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.