Wowwww this cold is not messin around. It snowed for the first time in over two years and we went from 50 to well below freezing in a heartbeat. When I walked outside with Finn yesterday to take him to school, he excitedly pointed and squealed “snow!” It kinda blew my mind because not only would it be years before this Savannah-bred gal saw snow, I don’t know that I even knew what it was at 2-years-old. It’s set to be frigid throughout the weekend so we’ll need to figure out some good indoor activities for that busy boy.
I’d never been to FAO Schwartz since they moved (and I think I only went to the original location once) but Richard and Lindsay were itching to take little Magnus there after our group brunched. Since holiday tourism has died down, it wasn’t quite so insane, though my beau will tell you the crowds were still a bit much for him. That said, it was a great place to bring a toddler to kill some time. There is soooo much stuff there and toys that suit every sort of interest. We spent over an hour just running around looking at everything, staying warm as the snow flurries threatened to approach. While Finn loved seeing all the “buddies” (aka stuffed animals) and candy (even though he didn’t even know what the candy was), it was the rocket ship that really stole his heart. My Albert Otto Astronaut-o was in heaven with all the buttons and I eventually had to drag him out of there.
With school closed for MLK Day, we had a full day to fill. The highlight for Finn was definitely the Children’s Museum where he got to do an MLK Jr.-themed craft and then run alllll over the place. After two hours we decided it was time to go so he could have a nap and he pretty much refused – that’s the kind of gem this museum is. Well worth the price of entry. Also, I was so incredibly proud of myself for making it through the entire day without a minute of tv time. We’re not so crazy about tv rules but limit it to a max of 1.5 hours total on the weekends. Listen. It’s hard. I want to do all these enriching activities – and I plan them! – but sometimes he’s just not having it. And he’s not going to just play by himself so you have to sit there talking to someone who can’t fully communicate back and wants to just do animal noises or sing the alphabet song on repeat. It’s exhausting and sometimes you just want to zone out with a coffee or read a section of the newspaper so I can’t fault any parent who gives in to tv time. It’s a minor thing, but I’m proud of myself for figuring out how to really enjoy that time with my own kid and not going for the crutch. Yes, yes, I’m his Mom and I should naturally enjoy that time and find it easy to fill…but that’s just not the life I live so I’m calling this a win. Side note: a big part of my recent success is leaning into the journey of an activity. Rather than putting him in a stroller (which he typically refuses anyway) on the way to the coffee shop/museum/park, I let him walk and take the stairs on the subway and enjoy a long bus ride back. It takes forever for his little legs (and easily-distracted brain) to get us anywhere so I can easily turn a 45 minute activity into a 2-hour excursion where I’m not sitting still either so everyone is happy and engaged.
Albert was feeling a bit under the weather on Sunday so I downsized the meat and cheese plate I prepared for the Sunday-that’s-like-a-Saturday of a long weekend. (Don’t worry, I also served a flatbread pizza in addition to this.) The star of the plate was definitely the hummus and pita chips from TAiiM Shack Mobile, a newcomer to the Morningside Park farmer’s market. I got the basil hummus and Mashiseo-seasoned pita chips and both were outstanding.
Peaches to Apples 