Trick or Treat NYC Style

Happy Halloween everyone!  How do you trick or treat in NYC?  Well here you go....

In our apartment building, if you want to participate in trick or treating, you sign up and then you get a sign to hang on your door indicating you are participating.  So kids know that they can ring your doorbell.  It is really efficient and works out great especially when you have a building full of kids!

Step 1. Get your costumes on and your candy bag ready to go.

Step 2. Get in the elevator and push the floor you want to trick or treat on.

Step 3. Knock on a door that has one of the "signs" and then trick or treat.

Option 2 Rather than the elevator, take the stairs.

Step 5. Go home and enjoy all the candy!

The girls loved it and it beat being outside in the cold!

Doppelganger Lily?Luna?

There is a little girl the in the neighborhood who looks just like Luna.  We have yet to meet her but we know her name is Lily.  People are frequently coming up to Luna and saying "hi Lily."  There is one particular playground that this happens at a lot, this must be the playground Lily typically goes to.

At first, I thought that it was just another girl who looked similar to Luna.  But this week at school we had another parent think Luna was Lily and Luna's teacher set us all straight.  She knows both Luna and Lily. The preschool Luna goes to has two locations and Lily goes to the other school.  So the parent had seen Lily at the other school and could not figure out why she was also going to this one.  He said they looked exactly alike.

Luna's teacher then told me a story, that happened when the class was at the park.   Lily was there with her Dad.  Lily's Dad was shocked by how similar they looked at least that is what Luna's teacher said.   Even Lily's Dad thinks they look alike!  I still have yet to see Lily but I am constantly looking for her :)

In December, there is a winter party with both schools so hopefully Lily and her family will be there.  I can't wait to meet Luna's doppelganger.

A Little Rachel Humor

Rachel was sitting next to me on the couch "reading" this book to herself.  She turned to me and said "Mommy why is he going pee pee on his head."

Oh man, I am still laughing about this one. :)

Twist Outs

Today was the day that I took Luna's beads out and it was met with a lot of tears.  Luna did not want me to take them out.  She loved having beads in her hair.  When I asked what she loved most about them she said the music they made when she shook her head :)  I am trilled she loved them so much.   But they had been in for two weeks so it was time to take them out.  

The beads were put in with rope twists and one of the great things about rope twist is when you take them out they leave little twists in the hair, called twist outs.  This only took me about 45 minutes to take the beads out and put some product in her hair, which is very fast for us.  So for the next few days she will be wearing twists outs.  I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to take her hair out one day and then get a few days before needing to restyle :)  

  

The twist outs look really pretty and she gets to wear her hair "down" for a few days.  Luna was pretty excited that her hair looked like Rachel's hair, "fluffy" as Luna put it and that she got to wear a headband.

Celebrity Chef Rocco Dispirito

I have had a cold for almost a week now.  It has gone in phases, sore throat, cough, fever and now I have lost my voice.  It has not been a lot of fun.  Last week I was craving some chicken noodle soup and did not have any in the apartment and the idea of going through Whole Foods exhausted me so I was doing with out.  Then as I was gearing up to take the girls to preschool I was assessing all the stuff I was going to take and decided at the last minute to leave my wallet at home. I was so tired from my cold I did not want to carry any extra weight so I decided to leave it behind.

Well on the walk to preschool we passed the Rocco Dispirito Now Eat This! food truck.  Guess what they were serving...hot chicken noodle soup.  It smelled so good and just what I wanted but of course this was the first and only time I had left my wallet behind so I had no money.  I was thoroughly disappointed...no chicken noodle soup for me.

Today (Monday) on our way to preschool, the truck was there again!!! Even better I had my wallet!  So I bought some chicken noodle soup and guess who served it to me??  Rocco himself!!  It was pretty cool! The soup was really good. I might go as far as to say the best chicken noodle soup I have had.  Now I want to go out and buy his book just for that recipe.  

My Yummy Soup!

The Hamptons

This past weekend we got to experience the Hamptons for the first time.  Luna has become good friends with a little boy in her class named Cooper.  We have had many play dates at his home and at our home.  Through the play dates Cooper's Mom and I have become friends.  They were planning a weekend in the Hamptons and asked us to join them.  Although our husbands had never met we knew the rest of us got along really well so we thought it would be a lot of fun.  Luna was so excited, all week long she was pulling out toys and clothes asking if she could pack them for the Hamptons.  :)

We drove out friday late afternoon and what should have been a 2 hour drive turned into a 3.5+ hour drive. The traffic was crazy getting out there.  But we arrived around 8pm and Rachel immediately wanted to go to sleep :) she was a tired girl. Luna on the other hand loved the bonfire and playing with Cooper, she was so excited to be there.

The next day we woke up and then headed to the beach.  It was a beautiful sunny day and in the 60s so the beach was not cold, almost warm.  The beach was beautiful, just beautiful.  The girls loved running in and out of the waves.  By the end they were soaked but happy as clams :)

The beach was empty only a few other people on it.  We took a little walk to check out what the tide had washed ashore and found some pretty rocks.  This was my favorite part of the weekend.  I loved a open space the beautiful water and the sound of the waves, a big difference from Manhattan.  I can definitely see why so many people escape the city to enjoy the beautiful  beach :)

I love this photo of Luna.  She is just such a people person, makes friends with everyone.  Here she has wiggled her little way happily into the middle of the Rose family.

After the beach we took a drive around.  We went to Sag Harbor, which is a really quaint town right on the water.  From there we headed over to East Hampton, which is another cute little town.  Then we had to find some ice cream :) which of course was yummy!  The girls did not love the drive but Brian and I enjoyed seeing the area.

Next we headed over to a pumpkin farm to pick out some pumpkins for carving.  There were tons of things for the kids to do.  Wood structures (train, castle, ships, etc.) to climb all over.  Pony rides and slides to go down and of course more treats.

Brian and Luna on a train ride.  This was the beginning of the ride, at the end Brian was not quite as smiley, it was a bumpy rough ride for him.  Rachel and I enjoyed watching from the sidelines. :)

Our pumpkins all ready to be carved up :) It was such a fun day.  

Teardrop Park

Teardrop Park is only a block from our apartment.  It is hidden in between 4 different apartment buildings and tends to be a rather quiet park.  There is no major playground in it only a slide, sandbox and in the summer a water spray area.  The big claim to fame is the HUGE slide in the middle of it.  This slide just calls your name when you walk by, I have seen so many adults go down this slide (me being one of them).

When we first moved to the city both my girls would go down this slide.  While it is HUGE it is not really that fast.  So even timid little Rachel would go down this slide, much to both Brian and my surprise.  Then the summer heat came and guess what kids do with a hot metal slide and a water spray area right next to it?  You guessed it, they pour water down it.  When they do this the kids FLY down that slide, they shoot off the end. It is pretty cool, although I must admit I did not try it with water.  

So one hot night we were at the slide and kids were putting water on it.  Luna went down and shot off the end.  Then it was Rachel's turn, I was at the top, Brian at the bottom.  Brian was distracted by Luna shooting off of it that he did not realize I put Rachel on it.  She shot off the bottom and landed flat on her back in a puddle of muddy sand.  It scared her to death and she cried and cried.  I felt horrible...after that experience she refused to go on the slide again (who could blame her).

Then we stopped going to this park.  But lately they have started to ask if they could go to "Teardrop."  So on Sunday Brian took them.  Then they came home and told me both girls went down the slide!  I was thrilled.  Today I took them back and again they went down over and over again.  It is so fun to see your kids over come their fears!  Here is my brave little 2 year old going down this slide, you won't find many 2 year olds on this slide!

At the top and ready to go down!

Look no hands! She loves it!

Mother Daughter Afternoon Out

Saturday was a wonderful day, Luna and I got to enjoy an afternoon out just the two of us.   A while back I bought some tickets to see the play Sylvester and the Magic Pebble.  In preparation for the play, we borrowed the book from the library and read it a number of times so Luna would be familiar with the story.  Brian was in Philadelphia for the weekend so we had a babysitter watch Rachel while Luna and I went to the show.  

We started our afternoon out by going to lunch.  Luna got to pick the place, she was debating between McDonald's or Shake Shack.  She picked McDonald's (Mommy was really hoping for Shake Shack).  At least it was a cheap lunch :)  She enjoyed her happy meal.

After lunch we headed over to the theater.  The theater was across the street from where we live at the local community college.  We got there early and they had tables set up with paper and coloring crayons.  Luna colored a picture of Sylvester the donkey before the show.

Then it was time for the play. It was hard to wait for the show to start, Luna was asking a ton of questions. She could not understand how people were going to be the animals.

After the play was over she said she really liked it and asked if we could go back tomorrow.  She also told me she was not going to die for a really long time :)  In the play the donkey turns into a rock and his parents are very sad, I think that is where the die comment came from.

Beads!

Today was rainy, so I decided to try putting beads in Luna's hair.  I have only done it once before, around the 4th of July and it did not go so well.  Recently I read that it is easier with bigger beads and once you get good at those then move to the smaller beads.  So after that bit of encouragement I decided to try medium size beads. It went much better, although I was slow, again a new style/technique means a slower Mom.

I did flat rope twists on the top and then just twists in the back.  They turned out great considering this is only my second attempt at beads.  After we finished, Luna looked in the mirror and said "now I look like Miss Emmaline."  One of her teachers wears beads in her hair :)   Of course she also loves the "music" they make when she walks around.  

Brooklyn Children's Museum

Today was Columbus Day so there was no school and guess what that means. We get to go on another adventure!  So the girls and I headed out to Brooklyn to visit the children's museum.   I had heard that this children's museum is the best one here in New York.  It was recently renovated and is in a large space, a large enough space that you can keep your stroller with you!

We took the subway to Brooklyn and then walked to the museum.  The museum is on two floors and it stroller friendly, I did not have to carry it once.  The girls had a great time.  Luna made a friend and followed her from exhibit to exhibit. Rachel was content playing by herself.  At one point I lost Rachel, this was the first time I have ever done this.  Scared me to death!  When I finally found her she was with a staff member heading to the information booth :\  

We stayed for the majority of the day and then headed home.  On the way back a lady helped me carry Rachel in the stroller down the stairs to the subway, so nice!

Family Bike Ride

Saturday was a gorgeous day here in NYC, in the high 70s and crystal blue skies.  A few months back, Brian bought a Google Offer for bike rentals.  So we decided to give it a go and enjoy a family bike ride.  We started on the very southern tip of Manhattan at Battery Park and rode to the very northern tip to Inwood Hill Park.  Total round trip it was 28 miles and by the end we (Brian and I) were exhausted.

We stopped at a number of parks and got a treat along the way.  It was a nice ride but busy.  There is really nothing in NYC that is not busy.  At one point we were riding by the piers where the cruise ships dock and there were people every where, it was a little stressful riding through there, I had to be on my toes.  Then later on during the ride, we had to go down some stairs, which was not that big of a deal but on the way back we had to go up, that is another story.  A very nice lady asked me if I needed help.  I am always amazed at how often people help me out here in NYC with the kids, holding doors, elevators, etc.

Rachel relaxing at one of our stops.  She had a great time singing songs in her little seat.  Both the girls did really well and seemed to enjoy it.  They loved it when we would ride side by side and they could see each other.  It was a lovely way to spend a Saturday.

Fall has Arrived

It has finally cooled off here and the humidity is gone.  We have been enjoying some lovely fall days and the AC in our apartment is no longer running full time :)  This past weekend was a lazy one on our apartment.  We just hung around Battery Park City.

Saturday I took the girls to the park early in the morning so Brian could sleep in.  That is one thing about having a tiny apartment, once the kids are up it is really hard to keep sleeping.  The park was pretty quiet, I think it was a little to early for most families.  Luna really wanted someone to play with but all the kids that were there were quite a bit younger. So we spent a lot of time on the swings.  Luna has become quite the little pumper, she needs no help from me anymore.

Sunday, Brian and I had a date night.  We played miniature golf at the pier by us.  He beat me!  That almost never happens :)  Then we went and got a bite to eat.  It is fun just walking around exploring our neighborhood.  There are some many places to try and enjoy.

The girls love our babysitter, Amanda.  She was a full time nanny for another family but is now trying to start her own business.  The business is throwing princess parties for little girls.   Personally I am not a big fan of the Disney princess stuff.  The whole idea of being saved by a Prince Charming and the princesses themselves being physically beautiful, I just don't love the message it sends.  So while I am not opposed to my girls seeing and experiencing Disney princess movies/things I don't encourage it, society will do that for me :)

So when Amanda mentioned the princess parties I kind of dismissed it for something we would not be interested in.  But she gave me the website address so I thought I would look it up.  After spending some time looking at the website I realized I loved it!  It is not about Disney princesses instead it is focuses on real life princesses and what they do.  The little princesses at the party learn about kids around the world who need help and then they make a Princess Bank for donations to help real charities.  I love it!  That is a princess idea I can get behind.

Hair Day

Today I tried a new style in Luna's hair, comb coils.  When ever I try a new style it takes me forever.  So this took me a good 2 hours of just coiling.  It was a lot of work but Luna did not mind.  It is not a style that pulls on her scalp much especially since I am not particularly good at getting them really tight (yet).   So it is just a matter of her sitting there.  Sometimes when I am braiding or twisting I can pull a little too hard which she is not a fan of :)  But this style she did not mind at all.  I am curious to see how long it lasts, she rolls around so much on her head that I don't think it will last long but you never know.  We finished off the style by putting a big pink bow in it.  I thought she looked adorable :)

We did her hair, had a quick bite to eat and off to preschool.  I was shocked by the number of people who commented on how cute her hair looked.  First, our doorman as we were leaving the building.  Then walking to school we ran into one of her friends with his nanny.  The nanny said he loved it (yes the nanny is a man).  Next at school we ran into another nanny who said it was cute and then immediately touched it :) lovely :)  Then both her teachers made a big deal out of it.  This amount of attention would turn Rachel off but Luna eats it up especially when it comes from people she knows.  She loved it!  I loved it too, after all that time and energy I am glad it made her feel so good.

Today it Happened

Oh my little Luna, she challenges me in so many ways.  Today we were in the elevator and another Mom walks in with her two little boys.  Luna asks her typical questions, What floor do you live on? What is your name? etc.  After these questions she looks at the mother and says "Are these your kids?"  What??

Oh how I hate getting asked that question and today my three year old asked another Mom that question!  At first I was shocked.  Why did she even think to ask that question, where did it come from?  Then I thought about it, that is a question that gets modeled so frequently to her.  People ask us that all the time so in her mind that was the question you asked an adult who is standing with some children.  There is another piece to it here in New York.  Frequently kids are not with their parents, they are with their nannies so it is not uncommon to hear one child ask another child if that is their parent or nanny.  Such a different life here!  In Washington that is just not a question that would come up.