Bits of our ... Month

I hadn't done a weekend post in a while because, to be honest, the first few weekends of the month were rather uneventful. It rained a couple Saturdays in a row, so other than gymnastics, we stayed indoors. Most of our Sundays were spent at the park, running errands, etc. One Sunday we went to check out a party supply store in the Village to see what they had as far as Frozen party decorations (mostly a waste of time, same stuff that I found on orientaltrading.com, but twice as expensive - although it was fun to browse the costumes) and then hung out in Washington Square Park for a while. Another Sunday, man-friend and I went to see St. Vincent, which was very good, while Audrey was with her father.

Trying on ridiculous hats at the party store

 

 


One of our wonderful walks in the pouring rain to gymnastics

This past weekend was the first in a while we had more going on. On Friday, the practice group I work in had a Halloween party, and kids were invited. So at lunch, I went and picked Audrey up from preschool and brought her back down to my job. She changed into her Elsa costume there and then we went to the party. She loves my coworkers, and got a lot of attention at the party, as well as tons of sugar. My coworkers bought her a little Frozen purse to go with her costume, and she went home with it stuffed with candy.

 

She looks like she's rapping with this pose.

 

This was the reaction to "You've already had more sugar than you're usually allowed to have so no, you cannot have any more."

We went to the Halloween Harvest at Luna Park (Coney Island) this past Saturday. We lucked out with some gorgeous weather. The park was decorated for fall, and a lot of kids came in costume. They also had a bunch of activities going on, outside of the usual rides and games, such as pumpkin picking & painting, trick or treating for kids, free caricatures, among other things. One useful fact I learned: the park right next door, which you can literally see from Luna Park, is a whole separate thing. Any credits or wristbands you buy at Luna Park aren't valid there. I knew the Wonder Wheel was separate, but didn't realize all the other rides were as well, so I bought more credits than we actually needed, thinking there were tons more rides for Audrey than there actually were. Luna Park only had a handful of rides Audrey could actually ride, but at least the credits were good for games too. We played more games than I ordinarily would have, mostly because we had still a bunch of (nonrefundable) credits to use after Audrey was done with the rides.

 

 

This stuffed slice of pizza was one of the prizes we won. Probably one of the best carnival game prizes ever.

Next weekend is Halloween. We're both very excited. One of the perks of having a child is the new approach to the holidays - remembering what it was like as a kid, getting to see your own kid enjoy it, the preparations leading up to the holiday (picking out a costume, decorating, Christmas shopping). I'd stopped caring about holidays in my twenties pre-Audrey, so its fun to be excited about them again.

Hello, Fall: Halloween Events in NYC

Since we had the Florida trip scheduled at the end of September, it didn't really feel like summer was over till we returned. But we spent a couple hours in the Poconos Monday before going home, (we had landed in Allentown) and the leaves had started to change colors. So even though it was 80 degrees out, it still felt like Fall had arrived.

We have some things to look forward to in the upcoming months. Audrey's gymnastics continue every Saturday through the end of the year. Audrey's birthday is mid-November, and we have a birthday party planned for her. This will be her first birthday party with friends, opposed to the just family celebrations we've done in years past, so she is very excited. There are of course all the holidays to look forward to: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas. We will probably spend all three in the Poconos. The weekends in between will be spent hanging out in the city. Although I didn't plan out the whole season, I did find some upcoming free/cheap Halloween activities:

Hansel & Gretel's Halloween Adventure at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater in Central Park. Audrey has never been to a Marionette Show before, but I think she'd like it, so I'd like to try this one. It is showing several days/times a week for the rest of the month, and it isn't expensive.

Halloween Harvest at Luna Park (Coney Island) in Brooklyn. We've been to Coney Island before, but only in the Summer. The rides are still running, but they also decorate for Fall and add magicians, pumpkin picking, trick or treating, etc. Audrey would love this. The rides can get a little pricey, but it looks like an otherwise cheap activity. This one is on weekends through the end of October.

Tricks and Treats at Le Carrousel in Bryant Park. This looks like another fun Halloween/Fall version of an activity we've done over the summer. There's a magician, face painting, trick or treating, etc., and of course, the carousel. The activities are all free, and rides on the carousel are only $2-3. This one is on Saturday the 25th, at 1pm.

The Haunted Pumpkin Garden at New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx. A huge display of intricately carved pumpkins, plus activities for kids. This one is a little pricey, $25 for adults and $10 for kids, plus its a bit of a trek for us, so I'm not sure if we'll make it to this one this year, but I wanted to keep it in mind.

Outdoor Movie at the Seaport

The other night, Audrey and I went to our first outdoor movie of the summer. I wish we had gone to more earlier in the summer. We ended up having fun, even though our seats weren't great. But it was free, so I can't really complain.

The movie was Audrey's favorite movie ever:

Like a lot of other little girls, Audrey is obsessed. We first saw the movie in theaters and it's the only movie I've taken her to see in the theater that she sat through and paid attention to the entire time. We bought the DVD the day it came out and have watched it countless times since. I have the soundtrack on my iphone, and she knows most of the songs by heart, especially Let It Go. She has Frozen dolls, a tshirt, books, a braclet ... various other paraphenalia. She's tried convincing me to get her various other Frozen items - other toys, sheets, a blanket. At least I have plenty of Birthday/Christmas gift ideas.

Anyway, we got to the Seaport about 45 minutes early but the chairs were already all taken. Fortunately, we had brought a blanket, so at least we could sit on that. It definitely wasn't very comfortable and Audrey had to stand to see, but she still had a blast. The whole "outdoor movie" thing was a new experience and there were tons of kids there, so it became a Frozen sing along. Now I know for next summer that if we plan to go to an outdoor movie we need to make a night out of it - go a couple hours early and just bring dinner and snacks.

Bits of Our Weekend: American Museum of Natural History

This weekend we took mini-me to the American Museum of Natural History. This is her first "grown-up" museum. We've done The Children's Museum in New York and Charleston, SC, as well as the Children's Museum of Art, and other various interactive places. I figured this would be a good "first." The animals, etc. would keep her interested, even though there wasn't anything to actually play with/climb on. She did enjoy it, but there were periods of waning interest. She liked the animals, particularly the dinosaurs and the whale.
 

She wore her crown headband - but got tired of it eventually. "Mom, can you hold my crown? I don't feel like being a princess anymore."

 

Raaarrrr

 

We Are Star Dust.

 

I told Audrey the story about how her Aunty Sarah was named after a Triceratops* ...

 

... so of course that was her favorite dinosaur, and she chose a Triceratops stuffed animals from the gift shop.

*True Story: When my mom was pregnant with my sister, the doctor told her it was a boy. I felt very strongly that I did NOT want another brother, and decided screw the doctors, this baby is a girl. My favorite movie at the time was Land Before Time, so I told everyone I was getting a sister named Sarah. When the baby was born a girl, I guess my parents figured, well, why not?

We did lunch and umm maybe some gelato at Amorino ... yes, it's the third or fourth time we've been there in 2 weeks. It's so good!

Sunday was an errands and chores around the house day while Audrey spent the afternoon with her father. I finally bought one of those grocery carts after my miserable experience lugging my groceries home a few weeks ago, but didn't bring it, thinking I was only getting a few things. That was a bad call.
 

Lazy Dog is Lazy. Not even our steps.

 

Oh hey, little lady.

We also took Maddy on numerous walks, in an effort to move the potty operation outside, now that's she finally understanding where NOT to go potty, and is also capable of holding it for longer periods of time. I feel like I'm starting all over again, but I know it'll be worth it when the training is done, and she's finally going outside all the time.
 

Um, that's not how walks work, guys ...

Summer Plans

There are some things I would like to do/accomplish this summer, so I wasn't sure whether to call these goals, plans or both. Let's stick with plans. It sounds more promising than goals, doesn't it? Goals are something one hopes to achieve. Plans are more concrete, something that is likely to happen (because everyone knows nothing is ever definite).

1. Try new local places. I've lived in my neighborhood for 4+ years now and there are many restaurants I've never tried. I don't have a big budget for eating out, but when I do go out to eat, my new plan is to keep trying new places, especially around my neighborhood. A few local ones I'd like to try: The Grey Dog, Scarpetta, Ovest Pizzoteca, Tipsy Parson, The Half King. I'd also like to explore more of our city in general - I'd like to take Audrey to some new parks this summer. I also plan to do some outdoor movies. At Hudson River Park, family movies play every Friday beginning July 11th, and at the South Street Seaport, movies have already begun every Wednesday and Saturday. All free! Also, while I've been to many museums in New York, Audrey has only done a couple of the Children's museums. I think she's old enough to enjoy the Museum of Natural History, so I think we will try that soon.

2. Beach trip. Audrey is off preschool for two weeks in August, so I plan on taking a couple days off myself and heading to the beach. I'm hoping to make it an overnight trip to New Jersey - Wildwood or somewhere near there. We can also take the Seastreak to Sandy Hook for day trips on the weekends throughout the summer. My child loves the beach, so we will definitely be doing at least a couple beach days throughout the summer.

3. Finish the Game of Thrones books (well, the 5 currently published anyway) and knock off some of the other books on my reading list including: All the Light We Cannot See, The Silkworm, The Snow Queen, Middlemarch, The Book of Life, Half of a Yellow Sun and Where'd You Go, Bernadette. I do read pretty quickly, but I doubt I'll finish ALL of these by the end of the summer. There's always something to read next though, the list is never ending. Call me a nerd, I love books.

4. Add more exercise and veggies into our day. Overall, we both love vegetables. I eat a salad for lunch most days, and I try to include a side of veggies with Audrey's lunch. I want to make dinner more vegetable-heavy though, and come up with (either by my own creation or browsing pinterest) some new recipes, like the veggie sandwich I had the other day. Also, we walk a lot on the weekends, but during the week I'd like to start going for walks either right after work/preschool or after dinner. The Highline is so close, providing a great place to walk. I also thought about doing some yoga at home - nothing advanced, stuff Audrey can have fun doing with me. I hope to incorporate exercise into her life from an early age - and I don't mean going to the gym, just being active and enjoying it. And to be vain for a minute - of course I'd love to lose weight/gain muscle/look hot in a bikini ;)

5. Write, write, write. I want to keep up with this blog, whether anyone ever reads it or not. I only want to stop writing when I feel I have nothing to share. I want to write outside of this space, also. Sticking with the working towards my future goals theme, I also want to look into MBA programs. I currently take business classes, but they are pointless (well, other than allowing me to defer my student loans). I need to stop wasting my time - either drop the classes entirely or figure out an MBA program that works for me.

There are more mundane things I NEED to do this summer - involving doctor appointments, court dealings, etc., but doctors appointments are boring, and the court dealings are for a whole separate post.

 

Bits of Our Weekend

This weekend was a relatively quiet one. After the expense of last weekend, and our planned trip to the Poconos for the 4th of July, I thought a quiet weekend was in order. On Saturday, we packed a little picnic and headed over to Pier 62 - part of Hudson River Park.

 

 

There's a great carousel that overlooks the water - The Hudson River Animals carousel. It's kind of hidden. To be honest, I didn't even know it was there till last summer. Rides are only $2 and the accompanying parent rides free. We did a couple rides on various animals and then headed over to the little field and set up our picnic.

Nothing exciting - a couple cookies, a couple clementines and bottles of water.

 

Later on we went to our favorite park and Audrey played in the water for a while.

 


Get in Mah Bellyyyy

We also walked by a pop up Farmer's Market in our neighborhood, so I bought a loaf of sourdough and some veggies and made this amazing sandwich for dinner - Avocado, tomato, cucumber, arugula, bell pepper, salt and olive oil.

On Sunday, Audrey spent the afternoon with her father. I used the time to run some errands, watch a couple episodes of Game of Thrones (I'm newly obsessed) and lay in the little field on the pier and read, well, Game of Thrones (I did say obsessed...).

The weekend was relaxing, but Audrey had fun and we spent plenty of time outside. We head to the Poconos Wednesday evening to spend a few days at my parents' house for 4th of July.

Bits of Our Weekend

I usually try to keep our weekend outings on the inexpensive side. There's so much to do in New York that you don't need to spend a fortune to enjoy it. However, this weekend I treated Audrey to a trip to Victorian Gardens at Wollman Rink in Central Park. Victorian Gardens is a small amusement park geared towards younger kids. Most of the rides have a height minimum of 36 inches to ride alone. Audrey is slightly above this but still not into riding alone, so I had to buy my own unlimited ride wrist band. Admission plus an unlimited rides wrist band is $24 each. After snacks and water bottles, it was a somewhat costly outing, but Audrey had a blast, so it was worth it. The swings were her favorite ride, we did that one three times. The Hot Air Balloon ride came in at a close second.



Photo from Victoriangardensnyc.com

 

 

Photo from Victoriangardensnyc.com

 

The "silly faces selfie" was Audrey's idea ...


After Victorian Gardens, we headed over to nearby Heckscher Playground. It's a huge playground, with a big sand pit, a splash pad area, and a couple swing sets. The sand pit is surrounded by several pyramid-like structures. Kids can scale the side or go into a tunnel and climb up a ladder in the middle, and then slide down into the sand. Audrey had a blast climbing up and down the ladder, pretending it was a castle.

 

 

 

 

Finally, we finished the day with some ice cream. Audrey chose a Hello Kitty shaped pop (I'm sure full of sugar and other not so good stuff, so fortunately she only ate about half of it). I treated myself to a Frozen Yogurt with sprinkles, which of course Audrey snuck a couple bites of.

We kept Sunday low key - some errands and cleaning, followed by a trip to the local park, the playground at Chelsea Waterside Park. We spotted this awesome graffiti on the way:

 

 

The park we went to has a splash pad with some pretty neat fountains - they look like something froma  Dr. Seuss book. So Audrey wore a bathing suit and played in the water and the sand for a bit. We forgot to bring sand toys, but we had an empty plastic cup from stopping to get a drink. It's amazing the things kids can amuse themselves with. She filled the cup with water and dumped it various places. She added sand and told me she was making a smoothie. I forgot what it's like to be so easily amused!

 

 

On Sunday evening, I made a pot of this Tomato Basil Soup (Recipe Here). I like to do make ahead meals when possible, especially in the summer. I don't want to have to be in the kitchen all evening when I get home from work during week, particularly when it's 90 degrees outside. This recipe made a big enough pot of soup that it'll last for several meals - with a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner or with a salad for lunch. Audrey did her own "cooking" while I made the soup - consisting of a bowl, a spoon and various pretend ingredients. She even narrated what she was doing out loud, so it was like her own little cooking show.

 



Overall, a great weekend with my sweet little girl!