Posts from — October 2011

First, a collection of links for you.

Here’s an All Over Albany post with comments recommending local pediatricians.

I thought that if I said I was an organ donor on my driver’s license, that was enough. Wrong apparently. But you can fill out a form online.

I just thought this Motherhood Uncensored post was funny.

Hey, I didn’t know that you could get a 2 for 1 Saratoga Museum Pass.  That’s awesome.

Here’s a list of Top 8 Sites for Halloween Costume Ideas that I learned about on Twitter from @LifeScoop.

And now for a random photo. The girls were laughing uproariously in the basement. They ran upstairs and called, “Mom! MOM!” More running, some panting. “We managed to make a Barbie look almost like a real person!” They presented me with a very normal-looking Barbie.

“Look!” M exclaimed. “You could totally see someone wear something like this in real life!”

“Yeah!” J gushed. “She’s so casual! Don’t you love it!?!”

M: “She looks great, except that her boobs are still too big and her feet are teensy, teensy.”

J: “But at least she’s not wearing those skinny heels. Do you think that we could find those–what are they called? Loafers?”

M: “YES!” They squealed, grabbed Barbie, and rushed back downstairs.

Here’s a guest post from Sandra from Albany Kid. Thanks, Sandra!

Here’s a tip for Disney World that most tour guides won’t tell you.

It was something I learned the hard way on our first family vacation at the Happiest Place on Earth. My family had gathered in Orlando, Florida to celebrate my oldest baby sister’s wedding, which wasn’t at Disney, but near enough that a day or more in the park was a given. It also meant that we would be traipsing through the crowded amusement park with our own flotilla.

Naively, I thought that traveling with a large group ensured more adults to help with keeping watch of the kids. It never occurred to me that it was the adults who needed to be watched.

Keep in mind that this was March of 2000, long before ubiquitous smartphones. I can’t recall if we even had cellphones in those days; I suspect that we were still using those walkie talkies with a ½ mile range (which tended to fail in areas with high interference – like an amusement park.)

We were on our way to redeem our FASTPASS tickets at the 3D show, It’s Tough To Be a Bug!, a show that was guaranteed to give little kids (and their moms) the willies, when we realized that one of our party was missing.

I was wearing Baby Alex on a Bjorn carrier, my girlfriend had a good grip on the 4-year-old, and even the elder folks were doing a great job of keeping up in what was, for them, steam-room conditions.

And yet, somewhere between the group shot in front of the Tree of Life in the Animal Kingdom and Bug’s Life, the father of my children disappeared.

We were worried, and for a brief moment, panic set in. Some of us were tempted to contact park officials, but this wasn’t a completely unprecedented occurrence. My husband had already failed in his brief tenure as my dive buddy, on a never-to-be-forgotten scuba diving trip, when he was distracted by fish long enough to completely lose me.

Given that history, there was no way that we were going to give up our FASTPASS tickets to It’s Tough To Be a Bug! – who knew when we would be able to see that again? (Note – Yes, the 3D show is still going strong.)

So, we watched the show, and lo-and-behold, when we walked out of the theater, we found my husband waiting at the theater exit.

Did he purposely skip the show? We’ll never know for sure, but I can tell you that he is not fond of bugs, and spiders scare the bejeebies out of him.

More importantly, we all learned an important lesson that day. Keep an eye on the adults at amusement parks, the kids will be alright.

Sandra Foyt writes about fun and education family travel on www.AlbanyKid.com.  After living in some of the most popular destinations: Buenos Aires, the Virgin Islands, Washington, D.C., New York City, and Southern California; she now makes her home in upstate NY with a teen and tween, an outdoorsy husband, and an over-indulged Chocolate Lab.

Here’s a guest post from Fazana. For more on Jazzy Sun Birthdays, check out the Facebook page. Thanks, Fazana!

Hello, Capital District families!  My name is Fazana and I am a stay-at-home mom to a creative and sensitive seven-year-old daughter and a spirited and active two-year-old son.  I’m thrilled that Katie has given me the opportunity to let you all know about Jazzy Sun Birthdays, a project that I started six months ago and in which I believe many of you might be interested.  What is it I do?  I host personalized birthday parties for homeless children.

I believe that allowing children (particularly those who have been exposed to much more hardship than most of us can begin to imagine) to experience some of the simple joys of childhood is important.  Giving a child a birthday party may not be poverty-fighting, but it is smile-producing!  Most of the children in our lives are fortunate enough to be shielded from the harsh realities of the world.  Even if they are exposed to them, it is likely to be in a second-hand fashion.  The children I reach are those who know first-hand what it is like not to have a roof over their heads and possibly had their parents struggle to figure out the source of their next meals.  Celebrating their birthdays with cake, decorations, games, presents and goody bags will help them feel less like “homeless kids” and more like “regular kids”, if only for a few hours.

I have always loved throwing parties for family and friends–from surprise birthday parties to bachelorette parties to baby showers.  After I gave birth to my first child, I added children’s birthday parties to my repertoire.  I have derived great pleasure in putting together theme parties (often on a shoestring budget) for my children.  The joy in their eyes evident during each party is something I wanted to replicate in the eyes of children whose lives are in a state of flux.  There is a lot of focus on homeless children during the holidays in December but a birthday is a very special day for any child (and most adults!) because it is his/her day to shine.  Hence, the birth of Jazzy Sun Birthdays!

I am currently volunteering my time with St. Catherine’s Center for Children and hosting parties at their transitional shelter for homeless families in Albany County.  I hope to work with additional organizations (such as Joseph’s House in Troy and St. Paul’s Center in Rensselaer) in the near future.  At present, I do the following at the family shelter run by St. Catherine’s:

1)      Host age-appropriate theme-parties on the third Saturday of each month for all children whose birthdays are in that particular month.  (Past themes include Dora the Explorer, Disney Princesses, Justin Bieber, Mickey Mouse, Transformers and Spiderman.)

2)      Provide birthday children with 3 to 4 gifts, one of which is a book.

3)      Provide pizza and cake along with party games and arts and crafts activities.

4)      Distribute goody bags to party attendees (i.e., other homeless children living in the shelter who are not celebrating their birthday).

5)      Provide a photo book to each birthday child containing pictures taken during his/her party so they will have lasting memories of the event.

As most of you know, throwing a child’s birthday party generally takes a lot of time and resources.  I pound the pavements (usually with my toddler in tow) and send countless emails to try to get as many items as possible donated or sold at reduced prices since my funds are extremely limited.  For each of the past six months, different pizzerias have donated pizzas for the parties.  I am grateful that most of the cakes to date have been donated by individuals who simply heard about the mission of Jazzy Sun Birthdays and wanted to help out.  Many different people have donated gifts, party supplies, and goody bag items thus far.  When I do have to purchase items out-of-pocket, my go-to places are Dollar Tree, Yankee Dollar, Walmart, the clearance rack of Party City, Marshalls and Craig’s List.

To ensure that Jazzy Sun Birthdays continues to thrive and grow, I am constantly on the lookout for more wonderful individuals and groups who are willing to lend a hand and/or donate items.  I take advantage of all opportunities to get the word out about the project; hence, my excitement about providing a guest post here!  So…how can you, your friends, your family, and/or your colleagues help?  The beauty of this project is that anyone can be a part of it, no matter how busy your schedule or how tight your finances.

The following is partial list of ways to help:

1)      Volunteering at a party by helping with arts and crafts, serving pizza and cake, overseeing games, etc.

2)      Putting special skills to use by face painting, making balloon animals, taking photos, etc. during parties.

3)      Making up goody bags for 25 to 30 children.

4)      Helping with the purchase of gifts/party supplies.

5)      Baking a half-sheet cake.

6)      Thinking of craft projects to go with the theme of the party.

7)      Donating leftover party supplies/decorations and/or unopened gifts to the project.

8)      Spreading the word to people you know about Jazzy Sun Birthdays so that I can acquire more volunteers and/or donors of funds/gifts/supplies.

9)      Connecting me with business owners who might donate items such as cakes, pizza, paper products, gifts, books, etc.

I would love to expand to more shelters and make more homeless children feel like kings and queens for a day.  If you would like to help me do so, please contact me at jazzysunbirthdays [at] yahoo [dot] com.  Also, please “like” the Jazzy Sun Birthdays page on Facebook so that you can view photos of past parties, get information about upcoming ones and provide advice on gifts or craft projects, among other things.  If you’d like more background about the project, check out the article about Jazzy Sun Birthdays in the September print edition of Capital District Parent Pages. Thanks for reading this guest post!  I hope to hear from many of you soon!

I’ve looked for events well ahead of time for this post, so be sure to click the links in case there’s updated information. If you’re looking for events, you can also always check Kids Out and About.

Here’s what I’ve found for this week:

Monday, October 17th:

• The Delmar La Leche League meets at 9:30 am at Bethlehem Public Library.

Tuesday, October 18th:

• Take a (long!) Lake Ann Hike at Moreau from 10 am until 2 pm. Pre-registration requested.

Wednesday, October 19th:

• The Lansingburgh Branch of the Troy Public Library is hosting a Zombie Appreciation Party from 3-5 pm.
• At 4 pm, Take the Lego Challenge at Schenectady Public Library.
• At 7 pm at Bethlehem Public Library, it’s Pajamarama.

Thursday, October 20th:

• Take a family-friendly hike starting at 9:45 am.
• At 3:30 pm, elementary-school kids can be Afterschool Adventurers at Albany Pine Bush.
• Kids in grades 5 and up can sign up for Ductigami at the Colonie Public Library at 4 pm.
• A 5-week session of Stamp Collecting Club for elementary-school kids begins today at the downtown Schenectady Public Library.
• It’s a Family Game Night at 6:30 pm at Bethlehem Public Library.

Friday, October 21st:

• At 11 am it’s a Preschool Picnic at Bethlehem Public Library.
• There’s Irish Music at 1 pm at Bethlehem Public Library.
• From 1 to 3 pm, take a Moreau Lake Kayak.
• From 4-4:45 pm it’s Jane Austen’s House Party at Bethlehem Public Library. Tea and old-fashioned party games for kids K-8 and families. Dress up if you’d like. Sign-up required.
• At 7 pm, they’re showing a one-hour documentary on climbing giant redwoods at Five Rivers. Pre-register.

I think that this concludes the festive string of posts celebrating J’s birthday. This yummy pumpkin cheeseball could work for a grown-up party, too. We got the idea for it from the Southern Living Kids Cookbook, but J wanted to go with our much-loved family recipe for cheeseball. And then I decided that if there was a chance in hell that any kid besides J would eat any of it, I’d have to simplify. So I cut out all the veggies and about half of the spices.

The thing about cheeseball is that you just have to give in and use your hands. ut once you just surrender to the process, it becomes like creating a work of art. J wanted no part of “touching the ickiness.” But I had fun.

First, I sculpted the main shape, with ridges for the pumpkin.

Cheeseball shaped

Then I cut a little rectangular stencil shape and shook on some paprika.

Shaking on Paprika

The stem and leaves are from broccoli. This part, J was willing to do.

J puts on finishing touches

We served it with apple wedges, crackers, and pretzels. The kids admired it, but they didn’t eat much. I mean, come on: it was competing with popcorn balls. So, yeah. I finished it off.

Besides freeze dancing and general running and squealing, we planned two activities for J’s party. Once again, they were both all J’s idea.

First, she came up with Pin the Spider on the Web. We had a witch hat planned to assist in the blindfolding process, but it didn’t really happen. And each spider was labeled with a guest’s name. We had a huge web decoration stretched out onto the wall, and the little spiders had painters tape to stick them onto the web.

They looked cute all ready on a platter. The silver was tarnished which, I reasoned, just made it all seem more Halloweeny.

Here’s J moments before M accused her of cheating. Hmmm. . . .

We saved Bobbing for Apples for last in case people got wet. I expected that some of the girls would be anti-bobbing. I mean, it wasn’t too long ago that many of these kids were afraid to put their faces into the water at the pool. But they were unbelievably enthusiastic. We had J’s and M’s robes on hand to try to keep the girls as dry as possible, but those girls decided to go deep. I mean, seriously deep. And when they’d come up, apple trapped in teeth, they were triumphant.

I guess there’s a reason why Bobbing for Apples is a classic.

Hey! It’s my birthday.

Here’s what I’ve found for this weekend. As always, please pass along additions or corrections in the comments.

All Weekend:

• Ragtime is playing at Schenectady Light Opera Company. Tickets are $22-$28.
• Sandra at Albany Kid reports that there’s a Curling Open House on both Saturday & Sunday at Albany Curling Club.
• Mohu Fest  continues.

Friday, October 14th:

• It’s Watchable Wildlife: Who’s Hoo at 7:30 pm at Five Rivers.
• Troy Night Out
• First Friday in Albany
• Art Night Schenectady –I know that these schedules don’t make sense, but they’re coordinating with Mohu Fest.

Saturday, October 15th:

• It’s Schenectady County Farm & Foliage Day, with activities at a variety of locations.
• Do some Adopt-a-Highway Cleanup with the folks from Thacher starting at 9 am, then follow it up with an Indian Ladder Trail Guided Walk at 10 am.
• From 10 am until 5 pm, it’s Fire Prevention Day at the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology.
• There’s a Harvest Fest on Upper Union Street in Schenectady from 10 am ’til 5 pm.
• From 10 am until 5 pm, there’s a Fallbany festival at SUNY Albany. They’ve got kids’ activities.
• At 11 am,  it’s Furry Tales and Touchables at the New York State Museum.
• From 11 am ’til 4 pm, it’s the annual Troy Chowderfest.
• It’s Farm & Foliage Day from 11 am until 4 pm at Mabee Farm in Schenectady. Petting zoo, pony rides, and more.
• At Different Drummer’s Kitchen, there’s a Little Chefs class from 12 to 2:30 pm. Kids will make a pizza from scratch along with a meringue dessert. The fee is $40.
• From noon ’til 5 pm, it’s Schodack Island State Park’s Fall Festival.
• Take a Mud Pond Hike from 1-3 pm. $2/adult, $1/child.
• There’s Family Fun at the Tang Museum, although the website’s a bit short on details.
• At 2 pm, learn about The Life of A Civil War Soldier at the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library.

Sunday, October 16th:

• At 11 am, do a Fall Leaf Craft at Albany Pine Bush. $3/person, $5/family.
• From 11 am until 4 pm, Dutch Hollow Farm has a Day at the Dairy in Schodack Landing.

Some of you may have noticed that I now have these cute little buttons over to the right.

That’s because I’ve been tinkering. I am not particularly tech-savvy. Pretty much a Bambi in the forest when it comes to the whole, entire internet. But people are always telling me that I’m supposed to be better at this whole social media thing. So, I ignore them for as long as I possibly can, and then I grudgingly comply.

I started tweeting, gosh, almost 3 weeks ago now. It took me a while to get around to figuring out how to put the little buttons on my blog, which is why I didn’t mention it before.  I’d been immune to Twitter’s charms all this time–really, it seemed pretty stupid. But I like it more than I expected. I like how direct it is, and how uninhibited people can be, and how witty and clever. It feels a bit like a cocktail party, if you could enjoy a cocktail party while in your pajamas. And I truly appreciate the 140-character limit. I really like editing, so it’s sort of fun. Although, I have to admit, if we were to take the metaphor further, I’m currently like the quiet girl standing against the wall in a boring dress who, at least, can tell you where to find the yummiest appetizers.

Of course as soon as I started tweeting people told me I had to do Google +, too. Jeez! I finally managed to sign up, but I haven’t figured out how to get a cute little button yet. Maybe next year.

Meanwhile, in case you’re wondering, I’m going through a Stages of Vacation Planning that’s rather similar to the Stages of a Kid’s Birthday Party that I recently described. At noon I was feeling great about getting so much Kids Out and About work done, but by 3 pm I was wishing I’d done more actual packing–so much more tangible! Then around 6 pm I was feeling super-awesome because I’d buzzed through an entire small Frommer’s guide while J was a gymnastics. But on the way home from gymnastics I did my CSA pick up and had a daunting load of vegetables, again. I managed to “process” a bunch of kale, a bunch of dirty, dirty leeks, and some other items, but I still had this many peppers.

In despair I made a decision, which was basically: “Katie, you simply cannot handle anymore work. You need to get these out of the house. Put them on the back porch where they’ll stay cool without taking over your entire fridge and insist that Cute W distribute them at work.”

I agreed with myself: it was the only sensible solution. So, exhausted, I went to the back porch and got the scare of my life:

Hell, NO.

We have NOT just been booed.

If you’re not familiar with “Boo-ing,” it’s basically like a Halloween-Secret Santa-Chain Letter. For a better description, you can check out Albany Kid’s post.

While I like the idea of neighborly giving in theory, I now have to decide if I’m adding this to the pre-vacation to-do list, or if I can wait until after vacation, when, granted, by the time I get to it, it will be so late that it’s practically too rude to even pass along. Oh, jeez. I have to do it, don’t I? I curse suburbia! Or, no, I don’t curse suburbia. This is a pretty good life, isn’t it? I’m going to Disney and random people leave us treats out of the goodness of their hearts.

Well, in any case, if any of you local friends and neighbors would like  some apples, beets, or peppers in the next two days, please comment ASAP. But you’ll have to pick them up from my screened porch. Because I’m too busy packing and, apparently, shopping for Halloween crap.

UPDATE:  I woke up this morning and it occurred to me that whoever “booed” us could very well read the blog, and boy, that was not gracious, was it? The girls were thrilled. And, as an added bonus, we can give some CSA apples as part of our boo gift. So I’ve successfully navigated the panic stage once again. And I thank you.

J picked out Snack-o’-Lanterns from Family Fun magazine as one of her many Halloween treats. I was skeptical: they looked tough. So I made a test orange jack-o-lantern. Turns out, it wasn’t too bad:

Of course, the whole point is to get the kids involved, so I took a deep breath and handed each of them a paring knife. Generally speaking, I’m in favor of giving kids knives. They tend to be much more careful with them than grown-ups, anyway. Still, it was nerve-wracking.

Careful, honey!

You cut off the top, pull out most of the insides, and cut a face. Then we popped them into the fridge for later. For the party, we filled them with fruit salad.

M loved making these. They were her favorite of all the Halloween treats. J liked it, but she’d get frustrated, too, and so she’d take breaks between o’-lanterns. If I’m honest, I have to admit that she was partly frustrated by me stressing out and saying, “Watch the knife! Keep your fingers higher on the handle! These are sharp!” Once she even said ouch and I freaked completely, but it was just because orange juice had squirted into her eye. Phew!

Anyway, the oranges were cute, and the kids loved them!

Hey! Hope you enjoyed the gorgeous weekend. We exhausted ourselves with family bonding all weekend. Here’s what happening this week:

All Week:

• Mohu Fest, “a celebration of the vitality of the arts and culture in the Capital Region,” continues.
• The Schenectady Light Opera Company opens Ragtime on Thursday, and it continues through the weekend. Tickets are $18 to $28.

Tuesday, October 11th:

• From 11 am to 1 pm, go on a Spring Overlook Hike at Moreau. Pre-register; $2/adult, $1/child.
• There’s a Breastfeeding Cafe from 1-3 pm at Virgil’s in Ballston Spa Saratoga Springs.
• At 7 pm at Bethlehem Public Library, it’s Pajamarama.

Wednesday, October 12th:

• At 10:30 am, it’s Rain or Shine, It’s Reading Time at the New York State Museum.
• It’s Alphabet Soup at 10:30 am at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga.
• Go on a Twilight Kayak at Moreau Lake from 5-7 pm.

Thursday, October 13th:

• Take a family-friendly hike starting at 9:45 am.
• It’s Silly Science at 10:30 am at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga.
• At 11 am, it’s Little Wonders of Science at the Schenectady Museum with Fancy Nancy Sees Stars.
• Go on a Full Moon Hike from 6-8 pm at Moreau Lake.
• At 6:30 pm, there’s a parenting program on Brain Development Fixes for ADD/ADHD, ld, Dyslexia & More by Kathy Johnson, MS, Ed, at Saratoga Public Library.

Friday, October 14th:

• Kids ages 3 and up can play Candy Corn Bingo at at Bethlehem Public Library.
• At 1 pm, there’s a free Stewardship Walk at Vischer Ferry Nature & Historic Preserve in Clifton Park.
• It’s First Friday in Albany from 5-9 pm. So what if it’s not actually the first Friday of the month? They’re coordinating it with Mohu Fest, so just go with it, alright?
• It’s Watchable Wildlife: Who’s Hoo at 7:30 pm at Five Rivers.
• The Empire State Youth Orchestra are performing a free concert at the College of St. Rose.