Posts from — January 2012

You might have already heard that there’s a new Snip-its opening in Guilderland. Snip-its offers haircuts, spa services, and birthday parties for little ones. They’re celebrating a grand opening this weekend with plenty of fun planned, and as part of the celebration, they’re offering a giveaway to Capital District Fun readers!

The winning Capital District Fun reader will win one free kid’s haircut valued at $17.99 and a product gift pack valued at about $30! For the gift pack, our winner can choose three of the following hair products:

• Shampoo (Burstin’ Bubbles or Silly Strawberry)
• Conditioner (No Yellin’ Melon)
• Morning Miracle Mousse Styling Spray
• Funky Spiker Super Hold Styling Gel
• Sparkle Spritz Shining Mist

The Snip-its folks sent us a gift pack, too. I mentioned the other day that my girls especially like the Sparkle Spritz Shining Mist. Today when it was time for me to coax J into the shower, I asked her to please try the shampoo and conditioner, and this increased her shower enthusiasm exponentially. A few minutes after her shower, I interviewed her.

“So, how was it?”

“It smells heavenly. And it was very easy to get out of the bottle.” She tends to have a difficult time with this.

“And did you notice a difference in how it felt when you combed your hair?”

“Argh! I was supposed to comb my hair! I forgot!” Sobbing. I win the Mama Prize again!

To enter, comment on this post and tell us about your greatest joy and/or frustration regarding your child(ren)’s hair before this Friday at noon.* I’ll randomly select a winner, email her/him, and announce it on the blog later on Friday.  The giveaway will be available for pick-up at the Guilderland Snip-its at 2080 Western Avenue.

If you’re entering to win, it’s probably worth your while to go check out the Guilderland Snip-its Facebook page, because it looks like they’ve got special offers and discounts for folks who “like” them.

So, the Golden Globes wasn’t too long ago, and they just had the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

But if, by chance, there were an award given to the Mommy Who Make Her Children Cry With The Least Possible  Effort, well, I’d be a winner today.

After school, both girls were doing homework when J went and got herself a spoonful of capers. I don’t understand her fascination with capers. Well, yes I do: it’s the salt.  She loves salt. I  generally find her raiding the capers jar and tell her the same thing: “Okay, you can have that spoon, but that’s it. Capers are supposed to be a garnish.”

This time, however, M beat me to the punch with the critique. Hers was a passive-aggressive sniff followed by a more dramatic cough, and, in case her point was not made, an eyeroll-with-nose-holding combination move. So I said, “M, please don’t hold your nose if you don’t like the smell of someone else’s food.” [Shocked disbelief: was that what she was doing? Surely not!]  “I’m serious, honey. It’s not polite. If you really can’t stand the smell, you can move to the other table.”

Instead she ran up the stairs, sobbing.

Impressive performance by a Mama Bent On Wreaking Sorrow and Pain On Her Children, right?

Within 40 minutes, J came trotting up the stairs after of-so-briefly pounding on the keyboard. “Are you finished practicing piano already?” I asked. “Yeah.” “Did you do your songs four times like Mrs. B asked?” Tears, wailing, kicking legs. I calmly noted that Mrs. B wrote the number 4 above her songs for a reason. “You’re clearly too upset now to play well right now, but this is a reminder  for future reference.”

J flung her limbs in multiple directions, wept, and gnashed her teeth.

Brava!

I’d like to thank all the little people. . . .

I’ve realized that I need to get to work earlier on my weekly posts now that Downton Abbey is on again. I am simply to enraptured to multitask. Speaking of tv fun, last night we watched Crazy, Stupid, Love, and it was surprisingly sweet and enjoyable. Put it in the queue.

Here’s what I’ve found for this week. I love additions in the comments, and check out KidsOutAndAbout.com for more ideas.

All Week:

Bethlehem Middle School presents Guys and Dolls, Jr. starting Tuesay and continuing Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Monday, January 30th:

• The Family Life Center  on Western Avenue in Albany has Prenatal Yoga from  12-1:15 p.m. and Mommy/Daddy and Me Yoga from 1:30-2:45 p.m.  Call or email Kristen for more information: 518-859-3136 or kmullaney@me.com.
• It’s PJ Storytime at 5:45 pm or 6:30 pm at the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library. This is a drop-in program.

Tuesday, January 31st:

• It’s Tuesday for Tots at The Children’s Museum at Saratoga.
• Albany Pine Bush has Pine Bush Pups: Sleeping, Sleeping All Winter Long at 10:30 am. It’s free, and you can register online.
• Go for a Beaver Walk in Winter from 11 am to 1 pm at Moreau Lake State Park. This is advertised as a kid-friendly adventure. Registration required.
• From 11 am to 12:30 pm, it’s Preschool Naturalists at Saratoga Spa State Park. Registration is required, and it’s $3/person, $5/family.

Wednesday, February 1st:

• At 10 am, there’s a Snowshoe Walk planned at Thacher Park. Snow’s not looking great, but you can call to see if they’ll still hike.
• There’s a Family Playtime from 10:15-11 am at the Bethlehem Public Library.
• Albany Pine Bush has Pine Bush Pups: Sleeping, Sleeping All Winter Long at 10:30 am. It’s free, and you can register online.

Thursday, February 2nd:

• From 10:30 am until noon it’s Silly Science: Camouflage at The Children’s Museum at Saratoga.
• At noon, there’s a free film called “What is color?” at the New York State Museum.
• There’s a Family Moonlight Ski planned for 7 pm at the Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve if there’s snow.  Cocoa & marshmallows by the fire.

Friday, February 3rd:

• There’s a new Snip-Its children’s hair salon opening in Guilderland, and they’re celebrating their Grand Opening all weekend with face painting, a kid’s DJ, balloon artists,  and activities for the kids. They were kind enough to send us some products and the girls are particularly fond of the good-smelling shine spray.
• At 11 am, it’s Story Art at the New York State Museum. Free.
• Albany Pine Bush has its First Friday Hike at noon.
  
• It’s First Friday Albany from 5-9 pm.
• It’s Ballston Spa First Friday  from 6-9 pm.
• Update: this has been moved to March’s First Friday due to the unseasonable weather conditions. Thanks to MamatogaJenny for Tweeting this so I wouldn’t miss it. There’s a Candlelight Ski and Snowshoe from 6-8:30 pm at Saratoga Spa State Park.  Snowshoes available for rent, ice skating, and refreshments are planned (again, we’ll see about the weather!) at the warming hut. This kicks off the weekend-long Saratoga Winterfest.
• At 7 pm, the Siena Saints are playing basketball vs. St. Peter’s at the Times Union Center. $14/adult, $8/student.
• Ballston Spa Middle School students are performing Annie at 7 pm and through the weekend. Tickets are $7.
• Burnt Hills Ballston Lake Theatre for Children is presenting Pinocchio and Treasure Island today at 7 pm and on Saturday. Tickets are $7.
• The Phantoms are playing hockey vs. Norfolk at Glens Falls Civic Center. Tickets are $13 and up.
• The SMSA Community Players present Annie at 7 pm at Wood Theatre in Glens Falls, and again on Saturday at 1 pm. Tickets are $15.

Guess what happened about 2 minutes after we should have already left for gymnastics on Friday?

Yes, that’s my butter dish, which was shattered all over the floor when the refrigerator door was opened with the vigor that is only possible when you are a 7-year-old with an obsessive desire for salami while your mother is standing by the door calling to you, “Come on! Please! Let’s go!”

So yeah, that was awesome.

I tried two slow cooker recipes that were limited successes, both from the Fix It and Forget It Big Cookbook.  First, I made a Macaroni and Cheese, which was this recipe. This was a decent homemade mac and cheese, and the whole family liked it. I thought that it was a little dull, so I added about a teaspoon of dry mustard, which helped. I think next time I’d throw in a bit of dried milk, too. So:  it was easy, it smelled good all day, and everyone ate it. On the other hand, no one raved about it and it certainly isn’t too healthful. But its a good slacker meal. I have no photos, but follow the link and Erin’s got lovely photos.

Then I tried Iranian Wash-Day Stew.

This one smelled super-awesome all day, and then it was. . . good. It could have been slightly more interesting. I’d make it again and add more tomatoes (not peeled) and some other vegetables.  Cute W and I liked it, J took one look and opted out completely, and M painstakingly picked out the pieces of meat. Also, I should have gotten better bread.

Tonight we made a recipe that’s a labor-intensive but delicious family favorite. It’s sort of homemade chicken fingers, which we call Mrs. Seals’ Chicken after our neighbor in Ft. Worth, Texas, who passed it to us in 1978. It’s a pain in the neck. And a mess (see photo below), but it’s super-yummy, and it’s good hot or cold, so it’s great for a picnic. Not, like, now. But you know what I mean.

Mrs. Seals’ Chicken

Ingredients:

This week, I feel like I’ve just been puttering around, completely unproductive. Part of the problem is that I arrived home Tuesday night, so on Wednesday morning I was sleepy, unpacking, and in need of a grocery run. On Thursday morning I had an appointment that got cancelled, but instead of just moving on to the next item on the agenda, I sort of floundered. Like, all morning. So I’ve been pondering why  this week has been such a waste, and I came up with a whole list of excuses reasons.

I really need a list. For me, there’s nothing like a good To Do list to keep me on track. If I begin to slow down, I look at my list and it jolts me into action. Or if I want to take a break or eat lunch, I tell myself that I have to check something off the list first. Sometimes I’ll make a list of things I enjoy doing and things I hate doing, and I have to do something I hate (like making phone calls) before I’m “allowed” something I enjoy (like working out or folding laundry with a tv show on). I’m so obsessive-compulsive about my lists that if I find myself doing something productive that wasn’t on the list, I add it to the list just so that I can cross it out immediately and feel proud. I often make a list for the week on Sunday night, and I didn’t this time because we were skiing. Yeah, I know I should make a list now. Absolutely: you’re right. But I’m afraid I’ll freak out over everything that I haven’t accomplished all week. So I’ll continue to write this post. Then, at least, I’ll have something to cross off my list right away.

I need to do a calendar review, which I didn’t do this week, either. I’m terrible with schedules. I don’t know why, but I’ll do crazy, stupid stuff like, for example, forget the time of a lesson that my kids have been attending every week all school year. Suddenly instead of thinking, “We need to leave at 4 for 4:30 gymnastics,” I’ll think, “We need to leave at 4:30 for gymnastics.” I don’t know why I do this, but it’s like my sense of direction issue. If I just make sure to review everything two or three times, I’m usually okay. Also, a calendar review at the beginning of the week throws up red flags, like with last night’s concert, in which: 1) I received two different fliers telling us to arrive at two different times, 2) I realized that M was planning to wear something way too casual and made an emergency shopping trip for slacks, and 3) I thought that I could just blow off the request for reception treats just this once until M arrived home hours before asking, “What are you making for tonight? I hope it’s something good because we all worked really hard.” Dang. I made chocolate chip cookies. Which we couldn’t eat due to the fire alarm. Yet when I retrieved the plate this morning, only smears of chocolate were left.

I need to step away from technology. I have three different emails (personal, Capital District Fun, and Kids Out and About), a Google reader, Twitter, and the comments here on the blog and via Facebook to check. Any one of these  is fraught with peril, because there are invariably fascinating links that lead to items to read that lead to further links to videos I simply must watch. The challenging part, here, is that keeping up with all of that stuff is part of doing Capital District Fun and Kids Out and About. But it can get ridiculous: there are times when by the time I’ve checked the last item on the list above, my emails have been pinging at me for attention again.

I need to set a timer. Actually, I use a timer often already. Right now I have it set to remind me when to start the slow cooker. I often set it to remind us all when we have to leave for whatever class or activity is coming up. I do timed writing and timed workouts pretty regularly.  And when I’m doing something that I hate, I’ll sometimes set the timer for, say, 10 or 15 minutes, and I lie to myself that as soon as the timer goes off I can stop. It’s a lie because once I’m 10 or 15 minutes into something it’s easier just to finish whatever it is (like, say, cleaning the bathrooms or filing). But now I’m thinking that I need to set a time limit on the technology stuff. I have other time-sucks that I need to limit, like when I’m fed up with all of our meals, and I’ll while away a very long time searching for recipes.

Books in the return bin at school

You know what? I didn’t do so badly this week. I grocery shopped, I worked out on Wednesday & Thursday (we’ll see about today), I came up with two pretty good new recipes, those chorus slacks were on clearance for $6, and I’ve kept up with the blog. Plus, I volunteered at the school library, and I chauffered my friends’ cat.

So, anyone got organizational tips to share?

Poor Kitty! He deeply resents his bath and subsequent jail time.

Okay. There’s no avoiding it anymore. Time to go make that To Do List. Well, maybe lunch first.

I promise that this is my last alliterative title. I couldn’t help myself.

We went to M’s first school orchestra and chorus concert. For the chorus portion she had a solo, and she did a great job. Poor J, who had seen the program as part of an assembly once already during the school day, tried her best to be patient in the hot, crowded gym. After the concert, roughly a million 4th and 5th graders and their families knocked around expensive, unwieldy musical instruments while praising each other’s performance, gossiping, and shuffling toward the cafeteria, where a spread of cookies and juice awaited everyone.

And that’s when the fire alarm went off. Everyone was ushered outside into the freezing rain, where mothers frantically sought out their children to ensure that coats had been retrieved (and, crucially, put onto bodies) and at least one music stand was abandoned in a pile of slush during the melee. Fire trucks were arriving, and although the word in the hallways was that someone had accidentally leaned against an alarm pull, prospects for getting back inside to the food and warmth were dim.

On the walk home, J cried, because she’d been looking forward to the best part, chatting with her friends and eating cookies after all the sitting still and “listening” was finished. I feared that M would be disappointed, too, but she was fine. “It’s too bad that you had to miss that extra time eating cookies and having people tell you how great you did,” I said to her. “Oh, it’s okay. I got, like, five compliments just while I was walking up the stairs.”

Anyway, here’s the link to the KidsOutAndAbout.com weekly newsletter. And here’s what I’ve found for this weekend. I love additions and corrections in the comments.

All Weekend:

• Hansel & Gretel continues at Steamer 10 Theatre.
• It’s Sesame Street Live presents 1-2-3 Imagine! with Elmo and Friends at Albany’s Palace Theatre, where tickets range from $15 to $67.
• Shrek the Musical is at Proctors in Schenectady. Tickets are $20 and up.
• It’s Snow Fest with Armlin’s Army, NYSERDA & Schoharie River Center  on Saturday and Sunday at Mine Kill State Park. They’re planning: Chili Contest, Survival Workshop, Winter Energy Tips, Snowshoeing Clinic, X-C Skiing, Camping, and more!

Evening of Friday, January 27th:

• The Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company will be performing Unannounced: Dance in Unexpected Places! at The Arts Center of the Capital Regionat 7 pm. This free performance is part of Troy Night Out, which runs from 5-9 pm. Another fun-sounding event as part of Troy Night Out is a Broadway Musical Singalong.
• There’s an Adirondack Phantoms hockey game at 7 pm at Glens Falls Civic Center.
• There’s a Barn Dance in Delmar with Homespun Occasions starting at 7:30 pm.

Saturday, January 28th:

• There’s an Ice Fishing Clinic for kids from 10 am until 2 pm at Moreau Lake State Park. Registration is required, but no equipment needed.
• People aged 10 and up can Learn to Snowshoe at Saratoga Spa State Park from 11 am to 12:30 pm. Pre-register; $5 includes snowshoe rental. Cancelled if the snow gets washed out by rain.
• It’s a Critter Scene Investigation from 11 am to 12:30 pm at Albany Pine Bush. Pre-register; it’s $3/person, $5/family.
• They’re planning a Snowshoe Hike at Up Yonda Farm from 1-2 pm. $7/person includes snowshoe rental, or $4 if you have your own.
• It’s Sundae Funday from 2-3 pm at New York State Museum.
• From 2-4 pm it’s the first meeting of the Harry Potter Club at the Bach Branch Library. They’re making it for ages 10-16, which seems like it will leave out some very pro-Potter 8- and 9-year-olds.
• From 2-5 pm at the Delaware Branch Library, it’s the Albany Mommies Monthly Meet & Greet Pizza Party. $5 covers pizza.
• There’s an Albany Devils vs. Adirondack Phantoms hockey game at the Times Union Center at 5 pm.

Sunday, January 29th:

• Learn about Groggy Groundhogs from 1-2:30 pm at Albany Pine Bush. Pre-register; it’s $3/person, $5/family.
• At 1 pm kids 5 and up can get Stuck on You while experimenting with stickiness at the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology. Pre-register; it’s $2/non-member.

I’ve been getting the KidsOutAndAbout.com newsletter ready tonight, but luckily I’ve got a big list of links that I’ve been meaning to share with you.

All Over Albany has a post on The Snow Train to North Creek.

I just love Glennon’s approach to dealing with tantrums over at Momastery. Seriously, I can’t look at that thumb’s up photo without giggling. It reminds me of one of my favorite things about blogging. When the day’s going crappily, I know that I can kvetch to you all.

The TU’s Parenting Blog has a post with folks suggesting where to donate used toys.

Mamatoga visited a new indoor play center in Ballston Lake, The Wonder Room.

The TU’s Your Day Blog shares that you can get two lift tickets for $20 to ski West Mountain on Wednesday nights.

And you’ve probably already seen this “I’m Elmo and I Know It” parody video that’s been going around, but just in case.

We spent Sunday, Monday, and today on our annual Jiminy Peak trip with friends. We returned a few hours ago, and I’ve literally been stumbling around due to exhaustion. As in, I tripped on our duffel bag handle and landed on my face, and moments later I fell down the stairs while carrying 3 pairs of ski boots. Lucky for me they were the carpeted stairs down to our basement instead of our steep, old, wooden stairs that strike fear into the hearts of visiting mothers with toddlers.

M, who is an unbelievably motivated maniac, managed to finish all the schoolwork that she missed in time to hustle off to soccer practice tonight. In fact, she was hoping to go to another soccer thing that she normally does–which would have been a whopping 2 1/2 hours of soccer after skiing for most of the day–but she had to finish her homework first, so she missed the first hour.  I don’t think that she’ll collapse on the gym floor, but I am a little worried that there will be sobbing before she finally passes out tonight. We usually walk the couple of blocks to the school gym, but Cute W’s driving her home. J, meanwhile, fell asleep in the car on the way home, continued the nap on the couch, and was only roused by the scent of take-out Italian food. She ate three helpings of pasta and settled in for yet another Harry Potter reading marathon (we’re now on #3 with her) before bed.

Our weekend was great, especially considering that there was serious rain last night. The girls spent most of the day on Monday in ski school, and they had a wonderful time. Prior to the drop-off, there was a bit of high drama because they have one girlfriend who also attends the daylong class, so each girl was hoping that she’d be placed with a friend and fearing that she’d be left out. They’re pretty close, ability-wise, but you just never know, and you want them to feel comfortable skiing at the right level. There was also speculation about the placement, because last year the two older girls had been told that they’d be in the Fox group. Jiminy used to place kids in groups named after various woodland creatures. If you’d done your time as an undignified Chipmunk or Raccoon, of course you’d be psyched to finally become a Fox. When I broke it to them that the ranking system was different now, both girls were in denial, so I just did the old motherly, “Well, we’ll see. . . .” Really, it makes sense. If some 11-year-old first time skier got called a Chipmunk they’d basically be opposed to the entire program immediately, I bet.

Ski School was a tremendous success. All three girls (and only our three girls) were with one teacher whom they liked very much. And they were thrilled because he took them on black diamonds, so they officially feel like The Most Awesome Skiers Ever.

There was a lot of that girl power thing going around. At one point J stopped next to me and laughed out loud, saying, “I can’t believe that I’m still alive.” I promise that we weren’t particularly defying death on that run. But seriously, how much happier would your life be if you took a moment any old time to laugh out loud with joy that you’re still alive? We should all try it, maybe. Another time, I was skiing with a bunch of girls (we just happened to have a girl-heavy group), and a middle-schooler who’d been a bit hesitant about skiing down a black diamond decided to try, anyway (not surprising, since the two 4th graders were game). When the hardest part was over, I told her to stop and look up. It appeared much scarier from below, probably because you could see a greater expanse of the whole slope. “Now, aren’t you impressed with yourself?” I prodded. “You know what?” she answered, “I really am. I really, really am impressed with myself.”

After so much rain last night, I expected today to be a washout, but conditions were surprisingly good. Nothing froze, trails were groomed, and the temperature hovered just around freezing, keeping us all warm and cozy without melting the slopes entirely.

Between all of that skiing the kids swam in the pool, I learned how to play one of Cute W’s new board games, and we all ate a ridiculous amount of food. Now it’s back to real life again. But you know what? Real life’s pretty good, too.

Really, it’s impressive that I’m pulling this post out at all. We spent much of the afternoon and evening skiing, I sampled some delightful home-brewed home cider, and frankly? I’m pretty much ready to be sleeping. So I’ll ask in advance for you to forgive typos or missed items. And always don’t forget to check out the pages to your right, like What About TODAY?, which includes regularly scheduled events, and the Embrace Winter! page, which has links to skating, sledding, and other winter fun.

Here’s what I’ve got:

All Week:

• It’s Sesame Street Live presents 1-2-3 Imagine! with Elmo and Friends at the Glens Falls Civic Center on Tuesday and Wednesday, where tickets cost $14 to $52 and are required for ages 1 and up. Then it moves on to Albany’s Palace Theatre over the weekend, where tickets range from $15 to $67.
• Shrek the Musical is at Proctors in Schenectady starting on Tuesday through the weekend. Tickets are $20 and up.
• Moreau Lake‘s got several snowshoe hikes, including a Beginner Snowshoe from 1-3 pm on Thursday.

Monday, January 23rd:

• At 10 am, it’s a Fluffy Friends Fashion Fiesta for kids ages 3 and up at the Bethlehem Public Library.
• The Troy Public Library is having  a Chinese New Year Party at 4 pm for children 5 and older. Please call to register.
• There’s a drop-in PJ Storytime at Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library at 5:45 pm or 6:30 pm.
• There’s a Three Stooges Film Festival at the Palace Theatre at 7 pm in Albany.

Tuesday, January 24th:

• Albany Pine Bush has Pine Bush Pups: How to Stay Warm in the Bitter Cold? at 10:30 am. It’s free, and you can register online.

Wednesday, January 25th:

• Albany Pine Bush has Pine Bush Pups: How to Stay Warm in the Bitter Cold? at 10:30 am. It’s free, and you can register online.
• At 10:30 am, it’s Alphabet Soup: S at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga. Free with museum admission, for ages 3 and up. Funny that the letter this week is S, considering my title! Or maybe it’s only funny if you’re overtired. . . .
• There’s a Story Time Mix for 3 to 6 year olds at 1:15 pm at Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library. It’s a drop-in program.

Thursday, January 26th:

• They’re doing an Eagle Survey from 10 am until noon at Moreau Lake.
• At 10:30 am, it’s Silly Science: Magnets at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga. Free with museum admission, for ages 3 and up.
• The Bethlehem Public Library is hosting a 6:30 pm Children’s Circle, a story time designed with special-needs kids in mind.

Friday, January 27th:

• The Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company will be performing Unannounced: Dance in Unexpected Places! at The Arts Center of the Capital Regionat 7 pm. This free performance is part of Troy Night Out, which runs from 5-9 pm. Another fun-sounding event as part of Troy Night Out is a Broadway Musical Singalong.

Looking Ahead to the Weekend:

• There’s an Ice Fishing Clinic for kids from 10 am until 2 pm on Saturday at Moreau Lake State Park. Registration is required, but no equipment needed.
• Hansel & Gretel continues at Steamer 10 Theatre.

It’s cold enough that outdoor skating is available! I got an email today saying that there’s skating at Indian Meadows:

The Town of Glenville skating rinks at Indian Meadows Park, 155 Droms Rd., are now open. Hours are sunrise to sunset, and when rink conditions allow, evening skating under the lights until 9PM. The rinks will be open until further notice as weather permits. There is no charge for public skating. One rink is reserved for recreational skating only; the other rink for pick-up hockey. Updates on rink conditions are on the town’s website at www.townofglenville.org

A friend also called saying that people can skate at Central Park in Schenectady, and I had the vague notion that we’d join them after school until I realized that J is now doing gymnastics on Friday afternoons. Which is not super-convenient because Friday is the best day for play dates, but J loves it, so . .  . fine.

Today at 3:55 pm I was urging J out the door, and she was all ready to hop outside in a leotard and boots. Which reminded me of Monday, when she was ice skating while scantily clad at the Union College rink. In fact, I took a picture of her skating along with two friends (one’s right behind the other), and at the time I’d felt like a Bad Mommy because her little friends were decked out in snow pants, coats, mittens, and helmets. . . and then here was my kid looking quite unencumbered & unprotected. I have a particular fear of kids falling and getting their hands skated over (this happened to my little brother, and a neighborhood friend got her hand sliced by a sled runner). So I always make sure that we pack mittens, at least, but inevitably my children do a gradual striptease as they skate. Seriously, I’m fortunate that she’s at least got long-ish sleeves.

Here’s the picture. It showed current faces, which I don’t usually show, so I blurred them out. But then that looked creepy and horror movie-ish, so I added smileys.

Still weird, but not scary-and-upsetting weird. Right? I hope that’s not scary and upsetting for anyone (like, I don’t know, our friend’s mommy?).

Anyway, today I insisted on some pants for J before she headed out to gymnastics. There have definitely been times when I’ve told the girls that if they’re not going to wear their coats, they have to carry them so that the general public knows that I have provided for them. Although, truthfully, this morning I was skittering through the snow in my Vibrams to make it to a yoga class at the JCC, so perhaps I’m a bad influence. Which, hello, speaking of scantily clad and yoga, did you see the Equinox yoga ad that’s got some people riled up? It’s supposedly controversial because it’s sexy, but I thought it was super-cool and it made me want to do yoga, like, immediately. Alas, had you seen me in today’s class, well, it wasn’t quite that inspiring. But the teacher did compliment me on my wheel.  As I was prone to saying after several beers in while in college, I used to be a gymnast.

Anywhere, Albany Kid made a huge and comprehensive list of ice skating rinks in the area a while ago.

And finally, I have to link to my favorite Etta James song, The Rock. Loved her, love her still.