Keith Pitts Photography: Part One, In Our Apartment

Picture Day!

When Keith Pitts contacted me a few months ago to take my kids photographs, I jumped at the chance. As I browsed his website and blog, I knew he was going to capture my kid's life perfectly. He refers to his style as improvisational portraiture. He writes, "The best photography is like jazz, and must be played collaboratively and spontaneously, inventing a totally unique experience, every time." Perfectly said, right? I couldn't wait for picture day!  

When planning the shoot, Keith's assistant Melissa (she's so wonderful to work with!) told me he likes to start in the home and then work his way outside. This gives him a chance to bond with the kids and learn who they are. It was not mandatory to start in the home, just a suggestion. I love this idea. Starting in the home requires a day of cleaning and scrubbing and hiding and stuffing clutter, but it's totally worth it. 

When the boys were newborns, a photographer suggested starting our house too, but I declined. At the time, I didn't think my house was worth capturing. I thought it wasn't up to par as far as styling and size and lighting. Also, since we were renting, I thought it was pointless to capture a house that was temporary. But that's absurd! I didn't want to make the same mistake this time. 

Sure I don't have matching comforters on my kid's bunk beds. My walls have hand prints and scribbles all over them. My lamp shades are permanently lopsided and cracked. My kitchen needs updating. Our lack of bookshelves and books is embarrassing. But I tried to suppress all these insecurities and let Keith capture my kids in their home. It was the best decision I made. 

My kids greeted Keith at the door and immediately felt comfortable. They tried to impress him with all the facts they knew about black widows and poisonous snakes.  He joined in on the conversation and told them that despite fact that black widows were dangerous, they are actually quite beautiful. This amazed the kids and made their curiosity run wild. Dangerous yet beautiful. How can that be?!

The kids asked Keith about the two cameras he was holding, his bag, and his lenses. He told them about his equipment as they sat on the couch and he snapped pictures of them. The shoot was going smoothly until he asked the kids, "So what do you like to do for fun?" They immediately responded, "Play dress up!" Ahhh! Not dress up, I thought. This could get ugly!

I knew exactly the costumes they were going to put on: Owen was going to put on his ratty old Mater costume (from the movie Cars), and Oscar would pick his dirty batman cape. And Ella? I had no idea what she would pick. They live in costumes, but it's not exactly the look I go for in a photo shoot. Let's just say our costumes don't fit into that cool and editorial style I always try to portray my life to be.

I started to slightly panic and run down the hallway and say, "Uhh, kids. I don't think he really wants you to put the costumes on! Ehh, haha yeah. Um. Wow, the Mater costume! And the hat? Awesome. . ."

That's when Keith smiled and reassured me it would be fine. And I went with it because I knew he was right. But still, deep down, I felt like I would never show anyone these pictures. Ha! Tacky as the costumes were, this again, brought out the best in my kids, which resulted in amazing candid photos. I'm in love with these pictures now that I see them. I'm so glad I didn't intervene and make my kids take off their favorite costumes.

I realized 30 minutes into the shoot, that Keith's ability to capture my kids life was unlike any photographer I've ever worked with. There's nothing worse to me then over stylized (phony) family picture with props that don't seem natural. He wasn't going to lead this photo shoot in that direction. He snapped the most pictures when my kids showed them things that were important to their life. Even if that meant a large plastic Mater truck.

I must confess I replaced the Mater truck (below) shortly after this picture was taken with a wooden pull toy. I can't help myself! But look at this amazing shot of Owen. It's great, not because the toy is a cool vintage find (it's not!), but because Kieth captured a moment with Owen's favorite toy. I can't wait to frame this photo! The pictures of the wooden pull toy? Didn't even make the cut. Ha!

Then my kids asked for cookies. This time I didn't hesitate. Even if they got their new clothes a little dirty, it would be ok. 95% of my kid's childhood is spent with cookie crumbs on their shirt anyway. Might as well capture it on camera! Keith and I ate some too. :)

Keith taught me so much about capturing kids in the first half of the photo shoot. Next week I'll show you the rest of the pictures as we ventured outside to their favorite locations in our neighborhood. 

Also on Monday, I'll give you details about the HUGE Keith Pitt's Giveaway! Yay! 

In the mean time, check out his schedule to see if he'll be in your neck of woods this summer.

Have a good weekend! 

After the jump: 

The slide show he created for me of all the pictures (sneak peak into next week's outdoor shoot!) 

AND the rest of the photo shoot in our apartment. :) 

10 Favorite Folk Children's Albums: Must-Have Children's Albums

Are you guilty of a few slightly ridiculous motherhood philosophies? Like only buying classic books with beautiful hardcovers? Or only dressing your kids in clothing without cartoon characters? Or only buying organic, even if it's a packaging nightmare?  And do you follow these philosophies because you believe somehow your children's life will be more rich/beautiful/healthy? I'm guilty. Here's another one of mine:

I used to think it was my motherly duty to teach my kids all the classic children's folk songs. I took it sooo seriously. As if their childhood would be lost if they didn't learn all the words to Oh My Darling Clementine. Simply put, I thought it was sweet to hear them sing classic folk songs. But in a larger sense, I thought those songs were giving my kids a solid start to music. This, of course, was without doing a single shred of research. Just my gut feelings. These music lessons started in my minivan years ago in San Francisco. It was my favorite part about owning a car. 

Since moving to the city and getting rid of my car, my music lessons have stopped and my kids brains have slowly began to rot. That is, until we saw the Imagination Movers last week thanks to The Moms. While Imagination Movers songs aren't exactly folksy, they did a good job at getting the kids to dance, sing, and enjoy live music. The event made me want to bring back some of my old favorite albums and reintroduce them to my family. I'm sure my kid's eyes are rolling even as I type this. 

I've written my top 10 favorite children's albums before, but I'm including it again today. This time in a simple list format. After the jump. Also, some more pictures of the concert.

What We've Been Up to Lately: Improve Classes at Red Carpet Kids

Ella and her teacher Eva (in gray) making the same determined face. It's a great face.

I guess I'm signing my kids up for classes now? It's finally happened. No more wondering aimlessly through the city. We have places to be! People to meet! Get outta our way! My kids have been dabbling in skateboarding and soccer and now improv classes through Red Carpet Kids. We're obsessed. Here's a few reasons why it's our favorite class of all . . .

1. It takes place is on the Upper East Side in a gorgeous mansion. To get there after school, we cut through Central Park on our scooters. It's been incredible to watch the park change with the seasons. The journey to improv is part of the adventure.

2. Bottomless pink lemonade once we get to class.

3. The teachers can't be beat. Their energy level hasn't waned from the first class back in September. It actually seems to be getting higher as the kids learn the games and techniques. The teachers are so excited when they see improvement and aren't afraid to show it.

4. The skills learned from improv are endless. Thinking fast, developing creativity, and building confidence are just a few. Pretty much everything I would want them to learn.

5. Funny (Owen) or not (Oscar), these skills will help them with whatever they want to do with their life. Whether it be an FBI agent (Owen), a pilot (Oscar), or a teacher (Ella).

6. While my kids are in class, I sneak away to Bloomingdale's around the corner. It's a whole other world on the Upper East Side. I could get used to it very fast.

7. We've started forming a friendship with Eva and Craig, the founders of Red Carpet Kids. We even have a double date on the calendar. Can't wait!

8. My kids are in complete bliss for the entire hour. Take a look at the pictures. They can't contain themselves. I couldn't ask for anything more.

I highly recommend the class and would love to see more kids join us at  Improv University at Red Carpet Kids. Click here to for information about the class.

Also, Red Carpet Kids offers pajama parties on select Friday nights. My kids went once so Rob and I could go on a date. It was perfect. The kids got to watch movies in the theater, eat pizza, and play games. A great way to start the weekend. Click here to find out more about their upcoming events.

Owen and Oscar are practically conjoined during class. It's really sweet to see their tight bound. 

Eva giving them an pretend baby bird. They totally dropped it. 

Work it little Miss Amy Poehler

Above is Owen trying to put his grubby hands on the chandelier. The classic, "this is why we can't have nice things," phrase ran through my head. That smirk on his face. Scary!  

May pink lemonade always be in their red dixie cups.

How Many People Can Live in A 2 Bedroom Apartment in NYC? 3? 5? 10?

Check out how I found my kids sleeping a few nights ago. They pulled out a mattress and stuck it into our tiny hallway. Cozy? They seem to think so. I had to take a  picture.

We live in a tiny two-bedroom apartment in Manhattan. All three of my kids share a bedroom (unless they decide to sleep in a hallway haha). My daughter is 6 and my twin boys are 4 years old. It’s clearly not the perfect living situation, but we’re happy. Every night feels like a slumber party!

I’ve been wondering lately: Is there an age when siblings should stop sharing a room? What’s the deal with siblings of the opposite sex sharing a bedroom? What was your experience with sharing a room growing up?

UPDATE!  Thank you for all your help! Here's some of my favorite responses.  Who do you identify with the most? I’ll start with my favorite comment. Have you ever thought of this?

Lia from Sip Mom writes: I think that there are alternatives for families living in NYC, where the extra bedroom can cost you one thousand dollars more in rent, like loft settings or dividers (apt therapy has lots of ideas). I am sure that if you place the extra one thousand you would spend on a three bedroom, on a savings account towards college for the next 15 years, then you would have 180,000 dollars plus interest to share among your kids. More than 60,000 to each kid. There would be no further complains about sharing a bedroom! 

Lia’s totally right. An extra bedroom would cost us at least an extra $1,000. It’s mind boggling how much we would save. I need to keep this in mind.

I also love Lilac Barries honest response: It’s not like we’re living in tenement houses of a 100 years ago and you have multiple families sharing a single tiny apartment. I think like anything with parenting it’s about making sure your children are happy and healthy and how that looks is different for every family. 

So true! I think once my kids start complaining about space, we’ll pay a visit to the Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side. That’ll show ‘em!

Along the same lines, Noelle from These Mountains Are Mine writes: I know there are issues with gender sharing and number of kids in a room in our culture, but does it really matter? There are families all over the world that share a one room house … not bedroom … house with multiple kids and parents all sleeping in the same room. Aren’t bedrooms/space kind of just a luxury? Granted, I want to keep the genders separate in our household, at least once our kids are past the toddler age…but I wonder if we make it more of an issue than it should be. 

I wonder the same thing! Thanks Noelle for bringing up a good point.

Gaby from The Vault Files writes her experience with sharing a room. Lucky her! She writes: I’m the only girl of 4 siblings and my 3 brothers shared a room until the oldest one was 17! I had my own room from the very beginning! I always thought that rooms should be only shared among kids of the same gender but I guess sometimes there is no choice and you have to put them together. 

Like Gaby, reader LibbyK had a similar experience with one person always getting a single room. Her response cracked me up: I come from a biiiig family. At one time we lived in a tiny house and the room situation went like this-Mom/Dad/infant sister in one room. Me/my older sister in one tiny room. Two brothers in a bunk bed in the basement family room(!). My older brother had his own room. And it was the biggest room. Somehow he’s always finagled the best rooming situation in the family whilst the rest of us are stacked/crammed/smooshed into tinsy rooms.

I wonder what LibbyK’s older brother grew up to be? His negotiation skills must be top notch!

Leave it Becky from Baby Making to talk about the elephant in the room: PUBERTY. I love her blog — I can always count on her to write funny and honest posts. Her comment is in true Becky style: I think that boys and girls should split up around the same time that they start talking about boy/girl differences in school – around when puberty starts to hit. Before then, it’s not really inappropriate for boys and girls to change in front of each other, but if boys start getting morning wood or having wet dreams at night, and girls have their periods or blossoming breasts - it can make things uncomfortable! Haha. Oh, the joys of puberty!

Thanks Becky for reminding me of that terrible awkward time. I hope my daughter gets her own room before then!

I was glad to see Hailey’s comment because she has four kids in one room! I’ve actually been to her apartment, and it really does somehow work. Way to go Hailey! She writes: I love that my four kids are sharing a room here in NY. They have to learn to get along, and they can’t go and isolate themselves from the rest of the family. I hear them talking and giggling after lights out at night, and I like to think it’s bringing them closer. Plus, they are getting creative at finding ways to make their own privacy (dressing in closets, etc.) I think if and when we move back to the suburbs, I will still have them share as much as possible.

Who has Hailey beat?! Can I get a reader with 5 kids in a bedroom? Can I get 6? Anyone?

I’ll end with Jaclyn’s comment. She nail it. She wrote: I shared a room with my little brother and sister until we moved when i was 14. i never really minded it. there were moments where i wished i had my own room and there were times when we taped up sections of the bedroom as only mine or only my siblings, but all in all we survived. i was able to cope better at sleepovers and summer camp. i survived. 

I love that. We survived. I survived. I guess it’s really that simple. Thanks to all my readers for practically writing this article for me! I included three more of my favorite comments below. Now it’s your turn: What’s been your experience with siblings sharing a room? Love it or hate it?

1. Sarah from Just Sarah writes: I’ve grown up most of my life in NYC. My older brother and younger sister and I all shared a room until I was 14 and they were 15 and 12 respectively. It was kind of nice, and we were always really close. My brother had a curtain for privacy and we all had loft beds which was great. Finally we just outgrew the space (literally- I would stub my toe almost every time I walked to the back of the room) and had to move to a bigger apartment. I still share a room with my little sister, and sometimes I feel really cramped up, but over all I don’t mind it terribly. 

2. Libbey Blaine writes: My two older brothers are 7 and 8 years older than I and we shared a bedroom until I was in the 3rd grade. I’m sure they would tell you that it was more than annoying to share a room with their pesky little sister for that long, but I loved it. I had my own story tellers and monster fighters. I think sharing a room with them actually helped foster my independence, because I was able to rely less and less on my parents to comfort my fears.When we moved to a large house we each had our own bedrooms but sometimes we would have “camp outs” in each others rooms, and very often we would do this in the living room. 

3. Lando writes: We have twin 6-year old girls that have shared a bedroom since the first day they came home from the hospital together. Right now they are in a bunk-bed in a rather small bedroom, and it works – for now. I worry that somewhere around age 8 or 9 they will outgrow the limited space in their bedroom and start crashing into each other physically, mentally and emotionally….needing their own personal space. For now though, they have never known anything different so it works fine. My eldest daughter, who is 10, has said more than once “why does everyone else in this family have a roommate but me? it’s not fair…..” which just goes to show you that it’s all about perspective!

Career Update: Published!

I was so excited to see my article published in New York Family! It's amazing to hold a glossy magazine in my hands and read my own words. Not only that, but I also got to sneak a picture of Ella into the article, too! I just reread it. I'm trying to play it cool, but come on, really. I'm thrilled!

Here's the first three paragraphs to get you started:

To Ballet or Not To Ballet?
By SHARON BEESLEY

A Stay-At-Home Mom Struggles With Whether To Enroll Her Daughter In A Popular Dance Class Or Hold Onto The Free Family Time They Love

Last week, I got an email about arranging a ballet class for my six-year-old daughter Ella and her friends. A bunch of moms wanted to form a class at a posh dance studio for the girls on Monday nights. I ignored the email at first because I rarely sign up my kids for classes. Planned events and organized activities that start at a specific time are not my strength. As a mother of three, I’ve learned that I’m much happier when my kids have an open schedule. I treasure the flexibility.

That’s not to say that my kids have empty schedules. It’s the exact opposite. We love being free to explore the city on a whim! On days off from school, we’ll run around the New York Botanical Garden or trek out to the Queens County Farm Museum. After school, we’ll take a stroll through Central Park. If we haven’t been to the Met in a while, we’ll take a cab over and roam the exhibits. If my kids are grouchy, we’ll hibernate, eat popcorn and watch movies together. As a stay-at-home mom, flexibility is the biggest perk of my job. As soon as my day gets too structured, the chance to be spontaneous is taken away.

But emails about ballet kept flooding my inbox. More and more of Ella’s friends were saying “yes” to the class. When the number of girls reached ten, my guilt started kicking in. I began to wonder if Ella would feel left out. Finally, when I read about the girls participating in a recital and being fitted for costumes, my heart sank. I imagined how much fun she would have performing on stage. I started doubting my praise about the joys of a flexible schedule. Should I be signing my daughter up instead?

Click here to read the entire article and find out what I decide to do! I share a little bit about my childhood and how it affected my decision. One of my favorite quotes the editors highlight from the text is: I always wanted to be just like [my mom]. That is, until I became a mother."

Signing my kids up for classes is one of the ways I am very different than my mother. While I avoid it, she signed me up for everything!

How are you parenting differently than you parents did? Do you feel guilty about it? I sometimes do!

Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday in New York City

My kids came home from school on Friday with stories of MLK, reciting portions of his speeches, and information about segregation. Ella even checked out Martin Luther King, Jr.: Young Man with a Dream from her school library. I ended up ignoring my kids as I pounded through the book on Friday night. While it doesn't give the most rounded view of his life, it does have good information. The first three chapters describe Dr. King's past and how he's the descendant of slaves, sharecroppers, and farmers. To learn about his ancestors, I wanted my kids to see what it meant to be a slave in the United States. On Saturday we headed to the African Burial Ground and Visitors Center to gain perspective of their lives.

Approximately 15,000 free and enslaved Africans were buried in the six acre memorial ground in lower Manhattan. It was lost due to landfill and development, and rediscovered in 1991 during the construction of a Federal office building. It’s the largest colonial-era cemetery for enslaved Africans. They later built a memorial to honor the men, woman, and children who were buried here. Here are some of the pictures I took at the visitors center.

Highly recommend checking it out. Afterwards, we headed outside to view the burial grounds. We didn't last long. I had a hard time keeping my kids from getting too wild here. They could have easily ruined the sacred mood for the other visitors.

We quickly walked to Thomas Paine Park to view the monument Triumph of the Human Spirit. It is dedicated to all the unknown enslaved Africans brought to this country. The mood is lighter at this public park--filled with tourists, locals walking their dogs, and skateboarders. It gave my kids a chance to get their wiggles out. Turns out I needed to run around, too. I'm so happy Kendra captured the moment.

Pictures of the burial grounds, my kids, and a rare one of me after the jump.

Behavior Chart for My Ego

behavior charts are a total drag 

While behavior charts have shown great results for my kids in the past, I never have all the supplies on hand to keep it up. And by supplies I mean a piece of paper and writing utensil, stickers if my kids were lucky. So I came up with a new idea that requires no supplies and is a total ego booster for me. I need constant validation. It must be so exhausting.

The kids start each day with 5 minutes of alone time with me. But they can't cash in their minutes until bedtime. Throughout the day, if they yell, hit, swear, or tease each other, they get a minute taken away. If I see a nasty behavior pop up, I give them a warning and tell them moving forward that's a minute off. The only way to get a minute back is to do a major chore. It's easy to get minutes taken away, but takes a lot of effort to get them back. I'm talking like clean the entire living room. I even used this method to get the boys to walk into school without crying. I awarded them 2 extra minutes if they walked into class like brave little soldiers. Ella always walks in without a problem, so I gave her 2 extra minutes for being such a good example.

Every night, each kid cashes in their minutes. Alone. They can do whatever they want to do with my undivided attention. Oscar usually chooses to watch a music video, Owen usually wants to do a craft or get tickles, and Ella usually picks getting her hair done in the sloppiest french braids ever. Some nights we run out of time so we'll squeeze in their minutes the next morning, or some nights I forget it entirely. But I've been consistent enough that I can use this method to get things a little more happy and peaceful around here.

Since starting this a few months ago, my ego grown to new lengths I never knew possible. Watching people work so hard to spend time with me is the best feeling. They cherish our time together. It's most likely their favorite part of the day. ME! The truth is, I enjoy my time with them more than they know. Each day I find ways for them to get extra minutes and usually end up giving them way more than they actually earned.

And now since I've made myself out to be mom of the century (gag), I'll bring things back into perspective and show a few of my parenting fails over the years . . .

My Job

photo by joanna

As much as I like to exaggerate my aspirations to be a working mom--juggling a budding writing career and taking care of my kids, I have to face to facts. Right now, for the most part, I'm a stay-at-home mom. That has my KIDS IN SCHOOL 6 HOURS a day. So if I can't get the house looking fine, library books turned in, groceries bought, laundry put away, kids to school on time, and my blog updated in all those hours--I feel like a screw-up.

Verona De Tessant: Burt, are we screw-ups?

Burt Farlander: No! What do you mean?

Verona De Tessant: I mean, we're 34...

Burt Farlander: I'm 33.

Verona De Tessant: ...and we don't even have this basic stuff figured out.

Burt Farlander: Basic, like how?

Verona De Tessant: Basic, like how to live.

Burt Farlander: We're not screw-ups.

Verona De Tessant: We have a cardboard window.

Burt Farlander: [Looks at window] We're not screw-ups.

Verona De Tessant: [Whispers] I think we might be screw-ups.

Burt Farlander: [Whispers back] We're not screw-ups.

When I saw the movie Away We Go for the first time in 2009, we actually had a cardboard window. This scene has stayed with me ever since. I wonder about this movie all the time.

Then yesterday. The kids got out of school at 11:30am and we stayed at the park until 7pm. I brought food and some cash for ice cream. I had a friend watch the kids for an hour as I went to my kids parent-teacher conferences. Three in a row. 12:50pm, 1:05pm, 1:45pm. And I could cry at the things the teachers said about my kids. I couldn't be more proud of each of them.  I got really lucky. My kids are nice. Good students. Curious. I hope I don't ruin them somehow. 

Underline Coffee Made It All Better

So we're down in Chelsea and we all hate each other. I brought the kids here to check out a gallery that looked cool. I've never done a Chelsea gallery walk thing before, but I thought why not try it with a few cranking kids carrying heavy backpacks? The one I wanted to see needed reservations, which we had for 4:30pm. We arrived 15 minutes early. In the wait time my kids proceeded to have fist fights in the lobby. I start to wonder if instead we are actually 10 years too early? I knew this wasn't going to work, but I held out until 4:30 just in case. No. To the delight of the gallery girls, I gave up and walked out of the building. They didn't try to convince my family to stay.

Here we are on 20th Ave. and Ella is sprinting away because she doesn't want to be with us. Owen and Oscar are yelling at each other. I'm feeling defeated and stupid for thinking they could handle this activity.

As we proceed down the street, I see a small coffee shop called Underline Coffee that looked cool. And because that worked really well for us the last time I saw something cool, I brought the kids in to check it out.

The first thing I barked to the guy behind the counter was, "You guys accept credit card?" I still wasn't over my bad mood.

And with the biggest smile ever he responded, "Yep!"

The way he said it was so welcoming. It was like how my cousin greets my family at a family reunion. He even looked similar to him. It was time to make one thing clear to this guy so I told him straight up, "I'm the worst mood right now."

It felt good to get that out of the way. Now I could order the 3 hot chocolates for the kids, a few yogurts, and ask him for a recommendation.

And still with that bright smile of his, he says, "A classic cappuccino." Still smiling. And still smiling.

He must not be from around here, I thought. I've learned costumer service in the city is not what it is everywhere else. NYorkers tend to have a direct, almost abrasive interaction with costumers at first. The rule is that no matter how snotty they are, I must not sass back. It's hard not to mimic their behavior, but it's just the wall I have to break down before they give me a chance. This cafe guy didn't have the wall. He was just nice from the start. So much easier to deal with.

My kids could sense it too and wouldn't leave him alone as he made our drinks. Once they got their hot chocolate, they talked with him for a good half hour. I was in no mood for chit chat, so I sat as far away as I could from my kids. I couldn't help but listen their conversation. My boys were practically grilling him over his life details. They needed answers like Miles needed answers from Uncle Buck.

I overheard him say his name's Brandon. The coffee shop is only 2 weeks old. He moved here 6 months ago from Maryland to help get it ready. He now lives in New Jersey. He used to work at Dominos, then Starbucks, now here. Oscar wanted to know if he got fired from Starbucks. He did not. He quit.

"You said, 'I quit.' to your boss?" Asked Oscar, as if it's a bad word.

And again, with with a large grin, Brandon said, "Yes, I said, 'I quit!'"

Oscar responded, "You're smiling so I know your lying."

This made him laugh, so he gave a serious face and said, "I said, 'I quit.'"

Oscar responded, "You're still smiling."

And finally the mood in me switched. And I realized this time, I was that direct, almost abrasive NYorker I loathed in stores. My kids and I eventually left the shop and walked the Highline then had dinner in Chelsea Market. While the night wasn't a perfect after our stop to Underline Coffee, I can definitely say it changed the mood of the evening. It's all due to Brandon not mimicking my behavior. He may have moved here only 6 months ago, but he's learning fast how to deal with us grumps.

Slate Boards and High School Crushes

When I was in high school, my journals were mostly filled up with entries about my crushes. In order by year: Bo (freshman), Eric (sophomore), Chase (junior), Billy (senior). Countless others I've forgotten and if I had my yearbook handy, they probably would all come flooding back. Nothing ever came out of my crushes. I never even held hands with the guys listed above (haha!), but they made for good writing material.  The typical high school stories of unrequited love.  I didn't know what else to write about, but I liked writing, so I went on and on, page after page. Why doesn't he like me? He's so funny. Maybe we'll get married!! I'm so confused.

Same thing is happening now, except my topic is constantly my kids.  I dabble with my mother's death and sometimes Rob, sometimes myself. But really, I basically just write about my kids. These last two days I've been trying to write a post about the slate boards I saw used in a lot of restaurants in Paris, like the one I went to with Jordan (see above).  I wrote how I started using mine since I've been back. I took pictures of dinner last night (see below). I even had links ready: here and here. But my pictures looked lame compared to the ones I take of my kids. The post felt stale. Then blogger started working against me when it shut down for 20 hours. I gave up.

This scares me. Because this September, all my kids will be in school full time. Something I've been looking forward to since they were born. But now that it's a few months away, I'm nervous. My time as a stay-at-home mom as I know it, will be ending.  What will I want to write about?

I probably could have started the boys in some sort of preschool classes by now to make this transition smoother, but I like the flexibility of waking up and deciding what we want to do. Depending on the weather and how much laundry is done. And how overdue the library books are.

Since I had all my kids by the age of 25, they have consumed my adult life. I'm a mom. I keep expecting to know what I'll do when they start school.  First, I'll take a big sigh of relief. This will continue for about week. Then what? A job! Will the transformation into a working mom be as abrupt as the day my daughter Ella was handed to me at the hospital? I don't know. But I hope it inspires me half as much as my children do. For old times sake, I'll end with my classic conclusion: I'm so confused!

Royal Caribbean Cruise Taught Me (aka RCC Taught Me): Navigator of the Seas Review

View from the ship on the last night.

The sun has set on summer. Yesterday was the first day of school. Boo. I now have some time to reflect on my experience on Navigator of the Seas. Not that cruising needs much reflecting. It's pretty straight forward: eat, swim, relax, play, sleep, repeat. But here's fives things that surprised me:

1. CULTURE: The social vibe of the cruise depends on where it sails out. I didn't realize this until I sailed out of Texas on the Navigator of the Seas. I would estimate that around 60% of the people I met on board where Texans. So friendly and chatty! And the barbecue ribs I ate on the pool deck on the 5th day? Amazing. The head chef knows Texans take their BBQs seriously and didn't disappoint. I liked experiencing a little flavor of Texas onboard.

2. ACCOMMODATIONS: We stayed in an interior room #6465. No windows, no balcony! I wouldn't recommend this room when traveling with children. I learned quickly that my kids need 3 hrs more sleep than me: 1.5 hours in the morning and 1.5 hours at night. What did I do with my time in a pitch dark 150 sq ft room? Luckily Royal Caribbean gave me unlimited wifi so I could chat with Rob and go online, but those 3 hrs each day were rough. I understand the lure of booking an interior room because of the price, but I would have given anything for a balcony to sit out on while my kids slept. So grateful my parents spoiled us with a balcony room on their retirement cruise! It was heaven.

3. PREPARE: Get your legs waxed! Unless you're a gymnast, shaving your legs on board is nearly impossible. It was comical how wet I got the bathroom each day. Royal Caribbean has a spa on board with waxing services if you forget. Do it! My biggest regret!

4. CREW MEMBERS: Salt of the earth. Best service I've ever had in my entire life. They go out of their way to make your stay on board amazing. My room was cleaned twice a day, my kids were adored at the child watch programs, and the waiters gave it their all. I don't know how they have so much energy to keep going day in and day out. It was incredible to watch and exsperience.

5. OFFSHORE ADVENTURES: Book your excursions a week ahead of cruising. I waited until I got on board and the line was huge! I wish I booked it online the week before my cruise. I'm so glad, however, that I booked the simplest excursions. While in Mexico, I booked an excursion to a water park called Playa Mia. It was easy, the kids loved it, and it was all inclusive. Since the ports are less than a day long, I gave up trying to explore the countries in depth. If I wanted to do that I would stay for a week, not a few hours. We swam with stingrays in Grand Cayman, zip lined in Jamaica, and flew down the water slides in Mexico. We did just enough to exhaust ourselves!

Overall, I'm sad it's all over. I would relive summer of 2014 again in a heart beat. Here's some pictures of our adventures on Navigator of the Seas. The ship has everything!

Owen about to go under. It should be noted the pools onboard are filled with salt water. I liked it, but my kids eyes burned if they didn't wear goggles. 

Oscar's outfit cracks me up.  I still can't believe cruises have massive rock climbing walls on board. 

Some good jams on the speakers next to the mini golf course. Ella couldn't help but dance in the middle of her game 

Even match!

Continuing reading to see my favorite pic of the summer and a video of Ella playing at the coolest place on board . . .

Guggenheim with Kids

We rode our scooters across Central Park and landed at the steps of The Guggenheim. As soon as Oscar saw the building he said, "Oh! Mr. Popper's Penguins surfed down this place!" Whatever gets him interested . . .

Besides the fact that everyone 12 and under are free, The Guggenheim doesn't cater to kids. That's not to say my children didn't enjoy themselves. They found ways. They loved the free headsets and pressing the corresponding numbers that explained the art. The recordings bored them to tears, but they liked having a gadget anyway.

Photo from NYTimes

The first piece of art we saw as we entered the museum is Sphinxgrin Two, 2010 by John Chamberlain (shown above). One of my favorites in the gallery. I love that anyone can enjoy it since it's at the entrance. You don't even need a ticket to walk around and take a good look at it. I saw one mom bring pieces of tin foil for her children and they sat on the floor recreating the sculpture. Isn't that fabulous idea? I need to buy 1,000 feet of tin foil and go back and show that mom up. Then, then! I would be the best mom evvvvvvver.

As we walked up and up and around the museum, I explained the current exhibit: John Chamberlain Choices to my kids. I tried to get them excited about the sculptures made out of old car parts and airplanes. I tried to get them excited about the huge pieces of metal he smashed and molded as if it were paper. No reaction. Finally, when they saw the foam covered with parachutes that they could climb on, they were stoked. I hope somehow artist John Chamerlain could see my kids enjoying his art. He died last January.

When we finally got to the top of the museum, my kids poked their heads over the railings and looked all the way down to the bottom. What is it? 9 stories? 10? It was fascinating, but even as I write this, my hands are clammy and my heart is racing.  I know there is noway they could fall down, but my nerves get tested so easily.  Oscar wanted me to hold him so he could get a better view down. No!

Then we scootered home. But first stopped for ice cream in central park. Wonderful day!

*Before we left, we spent a bunch of time exploring Kabir Mohanty and Vikram Joglekar's In Memory on the top floor. I couldn't write a post about the Guggenheim and not mention this brilliant piece. See it at the museum or ask me about it the next time I see you. I was so interesting! Another piece of art that my kids could touch and truly interact. I would love to recreate it some how. 

Bye Bye Baby Items

You know how I could tell I was done having kids? I was thrilled when my twin boys out grew their baby items. Too big for onsies? Awesome. Bag 'em up and pass them along to someone else. Bottles, Bibs, Binkies. Gone, Gone, Gone. But there was one baby item I couldn't resist using daily. It's taken me four years to stop using . . .

NYC Tourist Trap I Approve: Jekyll and Hyde Club

Today my kids and I stumbled upon the Jekyll and Hyde Club, a haunted restaurant in Times Square with live entertainment and special effects. There's all this weird stuff on the outside that lured my boys in: skeletons, creepy lettering, and an old phone booth. Ella was a bit reserved, thinking it was an actual social club for mad scientists. Then I spotted 3 middle-aged women walking out with doggie bags, and she knew it was going to be ok. It was.

We walked up the stairs and were greeted by a waitress named Crystal. Salt of the earth. So kind and welcoming. With her southern accent she asked what brought us to NY. She was shocked that we were locals. I suspect tourists supply most of the action at this place. Even though we had no intentions of eating anything, she smiled and told us to take a look around.

It was around 2pm and the restaurant was practically empty. Only three other parties were in the massive space. My kids walked from booth to booth checking out all the displays: siamese twin girls with curly hair sitting on a fancy chair, a statue of Zeus spinning circles, and a scuba diver getting eaten by a shark. It felt like the haunted mansion at Disney World, until one of the statues came alive. It was a doll holding a knife with a creepy voice that said, "Ossscaar, is that you? I've been waiting for you!" He totally freaked. The doll continued using information she gathered unbeknown to us. The doll ended by saying she was going to hide under their beds tonight. "See you at 12am!" Then her head spun around to show a gory face and she turned off. My kids giggled with delight. We needed to order food to have an excuse to stay longer.    

I knew right away this wasn't going to be the type of restaurant you go to for the food. The menu has typical American fare. Which is fine and expected for this part of town. We played it safe and ordered a chicken Caesar salad and a cheese burger with fries. I'm baffled when I read the Yelp reviews of this place and people complain about the food. Really? I wish people reviewing could know the difference between a place you go for the food and a place you go for the experience. It seems so obvious to me. That said, my cheese burger was good. The fries were good. The salad was fine. But it didn't matter! This place had so much more going for it than the food.

You know the doll who personally talked to my kids? It didn't end there. They got personal conversations with a shrunken head, a giant elephant, a mad scientist, an explorer guy, and just about everything else in the restaurant. I lost count after awhile. We were in the presence of people passionate about their jobs. They committed 100% to their characters. I wanted to speak to the managers and praise them in their hiring efforts. I don't know where they found these people, but I was blown away. There was really no reason for them to be giving us so much attention. Not just us, they kept everyone in the restaurant smiling and laughing. With so few costumers, you would think the actors wouldn't care. But they worked that restaurant as if it was filled to capacity. There was even a Frankenstein inspired stage production!

It was such a fun and unexpected afternoon in the city. The blood and guts, the spiders, the secret bathrooms. It was all kitschy and great. And while my kids are probably having nightmares as I write this, I go to bed with my heart filled. My love for humanity grew a little more after an afternoon at the Jekyll and Hyde Club.