Posts from — March 2010

I was just forced to move over because the father watching gymnastics next to me was chewing his gum so loudly that I thought I might abruptly jump up and smack him.  And now I’ve moved next to children who are clicking their tongues with wild abandon.

Also, I was thinking about this on the car ride here, and I am a car-ist.  I try not to make snap judgements about people, but the truth is, if you’re driving a Hummer or a Cadillac pick up truck, I think that I don’t like you.  Intellectually, I’m sure that there are really wonderful people driving these cars, but every time I see them, I find myself involuntarily harumphing and rolling my eyes.  I realize that I’ve just lost this segment of the blog-reading population.  But such is life.

My children have dipped into the spring and summer hand-me-downs, and there is simply no going back.  Chilly and wet it may be today, but J adorned herself in a fabulous sundress and, without my noticing, the sparkly shoes that must have an extra half-inch of shoe beyond her foot.  Which reminds me: part of the reason why we dipped into these cardboard boxes o’ treasure was that M’s teacher sent home a note on Thursday about how every child in her grade was assigned a specific color of the rainbow to wear for their special assembly the following morning.  I mean, really.  Are we truly expected to have red, orange, yellow, green, blue, or purple shirts available and clean?  What about the homes where both parents are working?  Assuming they open up the special homework folder as soon as they get home, that gives them about 12 hours.  Jeez louise.  Actually, it worked quite well for me, because M’s best yellow option was one of several t-shirts that my sister-in-law had found on sale for $2 each.  When M first saw the shirts she’d rejected them entirely, unwilling, even, to besmirch her head by pulling it through the neck hole for a quick look.  But with no other yellow options, she pulled one on and pronounced it, “pretty cute, actually”, thus opening herself up to a vast array of clearance-rack combos that she’d previously pooh-poohed.

I’ll have a first-draft playground list soon, although, as long as I’m kvetching, only a few people have filled out a survey so far.  That’s okay.  I’ll get you.  Next time you’re at a really fun playground, you’ll be thinking to yourself that if you were a really nice person, you’d tell other people about this lovely place.  And then the next time you pop over here to read a post, you’ll see the link and the guilt will suck you right in.  Parents are really good at guilt.

Another week, another bunch of things to do.  Remember, if none of this appeals to you, that you should check out the regularly scheduled events from the What About TODAY? page.  I have to tell you, sometimes this blog makes me feel a little bit guilty.  There were so many events over the weekend, and we just did our regular activities and played outside.  I mean, there was all sorts of stuff that sounded like fun, but when my  kids are happily occupied making “soup” out of muddy water, leaves, and twigs, I’m just not motivated to interrupt and take them somewhere else.

So, did anybody go to something especially fun?  Or surprisingly un-fun?  Tell us about it in the comments so we’ll know what to do this time next year if it turns out that the weather’s bad.

Monday, March 22

• 4 pm After School Special at the Voorheesville Public Library for kids in grades K to 3.  Please sign up.
• 7 pm The Times Union’s Parent to Parent blog kindly spread the word about a Parenting Workshop in Guilderland by Robert Brooks, author of Raising Resilient Children: Fostering Strength, Hope, and Optimism in Your Child.

Tuesday, March 23

• Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s! Yeah, baby! 12 to 8 pm, with  shops in Albany, Troy, & Saratoga Springs.
• 4 pm Fantastic Mr. Fox will be shown at the Colonie Library for Tween Screen, designed for grades 3 to 5.  They’re supposed to read the book ahead of time, then watch and eat pizza.
• The Schenectady Y’s new facilities open today.

Wednesday, March 24

• Wednesday through Friday this week, you can make a balloon person at the North Albany Branch Library.
• At noon, they’ll be showing Children of the Camps at the downtown Schenectady Public Library–this is about Japanese Americans interned as children during WWII.  Obviously it ain’t preschooler fare, but I thought this might appeal to older homeschoolers out there.
• Cooking Around the World from 4-5 pm at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga. This is for kids 5+, and it’s $6/child.  You can drop them off.

Thursday, March 25

• 10 am Hudson River Eagle Watch at Moreau Lake State Park.  $2/person.  Please pre-register and bring your binoculars.
• 11 am Katie’s Kitchen (and no: it’s not me) at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga. $15 for non-members, which includes admission for one parent and one child.
• 11 am Preschool Naturalists at Saratoga Spa State Park. For ages 3 to 5.  $3/person or $5/family.  Registration required.
• 1-3 pm Recycled Art at the Bethlehem Public Library.  For kids in K-5th grade, you’ll learn how to make art from found objects.  Sign up required.
• 3:30 pm Bead Crafternoon at the Duane Branch Library.  For kids in grades 6 to 10.
• 4:15 pm Wonder of the Wind at the Duane Branch Library for kids in grades K to 5.

Friday, March 26 (daytime)

For those of you with young or homeschooled children, many (most?) public schools have a day off today, so it’s a good day to check out that school playground that’s unavailable during school hours.  And then, maybe you can tell me about it?

• 10 am Signs of Spring Hike at the Saratoga Spa State Park. This is designated an intermediate hike, so it’s appropriate for ages 12 and up.  $3/person.
• 10-10:30 am Stretching with Stuffee at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga. Free with museum admission.
• 10 am – 8 pm The Capital District Flower & Garden Show at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.  Admission is $10 for adults, but you can print off a coupon for a dollar off from the website’s Highlights page.  Admission for kids 15 and under is free.   They’re advertising a kids’ playland, face painting, crafts and activities.  This continues through the weekend.

painting, crafts & activities

Okay!  I’ve been saying that I’m trying to figure out a way to get information about all sorts of playgrounds, and I ‘m hoping that all of you can help me.

Here’s how it works:

1. Think of a playground that you think is worth knowing about.
2. Click on the link to a survey and answer questions (it should take about 5 minutes) about this playground.  I don’t have a way to prevent duplicates, so I’ll try to update you about which playgrounds someone’s already told me about.  But even if someone’s told me about a playground, you can still name it, skip some questions, and add your extra comments.  I’ve also added a link to the survey over on the left side, in case you want to complete a survey some other time.
3. I’ll gather up your information and create a page (like the Big Ol’ List of Links and What about TODAY?) for your enjoyment.

• Indian Meadows
• Central Park
• Rosemont Park
• The Crossings of Colonie
• Ridgefield Park
• Town of Bethlehem Elm Ave Park

Also, if you know me personally, you might know that I’d already created a list of area playgrounds for my moms’ group, so if you can think of a few recommended playgrounds, fill out a survey about one that I’m less likely to know about on my own, please.

Sound good?  Willing to help?  Please?  Okay, then click away!

Capital District Playground Project

Will the weekend be beautiful, or will the cold and gloomy weather move in early?  The suspense is killing me, I tell you!  But either way, there are so many great things to do this weekend.  I mean, it’s ridiculous.  You almost want to tell these organizers to talk to each other a bit.  I mean, seriously:  maple sugar or chocolate?  Kids Expo or Baby Palooza?  Symphony or soul?  Life is full of tough choices, people. . . .

Rumpelstiltskin is still at Steamer 10, and local high schools are showing Into the Woods and Anything Goes--check that Theater Roundup post for more information.

Friday, March 19th

• Animal-themed parties to raise money for developing a livestock and farming program for an orphanage in Uganda will be held from4 to 5 pm, 5:30 to 6:30 pm, or  7 to 8 pm at Tumbling Tykes. $10/first child, $5/additional children.  More details from the TU Parent to Parent blog.
• It’s Art Night Schenectady from 5-9 pm.
• There’s a Spring Equinox Potluck and Community Dance that’s being held at the First Unitarian Society of Albany on Washington Avenue.  The potluck will be at 6 pm and you’re encouraged to bring a vegetarian entree and your own plates/cutlery.  The dance will begin at about 7:30 pm.  Suggested donation is $5/adult, $1/child, kids 5 and under free.  It’s sponsored by Honest Weight Food Co-op.
• There’s a program on Cunning Coyotes at the Albany Pine Bush from 6:30-8 pm.  $2/person or $5/family, kids 5 and under free.
• From 7:30-9:30 pm there’s a Star Watch at Grafton Lakes State Park.

All Weekend

• This weekend is the first-ever Art Attack in Schenectady.  It’s running from 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday & 11 am to 5 pm on Sunday.  I asked the organizer about what might be most appealing for kids, and he said, “there will be a chainsaw wood carver in front of city hall putting on a demo. That is fun to watch. Inside City Hall is a contraption that I think kids can sit in and make wings flap.  At the Sow’s Ear [Upper Union St.] kids can get their pictures taken with a large cardboard lightbulb.”
• It’s Maple Weekend at farms all over New York.  Details vary from farm to farm–follow the Maple Weekend link or  Grafton Lakes details here.
• It’s Family Fun Weekend at the New York State Museum, which means extra programs on Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 pm.  This weekend’s theme is Native People of New York.  Free and no pre-registration required.

Saturday, March 20th  AKA The First Day of Spring (!!!!!!!)

• It’s the Annual Northeast Family Chocolate Festival at the Washington Avenue Armory in Albany from 10 am to 5 pm. It’s $8/adult and $5/child (under 2 are free), or there’s a $20 4-pack. It’s not just chocolate: the Zucchini Brothers and other performers and activities will be there.
• They’re making Mandela Creations at the Thacher Nature Center at 10 am.  This activity is geared toward adults, so it’s for the mature only.  $20/person, call to register.
• They’re doing a Hudson River Eagle Watch at Moreau Lake State Park from 10 am to noon.  $2/person, please pre-register and bring binoculars.
• The Schenectady Museum will have Little Wonders of Science: Air is All Around You from 10:30-11:30 am. It’s designed for 3- to 5-year-olds—register ahead on-line or by calling, and you might get a free book. Free with museum admission.
• There’s a Vernal Equinox Hike from 10:30 am to noon at the Albany Pine Bush. $2/person, $5/family, kids 5 and under free.
• The First Annual Mac-n-Cheese Bowl, 11-2:30–see comments below.
• Henry Hudson Planetarium has its children’s show at 11 am. $3/person.  Kids 8 and up might enjoy the 1 pm show as well.
• They’re celebrating Elmo’s Birthday at the Mohawk Commons Barnes & Noble at 11 am. Is it just me, or has Elmo had, like, five different birthdays lately?
• Star 101 and others are hosting the Saratoga County Kids Expo at Clifton Park Center from 11 am to 3 pm.  The Easter Bunny will be there along with Andy the Music Man, Mr. Twisty, and plenty of crafts and activities.  From the Times Union’s Youth Arts blog, teen author  S. Annetje Evans will be signing her book The Sour Little Lemon Tree from 12-4 pm at Clifton Park Center, too.
• It’s Baby-Palooza at the Guilderland Public Library from 11 am to 2 pm.  They were already excited about this way back when I spoke to the librarian about Library Secrets, so if I had a baby I would be there.
• At the Rensselaer Public Library, they’re having a Mad Hatter Tea Party at 1 pm. Treats and readings from Alice in Wonderland. It’s for all ages, but bring a silly hat!
• There’s a Young Person’s Concert at the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library from 2-3 pm. The Music Company Orchestra will explore line and color. This free program is for families with kids in grades 2 and up. No registration is required, and doors will open ten minutes before the performance.
• At Bethlehem Public Library, they’re having a Teen Film Fest (of films produced by teens) from 2-4 pm.  For 6th grade and up.
• At the Wood Theater in Glens Falls, the Adirondack Ballet Theater is presenting “Through a Child’s Eyes: Our Coppelia Ballet” at 2:30 pm and again at 7 pm.  Tickets are $11 and can be purchased online.

Sunday, March 21st

• The Lupus Alliance of America [I'm including the link to the organization, but when I checked, their info. on the event was not linking properly] is having a Walk Along for Lupus starting a the food court at Crossgates Mall.  Registration begins at 8:30 am and the walk begins at 9:30 am.
• There’s a Family Jam from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm at Albany’s Crowne Plaza Hotel.
• Congregation Gates of Heaven in Schenectady is hosting a Jewish Food Fest from noon to 4 pm.  It’s $15/adult, $9/child, kids under 3 free.  There will be a lot of food, celebrity cook Joan Nathan and activities for kids.
• The Albany Institute of History & Art has a Muhhekunnetuk Family Day Festival from 1-4 pm.  That’s a Native American name for the Hudson River. They’ll have art-making activities and a 2 pm puppet performance free with museum admission.
• At most Michael’s crafts stores, there’s an Easter Egg Make It and Take It from 1-3 pm with the purchase of craft eggs.
• The Capital District Youth Chorale will be performing with the Schenectady Symphony Orchestra at Proctors at 3 pm.  Tickets are $10/adults, $6/kids, but kids under 7 are free with a paid adult.
• There’s a benefit program called Songs of Inspiration & Praise for Girls, Inc. from 4-6 pm at the First Unitarian Society of Schenectady.

There’s a ton of events going on this weekend, so I’ll have that list out in the next post, but meanwhile, in an effort to get out of this posting-late-at-night-when-I’m-super-sleepy mode, I thought that I’d have a little food interlude.

I don’t know if you’ve all seen Jamie Oliver’s TED Talk.  If you haven’t, you’ve probably still heard about his upcoming reality tv show where he’s trying to get people to eat more healthy foods.   One of the publicity points that they’ve been using is that kids don’t even know what good foods are, that they don’t even recognize a vegetable when it’s right in front of them.  Now this wasn’t surprising to me, because I used to run into it all the time when I worked in museum education.

I used to work at a farmhouse in Manhattan, and I’d point to a tomato on a tomato plant and ask the kids what it was and they’d all yell, “APPLES!”  Once I skipped out on work (my boss was okay with it) to take one of the neighborhood kids to the grocery store.  She’d just been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and she’d had a half-hour meeting with a nutritionist.  She said that she wasn’t surprised about the diagnosis, because her mom had diabetes as well, but she was depressed because didn’t really understand what to do.  She’d been given a list of foods to eat and she & her mom didn’t know what many of them were, and the nutritionist hadn’t had time to explain.  And then, it was so frustrating because her list of foods included some that she could eat as much as she wanted, so she was excited about those.  I looked, and it listed, for example, cranberries and rhubarb.  So I had to break it to her that most people only ate them when they were cooked with sugar, anyway.  Then another thing she could have plenty of?  Bouillon.   Which is not something that people generally consume as a snack.  Except that Meg would drink it on stormy nights in A Wrinkle in Time.  But, I have to tell you, Meg inspired me to try it, and it is joyless.  And salty.   So we filled a couple of bags with various tasty & healthy snacks and had a little picnic at the museum.  She tried hummus for the first time and said brightly, “It tastes like Spam!”  And I was like, ummm, is that a good thing?  Anyway, before we left, she was talking about her little sister, whom I couldn’t remember, and in the course of her description she described her as “a real chubby girl”  and my heart just sank, because it was only a matter of time before the whole family was diagnosed.

Anyway, my kids generally do pretty well food-wise, but Jamie put a bee in my bonnet.  So as I was making dinner the other day, every time I picked up a vegetable I would quiz them:  do you know the name of this?  Then I’d give little mini-tutorials.  In fact, they were so enthralled to learn that people go into the woods with pigs to sniff out truffles that they both asked if they could try mushrooms again, and J even said that she liked them.  I was so excited, but a minute or two later she decided that she wasn’t  “in the mood” for them, after all.  So much for my moment of triumph.

However, we did have one success:  I’d forgotten how much the girls like frozen veggies straight out of the freezer. As we were cooking they were apologizing for eating too many peas!  I told them I’d let them have as many as they wanted, because I am such a nice mommy.

We spent all day outside today, and I am super-tired.

Actually, last night I had a terrible night’s sleep due to over-caffeination.   I am such a freakin’ lightweight.  I rarely drink coffee and I try not to drink much soda, but now that I’m getting to be an old hag, even chocolate can put me over the edge.  Last night I thought that since I was unbelievably exhausted, surely a deliciously yummy chocolate crepe made by my delightful husband couldn’t hurt me, right?  Wrong!  I couldn’t fall asleep for hours, and just when I was perhaps going to sleep, little J woke up and remained wakeful and fretful for hours (exiled, as she was, on the pink princess sofa).  She had a yummy crepe, too.

For reasons too complicated to bother explaining, I ended up biking to nursery school with J on the trail-gator and her car booster strapped onto my back while actually taking a call (my friend, reminding me to bring the booster–uh, thanks!).  On the way home, I stopped at Stewart’s for milk, where a gaggle of adolescents were already consuming 50-cent ice cream cones at 9:30 am.  It was just one of those mornings.

Because we had a half day at school, I ended up with three extra children at my house at various times.  I couldn’t bring myself to stay inside–instead, I raked up my neglected perennial garden and unearthed lovely shoots of something-coming-soon.

Alas, I can’t be more specific because I never know what anything is until I see the flowers, and even then I’m sometimes not sure.  I inherited this garden from a previous owner and I am constantly struggling with my complete lack of skills.  Although it won’t surprise you to know that Mary compliments me as if I engineered all of the floral fabulousness.

We also headed to the playground again and–but of course!–trekked over to Stewart’s, where we waited in line for $2.50 worth of ice cream.  J had not taken 5 steps out of the front door before her scoop of Fireworks had hit the pavement, and for some crazy reason I picked it up and stared at it, as if to will away the muck and germs.  And then, knowing that even my impossibly low standards would not permit me to slap it back onto her cone–especially with passersby watching!–I walked back into the store with the ice cream dripping through my splayed fingers and begged for a pity scoop.  The poor weary Stewart’s guy kindly obliged.  He put it in a cup this time.  I must have seemed particularly pathetic, because some teenage boy clerk kept handing me wads of napkins.

With all of this activity, I spent the entire day outside until about 4:30 pm.  At which point I was forced to confront the disgusting stacks of dishes and discarded food that had accumulated since breakfast.

And now, I’ve spent much of the evening dealing with a variety of irritating technical issues.  Which is my long-winded way of saying, ummm, sorry.  I’ve got nothing particularly informative to pass on for you today.  And when I tried to come up with something creative I just couldn’t.  I’m headed to bed, and not a minute too soon.  Of course, I’m realizing now that perhaps I shouldn’t have chosen Death By Chocolate at Stewart’s.  But that was hours ago, right?  And I’m so exhausted.  Surely I won’t have a problem tonight.  Or it might actually kill me.

How about this super-fabulous day?  Did you get to play outside?  I hope so.

J & I took the Trail-gator over to Schenectady’s Central Park in the morning.  I’m pleased to report that it is almost completely dried out, at least on the little kids’ side.  Alas, with joy comes sorrow, and I must tell you that the super-squishy new surface did not fare too well over the winter.  Sure, many of us saw it coming when little pebbles of rubbery stuff were already crumbling a bit last year, and I was resigned to the pits in the surface underneath the swings.  But there was also quite a bit of buckling, as if the whole hot-cold expansion-contraction thing was a bit too much for it to handle.  So now there are little trip-inducing ripples hither, thither, and yon.  It’s not a big deal, but knowing that Schenectady’s surely as cash-strapped as the next municipality, I hope somebody’s going after the playground company to get a fix or some money back.

In the afternoon, we headed to the school playground because it was simply too beautiful not to play outside.

Anyway, speaking of playgrounds, I’ve been wrestling with exactly how to come up with a good list of Capital District playgrounds. I’ve actually created a list for my moms’ group before, but of course that was just the ones closest to me.  So I thought that I’d enlist your help in gathering playground information.  So I’m working on a method for this, and you’ll hear more from me in the next couple of days on this one.

Meanwhile, tomorrow’s St. Patrick’s Day, and Stewart’s is selling 50-cent ice cream cones to anyone wearing green.

But, wait!  There’s more!  I’ve been steadily collecting the time- and money-commitment camps for Spring Break, but I have to share what I have so far because the first two camps listed have deadlines for this Friday.   I’ll keep my eye out for more, and if you’ve got some, please do comment or send me an email.

• Register for the Schenectady Museum’s Spring Break Camp by March 19th.
• World Class Gymnastics has a Spring Break Day Camp.  For boys it’s Tuesday & Thursday from 9 am to noon for $82, for girls it’s Monday, Wednesdy, & Friday in the mornings for $121 or 9 am to 3 pm for $182.  Half payment is due by March 19th.
• Drama Kids and Kidzart are running a Spring Break Camp together.  I couldn’t find more information on their website, but they both emailed me.  Here are details:  Monday to Friday 9 am to 3:30 pm at Christ’s Church in Guilderland for grades 1-6.  $210/week.  1/2 day, 3 day, and before/after care options available–call either place directly for more information.
• Spring Break programs at the Albany Institute of History & Art.
• There’s a Spring Break Camp at the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology in Troy.
• Frozen Ropes has half- and full-daybaseball camp for 6- to 12-year-olds.

Ack!  So tired!  Enjoy more wonderful weather tomorrow. . . .

Guess who is leaving our household?

That’s right:  it’s the Barbie Island Princess Head! She has never been a particular favorite of mine, and now J’s decided that she’s ready to move on.  She brought her to me saying, “Maybe we could give her to someone who needs some toys.  If they don’t mind that her hair is so messed up.”  That’s some progress for her, actually.  I assured her that I could tidy up the hair, which was one of my exciting household tasks today.  She’s looking lovely, don’t you think?  So lovely, in fact, that I decided to quickly pop her into a plastic bag before J had second thoughts.

My kids struggle to be charitable.  I was thinking about this the other day, when the girls went to their friend’s birthday party.  Virtuous family that they are, they requested donations for Bethesda House in lieu of presents.   M was enthusiastic, and she spent quite a bit of time pondering what items to bring (a selection of kids’ toothpastes and toothbrushes).  But although in theory both girls agree that asking for donations instead of gifts is a good idea, neither of them can bring themselves to actually go through with it for their own birthday parties.  And, really, I can’t bring myself to push it.   Even when an aunt suggested an animal from Heifer International as a possible Christmas gift, the girls lobbied hard for a decorative bowl instead.

We do have a tradition of purging to make room before Christmas.   That generally works quite well, although it’s not always a smooth process.  One year–I think it was year before last–I had a heck of a time.  We were traveling for the holidays, so I was behind schedule when I finally got a chance to bring the boxes of hand-me-down clothes and toys to be donated–I think it was at the Schenectady Inner City Ministry.  The timing was particularly poor because not only was I racing to drop off during the designated drop-off time, but I had both girls with me, which was a significant risk.  Even when they say that they’re ready to part with something, it’s safer to make the item disappear immediately, never to be seen again, so that there’s no change of heart.  In this case, I knew that I had a particularly enticing item.  We’d bought a Barbie swimming pool and a bikini-clad doll for one of M’s friends for her birthday.  Then her party was canceled due to illness, and then it was never rescheduled, and then I forgot all about it, and eventually I had a brand-new pool and doll with no receipt to return them.  To make matters worse, J saw these items  at some point during the months-long process, and oh, how she coveted the pool and doll.  I told her no because we already had a Barbie pool.  I mean, how many freakin’ Barbie pools could a single household possibly need?  J, however, was pining.  The Barbie pool that we had, she argued, was really M’s pool.  J didn’t have a pool of her own! I know:  heartbreaking, isn’t it?

So as I was hustling both of my children into the car with several boxes full of who-knows-what, I was careful to camouflage the Barbie and her pool by placing a huge bag on top of it.  Silly me.  I’d forgotten that M prides herself on being a heavy lifter.  At the airport, in fact, she regularly astounds passers-by with her ability to swing ginormous duffle bags off of the luggage carousel.  So I should have known that my tremendously efficient elder daughter would “help” me by choosing to pick up the one bag that I didn’t want her to carry, exposing Barbie and her pool.  We’re ferrying stuff from the back of the car into the donations place when J bursts into tears because she sees the Most Beautiful Doll Ever  leaving her world.  I’m already feeling quite harassed.  I’m sweating over these boxes, M is practically swallowed up by a huge trash bag full of clothes, and now J is crying as if her heart is broken.  But then, can you guess the reaction?  Because when you’re in the parking lot next to a major charitable hub, there are always people hanging around.    And three or four friendly old homeless guys see why she’s sad and are perfectly nice.  “No, sweetheart!  You don’t have to give away your dolly!” shouts one.  “You take that back, princess!”  another encourages.  “You take it right back!“ Oh, man.  None of these thoughtful men have seen the tremendous supply of beautiful dolls and other fabulous toys in our perfectly comfortable playroom.  But Josie continues to sob and everyone is on her side.  I caved.  I just didn’t see a way out.

To make matters worse, after we all got home, the acquisition of one pool made the girls decide that they needed to get the other pool from where it had been lying, neglected, for months in a pile of leaves in our screened porch.  They wanted to create an entire Barbie resort in my kitchen.   So an hour later I am upstairs packing and I come downstairs to a trail of leaves from the door to the kitchen and a flood in the kitchen.  What a freakin’ disaster.

So, come to think of it, I guess giving away the island princess really is progress.

I’m already getting alerts about spring break camps and even summer camps, so information on those is coming soon.

Wasn’t I just telling you that you should probably be reading Nippertown?  Well, I have to plug them again for sharing the link to the live webcam of a hummingbird nest, complete with hatching eggs!  How fun is that?  I would like to show my children, but they are outside playing, and I can’t exactly say, “Please, children, come inside and start watching a screen so that you can appreciate the Splendor of Nature!”

But you were already looking at a screen, anyway, right?

As you may have guessed, I was not able to make my house presentable and create a quality post before the 4 o’clock birthday party.  And now I’m feeling rawther exhausted because I ice skated for about 2 hours yesterday, had people over until 10:30-which-felt-like-11:30 last night, and, last but not least, I managed to get lost while going for a run today.  Jeez louise, am I the queen of dorks or what?  I’m serious:  I have no sense of direction whatsoever.  But we’ve been over this.  So by the time I figured out where I was I was pretty much ready to stop and yet I was far from my home.  Not, you know, miles away, but far for someone who doesn’t want to run anymore.  So, in case you’re wondering this means that I am, in fact, really doing the couch to 5K thing. I will attempt to run.  I managed to recruit a friend who’ll walk.  I had decided that I wouldn’t mention it on the blog again, just in case I wimped out.  Then my far more courageous walking friend announced that she was doing it on Facebook, making herself super-accountable to every random person who read her status update.  Anyway, we are in-in-in and if you want to join us, there will be group runs on Monday evenings at the Crossings.

Now, on to the week (so that I can go to bed!).

There’s The Magic of Lyn at Proctor’s and other theater events this week–check the theater roundup for more information.  And, of course, don’t forget about What About TODAY? for regularly scheduled events.

Monday, March 15

• At the Voorheesville Public Library, kids from kindergarten to 3rd grade can learn about a variety of countries each Monday in March from 4-5:15 pm.  Sign up for one or all of these programs.

Tuesday, March 16

• There’s a Teddy Bear Sleepover from 6-7 pm at the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library.  The idea is that you will actually leave your stuffed friend there over night, so perhaps choose a slightly less precious one?
• At Voorheesville Public Library, there’s a Dr. Seuss Fun-Time at 6:30 pm.  It’s designed for preschool to 2nd grade, and registration is requested.

Wednesday, March 17

• At 9:30 am, a series of five one-hour  My Parent and Me sessions for 2- to 4-year-olds begins today at the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology.  They run on Wednesday and Saturday mornings and are $75 for non-members and $50 for members–clearly a great time to just become a member already, especially because they are part of the ASTC Passport Program, which gives you free or reduced admission to tons of museums–it is totally & completely worth it to become a member at one of these museums.
• From 10:15-11:30, there’s a Parent-Child Workshop at the Voorheesville Public Library for children up to 3 years old and their grown-up (older siblings can come, too).  This sounds like a good idea:  a presenter speaks on parenting-relevant issues and speaks to people individually while the kids play.  This will occur for the following Wednesdays in March, too.  But you have to sign up early.
• The Saratoga Spa State Park is having a St. Patrick’s Day Green Theme Hike designed for 4- to 12-year-olds at 11 am.  $3/person, $5/family.
• Moreau Lake State Park has a Baker Trail Hike from 1-4 pm.  This was originally planned as a snowshoe hike–I’m assuming they’ll do it in regular ol’ boots.
• At the Children’s Museum at Saratoga, there’s a Saratoga Reads! program from 4-4:30 pm.
• There’s Irish Music and Dance at 7:30 pm at the Saratoga Springs Public Library.  It’s free.

Thursday, March 18

• The Albany Art Room is having several Ukrainian Egg Workshops for teenagers and adults.  They’re $20 per workshop.  They’ll be today and Thursday the 25th from 9-11 am or Friday March 19 or 26th from 6-8 pm.  Call or email to sign up.
• There are Preschool Movies for 3- to 5-year-olds at the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library at 10:15 am.  This is a drop-in program.
• Babygarten is running at the Voorheesville Public Library at 10:15 am.
• Little Wonders of Science, a program for preschoolers about air today, is from 10:30-11:30 am at the Schenectady Museum.  Free with museum admission.
• There’s a Drop-in Family Storytime at the East Greenbush Library at 11 am.
• At 3 pm, the Rensselaer Public Library has a Crochet Class at 3 pm for adults and teens.  They’ll teach you the basics, but please call to sign up.
• There’s a Teen Book Group at the East Greenbush Library at 4 pm.
• Guilderland Public Library has an iTry Science at 4 pm for 3rd to 5th graders.  They ask that you register in person.
• There’s a Drop-in Family Storytime at the East Greenbush Library at 6:30 pm.
• The Saratoga Springs Public Library has a Video Game Creation Lab from 7-8:30 pm.  It’s designed for kids in grades 6 to 12, and registration is required.

Friday, March 19

• The Albany Art Room is having several Ukrainian Egg Workshops for teenagers and adults.  They’re $20 per workshop.  They’ll be  Thursday the  18th or 25th from 9-11 am or today or Friday the 26th from 6-8 pm.  Call or email to sign up.
• Wiggle and Giggle is running at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga from 10-11:30 am.
• There’s a Teen Cafe at East Greenbush Library at 2:30 pm for kids in grades 6 to 12.
• There’s a Cunning Coyotes program at Albany Pine Bush from 6:30 to 8 pm.  $2/person, kids 5 and under free.  Please pre-register.
• Book Discussion for 2nd and 3rd graders at 7 pm at the Voorheesville Public Library.  Click for book details.
• There’s a Free Family Movie Night at the East Greenbush Library at 7 pm.
• At 7 pm, there’s an Is it Spring? program at Five Rivers.
• Today is the registration deadline for the Schenectady Museum April Break Camp.  $250/member, $300/non-member.  And also part of the ASTC Passport Program.

Have fun, everybody.  And I’d love to hear if you did anything interesting over the weekend.