Update on Crazy City

Things are still busy in E.W.

PGO
I finished typing and binding the first set of books I brought home. The day I dropped them off I received 6 more to bind (already typed by another volunteer, thankfully). Those are now sitting on the counter awaiting my attention. One of the books is R's book ("All About Rocks") and it's quite the masterpiece. Not that I'm biased or anything.

The PGO is holding a Tag (or Garage or Yard, depending on your geographic location) Sale on Saturday. Looking around to see what we had to donate was a rather dangerous activity. It made us start to think about whether we have stuff for our very own tag sale. This in turn lead us to begin a rather massive Spring Cleaning Frenzy which has resulted in one bay of our garage being full of tag sale-able items. I will be bringing some stuff to donate to the school tag sale but the remainder will wait until next weekend when we will have our own sale. The girls have even been bitten by the tag sale bug (they are anxious to get some cash to buy NEW toys...) and have willingly brought out some toys for sale. They are even will to part with some of the larger outdoor toys that are just sitting out back collecting wasp nests and dirt. In fact, over the weekend, they got out the garden hose and scrub brushes and had fun getting a few items clean enough to sell!


CE Board
Things are at a standstill on the CE subcommittee to find our church a new Christian Ed. Director. I'm hoping that our job is complete and I'm anxious to see what the hiring decision will be (we have given our input to the Pastor who must complete the next step in the process). I still have those darn meeting minutes to type up. I hate having stuff like that looming over my head but I just have not had the time!


Celebrations
We had a nice visit with some of Rick's relations this weekend and the Saturday birthday BBQ was enjoyable and delicious. The next celebration coming up is Father's Day. Negotiations are in progress to figure out just when and how to celebrate with the dads in our family. Thankfully, it's usually a low-key affair.


PreK Graduation
A's graduation was short and sweet and I was the first-class idiot who forgot her camera that day. I did ask a few parents to take some photos of A for me and will hopefully get some copies emailed to me very soon - at which point I'll be sure to share them here. A's class sang three very sweet songs and each child received a small gift (a book) and a certificate that stated one reason they were so valued in class this year. A's certificate this year was for "development of her leadership skills" (last year she got a certificate for "being a friend to all"). After the certificates were handed out I said a few words and presented the teachers with the monetary gift from the families and another mom handed out beautiful baskets of flowers. Then we all enjoyed a potluck lunch together and headed home. A is signed up to continue at school for "camp" which is basically an extension of the school year (for an additional fee) to more closely match the public schools. So, she has not yet said her final good-byes to her teachers.


Head Cold or Tree Pollen?
Seems to have been a head cold that I suffered from recently because a few days after I came down with a sore throat and stuffy nose Rick became the next victim. I can't for the life of me figure out why I am so blessed with the spring sniffles every freakin' year but this year I am fairly certain that it was not an allergic reaction to tree pollen. It was just another stinkin' cold. Grumble, grumble.


Life
They say that time flies when you are having fun. Well, I must be having a BLAST because I can not believe that it is nearly June already. In some ways I feel like we skipped May because it has been such a blur. This whole 'work' thing is putting a Fast Forward button on life. If anyone knows where the 1/2 speed button is, I'd love to hear from you. And if you can figure out who these "kids" are that are living in my house and what the heck they did with my 'babies' I'd be happy to know that tidbit as well.

My Young Poet

A little mommy brag here. :-)

R's class has been working on poetry this past week. They have been discussing such things as line breaks and how poetry compares to other writing styles.

When she came home from school she shared with me this poem she had written.


Shell
by R.

Full of Holes
and very small
a shell
holds wonders
big
and small.
The inside smooth
as a polished stone
and white
as the
ocean
froth.

What was that? Something just whizzed by....

Zzzzerrrrooooosh!

That would be me - in my fly-by posting mode. I've been a bad, bad blogger of late. Life is just going full-tilt of late and not leaving me much time to ruminate, much less write about my ruminations.

Some of the stuff I'm doing these days:

• working 2-3 full days a week

That is going very well and I'm loving my job. I love the techie side of things and learning about all the new and exciting stuff in the world of augmentative communication. And I've met some really great kids who are an inspiration and a challenge all at the same time. My co-workers are amazing. Even though I've been dealing with a fair bit of chaos and certain conflicts among members of the team, I would not want to work anywhere else at the moment.

Eliza is dealing (mostly well) with the transition to my status as a WOHM. She has her moments of not dealing so gracefully but I have two capable and loving people who care for her (her Grandma and Godmother, no less...) and she is just having to make that adjustment of not having me 24/7.

• Getting more involved with the Parent/Guardian Organization
  

I have not been as involved as I feel I should be in the past couple of years - I'm making that more of a priority and looking ahead to next year. They have lost quite a few of their highly involved parents over the course of the year and they are down to bare bones and looking at the dissolution of the PGO if people don't step up to the plate. I certainly don't want to see that happen.

This week I'm trying to help out by typing and binding a few books for R's class. Each year the K-3 graders write and illustrate their own books which the PGO volunteers to type and bind so they look more professional and official. I went to the Ice Cream Social with Rick and the girls last week and while families were enjoying a bit of musical entertainment I went to the community room and learned how to bind the books. I have a bag sitting in my kitchen just waiting for my attention. Must find time! Soon.

• Board of Christian Education (CE)
  

I'm a member of the CE board at church and we are in the process of trying desperately to hire a new director for the youth/family program. It's not been easy! This week things have come to a head and we are in the process of scheduling meetings and interviews. I'm sort of the coordinator by default since I was the only subcommittee member at the last committee meeting. It's been a bit hectic and crazed pulling that bit together in a very short time. I am also the board secretary and still have the minutes from the last meeting to type up -- which is probably what I should be doing instead of updating my pals here on my blog? Nah....

• Preschool Graduation

A's second, and final, year of preschool is coming to an end. I am so sad to say goodbye to her little schoolhouse for the next year but E will start there the following year so it's more of a 'see ya later' than an actual goodbye. And it's truly a bittersweet transition because while I say goodbye to her preschool days I'm thrilled for her as she enters the next phase and becomes one of the big kids who rides the yellow school bus and look forward to all that she has ahead of her. Ask me in a few years if I'm as excited for my 'baby' to be heading off to Kindergarten and you might find that I'm in a completely different mindset about that 'last one heading off to the big kid school' -- or maybe not. Both A and E are October babies and I'm sure E will be just as eager and ready at nearly six-years-old as A is right now. A is chomping at the bit for bigger and better things and seems to want to be older NOW.

I've stepped into the role of coordinator for the teacher gifts for the past two years. It's not a huge deal but it is one more thing that needs a bit of attention. I am collecting money from the families to present (along with flowers and cards) to the teachers to thank them for their hard work. The check will be used to buy something for the school that would not ordinarily be purchased from their budget. For instance, one year they replaced the clothesline/clothing pin system with an honest-to-goodness drying rack for all the beautiful artwork the children create each day. I had honestly not even realized until last week that the graduation date was fast approaching. No one else mentioned teacher gifts so I just decided to take the bull by the horns again and get it done. Everyone is usually very appreciative of the effort and I don't really mind doing it because I love our preschool....but I won't be there next year so it is time to pass the torch along! And with everything else going on I'll be glad when I can check one more thing off my list!

• Birthday/celebration central

Over Mother's Day weekend we celebrated on Saturday night with Rick's parents and had a nice steak dinner here at home. On Sunday I drove to Boston with R and A to meet up with my two sisters, one niece, two nephews, my brother-in-law and my parents. We all went to see one nephew in a HS production of West Side Story (which was amazing and fabulous and funny and heartrending). Then we all went out for a Mother's Day dinner at a restaurant in the Back Bay section of Boston called Fire & Ice.

This week is not only Rick's (40th!) birthday (today!) but also his mom's (Saturday) and my mom's (yesterday). Happy Birthday to all the special people in my life! Tonight we are doing a very quick dinner and cake and ice cream with my in-laws (because of my 6:30 meeting at church regarding the CE director position - see above!) and then on Saturday we are doing a full-blown cookout with more family in attendance. Burgers! Hot Dogs! More cake and ice cream! (And to think that life is creating a perfect storm of late that is keeping me away from the club and my morning walks! eek.)

• Head cold or tree pollen?

Every year since the year of R's birth I have suffered from a 'seasonal' (April and/or May) onslaught of cough, itchy throat, and sinus congestion. It lasts for a few weeks and from the best I can tell by googling symptoms and allergens each year at around this time, I think I'm allergic to either oak or birch trees (or both). It's a total drag. And it's really not a convenient time - particularly this year - for me to be dealing with this nasty crap. I'm giving Claritin a trial but so far, three days in, I'm not noticing any difference. A friend recently told me that the 10mg that is the OTC Claritin is not actually clinically beneficial and that I should give Zyrtec a try. Another friend suggested Tylenol Sinus. I was very glad for those tidbits and will likely make another trip to the drugstore to give one a try. I'm trying to be patient and wait another day or two with the Claritin before I toss them and try something else. But, something has to be done. And soon.

• Was there anything else? Or perhaps that list is the exhaustive (and exhausting) list at the moment. It is certainly plenty to be juggling and I'm hoping that I've not forgotten something... What a crazy month this is!
  

I Love New York!

I was looking back in my blog archives to see if I could post links to my previous NYC trips and realized that I don't actually HAVE any posts about my previous trips - at least not that I could find in a brief search of keywords or based on dates. How did that happen? Beats me.

Anyone who knows me or has read this blog for a while probably knows of my love for Broadway musicals. I've loved them since I was very young but did not actually see my first show ON Broadway until I was 32 years old...and nearly eight months pregnant with A. That first experience in August of 2002 - which was also my first time in NYC - was unforgettable. I went with my wonderful mother-in-law and a friend from NJ met us in the city that day and served as our tour guide. We saw 42nd Street - can you say 'quintessential Broadway show'? - and I soaked in a fair bit of the city on that visit. I should have signed up for one of the Duck Tours on that visit. My waddle would've fit right in. On foot we actually managed to cover quite a bit of ground in that day-long visit due to my insatiable appetite for the sights of the city. However, my feet were very happy for the 2.5 hour reprieve once we actually got to the show. And the show itself was a feast for the eyes, ears, heart and soul. It was everything I had hoped it would be...and more!

After that first taste of NYC I vowed that I would be back - as often as possible. In the intervening years I've managed to co-opt my mother-in-law into the role of travel partner and co-adventurer into the city to see more Broadway shows. We've been joined by a small cast of other characters who also enjoy the city in general and musicals in particular and we've managed to see some other great shows:

2004

2005












2007













This year I was joined in my NYC adventure by my mother-in-law J, next door neighbor L, and J's friend E. Another friend who has joined us from NJ in the past (but not the NJ friend who joined us in 2002!) was going to try to come this year but other financial obligations took precedence. (Note to S: we missed you!)

Here's the whole gang in NYC:



As you can see we had a cool and cloudy day in the city. Thankfully the skies stayed dry for the day.

When we arrived we headed straight for the TXTS booth and got in line for tickets. I have not been to NYC all that often but I have never seen the line quite as long as they were yesterday.
However, you would be amazed at the expertise with crowd control and the way they keep the line moving swiftly. We expected to be waiting quite a while but I think our total time in line and getting tickets was not more than 25 minutes. Not too shabby. We had checked the large screens that give you the list of available shows and while we were in line we discussed which shows we could all agree on. Our first choice, based on some recommendations we had gotten from friends (and from an employee who was helping to direct the throngs of theater-goers) was the show Curtains. The only thing I knew about the show was that it stars David Hyde Pierce (who won a 2007 Tony for his role as Detective Cioffee) and Debra Monk (who I later found out has played the role of George's mom on Grey's Anatomy - which is why she seemed so very familiar to me). I also knew that it was a murder-mystery-comedy which sounded entertaining enough for me. Not knowing if tickets would still be available once we reached the front of the line we had to have a back-up plan. They really like to keep things moving in those lines so you can stand there gawking and making up your mind or people get a bit testy. And lucky us! There were still tickets available once we got to the window so we did not need our to go to Plan B or C.

Lunch was the next order of business. L had not even eaten breakfast that morning and I knew I was hungry! L had been handed a flyer for a new French restaurant right in the theater district that was advertising matinee specials. We took a walk around the block and found the place and decided to give it a try. The food was delicious and although the service was slow it gave us time to chat and just 'be' in New York amid the noise, crowds (it was a small little place with close seating), and the excitement of the city. So, we enjoyed that experience even though it provided us with little time to actually explore the city - we decided later that the next trip will have to include more sight-seeing. With lunch over it was nearly time for the show to start so we left the restaurant, got our bearings and headed for the Al Hirschfeld Theater.

This lighted sign showed us the way to the theater from a couple of blocks away.

A very common sight in NYC - limos and taxi cabs...


...and tour buses, of course!


Once we got close the theater we saw a huge clot of people. Another amazing line.
It stretched from the theater entrance down the sidewalk, around a corner and ended about a third of the way down the block. Once again, the theater employees are masters of moving large groups of people in a short amount of time. And they opened the doors promptly at 1:45PM for a 2:00PM show.


If you work for that theater just ignore the next picture, please. I am being completely honest when I say that I had NO idea that photography in the theater was forbidden at ALL times. I understand no videos or photos of the show but I didn't think anyone would mind if I took a picture of the empty stage - with no flash even! Oh well - live and learn. Here's the one picture I took of the stage before hearing "NO PHOTOGRAPHY, PLEASE!" from an usher. At least she was polite about it.



Isn't it purrrrdy?

Due to photography restrictions mentioned above I obviously have no fun pictures to share of the big event but I will say that it is probably my second favorite show that I've seen in NYC so far. (Gypsy and 42nd Street currently tie for first place). What a great show! I am so glad that we picked that one to see and I think we were all equally entertained and delighted by it. The comedy was perfect, the music was fun and the costumes and scenery were fabulous!

Coming out of the theater there was a clot of people waiting on the sidewalk and we realized they were stationed around the Stage Entrance in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the cast and maybe get an autograph or two.




After waiting about 15 minutes - and seeing any number of people come out from orchestra members to lessen known members of the cast - we were rewarded with a glimpse of a few of the well-known, leading cast members.

Debra Monk (Hey look! It's George's Mom!!)



David Hyde Pierce


I could not get close enough when Debra Monk came out to get an autograph but I had managed to squeeze a bit closer when David Hyde Pierce made his appearance and so I handed him my playbill for an autograph and let him know that I enjoyed the show. He seemed so very small in person compared to how he looked on stage. He was gracious about having his photo taken and signing autographs even though he did look a bit tired. I was hoping he had time to rest before the 8PM show that night. It must be a completely grueling schedule and I just looked in the Playbill and noticed that the show has been running for over a year already.




By now it was getting late and we needed to get on the road soon but we decided on one last stop at the M&M store in Times Square.


I wanted to find a treat to bring home for the girls - and good thing I did because the first thing A asked me this morning was "Did you bring something home for us from New York?" ;-) I told them to go look on the dining room table which they did and they were delighted to find little plastic boxes filled with M&Ms - R got blue and white ones in a butterfly-shaped box, A got pink and white ones in a flower-shaped box and E got a rainbow of colors in an appropriately shaped rainbow box.

The drive home at the end of the day is the least exciting part of the day so I'll spare you the details but just suffice it to say it was uneventful and we all got home tired, but in one piece, and very happy for our day in NYC. And of course we have already discussed plans for our next visit which will hopefully be sooner rather than later!