Sleep

I am convinced that getting enough sleep helps our family all get along and manage, no matter how much space we live in. I am so sleep deprived, and I know that there's no way I can catch up on sleep until next week when my classes are finished. Yet, this morning, after staying up late again to work on my website( 1:30 a.m last night and 3:45 a.m. the night before), I went back to be for another 1 1/2 hours. I'm still tired, but at least now I feel that I'm a little more able to do what I need to do, and I'll be a better driver later on today.

This will be my last post for a while. As soon as my classes are over, I'll be going into Christmas mode. I have a couple of co-op shifts to catch up on and a little more shopping to do. On Christmas eve, we're going to go to grammy's house and on the day after Christmas, we'll be driving to NW NY to see grandpa for a couple of days. My daughter is going to participate in a neighborhood recital and we'll have a little party to entertain kids and their families. It will be nice for the kids to get to know the neighbors so that they might play with them again when we return during the summer.

In January, we'll work on getting the apartment in better shape, doing things that we wanted to do in August and September, but couldn't. We need to organize my son's room and weed through books and toys. The bathroom and my daughter's room need to be painted. We may even paint my son's room. Every room in the apartment needs to be scrubbed, dusted and vacuumed. At some point we need to order new rugs for their rooms. My daughter still has the alphabet rug we bought when she was a baby. And then there are the boxes that sit in our living room. Most of it can probably be tossed. The hallway has grown into a nasty stacked-up storage space that must be sorted through. We have a lot to do, but I am pledging to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night during my break and to read at least 3 books before I return to school at the end of January. I also need to get a hair cut and see all of my doctors for check-ups. And then there's my scrapbooking project, which I haven't really worked on since July. I was current up until May 2006, and I still need to do my summer vacation album. I would like to order all the prints and get organized to finish the album at the scrapbooking weekend I plan to attend in February.

Best wishes for a Happy New Year!

To-do for school

Today, I will post the list of things that need to be done as I finish up with this semester's responsibilities.

Of course, what this means is that I have to spend a lot of time on this during the next 8 days, sitting at this desk, getting cramps in my hands and my neck and my body. Must remember to do the stretching exercises. Housework and laundry will continue to take 2nd place. My husband is complaining that he is spending too much time as a single parent. Hmmm. no comment to that -- based on my experiences over the last 9 years.

I will have to spend a lot of time getting cupcakes ready for my son's birthday. One might ask why I'm not buying the cupcakes....I make them because I have to. My son is allergic to nuts and this makes it impossible to buy pre-made cakes.

Technology of Information:
(2 more classes: 12/11 and 12/18)

1. finish website
2. finish putting together portfolio (I am afraid that there may be some issues the saving of some of the material and I hope that I won't have to go back and redo anything because it will take a lot of time)
3. do extra credit for lab #14
4. finish the blog writing
5. study for quiz #4 by reviewing flash cards for units G and H

Fundamentals of Library and Information Science:

1. (one more class: 12/13)
2. finish research paper
3. write 4 essay questions for quiz prep
4. study for last Quiz -- #3

Christmas to-do list

We still have a few more days, but I am waiting for a few packages to arrive from:

• Brookstone
• Pottery Barn
• Sierra Trading Company

We also need to wrap a bunch of things. I plan to sneak them into my mom's car when she comes over on Friday. This makes Santa's job so much easier. Usually we have to sneak all the presents into boxes and put them in the trunk of the car, with the kids watching. It's ridiculous!

Other things I still need to do:

• at co-op, buy jam for my dad and other little gifts for my mom
• buy gifts at American Girl for my daughter
• mail out about 20 family calendars to family and friends
• wrap presents and send them to my brother and my husband's sister
• prepare kid's fall photos and the karate photos of my daughter from last Spring
• frame a photo for my son's birthday -- oops (wrong to-do list)

The Mobile Office

I'm working out of my mobile office today, at Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library. Events during the week with my son's asthma led to full days of not being able to do any work on my paper, and I got behind. So, I decided that I couldn't work at home at my desk in the living room with the TV on or toys being dragged out onto the rug, sibling squabbles and the stuffy smell of the latkes we made last night. My son peeled the potatoes, my daughter grated the potatoes and the onions, they both broke the eggs and stirred. I cooked them and my husband had the delightful job of cleaning it all up.

At the library, I still notice the smell of fried potatoes and onions in the bag I brought the laptop in, and in my coat! I found a table in the art and music reference area on the 3rd floor. The last time I was up here, I was here on an emergency, probably about 5 years ago when my son was a baby and my daughter was in preschool. Her school was across the street from the library, so we were in the children's area a lot. That day, the bathrooms on the first floor were out of service, so I was sent to the 3rd floor out of desperation for a changing table, which we really needed.

So, now I'm back on the 3rd floor and a lot has changed. There's a new bathroom, and I have a new mission. I'm working on my research paper for GSLIS 701. The topic is Adult Literacy Programs in Public Libraries. I borrowed my daughter's lap top and I just think it's so amazing. There's a wireless network here, and this computer is new and fast. Now if I can only get used to the keyboard. I think I'm going to have to buy one of these!

Another amazing thing. As I was reading through my research, I heard an announcement that the friends of BPL literacy was having a bake sale here on 3rd floor. I went in and bought a cupcake and a cookbook by the Friends of Literacy group at BPL and met the woman in charge of the literacy program. This is what I'm writing my paper about. She has an office at the Park Slope branch and she invited me to stop by next week for a visit. She's there 9-5! When I got back to my table, I recognized her name in one of the books I'm reading.

The cookbook is a real bonus!

Hanukkah to-do list

We're in the middle of Hanukkah now, and most of my tasks are finished for this holiday.
I still have to do the following:

• Make sure I have enough ingredients for latkes (potato pancakes) (get sour cream).
• Make applesauce from all of the surplus apples in the fridge - use crock pot)
• Set up kids presents for each other (glove mittens).
• Make latkes on Friday.

On the first night of Hanukkah, I was at my Tuesday class, and I heard that the kids complained about receiving snow boots on the first day. Of course they wanted fun things. We have also given books, which after an initial grumble are actually very well received an appreciated. We try to give practical small gifts for this holiday, knowing that my son's birthday and Christmas are right around the corner.

My son had another doctor's appointment today and I was able to take him back to school for the afternoon. But after this morning's appointment, we also had to go to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription for an antibiotic. We had to wait a long time for it, and so we went to the nearby diner for hot chocolate. By the time we got to school it was lunch time, but my son needed another nebulizer treatment. I had to fill out paperwork that is going to take a long time to get approved before the school nurse is authorized to administer the nebulizer medicine. So, until that happens, I will need to go to the school and take care of that for Harry.

Birthday to-do list

My son is home today from school again. He must remain calm, so I'm letting him watch as much TV as he can stand. In the meantime, I'm working on Quiz preparation for my 2 classes.
I missed my co-op shift today, so I'll have to make it up in early January when I return from my mini vacation.

My life has been reduced to numerous to-do lists. Today, I'll list the things I need to do for my son's birthday next weekend:

• Make 36 cupcakes for his class for Friday 12/14. (Reserve 4 for dinner later that night when my mom will be coming over to celebrate her birthday.)
• Make 36 cupcakes for his party on Saturday 12/14. (reserve 6 for my son's actual birthday on 12/16, when his grandfather will be visiting).
• Wrap presents.
• Pick up pinata.
• Wait for hideously expensive pinata filler to arrive by UPS from from Oriental Trading Company.
• Fill pinata
• Prepare gift bags.
• Consider making bags of cookies to give away in addition to the pinata junk.
• Confirm with the families that have not yet rsvp'd.
• Give final tally to karate studio -- we're up to 16 including my son. It's exactly what I expected -- about a 50% attendance, after inviting 30 kids
• Note: most of the cupcake baking will have to take place on the evening and into the night of Thursday, 12/13 after my GSLIS 701 class.
  

Avoiding the ER

It's late, but my husband is giving my son a Xopenex treatment here in the living room as I type, to help to improve his breathing. Since the age of 5 weeks, he has struggled with asthmatic problems, but there had been a gap of over a year since the last serious incident. We spent about three hours this afternoon at the pediatrician's office and may have spent the night in the ER, but I asked if we would really be seen right away or not. Usually when I go to the ER in our neighborhood, we're there for 3 hours until we are seen by the doctor. And then sometimes it's another three hours after that before we can go home. I asked the doctor if she could make a call to the ER to help us to get in earlier, and at first she said she could do that, but she's only been at this practice for two weeks, and I wondered how she might pull off a favor like that. In the end, she gave us the prescriptions and sent us on our way with instructions to give my son a treatment by nebulizer every 3 hours and to come back to the office in the morning. No school tomorrow. I hope I can get some work done and that Doug can come home early enough so I can go to my class to hand in the paper I'm still working on.

An afternoon with my daughter

The house remained messy this afternoon and the laundry piled up while I took the afternoon to spend with my daughter. She needed new lenses in her glasses, so we went to the mall in Manhattan, and yes, such a place exists. It's convenient to the F-train, which takes us right into the building and the eye glasses shop is steps from the subway. It took longer than expected, of course, to get the lenses, but that meant that we had time to eat a late lunch and to do some shopping for much-needed clothes for my daughter. We braved the outside cold and the crowds to go to the Gap and Macy's. Macy's was the most crowded and draining, but we by chance got to see the Waterford Crystal ball that will be "dropped" at Times Square on New Year's Eve. It was brightly lit in a changing array of colors. We moved along quickly due to the crowds, but it was a bonus to see it.

We arrived at home in time to greet my daughter's best friend from school who came to our house for a sleep-over. We ordered pizza and made sundaes. My son felt a bit out of sorts because he hasn't had any sleepovers with his friends yet. And he doesn't like to be left out. But he wasn't feeling well, so he went to bed, and the girls got to watch a movie on my daughter's new laptop. It made the evening a lot more calm. Until I have finished my classes this semester, I won't be the greatest of hosts!

Countdown to the holidays, part 2

Tonight, as I was sitting down to do some studying, my husband interrupted, mentioning that I had promised to wrap presents tonight, and to go over all of the gifts we've gathered so far. I sighed and then stared at all the bags and boxes he had unearthed from our bedroom closet and under our bed. I knew that it had to be done, but it always seems like such a chore. Six years ago as we were preparing for the arrival of our son, we got all of the presents ready before Thanksgiving, just in case he was born early. Ever since, we've tried to be ready for Hanukkah a few days before. It took us a couple of hours, but we sorted out the presents for each of our kids, and wrapped all of them. We need to get a few more things for our daughter. It's always a relief to have the the presents ready before the holiday. They will be getting a lot of books this year. The kids really do enjoy the presents, and we enjoy their happy smiles.

Earlier in the week, I stopped at a local coffee shop that carries the beeswax candles that fit our Menorah, which was handcrafted by my father. The beeswax candles are the only type that fit the candle holders, which anchor the candles with spikes. Years ago, I used to buy the wax from a bee keeper and make my own. My husband and I would spend a couple of nights cutting the wax into the right size, heating the individual pieces with a hair dryer and then rolling a wick into the wax. Obviously, we haven't had time for this luxurious craft in years. When I found the $12 box of pre-made candles, I knew that my candle-making days were over, and now I buy them every year.

Tomorrow, I need to order some nut-free chocolate!

Countdown to the holidays, part 1 -- gathering presents

December is always an especially challenging month for our family. At one point, I did enjoy the holidays, but now it's just one more overwhelming thing. I try to do less each year, but it seems that the events take on a snowball effect. I think it's fun for the kids, but for my husband and me, there are so many tasks at hand and most of them have to do with gathering presents. We celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas, and my son's birthday is December 16. It's easy for his birthday to get lost in all of the other celebrations, especially if there's an overlap when Hanukkah happens on the same days as his birthday or Christmas. And for him, it's the best part of the year, but he complains because he has to wait so long to get his presents.

This year, each event can be celebrated separately. Hanukkah runs for eight days, then we'll have a 3-day break until my son's birthday party and birthday. And then 8 days until Christmas eve. Last year it all came together, with Hanukkah starting on the day of his birthday.

My husband and I started gathering presents the week before Thanksgiving, but we haven't wrapped anything yet. We are planning to get started with that tonight. Our closet is starting to bulge, and the space under our bed is filled with books. I even have a stack of books hidden on the file cabinet, in plain view in my dining room. I have the spines turned inside. The kids will get a lot of books for Hanukkah. Toys and other things for Christmas. We used to send out about 100 cards to our friends and family, but last year we couldn't keep up with it. We sent out a Kodak photo album to our friends, but later realized that many people didn't even open it up, or didn't receive it. I'm still going to try it again this year. I may just send an email note with a photo or two actually in the email.

As I'm writing this, I am suddenly interrupted by the some annoying noise from my upstairs neighbors, and I need to pause to put some music on Pandora.com. OK, I'm back and now I'm listening to a radio station featuring music by Pink and related songs.

A few nights ago when I was studying late into the night, I smelled smoke and heard a guy jabbering away on a cell phone. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from until I peaked out my front window only to find that there was a guy sitting on his window sill, smoking away. I think I startled him, but then I stormed away and went to bed. It was after 1:00 a.m. anyway.

Countdown to birthday party

I don't know how I did this, but we will be celebrating my son's birthday for about 3 days. On Friday, December 14, I will need to bring in 2 dozen cupcakes for his class to celebrate. On Saturday, December 15, we have the party at the karate studio from 2-4, and there will have to be a cake or more cupcakes. I invited 30 kids including his whole class plus a few others. So far, I've only heard from a few people, and many have declined. It's such a busy time of the year. I figured if I had at least a 50% acceptance rate, I'd have a good crowd for him. I bought a pinata, and now I have to order the treats to fill it. I will also have to provide goodie bags, which are such a waste of money. And I have no idea why I scheduled the party one day before his birthday, when I could have scheduled it on Sunday. At the time I scheduled the party, I was probably under the impression that the karate studio was closed on Sundays. So, on my son's birthday, we'll have yet another celebration, probably anticlimactic, but the presents will keep coming.

Last year, we had my son's party at the New York City Transit Museum ("subway museum"). We had the place to ourselves for about 2 hours. Instead of giving cheap, yet expensive, goodie bags, I gave each child a book about trains. I went crazy with the cake though because I found a train cake pan at Williams-Sonoma and made individual trains and cars and then decorated them all. They looked good, but I don't think that the kids actually ate them. I made chocolate and vanilla, and used various colors of icing.

This year, the kids will go crazy for the cheap treats in the pinata and maybe I'll make chocolate chip cookies and give each child 6. That would be relatively easy. Who really needs another pencil or sticker or cheap plastic toy anyway?

My Daughter's Piano Recital

I stayed overnight in New Jersey on Friday night, and on Saturday morning, my mom and I drove back to Brooklyn and arrived by about 9:45 a.m. We were just in time to clean up the apartment to prepare for my daughter's piano recital. The floors needed to be vacuumed and mopped and we needed to put away toys. The dining room was arranged with chairs in a semi circle behind the spinet piano. When we arrived, she was already dressed in her best party dress and ready to perform. The piano teacher arrived at 11:45 as arranged, but we waited for grandpa, who couldn't find a parking spot. While we waited, the piano teacher played for us. Grandpa eventually arrived and the recital began. My daughter played beautifully. Her expression was beautiful and her technique is improving. She has made great strides since her first lesson this fall. Even though we didn't have a full house, it was worth the experience to give her the motivation. We gave her the last pink rose of summer from Grammy's garden.

The Day After Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving pretty much in the same style as we have for over fifteen years here at my mom's house in the north section of Newark. My parents have been divorced for over 12 years now, but my dad always returns for this weekend. My brother always comes in from Portsmouth, NH and my husband's parents would come over too, until last year when Doug's mom passed away. Usually there are a few guests as well. Yesterday, our group of 12 included my parents, my brother, my family, and one of my dad's voice students from Mount Scenario College, in Ladysmith, WI with his wife and her son. We had not seen them for a while so the conversation was lively as we all caught up with each other.

The menu was traditional: turkey, giblet gravy, stuffing (made with bread, butter, celery and onions, candied sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pineapple sherbet and pie for desert.

My mom's house is impressive. Built in about 1929 before the stock market crash, it features beautiful fittings, alabaster lamps, interesting brass door knobs and leaded glass windows. It's about 3,500 square feet with: 3 bedrooms, each with their own interior bathroom (2 with shower one with a tub; panelled library filled with books; finished attic with 3 cedar storage closets; kitchen with pantry and back staircase to the second floor; full dining room with a large table; finished basement with a bar; laundry in the basement; living room with coat closet and a sun room; formal entryway; front staircase with landing; window seat and a mural on the walls and 2 half baths (for a total of 5 bathrooms). She has a beautiful garden with a fountain, many flowers, lavendar, herbs and vegetables.

The Night Before Thanksgiving

Last year, I spent 2 hours in traffic between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on my way to Newark to see my family. For years we've been gathering in Newark for Thanksgiving. This year, I decided to stay home on the night before Thanksgiving simply to avoid the traffic and to do a little more preparation. I spent the day writing a paper and studying, and really couldn't spare the time to pack suitcases or to cook anything. In the meantime, my mom made 2 pumpkin pies, 1 blueberry pie and a shoefly pie, plus pineapple sherbet. I really didn't miss cooking this year.

My house needs to be cleaned. I'm starting to count the dust bunnies accumulating in the hallway and in my bedroom, but the laundry is done and my husband kindly and generously folded all of it! We call him The Folder. The weekend will be full and I'll be sure to journal the hightlights in the days to come.

Corn husks

This afternoon, I noticed that my daughter needed corn husks to bring to class tomorrow. She had mentioned that she was going to make the corn husk dolls in class, but never told me about the requirement of bringing in the corn husks. I finally read the note on her homework reminder sheet. On the way home from school, I kept thinking, where in the world am I going to get corn husks in Brooklyn with less than one day's notice. But it was my lucky day. A few weeks ago, my husband bought two sets of mini dried colored corn at the green market, with dried corn husks. So, I cut off the tops and put them in her backpack.

Sometimes the number of things that are required from parents approach the ridiculous. There are many many tests and permission slips to sign, and many opportunities to donate food to parties. For example, there's a Thanksgiving feast in the classroom on Wednesday. I had to admit that I can't cook for this event. I bought a cherry pie that I might bring to Thanksgiving Dinner or I could give it to the classroom. But I also have a gallon of apple cider that will work just fine.

Not that I mind participating, but I do feel overwhelmed. I don't like it when I miss something that I was supposed to do and it affects my daughter! I need to remind her constantly to participate in reminding me!

Fantastic Day

It was a marathon day today. Staying up late meant that I needed to sleep in a bit today and got ready just in time to leave the house at 11:00. I needed to be in the city for a class at the Humanities and Social Science Library (NYPL) at 42nd Street. I really enjoyed the class and was so fortunate to have friends in town. We've known each other for about 20 years and went to a atudy abroad program in Copenhagen together in 1988.

In the meantime, my daughter carried on with her piano and karate lessons, and had a playdate with a friend. I heard that there was a leaf-hunting walk in the park.

We met on the library steps and then took a bus down 5th Avenue to the Forbes Museum where it was quiet and just the place to talk and catch up. After that we went on a search for New York Cheese cake and found it at Juniors in Grand Central Terminal. We stayed in the food court for a while and then ended up at the bar at the Cipriani.

At about 6:30 p.m., it was time to go and we made our way to the shuttle back to the west side. Two friends were heading back to their hotel for evening activities at the conference they were attending, and one friend and I were headed back to Penn Station. But I fainted on the shuttle because I wasn't feeling well. So instead of taking the train home, my friend kindly got a taxi and we make our way back to Brooklyn. My husband then took him to the LIRR station here in Brooklyn for his trip to Long Island. My kids read Sesame Street stories to me in bed.

I'm here writing and may have to go through and edit this a bit later, but it's all I can do for now. The house is a mess, especially the kitchen...due to the malfunctioning sink and dishwasher but now it's back to bed for me. I think I have a fever.

TGIF

As Fridays go, this one wasn't so bad. The afternoon was rather calm with the kids. I decided to order pizza and salad and then had time to make banana bread. I really couldn't have cooked though because our sink is clogged and the adjacent dishwasher is clogged too. My husband promised to try to fix it with a drain cleaner tomorrow, because pouring hot water down the drain did nothing. We may have to call the plumber after all, and pay an exorbitant fee for it. Hopefully it will all work out -- otherwise my take-out bills will be sky high.

I need to stay up late tonight to study for a quiz which will take place the week after Thanksgiving. Saturday will be a busy day and I will have to miss kickboxing again.

Mom, why do the towels smell like garlic?

I suppose that the long answer to why our towels smell like garlic is that the apartment is small, and even if all of the windows were open, the cooking smells would be absorbed into the towels in the bathroom, which is really only about 15 feet from the kitchen, around the corner in the hall. Also, the ventilation hood for the stove top is set up in the microwave, which is installed just above the stove top, but if you are cooking on the front burner, the aromas don't reach the fan, just behind, and cooking steam goes straight up to the ceiling.

But the short answer is that I made a delicious soup that had a lot of garlic in it.
Here's the recipe ( from A King Arthur Flour recipe booklet):

Albondigas Soup

Meatballs:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1 large egg
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano

Soup:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced onions
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 cans (about 28 ounces) diced or crushed tomatoes with green chilis
(or 2 cans diced or crushed tomatoes and a separate can of green chilis)
1 8-ounce zucchini, diced
6 cups (48 ounces) chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sliced scallions (optional)
juice of 1 lime
cilantro sprigs for garnish

To make the meatballs:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In medium saute pan, heat the olive oil and add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• In a mixing bowl combine the beef, pork, egg, cornmeal, cumin and oregano. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir in the 1/2 cup cooked onions.
• Mix well and form into 1-inch balls.
• Place the meatballs on a baking sheet and cook for 20-25 minutes. (Cooking the meatballs this way sets the proteins in the meat and will keep the soup from getting cloudy when it simmers.
• Remove the meatballs from the oven and set aside.

For the soup:

• In a 6-quart pan, heat the olive oil.
• Add the onions and cook, stirring iccasionally, until they become translucent and begin to pick up some color. Stir in the garlic and zucchini, and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaf and salt, and bring to a simmer.
• Carefully drop in teh meatballs.
• Reduce the soup to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
• Five minutes before serving, add the scallions and lime juice.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired.
• Serve with fresh cilantro on top.
• Yield 12 cups, 8 12-ounce servings.

P.S. Several of my favorite shirts smelled like garlic and onions so now I have to wash them again. Next week I'm making beef stew. Does that mean I have to encase my clothes in plastic?

On November 13th...

It's November 14th, and this should have been posted yesterday. However, it was a half-day for the kids, plus parent-teacher conference meetings in the afternoon. Plus I had class in the evening, which meant that I had to drop off the kids at their grandpa's house and then my husband had to pick them up after work. Grandpa drove them all home after dinner.


Anyway, here's the Odd Couple reference upon which I based this blog:

"On November 13th, Felix Unger was asked to remove himself from his place of residence. That request came from his wife. Deep down, he knew she was right, but he also knew that someday he would return to her. With nowhere else to go, he appeared at the home of his childhood friend, Oscar Madison. Sometime earlier, Madison's wife had thrown him out, requesting that he never return. Can two divorced men share an apartment without driving each other crazy?"

I'm Felix, and I live with three Oscars.

Blissfully quiet

Everyone is out of the house right now and it's quiet. While my daughter attended Sunday school, my husband took my son to his first basketball clinic. In the meantime, I've ignored the mess in the kitchen so that I could do some prep work on my website assignment. I think that I now have enough material for a good start. I still have many hours of quiz prep to do, so that will have to take place this afternoon and this evening. The kids are off from school today and Tuesday afternoon, so most of my work has to get done today. I will probably take them on a field trip to a science or children's museum, depending on what's open.

I was going to make a special soup this afternoon, but I forgot to buy the main ingredient so I'll have to do that tomorrow afternoon. I haven't touched the laundry, but at least the apartment is still relatively clean.

They will be home any minute clamoring for lunch and then my daughter is having two friends over for a playdate from 2-5. Hopefully, my son and husband can go back out for a while to the park. The leaves are gorgeous right now, and I can see a few trees with striking reddish leaves.

I CAN'T believe that you threw that out!

We finally made some progress in tossing out some more things today. My husband went to Ebay to try to sell a few things, mostly books. We had boxes of books in our trunk for about a month, and I had saved a few things for my daughter's Hannukah presents. It turned out that Ebay didn't take a lot of the things. So, he went to the Salvation Army to drop off what they wouldn't take....including the 3 items I had saved for my daughter! When he got home, he proudly announced that he had cleaned out the trunk. I hit the roof. Then he gave me the keys so I could drive (like a maniac) back down to Flatbush Avenue to the Salvation Army to get the items I wanted. When I got there, I breathlessly explained my situation. Turns out they had put out the flower press and the bead kit and had already and priced them! I'm glad I made it there in time.

I dashed back home and had enough time to make a pear galette and dinner for the kids. Our dinner guests arrived later than expected, so it will all work out OK. We're planning to go out for dinner at a nearby restaurant.

E.T.

As a reward for general good behavior during the last two weeks, I rented a movie for the whole family to see tonight. The kids needed some extra encouragement to get out of the house calmly in the mornings and to transition from the idea of leaving our cozy home and going outside for the walk to school. I set up a chart next to the door that includes all of the routines for morning, bedtime and our after-school activities. If there was a smooth morning or evening, the kids got a sticker for the chart. We had more sticker -days than non-sticker days, so I have to say this system is working for now. We have tried other reward systems that help to get over certain problems, and found that it will work for as long as we support it.

Back to the movie. The kids worked out a dance routine to do just before the movie. A "now enjoy the show" sort of routine. Fantastic! I first saw this movie when it came out in the early 80's, and really loved seeing some of the famous parts again such as the wonderful relationship between Elliot and ET, the dress-up scene, the scene where ET hides in stuffed animal.

I need to go back to studying now. The kids will be off from school on Monday, and I have a quiz on Thursday, so I need to work in studying whenever I can this weekend, and even though I will feel guilty doing it, it's a matter of academic survival at this point.

A 25- hour day

Sometimes it seems as if we feel that if we only had a few more hours in a day, we could do more. I think that if we had more hours in a day, we would find more to add to the schedule. This seemed to be the case last Saturday and Sunday, only i wasn't trying to add anything.... It was a snowball effect, seemingly out of control. We were extremely over booked. Here's what the schedule looked like:

Saturday:
son has doctor's appointment in morning
mom makes carrot-cake cupcakes with cream cheese icing
daughter has piano lesson and karate lesson back to back
daughter has play date for the afternoon
son has birthday party in the afternoon
mom has coffee with a new friend (while the party is going on)
back home again.
Husband finally home from playing golf all day in NJ
Mom drops off husbands shirts at dry cleaners and drops off cupcakes at the desert location for the evening's progressive dinner, then goes to shop to buy cheese and bread
Ends up with picking up daughter from playdate.
Home again to get ready for hosting the cocktail party and progressive dinner for school event.
Babysitter arrives
The kids go with babysitter out to dinner at nearby restaruant
Guests arrive for cocktail hour. We expected 10, but only got 6
We left for dinner several blocks away
Back up the street again for dessert at another house
It was nice to see other places in the neighborhood
Stopped at one more house for more dessert
Got home very late -- close to 1:00 a.m.
But it wasn't 1:00, it was really only midnight because of the time-change.

Sunday --
research and write paper all day
In the meantime, daughter has Hebrew School in the morning
daughter's best friend comes over
daughter goes to birthday party in the afternoon.
Son and husband go along.
Everyone meets at home for a late dinner of butternut squash soup

Preparing for cocktail parties and more

I spent the last half of last week getting over Halloween, working on a presentation for one of my classes, studying and preparing for a 6-8-page long written paper assignment. On Friday during the day, I also hired someone to help me clean the apartment in time for a school event on Saturday. The bathrooms and the kitchen were cleaned, the living room was vacuumed, my daughter's room was straightened up and cleaned, and almost all of the important papers were organized badly into piles of paper that I couldn't locate. In fact, this week, I couldn't find a test that I was supposed to sign for my daughter. I found it last night, but not after looking through all of the badly organized piles of papers and magazines. I moved the boxes from the living room to the hallway and should have moved them back to the living room, but they are still there. Then on Friday night, we went to a special potluck dinner and service for my daughter's Hebrew School. She took part in a Friday-night service. I thought the dinner was going to precede the service, and we were a little late. It turned out it was the other way around.

A review of last week's events:
Wednesday - Halloween
Thursday - class and meeting with son's therapist in the evening
Friday - study, cleaning, pick up kids from school, take son to play therapy,
make side dish for potluck, service and potluck at temple

I'm saving Saturday and Sunday for the next blog.

Halloween

I finally had a chance to load up my pictures from the Wednesday-night Halloween extravaganza. We invited two of my daughter's best friends to go trick-or-treating with us, and we all met at the apartment for something to eat and to get the costumes on. All I had to offer was mac and cheese (a huge tray from Fresh Direct) apples, and some cider. I couldn't put together much of a party because I've been swamped with school responsibilities -- for example a quiz the day before and a Power Point presentation, plus a paper due next week! The main thing was that we had fun together.

Our tradition is to go trick or treating and then meet my husband at the parade which starts at 6:30 at 7th Avenue and 12th Street. The parade is attended by practically every family in the neighborhood and it's a zoo! We usually walk with the parade about 16 blocks to Carroll Street where we see a wonderful puppet show and then we do a little more trick or treating and then head home. Check out this video on youtube, which is a show from a previous year. It's set up in the window of the basement of a brownstone. (Note, you may have to cut and paste this into your browser)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hKlYiA9eNY

Butternut Squash Soup

This recipe is one of my all-time favorites, and everybody in the family likes it, even the picky ones! I found it on www.allrecipes.com last year.

Butternut Squash Soup with Spinach Ravioli

Ingredients:

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup sliced onions
3/4 cup sliced leeks
2 1/ 2 to 3 cups peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash
1/2 cup dry white wine
5 cups chicken broth
1 pinch of cinnamon
1 pinch of ground ginger
3/4 up light cream
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place the cumin seeds and nutmeg in a large saucepan over medium heat, and cook until lightly browned. Stir in the butter and saute the onions and leeks until tender. Mix in squash, wine and chicken broth. Season with cinnamon and ginger. Reduce heat, and simmer 10-15 minutes.

2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ravioli and cook 8-10 minutes or until al dente. Drain.

3. With a hand mixer, puree the soup mixture. Blend in light cream and season with salt and pepper. Mix in the cooked ravioli just before serving.


Enjoy!

Could I have a turn in the kitchen please?

I got home from class (and a stop at my favorite ice cream shop in Queens) with the other classmates from Brooklyn. When I got home my husband was actually doing the dishes! I was happy about this because he doesn't always get the chance. I know that he'll be moving on to recycling and garbage duty next which is a regular Tuesday thing. It's so helpful of him!

But I need to make 2 dozen Halloween cupcakes for Harry's class -- tonight! So, I guess we'll be bumping into each other for a few minutes! Or maybe while I'm writing this blog, he'll finish up in the kitchen. I'm planning to make vanilla cupcakes with chocolate icing, with Halloween sprinkles. The kids will be going trick or treating tomorrow and then we'll join in the parade, which is a big deal in our neighborhood. My son is going to go as Harry Potter and my daughter is going as a witch with a white costume and face make up.

The kitchen is quiet now so I'd better get in there while I can and get to work. Let's hope I don't mix up the baking soda with the baking powder! I think that I have all of the ingredients!

Saved by the Soup, Otherwise Known as the Monday from Hell

It felt like a Monday this morning. The kids were resistant to switch gears and go willingly to school. The apartment was slightly chilly this morning when I woke up earlier than usual because my extreme stress level has left me unable to sleep more than 5 or 6 hours at a time. I got a lot done, starting with the dishes, and laundry and a grocery delivery at 7:30 a.m. I got a slightly late start to my kickboxing class and questioned my ability to do the class, because I felt slightly clumsy and definitely tired. I bumped into things as I carried my bike down and up the steps of the studio.

I did the class reasonably well and set off to the post office by bike. The clerk actually yelled at me to take my bike out of the lobby. When I went back inside, they looked for the package that I was to pick up, but couldn't find it. I know it's the special Halloween candy I ordered from a new nut-free candy company in Massachusetts. I need it for my son by Wednesday. I have some back-up chocolate. Surely there will be no shortage of treats for him on Halloween, even if I don't get it in time.

During the late morning and early afternoon, I spend some time studying and then quickly put together a batch of chili, and put it in the crock pot.

I dashed off to pick up my son from school to take him to his regular Monday appointment. He complained bitterly because I refused to buy him candy after school but we ended up getting hot chocolate and delicious French fries at a local diner. While we were there, the school nurse called and said that my daughter wasn't feeling well and we needed to go and pick her up from after school. We dashed back to school and then back home to drop her off and pick up our bikes, but my son's bike was still suffering of an off-kilter chain, so we grabbed scooters and my bike for the quick ride down our street to the doctor's office. A short while later, we went back home to pick up my daughter, who was still not done with homework or dressed for her karate class. Somehow we managed to get there, while Harry stopped frequently and begged for more store-items. When we got to the class, we discovered that we were just on time because the class was running a little late. Four hours after I picked up my son from school, we returned from the long afternoon, only to find that I had forgotten to put the milk away and I had forgotten to turn the crock-pot on. I had seen a plug near the crock-pot in the socket, but it turned out to be the coffee grinder. I was so angry!

But then I remembered our favorite butternut squash soup in the fridge that was supposed to be for Sunday, and had not been eaten. We all enjoyed some delicious soup! I'll post the recipe later this week.

City Noise

This afternoon, as I was sitting at my desk, trying to study, I suddenly head the jarring sound of jackhammers. Enraged, I yelled out "How am I supposed to work like this," even though no one would hear me or care. Earlier this morning I noticed the characteristic orange fluorescent paint on the road, and realized that there would be some road work to have to put up with. Whenever there is roadwork in the neighborhood, it causes odd traffic jams, and at certain times, depending on what is being worked on, our water will turn a lovely shade of brown.

This is just one of the noises I live with every day in our apartment -- including oil trucks which used to scare my son when he was little, since it seemed like they were going to drive right through our living room. We also hear garbage trucks, twice a week, fire engines, police and ambulance sirens, buses, pigeons, and snoring (I wear earplugs for that). I heard someone practicing the piano today, but it didn't bother me. In the summer, we hear a popular music festival in the park loud and clear, as if we could have a concert in our living room.

Sweat Shop

Last year we took a trip to the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side in Manhattan. A few key observations:

• The building was built in the late 1800's, around the time our building was built
• At the time we were having our ceiling re-plastered, and we could see the wood lath strips of the ceiling. This construction was identical to the ceiling in the museum.
• People lived in crowded conditions, much more severe than our situation, of course, but I couldn't help but see the similarities. The most striking was how each tiny room became a room with multi-leveled functions. For instance, the living room was also the work room (sewing room), and it also became a bedroom. Similarly, the kitchen was a storage room, and the laundry was done side by side with the cooking. Large families lived in apartments that were about 300 square feet.

We remembered our museum visit yesterday, when at one point, we had the sewing machine in my daughter's bedroom. I worked at the machine, altering a dress for her Halloween costume. My husband folded laundry on her bed, and she worked on her own dress for her doll.

It was wonderful to teach her a little bit about sewing, and the costume turned out beautifully. It's a white winter princess dress converted to a scary witch dress with snakes and no snowflakes. We'll do some face painting to complete the look.

We will soon be moving into the Halloween celebration blast, which will start the weekend before Halloween. There will be events at all the neighborhood attractions -- the park, the botanic gardens, and there will be parties. It will end on Halloween with a fantastic huge parade that will follow some trick-or-treating.

I Tripped Again

This morning, I tripped again on the trains that have remained on our living room rug all week. I can still feel the sharp edges of a mini Lego digging into my left foot. Slipping on a Hot Wheels car nearly causing me to do the splits. My son has an extensive Thomas the Tank Engine wooden train set and he loves to make elaborate scenes, set up on the living room rug. This week it included a car scene and a few clever Lego combinations.

It's been a busy week and no one has been home long enough to clean up toys or to insist that my son clean up his toys. So, this morning, I cleaned them up. I had actually arranged for someone to come and help me clean, but there was a misunderstanding and I had to reschedule for next week, of course realizing this after I straightened up. I ended up doing the vacuuming anyway.

Fresh Food

It's Sunday again, and it's time to plan for the week. I'm thinking less and less about cooking elaborate meals, and I had planned to go to Fairway in Red Hook to buy the weekly order. In mid-morning, I set out to find my car, which I had last seen on Friday morning. I walked down the street, near the park, and it took longer than I thought it would to find it. When I got there, my remote lock system did not work, so I turned around and walked home. My husband reminded me that I could have used the key, which would have disabled the alarm.

On the walk home, it dawned on me that I wasn't going to be able to use the car today at all. There was a huge breast cancer awareness event across the street from our house and there were thousands of people in attendance. Not only would parking be impossible to find, but there would be no place to park and unload the groceries. There were three huge buses parked in front of our house.

I went upstairs and my husband suggested Fresh Direct, and online delivery service. I had tried it about two years ago and wasn't completely satisfied with some of the prepared foods, but I decided to try it anyway. This way, I would be less tempted to buy things that I really didn't need. It took me about an hour to find everything I needed and to further plan out 10 lunches and 5 dinners for the week. We really don't like the Fresh Direct trucks because they clog up the streets and the generators are loud, but on this occasion, it seemed like the best thing to do. The beauty of it is that they will deliver the boxes and bring them up the steps for me.

It's a little more expense, but once in a while, why not?

The Escape

We had a big day today, taking part in the fall festival at the kid's school. We made chili for a contest, but didn't win. Of course, we thought ours was the best. We make it with ground sirloin, a marvelous mixture of spices, Brooklyn Brown Ale and green chillies. The kids had fun with their friends at a magic show, having their faces painted, jumping in the bouncy castle, and doing crafts. A band played the same beat in all of their songs all afternoon, and I went home with a headache.

When we got back from the festival, the apartment was a huge mess. What better way to ignore it than to go right back out again!

I'm looking forward to going out tonight. My husband and I are going out tonight to celebrate our 12th Anniversary. Our favorite (okay -- only) babysitter will come over around 5:00 p.m., and our reservation is at 6:00 p.m. We have plans to go to a restaurant in Tribecca that is known for its martinis and steak. I already know what I will order: a 7-ounce Filet Mignon, with a blue cheese topping and a pepper sauce.

Unsatisfied

During the last two days, I've been extremely unsatisfied with the restaurant options in my neighborhood. I've been so busy during the last two weeks, that I haven't had time to cook or properly plan meals for the week. I've been tossing whatever I can find into the kids' lunch boxes -- but so far no one has complained. The saving factor was probably the loaves of spiced pumpkin and whole wheat breads that I made yesterday.

We had a late-afternoon doctor's appointment for my son on Wednesday, and it ruined any chances of having a reasonable dinner or relaxing evening at home. Luckily, the appointment went well and our worries were set aside for the moment. But worrying about dinner was another matter. We chose the Brooklyn Burger Bar, a seemingly hearty sort of place in a prime renovated corner spot. But the service was horrible, the food was mediocre, and we were very disappointed. The kids each had hot dogs and french fries. The two plates could have served four hungry kids, but our kids only nibbled, having slurped down their 16-ounce chocolate milks in a hurry. Our food took much longer to arrive and the turkey burger I had really tasted like ground chicken. My husband's burger was served without the mushrooms he ordered and he was never told that they were out for the night. The manager agreed to give us a 30% discount, but we vowed never to return.

On Thursday, I spent the whole day working on an assignment and really didn't eat much. I thought I would go and grab a sandwich for the drive to my class. The first sandwich shop had a great selection, but they didn't take my debit card, and I was out of cash. The second shop, which was ironically called "Grab and Go," was out of sandwiches and didn't have any other lunch items to grab. I ordered some cheese and bread, and the counter person had trouble figuring out that I wanted to make a cheese sandwich. He cut huge slices of Manchego cheese and gave me a hard roll. I also ordered some expensive almonds. There wasn't much that appealed to me, and there weren't any other options, as far as stores. I was famished by this point. I was fairly close to where my car was parked, and I really needed to get on the road or I was going to risk being late. The service at this shop was SO slow. I dashed out, and vowed never to return.

The funny thing is that I have a cupboard relatively full of food - canned soup, frozen things, juice, milk -- but I've noticed that when I'm in a hurry, I don't even have time to open a can!

The Big Clean-up

On Saturday, we went to my mom's house for round three of the third-floor attic storage closet clean-up and managed to toss out about 10 boxes of old paperback books, and my husband parted with several old college notebooks. He felt better when I suggested that he tear out the pages with the clever doodles on them to use them in a scrapbook.

I found my old weaving loom and I'm planning to give it to my daughter, that is if my husband promises to set it up! It's no fun if it doesn't work. Even it's a pain going through old things, it's also wonderful. I found all of the boxes that I put aside when I moved after college. Some of the choice items include:

• My childhood blankie
• a yellow satin bridesmaids dress from my best friend's first wedding (now qualifies for serious dress-up!), favorite books on ballet
• text books from my 18th century English literature class
• my first dictionary (still has some pressed leaves in it)
• a collection of leaves with Latin classifications from my advanced high school biology class
• yearbooks from 1983, 1984 and 1985
• a little pink box containing fine white sand and pretty little shells
• my diary from high school and freshman year of college -- good stuff here, all written in code and subtle text, of course.
• author bios collected from my days at the children's book publisher, most of them from the 1990's
• my kids' baby clothes and first pairs of shoes
• my husband's year books
• cassette tapes from the 1980's -- college and high school -- including Olivia Newton John, Madonna, Sting, The Police, REM, and some classical music from my music listening classes in college
• cassette recordings of my dad's voice recitals from 1980 and 1981

Tales of sorting to continue -- we'll be at this project for months to come.

Conveniently located

It took a long time to find parking tonight -- in the rain. I got drenched getting from class to the parking lot, so I stopped at home to get an umbrella, but ended up putting on my ski parka, wool socks, a baseball cap and rain boots. I found a spot between a huge van and an SUV and it was impossible. I hope I still have my bumper. That didn't work, so I resorted to parking near a school, and I have to move the car at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. It's about a 15 minute walk away, but at least I was warm!

I brought sweatshirts to the kids at school before I left for my class.

It was delightful in the apartment today. I admit that I like being here by myself -- it feels so large in here! We started the day with the air conditioning on because it was hot and humid. We have four air conditioners now, so it does cool off nicely. However, the temperature dropped and I turned off the a/c.

Maybe I'll make that apple crisp tomorrow.

I like to bake when it's 80 degrees outside

My husband likes to joke about how I seem to always bake cookies or muffins when the temperature goes above 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Today, I did have plans to make pumpkin-chocolate chip muffins and apple crisp, but I drew the line there. It's too hot. Who wants to eat that stuff when it's 85 degrees? It's Columbus Day. I remember the day we moved in to this apartment: October 1, 1996. It was 55 degrees. I wore a wool sweater! Today, I wore a sleeveless top, Capri pants, and sandals. Perfect example of global warming.

I actually have the oven on right now -- 400 degrees. It's heating up the apartment very nicely. There is a nice breeze coming in off the park, so it will probably cool off in here as I sit at the computer tonight studying.

We came home late tonight from my daugter's karate lesson, and now I have to make a quick dinner and get everyone off to bed. Maybe I'll move to Canada some day to try to get away from the heat. For now, I'm looking forward to a solid temperature drop so we can appreciate some good old fashioned comfort food.

Settling in

My husband and I had a few hours this afternoon to try to get our apartment straightened up. The hallway outside the bathroom was still littered with left-over tiles, dusty spots of plaster, and assorted other materials left over from the renovation. He made a couple of trips to Lowe's and returned about $400 worth of materials. In the meantime, I cleaned and vacuumed and did about 4 loads of laundry. I also unpacked the box of toiletries that had been sitting in the hallway for about 2 months, threw out about 2 bags of old lotion, makeup and other assorted nonsense, and put the rest of it back in the bathroom cabinets.

I also went to the grocery store and the co-op with my daughter. The trip to the grocery store was quick and to the point, but the visit to the co-op took forever. I got a parking spot about 1 block away. I managed to find most of what I needed, but because there was a new computer system at the co-op, the lines extended three times as long as usual, into the produce section. Most people were very patient, and I became patient, once I got used to the idea. The new computers were installed to facilitate the check-out process by accepting debit cards. Up until now, the co-op only took cash or checks.

When I got home, I found a parking spot across the street from the apartment. It was too good to pass up. I unloaded in shifts, going up the stairs, opening the door, etc., until I remembered that I had a cart downstairs in the basement. It's a large shopping cart with huge wheels to better navigate bumpy streets. It took two trips, but I was able to avoid having to carry many bags of seltzer and juice, for example.

For dinner, I made butternut squash soup with spinach ravioli, accompanied by sliced tomatoes and basil from the greenmarket.

Even though we would prefer to stay home next weekend, we have two major things planned -- a trip to New Jersey to clean out some old things in our storage locker at Grammy's house and to go back to Long Island for the unveiling ceremony.

Staying Home from School?

I remember being sick as a kid and staying home from school. I would usually have some sort of cold, cough and fever. I missed being at school, but I was usually content to sleep and watch TV. My daughter was sick last week. The week before she had a cold and a fever and had to stay home one day. This past week, she needed antibiotics to treat an infection. But the pace of our lives and the lack of back-up childcare made it a very difficult week for her. Even though she wasn't feeling 100%, I sent her to school anyway, and she carried on with many of her activities. One night, we went to an mportant potluck dinner at the religious school she attends, and it would not have been good to miss it. Then there was picture day at school, and the next day there was a field trip to the Natural History Museum. I think that she should have been home for the whole week. I have to ask myself, is the pace of our lives so hectic now that we can't get sick? Sometimes, it is. Last year at this time, just before my husband's mother passed away, he had pneumonia. He was home for one week recovering and that just happened to be the week that one of his authors was visiting for an extended stay. It was very crowded here.

Parking

Parking this week was a challenge. Upon my return both days from my classes, I searched for at least 30 minutes each day to find a spot. I ended up going south a few blocks out of my regular zone. The first spot was a tight and I had to make many quick turns in order to parallel park correctly. On the second day, I parked in front of a florist. There was a large metal shelving unit, seemingly unstable just next to my car and when I nudged it with my back bumper, I really thought that it would fall on the car. But upon inspection after I got out of the car, I noticed that it was chained together somehow. When I park so far from our building, I always feel a little strange. There's something reassuring about walking by our car on the days we're not driving it.

Laundry

We were overwhelmed with appointments this weekend. My son had his fifth doctor's appointment of the week on Saturday, and we had a special event to go to today. It was also the unveiling of the foot stone for my mother-in-law, who passed away almost a year ago. But the stone incorrectly stated the information for an unknown man who had passed away in 2006. How horrible! We trekked all the way out to the cemetery, along with several close family members, and then found the mistake. The whole thing has to be fixed and reschedued within the next two weeks.

But the laundry still has to get done. Between this morning before we left, and this evening, I ran about 8 loads. We're lucky to have a laundry in our apartment. Honestly, we wouldn't have chosen this apartment if it didn't have a laundry. The amount of laundry you do need to do for a family is exponential. Located directly in front of the half-bath, our laundry room includes a stackable washer and dryer, and a built-in cabinet for the step ladder, cleaning supplies, brooms, plastic bags, laundry detergent, etc. The cabinet also includes an upper area for tools and parts. Sometimes I call it the garage closet. Across from the washer and dryer is a wicker laundry basket and an ingenious folding/ expanding drying rack. I sort the laundry in the hallway, or in the kitchen.

Folding takes place in our bedroom, and I think that as I write, my husband is continuing to fold. Due to his superior folding skills, we call him "the folder."

Piano Lessons

My daughter is starting her 4th year of piano lessons. For 3 years, we made the trek to the conservatory (about a 30-minute walk away, shorter by bus). It was a beautiful place, and my daughter played a baby grand in a a private classroom. It had the sound of a music school, with notes flying everywhere. It was a beautiful setting, but when her teacher left on a year-long trip overseas, it was time for a change.

I heard my son's piano teacher play last year in a private recital at the Steinway showroom on 57th Street. Wonderful, inspiring! After hearing him and his colleagues play, I started to put together some of my favorite pieces from my days as a piano student (age 5-19). What's really nice is that my technique is still there, even if it does take a while for perfection. The new teacher teaches group lessons at the after-school program. It's a wonderful opportunity for the younger crowd. Private lessons can come later.

In the new arrangement, the teacher comes to our apartment. I never thought that I could see that happening. I never thought that it would be comfortable, especially now. We have a spinet piano that's about 40-50 years old, and it resides in our dining room, opposite the china cabinet. Our round dining room table needs to be moved toward the china cabinet so that there's actually room to sit at the piano. We also have 5 rather large dining-room chairs and Doug's desk chair, formerly located in the office.

So far, after 3 lessons, it seems to be working. She's concentrating on technique right now, and will soon move on to theory. The best part is that I get to listen in!

One white hex tile

On Monday, I drove to the hardware store to pick up the tile. It actually arrived as promised!

A couple of days ago, the bathroom tile was finished, and the toilet and sink were installed. The new crescent shower curtain rod was installed. At one point, the tile specialist came out to talk to me while I was working at the computer and told me that he was finished. I thought that he meant he was done for the day. I called my husband to tell him, thinking that we would be lucky to get the bathroom back in order by the weekend. This was not the case. This group actually works 8 hour days. Within about 1 hour there were 3 more guys working on the installations. By the time I came back from picking up the kids at school, they were almost finished. They asked for the remaining payment but I asked if they could come back the next day. I wanted my husband to see if there was anything I missed. He was extremely surprised to see the progress. And then just before we turned in for the night, he found a 1-inch white hex tile that was spun out of place within the platinum grout. I couldn't believe it. How was I going to tell the guys that this had to be done before they could get their money? But it was not a problem. The guy in charge came over to take a look and within minutes he was finished. What a relief.

What's left? New lighting fixtures, a new coat of paint on the walls and ceiling and a new vanity top. We have a plastic resin top right now that has to go. It doesn't look bad, but it's totally out of place. We'll probably search for a polished piece of black granite. Since the wall next to the sink wasn't squared off to fit a cabinet, we're going to have to have it custom cut for the space. What this bathroom really needs is a big pedestal sink, but then where would I put all of my stuff?

We also need to buy some towels. My husband brought home some lovely black tweed towels that looked good in the catalog, but not in person. Plan B is to go with a light green towel, but I think we're going to have to go to the store to see the selection in person. Shopping at large department stores -- with the kids -- oh that will be fun -- and the crowds....can't wait.

Garbage

Really, how much garbage can one family produce? Plenty, it seems. Each bedroom and bathroom contains a garbage can, and it's usually emptied twice a week. We were in the habit of using grocery bags as garbage bags, but when the volume of garbage increased, we switched to regular garbage bags. Before we renovated the kitchen, we had a space-saving container installed under kitchen sink. After the renovation, we graduated to a small stainless pail, and last year, I insisted that we get a larger garbage can to accommodate the mess!

We keep the cardboard and paper recycling in a corner of the half-bath, and sometimes it overflows. I also have a recycling bin at my desk, along with a garbage pail. My son's class is now collecting recycled boxes and plastic bottles for their invention box; they invent sculptures from the materials and tape everything together. Last year, kindergarten class did the same thing and for months, we gathered about 20 sculptures, which took over the apartment. The only sensible solution was to take a photo of each item before...recycling each one. I'll add the photos to my photo album. The same goes for all of the artwork. There's simply no place to keep it all.

The city picks up garbage on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, and we try to schedule our garbage removal from the apartment accordingly. However, nearly every morning, I send the kids down the stairs with a bag or two, usually kitchen garbage and recycling. We are zoned for intense recycling, which means we separate paper from glass and plastic and if we don't do it properly, our building can be fined.

The Parking Spot

It was very quiet on the streets when I drove back into the neighborhood after 10:00 p.m. last night. No movement. No parking spots! I drove around my block and noticed at least 3 half-spots, a 3/4 spot and a huge dumpster. I kept trying and drove around in a 3-block radius. Still nothing. My husband and I have had a theory as long as we've known each other (17 years) not to park in a parking garage. Tepper would be proud.* About 10 minutes later, I was lucky to find a spot. It was a close bumper-t0-bumper effort with several adjustments. Let's just say that's it's a good thing that I have power steering. I parked 8 inches away from the curb, perfectly within the 12-inch allowance. I stayed in my car long enough to practice the dismissive wave so many of us use to tell a fellow driver that we're not going out.*

When I took my driver's test so long ago, I almost didn't pass the parallel parking task. It's all I do now, and I'm quite adept at it. We need to move the car twice a week for alternate-side parking regulations, designed to allow free access for the street cleaners. Sometimes Thursdays and Fridays are all about the car because of this. When the kids were home with me, it was no easy task to get them out of the house on time. When I can't find a spot, I can parallel park next to the cars on the other side of the street, only between 11 and 2. The timing is very strict. A car left in a parallel spot after 2:00 will get a hefty ticket.

Thankfully I don't have to worry about it today. It's Wednesday.

*Tepper Isn't Going Out: A Novel, by Calvin Trillin.

3rd Floor Walk-up

Early this morning, I went out to do my bi-monthly grocery shop at Fairway. Up until recently, I've been a faithful food co-op member, but I have found that as my schedule changes, I need to consider how to spend my time more wisely. Shopping at the co-op involves working two work slots of about 3 hours in length. I work my husband's shift too. There's no question that the co-op offers the best food around (especially produce), but it comes with it's own set of circumstances -- no parking lot, for example. I always take a car service home with the groceries, and I've been kidding myself if I think that it's worth it. The $7 fare negates the savings I gain at the co-op. Fairway offers a bit more choice and convenience, although it's more expensive. My favorite Fairway experience is to grab a cup of coffie and step out onto the patio for an excellent view of the southern part of New York harbor. The Statue of Liberty is so close that you can see details!

When I got home, the fun began. I parked the car in front of a fire hydrant, which is directly in front of the house (risking getting a huge ticket!), unloaded the car, and then moved the car. Luckily there was a spot just a few cars down. Up the 2 flights of stairs and the stoop, I carried 14 bags of groceries, a huge container of laundry detergent, 2 cartons of juice drinks, 1 carton of milk boxes and a large tub of OxyClean.

And then I put all of the groceries away, squeezing them into any spot I could find. I really think that I buy too much sometimes. It was a relatively painless process, except for the minor muscle fatigue, sweat and thirst. However, everyone else in the family was out doing other things, and there were no distractions. Imagine what this was like a few years ago when the kids were little!

To the Family of Four:

Here's a post from a friend who opted out of the google sign up process:

“I am so impressed with everything that you do. Even if you have "accidentally" stayed in your home for over 11 years, as a real estate agent, I can tell you that you have created a FANTASTIC investment for your future and, should I say it, retirement someday...or, college for the kids, etc. How in the world could you beat that location. I have been there. It is great. And, think about it this way: If times get tough, you have lower costs. A new purchase could strain the 'ol pocket book in down times. Besides, if you just stay there "one more decade", the kids will be off in college, and you'll have the space down to "Living for Two"....until they come home to visit with their friends. Then, it is 16 dozen cupcakes a week again! Whew!”

Hunting and Gathering

I'm in my hunting and gathering phase today. After stopping at my daughter's classroom for the curriculum meeting, I walked a few blocks to the post office, then to the meat market and then to the farmer's market at the edge of the park. Stopped at home to put everything in the refrigerator and then went out again to hunt for that missing tile. I decided to go to a very nice tile store in my neighborhood because Lowe's doesn't seem to be able to get the black and white tile right away. That was another 6 blocks down the hill. The store couldn't help, so it was basically a waste of time. I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few more things. I forgot to get turkey burgers at the meat market. We'll have grilled turkey burgers tonight to go along with the fresh corn. No, we don't have a real grill -- I really wish we did. I survive with an old George Foreman grill, which is difficult to wash, but it works. Now, I'm back at my desk to make some more calls to try to find the black and white tile at another tile store in the neighborhood. Then I'll go back out to drop off a registration form for a basketball clinic for my son, which will take place later on this fall. I think I'll ride my bike this time. Maybe I'll get back to my desk to do some work for a couple of hours before I have to pick up the kids from school.

Honey, We've Run out of Tile!

My husband called me a few minutes ago to explain that the floor tile we've ordered is on back order and not available until the end of October. This means that two strips of the bathroom floor will not be tiled, and our toilet and sink cannot be installed for another few weeks, unless he can make miracles happen.

It wasn't the only type of tile that we ran out of. First it was the black bull nose trim, then it was the white bull nose for trim in the corner areas of a tiny wall that separates the tub from the vanity, then it was the black trim that is placed next to the floor.

Our bathroom has been under renovation since August 6, and what we thought would be a short-term project under a strict budget has gone on for too long and has cost a lot more than we thought. Isn't this always the case with renovations? We should have known. Four years ago, our kitchen renovation stretched for three months. When you ask a contractor how long a project will take, I really think that they just make something up. There are no promises!

We had to fire our first contractor who worked very slowly and for only about three hours a day. He was doing the work for a rather low price, giving me a discount because he is the brother of a former neighbor of my mom. He had done some work for her, and we thought we'd give it a try. I made lunches for the first contractor and made sure that they had water or lemonade. But when he set the floor tiles incorrectly, ignoring the seemingly simple black and white pattern, that was it, we had to let him go.

I called the contractor who did the kitchen and within days, he had a couple of very talented guys on the job. They fixed the floor tile pattern, and manipulated the pattern to solve the puzzle. They were moving along beautifully, working a solid 8 hours a day, and providing their own lunches... until the tile ran out.

Slumber Party

Last night, we hosted a slumber party for my daughter and five of her friends. I finally have the apartment put back together again, with the floors vacuumed and mopped, and even some of the bedding has been washed. Yesterday, we cleaned up our 400 square foot living room and dining room and rearranged the furniture to accommodate 6 chairs around our round dining room table, 2 twin air mattresses and 1 full air mattress, plus the pull out bed from the couch. No one had to suffer with a sleeping bag on a hard-wood floor!

The girls made candy crafts, ate spaghetti and meatballs, and some of them liked the carrot cake that I made earlier in the day. They played game after game, watched two movies and ate popcorn. One girl painted her face with chocolate from the candy craft, and there were icing and sprinkles all over the floor. At one point, someone threw a pillow case into some spaghetti sauce, so I put stain stick on it and washed it. My husband and son were out for the evening, and I became the server and maid, but I didn't mind. They all had so much fun. In such a hurried world, where many of them complain that they don't have time, it was nice to have them all here for an extended party. I think that they went to sleep at 2:00 a.m. I was sound asleep when my husband got up to quiet them down. We woke up at 8:25 a.m., just in time to put cinnamon buns in the oven and get the girls up before their parents arrived. My daughter was the first to leave because she had a class to go to at 9:30 this morning. I felt bad making her get up for that, but it's just as well that the girls got picked up early. This way they didn't have time to get upset as the morning dragged on. Hopefully, they will all get some rest today before going back to school tomorrow.

During the past week, I have made over 6 dozen cupcakes, 1 honey cake, 1 carrot cake and several batches of vanilla, chocolate and cream cheese frosting. Two dozen cupcakes went to a parent, who won them as a raffle item that I donated last spring to my daughter's school.
3 dozen cupcakes went to my daughter's class on her birthday (in the pouring rain), and the remainder stayed home.

As much as I love to bake and cook, I'm looking forward to a little break from it this week!

Until next time.....

A Family of Four

Welcome to 1100 sq. ft., a blog created to explore the living arrangements of a family of four, living in an 1100 square foot apartment in Brooklyn. The cast includes Mom, a freelance coordinator in children's book publishing; Dad, a hard-working senior editor, our daughter and our son. The question is, can four people live in a cramped apartment without driving each other crazy?

We moved into this apartment almost 11 years ago, which breaks the record as the longest I've ever lived in in one place. Our long-range plans called for a move long before now, since the kids are now old enough to have their own rooms. But sometimes things don't work out the way you think they will, so we're staying put for now.

The real estate agents always say location, location, location. We've got that. We're near the park, we're in the historic district, and within walking distance of the subway, a good school, and shopping. We also live in Brooklyn, one of the best boroughs in New York City. There's much to enjoy here, but it's not always easy.

I've often said that living in this apartment is like living on a boat because it all works best when everything is stowed away. I could spend every waking moment cleaning this place up, but it's impossible to keep up with it. Things are especially out of sorts lately because we have moved our home office into the living room. It will probably take us another six to twelve months to sort through it all. My desk now overlooks the park, and we've added two large file cabinets to the desk area. To an already crowded dining room, complete with a spinet piano and a large china cabinet, we added two large black file cabinets. My scrapbooking supplies top the cabinets. Twenty-eight small white boxes are squeezed in wherever they will fit. More important, our son now has his own bedroom in what was our home office. It's cozy, with lots of bookshelves, with our books still on them. Our daughter is especially happy about painting over the pale yellow walls in her room with a purple and green theme.

We're also having our bathroom renovated. More on that another time!