Saturday, March 30, 2013

Spring Break...

So the rest of our week was pretty much like this...lots of time outside at the local playgrounds running around and then hitting the driveway and backyard to throw the ball and frisbie and chase Carolina around with her uncontrollable shrieking run. There was a little retail therapy at Target, a first time lunch at Sonic (food + playground = happy kids), Dad's birthday lunch at Five Guys Burgers which Nacho crashed on his drive to us from the airport. And then it was time to bake a pie, eat some smoked pulled pork and load up the car again. It didn't feel like a long time in some ways because my mom wasn't feeling well and we didn't get to the beach with the weather being so cold and windy. But I'm hopeful that we'll be back down in a couple of months when things warm up a bit. And then it will be time for another round of May birthdays. So, this Spring Break trip will have to tide us til summer vacation. I think I can handle that.  And with the crazy game of standby travel having worked in our favor both ways, I honestly can say I'm almost too brave these days. No seats? Sure why not gamble. It seemed to pay off on our way home and I still don't know quite how. But the girls were awesome and even the fact that Nacho had to take the jumpseat and miss out on our antics in the back was okay. They were such good travelers and I was almost pinching myself. I really look forward to doing more of this as they get older and making travel a normal part of their lives. It's a real privilege and I hope it keeps our families close to us. Being part of dad's 65th birthday celebration was just one of the reasons we went. But also because as Elisa would say, "I miss dem very much." Love you guys. See you soon.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Carolina Birthdays Part I

Earlier in the month, I realized that it just wouldn't feel like March unless we were planning a trip to North Carolina to celebrate my nephew and dad's birthdays at the end of the month. So when I figured out that Elisa was off for the whole week between Palm and Easter Sundays, it felt like the right time to take a little trip. Nacho was off work last Friday so we hightailed it out of town on the first flight to the Raleigh area. Part of what I love about our flight benefits is that they allow us to be so flexible with dates. But what's sometimes confusing and a bit risky is that the flight loads are always changing...right up until take-off sometimes. And when you fly standby as we often do, it can mean trying all day or multiple days to get out of town if the weather sucks or flights cancel for other reasons.  That said, we made a mid-morning decision to skip the Raleigh-Durham flight which was showing oversold by 1 and head for the Greensboro-bound flight with double digit vacancies. A one-way rental car was about $50 and that sealed the deal. At least we had a chance, and it was only about an hour and a half drive to Stacey's home in Apex, NC.  But of course, this all sounds much more logical in hindsight. Nacho and I had to make the decision as we were literally packing the bags and heading off to the airport. I'm glad he's my traveling partner, because it all went incredibly well. We even managed to grab a few burgers from Pat Lafrieda's at LGA while we waited which were pretty decent. Kinda makes up for the fact that he missed out on Jordan's birthday dinner at Lucky 32, a Southern comfort food mecca, on Sunday night. Oh well. I think I ate enough pulled pork and Johnny cakes for both of us...

Making it down to Jacksonville with Mom and Dad yesterday was the next leg of the journey.  It was a fairly painless 2 hour road trip mostly because I had more success getting the girls to nap than on our crazy dance party-fueled trip from Greensboro. They both passed out within the first 30 minutes which meant a pleasant, if quiet, trip down I-40 with me riding alongside them in the back seat checking Facebook on my phone in peace.  We made it in the door and the first thing I grabbed was the tub full of Little People and dumped them in the middle of the living room. It worked like a charm and for almost an hour, the girls were engrossed in their own world. How come they never play like this at home? Is it the power of the Little People? I don't know and I don't care. It works. Even this morning after our 7 a.m. wakeup call, I found the box of toys (and a few Tinkerbell movies on Netflix) kept everyone happy and busy. I lounged around in my borrowed faux leopard robe (Mom insists it's new and only cost $4--good thing) sipping coffee and relaxing. I'm a little disappointed the weather hasn't been better this week since it's usually a good 10-20+ degrees warmer down here. But it's been rainy and gray and cold all weekend which means that playing around in the yard and heading to the beach aren't high on my list of things to do. We'll see if that changes later in the week. But for now, this is enough. Hanging out with the grandparents and hoping that they don't get too spoiled with candy dishes and treats galore. We'll be ready to run it off in the park when we get home.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

The week in review

So just because it's officially spring and it feels nothing like it, I thought I would post a few pics from this week that was. First, on Monday, I made it out in the snowstorm (hopefully our last for a while) to participate in the General Meeting for our local park, Sunnyside Gardens. I'm serving as Assistant to the Vice President this year and as such, I'm enjoying the behind-the-scenes aspect of the meetings and organizing events. It's been such a crucial part of our lives here in the neighborhood for the past few years and it's probably the biggest reason I can't even contemplate a move to the 'burbs. I would miss our friends and that park too much.  So I thought it was time to get more involved and see what I could contribute. Finishing the meeting early and heading over to the wine bar to cap off the night didn't hurt a bit either. Can I just say one more time it's awesome to have such like-minded friends?  We chatted about schools and kids and plans for the park events, and I have a feeling there will be more of these evenings in my future.  Snow or no though, the night was chilly and by the next morning it was time to make some lentil stew and hang out inside...
Midweek was it's usual run of days on days of trying to entertain the girls while not sure how much outdoor time we could take. This 30 and 40 degree weather is just making me miserable, so when it got to the upper 40s, we hit the south side park again and made a quick stop for pizza on the way home. I will say it's nice to have the days noticeably longer now, but it's also a tease when we're stuck inside one more afternoon trying to waste away the remaining daylight hours.  So much for my stay-at-home-glamour post, sorry. Yeah, sometimes, this dreary sprint to spring feels so demoralizing because it's all so close and yet, so far away.  And today was no exception with its snow blowing in my face as I marched around downtown Brooklyn with Nacho after his naturalization ceremony. I can't say we've waited for this day the way that other families have--for many years it wasn't something he was entirely sure he wanted to pursue.  But still, by the time the thing was filed, the paperwork approved (yay me! I guess I'm still a paralegal at heart) and the interview over, there was a sense that this was the last hurdle in our long immigration journey. 
Who would have thought that the boy with an H-1B visa teaching flight instruction in St. Louis would end up a pilot in New York City with a wife and two kids? Nacho came to the U.S. in 1994 as a student and except for a year or so back home to try to find work, has made his entire adult life here. He is well versed in all things American having watched plenty of South Park and Simpsons, and he has almost lost his accent all together which confuses people trying to guess his nationality. They never pick Spanish. But that's okay, he knows where he comes from and luckily, this acquisition of U.S. citizenship won't impact his native nationality. But it will make him a bona fide citizen here and a voter which I think is very important.  Visas and greencards may not sound romantic, but they contributed greatly to our love story. And so today was really the culmination of all that paperwork and waiting and wondering--and it all turned out okay! More than okay, really.  We have built a life here that we are both very happy with and having this extra bit of stability and permanence is like icing on the cake. And speaking of, to celebrate we took advantage of our babysitter for Carolina and Elisa's extended hours at preschool and grabbed lunch at Ganso, a hip little ramen house in Brooklyn.  It reminded me of all the lunches and dinners we've had in the city and how normal that all used to feel. I'm ready for more of that in our lives and hopefully this will be the year that starts to happen.  Because having these children in our lives is truly amazing, but not having to share our fabulous salted caramel and black sesame ice cream for dessert was even better.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Labels

Not that anyone but me noticed (or cares), but I've decided to start adding labels to each post in the hopes that it will give some searchable guidance or keyword assistance to previous posts. Basically, I will try to find 2 or 3 main themes or tags for each post that will appear underneath the time stamp.  And then on the sidebar at the bottom right, you will find those labels listed alphabetically with the number of related posts listed in parentheses.  So for example, if you really wanted to know what I thought of the Roosevelt Island tram or carousels in New York City, you'd be able to look for those tags and voila! one click and the posts appear. Like magic. I've kind of always thought that labels were dumb and arbitrary (and they still kind of are), but the more I blog, the more I see them on other blogs and like them. And with almost five years of posts to sift through, I realize that I can't always accurately remember exactly what year or season something happened anymore. It would be nice to have these little cheat sheets so I can pull up all museums or parades or visits to North Carolina in one fell swoop.  I'm starting with most recent posts and heading backwards, so the tags and their directory will be under revision for the next several weeks until I am caught up.  So that's it. Keep reading and don't mind me and my labels. Unless you like them. Then let me know what a genius I am for finally using something that's been available all along. 

Monday, March 18, 2013

St. Pat's Storytime

When I greeted Elisa with green pancakes yesterday and told her it was in honor of St. Patrick's Day, she replied, "Again?!" Uh, yeah...about that Sunnyside St. Pat's parade...see it wasn't actually on St. Patrick's day.  To be fair, the timing of the parade does always catch me off guard as well, coming so early in the month. But the real point is that no one minds another excuse to wear (and eat) some more green. So yesterday after breakfast, I got Elisa ready and we were off to meet up with Monica and Bix and Tania and Zara to head into Manhattan for a storytime reading from another playgroup mom Micki.  Among her many talents, Micki organizes and curates several book projects including this one at the Village Book Nook which was part of an exhibit called The Gathering Place in the West Village.  Despite the fact that the local train bypassed our stop causing us to make a u-turn at Canal and we forgot we were still at East 24 8th Street and not West 24 8th Street (a NYC rookie mistake), we made it there only about 20 minutes late. Whew! It's true nothing is ever as easy as it sounds in this city, but with friends in tow, it was all possible. And the extra time just gave us more opportunity to discuss school choices for Kindergarten--the neverending topic these days.

Given the theme of the day, it was easy to keep the kids' attention with talk of leprechauns and rainbows and pots of gold. Elisa shouted out a few times during the readings which made me smile a little because I so rarely get to see her in that kind of mode.  She was eager to sit and listen and it made me realize she really is growing up and learning how to interact in her own way.  After the stories there were crafts including coffee cup art, making necklaces and designing paper shoes with strings. We finished up the outing with lunch at a nearby restaurant and a quick dash to the playgrounds at Washington Square Park with Monica's sister and family. Considering Nacho was more than happy to stay put at home with Carolina while she napped, I'd say it was a win-win for both groups. Elisa and I don't get to spend a lot of one-on-one time together anymore especially doing things in the city, and so it's nice to see how easy it is when it's just the two of us. Yes, there was still some whining and crankiness, but overall, it was a pleasant day made better because we had friends to share it with.  

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Bridges of Kings County

Last spring we hit the amazing waterfront park in DUMBO that served as a perfect backdrop for a little people watching and bridge admiring. So I was eager to see how it fared after Hurricane Sandy took its toll along that low lying area.  Last Saturday we returned for a brief visit and I was honestly a bit surprised that it's been over four months and the playground under the bridge is still closed for repairs. It doesn't appear to be too damaged (actually nothing out of place to the naked eye), but I suppose they are waiting for better weather to pressure them to get the job done. Elisa was a little upset, but Carolina was positively despondent trying to break into the chained gates. So we distracted them both with a little walk around the shore skipping rocks into the East River before heading over to the resurrected Jane's Carousel. It was Carolina's first time on one and she wasn't too sure at first. But after switching horses just in the nick of time, she managed to ride next to big sister and that gave her all the confidence she needed to get through. We do a lot of divide and conquer when it comes to childcare and outings, so it was fun to be doing something together--i.e. all four of us at the same time--for a change. 
Walking over to the pier to play at another park for a little bit gave us a bit more scenery of the Manhattan skyline, and the girls got to swing and snack and run around. Nacho and I were tempted to make more of a day out of it, but considering Bubby's closed (and pre-hurricane at that!), I didn't have any real idea of where to eat down in DUMBO with two crazy, tired kids. So we opted to drive back home, put them down for naps and order in some sushi which more than made up for our somewhat anticlimactic stroll. Yes, sometimes, it's okay to just poke around and then leave. We saved some money and most importantly our sanity.  The food order arrived just as the girls drifted into slumber and Nacho and I had an almost date-night quality lunch at home free from distractions.  It was way better than the over-priced, long-waiting pizza places we passed earlier in the day.  I almost shudder to think of how that could have turned out.  Whew.  We'll definitely be back when the playground reopens, but until then, I'll stick to the waterfront closer to home. 

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Bakers dozen


So this is what I decided to do on a dreary, snowy day in March--make cookies! But not just any cookies, mind you. I was really craving the kind of chunky chocolate chip crazy big cookies you get from a bakery. Not exactly my normal open-a-bag-and-dump-in-butter-and-an-egg kind that will do in a pinch. So I found a recipe online that sounded promising and I waited until I had Elisa around to help. Of course, it would have been easier to just make them while she was in school, but I had visions of her donning the little play apron she loves to wear and standing next to me as we mixed them all up.  And part of that happened.  She grabbed the step stool to peer over my bowl as I dumped in the flour, and then I had her measure out the baking soda which worked pretty well.  But then she started badgering me about cracking the eggs and we weren't at that point yet. Plus, I'll be honest. I've seen Elisa smash more than one egg in her attempt to get me one I can use.  I didn't think I was stalling her too much, but by the time I was ready to add the eggs to the creamed sugar, she was back to watching Spongebob and had zero interest in being my little baking assistant. So I shrugged and went back to baking in peace. Yes, that's the reality of cooking with kids right now. It sounds like a good idea, but it's a much better proposition to bring them warm cookies on the couch as a bonus for letting mama have a few minutes of calm in the kitchen. Everyone wins this way. And when you've been cooped up inside all day long, sometimes it's nice to have a few minutes in your own corner to just zone out--and eat chocolate.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Slushy Day Dancin'

To be honest, I have no idea where she gets these moves. But they crack me up.

One on one

I'm posting these here to remind me that today Carolina and I had fun while big sister was away at preschool. It doesn't always feel like fun now that this 19 month old is in full-on tantrum mode. She loves to throw herself face down on the couch or bed when she's upset or flounce to the floor and very gently lay herself back until she has proved her point. Cue the drama.  Yes, she is so close to really talking that she gets frustrated very easily when I don't understand her wants. And there are many.  All the time.  Like seriously, I can't turn around without her pointing and blurting on about something else. It's hard to have a minute to think sometimes when she is so constantly needy.  This is marginally better when her sister is home and can help distract and/or entertain her. But then again, that often creates other wants because anything Elisa is doing or eating or playing with becomes Carolina's sole focus. Yes, these are trying times.  And then there's the shrieking--some happy some mad--that can do your head in when all you want is some peace and quiet on a cold, slushy day inside.  But today was better. She danced and laughed and ate all kinds of fruit and snacks with me this morning.  She was a pleasure to spend time with, and I gave in to tickling and cajoling and messing with her enough that she didn't beg for anything.  And when we sat down to take these pictures near the window in the kitchen, she was my silly, smiley girl.  And then big sister came home with a lollipop and ruined it all. Oh well. At least I have the pictures.