Celebrating the 100th Day of School

We went to Wollman Rink, all 430 Second- and Third- graders from P.S.234. It was a great time and I wasn't even offended that Tass ignored me the whole time and skated with his friends.

Coming out of his shell?

McAllister was excited to do the 2nd grade Chorus/Dance Show at school. The kids sang variouls NYC songs (that was the theme- it's not just me who remains in awe of this city!) and his class' dance song was 'Rockaway Beach' by The Ramones (cool!). He's the one in the mohawk and grey hoodie. He loved that mohawk and was stoked to be on stage!

When the Family's Away...

...The Mom will paint a piano.
We are in the process of redoing our entire living area, new furniture, rugs, lighting, paint. Oh, ok, by 'living area' I mean entire apartment. Listen to me, as if I have more than one room to live in (bedrooms too small to count)!
We had your standard (free) brown wood piano that I had been wanting to paint. At first it was to be 'taxi yellow' but then I didn't want it to be the focal point of our entire kitchen/dining/play/living/office spaces, so we went with 'radiator grey'. Jason took the kids to Arizona for February Break for a week and I watched the Olympics and regained my sanity. It was great. As for the piano, 4 coats and a trip to Mood for the fabric later, *voila'!* understated polish. The play storage furniture next to it is on the chopping block, to be replaced April 2 when our new stuff is delivered. Pictures to come...

Taking Hybernation Literally

Ok, so I've been a bit negligent in posting. I think I felt I had nothing to say, peppered with so much to say that I was overwhelmed at the thought of publishing it. So I'm going to work backwards and say that life, finally, is good. Actually, it was always good, I just have finally gotten around to recognizing it again.
I'm pretty sure I suffer from that winter seasonal disorder, so at my bluest moments have plotted my suicide via Whole Foods' lemon Vitamin D gummies. At my best moments I have been grateful, proud, and strong. Crisis averted, spring is here!!!

Jason

In the past few months Jason resigned from his job, got a physical trainer (hello six-pack and happy body/mind!), went to Hawaii to learn to surf, got a new job, and turned 40. Whenever I say 'Life Is Good' it is directly because of this man. I am so lucky! My love for Jason comes out in my Buttercream frosting. Underneath that perfect fondant exterior is more buttercream than I've ever put on a cake before. :)

This is How We Look Everyday

Me, an angel; London, the embodiment of freedom; McAllister, defender of the free world; Daisy, green happiness.Happy Halloween.

Welcome Back Whiting

I took a class at FIT (Fashion Institue of Technology) this fall, Fashion Styling 101. Very, very interesting class. Inspiring on some levels. I was such a geek and in my attempt to make up for many, many skipped classes at BYU 18 years ago, really took this class seriously. For our final we had to style outfits based on a theme. Instead of doing glam-rock or Boho-chic as my inspiration, I did 'The White Shirt' (which incidentally was the subject of a real editorial in a fashion mag or something just recently, so I wasn't way off). I then pushed it one step further and styled for... what are those things called?... oh yeah, children.

My instructor said, [by styling for children's fashion] "You just beat out all your competition." I was really proud of the results. My concept was for a fake kids magazine (since 'Cookie' has folded), taking one white shirt for girls, one for boys, and styling it in a playful and then dress-up way. The message was wallet-friendly versatility.

Results:I have no idea if this class will ever prove useful. It was just fun to push myself in ways I haven't. With all that I've been doing personally (Jason says this is my year to 'dapple'), I've felt more balanced and happy and yes, busy. But somehow in ways I can't explain it feels worth it. My favorite quote is from George Eliot, "It's never too late to be who you might have been."

I hope I am setting an example for my kids as they see me taking classes or working part-time or dreaming up new ideas. Because we're always talking about it, I hope that they can see it is never too late or you are never too set in your ways to try something new, do something scary or unfamiliar, or to add something new to who you are. Never too late.