Hello

Bootie did some lip synching to India Arie at Camp Viva. I have her first CD, "Acoustic Soul" but lost track of her musical career the past few years. We've been playing her new CD "Testimony - Volumne One" all night. Alan has really taken to it. I would have loved to have seen my mom up on stage lip synching.

If you're not familiar with this musician, visit her website at http://www.indiaarie.com/

Trees

Here is a photo I took of Alan and I laying on the grass together in my backyard looking up at the sky. The view was so beautiful, I captured the moment so you could see how spectacular the trees looked against the sky. I was telling Alan about how the leaves will soon be turning gold and brown, and will be falling to the ground. "Winter's coming" he said, followed by "Mommy, what does February 8th mean?" But he promply answered his own question and said, "we eat birthday cake." I added the part about Dr. Beers taking him out of my belly. It won't be long before we're making snow angels in the ground!

French Cooking - Photo 1 - The Chefs

French Cooking - Photo 2

From Top to Bottom:

Yellow tomato salad with basil in a mustard vinegrette.

Oyster mushrooms in a cream sauce

Apricots sizzling in orange juice (for the souffle)

French Cooking - Photo 3

Lamb Persillade surrounded by oyster mushrooms and beets.

French Cooking - Part Two

You should come visit me tomorrow. Instead of coffee and dessert, you’ll have the opportunity to try some leftover Zucchini Vichyssoise and Rack of Lamb Persillade with French bread and goat cheese. And don’t forget about those oyster mushrooms in cream sauce and yellow tomato salad with basil. Out of this world. What an amazing meal at Edwards. A soufflé doesn’t have any flour in it. Did you already know that? I bet you did. Our soufflé had apricots that softened in sweet orange juice. Lots of courses to French meals with small portions. That’s what it’s about. Edward and I worked well together in the kitchen. His wife joked that Edward is the only person she knows who reads cook books in bed.

Roger stayed home to watch Alan so I could participate in this little adventure. I felt bad. When I came home, he was eating a plate of plain pasta with a cheese I couldn’t identify.

Photos hopefully posted on Sunday.

Tomorrow’s cuisine will definitely take a different turn with a tentative trip to the county fair. (deep fried Oreo’s anyone?)

Hope you survived the heat!

French Cooking - Part One

10:39 AM

Bonjour. Aujourd'hui j'ai commencé ma première leçon dans le français cuisinant de mon voisin Edward.

So far, I think I am passing. My first test was to get through the shopping phase without totally appearing like an amateur. I took his lead, and followed him around the farmer’s market like a lost puppy, purchasing vegetables, some of which looked like something from a science fiction movie. We picked up yellow tomatoes and the oyster mushrooms looked like they might bite me back (I think they have gills!). He was surprised to learn that I have never been to the famous local German butchers on Rt. 212 where we stopped for a rack of lamb. He said that we’ll start out with soup. Zucchini vichyssoise. I am not sure what the translation is, but it has a potato-leek base. Using his very expensive cooking knives, I chopped up the zucchini, potatoes and leaks and chatted with him and his wife who was knitting at the kitchen table. The soup needs time to chill as its served cold. I’m heading back over around 5pm to help with the rest of the meal.

Souhaitez-moi la chance!

Moondance

Okay, it’s after 11 pm, I had two pieces of sugar free dark chocolate and a spoon full of natural peanut butter. I can’t sleep, but everyone else seems to be in dreamland. I fear I’d wake everyone pilfering around trying to find this novel I want to start. Is it the full moon? A quick google search indicates that it’s almost here folks. I’ve heard that the inspiration for Van Morrison’s song “Moondance” was inspired by “magic meadow” in Woodstock where people congregate when there is a full moon and dance around a bonfire to the beat of drums. I’ve been there twice and have participated in the peace circle. I don’t know the history of how it all began, but it has been occurring for many decades. I’ve always thought it would make for a great documentary or magazine article. I’m not going post the location, but if you’d like to know you can e-mail me. The next full moon is August 28th. Good thing that it’s not tonight. In this awake state of mine, I’d just as much drive up there right now…..plus stop along the way for some more chocolate!

Here is an interesting animation of magic meadow:
http://www.woodstocknation.org/fire.htm

Here is an interesting YouTube video of Van Morrison in Ireland singing Moondance. It starts out like a home video, but then eventually the camera follows him to the stage. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E5f8iuQfRc

Here are the lyrics to Moondance. Note references to the word “Magic” confirming this little known factoid about the inspiration for the song (regardless if he actually wrote it).
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/v/van+morrison/moondance_20143043.html

Postscript: It's now 11:37, but why does the time of this post read earlier. Time for Kava tea....

It's late and things are finally quieting down. Busy day! Spent the afternoon at Helen's. (college roommate). What a spectacular ride. Very remote location somewhere in Schoharie County, yet only took an hour. We are so close! Helen and Fritz hosted a birthday party and their entire circle of Staten Island/Brooklyn friends piled into their cottage. Their friends - what can I say? All of them multi-talented. They have known each other for over 25 plus years meeting Fritz in high school and connecting through a Karate program for which they all are black belts. (Helen too!) The group of about 20 adults continue to bond as teachers, social workers, psycholgists, professors (some work together at schools), all trying to make the world a better place. Many are also musicians, and tonight they are gathering for a concert and sing-along. They are staying at places nearby and visit with each other regularly.

(I loved meeting Paula and Connie, Fritz's sister and neice!)

Did I mention the children? I didn't count, but there must have been about 15 children scurrying around the property. In his usual style, Alan found familiar markers including playing "doorman" as well as a guitar. The "ball pit" was fun to. He played music and trains with Christopher, and ate lots of cake. I am thankful that Eileen joined me. It gave me time to relax and be with Helen. (plus she enjoyed meeting all of the teachers with such strong social interests!)

The remarkable thing - This was a close-knit group who have known each other for years, yet they welcomed me into their world. I don't ever recall ever feeling so comfortable in a place where I didn't know people. So many interesting people. And again, it was so amazing to be with Helen again. Seeing her navigate in her world today made me happy that her life is enriched with love, friendship and family.
So Happy Birthday Nicholas! What a lucky boy!

Camp Viva - Part Two

Just returned a little while ago from dropping off Grandma Bootie at Camp Viva. We weren't able to get any pictures of her, because she delved right into work-mode. When we left she was blowing up balloons for this afternoon's carnival. She's serving as the camp nurse until Saturday. Meanwhile, we were able to catch up with my sister who I learned is serving as a camp counselor. Staff and campers raved about how wonderful she is which was nice to hear. Everyone seemed to comment on our family resemblance. Suzanne also seemed to enjoy showing off her nephew to everyone. (Alan learned the word nephew). One of Alan's favorite pasttimes is to throw stones into water. We did that for a while at the stream and at the larger lake. A fish was taking a nap along the shore. Then, Pop-Pop, Alan and I left for home. My previous posting will tell you more about the mission of Camp Viva.

In other news: Eileen (my mother-in-law) arrives today.

Camp Viva - part one

We're dropping Bootie off at Camp Viva this morning in Rhinebeck. She's volunteering her nursing services there this week. Suzanne, my sister is already there. She's volunteered there for over 10 years conducting art classes, but this year I think she's a supervisor. I'm not sure what her role is this year, but she is very active in the progam. We are all going to spent the day there. They are holding a carnival for the children. I lent my mother a sleeping bag, but I think she'll also need to get a rain coat....being that she lives most of the year in the desert, I don't think she has one handy....I'll submit a posting later today with updates - hopefully with photos...

Here's info on Camp Viva....

Camp Viva is a unique year-round program for children and families in Westchester County infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. (If one member of the family is infected with AIDS or HIV, then the entire family is eligible to attend camp.) Founded in 1995, Camp Viva’s mission is to serve at-risk children, families and care-partners in the Westchester County area who are living with or affected by HIV and AIDS. Through its summer sleep away experience and its year-round follow-up program, Camp Viva provides respite, medical supervision, recreation and education to prevent the further spread of AIDS. Respite care helps reduce stress and provides a strong emotional base for working through HIV-related issues.

The summer retreat makes this possible for families who would not otherwise have a chance to escape the daily burdens of their illness; while the year-round follow up program helps families get the support and educational information they need to live more healthfully and to become strong community advocates for good preventive behavior.Our campers tell us that one of the most lasting benefits of Camp Viva is the feeling they receive throughout the year of “belonging” to a family and community of people who care. As one of our young campers recently put it: “Living with HIV or AIDS gives you a feeling of not-belonging, of being separate and no longer part of the world. At Camp Viva, you belong. You are touched, kissed and loved.”

Camp Viva’s week-long sleep away camp is in a rural setting and includes arts and crafts, drama, music, movement, swimming, boating, educational seminars, on-site medical support, mental health counseling, nondenominational pastoral care services, resource materials and referrals, and more. In addition we offer coordination with case managers as needed. Viva’s comprehensive follow-up program continues throughout the year, with regular reunions and informal gatherings as well as a monthly newsletter.

Comfort Food

Bootie is back and has taken over my kitchen. Tonight, meatloaf and corn-on-the-cob. Good comfort (peasant) food for a rainy day. Moments ago, she gave Alan a demonstration on how to "undress" the corn. Alan decided to bite the corn, raw. We'll try again later after it's cooked and smothered in butter. Yum!

Three Boys and a Wagon

Who needs Disney World? Here are the boys (Ricky, Jace and Alan) taking a leisurely wagon ride around the park. Other breaking news – Alan finally went down the slide by himself. He has been very cautious, and I’ve been very patient. He did it without any coaxing. I wasn’t even near him. I caught it out of the corner of my eye from the picnic table. I ran over and gave him a high five. He was pleased with himself, smiling ear-to-ear, and launched himself about 100 more times down the slide before we headed home. It’s such a privilege to see him accomplish these small (big) steps in his childhood.

Alan meets Elvis/Suds of Fun!

Alan meets Elvis
Door knobs, broomsticks and mops make useful microphones for two year olds who like to sing. But Alan’s been asking me for a “real” microphone the past few days. Today, driving down Broadway in Kingston, Alan said “Microphone!” and excitedly pointed out the window. Perched atop an Italian restaurant, was a statue of Elvis. He was leaning forward, singing into a stand-up microphone. How funny that the king of rock and roll was being upstaged by a microphone. I felt it my duty to share with him the name of this musical icon. Not necessarily a fan of his music, a song quickly came to my mind, and I began singing it to Alan so he could make a further connection with the statue. The song was “blue suede shoes.”

When we got home, I reminded him about Elvis, and he accepted my invitation for a little Youtube searching. As you know, Alan and I both have been very interested in guitars as of late, so I found the perfect Elvis video to share with you. Imagine the show MTV Unplugged – Elvis style. I know that it’s August, but the song is Blue Christmas. We both really enjoyed it, and I think you will too……. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTWtFDcSHDg

Suds of fun
Also today was the Soap Box Derby in Kingston. I didn’t get it at first. I thought it was a race, but each elaborately themed car had an opportunity to parade solo down the hill. “Gravity control” officers ensured that the cars would stop at the bottom of the hill. Very crowded! Roger and Alan took off early (so Alan could nap), so I stuck around for a while to listen to music and to watch dancers from a youth group. It was also relaxing to walk around looking at the boats.

Other news: Bootie enroute from Arizona (again!).

Breaking News!

Press Release submitted by Roger

FAMILY REJOICES AFTER POTTY TRAINING SUCCESS STORY
Toddler Puzzled By Special "Potty Dance" Started By Proud Parents
SAUGERTIES, N.Y. (August 18, 2007) Alan M. Rosenbaum's nightly bath routine took a surprising turn when the toddler took two poops in his potty, according to parents Roger and Michelle Rosenbaum. "He asked for his diaper to be taken off and instead of heading over to the bathtub he sat on his potty," said Michelle Rosenbaum.
Upon hearing the news his grandmother, Eileen Landay, exclaimed,"He followed the text! He mirrored the behavior of Joshua, the main character in a picture book about potty training. We had a reenactment of a literacy event that turned into a potty training event. I will be submitting as a case study to the American Journal of Reading and Movement," said Ms. Landay.
Grandmother Annette Diano-known as Grandma Boody-asked,"Did everyone wash their hands?"
Earlier in the day Alan Rosenbaum sat on his potty and went poopy, but he was wearing his diaper. "It has been a remarkable week. On Thursday, he took my hand and told me his diaper needed to be changed," said Michelle Rosenbaum.
Alan Rosenbaum did not seem phased by taking his first poo-poo. The dancing, singing and cheering did seem a little strange to the youngster. Neighbors heard cheering and wondered if there was some kind of major sporting event going on."This is our Superbowl," said Roger Rosenbaum.
"We could not be more pleased. He seems to be taking matters into his own hands and taking at his own pace," said Michelle Rosenbaum.

A little friendly competition

Don’t use cloth napkins when serving chicken wings for lunch with blueberry shortcake for dessert. For once, I was smart about this and thought ahead by stacking paper napkins on the table. Add polenta and Cesar salad to the meal, and it was scrumptious! The farmers’ market had great blueberries, and I baked the shortcake from scratch. Delightful! Everyone (Portia and Louis, et al) seemed to enjoy it.

But the glory didn’t last long. My competition knocked at my door shortly after the last dish was washed. My neighbor Edward, an amateur French Cook (a weekender from NYC) stopped over after spending three weeks in Paris.

I was disappointed that we had finished up all of the blueberry shortcake. Part of me wanted to demonstrate (show off), that I could match his culinary skills. But my peasant-cooking ego was somewhat deflated when he told me that next weekend would be my lesson on how to make Crème Brule. We are talking about blow torches here! So after a summer of trying to get our schedules in synch, next weekend is our planned cooking lesson – dinner through dessert - I will be his apprentice in the kitchen.

I am imaging duck, cheese sauces and small portions.

He left me with a stack of cookbooks to browse. He told me that the duck in the markets upstate are not thick enough, so should we decide on this, he’ll pick some up from NYC. I wonder if the same is true about chicken wings? I am definitely out of my league here, and don’t think we’ll be making any emergency visits to Stewarts for forgotten ingredients.

Whereas my cookbooks have grease stains with pages stuck together with butter crumbs, Edward’s are gourmet-glossy, with each page featuring a fancy photo. I politely accepted his offering to browse through them, but in the back of my mind, I envisioned Alan ripping through them page by page. So before Alan awoke, I safely stacked them out of his sight. So now the question is…should I try the duck?

In other news: Tons of children with painted faces running around creating pottery, posters and whimsical drawings at the Summer Arts Celebration sponsored by the Saugerties Art Lab down at the beach. Alan wanted to play in the sand and swings. Tomorrow is the soap box derby and Bootie arrives back early next week. Eileen too.

Andy's new lunch buddies

I just received an e-mail from Andy Pletch, a lunch buddy of mine from New Paltz (as well as a distinguished professor of computer science.) He and his wife are spending the year in Southern Peru. Here is a photo of him with his new lunch buddies. What's for dessert Andy? You can read about what's going on with him at his blog at
http://andyandolga.blogspot.com/. Best of luck!

For those New Paltz folks new to this blog, recent photos of Alan (who is 2 1/2) go to some of my old blog postings at

http://michellerosenbaum.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_archive.html#7197106277847561396

and/or

http://michellerosenbaum.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_archive.html#5615990110475859879

Thursday update

A major potty-readiness sign emerged today! Several times this morning, Alan said “change my dipe mommy.” One time he even grabbed my hand and led me to my office where he wanted me to change him. (peculiar location, but I went with it). Jennifer (my babysitter) told me that he asked her to change his diaper too. This is a big step for us!!!

I have seen many new developments with him this week. He continues to recount the bee-sting story, telling people about what happened. I am wondering if this will be his earliest memory. What is your earliest memory? Mine is my mom throwing away my animal crackers for not listening to her. I was about three years old.

What else? Most everything else took a backseat today so that I could work on a proposal/research project. After Alan’s nap, JulieMis called and we met her for a few minutes at the library. (no fines, and I am all updated!) Alan wasn’t really into being there so we went on a walk “around town”, and then back home for dinner. He fell asleep much earlier than usual (before 9pm!).

The last week I have been snuggling with him to this great CD. It’s one of my favorites, and I am grateful we have moved on from James Taylor for a little while…Do you remember the movie “Garden State”? Well the sound track is FABULOUS! (and so is the movie!) You can sample each song at http://www.gardenstatesoundtrack.com/

So tomorrow is Friday, and I’m looking forward to a fun weekend. Art Lab is having a program at the Saugerties Beach. Can’t make up my mind about Sunday. There is an event at the lighthouse where Jules will be singing and a soap box derby in Kingston. The lighthouse still has too many hazards for Alan….as Jamie will recall! (Happy Birthday Darius!) So I am learning towards the latter, but we’ll need to check the weather.

That's all folks!

Louis Altman - poet and friend

Louis sent me this poem today which I would like to share with you. Thanks Louis! You are such a talent....I will be asking him a question about this poem, so check back for his comments.

THE SUITCASE
A pastiche of Moors and Iagos
We gave shelter to the sun
Upon a total eclipse
I say leave Moneypenny to her tea
Our smiles are everlasting
Our travels far and wide
Though we need not choose
Where to go.
Turn off the doubtful torchiere,
Her vacation oleander, not one small victory
But what a glorious life now and then!
The burgeoning hope of a burnished soul!
Riddle me this bramble--
Stand back poison oak--
Let her pass, a pinch of
Salt for the sun.
---for M.F.L.

About this blog and other housekeeping items

Below are just some ideas and information about this blog I wish to pass along:

1) For those who wish to make comments on this blog, I have now enabled the comment function to allow you freely make comments without having to sign up for anything. You can also make anonymous comments if you wish, but it’s always fun to see who is reading this blog. (all 5 of you)

2) Some have asked for clarification on the characters in my life. Alan as you know is my son. Bootie and Pop-Pop are my parents (Annette and Martin Diano). They live in Arizona but have a condo here in NY. Roger is my husband and his mother is Eileen Landay, however, we sometimes call her “Emma” (Grandma). My sister is sometimes referred on this blog as Aunt Suzie, but I think I am the only one on the planet who calls her Suzanne.

3) Friends have given me permission to use their names and post photos. Some decline photos which is totally understandable.

4) If you have any announcements or information you would like for me to include in this blog, please send me an e-mail at michelle@rosenbaummedia.com.

5) Lastly, I would like to post my maiden name here in quotes so that should any long lost friends wish to find me (Nancy Iler) they will know I’m here waiting fo them..When I google “Michelle Diano”, all I get are some old newspaper articles from Marist…. ” It will be fun to now google my maiden name to see if this blog pops up....

"Michelle Diano”
Married name: "Michelle Rosenbaum"

Schools attended:

"Vernon High School"(K-10th)
"Longwood High School"(Class of 87)
"Marist College" (Class of 91)

Bee sting update

Thanks for the words of encouragement. Alan is much better this morning. Swelling is all gone. At this moment he is telling Pop-Pop the whole story downstairs. He is speaking in complete sentences describing what happened. And as Jamie noted, baking soda is easy to clean up!

What’s buzzing in my ear?

A little unexpected drama today, but nothing I couldn’t handle. I ran over to a friend’s house with Alan to feed their cats. Alan wanted to run around their yard for a while which was cute, because he was calling for my friends trying to find them, and I was trying to explain that they were away. We stopped to rest on their swing, and the next thing I know, we were attacked by bees. We must have disturbed a nest. I started swiping them – one seemed stuck in my hair by my right ear, and Alan just stood beside me screaming. I scooped him up and bolted up the hill.

Visions of anaphylactic shock filled my over dramatic imagination. I avoided being stung, but after checking Alan over, I found a bee sting on his left hand. Thank god for cell phones. I whipped mine out and started barking orders to Roger and Pop-Pop, “Call Mommy at work, tell her Alan’s been stung by a bee, and have her call back me in 30 minutes.” (My mom’s a nurse).

I held Alan tight in my arms while he cried, and I tried to figure out my next step in getting him to feel better so we could get home to better assess the situation. I fumbled around my duffle bag searching for some cold cream and at the bottom of the bag was a…….
lollipop.
Alan said, “Lollipop?”

We drove home calmly.

My mom called as scheduled, and together we evaluated the situation. She directed me to make a baking soda paste. Alan was reluctant for me to touch him with the paste, so I had to add a little humor, and put some on my nose. He basically smeared the paste all over surfaces in the playroom including the couch, but he was his playful self. The swelling went down significantly, and after checking him over, there weren't any other sting bites.

At least now I can cross bee allergies off my worry list. Does baking soda paste stain? ( a chore awaits me tomorrow)

For more info on bee stings and toddlers, go to: http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/toddler/toddlerills/todbites/11226.html

Suzanne: Remember when we were little at Grandpa Tag’s house and you got stung by a bee and Grandpa put a silver dollar on your arm?

In other news:

Jamie and Darius stopped over today and the children had fun playing on the porch with a collection of wind-up toys (no batteries necessary!) We have about 25 of them! My mother-in-law is the one who is the genious that brought them over....I think I am starting to value the anti-electronic childhood…..Later, Eileen and her girls stopped over. Stella sure is crawling. I have a drawer of toys for her that Alan has outgrown. I call it “Stella’s Station” (like the Saugerties restaurant). Alan really has taken a liking to Stella. She’s a year and a half younger, and I was pleased that he gave her a toy to play with.

Home

When I lived at the Ashokan house, I felt a sense of ownership over the mountains and reservoir, and especially the promenade and spillway. The fossils uncovered from the edge of the water still serve as evidence of its everlasting beauty. However, because we lived so far away from everybody, we hardly ever had visitors. I so badly wanted to share my walk to the reservoir with friends and family, but only on special occasions did this happen. It wasn’t that I was lonely, it was just I wanted to share.

When we finally decided to move, I looked forward to returning to a community, but knew I would miss seeing the mountains every morning from my window. I have no regrets about this decision. Today, I thought about this, because I similarly have felt a sense of ownership over the park at Cantine Field like I did with those mountains. I know every crack in the sidewalk, every tree and just about every child on the swing. I have seen Alan learn how to walk at the park as well as climb stairs (this week without holding on to the side!) Also, I have established life-long friendships here. Today we met Julie and Jace at the park and played in the wading pool and on the playground. It felt like home.

Tonight, I needed to go for a drive with Alan. He didn’t nap, and I thought he would sleep in the car. We ended up at Forsythe Park in Kingston (yes I ventured out of Saugerties). I have been here a few times with Alan, but just to the zoo. This was my first time taking Alan to this park. As a new mom, I found it a bit overwhelming. You need to check for hazards, and the people are new, and you can’t just throw your bag down anywhere. I started to feel a little homesick for my home park. Yet, moments after I arrived, a few of the children asked if I could push them on the swing, and a child shared his soccer ball. I slowly started to feel the exhilaration of discovering a new place for us to have fun and to meet new people. Plus, Alan was much bolder here than at our home park. He climbed up the towers with such confidence, and was determined to check out every nook and cranny including the surrounding fields. In the end, we really enjoyed ourselves!

I’ve always known that a “sense of place” has always been important to me, and that I need to share that with others. I still occasionally drive up to the Ashokan to visit my mountains. It amazes me how my definition of “home” keeps expanding like concentric circles.

Sunday’s rambling

I forgot to mention that at Darius’s party yesterday that Criss hooked up his electric guitar. I sampled a few songs and once again became energized at the prospect of learning how to play. I am cautious though. This is because Alan also becomes very excited at seeing a “real” guitar, and doesn’t have the gentleness that one needs to have when handling "grown-up" instruments. I am concerned that he and I will have on-going struggles with this at his young age….I want to encourage his curioisty, yet teach him to be "nice" to the guitar. He says to me “share” and then began grabbing Criss’s guitar. He doesn’t do this when we’re at Ms. Kelly’s sing-al-longs at the library. I’ll have to think this one through a bit.

Speaking of guitars, I went to the John Street Jam last night with Jules. She’s performing at next month’s Jam. With each song, I became more and more relaxed after a hectic week. I became teary-eyed by a song performed by Vickie Russell.

Here’s the true story she sang about: Two college-aged sweethearts are separated when one leaves for the army. They profess their eternal love to each other. A disapproving mother schemes to sabotage this relationship. She does not give her daughter the letters which her lover sends from the army. Plus, the mother writes to the lover saying her daughter has “moved on”. Both sweethearts believe they have been rejected by the other, yet hold onto their strong feelings for each other throughout their entire lives. 40 years go by. The mother dies and the daughter discovers her lover’s letters in a closet that her mother hid from her… He has loved her all along. She doesn’t let time steal her from being away from her true love anymore. She finds him, and though 40 years have passed, they profess their love for each other, and now they are together. This is a true story of someone who Vickie knows. I wish I could remember the melody. It was a beautiful song. Hope I told the story coherently in this late hour.

So as Saturday was a socially packed day, today was low-key. We spent the day at home, I went to the gym, and Alan took a lovely nap, though he fought it in the beginning. I rearranged the playroom creating two distinct areas, a reading nook and a play area.

Oh, I forgot….Alan’s new favorite song is another James Taylor favorite called “Shed a Little Light.” It has a gospel sound and the song is about Martin Luther King. I wanted Alan to know about this great man, so I Youtubed his “I Have a Dream” speech. Wouldn’t you know that he watched the entire 17 minute speech on my lap – enthralled by him. He clapped when everyone clapped. I gave kid-appropriate commentary for a two year old, “See, he wants all the children to play together,” etc…At dinner, I told this story to my Dad, and when I said to Alan, “Remember Martin Luther King,” He responded, “I have a dream!” I couldn’t believe my ears. Below are links to the song and speech.

James Taylor Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkYheh9R93k

MLK I have a Dream speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk

So yes, we did drive up to keep Pop-Pop company for a little while tonight. I made us dinner at his place, and was home by 8pm.

Hope you all had a great weekend!!!!!!

Birthday Parties.....

Party-hopping this morning.

Started out to Stella’s 1st birthday party where Alan met a dog named Bozley.

From there to Darius’s 4th birthday party where Alan played his first ever game of Pin-the-Tail on the Donkey. Both were cozy affairs with loved ones and cake. Alan did well with no afternoon nap, but he fell asleep in the stroller on the walk home. I waited for him to wake up on the porch with a book. After about 45 minutes, I decided I better wake him up. Roger will be watching Alan tonight so I can make my monthly visit to the John Street Jam. More on that later!

Kava-kava-breathe

I just brewed myself a cup of kava tea that I bought at the health food store this evening….. It’s supposed to relax me. I hope it works. Before I take a sip, I should tell you that Alan is having a temper tantrum in his crib at this moment. We’ve been having bedtime/nap issues, and he is extremely over-tired and sleep deprived. The consensus in the house (Eileen and Roger), is that I should let him cry it out, but it’s very difficult for me to do, and I’ll just wait another 10 minutes or so and if he doesn’t wind down, I’ll try another strategy.

This is after a very stressful day. (Just took first sip of kava, it tastes like ivory soap). I learned about kava from a social worker a few years ago who worked in the state prison system. He told me that the inmates are given kava tea for relaxation and to help them sleep. I tried it about five years ago when buying this house had me stressed out, and it knocked me out for two hours in the middle of the day, and I never can nap in the middle of the day….(tantrum has quieted down)….I have been reluctant to try it again since it had such a strong affect on me last time. (another sip)























Well, on the brighter side of the day…Jimmy, my next door neighbor, stopped over for a visit tonight and dropped off this keyboard for Alan. When I see the smile on this little guys face it makes all of the stress from the day melt away. By the way, I think Alan is asleep. I’ll finish this cup of kava now and maybe I'll nod off too….but before I do…

...In other news, Bootie left for Arizona again. She’ll be back in 10 days. Tomorrow is the John Street Jam. I'm going with Jules. And this weekend holds various birthday celebrations for children in the neighborhood.

By the way, thank you for reading this blog and have a great day!

Life is Peachy! Eileen and Alan finally make that pie!

Quick update

Hi everyone! It’s been a busy week for everyone it seems. I’ve been running around town getting things done while my mother-in-law, Pop-Pop and Bootie watch Alan. He has enjoyed spending time with his Emma so much so that he wants to sleep with her at night. That hasn’t worked out so well. He’ll lie with her in bed, but as the 10 o’clock hour approaches, he’s still awake, and eventually calls for me. So he’s a little sleep deprived. I thought he would catch up on sleep with his afternoon nap, but I think he’s been missing me this week, and didn’t want to be let go. He finally collapsed around 3pm. When he wakes up we are all making a peach pie.

With Portia away, we’ve enjoyed Louis’s company last night (and tonight) for dinner. He and Eileen (“Emma”, short for Grandma) have shared poetry and teaching stories. I love seeing them interact about their writing. Louis is one of those amazing poets. You should really read his work. I'll ask him permission to post some of his work... I’ll take some credit for pushing the idea of publishing onto him. The last poetry contest I sent him – Mohonk Mountain Stage Company – awarded him in the “notable category”. I recall bugging him about sending in his work, and I’m glad he did. At the awards celebration, we all watched the actors perform his poem earlier this summer. Maybe I should be his literary agent. (I told another friend about the contest, and she won too!)

What else? It’s still unclear if we will be vacationing this summer – Fall is around the corner and we have only several options left. So when everyone left for a walk last night, I tried the next best thing to a vacation. I went to the backyard and picked some fresh flowers (foxglove), and put them in a vase. I sat on my porch with them on the table along with a vanilla candle and relaxed to some Pavarotti. It was only about 20 minutes before everyone returned, but that was okay - we all hung out on the porch together as the sun went down. I almost walked to Stewarts for ice cream – but fought off that urge…Anyway, that’s all for now! Oh yeh - I finally updated some new music to my IPOD. It's been making my workouts go much faster!

Sugar and Spice

You naughty Lucas Avenue girls eating dessert for dinner! Shame on you (me)....We may have been eating sweet mocha swirl, but the conversation sure did get spicy at times! The boys did fine without us for one night, don’t ya think? Louis was allowed back home by 8:30. We all have busy weeks ahead. This was a nice diversion for a weeknight….Thanks for hosting Portia!

Don't take me to the mall.

Don’t take me to the mall. You won’t enjoy yourself. Don’t take me shopping. I’m liable to snap at you for taking too long in the dressing room. I don’t know what happens to me, but if you ever run into me at the mall, I apologize in advance. I may smirk at you, march past you in a hurry to the nearest exit, or possibly force you into buying me one of those banana frosty drinks, because I spent my last dollar on some worthless trinket. Please don’t take it personally. Something really bad (and bizarre) happens to me at the mall. Maybe it’s the loss of sunlight, or just a frustration with clothes not fitting this too tall size 14, but I’ve never had a pleasurable experience at the mall, except maybe at the food court.

It seems like a sin to be inside the mall on a beautiful sunny day, but this girl needed a new pair of shoes, something I put off way too long. So with three grandparents at my home watching Alan, I decided it was time to venture out to the other side of town. I procrastinated. First, I stopped by the office for a while, and then to lunch. Delaying methods continued with a stop to Barnes and Noble where I could relish in a few moments of peaceful pop-culture. But when Bootie and Pop-Pop showed up moments after I settled into my latte heaven, I realized I was running out of time. Time to go to the m-a-l-l.

By the time I walked into the third shoe store, I was feeling a little loopy. Having already spent over an hour at the mall, I was already irrational from the lack of sun, and seemingly poised for some impending drama. To make a long story short, I witnessed one of the managers bullying a cashier. Plus, this obnoxious manager was boasting to the cashier about having punched someone out recently, which made my blood boil. Lucky for him he left to go on his break. Yet, the cashier seemed unfazed by this interaction which made me doubt my own reality. Were they just joking around with each other? I just bit my lip and took a deep breath and left (with three pairs of shoes).

Needless to say, I didn’t enjoy my free time this afternoon. I left with a bag of clothes and shoes, and later de-stressed by visiting Adams Fairacre Farms. I am much more comfortable around fruit. (there’s a joke in there somewhere). When I came home, my friend Jamie had left some new toys for Alan on our porch, and all the grandparents were there playing with him. It was a welcoming sight. I happily cooked everyone a delicious seafood meal followed by a visit from my five-year-old neighbor who we took with us on a walk to the park. Happy to be back to my mall-less world!!!

Postscript: Thanks Jamie for the toys...and Julie, I should have accepted your invitation!

Bluegrass Festival

Stopped over to the Bluegrass Festival in Freehold Sunday for about an hour with Alan and my mom. Leaned up against a hay stack and listened to the music. Sun was hot!

Lunch back at Bootie's - lots of leftovers from yesterday's gathering... Back home by 1:30pm - but feeling like it was already bedtime!

Roger was still at the county fair on a video shoot when I got home....I called him and begged him to bring me home a caramel chocolate nut apple. MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE! Yum! Moments before he came home, I inhaled a homemade blueberry muffin delivered by my neighbor Eileen, forgetting about my vehement request earlier in the day....needless to say, I will not be eating anything else for the next week!

Oh and how can I foret Cheryl - Alan’s former babysitter. She stopped over too - but was disappointed that Alan was still napping….My mother-in-law arrived for dinner. She and Alan played tea party until bedtime.

This morning, I worked off my sugar feast at the gym. This time, Melanie came with me....Alan was excited about that!!

Creatura Bella!

Photo: Great Aunt Rose Diano and Pop-Pop (my dad Martin Diano)

(more photos below)

I always knew that I came from a long line of dressmakers and patternmakers, jokingly noting that the fashion gene skipped me over. Yet, I never knew until yesterday that it all began with Angelina, my great grandmother – a pioneer business woman in the 1900’s - who started it all by owning her own dress factory in the Bronx. Yesterday, my Great Aunt Rose recounted the romantic story about how the three sons of Angelina including my grandfather Barthelomew, flirted and eventually married three of the women who worked as seamstresses.

Uncle Angelo, the eldest brother, who’s reputation (and from my personal experience) finds him to be the kind of gentleman that is rare today – debonair and tender (and strikingly handsome), came to the factory one day to greet the seamstresses, and discovers a stunning new woman at the machines. As he approaches her, he says “And who is this Beautiful Creature”. Rose, who didn’t speak English at the time, is confused by the attention of Angelo, and repeats to her sister, “What is a Beautiful Creature?” Her sister repeats, "Creatura bella!" and Rose blushes with embarrassment.

A few days later, when Rose has to go across town, Angelo offers her a ride, and a nervous Rose accepts. During that journey, the Diano legacy begins with Angelo asking Rose out for a date. However, Rose is at first reluctant to date her boss’s son, but accepts, and they secretly meet for 3 or 4 dates. She does not want her family (mainly her father) to know. She has already disappointed her father once for not marrying Charlie with the monkey jacket (another story).

Angelo who is smitten with Rose (and vice versa) finally convinces her to disclose to her father that he wants to date her. He can no longer hide his love. Rose seeks out her sister’s support, and at dinner, Rose asks her father’s permission to date Angelo. Being that both families are from Bari, Italy, her father agrees. According to Aunt Rose, that first meeting couldn’t have gone better. Angelo wins over her father immediately. Two weeks later, Angelo meets him again to ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage.

Post Script#1
My grandmother Adele also worked in the dress factory and married my grandfather Bartholemew. Uncle Dominic married Aunt Jeanne.

PostScript #2
My Uncle Angelo and Aunt Rose were married over 50 years and have four children, eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Yesterday, we visited with Aunt Rose along with two of her sons (my cousins) Martin and Robert and their family. Cousin Robert carries on the fashion gene and is a pattern-maker with a designer of evening wear in NYC. A great story-teller, we gathered around the livingroom to hear Aunt Rose tell us her thoughts on what makes a solid marriage (have respect for each other/you can disagree but don’t argue). Portia, Louis and Dawn (my dear friends) were also in attendance. Coincidently, Portia's family is also from Bari - this i have known and believe we are related in some way! :)

Alan and his Great-Great Aunt Rose

Cousin Robert and his amazing son Matthew

Creatura bella

So much fun today at Pop-Pop and Booties. Family, friends, food and lots of great stories to tell including “Creatura bella!" . But I'm beat, so it will have to wait until tomorrow. Photos to share as well.

Tea for two

Tea for two
While it gives me great pleasure to hear Alan repeat affectionate sayings to others like “Ciao Bella!”, he is also picking up other words that may not be so nice. Yesterday he told Franklin our cat to “stay out of the bathroom, Franklin!” Today, when we were playing tea party, he gave Bo the rabbit a kiss and hug, but then said to him, “absolutely not”, emphasizing each syllable – ab-sol-ute-ly not! He’s turning 2 ½ next week, and I need to start being more careful about my language.

Two for tea
Christopher (2 1/2 ) and Nicholas (5) visited us today with Helen my college roommate for part two of our reunion. It felt very natural to be with her and her children. Helen’s creativity, intelligence, sweetness and spirited sensibilities are evident in these beautiful children. Hopefully photos will be posted soon. We captured the three children peering over the fence entertained by my neighbor’s ride-a-long mower. Another great shot of them playing trains together. Fritz also shot a picture of them playing instruments together on the porch – guitar, organ, harmonica, and drums…I couldn’t quite make out the name of the band Nicholas devised…it sounded like he and Alan were saying “Showfeet”. We certainly gave passersby something to listen to! I also got a kick out of Christopher’s love of container play and stacking. For example, in my back yard, Christopher piled up each and every riding toy in our fleet creating a soup of sorts into my half-full purple kiddy pool.

Other news: A very tired Bootie arrived safely this morning and she and Pop-Pop stopped over to the house. Alan performed "Orange Blossom Special" for them. Bootie said "who sings that", and Alan responded "Johnny Cash".

O-F-F K-i-l-t-e-r

Various factors (good and bad) threw me off kilter today – (all day!). Showed up at the wrong fitness class (bad), Roger’s presentation to the chamber went well (good), babysitter out with pink eye (bad), offered work-related prospects (good), Alan didn’t nap (bad), learned that Helen is visiting again tomorrow with the kids (good), and now some terrible Jennifer Lopez movie is playing on TNT instead of Law and Order!!! (very, very bad) I might as well call it a night! At least I checked out a decent book from the library which I am about to dive into. (good).

I could expand upon some of these factors - actually some I didn't even mention....but for the sake of brevity (love that word....a great scrabble word)..I will spare the details and just be thankful and grateful and all that other mushy stuff...so goodnight! Sleep soundly...

Other news: Eileen is back from Mexico and will be joining us soon for her August visit.... Bootie is taking the red-eye tonight from Arizona back to New York, and we'll be seeing my cousins Martin, Lyn and Robert on Saturday. I think my sister will also be making an appearance...I also hear that it's children's day at HITS on Sunday.

Rough night!

Hi everyone. Rough night. I had an intense nightmare that I was in a building with two girl friends when a horrible lightening storm started to cause fires across the city. Most notable about my dreams are the locations. I can’t tell you why I was in the city, or in a brownstone building, but it was scary – for those that don’t know, I am very much a country girl, and have anxiety when traveling to New York.…..so I already felt like a fish out of water in this dream. We watched the lightening from our window, and it struck the building across from us and it exploded. My friend shouted that we better evacuate the building, and we rushed out. As soon as we were out of the building, I woke up to Alan screaming.

Now this part is not a dream. He woke up as I woke up. It was 3AM and he started to scream that he wanted to go on the porch. I held him in my arms and told him that it was dark out and we couldn’t go outside right now. It took about 5 minutes to calm him down. I began singing him "porch songs" that I made up as best I could.....

I can’t tell you if I screamed in my dream which woke him up, or whether it was a coincidence that we woke up at the same time, or if maybe our mother/child perceptions were in synch and he had the same type of scary dream. Regardless, I wasn’t able to get back to sleep, and have medicated myself with a dose of Tylenol to cut the edge off of a horrible headache…