Sew fun..

Our 84 year old neighbor made the interesting point; that kids no longer get ‘home ec’ classes at school.  She worried that this made kids good at ‘books’ but not good at cooking, sewing, building.  I thought about it every time she came around with knitting needles and offered to show me how to ‘cast on’ again (I always forget this).  And learning from her is so much nicer than trying to watch a youtube video.  When a home-schooling friend posted to Instagram images of her daughter at sew-camp — I had to call in our local sewing master Loren to have a ‘sew camp of our own’ for a night.  The kids loved learning how to use a sewing machine; threading it and  making fun stitching patterns on fabric.  I hope to do it again soon!

our friend Alice in Columbus OH area got us excited about this idea..

 

And our own attempt to a sew camp:
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Ezra hangs with the band..

Last weekend Ezra went to see George Clinton and his notorious P Funk band play at Flushing Meadows. When Ezra saw the drummer offstage, he commented that he loved his ’32nd beats’ and the drummer was so pleased that he had to sign a drum stick for E! See more about the drummer  Benzel Baltimore here: http://georgeclinton.com/family/benjamin-benzel-cowan/

Clearly my boy loves hanging with the band.

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Spring in our ‘hood

It’s blooming everywhere and the smell of lilacs on the alley is amazing!  Ezra got some great closeups of tulips on a nearby lawn and my husband cut some excess cherry tree blossoms to put on our mantel.  Warmer temps mean that Zoe gets to show off some flare around her uniform, and even Louie is enjoying the warmer breezes.

mmmm lilacs

a bending tulip shot by Ezra!

dewy tulips

showing off her spring style

sniffing while riding on Northern Blvd

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Proud of these two – part 2

Little Zoe is proving to be quite the gymnast.  We finally got her to a gymnastic class after getting worried that she’d knock over furniture at home – and she was given an award at the end of all the sessions for being such a great listener.  I think she looks pretty dang proud in these photos, doesn’t she?  And we are mighty proud of her too:

 

so fearless – I hope she never loses this!

and Louie rubs her feet when she gets home

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Going on here..

It did snow, and we had a snow day off from school (kids were thrilled).  I unknowingly took our new dog Louie out in the snow without a sweater… yes, I’m use to shedding dogs with fur .. so had NO idea how cold this poor boy would be.  Now I know.  He survived me like a trooper.

Other than socializing Louie as best we can, and getting him use to living with us – we keep our fingers on the pulse of various local protests, sometimes stopping to photograph them.  The city is alive and pulsing as always, but often it’s too cold to stay out there for long!

And the irony: this weekend will be unseasonably warm so we will plan on doing some grilling!  Enjoy your weekend.

 

Scenes from our Instagram feed for those who follow our blog instead:

His cursive writing skills are coming along nicely! They no longer teach this at school, sadly. Ezra learned it himself.

spontaneous snowball fights erupt at the Met Museum in Manhattan

our block looking pretty in snow again

Zoe thrilled to get this birthday gift in time from the grandparents

marches and more marches .. a daily occurrence here in NYC. We love the creative posters.

those box of food companies that deliver to your door? Yeah we tried those. Yum, and the kids make them from start to finish! I love this routine…

multi-tasking hugs and homework

when the kids and their dad leave for a bit, he stares at he door for what seems like hours.

 

 

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More snow?

Well it’s been a mild winter so far, and today the temps are in the 60s – which I’m kind of digging.  But tomorrow we are meant to have a snow day off… will it happen?  Will we have another day like the one shown below.. which was back in the beginning of January and blew away within a day?  Or will it linger?  And I wonder how our new friend Louie will cope with snow –

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New addition to our family

Welcome our new sweet, rescued friend Louie. He is about 4 years old and mostly schnauzer (maybe a schnoodle as he may be mixed with poodle?) Not only is he NOT a chewer and house trained, but also sweet and a super snuggle bug. He will sit in your lap and keep you warm all day. And he’s hypoallergenic! No shedding! This mamma loves this!

It was high time we caved to Ezra’s constant begging for a dog and all the responsibility that comes with it (which he is doing so very well at upholding).  Now we just have to figure out what to do with Zoe’s overwhelming desire to have a hamster or a cat ; (

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