Washington DC Mommy blogger

Godzilla meets the Lion Tamer…an epic tale of surviving summer break

May 31, 2012

In prep for schools letting out in the next two weeks….I offer you a retro WM post….my piece to mark the beginning of summer break last year and a retrospective on surviving previous summers….it covers kids of a variety ages so you probably will find something for yourself in here and I also get to my fav summer accessories:

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This week marks the end of school. The beginning of summer. What better way to kick it off than with a walk down memory lane?

First Summer Home with 2 kids: Sink or Swim?

My baby morphed into Godzilla that first summer....

Spoiler Alert! I sank. I didn’t even have a chance. I was drowning, I was gasping for air, I hated that summer. DD1 was 3.5 and horrible. DD2 was 6 months old and suddenly gained her mobility and morphed from sweet drooling baby into Godzilla, a super human creature who’s only purpose in life was to mercilessly terrorize every Little People village her sister had carefully arranged, chew on each book her sister wanted to read and destroy any block tower that might have just been assembled. It was war. I lost every battle. And to boot, one of life’s great unsolved mysteries emerged: exactly how does a 6 month old crawl so quickly and why are they magnets for elder sibling’s toys? So I headed into the next summer with a whole new plan, armed with tactics, prepared to win and enjoy the summer. This battle worn soldier couldn’t lose again.

#notwinning

Summer 2 home with the kids: Life vest

Spoiler Alert: my life vest mocked me. All summer long.

This time I boarded the ship prepared. My life jacket purchased in the form of 4 beautiful words: CAMP. Lots and lots of CAMP. But see, what I failed to anticipate was that much changes in one year of the lives of these little people. My wounds were still open and fresh but the children had moved on. How could I fail to realize that Godzilla can’t really survive for one year with an older sibling? Think of the eldest like a lion tamer: breaking the beast, taming the savage soul and maybe assaulting them a few times. Godzilla morphs into a different kind of species when she is 18 months old. True, a child

Can anyone else relate?

headed straight for the 2s is still part-human, part-beast but at least they have more control over their motor skills when lingering around block towers. And the eldest is more adept at handling younger sibling assault on their world. Another lesson for me: 3.5 year olds don’t stay that miserable argumentative nasty way forever and as it turns out, at least chez moi, 4.5 year olds are fun and fabulous companions. So there I had shipped her off to various weekly camps only for me and DD2 to look at each other, and wonder where our playmate was, especially DD2. I had naively shipped off the companion who kept the 18 month old entertained, busy and tired her out for naps. I PAID to send away our buddy. What the? My life vest deflated. I was beat again. When will I not suck at anticipating how to manage for a great summer home?

#definitelynotbiwinning

Summer 3 home with the kids: Lifeguard

And so begins summer 3 home with the kids. We’re off to a good start, we are miraculously diaper free chez moi, they are now 2.5 and 5.5 (have you seen the new spring in my step as I bypass the diaper aisle at Target with an extra $20 to blow on something dumb?) and after my steep learning curves the past two summers, dare I say I am heading into this summer with an all new plan: the pool. We are super camp light and planning on lots of pool time. But will I fail to anticipate again? So far, I have a huge ding against me because DH is headed off to a new job that puts him in San Fran 4 days of every week through the summer. I wasn’t counting on that when I signed them up for basically no camps this summer . . .Will I sink or swim this year? Stay tuned, you know you’ll be hearing about it.

#winning?

Until then, let’s cover what accessories a gal needs to survive the summer.

The first is the appropriate pool or beach bag and that bag is the Scout bag. This bag changed my pool/beach experience because it’s stylish and has 6 pockets around the outside of the bag. Never has it been so easy to store sunglasses, iPhone, camera, sun block, kid’s trash, snacks, water bottles and actually FIND these things with ease. Naturally the bag was created by a local DC mother who has 4 kids, so it’s no wonder it’s a miracle worker.

Speaking of miracle workers, what I need is the right swimsuit. I tend to go for halters but is this really a good idea when children are climbing all over you and creating multiple chances for a wardrobe malfunction on any given day? My youngest likes to shove her pool toys down the suit as if it’s her own personal pocket. Does style need to be compromised in favor of practicality? Have you found the perfect swimsuit that is stylish but functional? I’m desperate here, friends. Speak up. Links encouraged.

And my final summer survival necessity for those of you who are beach bound but don’t live steps from the beach: the Wonder Wheeler Deluxe (WWD). The minivan of beach carts, this thing screams dork, flashes parenthood in bright lights, earns you mockery from teens for being lame, but when a beach trip heads south (and really, how often do they not), you can toss all your gear and chairs and umbrellas into this thing (and sometimes I think a few kids) and clear the beach in record time.

So with that, what are your plans for summer survival? And did you find a great suit? Let me know.

For more fun, survival tips and accessories gossip…..”Like” the WM community FB page.

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Babes Around the Beltway, DC Parenting Blogger, Fashion, Husbands, Life with 2 kids, Motherhood, Preschool, Summer Camps, Summer Survival with Kids, Swimsuits for Moms, Tantrums, Toddler Antics, Washington Mommy Blogger

WM Book Club: Summer 2012 Pick

May 30, 2012

A few weeks ago, I met up with nine other women at the bar in the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner for the first ever Wired Momma book club. We all read the much-discussed, often dubbed “mommy porn” book Fifty Shades of Grey and we came ready to discuss it. Sidebar: did anyone else catch this piece in the NYT over the weekend about the Facebook wedding? The mention that Zuckerberg’s now-wife Priscilla, back when she got back together with him in 2007, drew up terms of their relationship and included scheduling in 100 minutes of free time with him a week. Sound Christian Greyish to anyone else? Fascinating. Also interesting to me from that piece was the insight that the other wives of Silicon Valley moguls, like Jobs’ wife or Brin from Google’s wife, each have powerful careers of their own. I enjoyed learning it because it flies in the face of the “Real Housewives” imagery stoked in everyone’s mind of the wives of powerful businessmen.

Back to book club, in the end, we spent three hours together having really great, honest conversation, given the fact that we were mainly strangers when we all met that evening. I found it to be rejuvenating and remarkable that I could connect with a group of strangers and we could all have such easy, fun, open conversation – leaving us all wanting to do it again – and soon. One woman posted on the WM FB page (where all this was arranged and discussed, in case you’re wondering if you missed a post or two) – asking if she was going to the be only one who wouldn’t know anyone and how would she know who to look for. Both were good questions – and the truth was – it turned out it didn’t matter.

Photo Credit: Someecards.com

Isn’t the internet and the ways we can connect through it – truly a remarkable thing? Next book club, we should toast Al Gore for inventing it.

And so, without further delay, I am officially ready to announce the next Wired Momma Book Club Book. I know it’s been a few weeks and I’ve actually put a bit of thought into this next selection. I weighed making it a democracy and letting the group – which means anyone who wants to participate (not just those who came last time, though that is an idea going forward) – vote. In the end, I’ve decided against that approach this time. I’m not power hungry…c’est vrai.

I just am being realistic with regards to my time and right now – I don’t have time to track votes and post more about it….seems easier to just rule with an iron fist like the Machiavellian despot that I am. It’s what I do best at home, anyhow.

As I started evaluating all of our options out there, I worried – how would I find something as racy as Fifty Shades? How would I find something as shocking or that would compel interesting conversation?

In the end, I don’t think it matters because I think we just enjoyed coming together, having a drink and gossiping with one another. Summer time will probably make scheduling a date for the book club near impossible so I’m already putting out there that we should look at a random Wednesday towards mid-late July. And I probably will keep it mainly on Facebook, so please feel free to join the totally fun WM FB community if you haven’t already done so.

And so…this time I mean it….without further delay…….the second selection in the super famous, sought after WM Book Club is: The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger. It is a fairly new book, it’s received great reviews and I guessed that most people who are interested in book club, probably haven’t read it – or at least not all of it – because it is so new.

Here’s the book description from Amazon if you’re not in the mood to click the link:

“A powerful, funny, richly observed tour de force by one of America’s most acclaimed young writers: a story of love and marriage, secrets and betrayals, that takes us from the backyards of America to the back alleys and villages of Bangladesh.
In The Newlyweds, we follow the story of Amina Mazid, who at age twenty-four moves from Bangladesh to Rochester, New York, for love. A hundred years ago, Amina would have been called a mail-order bride. But this is an arranged marriage for the twenty-first century: Amina is wooed by—and woos—George Stillman online.
For Amina, George offers a chance for a new life and a different kind of happiness than she might find back home. For George, Amina is a woman who doesn’t play games. But each of them is hiding something: someone from the past they thought they could leave behind. It is only when they put an ocean between them—and Amina returns to Bangladesh—that she and George find out if their secrets will tear them apart, or if they can build a future together.
The Newlyweds is a surprising, suspenseful story about the exhilarations—and real-life complications—of getting, and staying, married. It stretches across continents, generations, and plains of emotion. What has always set Nell Freudenberger apart is the sly, gimlet eye she turns on collisions of all kinds—sexual, cultural, familial. With The Newlyweds, she has found her perfect subject for that vision, and characters to match. She reveals Amina’s heart and mind, capturing both her new American reality and the home she cannot forget, with seamless authenticity, empathy, and grace. At once revelatory and affecting, The Newlyweds is a stunning achievement.”

In case you’re wondering if I’ve read it…I just started it over the weekend and am about 75 pages in. So far, so good. I am quite pleased with it.

I’m eager to discuss it more in July….I am excited to hopefully see many of the same fabulous women who came a few weeks ago and maybe this time, some more will come as well! Because so many last time came from suburbs of VA, I am leaning again towards a location around Tysons (just not the Ritz because we won’t need to be fancy for Christian Grey this time.) I’ll post more on FB to lock in that date soon and gauge opinions on time/location…so I’m not that evil of a ruler….

Happy reading!!!! Eager to hear what you think of the book!! “Like” WM on FB to keep up with the discussion…or to schedule 100 minutes of free time with me.

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Wired Momma Book Club

The Music Man at Arena Stage: A Delightful Summer Musical

May 28, 2012

In honor of the unofficial start to summer and my mom’s ~~birthday~~ “present” day, last Wednesday night was Ladies Night for moi, my sister and my mom. And what better way to celebrate a fabulous ladies night than with dinner at Zaytinya and Meredith Wilson’s The Music Man at Arena Stage? If wine, Mediterranean tapas, a singing barbershop quartet, and one of the most fun American musical productions don’t equal a successful ladies night, then I am just confused.

Burke Moses as Harold Hill, Ian Berlin as Winthrop Paroo and Kate Baldwin as Marian Paroo in Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater's production of The Music Man. Photo Credit: Arena Stage

The truth is, we were practically raised on musicals chez moi. Was it because we were raised overseas and back then, there was basically no TV, save for Top of the Pops in England in the 80s, and a few cheesy European commercials where someone inevitably ends up naked even if they’re not selling soap, or was it because my parents were also raised on musicals and so they paid it forward? Who knows. But we love musicals. And mark my words, my children are being raised with a deep love of musicals. Whenever I meet someone who loathes musicals, I don’t understand them. I wonder if they have ice pumping through their veins or were they raised by wolves? How can you not love 2 hours of a quaint small town in Iowa, for example, where everyone has a great voice and they talk to each other by singing? What’s not to like?

I hadn’t yet been to Arena Stage and if you are also planning an evening on the town, might I suggest Zaytinya was the perfect pre-theater location because it was a straight shot down 9th street to the theater, maybe a five-minute drive. I even noticed some street parking by the stage but given the voracity of last Wednesday’s storms, we opted for valet parking.

#firstworldproblem #spoiled

Here’s where I confess to feeling like a moron. I was surprised upon entering the theater to learn its set up like a…wait for it…ARENA, a four-sided arena, in fact. Apparently I hadn’t given any thought to why they might have named Arena Stage…Arena Stage. As I processed the stadium like seating in the theater, I admit to feeling a little disappointed that there was no chance for fabulous stage design. My sister later confessed to having a deep love for stage design, noting it rained on stage when we saw Singin in the Rain in London, so there were times she struggled to reconcile her love for props and design, with her love for the musical. But, as we settled into our seats, we agreed that the lack of props and set design makes for an even greater challenge for the actors.

Then the lights dimmed, a circle raised from beneath the stage, and up rose the actors in the opening train scene. As the salesmen pull into River City,
one of the most perfectly choreographed scenes I’ve ever seen in a play began, quelling our anxiety about the absence of stage design and assuring us that the actors were more than capable of compensating for it. Days later, we are still talking about the opening scene, how well choreographed the actors were in mimicking the movement of the train and the great dialogue of “But he doesn’t have a territory” as the other salesmen discuss the con artist known as Harold Hill.

Burke Moses stars as the charming, mischievous Professor Harold Hill, and having been raised on Robert Preston’s version of Harold Hill, these are big shoes to fill. Moses succeeded as a charming, convincing and hilarious Hill wooing his way into the heart of Marian, Madame Librarian, played by Kate Baldwin. Five DC area youth were cast in the musical and each did an excellent job. For the duration of the 2.5 hour musical, I was enthralled with how these kids managed school, homework and what must have been a rigorous rehearsal schedule (and what logistical planning it involved for their parents).

The orchestra, hidden beneath the stage, beautifully performed each of the well-known and popular songs and acted as an impeccable supporting cast to this delightful musical. As for the stadium seating, I quickly realized that I absolutely loved it. Instead of sitting rows away from stage with an orchestra pit separating us from the actors, my sister deftly pointed out that this was a very intimate experience, being arms length away from the actors some of the time, as they moved around the theatre and skillfully made sure to rotate during scenes so that no one section was stranded seeing only their backs. The choreography and practice to achieve that careful balance must have taken an extraordinary amount of time and concentration. Also, I delighted in looking around the stadium and soaking in the expressions of the other theater-goers.

The first half flew by in 90 minutes and if someone asked, I would have said 30 minutes passed. At intermission we discussed the costumes because they weren’t necessarily period pieces. My mom wasn’t overly keen on their costumes but I didn’t mind that they diverged from tradition and made their costumes slightly more modern. Plus, as a true shoe lover, I adored all the women’s shoes.

The second half-opened with one of the most exciting and beautifully choreographed dances, to the carefree song “Shipoopi.” The young men of River City all looked like they belonged in West Side Story with their old-fashioned jeans but again, I liked it. It worked for me. If you are heading into the musical raised on the Hollywood version, at least you can prepare yourself for this major departure from the film. We were really anxious for Eulalie Shinn (performed by Barbara Tirrell) to lead the ladies of River City in the dance performance of Grecian Urns…who doesn’t love “ONE Grecian Urn!”… and sure enough, this scene did not disappoint. I especially loved the creative use of accessorized umbrellas for the Grecian Urn waterfall sequence and Mrs. Shinn oozed charm throughout the musical, earning her the Wired Momma award as most beloved character in the play.

If you’re still reading my review, odds are you, too, love The Music Man, so there’s no need for me to mention how the play ends. Overall, the 2.5 hour musical production flew by and we loved it. It makes for a great date night this summer or ladies night. If you’re thinking of bringing the kids, my guess is it depends on the kid, but for kids older than 8 or 9, it’s a great family musical. Unfortunately, mine are still too young for it but some day, they will learn all about Madame Librarian and how the boy’s band will keep them all on the straight and narrow from that rotten pool hall. And for anyone paying careful attention, the actors excelled in this production because in the end, it didn’t matter that there was no fancy set design or props to dress up the performances, they just didn’t need it.

The Music Man runs through July 22. Tickets are $46-$91 and I think all the May performances are sold out, so if you’re considering it, I’d urge you to buy your tickets pronto.

Two other things to look out for, on Friday June 1 at 6pm at Nationals Park, inspired by the Music Man’s signature song “76 Trombones,” Arena Stage is partnering with FAME (The Foundation for the Advancement of Music & Education, Inc.) to bring together more than 500 trombone players to set the world record for the largest all-trombone ensemble. Under the direction of Lawrence Goldberg, the music director for the Music Man, musicians will fill Nationals Park to perform “76 Trombones” prior to the Nationals game against the Braves. If you are interested in participating, arrive to the park by 5:15PM and you can stay to watch the game for free. Register in advance here.

Second fun fact – on Wednesday June 20 or July 11, following the 7:30pm performance of The Music Man, you can stay for show tunes after the show. I am SOLD! Join cast members for a post-show piano bar in the Mead Center Main Lobby or drop by just for the post-show. You can grab a drink at the bar and soak in the fun. I seriously am thinking I am going. Care to join moi?

For more delightful ways to pass your summer evenings, or really for just surviving summer, “Like” the Wired Momma Facebook page.

Disclosure: Arena Stage gifted two tickets to me for the musical last week but all my opinions here are my own.

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Musicals

Newsflash American Companies: Little Girls Like Superheroes Too

May 22, 2012

I receive emails from the Gap. Truth be told, normally I delete them. For some reason, Saturday morning, I opened my email from the Gap and noticed they were proudly promoting their new line of toddler clothes featuring Superheroes.

Then I hopped on my computer to actually check it out because the previous evening, my toddler girl spent the entire duration of her older sister’s T-ball game dressed like this, clearly fighting crime, with no regard for how profusely she was sweating under her mask:

Good versus Evil at Friday Night T-Ball...who will prevail?

There you have it. I have a three-year-old who loves pirates, Spiderman, Batman, any kind of superhero or dinosaur. She loves these things. She loves them so much that if she isn’t decked out in costume, she is wearing a t-shirt displaying one of these characters. Typically she also wants to carry a few more around with her just in case.

Back to the Gap, I logged on to eagerly view their new line, naively thinking that finally I could purchase something for my daughter that aligns with what she wants to wear but maybe isn’t in primary colors that boy clothes tend to be sold in. Why was I surprised to find an entire line of superhero clothes, bathing suits, flip-flops, sunglasses and sneakers for boys and when I clicked on Toddler Girl – which reaches up to age 5 – I could instead purchase her this outrageous zebra BIKINI…or better yet for a three-year-old – a one shoulder tank top.

Really, Gap? Really? Teach the toddler girls of America that being sexy begins at two – I can see the endless value in that lesson.

Look, by this point I was seeing red. Now it was too late for me to go back to my happier place of not opening the emails from the Gap…all that was left to do was unsubscribe, obviously.

What is wrong with American clothing manufacturers that they believe little girls only should be wearing pastels with rainbows, horses or the peace symbol? Or zebra print bikinis and one-shoulder tank tops? Why can’t little girls shop in the girl section and find superheroes, dinosaurs and pirates? My little girl comes ALIVE when she’s in the boy section of a store and that doesn’t need to be the case. What about the little girl who maybe isn’t intuitively drawn to these types of toys but could see these things as options for her in the girl section and might begin to want those things? Why are we assigning such strict gender roles to kids as young as 2, 3, 4 and 5? The message being broadcast: Girls are sugar and spice, they care about world peace, brushing horses and glittery rainbows. Boys are messy and dirty, they like big scary dinosaurs, thieving pirates and strong superheroes who save people from large lizards.

It isn’t right.

Same goes with McDonald’s. Why do you have to choose “boy” happy meal or “girl” happy meal – why can’t you just choose the themed toy your kid wants without assigning a gender to it? All this does is open up unnecessary conversations between my kids – one wants a boy thing (hurled at the younger one as a criticism), no I insist, it isn’t a boy thing, it’s a Wired Momma’ette thing (names not relevant). It’s a thing she likes, or it’s a thing the other one likes, it’s not boy things or girl things, boy or girl shouldn’t matter, we don’t need to assign meaning and gender when we are three. It is CRIMINAL that she has to process this in her own way and try to make sense out of it because she goes on to say “But I am a GIRL” – and she is so confused.

YES – I insist.

Dear Gap: how about you take this into consideration next time.

You’re a super cool girl who loves pirates, dinosaurs and super heroes and the only people who seem to take issue with that are the close minded, totally sexist one-dimensional people working at American companies. These are the very people who are unnecessarily confusing my kid and dictating to her what girls should wear, what they should play with, what they like to watch. Except she doesn’t – and she won’t.

Oh, and she also doesn’t want to wear a superhero shirt with a slutty looking Bat Girl or Wonder Woman. She wants strong girl superheroes except she can’t articulate it that well, all she knows how to do is reject those things – and rightly so.

All of this leaves me in a conundrum – do I support the Gap’s toddler boy superhero line – by purchasing a few of the things for my daughter – or do I ban them from our house all together in a feminist protest because it is so condescending to look through the contrasting clothing options offered to girl and boy toddlers at that store. Gap isn’t the only company guilty of this – they just are the target du jour because of the email they distributed a few days ago.

What do you think? Do you find this at home? Is it me – or have we had enough of this and it’s time to view kids as more nuanced, complicated, open-minded humans who enjoy a variety of things and don’t need the gender assignments the adults want to push on them?

As for the WM Working Mom Hero Award series…..that will continue either later this week or early next week….depending on how the week pans out….but “Like” WM on Facebook so you don’t miss out….rage against patriarchal American companies is certainly never the only topic du jour. C’est vrai.

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Gender Roles, Girls v. Boys, Preschool