The Hill Archives - Page 3 of 5

Princess Abuse in the Name of Birthday Fun

August 13, 2012 by momindcity 3 Comments

“Look– a Flynn Rider piñata! That would be perfect for your Rapunzel birthday party!” Yes, Lira and I are pouring over the internet, discussing the logistics of her December birthday. Don’t all moms start planning 4 months in advance?

“Do you think you could find a Rapunzel piñata instead?” Lira asked.

“You and your friends don’t want to line up and smack Rapunzel in the head, do you?” (For some reason, smacking Flynn in the head seemed ok. Maybe because he’s pretty douchey for most of the movie.)

“What about if we line up to smack her in the face?”

I suppose we could beat Rapunzel senseless if it means we’ll be showered in candy.

“Ok, we’ll look for a Rapunzel piñata.”

And so it begins… [Read more…]

Four Places Your Kids Can Run Wild in DC

August 5, 2012 by momindcity 8 Comments

My experiment as a mother of three has ended, now that my lovely niece is on her way home. It has been an intense and high-energy week. As one mom remarked, “I thought only boys acted that wild. You sure have your hands full.”

After some trial and error (and a few important lessons), I discovered some perfect places to take kids in DC. These aren’t new in our family rotation, but we rediscovered them this week, and I’m so glad that we did.

1. National Building Museum.
If you’re not a member, become one. Trust me. This place is far less crowded than the free museums nearby. Plus, it caters to younger children. Ever since Lira had a birthday party here a few years back, it has been a family-fave. The great hall is a huge open space where kids can run free. There’s a Lego exhibit where your little ones can build things and make a mess that you don’t have to clean up! And there’s indoor min-golf here through Labor Day.

Tip: Sign up for a spot in The Building Zone (for kids ages 2-6) as soon as you get there; you’ll usually have to wait at least an hour. [Read more…]

Hill Life: My Neighbor Got Clocked By Thugs On Our Street

July 24, 2012 by momindcity 2 Comments

I spend a lot of time writing about the wonderful reasons we live on Capitol Hill in DC: kid-friendly coffee shops, free museums, and nearby beach getaways. Sometimes, it’s hard to imagine who wouldn’t want to live here.

The Incident
Today, I was reminded. My next door neighbor sent a group email letting our street know that he had been assaulted and robbed at 8:30 last night. It happened on our street. He was walking home from the metro, as we’ve all done a hundred times before, and was followed by a group of kids (thuggish teens). When he turned onto our street, he was punched in the head. When he fell to the ground, they took his bag and ran off. Another neighbor saw the aftermath, screamed, and then called 911. Since he was hit from behind, my neighbor didn’t get a good look at who did it, so nobody was arrested.

The Meeting
Neighbors on the Hill are always really close. Maybe it’s the fact that we practically live on top of each other? I remember living in North Carolina, driving into my garage after work every day, and not even knowing my next door neighbor’s name. Here, we’re like family… for better or for worse. As we all started to arrive home from work tonight, we gathered on our front stoop for a hug-fest/therapy session/why-the-hell-do-we-live-here pow-wow.

The Love
One neighbor pulled up with a bouquet. Another offered a replacement cell phone for the one that was stolen. One offered to drive him to and from the metro so he wouldn’t have to walk. Another gave suggestions about how to find the bad guys, and make sure they’re arrested. All the while, my daughters played in our tiny (joke of a) front yard with a friend, and Dave picked up used dime-bags and 40-bottles to throw in recycling. A cop rode by on a bike and stopped to ask how our neighbor was feeling after the assault.

front stoop — Sometimes it’s beautifully peaceful here

The Hill is a strange place to live. We take the good with the bad. But it seems like every time we get comfortable, something else happens. A friend’s home is robbed 3 blocks away; someone is shot down the street; we witness a drug deal on our front steps. As I’ve said before, Capitol Hill is definitely the crossroad between heaven and that other place. And every day we face the question: should I stay or should I go?

School Uniform Debate, a.k.a. You Have Too Much Free Time

July 7, 2012 by momindcity 8 Comments

As I was catching up on email this morning, something caught my eye– several emails on the elementary school list serve discussing school uniforms.

Let’s start with my overall stance on school uniforms. Here it is: who cares?!

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get into the email. Lira goes to a DC Public Elementary School, where school uniforms are mandated by the District. Apparently, there was a survey earlier in the year (which I ignored) asking parents at her school how they felt about adding extra color options for the uniform shirts. Right now they’re white; the survey asked parents if they’d like the option of dressing their kids in navy or light blue as well. Now parents are asking about the results of the survey.

This is clearly an important issue because… well, because… yeahhhhh. Why are we even talking about this???

Is the issue up for a vote? Nope.

Will the results of this survey change things once way or another? Nope.

The only people I can think of who actually should care about any of this are Wal-Mart and Target, so they can stock up.

But as usual, my gauge of what’s important to parents on the Hill is way off. Apparently, there are some very strong opinions on both sides of this issue. [Read more…]

Date Night: Spent Too Much, Drank Too Much

June 11, 2012 by momindcity 4 Comments

It was a special Saturday for us this weekend… our annual date night! Maybe we go on a date more than once a year, but not a fancy one where Dave puts on actual pants and there’s candlelight involved.

We decided to check out Acqua Al 2, a Tuscan ristorante that opened a location on the Hill about two years ago. We asked Poppi (Dave’s dad) to watch the girls but, since he can’t be trusted, Nana and Aunt Dana came over too. The girls couldn’t wait for us to leave so they could start a dance party (oh, I can’t wait until they’re in high school).

We took a romantic stroll through Lincoln Park to the restaurant. And by romantic I mean, I complained the whole time that Dave was walking too fast. When we got there, we were taken to a tiny, candlelit table near the back. I sat beneath a plate decorated by Congresswoman Pelosi– DC really knows how to set the ambiance, don’t they?

“Let’s get this party started with a bottle of wine!” I shouted a little too enthusiastically.

We ordered a bottle of Nobile di Montepulciano and, suddenly, the date became fun (whew).

They brought bread and olive oil without any cheese or spices, which is never ideal. But I got over it because, once we ordered the Specialita, the food didn’t stop coming for the next two hours. First the three salads, then five pastas, then (the highlight) three to-die-for steaks. It’s funny how I can go from vegan cleanse to triple steak dinner in only a week. We got the five-dessert plate but decided to stop before the final cheese course.

During all of this, we managed to have some wonderfully adult conversation. Ever wonder what parents talk about when they’re out on dates by themselves? I always do, so I’ll share. We talked about the meaning of life, how much we adore each other and how to fix everything that’s wrong with the world. Just kidding. Here’s what really went down at our table: me making fun of Dave for moving his arms like a pterodactyl, him telling me how drinking makes me less of a nag, and lots of discussion about whether the pasta was homemade or Barilla. We also, of course, talked about the girls. It’s like going out with people from work and trying not to mention work. We couldn’t help it.

Date Night — Look, Our Pics Were on the Placemat!

The bill was $200. Two hundred dollars?!?! I mean, the bottle of wine was $70, but I’m not sure what else happened. I suppose we could have been much more economical about it. Like, maybe if we just got a salad and some pasta? Of course, we could cut out the wine, but what kind of a date would that be?

Thoughts on the meal itself: Everything was good, but the steak was exceptional: one was in a balsamic reduction, one in peppercorn cream sauce and one on a bed of arugula topped with parmesan. I, personally, didn’t love the desserts and ate brownies when I got home (don’t judge).

We walked (ok, stumbled) back home and thanked Nana and Poppi for making it all possible. Can’t wait to start planning our next date… 2013 here we come!