We hosted our friends for brunch this Saturday morning and I was able to pull off a spinach quiche and crepes from scratch in just under two hours the morning of thanks to the Sophia and Eliza playing on their own.
It seems that things are changing at our house and, as the girls get older, I find that my focus is shifting from entertaining/occupying Eliza and Sophia to stepping back to take care of things around the house or *gasp* work on my own hobbies.
Their interactions are becoming much more collaborative and interactive. This 100-piece puzzle took them about an hour and Eliza was a keen contributor finding appropriate color pieces for Sophia. With the puzzle complete, having attended a princess birthday party with Sophia, and relaxed most of Sunday, I shall record this weekend a success.
December is always busy with get-togethers, shopping, and just trying to stay on top of the daily. We had a brief overnight in DC Friday to Saturday to attend Evan’s holiday party. I hadn’t been able to attend the previous two years and was very much looking forward to getting together with some old friends and, frankly, getting a night off. The celebration was lovely and well worth the three and a half hour drive there.
In addition to wining and dining in the DC area, we also hosted my nephew for a sleepover and were all sad to see him head home. He’s thirteen now—young enough to play and bond with little cousins and yet is old enough to have great conversation with Evan and me.
Saturday night at our house almost always involves a leisurely homemade meal. On the occasion of Alex’s sleepover I made crispy chicken tenders, butternut squash fettuccine alfredo, and steamed green beans. We spent the time together crafting, playing legos, building forts, and just being silly. The kids (all three of them watched) My Neighbor Totoro for the first time. What a splendid time together.
This flawless and pretty much effortless weekend has been a long time in the making. Relationships, even those of cousins, have to be cultivated and involve not just the cousins but everyone around them. It isn’t always easy to make time, to host at home when the kids are little and you’re tired, but in the end it is so, so worth. Just see for yourself.
Our friends came for brunch on Sunday and brought an amazing rendition of snickerdoodle pie. Baking cinnamon-infused cookie dough into crispy pie crust really is a no brainer. I saved the recipe and shall have to learn how to make it very, very well by practicing often. Brunch was a simple affair and, in addition to the snickerdoodle pie, included buttermilk pancakes, turkey meatballs that the girls have dubbed amazeballs, and vanilla-bean cheesecake (all homemade). The kids played together and the adults conversed and tried to keep up with the continuous pancake, juice, and meatball requests.
That was Sunday which we kept in line with the long weekend’s theme keeping things low-key and focusing on spending time with Sophia and Eliza. Saturday we took the girls out for chocolate croissants and coffee steamed milks, saw the Comcast Center’s Holiday Spectacular, made sour cherry hand-pies, and made a super comforting roast chicken dinner.
Friday, for a real treat, we took the girls to the Please Touch Museum for a morning of play and discovery. We were there shortly after the museum opened and the girls didn’t skip a beat heading downstairs to the grocery store and hospital exhibits.
Before Friday, there was Thanksgiving which we spent with my family in Wilmington, Delaware having contributed a home-made cranberry pie with a streusel topping. The pie featured a home-made crust of which I am very proud of having gone as far as to blind bake it.
I had plenty of little fingers to help me measure out all the ingredients, stir the cranberries in the pot, and decorate the top with streusel.
Thanksgiving was just as we liked it — fairly small, warm, and delicious. It was a real treat to just kick back and relax.
In the end, even after all the other pictures featuring mouthwatering pies and glossy berries, this one (see above) is my favorite. It was taken using my phone and isn’t particularly well-framed but it conveys the very essence what our daily life is about — developing and nurturing a bond between Sophia and Eliza. Here is Sophia helping Eliza zip up her coat. She did this without us prompting simply because she wanted to help and to be the big sister. This Thanksgiving break was epic.
The Camden aquarium has, for the last two weeks, featured a mermaids exhibit. There were mermaids swimming in the shark tank, mermaids available for a meet-and-greet, and much, much more. The girls were so excited to see the mermaids and tour the aquarium. The hippos were an unexpected hit with Sophia and Eliza. The girls were awed by the hippos’ size and overwhelmed by their pungent environment.
Eliza hasn’t been to an aquariMEN (as she calls it) and Sophia last visited a few years back so we were definitely due for a visit. Rounding the weekend for Sophia and Eliza was quality time with their Grammie and Pop while we cooked, cleaned, hung a bit of our art, and generally hung out. What a weekend!
Fall colors are so vibrant this time of year. We took a leisurely ride to Northern New Jersey (Summit area) to visit our good friends on Saturday. We’d never been up in that area and were impressed for how beautiful and serene it was being so close to New York City.
Our friends had just recently moved to a new house and were celebrating with friends and family. Maybe I should not admit this, but we have known each other for well over a decade and have stayed in touch all these years despite children and many moves on both our part and theirs. I am pretty certain that, with this move, we are all settled now and I am looking forward to hosting and visiting more often.
… and what kind of a Monday post would this be if we didn’t post Eliza the Firewoman?!
Evan and I just returned from a weekend in Mexico City. This getaway almost didn’t happen because … life gets hectic this time of year or maybe, now-a-days, it is hectic all year round. Fortunately, traveling without kids doesn’t require so much planning or diligent packing. Although it was a difficult choice between a relaxing beach/mountains destination and an active getaway in one of the largest cities in the world, we are glad we chose the latter.
Mexico City was, by far, the most unexpected and welcome surprise. I expected a big sprawling city that would feel foreign and unfamiliar bursting at the seams with ~20 million people. Instead, I found a lively, beautiful metropolis, densely packed with parks and public works of art. The architecture of Mexico City is the most awe-inspiring juxtaposition of European renaissance splendor and geometric grandness typical of Aztec and other pre-Columbian styles.
The city is lively, vibrant, full of colors, flavors, smells that are otherworldly (at least to us). Here is a Mole spice stand presenting all the chilis and spices that are called for in most recipes.
The architecture is grand and there are even government-funded musicians in the streets which play lovely classical tunes, but the food, the food is nothing short of extraordinary. Restaurants, stands open all day, every day, full of exotic treats and delights for the locals and adventurous travelers. Theirs is a food and drink culture and at the price of ~ $1.oo USD for a taco, you couldn’t not try a bit of everything. Even the crickets and ant eggs. CRICKETS AND ANT EGGS. Yes, we tried them.
Art. Art. Art. Mexico City has more museums than any other city in the world. These are Diego Rivera’s murals in the Palacio National. There’s so much to see and take in from them that, to really understand all that he is trying to convey, I’ll have to come back over and over again.
Art in museums and art on the streets. We’re spoiled with our murals here in Philadelphia but the ones in Mexico City were such a treat. Vibrant and traditional they made for welcome surprises as we explored the city.
Culinary traditions are highly respectful of seasonality and we happened to be visiting the last week of mushroom season. You can put anything into a taco including mushrooms, pumpkin (the season for it is just starting now) and huilacoche.
Authentic aztec treasures exported from the surrounding areas exported straight into the jungle of the city.
Wild, eclectic, awe-inspiring, utterly charming, and eye opening is how I found Mexico City. But perhaps the best treasure that this wonderful city has to offer are the people. Warm, enchanting, religious, traditional, and spirited they live in harmony with a great respect for one another, for their culture, and their families. So the next time you want to go to Mexico, think about forsaking the beach and going to Mexico City to see it for yourself.
There is no shortage of art in Philadelphia. There is the Art Museum, the Rodin Museum, the Barnes Foundation, and the countless murals gracing the sides of our buildings. I’ll never tire of Philly’s arts and do not take the city’s offerings for granted. Moreover, Evan and I try to immerse ourselves and the girls into the ever-evolving arts scene in the city.
This weekend was a jam packed with activities including but not limited to a birthday party for one of Sophia’s friends. As Eliza wasn’t joining in the festivities, she and Evan embarked on a daddy-daughter morning which included fluffies, the Race Street Lier, the Spruce Street Harbor Park, and a temporary art installation called Habitus.
Installations such as this one provide the opportunity to use one’s own experiences and perceptions to develop an [unique]understanding of the artist’s message.
Art, fresh air, and steamed milk seem like the perfect morning but the real star was simply time—time that this father and daughter shared and experiences over which they bonded. Culture and art, as we see in this picture, don’t have to be serious and, at least in our family, are balanced with a good measure of giggles.
Sophia’s birthday party and Eliza’s art-filled morning followed a day at Baba and Deda’s house where the girls relived some of my own childhood memories with my grandparents.
All kids, no matter their age or gender enjoying playing with dough and creating. Before there was play doh, there was real cookie and pie dough.
Last, but not least, we spent time with Evan’s parents, grandmothers, and sister on Sunday evening bonding over matzo ball soup and politics. And when our bowls were empty and we made peace with the current political situation, we played with the girls. This weekend, much like all the weekends that preceded it and all the ones that will follow it, went by quickly.
Just like that and without much warning the weather has turned. We cherish these fall weekends savoring each one as if it were the last one of its kind for the next few months. Trying to rest up from last weekend and all the festivities it entailed, we stayed close to home.
A classmate of Sophia’s celebrated his fifth birthday on Sunday at the Smith Memorial Playground and both the girls were excited celebrate such a big milestone. The party was great fun and included a magic show and face painting.
Sisters!
Alongside the change in seasons we are undergoing our very own changes and adjustments. Sophia is in Pre-K now which, like last year, she attends five mornings a week. This year we have added a lunch bunch once weekly hoping Sophia will begin learning the social aspects of sharing a meal with her classmates. Lunch bunch is taking some time to get used to because there is a mandatory rest time and Sophia is not a rester, much less a napper. As we work through this, we are trying to instill a sense of responsibility and adherence without stifling Sophia’s independence and expression of free will.
Eliza is also embarking on her own educational path with art and gym classes. I am especially excited about the art class as it will provide Eliza with the opportunity to explore different art mediums, be creative, and make a huge mess outside of our playroom. She will, hopefully, also begin to learn how to be in a class setting and follow directions.
These changes have been a challenging adjustment. We have forgotten what its like to have to wake up at six in the morning every single weekday, pack lunch, get two kids dressed and fed, deliver one to school, and then make our own way to work. Exhausted but sated from all the day’s accomplishments, we collapse into bed every evening looking forward to the weekend dreaming of more sleep, sunny weather, and fairies who cook, clean, and shop for us.
We forget how rejuvenating an extended weekend can be. Moreover, a weekend in the Hamptons, extended or not was just what Evan and I needed. Having left the kids behind with my parents, we traveled to Montauk to attend a wedding of one of Evan’s cousins. It was a beautiful, effortlessly chic, beachfront affair.
Montauk is at the very end of Long Island and it took us a lengthy, mostly traffic-free five hours to get there. As we drove through South Hampton, Bridgehampton, and East Hampton we passed old houses juxtaposed with new and magnificent estates, museums, small shops, and beautiful vistas. Harvesting was taking place at the wineries and already we saw fully-grown, bright orange pumpkins lining farm fields. It was easy to see why so many overworked New Yorkers brave the traffic to make this their summer weekend getaway. Once there, we made the most of the salty fresh sea air and the beautiful scenery as we spent time with family and relaxed.
Years ago, well before the girls were born, Evan and I used to go on long trips. We preferred early September and would usually take two to three weeks for our travels. A full dinner, and often more, was waiting for us when we got home. Our fridge would always have the essentials like milk and juice and the fruit bowl would be newly filled with whatever was in season. All this was my parents’ doing. This was nothing new to me as I grew up this way where coming home from long travels, no matter how exciting, was made better with a delicious homemade meal. This weekend it was finally our turn to welcome my family home from their travels. Evan and I made this homey chicken stew and oatmeal-raisin cookies for my sister and parents. Travels, culinary exploration, and fancy restaurants can all make for a wonderful vacation, but the last thing I want when I get home from vacation is another restaurant-cooked meal.
We spent the rest of the weekend soaking up the last of summer; Saturday morning was spent at the zoo exploring where we saw not-yet-released to the public pictures of a new baby gorilla born on Friday. Neither the gorilla or its baby are on exhibit yet, but the pictures of the two bonding were beautiful.
We hosted our friends for brunch this Saturday morning and I was able to pull off a spinach quiche and crepes from scratch in just under two hours the morning of thanks to the Sophia and Eliza playing on their own.
