Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Artiste

Williamsburg, 2014

Going back to work has been tough, but this week my schedule meant I got a little bit of extra time with these guys today. Trying to soak it up before next week, when I'll be at the office early in the mornings and way past bedtime. Gah!

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Amazing

Williamsburg, 2014

The photos don't quite do it justice, but these guys were very cute at bedtime.

Monday, August 25, 2014

Vantage Point


It's always fun to see the neighborhood through another person's eyes, in this case food writer Mimi Thorisson's (her blog, Manger, is enough to make you pack your bags and move to France on a whim...) Some lovely pictures of Reynard's there, if you're not too busy booking your tickets to the Medoc.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Haircut

Axel, 2014

Here's a little before and after of Axel's much-needed haircut today. We went to Edamama Cute Cuts on Union, and he was spoiled with balloons, bubbles, stories, and more. He is looking nearly ready for nursery school (sob!)

Flying Solo

Williamsburg, 2014

Will gets home this afternoon (after another few days away.) The boys and I have been having a good time...Axel is being especially helpful with Ozzy lately, singing him songs at bedtime, stroking his hair, passing him toys...

I am beat but happy!

Friday, August 22, 2014

Fix

Williamsburg, 2014

I have been missing this little person this week (and his older brother.) On the cusp of six months old, and he's so sweet and sturdy. Axel is also starting to take more of an interest, saying 'My baby brother' and 'I hold it?'

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Lately

Williamsburg, 2014

So the reality of going back to work and to real life has set in. We are all doing just fine, but alas, my computer is not. I will get back to a more regular schedule of posting once it's back from rehab and we've settled in a bit more.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

The Boy

Williamsburg, 2014


A lovely little celebration (redux) for our Axel. grateful for the last two years that have somehow brought us here..

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Check Up

Williamsburg, 2014


Axel had his 2 year checkup today, and Oscar his six month visit (a few weeks early.) Both were troopers for their shots. Ozzy is 17 pounds and Axel is 28!

It was a gorgeous day in Brooklyn, which helped a bit with my post-holiday malaise. Back to the fashion mines tomorrow...

Mischief

Axel, 2014

We had a meetup at the park yesterday afternoon for Axel's soon-to-be nursery classmates. We met four or five little guys who will be in his class, plus parents, and it was muggy and a little frenetic.

Axel honed in on one of the little boy's balls, and did not react well to the idea of relinquishing it once the parent started saying 'Please give it back.' Once he did give it back, the little boy seemed disinterested and left it in a corner near where they were all playing, but every time Axel zeroed in on it again, the mom said something like 'That's my son's favorite toy!' This coming off of six weeks of intense toy negotiations with his older cousins, and I am sure Axel was determined to stand his ground.

I basically spent an hour and a half prying it out of Axel's hand (cue sobbing and 'My turn!') just to have the other kid ignore it and the mom say something about sharing and the whole process to begin again. It was kind of a nightmare. Playground politics, man. I'm sure she's a lovely person, but it made for an exhausting introduction to school life.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

11211 Love (and Lament)

Williamsburg, 2014

While we've been away, a number of Williamsburg institutions have been dropping like flies.

First came The Verb, then Kings Pharmacy, and now it's Brooklyn Ale House.

In their wake comes news of J. Crew's arrival, in a piece that describes the neighborhood as 'an upscale shopping and dining destination.' I suppose it is now. 

There's a shmancy new sushi place frequented by Scarlett Johansson (Cherry Izakaya), and The Chocolate House by Mast Brothers, serving cold brew chocolate, whatever that is. Diesel is coming and possibly a Shake Shack...and then there are little travel posts like this one, a near constant reminder that cool-seeking tourists are here.

Of course, I could wax nostalgic about the good old days of 2001, when North 11th Street was full of chop shops and broken glass and the waterfront was a wasteland, but as a regular shopper at Depanneur and owner of a ginormous double stroller, I should probably just be quiet. 


Summer Gear

Baggu Beach Bag
It's going to take some time for me to get back into a city aesthetic (who am I kidding, I don't have a city aesthetic!)

Until that magical day, I'm still wearing my silver Birkenstocks and carrying around my Baggu beach bag, which serves us well in Maine and made for good gifts for a lot of the family we encountered. I love that they are made in Brooklyn (just a few blocks from home) and that they're a more stylish alternative to the ubiquitous L.L. Bean boat tote.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Strange Days

New York, 2014
It's strange, but mostly nice, to be back in Brooklyn.

Six weeks away...that's the longest stretch of time I've been away from the city in a decade. Seeing so much green, so much ocean, and getting so much fresh air in Maine, I had all but forgotten the sensory overload that is the city.

Suddenly there's music everywhere, jackhammers and traffic and smells, people's elbows and overheard snippets of conversation.

Another thing that's jarring is how many transactions take place in a day here. I mean, of course I remember that New York is expensive, but being back to the land of $7 boxes of cereal and $11 pressed juice and $4 coffees still comes as a shock.

Axel seemed happily disconcerted to be back in a place that's so familiar. 'Home' he said on Sunday night. I think he gets it, basically. It might take me a little longer to catch up.

I loved letting him run a bit wild this summer, in such a pristine place and in a very small community, surrounded by family. But then this is our 'real' life, with jobs and tasks and friends and the cacophony of noise and visuals that is urban life.

We are not moving to Maine anytime soon, for a variety of reasons (not least because it's hard to make a living there, doing what we do.) But naturally the sudden juxtaposition of two places we love makes me think about our choice to raise our kids in the city, and whether all the culture and energy of New York confers any advantage on a child, or if it's just white noise.

I also plunged back into work, and edit meetings, and commuting on Monday morning, which marked the end of my unofficial maternity leave. It's struck me that I really like what I do for a living, so there's that. We have a good little life here too, the four of us in the city. It's just very very different...

Last week I was having conversations about deserted islands; this week it's New York fashion week.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Dispatch

Maine, 2014

While I was in Maine, I did a little bit of work. Here's a short piece on roadtripping along the coast and some of my favorite places we visited this summer.

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Wild Ones

Maine, 2014

We are packing up our wild, wild chickens and heading down to New York tomorrow. There's no place like home, but I still think it will be something of a culture shock, to say the least.

Friday, August 8, 2014

36

Maine, 2014

Really, not a bad night to turn 36, after all.

Last Few Days

Maine, 2014

We are gearing up for our last couple of days in Maine and our trek back to Brooklyn and to work...obviously with views like these, there are mixed emotions. I could learn to be a lobsterman, right?

Oh, and I am 36 today. Gulp.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Birthday Sundowners

Maine, 2014

After all the hooplay, we headed down to the local watering hole with Axel (birthday loot in tow) for some live music before bedtime. A good day all around.
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