Thanksgiving - am grateful for no traffic

We bundled everyone into the car on Thanksgiving morning and headed onto the NJ turnpike to Joe's parents who live outside Philadelphia. We aimed to be in the car at 730amm - it was more like 810 which isn't bad for us, we are normally an hour behind schedule. We are beginning to get this parenting thing down!!

I couldn't believe the volume of traffic on the turnpike but we still made it in in good time. One year, it took Joe 7 hours to come back from there on the holiday w/end, so he is always filled with dread on this journey, quite rightly so! Not something I want to endure with two kids. I sincerely believe in years to come, we are all going to have to put in to the department of transport for 'time slots' to get on these major highways on big holidays as it's ridiculous how many cars are on the roads (tbd on another blog)

With the MIL in charge of turkey, stuffing and cranberries, Joe and I decided to do some brussels sprouts because what's turkey without them?! I also had to do a side order of roast potatoes because I just can't have mash with my turkey, it's hard enough not having turkey on xmas day over here but that's also for a later blog!

Joe and I love the fried sprouts from Momofuko Ssam on Second Ave (everything there is amazing). A quick search on the internet gave us the recipe, so we left the kids with the grandparents and tried in vain to find this one ingrediant - shichimi togarashi. Saying it is hard enough, but finding it, is IMPOSSIBLE! I mean, we tried EVERYWHERE to no avail. It's a Japanese 7 spice blend in case you were interested. We made them without this mystery ingredient, and it still tasted amazing. However, we are determined to hunt down that sucker, which should be easier in the melting pot that is New York.

it was a lovely thanksgiving, always relaxing when all the inlaws are there to spoil the kids. I actually get to pick up a magazine and read! Oprah quits her show (boo hoo but there is always the amazing Ellen), Tiger Woods is involved in a scandal (who ever saw THAT coming?) and all the movie reviews for upcoming films that I won't have time to see. Feet up with a glass of wine in one hand and trashy magazine in another - and free babysitters - bliss!

In the meantime, here are some photos of the lovlies as it's been too long and I'm getting yelled at.

I beat the system!

The dreaded envelope arrived:
'New York City, Department of Finance Adjudication Division'

My ticket... But guess what, they dismissed it!! My legal argument, which came to me in a flash (watching The Good Wife must be having an effect) as I got these precious words:

The violation is dismissed.
Total amount due =0.

You can fight those tickets, don't be afraid! If I was guilty then I would have paid up but as you know from my previous post I wasn't and I was hell bent on fighting it, and I did!!

Comments on You Tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHxuwQhWEuM&feature=related

It's been a while since we logged onto you tube but we just did tonight for nostalgia. These kids grow up so fast that we need video reminders of how they were! I was astonished meanwhile to find a comment on this video which was taken so many months ago, I forgot it happened!

We had a comment - something about ink poisoning!! Now, I don't have eyes in the back of my head, in fact, I am so short sighted (7.5 in each eye) I am barely "sighted" but I have to say that there is the moment or two that I have to get on with ordinary life, ie cooking dinner, running baths, getting lunch boxes ready, that I can't watch my children every single second.. And during these 'seconds.moments.minutes' shit happens. ie they paint themselves. So, any strangers out there telling me off about this, bite me. Come join me in Brooklyn for an hour or two and then comment on my kids.... I think painting themselves as animals is pretty harmless in the long run!

You Tube - how amazing?

It was just brought to my attention that a video of Spencer and Margaux's first bath together on You Tube as had over 3000 hits!!! I know a small fraction of that number, so this blows my mind!!

However, it is quite a great clip so I'm not surprised at the great taste of viewers out there :)

Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH9iwC_cSqM

ps - i guess the water wasn't cold

Saw Precious, Now Can't Sleep

It's 3am, I've been awake for over two hours now - why? Because I saw the film Precious today and can't get it out of my head.

I had a few hours off from the kids, it was a beautiful day here in New York, but I had one thing on my mind, getting on a train to Union Square to see this film. I first heard about it months ago (I think when some photos of Mariah Carey in it were released) but then forgot about it until watching Ellen and she wouldn't stop raving about it.

What an experience! Ellen was right to urge everyone to go see this. It was so heart wrenching, I honestly felt like my heart stopped for a moment. I don't want to give any of it away but it was a raw, harrowing, amazing film with performances that will blow you away. It seems even ridiculous to say 'give them all an oscar' because if that isn't acting at it's absolute finest, then I don't know what is.

Once home, I hugged my children tighter than ever. It will be even harder to see a child get yelled at in the street and not intervene, wondering if they have a similar Precious situation at their home.

I'm now going to down a large glass of red in the hopes I get some zzz's before the baby wakes up in about 3 more hours.

Brooklyn transit museum

Last week I took Spencer and his friend Denim to the Brooklyn Transit Museum. I decided as we were seeing a transit museum then I should at least use local transit to get there. Here are the boys on the G train:     The entrance to the museum is pretty cool, it's an actual subway stop. First stop, the BUS! Here are the boys driving it: The we went downstairs to the subway cars. It is laid out beautifully with all the cars from each generation. The boys loved the 'old fashioned cars' as they kept on saying. Here they are enjoying some of them. They obviously have spent a lot of time on the subway system because they both wanted to copy a homeless guy passed out on them!

Up

We treated the kids to the new movie 'Up'. It's amazing. It's everything a movie should be. If you don't cry at this film then you aren't human. I cannot rave enough about it and urge everyone reading this post to see it!

Grrr....

Spencer is obsessed with tigers at the moment. He either wants us to draw them (joe's are amazing and actually resemble a tiger, mine look like a cross between a cat and a hippo)

If we aren't drawing them on paper, he insists on drawing them on him.

For example:

Sat nav - too much hype?

My darling husband realised it was our marriage or the tomtom sat nav - so he buckled and bought me the sat nav system. As you know from a previous post, I am clearly dubious about mapquest...

So I typed in JFK into my fancy new tomtom (despite knowing the way) and it took me to the middle of absolutely nowhere (100th street??!) in Jamaica, Queens. I questioned each and every turn but I was confident in the soothing voice telling me where to go. I ended up disturbing what I'm sure what a dodgy drug deal to find out the correct way when I finally gave up on the 4x6 screen and gave in to the old fashioned way - asking a stranger. (why do men not do this btw?)

A very good friend of mine once followed a sat nav system and ended up in a river. It even made the news

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/26/subaquatic_merc/

she is one of the best drivers I know, and thank god, with strength and fortitude, survived this hideous error on the part of the sat nav. She had no idea where she was going, it was a dark night, in the middle of absolutely nowhere. As if she would intentionally drive into a river!!

My take on all this - maybe we should stick to what our peers did - and read maps?!

My life as a hoover

Sorry for such a boring blog today, but I just had to write something about how much time I seem to be spending with a hoover in my hand. It's non stop!! We don't even have a pet!

I used to maybe vacuum once a week, and now with two kids, it is sometimes three times a day. Perhaps having a dark grey rug in the living room doesn't do me any favours, but I can't stand it sometimes. I put it away thinking 'why am I putting this away, I'll be reaching for it in no time'. I wonder if it should join the pile of toys in the corner instead. In almost four years we are on our THIRD vacuum!! Our current one is a second hand, Craigslist (where else, we buy everything on this) Miele, which is wonderful and I highly recommend them, but I am curious when it will be it's time to join the graveyard of our other hoovers!

Fourth Annual New York Marathon Party

We are fortunate to live on the route for the New York Marathon. It's better to watch it outside of Manhattan, because the crowds are much less, and we are literally right there, high fiving everyone without barricades blocking us in.

This has to be the most fun event in our neighbourhood and we go for it. We had about 40 people at our party to cheer on 40,000 strangers. Between all of us, we knew 6 runners so we stood outside with huge signs, cheering them all on. One thing I have to say about the marathon is that it attracts every walk of life and everyone who does it, truly is a hero in my book.

I stood outside with my Union Jack cheering on Paula Radcliff who looked -A-Ma-Zing. That woman is a personification of female power!

Also, one thing about the Union Jack - when a fellow Brit runs by and sees it, it's like they get a boost of energy and get really excited to see it. Aside from almost poking about 40 people in the eye with it as they ran by with me waving it, it's truly the tool to have on this amazing day.

My throat hurts from cheering on everyone for four hours but considering what they did, I am not complaining. I already can't wait for next year.

Super Fun Halloween

Hi!
Whoa - talk about no life for ten days then going for it!

Friday morning was Spencer's school parade. He finally decided on being Superman. Here is in with some of his school classmates.

I had a girls night in town which was crazy fun. It was my first drink in two weeks after the 'Cleanse'. We had a party at Bumble and Bumble, dinner at Pastis, then a party in Greenpoint. I told Joe I would be home at 10ish.. It ended up being 145am... Then Spencer decided that 6am would be 'Wake Up Time' the next day, so how can I say.... 'torture'... To be be fair Joe did offer to get up with the kids, but I knew we had so much to do that further sleep was out of the question.

Which leads me to Halloween day. After a mad jaunt to my local farmers market (which annoyingly just moved from my side of the park to the complete opposite), I struggled back to the apartment with so much crapola, I had to stop about four times to catch my breath. I was rewarded however with a really fun lunch with my friend James and his brother Spencer at Gemma in town. They were both running in the NY marathon so wanted to give them some pre-support. James is one of England's most delightful, charming men, and it's always super fun catching up with him.

A quick dash back to Brooklyn for trick or treat with Spencer and his two best friends, Charlie and Denim.

Spencer decided his daddy should dress up as 'Shrek'. Here is Joe, the good sport.




Here they are ripping off graffiti on the trick or treat route. It wasn't on the agenda, but they all seemed to take great pleasure in it.






Me and the mum's took great pleasure in having a beer at the local beer garden where we all ended up. I am so thrilled that Spencer's two best friends have the coolest mum's (actually all his class seems to have pretty cool parents so we lucked out) -here we are after a beer or three..