Thursday, February 27, 2014

So proud

I like to think that all moms and dads are proud of their kids. There are times when we are a little too boastful. And it looks gross. And I too fall victim to that. And I think that we have to forgive ourselves for these moments. Parenting is hard work. Really hard work. And most of the time, you just feel like you are screwing it up. Yelling when you shouldn't. Criticizing when you shouldn't. So when we see stuff that may actually tell us we are kinda not 'effing it up ENTIRELY, we want to share. And for that reason, I'm forgiving myself in advance.

Because I'm so proud of my daughter!

This year has been a big one for us. The year of private school. And we are so freaking happy with the school. It is a real school. With passionate teachers, engaged parents and great kids. And it isn't as if this is an elite school for the rich. Trust me on that one. We are coming from all walks of life but are focusing on one thing: our kids' education.

I love everything. I love Seren's school uniform. I love her teacher. I love the kids. I love that there is music, Spanish, art, science, computers, yoga, and chess. But mostly, I love that she is happy.

Seren is generally a happy kid. She works to go with it. And follow the rules and expectations. She is quiet in school. A book worm. And kid that kids enjoy. She has always liked school. But man, she is THRIVING. Last night was the School's Success Night. It was a chance to visit the school, see what they have been up to during the year, read their learning logs, read their homemade books, see their art. Seren was giddy- wanting us to see it all! Read it all! Look at it all! And we were happy, so happy, to oblige.

I went to bed happy and so grateful. The school has been a wonderful gift to us. I'm a proud Momma. It takes energy and courage to start new. And Seren has done it!


Seren next to the mural the school created. Her little avatar is immediately left of her.
 This is thier ceramic penguin.


Second grade images of what they will be when they grow up.

 Our future art teacher!

Self portrait from early September. Look at those teeth!!

Facebook Status Updates that make me smile

This got a great response:

Wyeth loves to sing. The other day he was singing some of Daft Punk's lyrics to himself in the backseat of the car. "She's up all night til the sun/I'm up all night to get some/she's up all night for good fun/I'm up all night to get lucky." At that point, I lowered the radio and interrupted the song to him to ask him what it meant to get "lucky." He thought about this for a bit and said "Like when you win a board game. They played all night and got lucky!" Ok, good. Just checking.

As did this:
This morning the doors to my car were frozen shut. I scraped the ice for a good 30 minutes before I could get into the car to turn it on and warm it up. At the end of today, I walked to my car in my office's parking lot. And again, I couldn't open the doors. I started to curse winter, my buick, the sky above...irritated I started to figure out how I could go back into the office building and borrow someone else's ice pick. I pulled on the doors once again, putting a little hip into it. Then I realized: maybe I should unlock the doors!

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Surprise!

I turned 37 on January 10th! It was a great day; friends called, Sam made a great dinner, I skyped with friends, yummy burgers, sushi the day before, home made cookies. Just a great day.

And for my birthday, I got a gift from the kids that was called 'surprise'. It was a home made ticket that said 'Surprise Family Adventure'. Included was: lunch, Sam, Wyeth and Seren. It also said that shirts and shoes were required. Hmm. All week I thought about what sort of day adventure we would have. And every time I wondered aloud, Sam and Seren would hope that Wyeth wouldn't ruin the surprise!

On January 19, a Sunday morning, we woke up early for my surprise adventure! The kids were so excited!  And so was I! As a self proclaimed control freak, I had to just hang out and see what happened. We went North instead of South on I-95 which in my mind meant New York City or New Hope. When we got to the New Hope exit, Sam pretended to turn towards the exit before pulling the steering wheel back on the road. We arrived in the parking lot of the train station to New York! I was very excited for a great day. But standing under a sign that said 'New York Train's' Wyeth couldn't understand how I figured it out.



He turned to his sister and said 'But that is ok! Mom doesn't know what we are going to do there, right, Sissy!"

Watching the kids get on the train and experience the train ride was a total highlight. They looked down the long track and jumped with excitement as the train- a basic NJ Transit- approached. We boarded the 8:30 am train. When we got on, they helped each other look out the window. And when another train passed our train and they heard the incredible 'whoosh' they both yelled in unison WOAH!!




When we finally arrived, we had a little bit of time to kill before the next adventure. So we roamed a bit and grabbed some coffee and pastries at a little coffee shop. I was in heaven. It was just perfect. At 11 am we finally went inside a museum I had never heard of before: the New York Historical Society Museum. They had a children's museum inside it complete with a story hour and treasure hunt. The kids enthusiastically enjoyed both. Then, as a special treat, they had live music. A wise guitar player performed classic hippie songs! I was in my element.

After the museum, we made our way across town taking the subway to Times Square. The kids tweaked their necks looking up at the huge buildings and lights. Another WOAH! It was simply fabulous! The people! The energy! The excitement!



We then went to lunch at a trendy little dinner called Vinyl. .Oh it was GOOD. We were famished- eating lunch at 3 pm. We finished up, walked a few more blocks, took two more subways and took the 5 pm train home. One more surprise awaited us all: the train was a double decker! They were SO excited when it pulled up.

The best part of the day was that everyone was happy! And we were relaxed! No crying. No yelling. Just BEING. It felt so so good to just have a family day where the only objective was to have an adventure! Sam planned it perfectly: the train trip, the lovely museum that was age appropriate and fabulous, the subway maneuvers and the restaurant. Thanks Sam!!  It was an amazing day- not too cold, not too icy. Just a fabulous day spending time with those I love in one of the best cities in the world.

Happy 37th to me!