kids Archives - Page 3 of 4

Gone Postal: The National Postal Museum

June 12, 2012 by momindcity 2 Comments

I’m not sure what day it is anymore, thanks to a sick 2 year old, but I’m pretty sure it’s not Sunday. That’s when we went to the National Postal Museum, and it seems like weeks ago. Since then, I’ve changed Zana’s sheets at least 3 times, spent a couple of sleepless nights, and made it to work (physically, but definitely not mentally) once or twice.

In celebration of things getting back to “normal” around here, let’s revisit our last normal day: Sunday Funday!

We started at our favorite coffee shop, only this time we brought friends. That means there were six people in the coffee shop basement instead of the usual four– packed house! They had so much fun, they’re going to make it a weekly thing too. Trust me people, I don’t lie about awesomeness.

We enjoyed our lattes and planned our walk past Union Station to the Postal Museum, another favorite of ours that’s never busy.

I love it because it’s small enough that I (usually) don’t lose my kids, but big enough for them to wear themselves out.

Highlights include:

airmail planes hanging from the ceiling
a railway car used to transport mail (the old toilet in the corner of the car is a big hit in our family)
a tractor trailer cab (it’s meant for kids, but since it’s Dave’s dream to be a trucker, he usually monopolizes that exhibit)
the “spooky forest” that leads to a stage coach where you can pretend you’re in the Pony Express
the newest exhibit called “Systems at Work.” It takes you through what happens when you drop a letter in the mailbox (the kids couldn’t get enough mail sorting)

You can see all of these things and feel very safe at the same time. Why? Because this museum has the highest security guard-to-museum patron ratio of any place I’ve ever been. As long as you’re not a crying one year old who refuses to walk through the metal detector alone, or a seven year old who turns around on the escalator, you probably won’t be bothered. Oh, and don’t walk away from your stroller either. They will find you.

I’m guessing the security guards are just bored, because the museum is always empty. Surprisingly, people aren’t beating down the doors to get into the philatelic palace. But hey, their loss is our gain!

We ended the date with lunch and gelato at Union Station, followed by playtime in Nana’s front yard.

If someone would have warned me about Zana’s impending sinus infection, we probably could have skipped some of this and rested up for the all-nighter. Did you know sinus infections can cause vomiting? Me neither…

Nana: Paving the Way for Future Hoarders

June 5, 2012 by momindcity 6 Comments

Remember all those cheesey 80s movies about going back in time? Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Back to the Future, and the like?

Well, going to visit Dave’s parents is kind of like being in one of these movies, but without Michael J. Fox and Keanu Reeves.

We all laugh at Nana (behind her back, of course) for refusing to learn how to use a DVD player, text on a cell phone or work the digital thermostat. But it’s not just her allergic reaction to new technology that makes this place unique. Nana’s house is like walking into a time capsule that hasn’t changed since her kids were small.

Every toy, every book, every tiny piece of clothing is there. There are Barbies, board games, Slinkies, Snoopy’s Snow Cone Machine, and every original Berenstain Bear book. You name it and, it’s not only there, but in perfect working condition. All of her kids dress up clothes, their play clothes, their Christmas clothes. Every small item, all the way down to socks and hair bows.

Model: Zana, Outfit: Vintage (circa 1982)

I’ll admit, the first time I saw the pileup of “junk,” it reminded me of a bad episode of Hoarders– especially compared to the house I grew up in. I come from a big family (my dad was one of 10 and my mom was one of 6), and we were constantly sending our old toys and clothes to my cousins– especially the ones that lived in Kosovo. But also, my parents would give away the clothes off our backs– literally. They’d say things like:

“Give her that jacket. It will look great on her!”
“Go pack a bag of toys to send to so-and-so’s kids.”
“We’re out of Halloween candy; go get some toys out of your room for the trick-or-treaters.”
“You haven’t worn that shirt in weeks. Put it in the box for that girl that just moved into town.”

It wasn’t all bad. For one thing, my brothers and I were always getting new things to play with– but we could never get too attached.

Nana’s kids (Dave included) all seem to have acquired her nostalgic streak. And while I do enjoy a good trip back in time (especially if it’s in a Delorean), I won’t ever have those sentimental attachments. Just like my parents, I am constantly giving things away, and wanting to buy new ones.

Is one healthier than the other? Well duh– if I’m doing it, we all know it’s healthier. But at my house, I’m definitely outnumbered. Lira and Zana are hoarders in training. The only way to get rid of something of theirs is by sneaking it out of the house. Everything is their favorite. “Mom! Why did you throw that away? It’s my favorite bubble gum wrapper!”

So what’s a purger like me supposed to do with all of these things? Our storage facility is running out of space (thanks in part to a certain someone’s He-Man castle and Star Wars action figures). We live on the Hill so there’s no such thing as a closet or a garage. I can only think of one place for all of these things to go… a place where they will never be lost, unappreciated or forgotten, a place so full of memories that it puts a nursing home to shame. You know the place: Nana’s house.

DC Must See: National Cathedral at Sunset

June 2, 2012 by momindcity Leave a Comment

Saturdays are all about packing in as many things as we can into the shortest amount of time possible. It’s exhausting. If I listed everything we did today, you’d feel tired. Wanna see?

Girls’ dance class
Trip to Target
Family Fun Day at a potential school for Zana
Quick lunch at a Metro 29 Diner
Summer camp orientation for Lira
6-year-old’s birthday party
Visit with a friend traveling through town
Evening visit to the National Cathedral
Outdoor dinner and gelato at Pete’s APizza (that’s not a typo)

I told you!

I’m not sure why we live our lives this way, but we do– every single weekend. Some of the things on the list are repeats: We’ve been going to the same dance studio every Saturday for the past three years.

Birthday parties (as we all know) are a weekly occurrence; in it’s a miracle we were only invited to one this weekend (it’s a curse being so gosh darn popular). Pete’s and 29 Diner are two of our local standbys.

But things like tonight’s sporadic trip to the National Cathedral to watch the sunset are why I love living in DCity.

IMG_4198[1] — Love the Gothic architecture

We are so blessed (you know, because we’re at a cathedral) to have these opportunities right in our back yard. I remember coming to DC from Texas, as a kid. My parents dragged us to every monument and every museum (mostly against our will) during our 3-day weekend trips. And it wasn’t until I was older that I appreciated any of it. For my girls, it’s different. We go to the WWII Memorial, the Washington Monument and the Smithsonian Museums like some families go to Wal-Mart. They don’t think it’s a drag; it’s just what they’re used to doing. [Read more…]

Don’t Hate What You Can’t Imitate

June 1, 2012 by momindcity 2 Comments

Picture this: It takes me an hour to drive 7 miles home in bumper-to-bumper traffic. When I rush in the door, I manage to fix one girls hair while wrestling the other, WWE style, to put some clothes on. It’s 6:15 and we’re hoping to make it to the Spring concert at Lira’s school, which starts in 15 minutes.

In a moment of clarity, I stop cursing under my breath and notice how stinking adorable Zana is, sitting in her stroller with her tutu, sunglasses and cheesy grin; so I snapped this pic and put it on Instagram so the rest of the world could tell me how much they “like” it:

The Spring Concert was very cute, pretty much what you’d expect from these things. When it was over we all went out to the playground so the kids could run wear themselves out before bed.

Then it was bath time, story time, laundry time and then… work time. The fact that it’s 10 o’clock, doesn’t mean my work day is over. Thanks to a flexible schedule, I get to leave early 3 days a week and spend afternoons with the girls; but because of that, I work late in to the evenings, often times long after bedtime.

As I waited for my laptop to turn on, I checked Instagram, I noticed that among the “likes,” there was also a comment:

“Your work hours are bar none the best of anyone I will ever meet.”

It was from a former co-worker. A guy I was never particularly close with.

Because I am hot-headed, I showed this to Dave to make sure I’m not reading it wrong. “Sounds like a backhanded compliment to me. Why would he say that?”

That’s what I want to know! I went to reply to his comment but couldn’t think of anything appropriate. But here are a few of my ideas:

Some people are in the office half a day, others are in the office 15 hours a day and still can’t hack it.
I didn’t think you noticed when I worked, based on the fact that you were on Facebook 10 hours a day.
Why don’t you stop worrying about what I’m doing and go find a job

But I’m far too polite (ha). Dave thought I should remind him that I work from home at night, but I was annoyed at the thought of justifying myself to him. I decided to do nothing (well nothing but block him from my Instagram feed and unfriend him on Facebook). But I still felt bothered.

I work when the kids go to bed; I work on weekends; I’ve respond to texts from my boss Friday nat midnight and I’ve had Skype meetings well after dark. Even when I was on maternity leave, I checked my work email religiously so that I could stay up to speed. It’s on my mind constantly because my coworkers have put their trust in me, and I never want to disappoint them.

So yes, a lot of times my life looks like this…

Or this…

But I don’t take that for granted. So there! Get a job. Stop worrying about me… you lazy bum.

Start Spreading the News…

May 28, 2012 by momindcity Leave a Comment

The Big Apple, the City that Never Sleeps, the Empire State… we saw it all this weekend. From our little home away from home Stuyvesant Town (aka Stuy-town), we pretended to be New Yorkers. That meant lots of time at the parks, eating fantastic (cheap) food and trying to fit in with the natives.

The Parks

Traveling with kids, as we often do, there’s usually one mission in mind: find a park. After this weekend, I could write a book about the parks in The City— well, Dave could and I’d provide lots of great pictures. In a city filled with the world’s tallest buildings, they’ve certainly managed to carve out some beautiful green spaces.

Stuy-Town Parks (the Oval, et al.)
As we waited in the rain for the keys to my friend’s place (thanks, Dawn!), we took full advantage of what the neighborhood has to offer. Fountains, playgrounds, basketball courts, splash parks— there was so much to do! It felt like Sesame Street—friendly neighbors and the air is sweet! We started an impromptu, barefoot soccer game; it was Dave and me vs. the girls. They won. And I spent the rest of the weekend begging for a rematch.

IMG_3684[1] — Don't Let Her Size Fool You...

Central Park
This is, hands-down, the best park I’ve ever visited. It’s easy to pick out the New Yorkers because they’re laying out in open fields, half naked, soaking up the sun. The girls fit right in, opting for bathing suits instead of actual clothes. They ran through brick forts, got drenched in the sprinklers, ate cotton candy and gave money to the mimes. Lira bonded with the ballerina mime and they curtsied and blew each other kisses. All this and we barely scratched the surface of Central Park; we didn’t ride the carousel, take a boat or carriage ride, and didn’t get our faces painted. We’re saving those for next time.

Bryant Park
This stop was a special request from Lira, a girl after my own heart. What’s not to love about a park in the middle of the fashion district? Since we missed the Central Park carousel, Lira got to ride the one in Bryant Park twice. Zana played in the outdoor library and threw rocks at the other kids. Oh the joys of the terrible 2s. I enjoyed a great view of more sunbathing New Yorkers while eating a salad and wishing I could have some of the girls’ ice cream. It’s a beautiful reprieve from nearby Times Square.

IMG_3942[1] — They sunbathe at Bryant Park, too

The Food

We don’t do much planning for our trips to New York. Who needs to? Everything you’d ever want is close and convenient. When we’re hungry, we eat. And it’s usually nowhere fancy. There are three types of places you can enjoy with your family at this stage in life.

New and Trendy
Dave and I enjoyed grabbed a bite to eat at Bite on 14^th Street. Our vegan sandwich was divine and we seriously considered buying another one to take home for later. Warning: if you choose this option, you are at risk of the hipster evil eye. But don’t let that stop you. You’re entitled to a healthy, organic, vegan, cage-free meal with a minimal carbon footprint just as much as they are. The restaurant owners are happy to put up with your children in the name of capitalism; it’s the clientele who don’t want to encounter life’s realities in their bohemian bliss.

Cheap, No Frills Ethnic
Mamma Mia, pass the kebabs and the tamales! These are my favorite places to eat. You know the type—posters on the wall from the motherland, menu written in marker, satellite tv playing in the kitchen. My new favorite one of these joints is called Oasis. It’s in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and has the best falafel platter I’ve ever tasted. This stuff is so good that we drove out of our way to get more on our way out of town. The girls enjoyed meat and spinach pies. Oh, and did I mention it’s cheap? All four of us ate for less than 20 bucks.

Traditional New York
Think Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza at the 24 hour diner. These places have hard-to-remember names like “Diner” and “Breakfast All Day.” They’re on every corner and never disappoint. The ones we tried on this trip were The Coffee Shop and Eat Here Now. They were great—even for vegans. I’d tell you where they are so you could try them but—let’s be honest—they’re all the same. Tasty, cheap, and convenient.

The Natives

I don’t know if it was the cute kid factor or just sympathy for my broken wrist, but the New Yorkers were unexpectedly friendly. Everyone from the playground moms to the bus drivers to the store clerks bent over backward to be helpful. People were opening doors, picking up my kids when I couldn’t and making friendly conversation everywhere we went.

I recently read a post in the Village Voice about Rude Things New Yorkers Do and admittedly, I did witness one or two (or 27) of the things on this list—but overall, friendliness prevailed. And as for the rest of it– it’s New York! That’s just part of its charm.