Happy Halloween!

We've survived Hurricane Sandy. Not sure I'll survive Hurricane F&P inside my house. F's school is closed for the rest of the week and there are good chances that P's school will do the same. The city is in total chaos. But we were very lucky and our region was not affected.

Since all our Halloween plans have been cancelled for the day, we are now trying to find alternatives. Most of the traditional parties in the city have been cancelled as well. The best bet would be to do the trick-or-treat in the building, but the kids are not very excited about this alternative. We may head to one of F's friend's building or we may try, like we did last year, East 78th street.

Anyway, Halloween started early this morning. The kids decided to wear their costumes as soon as they woke up. This year P decided to be the lion he didn't want to be last year and was happily roaring all around the apartment.

Since we were forced to stay at home during the last few days, we baked and decorated some Halloween cookies that F was suppose to give to his friends at school today. We'll have to postpone that. In the meantime, take a look at the cute cards that we ordered from Meema Design for this Halloween.

Hurricane Sandy: How to help!

Not everyone was as lucky as we were. 

So if you want to help, here are nice options to do so: 

• To volunteer send an e-mail to: nycservice@cityhall.nyc.gov with your name, e-mail address and borough. Someone will contact you.
• The red cross is also looking for volunteers and donations: http://www.nyredcross.org
• Another way to volunteer: http://newyorkcares.org
• Volunteer sign-up: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dG5JTldNeTRMTFhPTVFYWE1rYl9CWnc6MQ#gid=0
• Other ways to donate: 
• https://donate.salvationarmyusa.org/disaster; 
• http://www.aidmatrixnetwork.org; 
• http://www.thethinredline.org/relief-fund.html; 
• http://feedingamerica.org; 
• http://www.worldvision.org; 
• http://%20www.savethechildren.org
• To register for assistance: http://www.disasterassistance.gov

There are also other ways to help out locally. If you live close to a shelter, check if they are in need of clothes or toys for the kids. Some of them had to flee their houses and didn't have time to take their belongings with them. I'm still looking around my neighborhood, but a friend has already told me that in the upper west side, there is a shelter at Louis Brandeis high school (west 84th street), where there are kids between 3 and 10 years that would very much appreciate anything to distract them (crayons, paper, stickers, toys, books, etc) and there is another one at Hunter College.

List of shelters in New York: http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/2012/hurricane_shelters.html

If you hear of any other ways to help, please let me know, so that I can keep updating this post and we can try to reach out as many people as we can. 

Thanks!

The Weekender - Colorful fall

I haven't made up my mind yet on wether spring is my favorite season in New York or fall is the winner. Both seasons are so colorful. It's like living inside a painting. And biking in the middle of all those changing colors is absolutely priceless.
Have a wonderful weekend!

Cheese factory in Manhattan

How cool is that? While you're choosing your cheeses, you can take a look at how some of them were just made at this new branch of the Seattle based cheese store Beecher's in the Flatiron district. 

The shop offers a wide variety of American artisan cheeses and charcuterie. There's also a cafe where you can buy freshly made sandwiches or just have a cup of coffee. And a restaurant downstairs called "The Cellar" (haven't tried it, so can't tell you wether is good or not, but it seems nice).

Cooking with Children: Easy Apple cake

Last weekend we went apple picking and returned home with 10lbs of apples. So we decided to try a very very easy apple cake recipe that came in one of the kids' French magazine. It is a really easy and fun recipe to do with the kids.

So put on your apron and write it down (or print it out):

You will need:

• 3 apples
• 3 eggs
• 125gr of butter at room temperature
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 cups of flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder

Instructions:

• Peel and cut the apple in small cubes 
• Mix together the eggs and the sugar in a large bowl 
• Add the butter, the flour, baking powder and finally the apples. Mix everything well (you should have a very sticky dough). To make it more fun, you can ask the kids to mix everything with their hands. We did it and that's why we don't have pictures of the other steps.
• Cover your baking pan (I chose a square one) with a baking sheet
• Bake for 40min in the oven, previously heated at 360F.

I thought the cake was a little too sweet for my taste. So I would maybe put a little less sugar next time.

Hope you like it!

Book of the week: One

Let's reintroduce this section with a very nice book that P received for his birthday recently.

One, by Kathryn Otoshi is a great book for young children. It has simple but really nice pictures and it's a simple story. It teaches them about colors, counting but also, in a very subtle way, to respect other people differences.

Thanks Fernanda for the great gift!

Farming in New York

About a month ago, we took the kids to Stone Barns Farm. Like many other farms in the region, they offer educational programs for kids and adults and hands on farming experiences. On that day, the kids participated in the "Gardening" program and picked-up some fresh carrots. There's also an egg collecting program or a cooking class for kids (they pick their vegetables and then cook them). The kids had a really great time. They loved their "gardening" experience. They had a chance to breathe some fresh air, run around, see some animals and enjoy nature. 

The farm is lovely and is located at only 45 minutes drive from Manhattan. There's a nice restaurant onsite (Blue Hill at Stone Barns), but it's not recommended to go with young children, since they only serve multi-course menus. The coffee shop - Blue Hill cafe - serves light snacks and fresh baked goods. I would have liked to have an intermediate option, though. We are not huge fans of doing pic-nics and we missed being able to sit at a table and have a good (even if simple) meal, especially with those great surroundings. 

***

There are many other farms that offer different kind of activities according to the season. Last weekend we also went apple and pumpkin picking at Hank's farm in Southampton. 

I think it's a great way to teach children about farming, especially when it involves seasonal, fresh and local products. You can even cut your own Christmas Tree if you want!

Coming soon: an easy easy apple pie to cook with kids!

Columbus statue - up, close and personal

Commissioned by the Public Art Fund, Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi had the brilliant idea of bringing Columbus Statue, situated on top of a 75 feet high pillar in the middle of Columbus Circle, closer to the public, through his new installation "Discovering Columbus".

How did he do that? Well, he imagined how it would feel to have the statue in the middle of a modern living room with one of Manhattan's most privileged views. So, after climbing 6 flights of stairs, you find yourself in a nice penthouse feeling living room, all build up around the statue, which is standing in the middle of a coffee table.

Not to be missed! And pay attention to each details in the living room. Even the books were strategically chosen. You may find funny titles as "The silent body" or "Look up". The wallpaper is also full of details and irony, depicting all the symbols that represent modern America.

The question that I kept arising in my head when I was up there was: who's discovering who? Did Columbus discover America or are we discovering Columbus (as the title of the exhibit suggests)?

***

Other controversial exhibits worth seeing nearby:
Andrés Serrano's "Body and Spirit" at Edward Tyler Gallery
Sally Mann's "Upon reflections" at Edwynn Houk Gallery

Greenmarket Farmer's markets in New York

Farmer's markets locations in NYC - Click here to get the full map

I've already mentioned this in past posts, but one of the aspects that I really like about New York is the occasional "small town" feeling that we get while living in this big metropolis. I already have my "neighborhood" habits established. I buy cheese at my local cheese store, fish right next to it, flowers at the corner of my street and do my groceries a few blocks from my house. I'm always passing by someone I know (sometimes, just from the neighborhood, we may not have met properly but we always greet each other). Each neighborhood is like a mini town, with its local coffee shops, supermarkets, dry-cleaners, restaurants, shops, and sometimes even a local open air market. 

The most famous one is in Union Square, but there are others all across town on different days of the week. There you will find only local and seasonal produce coming fresh from farms located in the region. The one closest to my house has a very nice European feeling, with its fresh flowers, seasonal fruits and vegetables picked a few hours before, the freshest fish that was just caught during the night, baked good, jams, home-made granola and so on. 

If you are curious to know more about the Greenmarket Farmer's markets in New York, check their website. 

It goes without saying that this is another great activity to do with kids. And since we are on the subject: coming soon, a trip to a local farm!

The resurrection

A friend just asked me if I had "resurrected" my blog. And I realized that it really feels as if it had died. I think I might have even missed the "first year" post (has it been one year already?). 

Sorry for the absence. Lack of time would be a good (and true) excuse, but, mainly, it has been a lack of willingness to write that has kept me far from this space. 

I'll try to come back. 

Life has been as good as always. Some galleries and museums visits. Some puppet shows here and there. Some nice rides. Some nice outings. Some birthday parties organization. 

Lots to share, indeed. 

Three curly years

These cute curls just turned three today. Three years of pure loveliness and joy.

If with the oldest I was always looking forward for the next milestone and always looking into his future, for the second one, I've just been enjoying his "babiness" for the past three years. I've been so happy with our little arrangement of having a little boy and a baby at home, that I've actually never realized that someday I would be having two little boys and no baby at home.

He's been insistently repeating to me that he's not a baby anymore. And as much as I know that he's right, I've been insistently telling him that he'll always be my little baby.

Happy, happy third birthday my sweet baby P.