Happy Birthday!

I decided to keep the boys birthday party really small this year. I just invited our cousins in Harlem. The last thing I remember saying to Rob before I went to bed on Friday night was, "Shouldn't we plan something for tomorrow. For the boys party?" He replied, "Naw. It will work itself out." Here's the only thing I planned going into the party.

1. Starts at 4pm.
2. Eat pizza at Patsy's.
3. Ice cream at Serendipity 3
4. Call it a "Transportation Party" and get everywhere by using different modes of transportation.
5. Give the boys MTA trains  or something similar.

That's it! I never imagined it would go so well. With surprises along the way!

First Surprise: On our way to Patsy's, we happened to catch the vintage 1920's subway car sponsored this month by Boardwalk Empire. The sound of riding a subway with the windows down, the way it felt to sit in the wicker seats, the hooks, the ceiling fans, the light bulbs. We were in awe.

The pizza at Patsy's was great! No surprises there. It's been around since the 1930's so they know exactly how to make a pie. We ordered two! When we got out, we tried desperately to find a minivan taxi cab to get to our next destination: Serendipity 3. No such luck. Enter the next surprise: An impromptu party game. Boys against girls: Who can get to Serendipity 3 first? The boys caught the first cab, but the girls were able somehow crush them in the end!

Serendipity 3 had a whopping 1.5 hour wait, so the kids went to a nearby playground. While there, they discovered the Roosevelt Island Tram. Surprise #3! The whole ride took a standard subway fare and round trip was around 10 minutes. Best part: Sweeping views of the city. I felt like I was in the Peter Pan ride at Disney World. It goes so high up and has surround views. I really felt like I was flying! Incredible. Go now go!

We finally got our name called from the wait list at Serendipity 3 and got to eat gigantic sundaes! So good. Tip: Get a sundae, not their famous frozen hot chocolate.

For the record: Forms of transportation used at my very thought out party: our feet, a vintage subway, taxi, tram, bus.  Pretty good!

Happy Birthday boys! I hope you had fun!

Perks of an Intern: Me and my kids get on Invite Lists

So I don't have a paid internship. But that doesn't mean I don't get a few perks! My boss Rebecca takes good care of me by getting me into the coolest events. On Tuesday we all went an event where Elmo preformed with Randy Jackson. I have to say, I was really impressed with the live performance. Kevin Clash, the voice of Elmo, is so funny! He kept Randy Jackson on his toes. I was really laughing!

After the show was over, Kevin Clash popped out from behind the curtain and walked out to the crowd holding Elmo. Owen was super excited to get a real Elmo kiss. MMwaahhh!

As always, they gave a gift bag for all the people who attended the event. I'm getting quite the collection! In the bag was a bunch of Sesame Street toys. My favorite was the classic Ernie doll.  I loved watching Owen turn the doll into a puppet. Forcing it to open and shut it's mouth. Making it say funny things. Perhaps he'll follow in Kevin Clash's footsteps and be the next great puppeteer! Or he could just be a kid playing with a doll.  We'll see.

And guess what else? Rebecca gave me orchestra level tickets to see Phantom of Opera! I've never been. I can't wait to see it!

Lombardi's

Here's a bunch of pictures starring Owen and a Lombardi's pizza. Lombardi's is known as the birth place of NY Style Pizza. Ah, yes, another assortment of pictures I post on my blog to give the illusion of bliss and beauty. Enjoy!

Congratulations for strolling this far down!  Now for your reward, a dose of reality: After we ate our pizza, we took the kids to a nearby playground, and Oscar crapped his pants. Rob cleaned it up in a Port-a-Potty. Luckily, Oscar's jeans were sparred. We carried on. 15 minutes later, while waiting in the subway station, Oscar started to complain about a stomachache. And that was that. The $30 dollar cab ride home was totally worth it. Stinky, but worth it. We couldn't stop laughing! The poor kid.

First Day of School 2011

 Biggest surprise of the day? Ella had only eleven kids show up to her first grade class! Yay! I know the class will probably grow a little over the next few weeks, but so far so good. And, get this, they have a teacher AND a teacher's aide all day! Who said NYC public schools are doomed? I found my hidden gem and I'm sticking with it!

The boys did great too. They are not only having structure for the first time (secret: i've never signed them up for any classes! whoops), but also being separated for the first time. It was so effortless for them. Sometimes I wonder if they are even twins.

When Should Kids Start Kindergarten?

I was really excited to do this post about how the boys display their age. Look at their dirty little fingers! But then it hit me. They are three years old. So young! This week they start preschool and next year, when they are still four, they start kindergarten.

In NYC, all kids turning five before December 31 start kindergarten. Since my boy's birthday is September 25th, they fall well within the cutoff. It changes from state to state. In Florida, where I grew up, all kids had to be five-years-old by September 1st. Since I have a November birthday, I was one of the older ones. However, had I lived NY, I would have started school a year earlier. That would have changed my entire life. I would had different friends. Started college earlier. Maybe missed the opportunity to meet Rob.

Academic worries aside, this kindergarten start day is huge. Reading this article from the NY Times didn't help ease my concerns. Part of me is super worried.

And the other part is super excited to get rid of the boys so much earlier than expected! (bwahahaha!)

 

Hula Hooping in the The Lower East Side

Over the last few months, I've gotten a crash course in blogging. Here's something I never knew was happening: Companies host parties to promote their products and who's on the guest list? Bloggers! I'm sure this type of marketing compaign has been going on forever, but I hadn't a clue. On Wednesday, I was invited to an event hosted by GoGo Squeez. Since I haven't monotized my blog yet, I decided to go and get paid in party favors, hamburgers and apple sauce!

I loved the location they had the party.  The landowner turned his vacant/garbage filled Lower East Side lot into what's known as the Timeshare Backyard. Anyone can rent the yard by the hour. It's the perfect mix of urban and suburbia! Love it. Such a good find.

It's the last week until school starts! We're gogo squeezing in all the summer fun we can.  They told me to say that. Ha, just kidding. That's all me. The end is really near though. It feels like just yesterday I was writing this post.

Museum of Natural History Highlight: The Time Capsule

Time Capsules are so fascinating to me. Have you seen this one outside of Museum of Natural History? It's not going to be opened until January 1, 3000! Mind boggling. I found the list of things they put into it here. My favorites were: a wedding cake ornament, Weight Watchers Magazine, 51 photographs from the address 3 Times Square, and wild apple seeds from Kazakhstan. I was surprised they didn't put any clothes, shoes, or hats inside. Perhaps those items wouldn't last? Anyone know? I thought that was strange.

What would you put in your time capsule that wouldn't be opened for 5 years? 10 years? 20 years? Off the top of my head: My kids used crayons. My old shoes. A dress I used to wear everyday. My set of keys. A piece of my favorite wallpaper. Writing stories to each of the items would be my favorite part of the process.  Alone the set of keys would be boring but writing the keys into a scene from my life would be fun. I'll add more to my list in the comments section. Don't be surprised if I steal some of your ideas. And don't be surprised if I make a time capsule for a future Weekend Approved Project.

While taking these pictures, I kept having morbid thoughts of a huge earthquake sinking the time capsule and all of NYC into the depths of the earth. Or a huge bomb destroying it and everything surrounding it. Zombies. I needed to get my mind off of such stupid thoughts. Good thing I have Owen around to lighten the mood and shout, "Hey Mom, it looks like a girls wiener!".  Bravo Owen.

roses are red or pink or yellow

The other day we went to the NY Botanical Garden. The smell of the rose garden was incredible. It really isn't necessary to stick your nose into the flower, but if you must, then by all means, go right ahead. 

about Zabar's

Today we ate lunch at an Upper Westside institution: Zabar's.  This grocery store has been here for over 70 years and it's around 12 blocks from my house and it's mentioned in just about every New York sitcom/movie.  When I spot places like this, I note it for when guests come to town.  I want them to try it all: A baguette, smoked salmon, bagels, something from the cheese counter, and for dessert: Zabar's cinnamon rugelach.  Then walk to my very own Riverside Park for a picnic.  I'm beginning to think of that park as my own vs Central Park. That's another post. 
Next to the grocery store, they have a small deli with tables to eat lunch. Space was tight so I was glad I didn't have my stroller with me. While we ate our grilled cheese sandwiches (which were amazing) and lentil soup, I got a sense of community inside the place. Not that I was apart of it, it was my first time there. But I could tell people were interested in what each other were saying without them joining in on their conversations.  The mom across from me feeding her kid tuna salad looked familiar.  I witnessed old friends being reunited on a whim. The workers were really nice with a NYC edge.  
It's right next to a subway entrance so the pace of the restaurant ebbed and flowed with the coming and goings of the subway lines. I loved lunch and can't wait to go back to explore the grocery store. I can't imagine anything but great things. 
Here's a picture of Owen eating his soup in the corner alone. He preferred it that way. When he saw me take his picture he shouted, "You're ruining my soup, Mom!" It's the only picture I took inside the restaurant. 

NYC taught me that after playing in the snow for 45 minutes

my kids will get the cutest red cheeks