had asked around about the going rate for a tooth (anywhere from a buck [...]
