52 Week Project - Week 5 - Dessert

As a kid, I was never a huge dessert person.   After school, we would have a snack and it was more likely that I would choose a bowl of raw peas or string beans than a junky snack. Not sure when that changed but at some point, I realized that I liked twinkies, ring dings and yodels also.  For a long time, my favorite dessert though was strawberry ice cream (now it is cookies and cream) and my favorite cake was a Strawberry-Graham cracker ice cream cake from Carvel - it was the only cake they made that had NO chocolate ice cream and to this day, I still don't like chocolate ice cream.  AT ALL.  It is funny because both boys don't like chocolate ice cream either although they both love mint and I don't like it (pretty sure that was Grandma's influence).    Over the weekend, we were with Erika and Richie and when my ideas of my "dessert" entry didn't quite work out, I was happy when another option presented itself.   (my original idea was to take some nice pictures of Erika with her birthday cake but when the restaurant brought it out, I realized that there was no amount of photographic genius that would fix up that cake)

  

Anyway,  we had a fantastic day in Wilmington with perfect weather and fun activities, which I will post separately when we saw a bunch of people walking around the street with waffle cones.   It did not take long for us to sniff out the shop and it was even better than we imagined.   The kids were super excited and Dylan immediately declared he wanted the "green" one so he waited with Jay outside and Ryan came to pick his.   I started to read him the list of the many choices but he knew right away what he wanted as soon as he saw it.

Funny how kids pick the grossest looking one - I am not convinced that it is not a trick so they don't have to share.   I thought it would be a "topper twister"  but nope, Ryan declared it to be delicious and didn't even offer to share - by the time I got out of the store, he was already almost finished.

Dylan did a great job with his also but he was a bit distracted by his surroundings - right when he got his, a horse and buggy came by and after that, I am pretty sure Dylan got more ice cream on his shirt than in his mouth.

 

The store was really nice and so were the people that worked there.   In the area closest to the window, there was a girl making fresh waffle cones and a boy making peanut and praline brittle and as I took pictures for the theme, I looked out the other side of the window and saw Erika doing the same, lol. 

As much as I love ice cream though, it is no secret that my favorite dessert is cupcakes and I prefer baked cakes (yeah costco) over ice cream cakes- I am pretty sure I love cupcakes more that anyone over the age of 5.  I am not too picky when it comes to the kind of cupcakes, but I will always pick a vanilla cupcake/red velvet one over a chocolate one.  White icing and yellow cake is the way to go!! New York has no shortage of places to buy delicious cupcakes and working on a floor with more than 200 people, there is never a shortage of birthday cupcakes going around.  Not long ago, they built a cupcake store in the lobby of our building.  

 

While I love the idea that these cupcakes are bite size, they of course do not do enough to satisfy and before you know it, you end up eating three of them.

 

I much prefer the cupcakes from somewhere else though when i am really in the mood for a treat. 

There are SO many delicious choices and options and I am generally a sucker for "themed" cupcakes or the "Flavor of the Month" - this time was no different.

$3.95 and about 250 calories later (I made my friend at work split it with me), a boring and busy Thursday afternoon got a whole lot better!! Love me some cupcakes, mmmmmmmMMMM.

52 Week Project - Week 4 - Eyes

Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts

- Albert Einstein

When you have kids, there is no truer statement.   You feel what your kids feel and see what your kids see all the time.  I love watching the kids when they are excited: the glow in their eyes, the excitement in their faces.   Everything is better, more enjoyable watching it through the eyes of the boys.

 

 

i am feeling rotten today and wanted to get my post up so here it is, I will have to edit and write more when I am feeling better

First Snow of 2012

The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event.  You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?  

~J.B. Priestley

On Saturday morning, I woke up at 7 am to hear a very loud noise.  I looked over and realized both boys were in bed with us and it took me a few minutes before I realized that the noise I heard was the snow plow!!! We had our first snow of the year and I couldn't wait for the boys to wake up and look out the window.    As soon as they woke up, I told Ryan to look out the window and he went crazy - both boys were jumping up and down laughing and couldn't wait to go outside. 

It was still snowing on and off so we decided to wait a bit to go out.    Ryan's friend, Jack, and his brother and sister, Lily and Elliott all came over for a play date for a bit and after lunch, we got everyone all bundled up and headed to the hill right outside the building for some sledding. 

The boys were super lucky because Aunt Carrie got the kids new snow tubes for Christmas this year and we brought one out plus our trusty old sled from last year:  the bottom of the baby exersuacer.  We only brought out 2 sleds (didn't have time to blow up both) and there were 5 kids so each big kid had to ride with a little one - I have to say, I was really impressed with the kids.   They were all very patient waiting for their turns and the big kids (Ryan and Jack) were great about letting the little ones ride with them.   Having said that, I think that Dylan was more interested in eating the snow, so that made it easier for everyone else to get plenty of turns.
First up was Ryan and Dylan

Poor Ryan - he could barely see over Dylan's hood.  The little kids definitely had a better seat on the sled.  After the first run, it was time for a brother/sister swap and Ryan took Lily and Jack took Dylan.

As you can see, the best part of our sledding hill is that is is literally right outside of our building so we do not have to go far (and it is pretty steep by NYC sledding standards).   The worst part of the hill is that the bottom ends with the street so the parents have to really pay attention and stop the kids/be on the look out for cars.

After a little while,  Jack, Lily and Elliott had to head home and Dylan decided he wanted to ride only with me so we decided to race Ryan.  It was a blast and the kids thought it was hilarious.  Even more amazing, there were no temper tantrums about who finished first - instead, both boys complimented each other on how fast they were going, how far they got etc.  I sadly realized that my butt is just a bit too big to sit criss-cross on an exersaucer with a 3 year old in my lap and I didn't dare try the snow tube out of fear of popping it.

 

Sometimes playing in the snow (or the lead-up to getting outside) is more of a chore than anything else but not this time:  neither Ryan or Dylan complained about being cold, wanting to go in and there were no arguments over who got what sled - a total change from last winter when it would take an hour to get everyone dressed and outside, only to have at least one boy begging to go back in.  We only had a few inches of snow this weekend and by the time we were done sledding, it was starting to wear thin. I am sure that we will have plenty more opportunities this winter to use our new sleds and the more the merrier so if you are up for a race, bring your sled and come on over!   

52 Week Project - Week 3 - Self Portrait

Of the three weeks, this was the hardest one yet (maybe i should have picked easier themes, lol).   I didn't want to take a picture of me just sitting around: Instead, I wanted to come up with an idea that was really a reflection of who I am which than made me think: Who am I?   

I am a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a cousin, a hard-worker, a friend.  My favorite colors are pink and purple.  I love traveling, photography and all things crafty.  I have more Jets and Yankees gear than any female I know (maybe Erika is close) And I think there is nothing better than spending time with the boys, Jay and family.   

I strive to balance all of the above and be great at each role but it doesn't always seem to work out that way.  I work long hours and by the time I get home from work, play with the kids, read books and do homework and get everyone in bed, it is usually almost 9 and I still have not eaten my dinner.  Sometimes, I feel like life is a juggling act and the "work'" ball is in one hand and everything else is in the other - other days, the kids dominate all of my attention.   I wish there was more time to really devote to everything in my life but no matter how much I wish for it, I won't be able to create more time in the day.   I can try to create better balance in my life though.   

There are days that I walk in the door after a long day at work, just wanting to relax and read a book, and instead am met at the door by the kids fighting amid a huge mess and I feel overwhelmed, like my world has been turned upside down

 

But there are other days that I come home to perfect little angels who want to play a game with me or make an "art projeck" and I realize that I should try to enjoy more and be more appreciative of my free time because I have people who want to share it with me.  

Balance is not better time management, but better boundary management.  Balance means making choices and enjoying those choices. 
- Betsy Jacobson

Maybe that is my problem - instead of really enjoying the time I have being with family, friends or by myself, I am always worrying about the "other stuff" I am not doing.   Maybe part of finding my balance is sometimes putting all commitments aside and enjoying where I am and who I am with.  I am very fortunate that I have so many wonderful things in my life that need balancing and maybe the key is to some times step back and give each part of my life more individual attention instead of balancing everything at once. 

Hmmmm, on the other hand, maybe I am better at balancing than I thought!!

until next time....

52 Week Project - Week 2 - Black and White

I suppose when you say black and white as a theme for a photo challenge, one thinks of black and white pictures,  however, as I tried to think about what I wanted to photograph, I realized the answer was right in front of me.  

52 Week Project - Week 2- Black and White
The Composition Book

This composition book and many like it have become important to Ryan as his kindergarten year progresses.  Ryan loves school and I am very thankful for that. He has a composition book at school and he keeps his poetry in it: he loves the poetry book so much that we brought Ryan a few composition books for home so that he could keep all of his drawings and writings together.  We try to get Ryan to practice a little bit everyday after school or on the weekend but he doesn't always want to.  Many pages just say Ryan and Dylan and have some kind of drawing.
(and for the sake of this project, here are some black and white photos)



 If you tell Ryan we are going for a ride in the car though, the first thing he almost always asks to bring along are his notebook and some markers (and post-its if we have any around).

 His favorite thing to "write" about is some sort of list - a shopping list, a list of things he wants to do, things he wants to buy/eat/play etc. In recent weeks, Ryan has become much more interested in writing which is great. It has been frustrating at times for both Jay and I, as well as Ryan as we all try to navigate through learning reading and writing but we are really starting to see improvement and I am really proud of Ryan.  It is so exciting for everyone when he can read a new word or spells a word the right way and I know that eventually everything will click and Ryan will know what to do - just this week, Ryan was able to read a full sentence in one of his books, not because he had memorized the line but because he knew some of the words and sounded the others out.

The highlight of my day is coming home from work and hearing about everyone's day and I am loving that more and more stories are involving school, friends and things the kids learn. Who knows, by the end of the year, my oldest genius may even be able to write his own blog post.  For the time being, I will settle for help with the shopping list. 

Trick or Treating NYC Style

from Nov 1st - love that with the new laptop I can finally get these up!!!

What a fun night - my favorite of all the Halloween things we have done this year!!!   Last night, we took the boys trick or treating and we had a great time.  Like I mentioned last year, we always trick or treat in our building but that is not the fun part - the neighborhood trick-or-treating is.   This year, we met up with Ryan's school friend Jack and his family and off we went on the hunt for some candy. 

It is great because Jack has a brother and sister around the same age as Dylan so everyone has a buddy.  First stop on our route: 

(the first stop really was the gym right next to our building)

Almost every single store (probably stopped at about 50 stores) had something for the kids and those that didn't had run out before we got there.  The only placed that we stopped at that said they were not participating in Halloween:  Our building complex security office - figures.





(love how Dylan is not even paying attention because he is too busy seeing what is already in his bag)

In a perfect example of "It could only happen in New York", the kids got not only a ton of candy but also many other "goodies" from the stores - some of the most unique: a fortune cookie, 2 donuts and a munchkin, a bagel and a falafel croquette lol.   (which all the kids yelled "ew, they gave us a meatball").


It was really amazing how generous the stores were - most gave out handfuls of candy to each kid.   That didn't stop Dylan though from trying to take more - at one point, I turned around to see him bite and apple and put it back in the grocery store and somehow, he ended up with a full pack of Starburst and a pack of Halls in his bag by the time we got home.

Every time I turned around, each boy had some candy in their mouth and usually it was before they even were out of the store where they got it.   Some of the time, Dylan tried to eat the candy with the wrapper still on so I wouldn't catch him eating it.

After hitting up all the stores on 1st Avenue, we headed back to the apartment to drop off our candy and then the boys decided they wanted to trick-or-treat in the building.   Not too many people answered the door (thank you 5th floor, every apartment had something), but the ones that did got a real treat in the form of my children.   The first apartment that had candy also had a dog - at every apartment after that, Dylan said "Trick or treat, you have a doggie in there?" as he pushed his way past them to check out their apartment.   Ryan then told everyone that one day he was going to get a dog, just not yet - not sure where he got that from.

When we got home, both boys sat on their floor and dumped their bags out to figure out which two pieces they could have (after who knows how much they ate while we were out, we told them they could only have 2 more that night) - Ryan picked out two kit-kats and Dylan picked two boxes of Nerds lol.

We have enough candy to get us until next Halloween I think.