It's a 'Happy' Happy Halloween!

Well folks! It's Halloween Day! Let the ghouls, ghosts, and goblins commence their song and dance around our grand city and may the candy flow and not cause any nasty cavities (did you see this article on worse candies to give)? I have already prepped Isabel for her candy duties tonight (Remember... Mom loves the Kit-Kats and Butterfingers)!

Yesterday, while not quite Halloween, I got quite a nasty trick! I was lugging my stroller up three measly stairs and alas I pulled the F**K out of my lower back! I have been trying to nurse it but it is rather challenging when you have two little munchkins to look after. So this year for Halloween I will be the Hunchback of Brooklyn!

Today we will meet Isabel and her schoolmates for their "Harvest Day Festivities" (schools these days are getting too PC...come on let's call it Halloween people)! Later we will join our friends for pizza and trick-or-treating...

Happy Halloween! May you have your fair share of candy where ever you are!

Our 'happy' Jack-o-lanterns.

To Ghost: A Verb?

I saw this article online yesterday and had to laugh. It is so me...I hate awkward goodbyes. I would so much rather up and vanish into the night. Who really misses you anyways? I say sending a nice thank you as you lay comfortably in bed is sufficient. What about you? Are you guilty of ghosting?

New Discovery: Greenwich Letterpress

Storefront of Greenwich Letterpress 

Interior shot courtesy of Greenwich Letterpress

When I signed Isabel up for ballet at Manhattan's Joffrey Ballet School I thought getting her there couldn't be that bad right?...Just three train stops away and a couple blocks to walk...well I was thinking ambitiously because taking Isabel and Stella every Tuesday at 3:30 has proven to be doable but challenging. The commute really hasn't been the biggest obstacle but entertaining a 1 year old in the tiny waiting room has been...so...last week I decided to venture out during the hour long class and began to discover all the wonderful places the West Village has to offer. First up...Greenwich Letterpress.

What Goes Around Comes (back) Around!

Me in Paris 2003 with my Sonia Rykiel pink coat!

Fashion always comes full circle...and because I didn't get read the memo I made a big fashion mistake last year.  Every time I think about it I still get a little upset with myself. Let me just come out with it...I sold my pink Sonia Rykiel vintage coat last fall!  Let me explain...I am the antithesis of a hoarder. If I haven't worn something in one or possibly two seasons I usually sell it, consign it,  or donate it. In NYC there are many great places that take your clothes and either for trade or for consignment. So selling and donating seems like a great way to clean out the closet, make room for the new, and get a little money in the process. Innocent enough right? Well normally I would say yes! However when I started noticing that the fashion forecast for fall was touting pastel shaded coats (more specifically pink)! I was yearning for the pink Sonia Rykiel coat that I purchased on my first ever visit to Paris in the winter of 2003! I remember making this hefty purchase (vintage is never cheap right) and wearing the coat for the New Year's Eve party we went to that year! It sat in the back of my closet years to come (as an up and coming New Yorker...I fell for the color black) and is now on the back of some fasionista somewhere! All I can think now is which coat below should I purchase as a substitute?

Look at all these pink coats! Arrggg!

Enjoy this last weekend in October!

Photo taken from Sanctuary a daily blog read of mine!

This week we turned the heat on for the first time, got the winter jackets and scarves out, and craved chicken noodle soup and chili! I love the cool cold weather so much! In Isabel's school (where they work on long-term project based lessons) they are focusing on collecting and discussing fall foliage items. Needless to say my pockets have been full of acorns and weathered leaves lately. It is pretty cute to see her enthusiasm for the season change. This weekend we plan on taking in the green market, eating lot's of delicious apples (honey crisp are the best), and relaxing! Hope you have a great weekend!

Renee: You're a Great Mama!

This week A Cup of Jo posted this and It really resonated with me. I am always feeling like all the other moms around me have it together, never loose their cool, and are coasting through their parental responsibilities with few hiccups along the way. When I see these other parents I am always quietly thinking to myself..."how do they do it?" Take for instance my good friend Renee. Renee and I have been friends since meeting at Tribeca Pediatrics four years ago. She used to live two blocks away but has since moved to New Jersey where she just welcomed her second daughter in March. She is the most hands on and patient mother I know. The other day she sent me some photos of the girls from the  Halloween Party she threw this past weekend. Wait...Hold on... She threw a party two days before she and her family were leaving on a three week international family vacation! No big deal! While most mothers would have been packing and organizing for the plants to be watered... Renee was decorating the entire house, designing and sewing her daughter's costume, and planning activities to keep the kids entertained! After she emailed me the photos,  I sent her a note thanking her for being Martha Stewart with an edge and giving us mere mortal moms something to strive for! So Renee if your reading: You my friend are an amazing Mama!

...and as an added bonus here are some photos from the Spooky Party if you'd like to see!

Testing the costumes before we drove to New Jersey for the day.

Isabel's 4th Birthday Party!

One of the greatest things about living in NYC or Williamsburg specifically are the number of kid friendly activities available. When it comes to throwing a birthday party for a four year old Brooklyn Bowl (just a mere three blocks from our home) didn't disappoint. The best part of having Isabel's party there was that both the kids and adults had a great time! Below are some pictures of the day if you'd like to take a look.

The invitation I emailed out hints at the fun to come!

Song of the Fall (for me anyways)!

It is arguable who had the song of the summer. Some would argue it went to Miley and some would say Robin...well on any account the song of the fall for me has been this one...Have you heard it? Valentino says it was big this summer but I think it is blowing up now....Am I right or behind the times?

Happy Birthday Isabel!

Happy 4th Birthday to Isabel Catherine Vettori! We love you deeper than the ocean and higher than the sky!   

xo, 

Mom                                                    

           

Week In Review.

Whoa! It has been a long and emotional week. I will be happy to put a lid on it!

Good news is...Stella is really starting to walk!!!

I got information on Isabel's Kindergarden enrollment this week! The school where she is currently enrolled conducts parent interviews (for Kindergarten level and above as we didn't need an interview for Pre-k)  if we should choose to stay there! I wonder what the interview would be about? What the questions would entail? I am already sweating thinking about it...I kid...I kid. No really we need to make a big decision about what to do about Kindergarten, I really wasn't thinking it was going to be so soon! Yikes! She literally has only been in Pre-K for 8 weeks. Slow down people.

We had a great impromptu play date on the apartment rooftop of a new Mom friend with two daughters! It is great to build a community of moms around me. Especially when times get hard. It is always good to know that you have the support of people who care and love you.

This weekend we are gearing up to celebrate Isabel's birthday. After much deliberation on where to celebrate, either (here, here, or here) we chose here! Her birthday is on Monday, but for practical purposes (Valentino is traveling on her actual birthday) we are going to celebrate on Saturday! The presents are slowing piling up on the dining table! There is nothing more rewarding than watching a four year old gaze and inspect each package...."Mom, can we open one now...?"

Isabel is taking ballet class and before class they all gather around and watch the older ballerinas! So cute!

Temptation!

"Old NYC"

I first visited NYC in the summer of 1997. I remember it fondly and fell in love quickly. I know this will sound corny to most New Yorkers and I shouldn't even admit it...but I thought Times Square was the most amazing place ever! In all fairness it is still quite impressive,  but most street savvy New Yorkers know to steer clear of this tourist trap unless they work there. No...The NYC I began to know and love was the clean, PG-rated, Disney(esque), version. Some would argue that this homogenized NYC pales in comparison to the grittier, dirtier "Old NYC."  In the "Old NYC" there was a sense that anything could happen at anytime for anyone (including muggings and shootings)!  In the "New NYC" only the rich and elite really get to reap all of the benefits NYC has to offer (why do you think we are still renting here)!  While I most definitely prefer having children in the "New NYC"  I think the single and childless me would have enjoyed living in the edgier, artsier, "Old NYC." Take a look at some of these photos that were floating around the web and maybe you will see why. Besides if you could make it in NYC then you really could make it anywhere!

What I would give to be able to experience the subways in the 70's and 80's! The street or tunnel art would have been amazing!

Twin Towers in backdrop of this old train yard.

See, even this woman took the train...it couldn't have been that bad? Notice the tags everywhere!

Oh Soho...where did you go? This image is so hard to imagine today. Soho is about as commercial as it gets!

Flashback: 1980's

I was a kid in the 1980's. I still remember vividly learning how to use the Commodore 64, collecting and wearing those plastic charm necklaces, and watching a whole host of sit-coms. Whoa! Were the 80's dominated by the sit-com. Some favorites included: Growing Pains, The Cosby Show, Alf, and The  Facts of Life. What happened to the original sit-com? There is nothing better than a laugh track or studio audience. When I saw this show, The Goldberg's, was premiering this season it made me smile. I loved the promos for the show. Unfortunately, I don't have cable (insert sad face here) but from the looks of it they nailed the classic 80's family. Have you seen it? Any good?

I thought I would include a photo from my family circa 1980's . Why is it that 80's families found it necessary to match clothing? Timeless or trend?

The Stuff a 4 Year Old Says.

Isabel turns 4 in a week, a milestone that we have been keeping close track of for the past three weeks, or make that since she turned 3 a year ago. Kids are so engrossed with their age. Acknowledging that they are older or younger than said friend and that they will be even older after they celebrate said birthday (After I turn 4 then I will be 5, and 6, and 7, and...) 

I think 4 will be a promising age. One that will be filled with so many thoughts and wonder. Here are some of my favorite's so far:

Isabel: (Listening to Alica Keys song "This Girl is on Fire"): "If the girl is on fire....where is the fire?"

Isabel (on a deeper note): "What happens when you die?"

Me: Ahhh...fumbling for words..."You become one with the universe." 

Isabel: "I don't want to die."

Me: "You don't have to worry about that for a long while."

Me: (discussing the idea of family lineage): "When you have a baby then I will be your baby's Grandma.

Isabel: "I don't want you to turn into a Grandma." "I want you to stay a Mom."

Isabel: "If we are going to run errands then why are we walking?"

I love you Isabel and hope you have nothing but unicorns and fairies in your future. 

Sirens's of the Lambs

Bansky's, Sirens of the Lambs rolled through Williamsburg this weekend. Cute or Creepy? Stella sure thought they were cute!

Happy Friday!

I can't believe it's already the middle of October! It has really begun to feel like fall in NYC and I am loving it! This (long) weekend Stella and I will lie low in NYC while Valentino takes Isabel upstate for some autumn splendor. I have a babysitter tonight and tomorrow, no plans for tonight (maybe I'll take in a movie by myself) and tomorrow a few local Moms and I are heading to the city to see our friend Alexa perform in her band Karena. Hope you get to snuggle up in a cozy sweater, sip some cider, and take in the crisp air whereever you are! 

I saw this comic floating around on Facebook. Have you seen it yet? It's pretty accurate don't you think. I will be shopping for Isabel's costume this week and will steer clear of a sexy butterfly...Stella will be Isabel's recycled chicken from two years ago.

This Is What Happens When You're Not Watching.

It took awhile, but Stella is eating like a champ now. She is even showing signs of being a better eater than her big sister Isabel. (Hurray!) She is eating so good in fact that she is eating items that are not edible. This week she was caught red handed chewing on the heel of my boot, dipping toilet paper in the toilet to then reach in and take it out and well...I'll spare you the details, and finally this...

She finds the tips of markers to be the most delicious I guess because before she devoured the blue she had polished off the yellow and orange!

Her entire mouth and teeth were blue...pretty funny I must admit... and don't worry they were non-toxic! 

I pried her mouth open and wiped it out... surprisingly it came clean pretty quickly (guess these were extra washable!)

Brooklyn Is Not Expanding!

Annie Hall, one of my all time favorites

I was listening to NPR last night and reminded of this clip from the movie Annie Hall. Alvy Singer really has it all figured out! And the mother's reaction is priceless!

Mother(to doctor): He's been depressed. All of a sudden, he can't do anything.

Doc: Why are you depressed, Alvy?

Mother: Tell doctor Flicker. It's something he read.
Doc: Something you read, heah?
Alvy: The universe is expanding.
Doc: The universe is expanding?
Alvy: Well, the universe is everything, and if it's expanding, someday it will break apart and that would be the end of everything!
Mother(shouting): What is that your business? (to doctor) He stopped doing his homework.
Alvy: What's the point?
Mother: What has the universe got to do with it? You're here in Brooklyn! Brooklyn is not expanding!

Bugaboo Photo Shoot!

Our friend Suzanne, the Public Relations Consultant for Bugaboo Strollers, asked us a few weeks ago if she could submit our family to be considered for the Bugaboo photo campaign that was shooting in NYC. Bugaboo was looking for "real" families (not sure what that criteria entailed...) but I guess our family looked "real" enough because they chose us! I will let the photos tell the complete story below...

We met at the Ace Hotel for hair and makeup. Isabel was very interested in learning ALL about the makeup and is now considering a career as a make-up artist.

What If Your Kid Calls You By Your First Name?

"I work too hard to be merely referred to as Jenny!" Ego or not?

Yesterday, when I picked Isabel up from school she asked the teacher if "Jenny" could come into the classroom to see her art project. Her teacher said," Oh, do you have a visitor today?" I explained that I was the Jenny she was referring to...there was some awkward laughter on both our parts as I quickly assured her use of such noun was just a phase. Thing is I am not sure if it is a phase. Isabel has been calling Valentino...well Valentino for well over a year. It happened innocently enough one day she just called him by his first name and it stuck. It never bothered him...it does however bother others. "How come she calls him Valentino?" "Oh my that would never happen in our family." Are common replies people offer when they hear her call him by his first name. It is almost as if calling him Valentino is showing a lack of love or bond...as if the title Papa or Daddy gives confirmation of such a bond. I have attributed the use of noun to an Italian family tradition. Valentino has been calling his father Diego since he was young. All of his immediate family (he has two sisters and one brother) call his father Diego. When I asked him why they call him Diego he can offer up no more explanation than "Well...that's his name." I guess that's sufficient. His father like Valentino is loving and caring...so no further inquiry is needed I suppose??

So back to the question at hand...Isabel has begun to call me Jenny. Do I share the same sentiment as Valentino...NO WAY! Over the past year she has called me "Mom" good, "Mommy" cute and good,  "Mama Jenny," strange but ok, and "Jenny" not so good. Call me traditional, but I work too  hard to be referred to as plain old Jenny!  When she calls me "Jenny" I respond...who's Jenny? Then she corrects herself. So I need some advice. Should I be concerned? I know she loves me and knows I am her Mom. Is this my ego talking? I know there are worst things she could call me, but those titles, I assume, will have to wait until she is a teenager!

Me, Kelly, and MOM!...We would have NEVER thought to call her Donna.

Paul and the Family

This weekend I had the pleasure of meeting and working with Paul Barbera. Paul is an interiors and lifestyle photographer who has established an impressive roster of clients which include Vogue Living and ELLE Decor to name a few. He shoots his subjects using natural elements...no fussy set-up or lights and gives minimal direction...'Just ignore me'...were the instructions he gave before we began. His blog Where They Create (turned book of the same title) takes a peek into the intimate spaces where artists and other creatives hone their craft. Below are a few select pictures from his work if you'd like to see.

Paul in action, taking our photo for Bugaboo Stroller.

No Connection

Typography taken from Design is Mine

"O' where O' where has my internet gone? O' where O' where can she be?" This is the song I have been singing for the past 36 hours! Without the internet connected I felt... well...disconnected! It left me wondering how I ever survived before it! No blog post! No NPR! No Facebook! No e-mail! You get the idea!  So after about the umpteenth time of checking to see if it was working...the magic box (we'll call it that since it might as well be magic, as I have no clue how it really works) finally came back to life! So what did I learn from my internet fast you might ask? I seriously considered a career in Information Technology! A career path that would never keep me without my precious internet again and one that desperately needs more women (seriously have you ever met a female in IT?)

So here I am! It's Friday! It is so great to have Valentino back! We went out last night and had a great meal at one of our favorite restaurants Morandi. This weekend we are doing a family photoshoot on Saturday for the Bugaboo Stroller company! They were casting for "real families" and they chose ours! I will post more about that next week! Have a great weekend... and "May the internet be with you!"

End of our meal last night...things got a little crazy as I "let my hair down! "

Words to live by

I recently saw this quote by Will Rogers and it has stuck with me. I am always dwelling on the past and worrying about the future. I need to practive living in the now. I once read that those living in the past are depressed, those living in the future are anxious,  and those living in the present are at peace! I think I am a combination of all three! Happy Wednesday! Where do you fit in?

Merry Christmas it's October!

Today is significant for two reasons. First,  Valentino comes back from his European Vacation Work Trip! Second, it's  October 1st! October happens to be my favorite month out of the year! I love everything about October from the changing leaves, crisp weather, to of course Halloween. Thing is I do not like celebrating or thinking about holidays (for that matter) wayyyyy before they are due. For example, we were in the grocery store around the end of August and what do I see in the cookie aisle but Halloween Oreo's! It wasn't even September and they were already gearing up for Halloween. This summer Isabel asked me to read her Frosty the Snowman and I refused! I just can't celebrate unless it is a month from the Holiday! So since today is October 1st I will glady let Isabel put up the scary skeletons, watch The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, and read to her from Scary, Scary Halloween. Frosty will have to wait until December!

Isabel last Halloween. Trick-or-treating is great in NYC becasue you just need to find one apartment building and go door -to -door. We hit the candy jack pot last year as many homes had over compensated and bought too many treats....by the end of the night they were pouring the candy into the bucket.