Nine.

Yep, I am now the proud mother of a nine-year-old.

Personally, I don't think she looks a day over 8 and 7/8.

Keeping with family tradition, she was sick on her birthday. More on that later...

Happy Birthday, to the one-and-only Magpie. Nine looks good on you.

Ziggy Turns Three!

My little guy turned three this week.

His sisters made him really awesome birthday cards filled with all his nicknames (Boodle-pants is a favorite, and no, I don't know where it came from or how it started), the radio station played his favorite song Firework complete with birthday dedication, we rode every kiddie ride at the amusement park, and he ate his weight in ice cream.

All in all, a pretty perfect three-year-old day.

The birthday cards with the nicknames reminded me of this cool project on Pinterest where you write all your kid's favorite things down on a photo on their birthday (or the first day of school or other occasion).

So I made one with Ziggy's favorite things as of three years old.

Can't wait to see what makes the list when he is four.

Happy Birthday, Boodle-pants.

Unlike a lot of Pinterest projects, this one only took about five minutes. I used Picasa, but it could be made using PicMonkey or any other photo editing program.

Happy Old Photo Friday to Me

It's my birthday today, and it was the reflective/nostalgic mood this particular "milestone" birthday put me in that got me started on Old Photo Friday in the first place.

So of course for today, I'm got old photos from my birthdays. I'm still finding more, so next week I will probably be back with Part II of the birthday collection.

Here, in order, my birthdays from ages zero to eight.

I also love this photo of my brother, who I believed was forced to pose as a party decoration one year.

And from the same year, there's also this photo of me admiring my 1970s loot of a jump rope, hula hoop and my second dog (I got the first one for my birthday the year before) that barked when you clapped, which was the greatest technology ever... in 1978.

So I'm off to enjoy another year ahead, convincing myself that growing older is fine, and trying to embrace another Anna's outlook that it's all good with lots of candles, plenty of cake.

And the kids and I did in fact have plenty of cake, Jacques Torres Chocolate Cake made by my mother, for breakfast this morning. A perfect way to start my birthday. *

* I am going to maintain this lovely memory, and not mention that one of the children may (or may not) have immediately vomited all over me after we finished our perfect cake breakfast.

Old Photo Friday: My Big Brother's Birthday

Tomorrow is my big brother Ethan's birthday.

What better way to celebrate than with photos of his birthday's past on this Old Photo Friday?

The original birthday:

Third birthday?

A great present on the fifth birthday?

Sixth birthday?

Eighth birthday?

And right when I was starting to feel nostalgic for those simpler, "olden" times, I realized that my big brother's car-themed birthday cake:

Looked an awful lot like his nephew Ziggy's cake just last August:

It should be noted both cakes had the same stylist.

Happy Birthday, Big E!

Life imitating blog

There are times when I wonder if my blog life is impacting my actual real life in ways approaching a reality show (and not in a good way).

Like when my daughter went to a birthday party, and got a really amazing looking iced cookie as her goody bag take-home treat.

I admonished her as she started to open the bag, "Don't eat your cookie until later!" You know, because I am an on-it and together mom who doesn't want her kid eating a cookie right after she had a giant slice of birthday cake.

And my kid, in front of everyone, sneers:

"Why? Because you want to take a photo of it for your blog first?"

Uh no, but now that you mention it...

I mean, c'mon, how awesome is that cookie?

Note: Magpie got to eat the cookie the next day. And for breakfast, no less.

I'm linking-up to the always hilarous and fun Finding the Funny with Kelley's Break Room and My Life and Kids.

Also, thanks to the Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms for their post 10 Reasons Being a Kid with a Mom Who Blogs Rocks, which inspired me to write this post.

New here? There's more random fun to be had on Twitter, Facebook, and the ultimate time-suck, Pinterest. Join. Follow. Waste time.

Old Photo Friday: My Mom and Me

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!

To My Beloved Magpie, On Your Eighth Birthday

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.

My Kid is Turning Six

That's right, my kid is turning six tomorrow. I can hardly believe it. Especially as I still call her Kaby. Pronounced Kay-bee. Which is a combination of her name (Kay) and Baby. Kaby.

Six. It's gonna be awesome.

Happy Birthday, Kaby.

You're one in a gillion.

And because I believe all birthdays and holidays should be celebrated with an Animoto video, I made one of you through the years.

Ziggy - Two Years Old Today!

Ziggy, my dear, dear Ziggy. You're two. How did this happen? Just yesterday you were turning one. And the day before that, you were just a newborn baby! Now you're an adorable walking, talking, laughing machine.

Or should I say, walkin', talkin' laughin' machine. Dropping the final "g" off your words is one of your trademarks right now, and of course, one of my favorite things to hear.

Happy Birthday, Ziggy.  Now do your ol' mom a favor, and don't let three get here too quickly.

A quick trip down memory lane:

Your 2nd birthday, a few hours ago:

Your 1st Birthday:

And a few more photos...



When you were eighteen-months old:

When you were three months old:



And when you were just born.

Ziggy at the Playground

Alright, kid. This is the last of the one-year-old pics. Tomorrow you'll be two, whether I like it or not. 

Wordless Wednesday: Views from a New York City Apartment

Today is my mother's birthday. I had prepared a heartfelt progression of photos of her through the years, but she nixed it. So instead, I offer a heartfelt progression of views from her Manhattan apartments. Like any New Yorker, she knows real estate is the true measure of a person's worth.

Happy Birthday, Mom.

NY400 Holland on the Hudson, September 10, 2009 (Battery Park City) 



Tribute in Light, September 11, 2010 (Battery Park City)



January 13, 2011 Fireworks in celebration of 3 'Queen' Ships (Battery Park City)



Statue of Liberty, February 6, 2011 (Battery Park City)



Hudson River and the George Washington Bridge, 2005 (Upper West Side)

Construction and New Jersey, 2007 (Midtown)

Really Helpful Tips for Wives and Mothers #1: Easy ways to wrap presents without tape!

With the holiday season upon us, more likely then not you have some presents to wrap. And, if you're like me, you can never find the tape when you need some to wrap a present. I used to spend precious minutes looking everywhere for the tape, but not any more! Now, I just use something else, and if you follow these really helpful tips, you too will be able to wrap a present without using any tape at all.

Here are just a few of the ways you can wrap a present without tape:

1. Use a glue stick.  These are usually easy enough to find around your home, and are actually the choice of many pro-wrappers - eliminates those ghastly tape marks that show with regular tape.

2. Use regular glue. This works too, but you need to make sure you don't ruin the present you are trying to wrap.

3. Paint with nail polish. Seriously, polish works as well as glue and looks nice too if you use a glittery shade.

4. Tape with sticky ribbon.  If you have this from other art projects it works great because it is pretty-much just tape with ribbon stuck on top.  An expensive alternative, but again, at least your finished product will be beautiful.

5. Tape with anything that could possibly be considered tape, even if it's not what you think of when you think of present-wrapping-tape. Packing tape. Electrician's tape. My personal favorites: spike tape and duck tape - just present the final project as chic-and-edgy and totally on purpose.  Recently I have gotten so desperate I have even used medical dressing tape - and I'm happy to report it worked just fine.

6.  Apply stickers. I use this option sometimes even when I can find the tape. Looks adorable, uses up some of the 1,893 stickers lying in, on and around every surface of my home, and best of all - if you have kids, they can help wrap the present without driving you completely bonkers.

7. Tie-up with a big piece of ribbon. If you have scissors (again, I usually don't and work with the crease-and-fold cutting system for the wrapping paper) this is even easier because you can cut the ribbon into two, or even several, pieces, and then tie a succession of knotted and bowed strings to keep the wrapper paper in place. This alternative is both easier to do and better looking then it sounds. Trust me.

Do you know other non-tape alternatives that work? Leave a comment below and let us know your favorite way to wrap a gift when there just isn't any tape.

Coming up next in Really Helpful Tips for Wives and Mothers: how to wrap a present beautifully without wrapping paper! Or scissors!

Tomorrow my baby turns seven

How can it be that I am the mom of a seven-year-old? Tomorrow, my sweet lil' Magpie turns the big seven. I can't believe it.

It's going to be an extra-special celebrating kind of day because it's also the third night of Hanukkah and she is just rubbing her hands together in anticipation of what kind of present load a Hanukkah-birthday gets you.

And because we live in these kinds of times, we also had an erev birthday celebration tonight and will continue the birthday festivities right through Sunday night.

But I'm not complaining. You're only seven once, baby.

Happy Birthday, Magpie. I'll never again get to tuck six-year-old you in for bed.

Here are some of my favorite pics of you from when you were wee, just 'cause I like to be nostalgic on your (erev) birthday. 

Kay's Fourth Birthday

Last week Kay turned four. Fun was had by all. Here she is with her face painted:

Her Birthday cake:

And her friends singing happy birthday!