First Night Westport Weston 2010

We played it by ear this year because it was so bitter last year. It snowed all morning, so we got 3 inches. There was talk about it turning into rain. Also, the kids fell asleep about 1 pm. Three o’ clock rolled around and they were still napping, but we got ready to go anyway. The plan was to go to the bouncy house, magic show, and get Mads’ face painted. We finally made it out of the house and actually ended up staying for the fireworks. A lot was accomplished: bouncy house, Lalie, horse carriage ride, magic show, square dancing, Chris Coogan’s show, and finally the fireworks, which were amazing! We stood by the river near the lower entrance of the libraryOuSe we walked back to the parking lot, I was drawn to the bonfire. Oh, what a night! Good thing I was a walking deli with coldcuts, cheese cubes, grapes, crackers, lemonade boxes, and cookies. It was also a warm and clear night – perfect, really.

Clashing Celebrations – Christmas Spirit and Jewish Traditions

We started the morning with the WWL’s Children’s Holiday Breakfast, but we were off to a bad start. It took us 30 minutes to figure out that we had to park in the back of the Middle School and enter into the cafeteria that way. We went up and down School Road because the front of the school (except for the entrance to the pool) was closed. There was no signage indicating that the event was happening. Anyway, we didn’t take a picture with Santa, but we did get a picture of Mads with Mrs. Claus. WZR did not like the looks of Santa; Mrs. Claus got skeptical looks from him.

Mads even hip hopped with the Abominable Snowman after eating her hearty pancake breakfast.

After that we went to a Jewish wedding, where there was a lot of eating and dancing! It was interesting in that the men and women were separated during the ceremony and also during the reception. There was a divider in the middle of the room so the men had their celebration and the women had theirs. The bride and groom got together a couple of times, but most of the evening they spent it apart. The bride was absolutely beautiful (LOVED her dress). Poor Mads wanted to dance with her, but her mother was too shy to get involved in traditional dancing. At least she got a private moment with the princess and posed for a pic.

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Snake, Chinchilla, Roach Race, you name it, she touched it

We were at a birthday party today, and I give the hosts a lot of credit for having 37+ kids plus their parents at their house. Mental note to self, lock up toys that have small pieces or are part of a set because they will be dispersed into different rooms, if not heating vents. Poor Lego sets. Anyway, it was a beautiful day. At this party, there was a GIGANTIC Superman bouncy house that has a maze, bounce section, and a slide. Mental note, get cakes from Stew Leonard’s again for future parties. Towards the end of the party, there were animal encounters that included a skink, rabbit, guinea pig, hedgehog, snake, and chinchilla. Then there was a roach race. I’m all partied out for the weekend since we were at another one yesterday that was much smaller and WZR slept on the couch for most of it. Yup, he was tired before it all even began.

Sunday in Chinatown

It’s been a while since we’ve visited my family, so we found a Sunday free of parties and left early. Fortunately, we had an extra hour in the day so we were able to leave on time. There was no traffic and we found a free parking spot and saved at least $20 and a lot of local traffic aggravation. Construction on every street corner and a movie being filmed at night near Columbus Park was a recipe for road rage, so we parked by Worth Street. Dim Sum at Sun Shine 27 (Bowery) was pretty good. I had my share of dumplings, chicken feet, and noodles. Then we headed to my mother’s to drop off the kids for some bonding time (babysitting). It was nice to be without the kids and just with the hubby, even for just an hour. (If he reads this, he will be thinking out loud that I should find us a sitter so we can go out more.) With a mango jasmine bubble tea in hand, I accompanied my husband to get a nice haircut for $8 at China Beauty Salon (15 Doyer St.) and then we headed to Kam Man, where the dried goods are in the basement (shown below) and the perishables and snacks are on the main level. I needed more curry powder. We also got some jasmine tea pearls because my aunt in NJ told me that she got a tin can of those from there. I really liked it, but did not (gasp!) take a picture of the brand, so we had to buy it by the pound. Tea pearls are little balls of tea leaves that unravel in hot water and release their magic. Ha! Anyway, on our way to Kam Man, we did see a Chinese band on Mott Street (in front of the Chinese School) and a food vendor on Canal Street. Too bad I was full because it looked like there was good food being cooked on both sides of the cart, usually for just $1. Finally, we bought some roast pork and ginger scallion chicken to bring home for dinner. My mother took care of the other shopping earlier for vegetables and she even made soup for us. So home we went. The sunset was a happy ending to a Sunday in Chinatown.

Golly, it’s Halloween!

We put off pumpkin carving weekend after weekend, evening after evening, and suddenly it’s Halloween! Mads had soccer in the morning, but WZR and I were excused from sitting on the wet field. After lunch, we got down on our knees and started the carving, I had gotten a flimsy set of tools, but they helped, despite the main tool snapping in half. Mads had fun digging out the goo. It was a family affair, with WZR prancing around the circle while we were hard at work. The final products justified our efforts and delay.

Next, we went to a members-only party at the Little Gym, where Mads won “funniest costume.” The kids had a lot of fun tossing balls and crawling through a mountain of foam.

The Ragamuffin Parade was a little wet, but we did get to parade to the fire station, where a haunted house, ice cream, donut holes, popcorn, and coffee were waiting.

Finally, we hit Joanne Lane for some trick-or-treating. The houses are a little too far apart and the houses a little too sunken in from the road. Briar Oaks Lane had lots of kids running around in packs. We drove through Salem Road, where there were bonfires and A LOT of people, but THIS is clearly the place to be on Halloween night! This is where we will come next year. Happy Halloween!

Weston Girl Scouts Annual Fun Fair

Too bad my kids were too tired for this on Saturday, but it looked like Mads would have enjoyed more fun and games. Maybe next year. There was also a tag sale, but I didn’t see any cookies for sale. At least they had nice weather. It’s just too bad it ended up on the same day as the Halloween Fair, where all the Boy Scouts were.

Meet Weston’s Most Frightfully Good Dancer

After the walk in Westport on Saturday, we went to the Weston Historical Society’s Halloween Fair. We were greeted by this friendly gent, who has to be the most frightfully (to WZR) good performer in Weston. As you can see, Maddy thought he was cool enough to jam with.

It was a really fun event, full of prizes from old-fashioned kids’ games like the bean toss, shooting gallery (with tennis balls), bowling, basketball, and frisbee toss. You can see Mads baring her new fangs. There was a pinata that wouldn’t  break despite being beat by sticks, bats, or WZR. Mads also enjoyed a pony ride, bouncy house (cool-looking one, but set up backwards), face painting, and crafts. There was a hayride offered, too, but Mads was not interested in getting poked by the hay. All the fun and games required tickets, but we didn’t have to buy any because generous friends of ours (one we met in the parking lot and the other at the fair) gave us their leftovers. Mads was even photographed for the local paper. We’ll see if she finally makes it in. As we were leaving, Mads was given more prizes to take home, including a witch finger and more teeth. The kids were both tired out from this event that they couldn’t stay awake for the Girl Scouts Annual Fair down the road.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

It was a fantastic day for a walk at the Sherwood Island State Park to help make strides against breast cancer. Our team of two moms from Weston raised $763 (Go Lyn). We thank our generous sponsors! The walk seemed short for 3 miles (maybe we’re supposed to do the route a couple of times?), but we stayed and enjoyed the beach after we were done. It’s definitely a family-friendly event. Having never been at the park before, we were impressed and we had a good time!

Fall Fair at New Canaan Nature Center Brought Smiles

The sky threatened with rain, but that didn’t stop us from going to the 40th Annual Fall Fair at the New Canaan Nature Center. Looks like it didn’t stop some of our fellow Westonites, either. We enjoyed a Wonder Pets skit about saving the baby bat, face painting, pumpkin decorating with food, pizza, burger, Boxcar treats, animal exhibits, a pony ride, live music by Mystic Bowie, Kidz on the Go activity center, and finally a hay maze. Mads even got interviewed by the New Canaan Patch. The apple slinging, lasso, haystack hunt, and other kids’ games looked cool. Pie eating contest? Not for us this year. Overall, we really had a load of fun, especially since we inherited some tickets from a family that was heading out as we pulled in. Although we didn’t become members of the NCNC today, we will in the future. The grounds are beautiful, and I can see myself with a book on one of the benches. Seems like a cross between Wave Hill in Riverdale and the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens: the best of both worlds. It’s not that far from us, and NCNC is easy to get to. Maybe we’ll see you there sometime.

Compo Beach Playground Fun

We didn’t have school today, but Westport did? Guess my library book was due today, too, then. Oh well. Anyway, we enjoyed a nice fall day at the Compo Beach playground. WZR is still not walking, yet, but he gets around. He explored a little more today and even hoisted himself up and stood for a second on his own in the center of the “pirate ship.” It was great! Of course, his favorite is still the swing because I face him toward the water and he gets to watch the “wo wo’s” that go “woof woof.” After that we went to Trader Joe’s and spent too much money. I had to spend even more money at the CVS across the way, BUT I found the back way that my friend was talking about to avoid Post Rd traffic. WOW! Thanks, Lyn!