Random Handprints - A NYC Mom Blog... live from New Jersey

Old Photo Friday: Ducks!

2012-02-17T23:51:00.001-05:00

My brother and me, and two "ducks."

Update received from my mother:

They were geese not ducks. I was going 2 use them as property guards.

In my Inbox: Terrible News, Need Your Help!!!

2012-02-15T20:41:00.004-05:00

Subject: Terrible News, Need Your Help!!!!

I’m writing this with tears in my eyes, my fam and I have been vacationing in Nigeria, unfortunately we were robbed at the park of the hotel where we stayed, all cash, credit card and cell were stolen off us but luckily we still have our passports and the ability to write runon sentences.

Image from BestWeekEver.TV

It’s me, my wife(Stephanie) and our child/children(Julia). I’ve been to the embassy and the Police but they’re not helping issues at all. Am freaked out at the moment. We need a kidney. Send us your kidney. I am at my cousin Brad Gbogboade’s house. You remember Brad? Tall dude, heavy tribal scarring on his cheeks? Was really into the Phillies? Yes the Phillies. So, send that kidney to PO Box Ikeja (100001), Lagos State, Nigeria.

To locate your kidneys, start by putting your hands on your hips and then sliding up until you feel your ribs. Now if you put your thumbs on your back, that spot is right where your kidneys are. It may be easier if you have someone else make the initial incision. Use dry ice to wrap the kidney. Then and this is important you will need to wrap the dry ice in jewels. I know sounds crazy but this is the important part. Take all of your jewels and as much Currency as will fit in the FedEx Box and send it to my uncle Brad.

Why are you still reading this? Get cutting. For the love of Pete. After all the shit I’ve done for you over the years, your kidney is kind of the least thing I could be asking for.

I received this email today from my brother. Luckily, he and his family are totally OK.

Found (He)art

2012-02-14T21:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day

What I'm Thinking About Sunday Night: Ideas (and More Ideas) for Celebrating Valentine's Day with Kids

2012-02-12T21:50:00.000-05:00

I went a little overboard this year making heart shaped foods and homemade Valentines in celebration of a holiday, that quite frankly, I don't care about at all. So why then all this Valentine's Day over-consumption?

I blame you, Pinterest. And I am staying far, far away from you, Pinterest for St. Patrick's Day, Cinco De Mayo, and April Fool's Day to make sure this doesn't happen again.

In the meantime, if you're looking for Valentine's Day ideas here are ideas, and more ideas, and then a few more...

5 Easy-to-Make Long-Distance Valentine's Day Cards - These are all easy (at least by Pinterest standards), and you don't need me to tell you how much the grandparents will like receiving them.

Valentine's Day Cards for the Classroom - These amazing homemade Valentine ideas are all easy enough you can make enough for the entire classroom, and I gotta hand it to the Pinterest crafters: you people really are so incredibly creative.

Perfect Printables for Valentine's Day - Ah, printables. The perfect compromise between store-bought and homemade, all you have to do is print these out to share the love with friends and family, or as is just as likely, all your children's classmates.

Glad I Made It: Homemade Valentine's Day Cards - These cards are the handiwork of my very own kids.

Valentine's Day Breakfasts You'll Heart - Easy recipes for making a fun, kid-friendly Valentine's Day breakfast.

How To Make Heart Fried Potatoes in 22 Minutes - These heart fried potatoes are sooo cute, and cutting hundreds of hearts out of raw potatoes is such a good use of time!

Glad I Made It: Strawberry Hearts for Valentine's Day - The heart shaped food obsession continues with heart strawberries.

4 Valentine's Day Books You're Sure to Adore - Picks range from a zombie love-story to the toddler favorite Snuggle Puppy, so really, there's something for everyone.

Fun-Loving Sing-Along Songs for Valentine's Day - Lots of fun tunes to enjoy with the kids on this silly, sappy holiday of hearts and love.

And if you want even more Valentine's Day fun, from last year I've got handprint crafts and a nice collection of vintage suffragette postcards celebrating St. Valentine's Day.

And last, I leave you with the outtakes of all the other foods I have hearted or tried to heart after a night of drinking too much Pinterest.

And last, Scary Mommy has some pretty great Valentines Day cards, too.

Glad I Made It: Homemade Valentine's Day Cards

2012-02-11T13:24:00.000-05:00

Due 100% to Pinterest's complete and utter bad influence, I showed my kids ideas for homemade Valentine's Day cards, and let them pick what they wanted to make to give out to their classmates.

Let me fill you in on a little secret that no one tells you when you are enjoying Pinterest in your own crafty mom fantasy land: yours won't look even a little like whatever it is you're eyeing. (This is a lesson I should have remembered from my last Pinterest-inspired bout of creativity. But alas, I did not.)

Luckily for me, my kids are too young to notice (or they're just really, really polite). Here's what we made:

Kay "I sometimes go to first-grade" chose to make Play Doh Valentines. This involved a grown-up printing a circular label to go on top of the Play Doh container (we went with Tic Tac Doh! Be My Valentine!),

adding a heart sticker, and Kay signing her name.

Someone also needed to cut-out the label and affix it to the Play Doh container with a glue dot. This someone was supposed to be the child in my mind, but apparently it was me in her mind, so yes... it is mostly my handiwork.

Making these Play Doh Valentines was totally easy. But making them look good? Not so easy. Here is our Pin-spiration from Random Thoughts of a SUPERMOM!:

And here is our finished product:

With the Play Doh Valentines complete, next up was making Valentines that would be suitable for third-grader "I'm too cool for Valentines" Magpie. Her only criteria was not to include a message that could in any way imply she ever liked anyone at anytime, anywhere or in anyway. Her choice? You Rock! Valentines.

Again, the easy factor on making these classmate Valentine's Day cards is high. I cut out old-school hearts by folding pieces of construction paper in half, and Magpie used a glue dot to affix a rock or two to the heart. And, Magpie even wrote the Valentine's Day greetings all by herself.

I thought they looked pretty great:

But great as they are three-grade handwriting and all, they are nothing like the original Pin-spiration from Fiskars.com:

And last, my two-year-old Ziggy needed Valentines, but just a few. His preschool is Jewish, so there isn't any of that St. Valentine's Day stuff going on there, Baruch Hashem.

I made Ziggy's Valentines for him, using recycled crayon hearts we still had from when we made them last year for Earth Day. The heart crayon-size is just right for toddler hands, and I was happy these Crayon Heart Valentines only took a few minutes to make. Once again I just needed to cut-out a construction paper heart, glue-dot on the heart crayon, add a few stickers and write Happy Valentine's Day!

And while I couldn't be happier with how ours turned out, it sure doesn't compare to the original pin-spiration from WhipperBerry (or to a similar crayon Valentine that has been repinned over 16,000 times).

If you'd like more ideas for homemade Valentines, there are lots more here at Valentines That Make the Grade in the Classroom and on my Valentine's Day Ideas Pinterest Board.

Also? I will never degrade the value of a store-bought Valentine's Day card again.

Before we all get too pro JC Penney....

2012-02-10T22:52:00.000-05:00

How quickly we forget...

Remember these tee shirts? And the controversy?

In case you don't remember, JC Penney was selling tees that said "I'm too pretty to do homework so my brother has to do it for me." After a big online uproar and threats of boycotts, Penney's pulled the tees.

So when I was reading today everyone's pleas to please shop at Penney's this weekend, I decided to see if that was something I really would like to do.

Uh, no.

And this is why:

And the boys don't get much better treatment:

I know everyone draws the line at what is objectionable and objectifying to put on a child's tee shirt, so I understand not all of you reading this will think these phrases and slogans are all so terrible.

And while I wouldn't boycott Penney's over these shirts, I certainly wouldn't rush out to shop there this weekend, either.

Old Photo Friday: My Mom and Me

2012-02-10T11:18:00.001-05:00

My mom's birthday was yesterday. We celebrated with the best soup dumpling ever at the Shanghai Cafe in Chinatown.

We also learned that if you have a waitress who (no judgement) doesn't speak English, she will assume anything you say is a request for water or forks.

As a last ditch resort, the waitress will also bring you spoons before giving up and going to find the waiter with the perfect English, who will take your order.

The whole experience made me feel for my toddler who pretty much lives this over and over again every mealtime at our house. He jabbers, I bring him a glass of water. What? You're still talking? Bring him a fork. And then eventually if he is still trying to tell me something, that's right, I bring him a spoon. And then he, brings me a tantrum. Finally, I understand your frustration, kid. I really do.

Luckily, our experience ended free of tantrums. And full of the best soup dumplings ever.

And now, for old photo fun, my mom and me in the 1970s:

Happy Birthday, Mom!

I'm taking a trip down memory lane every Friday until I get bored of digging around my old photos, or until I run out of material.

Have you ever tried soup dumplings? And if you have, tell me the best place to get them!

Blue Blankie

2012-02-07T19:59:00.000-05:00

For anyone who ever had a blankie, or a child with a blankie, could there be any sight sadder than this one?

Thankfully, we found lost-but-not-forgotten Blue Blankie right before nap time.

Also, is it just me or is this the first thing you thought of when you saw the blankie-in-the-snow photo?

What I'm thinking about Sunday night: Not the Super Bowl

2012-02-05T22:07:00.004-05:00

Oh, Sportsball. It means nothing to me. I feel a little sorry for my husband, because I can't even pretend to be a tiny bit interested. And he cares a lot. A lot as in he believes the Phillies winning the World Series in 2008 was a sign we should have another child (true story).

The littlest Sportsball fan.

So tonight my beloved is watching Sportsball at his brother's house and I'm home happy as can be watching last week's Downton Abbey and tonight's brand-new episode of Luck.

Besides watching non-Super Bowl TV, I've decided to start reading books again - something I pretty much gave-up cold turkey when my first baby came home from the hospital eight years ago.

I'm in the middle of the super-amusing Confessions of a Scary Mommy by Jill Smokler of ScaryMommy.com. And, my inability to put down the book may result in a few scary mommy confessions of my own by the time I'm done.

I'm also reading Beautiful Swimmers, which is a history of blue crabs and the Chesapeake Bay crabbing industry - and it is utterly fascinating. I can't believe with my love of all things blue crab, I had never heard of this book (which was published 30 years ago) until my brother brought over a copy for me to read last week.

Now that I'm a born-again reader, please let me know any good book recommendations!

I am also still making lots of heart-shaped food, I've got directions for heart shaped strawberries and heart fried potatoes as well as over thirty more heart food ideas on Pinterest. Because what I lack in Sportsball interest I make-up for in my love of Kawaii-style food.

Note: None of these links lead to anything that might possibly lead to money for me, in case it seemed like they did.

Glad I Made It: Strawberry Hearts for Valentine's Day

2012-02-04T22:50:00.003-05:00

Every since I made heart shaped fried potatoes last week, I've been heart-ing every food I can.

It's gonna be a rude shock to my Kawaii-loving kids when they have to back to go "regular" food once Valentine's Day is over.

While creating most heart-shaped food is based upon using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, you can make strawberry hearts free-form, since they're already pretty much a natural heart.

All you need to do is slice the strawberries in half, and then use a knife to carve a little v out of the top of the strawberry, and you're done.

Here's how our heart strawberries turned out, the kids enjoyed decorating their plates:

Heart fun for everyone!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Old Photo Friday: My Cat Casper

2012-02-03T20:39:00.000-05:00

When I was five, my grandfather gave me a cat for my birthday. She was a beautiful black and white cat, and I named her Casper, after Casper the Friendly Ghost. I secretly knew it didn't make sense, as my Casper was not a white cat, but still, I loved T.V.-Casper and knew it was the perfect name for my cat, whether she was ghostly white or not.

After a few days with Casper, it became apparent that either Casper or my older brother (who was allergic to cats) was going to have to go. In an incredibly rookie move my mom asked me which I'd like to keep, my cat or my brother. I looked at the lady like she was an idiot, and replied like it was the most obvious answer in the world (because it was) "THE CAT!!!"

The next day, Casper was gone. I was shocked, incredulous - "But I TOLD YOU I wanted to keep THE CAT!"

And yet, despite my crying, wailing, and hysterics there was no reversing of her opinion. But don't worry, Casper ended-up fine, better than fine. Casper went on to live a long, indulged and incredibly happy life with the elderly, retired couple across the street who gave the cat her very own room, as well as an entire other room just for her cat toys.

And me? I got liberal visitation rights to the cat.

And the knowledge that despite all appearances to the contrary, a great wrong had happened here.

I'm taking a trip down memory lane every Friday until I get bored of digging around my old photos, or until I run out of material.

The New York International Gift Fair: Stuff Big Duck Duckie Would Like Edition

2012-02-03T16:33:00.000-05:00

There was a lot of cute duck stuff at the New York International Gift Fair. I wish Big Duckie could've been there herself to see it all, but alas she was not. Below are a few of my favorites:

Duck baby hat ($16), wooden duck toy ($32), and duck step stool ($90) from Manny and Simon.

Rubber Duck (made of natural rubber) $12.95 from Rich Frog.

I also have picks from the New York International Gift Fair for eco-friendly, innovative and for kids who love cars.

And, you can see my picks for 10 Great Finds from the New York International Gift Fair at BaristaKids.com.

The New York International Gift Fair: The Eco-Awesome Edition

2012-02-02T21:25:00.000-05:00

This is my third, and penultimate, post about the Gift Fair, covering just a few of the many eco-awesome products I saw there.

A few of my eco-awesome favorites:

Modern Twist – I love just about everything from this company that makes“eco-chic products for a sustainable planet." All their products are 100% recyclable and reusable, and have terrific modern design. They have BPA and chemical free Kidz Placemats ($17) that are made from food-grade silicone so they won’t tear or crease. These placemats are also available as a Kidz Box ($26) which also includes markers kids can use to color (and re-color) their mats. There are also great placemats for us adults ($13-$18).

Photo from Modern Twist

Artterro - These eco-friendly art kits are perfect for crafty kids. Each kit contain the supplies for a project such as collage jewelry or art dolls, and are designed to be open-ended and encourage kids to use their imaginations. When you're done, the box from the kit becomes the frame to display your creation. Made in the USA of all natural materials.

Woolly Boo - This NJ-based company makes gorgeous bedding and sleep sacks, all from organic wool and cotton and all made in the USA in conjunction with farmers and weavers who are committed to sustainable practices and fair trade. New this year is the All-in-One Nap Mat, perfect for kids to use at preschool, day care or when traveling.

Tomorrow I'll be back with a final Gift Fair update, which of course will be all things Duck in honor of Big Duckie.

You can also see my picks for 10 Great Finds from the New York International Gift Fair at BaristaKids.com.

The New York International Gift Fair: The "Why Didn't I Think of That?" Edition

2012-02-01T22:35:00.001-05:00

This was my second time at the New York International Gift Fair, and I was just as enthralled and inspired by the truly ingenious things I saw this time as last time. Which is why this update is about all the things that made me say, "Why Didn't I think of that?"

My Blue Bumbershoot Stroller Umbrella - Two clever urban moms came-up with this idea for a hands-free umbrella that clamps onto the handle of the stroller so that the person pushing the pusher doesn't get caught in the rain. With today's strollers providing every possible amenity from couture fabrics to latte holders, it's nice that a company has finally considered the so-called stroller chauffeurs and found a way for them to transport their charges while staying protected from the elements.

Mudpuppy Puzzles in a Pouch - These 12 piece puzzles for ages 2+ feature nice sturdy construction just right for toddler hands as well as fun, yet non-commercial, prints. But that's not the best part: the puzzles come in a reusable plastic storage pouch. Which makes perfect sense, because puzzle boxes just don't work. The puzzle boxes get crushed and torn, and my uptight ways force me to tape the box sides back together, not to mention bag the puzzle pieces so they don't go missing. But a puzzle pouch, so simple and yet so life-changing. The pouch is a perfect solution for travel, too.

International Arrivals Color Appeel Crayons - My kids need these crayons. Instead of sharpening the crayon (or whining for your mom to do it right now because you need that exact color for your masterpiece), you just pull a string to peel and reveal more crayon and "sharpen" it that way. The set of 12 brightly patterned pencils come in a cool carrying case to make clean-up easy, at least theoretically.

Merritt USA Kids Little Dipper Plates - My kids are all about dipping any food at any time, and I know they can't be the only ones. These cute plates have a dipper built right into the center, and they're made out of melamine so while the kids can't break them, I can still wash them in the dishwasher.

Why didn't I think of that.

You can also see my picks for 10 Great Finds from the New York International Gift Fair at BaristaKids.com.

The New York International Gift Fair: The Cool Car Stuff Edition

2012-01-31T22:00:00.002-05:00

I had a great day at the New York International Gift Fair, and while I pretty much was just scouring the place for duck photo-ops, I somehow managed to also see a lot of amazing products and to meet a lot of incredible people, many who were the company founders.

I'll be back to share all of these finds with you - from eco-friendly art kits to baby blankets that help orphaned kids, but today I'm getting started by sharing some of the fantastic car toys, which of course I want to get all of for my car-obsessed toddler.

I love this European Car Case from kidSTYLE:

I can just see Ziggy filling the case with his toy cars and pulling it around the house happy as can be.

Manny & Simon had gorgeous Made in the USA heirloom wooden cars:

And I love the idea of getting Ziggy the matching tee so he can coordinate with his car:

Tomorrow I'll be back with some more great things I saw at the show, or at least a collection of duck-themed gift photos.

You can see my picks for 10 Great Finds from the New York International Gift Fair at BaristaKids.com.

How to Make Heart Fried Potatoes in 22 Minutes

2012-01-30T11:03:00.000-05:00

With Valentine's Day a mere two weeks away, I've been making lots of heart-y crafts with my kids. So it seemed only natural that I would want to make hearty-y food, too.

Here are easy directions for making ~~insane~~ adorable Heart Shaped Fried Potatoes.

1. Go to Pinterest and look at all the ~~insane~~ adorable foods people have carved, kabobed and baked in the shape of hearts and decide you too must do that.

2. Choose to make something with potatoes since you do not have any of the ingredients needed for the other ~~insane~~ adorable ideas, and are too damn lazy to go to the store to get them.

3. Find this amazing recipe for Roasted Potato Hearts and decide to make them for family breakfast.

4. Realize the recipe has too many steps and is way too difficult for someone who only has one iCarly (i.e., 22 minutes) to make the ~~insane~~ adorable heart potatoes and the rest of breakfast.

4. Decide to improvise own almost-as-good heart potato recipe by slicing two potatoes semi-thinly, and then using a cookie cutter to cut out ~~insane~~ adorable hearts from the potatoes.

5. Realize cutting out ~~insane~~ adorable hearts from the potatoes is taking forever (which is way longer than one iCarly episode) and switch to a larger heart shaped cookie cutter.

6. Cut out one ~~insane~~ adorable larger heart potato.

7. Accept that even with this major improvement to the ~~insane~~ adorable heart-cutting out process, it is still going to take longer than you are willing to spend cutting out ~~insane~~ adorable heart potatoes. Especially when you are but one mother with seven remaining minutes, and who still has to make the rest of breakfast.

5. Heat oil in a heavy skillet, and fry the pan-full of ~~insane~~ adorable potato hearts you have managed to cut-out in the preceding fifteen minutes of your life that you are never going to get back.

6. Flip the potato hearts, and serve on platter alongside other regular non-heart breakfast foods.

7. Listen to the kids happily exclaim that there are hearts for breakfast! and decide it really wasn't so much work after all.

8. Vow to make even more and better ~~insane~~ adorable heart food next time!

You can see more ~~insane~~ adorable heart shaped food on my Pinterest Board Heart Food for Valentine's Day.

I've also put all the photos together here, because the other recipes on Pinterest look like this, and I so want to fit-in.

What I'm Obsessing About on Sunday Night: Big Duckie and Pinterest

2012-01-29T20:34:00.000-05:00

What have I done this week? I will be honest: I have done almost nothing besides obsessively pin photos of ducks to Pinterest.

Thank you to everyone who has emailed me duck photos to add to the Big Duckie Board!

Meanwhile, Big Duckie has also been pretty busy. My brother, sister-in-law and itty niece came over and Big Duckie insisted on joining their family portrait:

Then Big Duckie tried to play basketball (total fail):

And finally, exhausted Big Duckie collapsed into the first Big Duckie size chair he could find:

After a week spent indulging Big Duckie and my Pinterest habit, I'm hoping next week I'll have something else to talk about. Like my efforts towards creating world peace. And also, what foods can most easily be cut into heart shapes for Valentine's Day.

And you?

Old Photo Friday: Portrait of a Young Fashionista

2012-01-27T09:55:00.001-05:00

That's me in the 1970s, at home in semi-rural Virginia. Clearly, I started developing my fashion sense early.

I found the photo as I was digging around for more duck photos for my Big Duckie board on Pinterest.

I haven't found any duck-themed pics yet, but I did find these nice one of my brother and me and our two pet geese.

Oh, what a different time it was.

I'll be posting old photos every Friday until I get bored or run out of material.

A Day in the Life of Big Duckie

2012-01-25T21:49:00.000-05:00

My daughter Kay - she's six - has a large stuffed animal duck. Quite creatively, she calls her Big Duckie. Big Duckie goes everywhere we go. And today I thought, why keep the joy that is a life lived with Big Duckie to myself? Let me share the love that is Big Duckie with you all.

Here's Big Duckie the day Kay liberated her from the toy store Corduroy Bear-style:

Kay is just a wee bit enthused.

We take Big Duckie on a victory lap around the toy store before leaving:

Then Kay insists Big Duckie must get buckled-in for the drive home:

Now Big Duckie lives a life of leisure. Lounging on the chaise:

Playing the piano (she really has an incredible ear, especially for a stuffed duck):

Going on trips to the grocery store, who doesn't love those tiny carts:

Next installment: Big Duckie plays with Squinkies and makes a duck tape necklace!

P.S. Big Duckie has her own Pinterest Board. I have no idea why.

Happy 4709 Year of the Dragon!

2012-01-24T11:42:00.002-05:00

Gung hay fat choy!

Chinese New Year celebrations are in full-swing, and while our family festivities don't extend much beyond eating dim sum and making handprint dragons, it was the perfect reason to photograph my kid in his dragon hoodie.

Disclosure: Hoodie received from Tea Collection. When I looked it up I realized it is referred to as an Aztec Serpent, which I'm sure is just the Spanish translation for dragon. For other dragon-esque apparel, there are pajamas with Dancing Dragons and a Growling Naga hoodie. Again, I'm just going to guess a Naga and a dragon are pretty much the same thing.

What I'm Thinking About on Sunday Night: My First World Problems, Colossal Art and Dim Sum

2012-01-22T22:48:00.000-05:00

What a couple of long weeks I've just had (admittedly in a first-world-problems sorta way).

It all began with my husband forgetting to leave out the water bottles on water delivery day.

Then, I dropped my computer and was forced to spend eleven days offline while it was repaired.

And as if all that was not already enough trauma to have to endure, my daughter Kay dropped a heavy piece of marble on her hand resulting in a nasty injury, but luckily no broken bones.

And yet, despite my smallness in complaining about all these things, I also got inspired by some big ideas on Colossal. I absolutely love this art installation made by kids and stickers.

I am so planning to do this at my house with my kids and a package of 300 circle labels.

Colossal also featured this amazing Toy Car Rainbow:

Which I am also so making with my son later this week, or at the latest the week after that.

We spent the better part of Saturday on Pinterest adding images to the board Car Stuff for My Kid. At age two, I might have created the youngest Pinterest addict. I'm not proud.

Magpie enjoying dim sum

I'm also trying to maximize eating my way through the Chinese New Year. If you'd like to do the same, here are six fantastic dim sum places in New Jersey, a review of Pacificana in Brooklyn, and five more to try in various cities. And of course, there's always Manhattan's Chinatown, where among the many great choices I maintain my loyalty to the Golden Unicorn.

Actually, it's year 4709 - but whose counting?

And last, I leave you with a public service announcement: tomorrow is Blue Monday so don't feel bad if you're, uh, feeling bad.

Next week, I can tell you now, is going to be all about the Valentines. The Big V may still be three-and-a-half weeks away, but my kids are already working themselves into a frenzy of candy anticipation. Sweet.

Getting Crafty at DUANEreade with Dry Erase Crayons and Stickers

2012-01-20T11:00:00.039-05:00

It's no secret that I love to do crafts with my kids. And while I have an ample stockpile of craft supplies at the ready at all times, I always want more. New stuff for projects of such scope that I may - or may not - ever complete them. But still, I like to at least plan to do them.

Right now, my current obsession is dry erase white boards. Specifically, DIY dry erase boards because it seems they are totally easy and fun to make - as evidenced by all these on my Pinterest Board, Cute and Clever Dry Erase Ideas. I think I even already have everything I need to make these, but that doesn't mean I couldn't find a few extras to add on as well.

So on a recent afternoon when I was in Manhattan to pick-up my daughter from her overnight visit to grandma's place, I stopped by the newly renovated DUANEreade in Chelsea (8th Avenue between 17th and 18th Streets) to see what crafty additions they might have for my dry erase obsession, and just to browse around the store as I am loving checking out the new glam DUANEreade's and their fantastic beauty selections and other unexpected finds.

The Chelsea DUANEreade has a huge selection of food - you could easily do most if not all of your grocery shopping here from fresh fruit and frozen vegetables

to a divine selection of chocolate.

I took the escalator downstairs and to the craft area, where I found the most perfect, and essential, thing for any dry erase project: Dry Erase Crayons.

Because, yes, despite all of my thinking about the dry erase board project, I had managed to completely forgotten that one would need something with which to write upon the board.

And I also got these, 300 circle labels for just $1.29!

You may be thinking, what does she think she can do with 300 circle stickers? And the answer is I don't know exactly, but I was inspired by this amazing art installation:

Shouldn't be too hard to do something just like that at my house, right?

For tons more photos of my trip to Duane Reade, check out my Google+ Album.

For all the latest and greatest from Duane Reade, follow them on Twitter @DuaneReade and via the hashtag #DReade. You can also like them on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/DuaneReade).

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias, #CBias. The opinions, and the money spent, are my own.

NYC area blogger? Find out about Duane Reade's VIP Blogger Program.

My reluctant experiment in going offline

2012-01-19T22:33:00.000-05:00

Almost two weeks ago I dropped my computer. I probably should've just bought a new one, but like so many others, I had a ~~completely sick-fuck~~ significant sentimental attachment to mine so I insisted on saving it. No matter what it took.

First, I hoped it just needed a little bit of TLC. Perhaps a new battery would be all it took. So there I was in the Batteries Plus store in a particularly dingy part of New Jersey buying a super-expensive top of the line battery and power cord for my ~~best friend, confidant and business partner~~ computer.
No luck. The situation was clearly more dire. The salesman gives me the advice to take my ~~beloved companion~~ computer to the Computer Doctor, which as it turns out is located in an even dingier part of New Jersey. But still, I was hopeful.

I hated to be parted for even one night, but the professionals at the Computer Doctor needed to keep the computer for observation, and repair. So I agreed. I wasn't sure how I would spend my time without my ~~better-half~~ computer, but somehow I managed.

And now, eleven days and a ridiculous number of dollars later, my favorite pal is back beside me on my couch.

Oh, how I've missed you.

And by you I totally mean all of you and not the you of my anthropomorphized computer, which I totally do not have a co-dependent relationship with. At all.

Handprint Crafts for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

2012-01-14T04:21:00.000-05:00

I'll be honest, I didn't think Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was exactly full of handprint craft opportunities.

But I was wrong. There are tons of handprint crafts symbolizing unity, tolerance and all that handprint jazz.

Here's a great Handprint Unity Wreath from Handprint and Footprint Art:

Looking for more ideas? I pinned a bunch on a Pinterest board: Martin Luther King, Jr. handprint crafts.

And why yes, Pinterest is my newest addiction. If you're there as well, let me know so I can follow you and your pins!

Glad I Made It: Q-Tip Snowflakes

2012-01-13T20:49:00.001-05:00

My daughter Kay was home today with a hurt hand - an injury she received while crouching by the side of the ATM and invoking her favorite alternate persona, Baby Fish. Unfortunately for ~~Kay~~ Baby Fish, while crouched she nudged a big piece of marble that fell on her hand, er or would that actually be her fin?

Ironically enough, this all happened on the way to a well-patient visit to the pediatrician. But instead we came into the waiting room like it was an ER with Kay (Baby Fish had swam away by now) sobbing hysterically and her hand already swelled up to the size and color of a boxing glove.

Anyway, the hand still isn't quite right (although thankfully an x-ray revealed no break) so she stayed home today with me.

As you may recall, last time she was home from school we made toothpick art:

Not to be outdone, today I brought out the Q-tips.

She made a bunch of cool designs:

and this awesome snowflake:

And while I will admit I sorta think she should've gone to school, as long as ~~Kay~~ Baby Fish was home, I'm glad we got to spend some time together and make these q-tip crafts.

For more fun snowflake crafts you can make with clever items like price tag stickers check out Simple & Striking Snowflake Crafts for Kids. And yes, you can learn how to make a handprint snowflake here.

Disclosure: Glad I Made It is a total rip-off of Glad I Saw It

Instructions for My Husband: Please leave the empty water bottles out on water delivery day

2012-01-09T10:30:00.001-05:00

Please remember to leave the empty water bottles out for collection on water delivery day. Because if you don't leave them out, they don't get picked-up. And yet, the new water bottles are still delivered. And even though we are no longer living in our dollhouse-sized Manhattan apartment, unless you want to build a water bunker we still don't have room for all the old water bottles AND all the new water bottles (and me) to coexist happily in our suburban home.

It is especially important to remember to leave the empty water bottles on on days when your super-awesome wife somehow manages to remember herself and reminds you ever so nicely, "Dearest husband, please don't forget to leave the water bottles outside. After all, it is water day tomorrow."

And, it is especially, especially important to to leave the empty water bottles out when your sweet and lovely wife reminds you AGAIN "My beloved husband, just wanted to make sure you knew that today is the day the water guy comes."

And you say, "Don't worry. I got it."

Well, the empty bottles are still here. Along with their four new friends, the new, full water bottles.

And what really annoys me the most is that in addition to the insanely large stockpile of water bottles you insist we hoard at all the times, you have also written into our delivery order that four bottles must be left at all times, even if no bottles are returned.

All this means that we are now going to have to live in a water bottle factory until the next delivery. Assuming, of course, that you remember to leave the empies out then. And that is really annoying.

So, please.... leave the water bottles out on delivery day. Especially when I remind you to do it, and y'know, "you got it."

This is the twenty-seventh instruction in my ongoing series of Instructions for My Husband.

A Trip to DUANEreade and A Few Thoughts on Getting Organized in 2012

2012-01-05T22:15:00.000-05:00

I am one of those people who tries really, really hard to be organized.

And yet, I am also one of those people who can never find a pen, or paper. And one of those people who always has to spend ten minutes searching for the sheet of paper that has the information about what time the school play is at.

But not this year!

This year, I'm going to be the person who has is totally organized. Or at least sorta organized.

But before I could take on my organizational plans, I had to get a haircut. Badly. So I took the train from scenic New Jersey to Manhattan and got there with enough time to spare that I had time to stop by one the new remodeled DUANEreade store in Herald Square (1350 Broadway, at 35th Street).

The Duane Reade had a great vibe, and I loved this wall of favorite New York things:

I also loved the store directory, not only so I could find my way around the store, but also because it has whole sections for "Apartment Living" and "What I Need." Exactly.

I headed upstairs (yes, it's two floors of shopping fun) to the office supplies section to see what might be there to help me get organized. There was an over-sized PlanAhead Monthly/Weekly Planner Calendar which was perfect for scheduling me, not to mention everyone else in my busy family.

I also got a box of envelopes, which I'm going to use to keep all of my can't-lose important items, and then my super-organized self is going to tuck those envelopes into the appropriate week in my new fancy Planner.

And do you know what this all means? This means that when the next birthday party comes along - I'll be ready. And the kid's ongoing weekly lessons? The ones where I can never find a pen, or a check? I'll be ready for those, too. Because this afternoon I'm writing the lesson checks for the next few months, and then I'm putting all those checks inside the envelopes ahead of time for the lessons, and it will be one less thing to have to remember all the time.

I'm hoping these little changes will be just the beginning of a less frantic and way more organized year.

Other things making me happy on my visit to Herald Square? That Macy's still had their decorations and windows for the holidays, they are really spectacular.

I felt a little bad my kids weren't with me to enjoy them, too. But, oh well.

I left Herald Square and headed downtown just in time for my haircut with Rod at Soho Organics (192 Sixth Avenue).

Later that night when I got home, I got to work updating my calendar with recurring appointments and other upcoming dates.

It felt good to be organized. And yes, I know it's just a start.

Do you have organizational tips - please share, clearly I need all the help I can get!

For tons more photos of my trip to Duane Reade, check out my Google+ Album.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias, #CBias. The opinions, and the money spent, are my own.

For all the latest and greatest from Duane Reade, follow them on Twitter @DuaneReade and via the hashtag #DReade. You can also like them on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/DuaneReade).

2011: A Random Handprints Year in Review

2012-01-01T20:51:00.001-05:00

Last year I made a list of New Year's Resolutions. I did an astonishingly good job at keeping none of them. One of them was to make my bed, which I made exactly zero times.

So how did I spend my time in 2011 instead of making my bed, cleaning the house and staying off The Twitter? And hanging with these party people:

I'll tell you:

January was snow. And more snow. And snow days off from school. We built snowmen. I saw The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway with Jill of Glamamom.com. We had an awesome time.

February we celebrated Valentine's Day and Magpie went to her first Rutgers basketball game. I attended the Toy Fair as a member of the press. It's a great trade show and I can't wait to go back again this year.

March had its fill of big events - Purim, the Supermoon, St. Patrick's Day and my brother's wedding.

April I attended the phenomenal Rated P... for Parenthood which premiered here in New Jersey, and will soon be playing an off-Broadway run in the coming months. Counting the days until I can see the show again.

May sent me to Bloggy Boot Camp in Boston and BlogWorld in New York. I also got in some puddle jumping fun with Ziggy and the kids took a bunch of kindy photos.

June and July were uneventful, spent mostly at the beach eating ice cream, strolling the boardwalk and being pirates.

August will be remembered mostly for just one thing: Hurricane Irene.

September my kids became obsessed with Duck Tape.

October was an entire month of Halloween - and while I do loathe the holiday sprawl, I decided to embrace it instead of hating on it this year. Oh, and there was a Sno-tober snow storm, too.

November I participated in NaBloPoMo which was such good times that I'm inspired to try it again in 2012. My adorable niece Rosie was born. I was published in a print magazine for the first time. Thank you, New Jersey Family.

December was all about holiday celebrations and I had fun putting together my first gift guide, featuring all non-commercial products.

What else happened this year?

I left twenty-six instructions for my husband on everything from how to cook to how to clean. Nothing has changed.
I guest-posted at The Fordeville Diaries and Take 2 Mommy. Thank you for having me over to your fantastic blogs.
I wrote over 100 posts for NJFamily.com, Momtrends.com, ShePosts.com, and JerseyMomsBlog.com. I am so grateful for these opportunities.
I curated three shows at Kirtsy.

And does any of this really matter? No. Not just no in the larger scheme of things, but also no in that almost all of the traffic to my site comes from people searching for Handprint Crafts. So I am happy to provide the people what they want - and this year, don't worry, I am going to add even more - and then even more! -handprint crafts.

So what's next (besides the new selection of handprint crafts) now that it's 2012?

I'm not sure, but unlike last year I'm not putting any plans on a list. Though I might try and squeeze in a visit, or possibly even two, to the gym.

And you? Are you resolving, or resolving not to resolve?

Our Most Excellent New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T22:15:00.001-05:00

We had a super-fun New Year's Eve day today. First, we braved going for dim sum in suburban New Jersey. There is was, China Gourmet, a non-descript and ramshackle building with two crumbling lions standing guard out front. The parking lot was empty, and we almost didn't go in.

Thank goodness we didn't turn back. Because the Golden Panda has totally Chinatown-quality dim sum. The parking lot was even packed by the time we left. So for all of you who thought good dim sum in the suburbs was the thing of myth, I can tell you... it's not.

Then we took the kids for "ice cream" - which was really frozen yogurt at Red Mango. They were super-happy.

Once it was night out (which my son calls medium-dark) we went on a tour of the holiday lights around town ending up at a surprise destination, which we managed to pull-up to at the exact right time - just as the fireworks started. We let the kids stand-up and watch them out the sunroof and they were flipping out at how cool it was. The huz and I were quite pleased too - it's not often we get to keep a surprise from our three kids.

Now we're back home, hanging out and watching TV. I promised the two big girls they could stay up till midnight. The rational part of me knows this will not seem like the best idea tomorrow when they're tired and cranky.

But the even more rational part of me knows there aren't too many more New Year's Eves the kids are gonna want to spend with their mom, even with the promise of watching fireworks out the sunroof.

And now if you'll excuse me, my daughters tell me it's time now to dress-up to watch the ball drop.

Happy New Year!

Note: Post totally uncompensated in case it sounded otherwise with the Golden Panda and Red Mango mentions.

Three Non-Profits I Heart: Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, Wikipedia and the Newark Boys & Girls Club

2011-12-30T23:20:00.000-05:00

This time of year I always make a few last-minute donations to places I've meant to give to all year but of course haven't gotten it together to put my money where my, er, heart is.

Last year I did a Comment for a Cause post on this blog, pledging to donate a dollar per comment left - ending up on the hook for a mind-boggling $35. Yep, that post went totally viral.*

So this year, I'll skip the commenting requirement and just ~~mail a check~~ make an online donation to these organizations I heart:

Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood - This organization is behind a lot of amazing campaigns like ones that keep advertising (often via Scholastic) out of school curriculum. They also provide education and viable alternatives to parents and educators who want to reduce, or even eliminate, marketing from kids' lives. They don't accept any corporate funding, so they rely on individual donations.

Wikipedia - Yes, I will admit it - I was swayed by the personal appeals at the top of the pages. But I didn't donate to Wikipedia because I am such a gigantic Wikipedia user. I donated to Wikipedia because I think it's truly inspiring that this behemoth of a site has chosen not to have advertising on the site. As someone who tries to monetize my own teeny-tiny online mouse hole any way I can, I greatly respect someone who isn't plastering ads and who-knows-what all over their site, and my user-experience. And if I can help Wikipedia keep going via their model of user-supported donations, sure I'll be in on that.

Newark Boys and Girls Club - This last one is because I believe in supporting local organizations, and Newark is just up the road from my neighborhood. And no, it doesn't hurt that I'm a huge fan of Mayor Booker. The Boys and Girls Club runs an incredible array of life-changing youth programs that promote education, life skills, the arts and much more. And, they're active in social media - which I think more organizations should be. So, I'm giving them a donation for that reason, too.

With one day left to make a difference in 2011, I'd love to hear which organizations do you heart?

*Despite the monetary failure of last year's Comment for a Cause, it was not a total bust. Through the comments I "met" some great people like Michelle Simon who blogs at Appetite for Profit and tweets at @Appetite4Profit; Lisa Sunbury who blogs at Regarding Baby and tweets at @RegardingBaby and Erin who blogs at Marketing, Media and Childhood and tweets at @mktgchildhood. So it was totally worth it for those connections alone.

Squinkies: A Photo Collection by Kay

2011-12-29T23:07:00.001-05:00

My daughter Kay is really into Squinkies these days. She spent the better part of the afternoon photographing her beloved creatures.

I'm not sure what I think.

Has the Squinkie obsession hit at your house?

Winter Vacation - The First Half

2011-12-28T22:02:00.002-05:00

We are just about at the half-way point of the kids winter vacation, and while they have complained a bit of being bored, it has been really fun.

Our family's Hanukkah celebration has come to an end, finally. Like many endings, it was bittersweet. The family gathering at the front bay window was an evening tradition I came to cherish - even as it came with squabbles over who was standing closer, whose turn it was to light the candles... you know, the usual holiday traditions.

Photo from American Vernacular Landscapes

My son brought home from preschool a homemade menorah I adore:

As for presents, we gave Kay, who is six, a rite-of-passage gift I was so happy to give her - a book light, signifying not only that she can read now but that now that she can read after lights-out. She beamed.

And for Magpie, who is eight, a literary upgrade as well - a reading chair from her grandma:

Big Duckie likes the chair, too:

Other things making the kids happy, Kay's new Huggie Pillow, "Peace-y"

And Magpie's new reading obsession, The Dork Diaries:

And Ziggy, he is loving Richard Scarry books and looking for Mr. Frumble's hat:

And I'm loving having gotten a couple of photos of all the kids together:

We've seen the holiday lights at the Turtle Back Zoo:

And we continued our annual Merry Zoo Day tradition, which is going on eight years now:

And already, I know there is one thing I'll be doing next year. I overheard Magpie whisper to her little sister on the last day of Hanukkah, "There's only one night left, I don't think there's much chance I'm getting that iTouch."

Sorry, kid. But I'm so planning on it for next year.
How is your winter vacation? Too long or too short? Or just right?

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T00:04:00.000-05:00

Magpie and Kay pose with the giant light-up spinning dreidel, 2008.

To read about our annual Merry Zoo Day tradition, click here.

However and whatever you celebrate, Happy Everything!

TOYS WITH NO ASSEMBLY REQUIRED: The Eighth Edition of Anna's Super-Fun Non-Commercial Gift Guide

2011-12-23T22:08:00.000-05:00

Today was the fourth night of Hanukkah. It was also the fourth night in a row that I spent frantically trying to detach, put-together, and battery-ize toys for three kids, all the while working against frantic kid clocks which think the toy should be ready in ten seconds, or is possible, less.

All this is just to say, I have a renewed appreciation for toys with no assembly required.

Here are a few great toys that won't make you look for a screwdriver, or the batteries, or eventually your sanity:

Perplexus ($21-24) - This toy is a huge hit with my kids (ages 6 and 8). Perplexus is a maze contained in a clear ball, and the kids need to roll the ball along the numbered path towards the finish by flipping, twisting and spinning. Perplexus comes in three versions - Rookie (ages 4+), Original (ages 6+) and Epic (ages 8+), and according to my kids it is "not too easy."

Frigits ($24.50) - This fun marble run is attached to magnets and goes on a fridge, or if you are a New York City apartment dweller, on your front door. Just take it out of the box, and it's ready for marble fun. Ages 3+.

Little Helper's Grocery Cart by Step2 ($37.99) - When this arrived, I took one look at the box and groaned - as I was certain that the rest of the morning would be spent putting this together for my wide-eyed toddler who would spend the whole time asking me at 20-second intervals, "me have it now?"

So you can imagine my - uh, I mean his - delight when I opened the box and realized it was already completely put-together and ready to go - there's even room for a doll or stuffed animal to ride in front.

My son Ziggy took it for a spin around the house immediately, and he has been filling (and re-filling) it with much enthusiasm ever since. Ages 2+.

Do you have suggestions for other no assembly required toys? Or, even better, do you have an assembly strategy?

This is the eighth edition of Anna's Super-Fun Non-Commercial Holiday Gift Guide. You can read the other seven here.

I received a Perplexus and a Little Helper's Grocery Cart for review. Neither my opinions or those of my kids who loved these toys were influenced. The Frigits is a long-time favorite family toy.

Last-Minute Holiday Shopping at the 72nd Street Duane Reade

2011-12-22T21:14:00.003-05:00

Last Sunday, we met our friends on the Upper West side to see Little Red, a pantomime performance at the ArcLight Theatre. We go every year to see the annual holiday Pantomonium show, and this is one of my favorite holiday traditions.

We were coming by car from the suburbs, and wanting to make sure we weren't late, actually ended up getting to the Upper West Side early. Perfect. I had a few things I needed to pick-up from tape to teachers' gifts, and now I had the time to make a quick run into Duane Reade.

We walked into the Duane Reade at 72nd Street (2075 Broadway), and I will admit it:

I was shocked and impressed.

This wasn't just not like the Duane Reade I knew, this wasn't like any drugstore I knew.

Wondering why I'm saying this wasn't exactly an everyday drugstore? For reasons like these...

Organic baby food:

Keith Haring bibs:

A Bar, where you can have growlers (reusable containers) filled with beer:

And this was just downstairs. We headed upstairs via escalator, much to my children's delight,

and once we got to the second floor I will admit I took a moment and admired the view below of Broadway:

Then I spied the gigantic cosmetics area, and the many awesome holiday gifts. Like tons of nail polish choices:

The kids of course got confused (as often happens) that we were there to buy stuff for them, so there was some distraction when Ziggy saw his beloved cars:

When Kay saw those big eyed animals she adores:

And Magpie, well, you could hear her screams downtown when she spied "DUCK TAPE!!!"

All in all, it was a great - and unexpected - holiday shopping expedition.

And in case you were wondering, yes, I remembered to get tape.

We left with a few gifts, including perfect-for-teachers Lindt chocolates:

We all left happy - me, ready for the holidays and the kids, ready for the rest of our day in New York City.

For my son, this meant a cupcake at the Red Velvet Westside Bakery (141 West 72nd Street):

And a call at the corner pay phone:

Thanks Duane Reade for the great shopping experience, I can see why you're called the Jewel of the Upper West Side!

To see more photos from our shopping trip to Duane Reade, please check out my Google+ Album.

You can follow Duane Reade on Twitter @DuaneReade and via the hashtag #DReade. You can also like them on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/DuaneReade).

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #CBias.

All opinions - and money spent at Duane Reade - are my own.

SHOP LOCAL MADE IN NEW YORK: The Seventh Edition of Anna's Super-Fun Non-Commercial Holiday Gift Guide

2011-12-19T22:12:00.000-05:00

I love shopping local, and this seventh edition of my Holiday Gift Guide brings a few great picks for amazing items made right here in New York. Each of the designers have some cute-yet-edgy picks for the pint-sized, as well as some fantastic choices for the less pint-sized, from fun totes to gorgeous quilts.

Karin Alexis - all of this New York designer's items are made in New York City. She has adorable tutus ($42, featured in an earlier Gift Guide), responsible Eco Totes ($24):

and Burp Cloths in fun, retro prints like this one, Fashion Girl ($10).

All non-sale items gift wrapped free of charge.

Haptic Lab - this Brooklyn design studio makes soft maps, which are "quilted maps of cities and neighborhoods that represent someone's unique place in the world." Custom quilts - of anywhere you like - are created by hand in Brooklyn and take over 200 hours to complete. They also have baby quilts ($145-200) of several major cities, like the one pictured of Brooklyn, which can be personalized with baby's name, birthday and several locations of choice - all hand-embroidered.

For us grown-ups, there are queen sized City Quilts ($450), New York City is pictured.

Map Tote - another Brooklyn-based company with a geography theme, the husband and wife team behind Map Tote make environmentally friendly, reusable totes that feature a ton of different places including Park Slope

and New Jersey (both $17), as well as Mapnote cards ($4.50) and baby onesies ($25). All of their fabric is cut, sewn and printed in Brooklyn.

Do you know of other made in New York companies? Please let me know, I'd love to add them.

You can see the rest of my super-fun non-commercial holiday gift guides here.

No compensation for this post, I just heart all these products. Karin Alexis I know from my Upper West Side days, and the Brooklyn folks I met at the New York International Gift Fair in August.

BLUE AND SILVER GIFTS: The Sixth Edition of Anna's Super-Fun Non-Commercial Holiday Gift Guide

2011-12-17T20:20:00.002-05:00

My picks for super fun non-commercial blue and silver holiday gifts (from left to right):

1. Go Car Blue (by kid o)

2. Silver Racecar Metal Speedster (by Schylling)

3. Refrigerator (by Plan Toys)

4. Sequin Mix Top (by Splendid)

5. Bilibo Blue (by kid o)

6. Holiday Cardigan (by Splendid)

You can see the rest of the gift guides here.

Next up: shop local with gifts made in New York and New Jersey!

I was not compensated for this post.

Holiday Crafts You Can Make with Duck Tape

2011-12-16T22:49:00.002-05:00

For those of you who know me in real life (or blog life, now that I think about it) you are already aware that there is a fairly decent-sized Duck Tape obsession going on at our house.

In addition to our usual repertoire of Duck Tape creations, my kids and I are planning to make some of these fun holiday ideas from the incredibly creative folks at Duck Tape:

Holiday Wreath
Our door is still woefully undecorated, and I love the idea of making this homemade Duct Tape Holiday Wreath with the kids:

Duct Tape Holiday Ornaments

These are really fun to make, and my nice Jewish kids, as they don't know any better, call their's meatballs. (Does that sound sad? It's not, really.)

We are not planning to make this Duct Tape Poinsettia, because we know our limits, but wow... it's pretty amazing.

Duck Tape brand duct tape has lots of fun holiday prints and colors, like this fun Candy Cane Stripe:

Are you crafting for the holidays? Would love to hear about your projects - leave a comment!

I was not compensated for this review. I did receive some Duck Brand duct tape ~~to fuel my obsession~~ to review.

Go Green with The Gigglin' Garden Gang #GoGreenNGiggle #CBias

2011-12-15T22:50:00.003-05:00

I recently was lucky enough to receive a Go Green and Giggle Garden Activity Set to review. This cute set comes with a book, music and everything your child (recommended for ages 3 to 8) needs to grow sunflower plants and to learn a little about gardening and going green.

I did a quick search online to learn more about the Gigglin' Garden Gang before we got started, and first searched "go green sunflower suzi" which got these search results for their Facebook page Sunflower Suzi and Friends and Twitter @GoGreenNGiggle:

So I "liked" and "followed" and the next Google search I tried was "go green and giggle" and the Go Green and Giggle website came right up:

The site is really fun and engaging, and introduces you to all the great Gigglin' Garden Gang folks:

All this made us even more ready to open the kit and get planting!

My daughter Kay, age 6, was all too happy to be my resident tester. We have our own garden, and while it yields mixed results, all the kids are junior gardeners.

Kay loved everything about the Greenhouse Kit ($20.95), from opening up the box it arrived in:

to modeling the cute bag all the goodies came packed inside of:

The kit comes with a grow kit of six pods (made from recycled plastic bottles) and six compact mini dirt "wafers." All you need to do is follow the enclosed directions to add water and the soil expands and is ready for the sunflower seeds to be planted.

Kay happily watered the soil wafers:

and planted the sunflower seeds:

Now we just need to sit back, tell them some jokes, and watch our sunflowers grow.

While we were waiting for the just-planted seeds to come forth in their full sunflower glory Kay colored her Sunflower Suzi that came in the set.

Now, just to pass the next 2,894 hours...

Thank you to the Gigglin' Garden Gang for providing a Gigglin' Garden Activity Set for review - my daughter enjoyed reading the book, Go Green and Giggle! and loved getting to plant her own grow kit with the Gigglin' Garden Greenhouse.

To learn more and to see additional photos, visit my Go Green and Giggle album on Google+.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.
All opinions are my own.

Bringing the Hanukkah Pretty at Kirtsy

2011-12-15T08:13:00.000-05:00

Today I'm over at Kirtsy with A Hanukkah Celebration slideshow of incredible food, fancy table settings, and some kitschy decorations, too.

Here's my favorite: The Hanukkah House

Image Source: About.com

If you're looking for even more Hanukkah pretty, I've got a Hanukkah Foods, Crafts and Decorations Board at Pinterest, too.

Note: If you're not already addicted to Pinterest, don't click the link above. I can't be responsible for the resulting time suck.

RED AND GREEN GIFTS: The Fifth Edition of Anna's Super-Fun Non-Commercial Holiday Gift Guide

2011-12-15T06:37:00.000-05:00

My picks for super fun non-commercial red and green holiday gifts (left to right):

1. Appletters (by Bananagrams)
2. Leon the Cat and Car (by Vilac)
3. Irony Red Suit Watch (by Swatch)
4. Red and Green Pen Twin Pack (by Sharpie)
5. Bilibo Green (by kid o)
6. Bruno Racing Car (by PlayForever, Babesta)
7. Modern Table and Chairs (by Plan Toys)
8. Candy Cane Tape (by Duck Tape)

You can see the rest of the holiday gifts guides here.

Next up, Hanukkah gifts in blue and silver!

Appletters and Duck Tape provided to me for review. Influence on my opinions very, very tiny.

A Trip to the Larchmont Post Office

2011-12-14T08:20:00.002-05:00

Originally posted three years ago today. I still think of this story every year when I go to the post office to buy my holiday stamps.

Last week I took your regular-ol trip to my local post office. I needed to mail a package. After getting postage for the package, I realized this being the holiday season and all, I should probably get some stamps.

I'm not much of a holiday card sending kinda person, but I send a few.

I asked for Hanukkah stamps. The postal employee cheerfully told me they were all out, "given Larchmont's sizable Jewish population as you know, I'm sure you're not surprised."

Actually, I was completely surprised. First, at the thought of Larchmont having a sizable Jewish population. And second, that the Jewish population of Larchmont had organized to clean out the local post office of all its Hanukkah stamps by mid-December.

Undeterred, I respond: "I can use any stamps, just as long as they're not Christmas." And he says, "How about Kwanzaa?" "Sorry," I say, "Any stamps as long as they're not Christmas or Kwanzaa. I really meant anything non-holiday - don't you usually have snowflakes or snowmen or something like that?"

The postal guy answers, "No, I don't think so. We have all the holidays though. We even have Jihad stamps."

I look at him blankly. '
The postal guy continues, "I know you won't want those. To be honest, they're a tough sell. They came out right after 9-11. Bad timing. No one wanted to buy them. A few people did, I think they felt guilty. So they bought the Jihad stamps, but in general, they're not a good seller. Not like the Hanukkah stamps!"

At this point, I just want to leave, with or without stamps, but being a small town post office with a small town feel, the lady in line at the teller next to me says, "Get her the stamps with the man carrying the heart. They're perfect."

Given that I had very low stamp requirements, I was sure these stamps were indeed perfect. The postal guy brings me green heart stamps. "Perfect!" I exclaim, delighted to be getting out of this suddenly too-long. too-religious and too-political post office outing, when my friendly postal line neighbor looks over and barks "Not the green ones! Those aren't the right ones! It has to be the red ones!"

Without consulting me, the teller then goes frantically from bay to bay looking for the red ones. At the last bay, he grabs a strip, and shouts to me "These are the last ones! You got here just in time!"

Family Four-Pack Ticket Giveaway: Golden Dragon Acrobats at SOPAC CLOSED

2011-12-12T13:12:00.003-05:00

Giveaway is now closed.

This Saturday, December 17, the Golden Dragon Acrobats will be performing at the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) in (you guessed it!) South Orange, NJ.

This fantastic performance features gravity-defying acrobatics, traditional dance, spectacular costumes, and ancient and contemporary music. The Golden Dragon Acrobats are internationally recognized as today's premiere Chinese acrobatic touring company.

We have a four-pack of tickets to the 7pm performance on Saturday, December 17 to giveaway to one lucky winner. To enter just leave a comment telling if you have ever been to SOPAC before. You can also order tickets online ($25 to $40) to see the Golden Dragon Acrobats.

For extra entries please leave a comment for each of the below letting me know you already/do now:

Follow this blog publicly via Google Friend Connect (it's there on the right)
Like RandomHandprints on Facebook
Like SOPAC on Facebook

~ Enter Now! Entries close on Thursday, December 15 at 10AM EST ~

Giveaway small print: Contest open to U.S. residents age 18 and over. Contest ends at 10:00am EST, Thursday, December 15, 2011. Winners will be randomly selected via Random.org and announced here as well as emailed with the good news. Entrants must provide contact information in their comment. If winner does not respond within twenty-four hours, a new winner will be selected. Prize supplied and fulfilled by SOPAC. I was not compensated for this post or for promoting this giveaway.

For more information and full giveaway rules, please contact anna@randomhandprints.com.

Good Luck!

Hanukkah Menorahs You Have to See to Believe

2011-12-11T23:09:00.001-05:00

Last year I put together a series of eight posts of weird, unique, quirky, inflated, Santa'd and downright ugly menorahs for Hanukkah.

Here's a few of the more absurd menorahs that were featured (my personal favorites for being totally ridiculous are of course the dog-hat menorahs):

And with all that searching for outlandish menorahs, of course I found a few beautiful menorahs, too:

To see last year's collection of menorahs in all their glory, check out the Eight Days of Ugly Menorahs:

Part I: Muttel and Catzel
Part II: The Cats Edition
Part III: The Dogs Edition
Part IV: The Inflatables
Part V: The Hats and Pets Edition
Part VI: The Inflatables
Part VII: What's a Nice Menorah Like You Doing in a Place Like This?
Part VIII: The Christmas Menorahs Edition

And because I still couldn't stop, I've also got from last year all these posts about (you guessed it!) menorahs:

Menorah-Topped Cars and a lovely Ice Menorah
I can see a little light... an ode to beautiful menorahs
The Nostalgia Edition - featuring my kids lighting the menorah
Menorahs you can make from handprints, branches, metrocards and cupcakes - which are all pretty snazzy, like this one from A Design Affair:

And of course, my menorah wrap-up wouldn't be complete without the post that started it all, which is about how I was lucky enough to meet the incredible bloggers Nicole from Momtrends and Jill from Glamamom - which makes suffering through ugly menorahs totally worth it and then some.

Do you know of a spectacularly ugly - or pretty - menorah? Please leave a comment or a link so I can add it to the collection!

HOLIDAY PAJAMAS: The Fourth Editon of Anna's Super-Fun Non-Commercial Holiday Gift Guide

2011-12-10T21:50:00.001-05:00

In this fourth edition of my Super-Fun Non-Commercial Holiday Gift Guide I'm sharing my picks for great pajamas for kids and grown-ups. Because who doesn't like a new pair of pajamas for the holidays?

Here are a few of my favorites from Esme and Tea Collection:
ESME
I will admit to buying my daughters and me matching Esme pajamas, and to have really enjoyed waking up in the morning and having breakfast together in all our matchy glory.

For those of you who want to do the same this holiday season, Esme has lots of options:

For sibling matching, here's a great Long Sleeve Lounger Set in turquoise from Esme Baby ($39):

Which pairs with the girls Cami Lounge Pajamas Set, also in turquoise ($49):

For mother-daughter matching, Esme Women has a Red Short Sleeve Lounger Set ($64):

which matches with the Girls Red Longsleeve Nightgown ($58):

Esme makes pretty-and-comfy maternity and nursing pajamas, too.

TEA COLLECTION
Tea Collection makes the best pajamas - they're super-comfy, last forever and have fantastic patterns. My son is currently a big fan of the Dueling Tigers (on sale for $30.50), and there are also some other perfect choices for the holidays:

Origami Pajamas (on sale for $30.50):

Delicious Daisies Pajamas (on sale for $30.50):

Little Citizens Pajamas (on sale for $30.50, and in true holiday spirit proceeds go to the Global Fund for Children):

You can see all of the holiday gift guides here.

Disclosure: I received some great Tea Collection items for purposes of review, but it did not influence my opinion.

SantaCon

2011-12-10T11:24:00.001-05:00

My son Ziggy getting his SantaCon on last year:

I'm sorry to be missing SantaCon this year.

But next year? We're so there.

HOLIDAY CLOTHES: The Third Edition of Anna's Super-Fun Non-Commercial Holiday Gift Guide

2011-12-07T23:10:00.002-05:00

I may be a nice Jewish girl, but I like a Christmas dress as much as the next girl.

Seriously, check out this vintage dress from back in the 1970s - hand-sewn by my grandma.

Arty photo could not have been taken by anyone but my big bro.

Here are some festive and fun clothes for celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, and all the rest of the winter holidays.

From Tea Collection (note: free shipping with code WOWFREESHIP until Friday 12/9):
Tea Collection makes beautiful and holds-up-well-in-the-wash clothing for everyday wear, as well as stunning holiday pieces in their Highland Holiday line that are perfect for winter celebrations.

The Lantana Wrap Dress ($33) in Rumba Red is perfect for holiday photos and parties, and availability in sizes 6 months - 12 years, makes for some fun options to mix-n-match with siblings.

Photo from TeaCollection.com

The dress pairs great with Sparkle Stripe Leggings ($25), and because I can't resist a little bit of matching, I had one daughter in the leggings, and one in the Sparkle Stripe Mockneck ($30)

In Stuyvesant Square, Manhattan

The sparkle striped mockneck also looks great under the Corzo Chambray Dress ($49):

Photo from TeaCollection.com

Again, this dress comes in sizes 6 months to 12 years for lots of matching options, even with mom ($108.50):

From Blume Girl:
This is one of my favorite brands for snazzy dressy tees that are still 100% kid-comfy. My son has been known to wear his tie tees just about anywhere. A few great picks for the holidays are the Small Pocks Baby Tee ($48, also available in kid sizes):

Little Lady Kid Tee with Tie ($52):

And there's even a onesie with a tie ($52) for babies with style:

From Karin Alexis:

I have loved Karin Alexis clothes since I used to be a regular at her Upper West Side boutique, which is sadly now closed. You can still get her amazing designed and made in New York kids clothes. And what could be more perfect for the holiday season than a gorgeous tutu? Pictured here is the fantastic Dorothy Tutu ($42):

What are you favorite holiday clothes?

Next up on Saturday: my picks for holiday pajamas!

You can see all the holiday gift guides here.

Whatever you're wearing... Happy Holidays!

Disclosure: I received some great Tea Collection items for purposes of review, but it did not influence my opinion.

Dreidel Cookies: Nailed It

2011-12-06T22:10:00.001-05:00

Just last week I saw a funny graphic of Cookie Monster Cupcakes Gone Wrong on MommyShorts.com:

I thought to myself, "Oh if that isn't just so hilarious!"

I also thought to myself, "Whoever made those kinda sucks at it."

Little did I know I would be living the dreidel cookie version in Dreidel Cookies Gone Wrong a mere week later.

Cookie Monster Cupcakes image source.

Nice Looking Dreidel Cookies image source.

THE BEST WOODEN TOYS: The Second Edition of Anna's Holiday Gift Guide for Super-Fun Non-Commercial Toys

2011-12-05T21:24:00.002-05:00

My kids have great collection of wooden toys they've gotten over the years - mostly from Grandma and her wooden toy pusher, Playing Mantis (32 North Moore in TriBeCa, if you want to get a wooden toy fix yourself). They are all admittedly expensive, but many are made in American and Europe, and are of incredible quality, and they really do last.

Here are some of my absolute favorite wooden toys that have given my kids (and me) many hours of family fun:

Marble Run ($110.95)
This marble run is endlessly enjoyable for all ages (and by all ages I mean all the ages that don't swallow marbles). Each level of wood plays a different tune, so the marbles create a delightful song every trip down. Kids can experiment with different sized marbles, and listen to all the various sounds that are made.

Color Frames ($54.99, currently on sale for $46.74)
I had a hard time picking just one toy from Learning Materials Workshop, because honestly, I (er, I mean my kids) could play with any of these fantastic creations all day long.

The Color Frames set can be arranged in an array of gorgeous color patterns, or used to build amazing constructions, pave multi-colored roads, or demark one sister's area from the other.

I'm also a huge fan of the Cubes, Bobbins & Beams set ($49.99, currently on sale for $37.49) that can build fanciful creations that turn, twist and just be generally fabulous.

Note: Lots of the Learing Materials Worshop's products are currently discounted (15-25%) as part of their Holiday Sale though December 10.

Birch Wood 8 Tone Diatonic Xylophone ($99.95)
This xylophone is fun for the kids doing the playing, and perhaps even more importantly, perfectly delightful for the adult doing the listening. Ages 3+, or whenever they stop using the mallets for weapons.

Maple Wood Anamalz ($8.95 for the critters, $119.99 for the barnhouse)
I love these Australian-designed, environmentally friendly critters, with whimsical expressions and bendy limbs that can be endlessly posed. How could you not love this dancin' giraffe? All ages.

And if you want to know your Anamalz have a comfy home, you can get them the Barnhouse ($119.99)

All of the products in my holiday gift guide are free of licensed characters, batteries or a focus on being good for "a boy" or "a girl." All the products also have in common that I sorta want them for myself.

I'll be back on Wednesday sharing my picks for great holiday clothes.

Disclosure: All toys purchased by me (or Grandma).

To My Beloved Magpie, On Your Eighth Birthday

2011-12-02T23:55:00.003-05:00

My beloved daughter... how are you turning eight today? I feel like a robot on the verge of obsolescence, and while I know that is about me, and not you, I so can't believe you are old and wise -- as well as very, very tweeny -- already.

We all know it seems like just yesterday that we were bopping you around in our fourth-floor walk-up apartment in Manhattan, singing "you are my precious baby girl," while a two day blizzard raged on outside our windows and we explained to you that the world doesn't always look like a snow globe.

Those first days were so beautiful and full of wonder.

And let's face it, full of idiocy as well since you were the first-born of modern parents who had never even really seen a baby, let alone taken care of one.

I called grandma while I was still in the hospital, desperately worried I had broken your arm.

"Is she crying?" the always practical grandma asked.

"No, no she isn't." I said, "But the arm bent funny when I put her shirt on."

"If she isn't crying, then her arm isn't broken." sighed grandma.

Oh, good.

Your Dad and I also filled out our parents names on the hospital forms where it said "parents" instead of our own, but the full story of that gaffe is for another day.

All this is just to say, we had no idea what we were doing then, and we have no idea what we are doing now, but it all seems to be working out OK. Because now, and always, you have known exactly what to say and what to do.

You have also always been hilarious. And serious. At 8 months old, you lectured the other babies in day care so much from your make-shift congressional floor that the teachers started calling you The Senator.

In your first year of pre-school, when you were turning three, you were out sick for two weeks, and your classmates called every day to see when you were coming back - they needed their classroom representative to articulate their needs to the teachers. The welcome you received when you returned to school was huge, even for as semi-elected official.

The next year of preschool, your morahs told me cheerfully "if a child is upset, we send them over to your daughter, she always knows how to make them feel better!" And they told me a story about how one day a classmate spilled water all over her napkin and was really upset. When no one was watching (or so you thought) you spilled water on your own, and then said "Oh look, my napkin is wet, too..."

'Cause yeah, that's the kind of person you are.

So, could someone this awesome have anything they could work on? Probably not. Well maybe just one teensy thing. You do have sorta a material bent despite my best attempts to steer you towards the spiritual path instead.

There's a story I love from a few years back when you urged your Uncle Ethan and your Uncle Stephanie ever so politely, "you might want to start thinking about what would be a good gift for a five-year-old girl." Oh, the tact! The subtlety!

And for the record, Uncle told me he has a totally good idea for a gift for an eight-year-old girl - just in case you knew anyone.

Happy birthday, little bear. I love you forever and a day.

THE BEST BUILDING BLOCKS: The First Edition of Anna's Holiday Gift Guide for Super-Fun Non-Commercial Toys

2011-12-02T16:00:00.003-05:00

I love shopping for my kids. And, as they are now the ripe-old ages of 2, 6 & 8 I've found some really great toys along the way, which I'll share with you all in a series of posts I'm calling Anna's Holiday Gift Guide for Super-Fun Non-Commercial Toys - because what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't have a Holiday Gift Guide?

Today, I'm sharing my favorite building blocks, though to be honest really only Kay builds stuff at our house. The other two kids just tell her what to build for them- sometimes going as far as to draw detailed blueprints - which as you can imagine, both delights and infuriates me.

Kay's building blocks of choice are:

Magna Tiles - These ingenious magnetic tiles from Valtech can be put together to make patterns and designs, houses, boxes or whatever else your kids imagine. Great for ages 2-10. $46 for 32 pieces; also comes in 100 pieces for $115. Ages 3 to 10.

Tegu Blocks - These blocks are also magnetic, and like the magna-tiles can be used by kids to build whatever they want in endless possibilities. These blocks have a great smooth feel, and come in great neutral and pastel shades. The Tegu Original Set in natural is $125 for 52 blocks, in an assortment of four shapes. Ages 3+.

Uncle Goose Blocks - Made from sustainable Michigan basswood, these classic ABC blocks are handcrafted and available in a variety of languages, from Dutch to Arabic as well as in Braille and Sign Language, all sets are $37. Merry Christmas Blocks pictured at top are $22. Ages 2+.

EduShape EduColor Building Blocks - These foam blocks are easy to grasp, and sturdy enough for even the littlest builders to stack with success. Set of 30 blocks is $19.99. Ages 1+.

Here's a tower made from EduShape blocks:

And what kind of non-commercial gift guide would this be if I didn't point out that anything can be used as a building block - of late, Kay's building material of choice is her beloved Duck Tape.

All the products in my holiday gift guide do not have licensed characters, batteries or a focus on being good for "a boy" or "a girl." All the products also have in common that I sorta want them for myself.

I'll be back on Monday sharing my picks for great wooden toys.

Disclosure: All purchased myself, with the exception of some of the Duck Tape which was provided to me for purposes of ~~furthering my addiction~~ review.

NaBloPoMo - I Hardly Knew Ye

2011-11-30T22:18:00.001-05:00

So, I did it. A month of posts in honor of NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) plus one more for good luck, for a total of 31 posts. It went by so fast. How is it December tomorrow already?

I had a lot of fun participating, and to be honest, I don't think I wrote any more (or less) than in any other month. The only difference was instead of hitting "draft" as I usually do, I hit "publish" instead.

I started the month with the plan to use NaBloPoMo as a time to clean-out my lingering - perhaps even malingering - posts in draft status - I had close to 200 of them. As of today, I now have 143. Not exactly empty, but progress just the same.

And my basement that started the month looking like this:

Ended the month looking exactly the same. So much for the whole idea of "making yourself publicly accountable."
And perhaps best of all, at the end of this month of writing my own daily posts and reading the posts of others, I got this in the mail, my very first article in print - 5 ho-ho-ho-liday books in New Jersey Family magazine.

So, NaBloPoMo I enjoyed spending time with you. And while I'm sure we'll meet again it won't be in December. For now, I have a basement to clean. And a few posts to publish, or delete.

That should keep me busy.

Thank you New Jersey Family for all the opportunities you have given me and for making my first tear sheet possible (though my husband has asked me to never use the phrase "tear sheet" again).

Instructions for My Husband: At the end of a long day when the kids are sick is not the optimal time to go shopping at Radio Shack

2011-11-29T11:48:00.001-05:00

When the kids are sick, and I'm home alone with them, you should come directly home after work. As the saying goes, Do Not Pass Go, or in your case, Do Not Go to Radio Shack.

This advice is particularly applicable when one of the sick kids is puking. Repeatedly. On me. And the other sick kid is snotting repeatedly. On me.

Let me set the scene: I'm home with sick kids, puked on laundry and carpet, boogery tissues and snotted on clothes, and I call you to see when you'll be home and you answer helpfully in an upbeat tone "around half-an-hour, I'm getting a new phone right now at Radio Shack."

This takes place at 5 o'clock. You get home at 5:30pm. Many of you reading this may be thinking, what's the big deal, it's only 30 minutes. And now your husband has the phone he wanted!
But you would be wrong. In those 30 minutes I had to feed the snotty one, while explaining to the pukey one that she couldn't eat the dinner, she could only have jello and Popsicles, while simultaneously trying to convince the snotty one to eat some real food, not just the pukey one's food.

And remember, this delightful dinner is taking place after a day of snot and puke and general toddler sickness and ickiness of one kind and another. Which, and I know this will come as a surprise, is actually not nearly as fun as it sounds.

Radio Shack is two blocks from our apartment. Two measly blocks. They are open at 8am. They stay open until 10pm. Was there really no other time you could find to go? The day when I was home by myself with two sick kids and their tears, whines and various bodily excretions, going today at 5 o'clock was the absolute best time you could come up with?

So, please, let me help you - today at 5pm was not a good time to go to Radio Shack. Go any time in the middle of the day this weekend. Go any night after the kids are asleep. Or even go at 5pm, on any of the many other days when one of them isn't throwing up. Repeatedly. On me.

This is a post I started back in December, 2007. Thanks go NaBloPoMo, I finished it today. I'm still sorta annoyed, which is surprising because I am totally not one to hold a grudge. At all.

This is the twenty-sixth instruction in my ongoing series of Instructions for My Husband.

Does your husband ever pick the absolute worst time to go run an errand while you're at home with the offspring?

Math Midway at the Liberty Science Center: A Great Family Day Out in New Jersey AND AN AWESOME TICKET GIVEAWAY

2011-11-28T21:54:00.034-05:00

Thanks to everyone who entered and congratulations to the winner, Kelly!

My family recently had a great day out at the Liberty Science Center located in Jersey City, it's an easy trip from Manhattan and a really easy trip from much of New Jersey.

My five and seven year old daughters enjoyed everything, and spent a lot of time at the interactive Math Midway exhibit, which is currently on display through January 22, 2012. Math Midway presents math concepts in a colorful, carnival style and gives kids a chance to try things out themselves.

Here my kids are giving the square-wheeled tricycles a try:

And here they are building with blocks, figuring out a right-turn only maze, and trying out the weights and measures:

In addition to the Math Midway exhibit, my kids also visited some of the permanent exhibits at the Liberty Science Center, including the Touch Tunnel - which they went through three times, and the rock wall and the endurance hang in the Wonder Why: Observe, Imagine, Create exhibit.

And as if all this wasn't enough, my husband took the kids to see Born to be Wild at the museum's IMAX Theater, which happens to be largest IMAX Dome Theatre in the nation - go Jersey! IMAX is recommended for kids ages six and up, and ages two and under are not permitted.My kids loved seeing the film on the huge screen.

If you're looking for a great family outing over the holidays, or anytime, put the Liberty Science Center to the top of your list. For information about hours and tickets, click here.

WIN A FAMILY FOUR-PACK OF TICKETS!

Liberty Science Center is offering a family prize pack of four tickets to visit the museum!

Entry:
To enter just leave a comment here with your email (or make sure your comment links to where I can find it) and tell me what exhibit at the Liberty Science Center is on you must-see list:

For extra entries leave a comment for each of the below letting me know you already/do now:

Follow this blog publicly via Google Friend Connect (it's there on the right)
Follow @RandomHandprint on Twitter
Follow @GotSci on Twitter
Like RandomHandprints on Facebook
Like Liberty Science Center on Facebook

If it's easier, you can also tweet or leave a message on the Facebook page that you follow/like and you don't need to also leave another comment below.

If you do ALL FIVE of the additional entries above, you can just leave one comment along the lines of "home run!" "the whole enchilada!" or even a reference to a trifecta or hat trick will work just fine.

~ Good luck! Enter Now! Entries close on Sunday, December 11 at 9pm EST ~

Giveaway small print: Contest open to U.S. residents age 18 and over. Contest ends at 9:00pm EST, Sunday, December 11, 2011. Winners will be randomly selected via Random.org and announced here as well as emailed or messaged on Twitter with the good news. Entrants must provide contact information in their comment. If winner does not respond within forty-eight hours, a new winner will be selected. Prize supplied and fulfilled by Liberty Science Center. I was not compensated for this post or for promoting this contest.

For more information and full giveaway rules, please contact anna@randomhandprints.com.
Good Luck!

We were given complimentary admission to the museum and to the movie for review purposes, but the opinions expressed here were not influenced and are genuinely ours and ours alone.

Winter Holiday Handprint Crafts - Christmas, Hanukkah and the Winter Solstice, too

2011-11-27T20:14:00.001-05:00

Are you here from a search you just did for hand print arts and crafts for the holidays?

Whether you are looking for a Christmas tree, a handprint wreath,a Hannukah menorah or a non-denominational winter solstice craft .... you've come to the right place if you want to make it with handprints.

Image Source

Hanukkah menorah

And if you're just looking for a general collection of winter ideas, we have snowflakes,snowy trees and a polar bear:

And if you are here looking for a handprint craft project we don't have...just leave a comment and let me know, and I'll be sure to add it!

Happy holiday handprint crafting!

Looking for even more handprint crafts? Here's the full list.

Happy Niece Day!

2011-11-26T21:44:00.001-05:00

As of yesterday, I'm the proud new auntie to a super-cute and awesome baby girl, Rosie.

Here's Rosie with proud daddy and grandma:

And getting ready for her close-up:

I hope my niece's parents approve of their daughter being excellent and fair game blogging material, but I won't post again until I hear the word.

Update: Rosie's image can be used! Hooray!

What I'm Thinking About on Black Friday... and it's not about going shopping

2011-11-25T06:00:00.007-05:00

Photo from Say No to Black Friday

Today is Black Friday. I'm not a big fan of crowds, or big box stores. So I won't be going shopping.

I'm also not a big fan of over-consumption, so even if I did like crowds and big box stores I wouldn't want to be part of the whole holiday buy! buy! buy! scene.

What will I be doing instead today?

I will be thinking about the security guard who died a few years ago at Wal-Mart when shoppers trampled him on their way to buy! buy! buy!

I will be thinking of all the people who had their Thanksgivings cut short because they had to go to work, as more and more stores decided to be open on Thanksgiving so people could buy! buy! buy!

I will be thinking - as I do at this time every year - of Gavriel and Rivkah Holtzberg, the young Chabad couple who were killed in the Mumbai Massacre on November 26, 2008, and who left behind an orphan son, who was not even two.

And why do I think of Gabi and Rivkah Holtzberg every year? It is not just for remembrance - it is for inspiration. There are many stories of the couples' incredible kindnesses, there are over 12,000 mitvahs (good deeds) that have been performed in their memory, and perhaps most moving, photo after photo of babies named after the slain couple.

Is it a surprise that reflecting on a life lived with such a sense of purpose would be more inspiring to me than the thought of a really great Black Friday bargain?

Not really.

And so, this Black Friday I'll leave the deals to anyone who wants them. As for me, I'll happily be one of the people participaing in Buy Nothing Day.

Happy Thanksgiving - Suffragette Style

2011-11-24T12:37:00.000-05:00

One of my side hobbies is collecting (or hoarding as the case may be - your words not mine), and one of my collections is suffragette postcards.

Nothing makes me happier than when a holiday comes around that is celebrated in suffrage postcards, as thankfully Thanksgiving is.

Here are one of my favorite Thanksgiving suffragette postcards:

In case my photograph makes it impossible to read the text is: "This is not a suffragette lecture, but a kind Greeting."

This text always puzzled me, but yesterday a search with Lady Google's help revealed The Society Pages: Social Science that Matters and the information that in 1909 "Chicago-area women’s rights advocates {were} pushing back the time they served Thanksgiving dinner in order to go see the British suffragist Emiline* Pankhurst," who was giving a lecture.

Now I'm wondering if this postcard that I proudly display in my pro-suffrage collection, actually need to be moved to the binder with the anti-suffrage cards? I think so.

So what does this all mean besides that I love collecting suffragette postcards and I love Thanksgiving?

I'm not really sure...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Thanksgiving Preview II: Meyer Lemons and a Lemon Tart

2011-11-23T19:47:00.001-05:00

Images received via an email from my mother.

Meyer Lemon Buttermilk Tart recipe via Emeril Lagasse and The Food Network.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Preview: Corn Sticks

2011-11-23T12:57:00.000-05:00

Image via email from my mom.

Corn sticks recipe from Country Living.

An Homage to Tristram Shandy, Gentleman

2011-11-22T21:39:00.007-05:00

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This post intentionally left blank.

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman

Three Great Things to Do in New York City Over Thanksgiving Weekend

2011-11-21T22:23:00.000-05:00

I love New York City all year round, but Thanksgiving weekend is one of my favorite times. Not only does it begin the holiday season with all its lights and splendor, but our family has a few annual traditions we try to fit in every year over Thanksgiving weekend. Here are three of our family favorites:

Macy's Day Parade - this legendary spectacle is a wonder to behold in person, but not too bad either when viewed on the television from the comfort of home with a mulled cider and the scent of turkey roasting. When we were still Upper West Siders, we always made sure to take a stroll by the balloons being inflated the night before, one of my most enduring memories of being a Manhattanite.

American Museum of Natural History - we visit this kid-friendly museum frequently in all seasons, but I never miss a holiday trip to see the amazing Origami Holiday Tree (on display November 21 through January 2).

Other special exhibits currently on display are The World's Largest Dinosaurs and The Butterfly Conservatory, both incredible experiences for kids of all ages.

Big Apple Circus - This has been a favorite holiday destination since our oldest was little, and I was delighted to see the Dream Big! show this year with all three kids (2, 6 & 7) who were all enthralled. My dog-obsessed toddler was loving the canine performances, while his older sisters couldn't get enough of the trapeze and magic acts. A truly magical experience, the big tent is up at Lincoln Center Plaza until January 8.

My kids, ready to join the circus!

So what's not on my list of recommended places to visit in Manhattan? All the places that have been commercialized and Dora-fied - The Bronx Zoo and The Central Park Zoo, as well as the Children's Museum of Manhattan. And it's too bad, because in the day, those were once great New York institutions, too. It would be nice if Nickelodeon would leave a few spots free of Dora-fication.

___________________________

My family and I were lucky enough to receive comped tickets to The World's Largest Dinosaurs exhibit and to the Big Apple Circus for purposes of review. Believe me, our opinions were not influenced. I was also offered tickets to the Children's Museum of Manhattan, which I (semi) politely declined.

Kid O - Great Toys from a Good Company

2011-11-20T23:12:00.001-05:00

The most dedicated blog readers might remember that this winter I lamented being unable to find a shape sorter my toddler son Ziggy would play with despite my most first-world efforts to find one for him.

Among the many shape sorters I purchased was a sorting house by one of my favorite brands, Kid O. I loved the design, and even better, Ziggy showed a mild interest in using it.

But then the sorting house started falling apart. I added it to my "gonna fix someday soon" pile of toys, and of course that mythical day when I sit around fixing toddler toys never came.

But the day of throwing out the broken toddler toys did come. And out with the trash went the shape sorter house.

Then I sent a completely unnecessarily rude email to Kid O complaining about the shape sorter house. I'm not really sure what made me think the company was purposely selling shoddy stuff, since I have lots of there other products and not only are they all incredible quality, but they also have a great aesthetic and not a single licensed character in sight.

So of course I shouldn't have been surprised when my nasty email was returned with a completely gracious reply. Kid O understood there was a quality issue with the house, and it was no longer being sold. Could they send me something else as a replacement?

Every company should be so awesome.
_______________

Kid O sent us a Bilibo, which I had been planning to buy for about as long as I had been meaning to fix the broken toys in our house.

The Bilibo is a toy that enables kids of all ages to use their imaginations and be endlessly creative in deciding how to use it - my children have had their Bilibo serve as a house, campsite, garden, Giraffey bed, and transportation provider to various stuffed animals and Barbies with long commutes.

The Bilibo is also great for dress-up, and makes a nice helmet, turtle shell, or camel bump depending on your comedic or dramatic needs.

Thank you, Kid O for being a good company with great toys.

Make or Bake a Handprint Turkey for Thanksgiving!

2011-11-19T14:10:00.003-05:00

Photo from Real Simple

I'm not sure if I should be happy or sad about this, but most of my site traffic is from people looking for handprint crafts. (Actually, they're looking for hand print crafts, but I like writing handprint as one word instead of two.)

So, love it or hate it, I have embraced it.

I even made a slide show over at Kirtsy today of, you guessed it, handprint turkeys.

And there are lots more hand print turkey craft ideas here in a post I wrote for Thanksgiving last November.

So, however you are crafting or baking your handprint turkeys, enjoy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Find the full list of handprint crafts here.

If you ask a modern child an old-fashioned question...

2011-11-18T20:35:00.001-05:00

Have you heard this brain teaser before?

A son and his father get into a serious car accident. The boy is taken in one ambulance to a hospital, and the father is taken in another ambulance to a different hospital. Upon reaching the emergency room, the doctor looks at the boy and says, "I can't work on this patient. He is my son!"
How is this possible?

I asked my kids this favorite puzzle from my own childhood on the way to school the other day.

My seven-year-old daughter Magpie, modern child that she is, thought for a few minutes and then exclaimed, "The doctor is the mom!"

While I'm busy congratulating Magpie on both her wisdom and her young feminist leanings, I notice that my five-year-old daughter Kay is looking totally confused.

I make a mental note that a child must need to be older to understand these sorts of logic puzzles, and suggested as much to her - apologizing she didn't really understand what the question was asking.

Her reply?

"Well, it could just be the other dad."

Yes, Kay, it certainly could.

Oh how I love modern kids.

Being Thankful

2011-11-17T23:16:00.000-05:00

This post is from 2008.

Our little clan had a tropical twist on Thanksgiving this year, with a non-oft vacation to celebrate in Puerto Rico.

On Thanksgiving, right before bed, after eating too much, sunning to much, and swimming way too much, I exclaimed"Hey! We should all say what we're thankful for!"

Mike and I said some boring platitude stuff, Kay added an inspiring "me too" and Magpie stole the show with: "I'm thankful for Hashem for this perfect little sister," and kissed Kay on the head.

Happy Thanksgiving.

What are you grateful for?

At My In-Laws

2011-11-16T22:06:00.001-05:00

Kay Takes (Another) Sick Day

2011-11-15T21:38:00.001-05:00

I will admit it: my daughter Kay does not have a stellar school attendance record. She acts as if daily attendance is a suggested guideline, and not an actual mandate.

With this in mind, I make a concerted effort to make sure her days at home are not that fun. Today she was legitimately able to miss a school day (she was less than 24 hours fever-free) even though she was not really still sick.

I told her to find something do in the kitchen while I did the dishes.

She found toothpicks:

And, with help from her loyal sidekick Giraffe-y, made this:

And then this:

With the day still young, she deemed it Giraffe-y's birthday, and dressed her up in her best finery:

And invited Seal-y over for a party-in-a-shoe (which apparently are all the rage):

All in all, Kay had a good sick day. Maybe even too good. (Self-portrait with mommy's phone.)

But tomorrow?

Kay, you're going to school.

Suburban Kitchen, Now and Then

2011-11-14T21:59:00.000-05:00

Here I am in the suburban kitchen of my childhood, circa 1975:

And here is my daughter Magpie in our kitchen now, circa 2008:

Yes, my family today is still eating at the same kitchen table from when I was a kid.

And a quick glance at the counters in the background suggests my mother and I share both housekeeping and kitchen furnishing aesthetics.

Glad I Saw It: My Other Car is an Art Car

2011-11-13T21:00:00.001-05:00

This art car was done entirely with Sharpies. Seriously.

Seen at the corner of Chatsworth and Palmer, Larchmont, NY, Nov. 12, 2008.

And yes, I'm glad I saw it.

A few random offerings from the mouths of my kids: The Kay and Magpie Edition

2011-11-12T20:37:00.001-05:00

4pm, Monday afternoon, February, 2009

Thanks to my brother for the fantastic animation.

Vignette I:
Magpie: The party has been cancelled.
Kay: Why! Why has the party been cancelled?
Magpie: Because my Aunt is coming over. I didn't know she was coming over, I just found out she was, so we'll have to have the party another day. For those of you who don't know, an Aunt is your mother's, mother's, mother's sister."

Vignette II:
Magpie: I need to look pretty. VERY pretty.
Kay: Why?
Magpie: I'm getting married. Today!

Vignette III:
Magpie: This is mine! And I also need lots and lots of trains.
Kay: That's OK. I have three mountains.

A few minutes later...

Magpie: Kay, can I have a triangle?
Kay: No! I told you I need three mountains!

A few more minutes later...

Magpie: Are you sure you don't have just one triangle I could have?
Kay: No!
Magpie: Are you sure?
Kay: OK, I will try.
Magpie: Thanks, Kay.

Vignette IV:
Magpie: No dinosaurs allowed at this slumber party.
Kay: Is the slumber party today?
Magpie: No loud noises at this slumber party!
Kay: Well then why do you get to talk?
Magpie: Because it was my idea.
Kay: OK, as long as we are having rhinestones and spaghetti.
Magpie: Promise.

A few random offerings from the mouths of my kids: The Ziggy Edition

2011-11-11T21:22:00.000-05:00

Ziggy is two-years-old and has all the funny speech-isms that come with the age. A few of my favorite convos of late:

While we're playing in his room:

Ziggy: "Mommy! Be careful!"

Me: "Why?" I quickly assess what dangers could be lurking on the rug with the two of us and a pile of toy cars.

Ziggy: "Car coming! Car coming" as he zooms one by me.

____________________________

While we're eating in the kitchen:

Ziggy: "Apple! Apple"

Me: "Here you go." I hand him a shiny red one.

Ziggy: "No! No! A black apple!"

Me: "Huh?

Ziggy: "A BLACK apple!!!"

Me: Confused, looking around on the counter, then realizing. "Oh. You want a plum." I hand it to him and he smiles.

Ziggy: "Black apple."
____________________________

Halloween night

Me: "You're going to go as a cat."

Ziggy: "Me not a cat. Me Ziggy."

Me: "Yes, I know - but for Halloween you're Ziggy, who is a cat."

Ziggy: "No cat."

Me: "Then you can't go out with your sisters."

Ziggy: "Me no Ziggy! Me cat!"

What funny stuff do your kids say?

A few random offerings from the mouths of my kids - The Magpie Edition

2011-11-10T22:07:00.002-05:00

I wrote these down a while ago, and NaBloPoMo makes me decide to actually post them.

All quotes are from my daughter Magpie when she was 6 or 7 years old.

When we're on the way to a horseback riding party:

"Im a really good rider, for someone who has never ridden a horse."

_____________

When she asks if she can answer the phone, because she's sure it's Daddy calling:

"I can tell Daddy's ring."

To which I respond, "No you can't, they're all the same."

And she answers, "No, they're not. They're like license plates, no two are alike."

_____________

When she asks me to get her some ice from the freezer:

"I gotta put ice in the toilet. So it will make it snow."

Me: "But it's already going to snow."

Her: "I know. But kids in my class did it last time, and that's why we got two feet instead of one foot of snow."

At least I know who to thank for that winter wonderland.

What funny things do your kids say?

I Heart Ephemera

2011-11-09T21:08:00.002-05:00

Today's homework, tomorrow's ephemera

Ephemera by any other name would be... trash.

But not on eBay.

On eBay, you can buy ephemera, and I do.

I buy cast-aways and cast-asides from a generation back, sometimes even two or three.

I like the milk caps and the jelly molds, memories of kitchens and routines that are no more.

I savor postcards written to someone else with mentions of a mundane trip to Florida to visit relatives, or maybe to see an old friend in Nebraska.

I lovingly turn the pages of yellowed scrapbooks with ripped pieces of magazines pasted in alongside greeting cards from birthdays and anniversaries, where I know neither the giver or the recipient.

I buy stacks and stacks of photographs of families that aren't mine.

These things come here to my somewhat crowded home, and I try and find a perfect place for them.

And I think of them as beautiful and meaningful, this ephemera.

But deep down I know: I buy a lot of trash.

An Election Day Story and a Blog-In Call to Action

2011-11-08T11:43:00.002-05:00

So as of today, I am officially an apathetic American.

I admit it.

I did not vote today.

Making this story even more pathetic is this exchange I had with my husband last night:

Husband: Are you going to vote tomorrow?

Me: No, and you're not going to either.

Husband: I know, I never vote. But I thought you usually did?

Me: I do, but I can't vote tomorrow because we didn't register when we moved.

Husband: Do you want me to drive you to Westchester so you can vote?

Me: We didn't register there either.

Husband: That's great, so you can vote in the City! That's closer!

That's right, I didn't register to vote when we moved from New York City to Westchester two years ago, or when we moved again to the great state of New Jersey. To be honest, I didn't even really think about the elections happening today at all.

Actually, that's not completely true. For a few minutes this morning I was very worried I was missing an important meeting at my kids' school. I kept thinking to myself, "Wow, a lot of people are going into the school today. The mom and the dad."

Then I realized why there were so many adults, and that all of them seemed able to find the time to both register and to actually vote.

And yes, I felt even worse then I did when I realized I wouldn't be voting today.

This post was written on election day last year. Sadly, one year later, I am still not a registered voter in New Jersey. Next year, for sure.

*******
Today, bloggers have organized the first ever "Blog-In" to send a message to politicians that we-the-people are hopeful that candidates in the upcoming election season will focus on the most important issues Americans are facing today - from being without jobs to being without health-care to being without well-funded public schools.

You can join the Blog-In, read the full letter, or learn more at the Blog-In Roll Call.

Below is an excerpt from the Blog-In letter:

Dear 2012 Presidential Candidates,

We are your future constituents and we are parents.

We are American mothers and fathers and grandparents and guardians. Our families might be the most diverse in the world. Blended and combined in endless permutations, we represent every major religion, political ideology and ethnic culture that exists.

Our very modern families embody the freedom that defines America. We embody America. We are rich in diversity, but we are united in our family values. We come together today, with one voice, to express our grave disappointment in the national political discourse.

We are living in a time where 15.1% of Americans now live in poverty, the unemployment rate stands at 16%, and we are spending close to $170 billion annually between the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan*.

Given the current state of affairs we would expect every candidate to focus on the issues that truly matter: job creation, debt-relief, taxes, education, poverty, and ending the war(s). Instead, it is already clear to us that the conversation has been hijacked, with the goal of further polarizing our nation into a politically motivated and falsely created class-war.

We will not stand for another campaign year in which politicians presume to know what our family values are as they relate to the nation.

To be clear, here are our family values:
Affordable health care, including family planning, for all Americans.

Access to education, and the ability to actually use it.

A reinstatement of regulations for banks issuing mortgages and full prosecution for those who engaged in fraudulent lending practices.

A return of strict environmental regulations protecting water, air, food, and land that were removed in the last two decades.

Family planning, healthcare, education, economic solvency and environmental safety: these are our national family values.

Candidates who demonstrate the ability to understand the gravity of these issues, and their impact on our families, and who can provide actual, viable solutions to these problems will garner our support and our votes.

We believe in this democratic system of ours, and we will continue to use our voices and our votes to see that it reaches its fullest potential.

Sincerely,
Your future constituents,
The mothers & fathers of America

* Sources for stats:
http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/13/news/economy/poverty_rate_income/index.htm
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.4452bed82adf3124e5884678e236d7fb.361
http://costofwar.com/en/

What do you think are the biggest issues in the upcoming elections?

The Last Time I Voted: 2008

2011-11-07T22:23:00.002-05:00

The last time I voted was the 2008 presidential election. I took my kids (see above), to set a good example. I was shocked, and kind of appalled that we had to pass a bake sale to get to the polling station in a New York City public school.

Of course, my kids insisted on getting a treat, and I thought in this time of an obesity crises they should have been selling smoothies, fresh fruit and maybe whole grain power bars.

But I wanted to vote, so I got the kids cupcakes.

I also wondered to myself if the bake sale was "fair" - wasn't the reminder that the public schools lacked funding and therefore needed to raise money via these bake sales, a subtle nudge in favor of the left?

My last memory of that day is a particularly boisterous campaigner encouraging us to vote for Obama, and my then four-year-old telling her very clearly, "I don't care what you say. I'm gonna vote for the girl."

No one had the heart to tell my young feminist that she wouldn't actually be casting a vote.

Kay - if you are reading this one day, you are not wearing a coat in this photo because you did not wear a coat any day that winter of 08-09. Even though your grandma bought you three.

How to waste forty dollars without really trying

2011-11-06T21:22:00.002-05:00

This is a post I started last summer. Thanks to NaBloPoMo, I finished it tonight.

It was a Saturday night in the height of summer. We wanted to be fun parents, and as our oldest, Magpie, was at a friends house, we offered to take our daughter Kay (age 5) and her little brother Ziggy (not-quite-two) out do dinner. We gave Kay free-reign to pick the evening's dining establishment.

I suggested options, with an emphasis on the slightly more upscale place that was my preference.

Kay was much clearer in making known her choice. "THE DINER! I WANT A HOT DOG!"

I agreed, but only after pointing out that the place I wanted to go also had hot dogs. Kay dismissed this quickly, explaining "those hot dogs aren't good, they don't taste like hot dogs." Which to be honest, is true.

So I agreed to go to the diner.

We sit down, all smiles in our turquoise leatherette booth. We order. A kids menu hot dog for Kay, which double score for her, comes with fries.

I eat my sub-par diner salad. My husband and I shovel food in while trying to keep Ziggy's almost two-year-old antics to a minimum.

A few minutes go by, and I notice Kay hasn't eaten her dinner. At all.

I ask, in my sweetest Mother's voice, "Kay, what's up with you not eating your hot dog?

Kay replies: "I don't like it. It tastes like a... hot dog."

"Uh, OK." I say, while thinking to myself, who the fuck orders a hot dog and then complains that it tastes like a.... hot dog?

I try again, in my sweetest Mother's voice, "Kay, what about the fries? You're not even eating the fries."

Her response to this?

"They're too fried. Next time, could you ask them to make them less fried?"

Suppressing the urge to ask her if she is kidding, I instead point out, But their fries. Their fried."
Kay, exasperated, answers "I know. I'd like them less fried."

My husband pays the check, we leave the diner and a meal no one really ate, down forty bucks.

But as we walked to the car with two smiley kids, and made the way home amid their happy chatter, we were secure in knowing for that summer's night we were the fun parents.

And how can you put a price on that?

Who Wore It Better - The Orange Pumpkin Sweatshirt

2011-11-05T23:03:00.000-04:00

Today I bring you the third installment of Who Wore It Better?

The first two contests had the hard-to-call black winter coat stand-off:

And the even more difficult to decide frog costume comparison:

And today?

I bring a tough three-way competition between my son, my daughter and a stuffed panda bear.

So, who do you think wore the orange pumpkin sweatshirt better?

Now here's a word I should use more often in conversation

2011-11-04T22:11:00.000-04:00

Jeremiad

This post is proof of why NaBloPoMo is not ideal - here I am feeling I must post something, but how many of you really want to have a vocabulary lesson on a Friday night, even if it's to learn a totally awesome new word like Jeremiad?

And what about all of you who already know this word, which means my post adds absolutely NOTHING to your life.

I had a great post ready to go right now. But it turns out that Blogger has decided it's not uploading any photos tonight. And the post was really nothing without the photos.

I wondered if I would be able to skip a post tonight - due to the technical difficulties - and still be true to NaBloPoMo. Surely other people have been prevented from posting due to tetchy Internet connections and uncooperative blog platforms, no?

What do you think, does a technical difficulty give you a pass? Or is the point of NaBloPoMo to find a way, any way, to get that post up every day for the month?

And also...do you have a word you totally wish you used more in conversation?

Instructions from My Husband for... Me!

2011-11-03T21:28:00.002-04:00

A few days ago my husband and I made a bet in which I wagered "If I'm wrong, you can leave instructions for me on my blog!"

You can guess who was on the winning end of that argument. So here are a few instructions for me from my beloved, which I happily post below, because I am nothing if not a woman of my word.

__________________________

As someone who reads Random Handprints with some regularity, I've spent a good deal of time sitting around and wondering just who this poor lady's husband could really be, and I'm sure you've done the same. I mean, who makes all of these unbelievable comments? Who in the world actually thinks, let alone says, even half of all of these rude and unthinkable things? And who could be that stupid, aright?

Well, that person is me. And I'm here to clear the air a little bit.

First off, let me start by explaining why I am even being given this opportunity to stick up for myself in this forum. Last night, baby Ziggy pulled his favorite blankie -- that he sleeps with each and every night since he was...well...born -- right into his bath. Of course, with the Ziggster scheduled to be heading to bed about 15 minutes later, I knew there was going to be trouble as his blankie was completely and utterly soaked. I told your favorite blogger that we were in trouble, and was quickly informed that she would throw the blanket in the dryer and it would be ready "within ten minutes."

Now, I may not do the laundry all that much in our house, and I may not be so great at remembering to do the dishes, or to take out the trash, or even what to put into the trash for that matter. But I know that a completely soaked, thick blanket like the one belonging to Ziggy is not going to be dried in 10 minutes. And I said so.

And the reaction I got to my completely innocent comment would have reached the top 10 of anyone's list of all-time human indignities. It was unbelievable. Ms. Handprints herself not only disagreed with me, but she gave me that look. You know, that look that you always give your husband when you know not only that you are right, but that he is talking completely out of his ass about something he basically knows nothing about whatsoever. It's a look, and a feeling, that wives have been making famous since time immemorial, and I received it in spades last night. The response I received, in fact, was that not only would the blanket clearly be totally dry in 10 minutes, but that it might be too dry, so dry that it could break the entire dryer and perhaps short out the power in all of northeastern New Jersey in that period of time. Uh huh.

So, being nothing if not opportunistic, a bet was offered by me, and a certain over-excited don't-call-me-a-mommy-blogger happily accepted. The terms were simple -- she would go drop the blanket in the dryer, and if it was not dry after 10 minutes, I would win the right to write any post I wanted for her blog.

And here I am. So after explaining above how I got to this point, I thought I would take the rest of this post and give you all a list of helpful suggestions for my wife and how she gets through the day with our happy family. Honey, you may have thought you would never see instructions like this on this here blog, but it looks like you were wrong....

1. Don't forget that I lived on my own for a looooong time. This includes actually cooking for myself, cleaning, doing my own laundry, and all of those other things that, you know, adult human beings do to take care of themselves from day to day. I might actually know something about laundry!! I even used to breathe on my own, wayyy back in the day. Can you believe it?

2. Don't be totally loud and aggressive when you place a bet with someone, but then when you find out later you were wrong, suddenly transform into the most silent, humble person alive who simply "forgot" to mention that she was wrong. This is one of my wife's best moves, to the point that it's just a joke in our household at this point. She makes a bet, stakes a claim, makes an assertion about something and makes a big huge deal about being right. She stomps into the family room to verify and "prove" it on her computer. And then, suddenly, it's radio silence. No confirmation of rightness, no admission of wrongness, in fact no sounds at all. You go check the room and she has either moved on to something else entirely, or she's not even there. No, I'm not going to just forget about our bet because you left the room for 15 minutes. I would say "nice try", but it's not even, really. Oh, and by the way? The Ziggy-blanket took an hour to completely dry out.

3. While we're on the topic of laundry, don't drop your clothes wherever you're standing when you take them off. I mean, it's one thing if you're right near the hamper in the bedroom when you change into your pajamas, even if you miss the hamper a little bit (not that you would let Magpie and Kay get away with that kind of sloth). But three different pairs of shoes covering the entire landing of our stairs? Your often mismatched socks strewn across our upstairs hallway for days on end? And somebody please tell me, how on earth did your lacy bra end up under our latest water delivery, anyways?

4. Speaking of which, our pretty-boy water delivery guy is not in love with you. Yes, he chats you up like you're old bitties at the salon every time he comes in. Yes, he seems like a very friendly guy. And yes, even I have to admit he is kind of pretty. OK, very pretty. But I'm pretty sure his friendly attitude has more to do with the commission he gets on those two 32-pack cases of diet carob pomegranate iced tea you manage to buy from him every time he comes by, and then promptly throw out since of course no one in our house would ever drink that crap, than it does with an actual desire to get you to break your marital vows. I'm just saying.

5. And most importantly of all, don't let your mouth write checks your blog can't cash.

Words of wisdom to live by. And with that, I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming of handprint crafts and cute-ass pictures of my children.

Many thanks to my husband for joining in on the Instructions fun. He's been blogging since before it was called that, and his blog was even an MSNBC site of the day in... wait for it... 1998.

NaBloPoMo and My Plans for a Month of Housekeeping in November

2011-11-02T21:46:00.000-04:00

Today is the second day of November, and I'm "two for two" with blog posts this month. Why am I mentioning this?

Because I'm participating this month in NaBloPoMo - which is short for National Blog Post Month - and means nothing more (or less) than committing to write a blog post every day in November.

And for me, I've decided to dedicate my month of posts to housekeeping.

This month, I'll be writing all the posts I've been meaning to write, but haven't yet for one reason or another.

This month, I'll be doing some actual housekeeping around my house. Like transforming my hoarder-like basement from this...

...to this. Well, I don't exactly have the this quite yet, but I will by the end of the month.

And last, I'm either gonna delete or publish all (or at least almost all) the draft posts hangin' around in unpublished neverland. Would you believe it if I told you I have 176 of them?

And when all that's done, I'll have put together 30 posts for NaBloPoMo November, which if I was the sorta person to have a Life List, would be the kind of thing I'd like to cross off of it.

What are you going to do in November? And if you blog, will you be posting every day?

Tomorrow's post for NaBloPoMo will be making good on a bet I lost to my husband -- that's right, he's leaving instructions for me.