Expectations

I have decided to revise my morning routine expectations.  I will no longer try to feed my children between 6:30 am and 7 am.  I will no longer try to get the three of us dressed and out the door by 7:30 am.

I rarely succeeded on that schedule.  We were rarely out the door by 7:30, and I was rarely succeeding as my best self.

From now on, I have decided to try to leave the apartment by 8:15.

So, this morning the boys and I read books until 7, when they started their breakfasts, and I was feeling pretty proud of myself.

"Ahhhhh, so this is all it took?  A shift in perspective?  Less pressure to meet an unattainable goal?  Done and done.  We are all so much happier right now.  No one is yelling or throwing a fit.  This is awesome!"

Variations on a theme

For whatever reason, I cringe a little when I hear my three-year-old use the word "butt."  I know this makes me a bit of a prude.  I know there are plenty of civilized, worldly, perfectly lovely people in the world who use the word.  In an effort to avoid passing on my weirdness about the word, I try not to have a reaction when Bug says it.

But in the last ten days or so, the kid says it just about all the time.

He says it to be silly - "Oh, hi, Mr. Butt-butt!"

He says it to show his anger [when he gets a timeout] - "You are a stinky butt!"

He is exploring all possible variations on the theme.

COMMUNITY NEWS: Children's drawings needed for a production in the New York Children's Theater Festival

I just got a note about the following chance to get your munchkins' art on stage ---

Pennydog Puppet Productions is looking for children’s drawings to enhance the set of Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater!, a new musical that will be featured in The New York Children’s Theater Festival April 26-28.

A component of the show’s aesthetic will include elementary students’ drawings affixed to set pieces.

“Why attempt to replicate a child’s style, when we could have the real thing?” remarked producer Staci Rosen. 

All drawings should be done in crayon only and not have any writing on them.  Submissions should be scanned and sent to PennydogPuppets@gmail.com. Please write “CCPE Drawing Submission” in the subject line and include the child’s name and age in the body of the email. Also include a contact name and phone number for notifying the family of selected drawings. The deadline for submissions is Thursday, April 12th.

All students who submit a drawing and attend the show will be entitled to a Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater! poster signed by the cast and characters as well as a photo with the cast. You can see the characters on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pennydogpuppets.

Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater! is a puppet musical about honesty, friendship and believing in yourself.  Maddie has to decide whether or not to cheat in order to become a star. As the story unfolds with great humor and fun songs, Maddie and the audience learn the importance of integrity and being true to oneself. 

Performances will be Friday, April 26 at 5:30 PM; Saturday, April 27 at 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM and Sunday, April 28 at 2:00 PM at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater at the West Side YMCA at 10 W. 64th St. The show is recommended for elementary-aged kids and pre-purchasing tickets is strongly encouraged. Tickets to the show are available at www.NewYorkChildrensTheaterFestival.com. 

In its second year, The New York Children’s Theater Festival provides a birthplace in New York City for new live children's entertainment from around the globe, and serves as a platform for writers and producers who are passionate about developing innovative theatrical experiences for children.

Yoga and wellness workshops - discounts for my readers!

Good morning, all.  I received a note about the following yoga classes and wellness workshops - A Momma Grows readers also enjoy a discount - namaste!

COMMUNITY NEWS: NY International Children's Film Festival

I received a note about the NY International Children's Film Festival (NYICFF), which takes place this month - through next weekend (March 24).  Seems like a great way to spend an afternoon with the 3-18 crowd... 

NYICFF 2013 is packed with over 100 animated, live action and experimental shorts and features from around the world plus gala premieres, special events, filmmaker Q&As, filmmaking camps, audience voting, and the NYICFF Awards Ceremony. 

Below are some links to give you more information:

Tickets available at: http://www.gkids.tv/intheaters.cfm

Photos from the films: http://gkids.com/press2013.html

COMMUNITY NEWS: Free Theater Event - March 25

I just got a note about the following free (and family-friendly) performance in Park Slope on Mon., March 25 at 10 am - enjoy!

 

SPARKLE: The Princess Spectacular!

 

This new 40-minute musical features Cinderella, Tinkerbell, and Snow White, who all work to rescue Prince Charming from the Witch's evil spell. Highly interactive and filled with educational elements, children crescendo while singing, count while jumping, and laugh while dancing all in order to help the princesses break the curse and save the prince. 

 

The show is ideal for kids ages 1-7, who are invited to dress in their finest royal attire. Afterward there will be pizza, a raffle for some great prizes, and pictures with the cast!

 

Monday morning, March 25th, at 10am. 

The performance will be in the catering space/concert stage at Holy Family-St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 9th Street at 4th Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn.

 

You can find us and like us on Facebook at: www.Facebook.com/SparkleThePrincessSpectacular

COMMUNITY NEWS: Earth Day at Habana Outpost reopening 4.13.13 Noon - 5pm

For those of you in or around my old stomping grounds, I got a note about the following Earth Day activity at Habana Outpost . . . enjoy!

 

Spread Earth Day Love, The BK Way!

Habana Works to host 2013 Earth Day Expo at Habana Outpost reopening

757 Fulton at S. Portland, Brooklyn, NY - April 13^th, 12:00pm – 5:00pm

            Spring is in the air and that means it’s almost time for the 2013 Habana Works Earth Day Expo at Habana Outpost – New York’s first solar powered restaurant! Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 13th to celebrate the re-opening of the restaurant and a day of eco-friendly fun – Habana style.

            Habana Works is the non-profit branch of the Habana family, which provides free, hands-on programs that celebrate urban environmentalism in the Brooklyn community. Each year we invite various organizations to participate in our Earth Day event, from composters to beekeepers to sustainable retailers!

            The Earth Day Expo is an opportunity for our neighbors to join us in spreading the love by participating in the Earth Day program while sharing resources and ideas about sustainable living! The Earth Day Expo also marks the day when Habana Outpost will re-open the restaurant for 2013. The day will be filled with fun, learning, and food!

 

The 2013 Habana Works Earth Day Expo is brought to you by Habana Outpost owner and Habana Works founder - activist, artist and restaurateur, Sean Meenan. For more information on Sean’s many projects, please visit www.seanmeenan.com

all before 7:20

I refused to get up this morning.  Not just refused the day or the universe or the alarm clock.  I sank to a new low and refused my child.

Did this week really happen?

Sunday evening, I left home to fly to Canada for work.

Monday, I was in meetings in Toronto all day.  One of my colleagues mentioned that she was nauseous that day, and later that night she got the pukes (for lack of a more delicate phrase).

Tuesday, I flew back to Boston.  On the plane, I felt a little weird but dismissed it as just travel weariness.  In the cab from the airport to my apartment, I felt like I was about to get the pukes.  Within an hour and a half, I was sick at home, and my husband sent me a text letting me know he was coming home early from work (which he never does).

I had visions of the two of us incapacitated by the pukes, taking turns barfing while Bug and Squish run around with rolls of toilet paper, watching hours of a certain television show about a train and a little family of pteranodons, eating nothing but 4-ounce containers of yogurt and leaving the yogurt containers wherever they pleased.  So I called my mom.