Halloween this year was a blast. At the perfect age of 2.7 years, it was the first time we could enjoy Halloween though the eyes of a child.
It was a week long event with school allowing students to come in their halloween costumes. So everyday I would take my cuddly little monkey with her spoungy pot belly to school. It was so much fun to see her play with darth vador, princesses, dinosaurs, cowgirls, Dalmatian dogs, superman and spiderman. They were just adorable and happy playing in fantasy.
And there were all the fairs and carnivals during the weekends leading up to Halloween. Animals, pumpkins, scary decorations, hay rides etc... Very festive and fun!
But that wad nothing compared to the big day. We started off trick or treating the local stores with her friends. Amongst the candy she got $1 bill, a magnolia cookie and skin are samples for me. After lunch we proceeded to her friends house for a toddler Halloween play date, sans nap as she was too excited. After the play date things really started to happen. By now she got the trick or treating down pat and loved receiving so much candy. We attended a block party where the streets were closed off and the brownstones were decorated to the max. It was jammed packed but filled with an air of excitement. After, a few more stores then headed home, where 50 apartments opened their doors to trick or treat resident children. So off we went high on adrenalin knocking on doors and walking up and down so many floors. We covered about half of the participating apartments. For a 2.5 year old, 25 apartments is quite an achievement!
By the end we were all exhausted and candied out. We got rid of the candy and left her 3 chocolate pieces to enjoy the following day. She is already planning next years Halloween, and looking forward to it with much anticipation. There are still a few carved pumpkins on stoops holding on to their shapes. While we still have thanksgiving to celebrate, the pumpkins are slowly disappearing as the tinsel is making its way...
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Saturday, October 1, 2011
The Seaside
Last weekend we took our belated summer weekend away which was suppose to happen in august, but got postponed thanks to lame hurricane Irene. With a beach holiday scheduled in late September in the north east new England area, I envisioned heavy jumpers, hot chocolates and umbrellas.
Prior leaving the weather forecast was rain for all four days with flood alert for the first day. Brilliant. Hurricane Irene would have faired better than this outlook. Luckily they got it totally wrong (surprise surprise) and we were blessed with unseasonably perfect weather.
So our trip began with Newport. I wasn't sure what to expect but was truly impressed. The old port is a thriving quaint tourist catered area filled with restaurants, bars and local shops. We got our first of many seafood fixes starting with lobster diabolo, a spaghetti dish with chilli hot seafood and lobster. It was amazing! The heat from the sauce gave me hallucinating effects. We also got our first salt water taffy fix too. Mmmmm
The other main attraction to Newport (note this is where Australia won the Americas cup back in the 80's) is the summer holiday cottages of the wealthy back in the late 1800's. We entered into just one "cottage". 70 rooms, ornate floor to ceiling, electricity, marble baths with 4 taps (cold water, hot water, fresh cold sea water, hot sea water) telephones etc... All the modern technology build into back in 1880's. This was the "cottage" of the vanderbilts. mrs Vanderbilt built her own home not too far for 11 million. 11 million back then! The wealth of this family was mind boggling. The mansion was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, close by Versailles.
After doing the cliff walk past all the mansions, we headed off to cape cod, where the Kennedy's took their annual summer holiday. There we spend days at the beach collecting shells, dug up a live clam, watching seals swim by and even taking a swim ourselves! The water was amazing. We visited all the small towns all the way up to provincetown. There were so many activities for kids too. We took Aurelia to a trout farm where she could feed the fish, watch chips being made at cape cod chip factory, watch glass blowers at a glass museum, apple picking at a farm and a petting zoo.
With so many other things to do, this is a trip we would do again.
Prior leaving the weather forecast was rain for all four days with flood alert for the first day. Brilliant. Hurricane Irene would have faired better than this outlook. Luckily they got it totally wrong (surprise surprise) and we were blessed with unseasonably perfect weather.
So our trip began with Newport. I wasn't sure what to expect but was truly impressed. The old port is a thriving quaint tourist catered area filled with restaurants, bars and local shops. We got our first of many seafood fixes starting with lobster diabolo, a spaghetti dish with chilli hot seafood and lobster. It was amazing! The heat from the sauce gave me hallucinating effects. We also got our first salt water taffy fix too. Mmmmm
The other main attraction to Newport (note this is where Australia won the Americas cup back in the 80's) is the summer holiday cottages of the wealthy back in the late 1800's. We entered into just one "cottage". 70 rooms, ornate floor to ceiling, electricity, marble baths with 4 taps (cold water, hot water, fresh cold sea water, hot sea water) telephones etc... All the modern technology build into back in 1880's. This was the "cottage" of the vanderbilts. mrs Vanderbilt built her own home not too far for 11 million. 11 million back then! The wealth of this family was mind boggling. The mansion was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, close by Versailles.
After doing the cliff walk past all the mansions, we headed off to cape cod, where the Kennedy's took their annual summer holiday. There we spend days at the beach collecting shells, dug up a live clam, watching seals swim by and even taking a swim ourselves! The water was amazing. We visited all the small towns all the way up to provincetown. There were so many activities for kids too. We took Aurelia to a trout farm where she could feed the fish, watch chips being made at cape cod chip factory, watch glass blowers at a glass museum, apple picking at a farm and a petting zoo.
With so many other things to do, this is a trip we would do again.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Spiders, caterpillars, tenors and the gentle separation
Every week there is always an amazing milestone, achievement or something special. After a while it becomes the norm, but each on it's own should always be celebrated in some way.
This week is no different. The biggest moment for all of us was Aurelia going to school. Ok it's really just a drop off play group, but the essence of being in a school like setting without mum around is a BIG step for any child. Aurelia was very ready to take this step, it was the emotional side that concerned me. She is ALWAYS with me, aside from 1-3 hours on the weekend that she spends with dad and the occasional times she wants to go to the playground with our Italian sitter. Usually they stay home as I work in the other room.
But thankfully the school has some wonderful teachers who create a very warm and nurturing environment where hardly any children cry and parents can stay as long as needed, till the child is ready. I thought that would take Aurelia 3 months, but no. Into week two I went from 20 min separation to 1.5hours by end of the week. I am so proud of her and so impressed with the teachers. Despite being punched, scratched and hair pulled in those 2 weeks (all by boys) Aurelia loves school and loves her teacher Jennifer. She doesn't want me to go but has a great time when I am gone. And although I try to avoid rewards and punishments, she earned her first green lollipop. When she would be big enough for school, she would be big enough for a lollipop. I have never seen her prouder than that day with that stick hanging from her mouth and later staring at the mirror at her lovely green tongue. Thank goodness I didn't go with the school with bells and whistles where they think crying at separation is normal.
Winding down for a nap after school has been a challenge so off we went for a stroll in the neighborhood. Despite my goal of getting her to nod off, I saw 4 fuzzy caterpillars on a railing and since we hadnt seen any all year I got Aurelia out of the stroller check them out. She loved them, especially the green one. We went and got a stick to help them down and into a garden where they could have some lunch. It was fun, educational and memorable. As I see a crying toddler in a stroller with a nanny being short with him pass us by I think how lucky Aurelia is to have mum at home and I to be the one with her all day. No nanny would stop and catch caterpillars with her.
Imagination and story telling from children is just priceless. This week Aurelia told me how she had a spider in her mouth for 2 hours then she blew it away. She likes to tell the time "it's 29.05" and plays in the hall way where she looks at her Internet while on her scooter and declares "oh no it's 6 o'clock, we are late" and scoots to the other side to repeat it again, and again...
My favorite is her phrasing. Finishing sentences or statements with "I am done", "so anyway..." "perhaps", "oh sorry, sorry mum" and good old "maybe". Somehow she has learnt to use her manners perfectly without ever telling her what manners are aside from occasionally reminding her when appropriate. Manners weren't on my short term to do list, but luckily it got done. Monkey see monkey do I guess. Most entertaining, it's seen in playgrounds with Aurelia kind of pushing though clearly stating "excuse me" to some other kid.
Tonight we went and saw bocelli in central park. I scored VIP tickets and they were great! Barilla did an outstanding job with all their free stuff. We got to keep beautiful wooden bento boxes and cooling bags that our dinner came in. Love barilla even more, so it worked. Aurelia was so inspired she came home and sang like a tenor for 30 minutes. Bocelli was more talented, but Aurelia was more entertaining.
This week is no different. The biggest moment for all of us was Aurelia going to school. Ok it's really just a drop off play group, but the essence of being in a school like setting without mum around is a BIG step for any child. Aurelia was very ready to take this step, it was the emotional side that concerned me. She is ALWAYS with me, aside from 1-3 hours on the weekend that she spends with dad and the occasional times she wants to go to the playground with our Italian sitter. Usually they stay home as I work in the other room.
But thankfully the school has some wonderful teachers who create a very warm and nurturing environment where hardly any children cry and parents can stay as long as needed, till the child is ready. I thought that would take Aurelia 3 months, but no. Into week two I went from 20 min separation to 1.5hours by end of the week. I am so proud of her and so impressed with the teachers. Despite being punched, scratched and hair pulled in those 2 weeks (all by boys) Aurelia loves school and loves her teacher Jennifer. She doesn't want me to go but has a great time when I am gone. And although I try to avoid rewards and punishments, she earned her first green lollipop. When she would be big enough for school, she would be big enough for a lollipop. I have never seen her prouder than that day with that stick hanging from her mouth and later staring at the mirror at her lovely green tongue. Thank goodness I didn't go with the school with bells and whistles where they think crying at separation is normal.
Winding down for a nap after school has been a challenge so off we went for a stroll in the neighborhood. Despite my goal of getting her to nod off, I saw 4 fuzzy caterpillars on a railing and since we hadnt seen any all year I got Aurelia out of the stroller check them out. She loved them, especially the green one. We went and got a stick to help them down and into a garden where they could have some lunch. It was fun, educational and memorable. As I see a crying toddler in a stroller with a nanny being short with him pass us by I think how lucky Aurelia is to have mum at home and I to be the one with her all day. No nanny would stop and catch caterpillars with her.
Imagination and story telling from children is just priceless. This week Aurelia told me how she had a spider in her mouth for 2 hours then she blew it away. She likes to tell the time "it's 29.05" and plays in the hall way where she looks at her Internet while on her scooter and declares "oh no it's 6 o'clock, we are late" and scoots to the other side to repeat it again, and again...
My favorite is her phrasing. Finishing sentences or statements with "I am done", "so anyway..." "perhaps", "oh sorry, sorry mum" and good old "maybe". Somehow she has learnt to use her manners perfectly without ever telling her what manners are aside from occasionally reminding her when appropriate. Manners weren't on my short term to do list, but luckily it got done. Monkey see monkey do I guess. Most entertaining, it's seen in playgrounds with Aurelia kind of pushing though clearly stating "excuse me" to some other kid.
Tonight we went and saw bocelli in central park. I scored VIP tickets and they were great! Barilla did an outstanding job with all their free stuff. We got to keep beautiful wooden bento boxes and cooling bags that our dinner came in. Love barilla even more, so it worked. Aurelia was so inspired she came home and sang like a tenor for 30 minutes. Bocelli was more talented, but Aurelia was more entertaining.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Ok now what?
Finally succumbed to blogging online. I use to blog years ago about life in New York pre-motherhood, when looking back I had a bizillion hours of free time. So no promises where this will lead..
So who is Noopsy and Wawah? Well Noopsy is actually a pull along snoopy dog from nonno Carmelo, but Aurelia couldn't say snoopy back when she first started uttering her first words. And Wawah is Olivia, her talking baby doll who amongst other sounds says waa wahhh as she cries. Took me a while to put two and two together. Clearly she wasn't interested in the name given by her nonna vincenzina.
18months later Noopsy and Wawah are still very much loved and part of our extensive family.
How will I use this blog? Most likely a recording of aurelias memorable sayings which I don't ever write down (bad mum I know) and anything that inspires. Her art, parenting information, photos etc..
So who is Noopsy and Wawah? Well Noopsy is actually a pull along snoopy dog from nonno Carmelo, but Aurelia couldn't say snoopy back when she first started uttering her first words. And Wawah is Olivia, her talking baby doll who amongst other sounds says waa wahhh as she cries. Took me a while to put two and two together. Clearly she wasn't interested in the name given by her nonna vincenzina.
18months later Noopsy and Wawah are still very much loved and part of our extensive family.
How will I use this blog? Most likely a recording of aurelias memorable sayings which I don't ever write down (bad mum I know) and anything that inspires. Her art, parenting information, photos etc..
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