Boston Children's Museum

Fun Fact: Boston Children's Museum is only a buck to get in on Friday nights from 5-9. Cheap date. Lots of fun!

Random. So very very random.

Soooo my camera is working again! Wahoooo! I rescued the pictures that it has been holding hostage and I'm about to dump them upon you. So this post isn't much more than a whole lot of cute. Enjoy!




Holy Halloween! I can't believe I never got to share this with you. Hendrix was Yoda and I went as Princess Leia! So cute.



Henry's favorite birthday gift. The smart trike bike.





Our trip to The Science Museum. Hendrix loved watching the baby chicks hatch and the monkeys swing in their trees. We went to the k'nex exhibit and Daddy and C entered a contest to see who could build the tallest structure using only a certain amount of pieces. They worked sooo hard.















Henry's favorite part was the giant honeycomb. He dressed like a bee and was very busy "collecting" pollen.










Cute,no?

Boston on a Budget. Part 1 of 2.

The recession seems to have effected all aspects of our budget. Coupons are cut, debt is raked up and savings has disappeared. I have been determined to not allow it to bleed into our family social life. Weekends...especially in the insanely overpriced Boston..can cost a small fortune.
I decided I wanted to do up the weekend big on a next to nothing budget. Over the course of two weekends I gave myself the budget of 20 and 30 dollars. Check out how I did..

Weekend 1: The Boston Children's Museum.




The Boston Children's Museum is huge. Almost impossible to cover all of it in one day. My biggest recommendation if you'll be visiting is to go during the week. We no longer are afforded this luxury because Cis in school so Saturday was the day and it was PACKED. The location is beautiful and even with the rainy weather we got to take in the sites. BCM has been totally renovated in the last few years. Not only have they gone "green" but they have added so many new aspects to their three floors of fun including a new and improved bubble room, a light up, interactive dance floor, and a literal version of musical chairs.

Taking in the view...

Deep in thought...

Most local libraries in the area carry Museum passes that offer a discounted rate as long as you plan ahead. We got our passes about two weeks in advance and it cost us only 2 bucks a person and the Little Bean was free because he was under the age of 1. That's 6 buckaroos people! We also paid for parking since it was pouring rain and walking far was NOT an option. That luxury cost us 10 dollars.

Inside, we got to partake in a drum circle which Hendrix loved. C got into the fun as well and was playing the bongos.

Beat that Beat kid!

Baby Bongo Hands...

The water room has been completely redone from its old nautical theme to a "Peep and The Big Wide World" theme. I'm not a huge fan of the aesthetics but the water is there for splashing so we didn't hear any complaints from the C Monster.


We spent some time in the Baby Play area.




and in the "Kid Power" Science area.



We did up a delicious picnic lunch of Turkey sandwiches with chili Dijon mustard for the adults and tuna fish for the munchkin, watermelon, crackers, milk, and apple juice. We got a cup of coffee to go which brought our total to 20 bucks!
C mentioned half a dozen times how much fun he had had on the way home.

Success!

Playlist Song #5

Playlist Song #5 is "Lost Girls" By Tilly and The Wall. Tilly and The Wall are so fun. They use tap dancing as their main form of percussion. I had the opportunity to interview them for TWOLIP Magazine a while back and it was pretty much a dream come true.



They were recently on Sesame Street singing the ABC song as well. Too Cute!!!

Weekend Successes.

This weekend was a total success. We had a relaxing Friday night that involved ice cream, cuddles, and Family movie Night. Saturday was Dave and Busters and sneakers shopping for my Step-Son who has successfully lost about 20 pairs of shoes. There was a little drama over this has he has recently taken to the idea of slip ons and now refuses to wear anything with laces. C has always had a pair of Vans Spicolis’s in rotation so this isn’t a huge problem, however I feel like at 8 years of age one may be too old to completely banish laces from his closet. There isn’t a lot of options in his size for cool kicks without laces so I came up with a solution….



Not a bad call, eh? We would still prefer the actual laces and that he learn how to tie them but this at least satisfies us all until then. He picked these out himself…he’s got good style huh? He had a serious jonesin for a pair of checkered vans in a neon multicolor (he kept calling them Disco Shoes..errr what?) but they didn’t have them in his size. I was pushing for the plain black pair so it would go with everything (oh hello? Since when am I practical about shoes? Have you looked in my closet?) but the kid is all about the color combos.



Sunday we headed over to Rock N Romp…a totally success! C ran around like a banshee, bought about 600 balloon animals, and rocked out.

Balloon Butt!

Hendrix loved it as well. He was super smiley and happy. They had little shaker maracas that Hendrix enjoyed licking repeatedly.

Mosh Pitt Baby!

Both One Happy Island and The Shills were thoroughly enjoyable and kid appropriate and My hubby, Michael Savant, spun some tunes. I think we could all take a lesson from the children and their dance moves. The totally get down and my favorite? The running back and forth that takes place. Numerous kids just running from one side of the dance floor to the other, over and over.
Mouths hanging open, wind in their faces, pure glee. Adorable.

I was psyched to see some faces from Baby Center and my blog joining in on the fun!

Driving home from dinner on Sunday night C sat in the back seat gushing about what a great weekend he had and how he didn’t want it to end.

Music to a (step) parents ears!

Rock N Romp! Family Friendly Fun!

I'm a huge fan of the Rock N Romp events. RNR is"a family friendly concert series showcasing fantastic local-area musicians and bands". Basically they keep the volume low, host the event during the day, and keep it kid friendly and the adults get to socialize, have a drink, and listen to live music. Brilliant! Rock N Romp started in Washington D.C. and has now spread to multiple cities all over the country. So come check out the one in Boston on February 28th, I'll be there and I hear the Dj is suppperrrr talented (oh Hai, it's my hubby!). Big ups to Kerry Lavin of Girl Friday Industries for bringing the event to Boston.


See you there!

I'm BAAAAACK

Phew! The last week was rough. We have moved. Only to have to move again in the next few weeks.
Long story short...Lead paint. A court battle. and A loop hole later and we had to move within ten days. Yuck. So we are staying with the in laws while we find a new place. It's a tight squeeze but so far it has actually been enjoyable. I'll get back into a regular posting schedule in a few days. I'm still unpacking and organizing whle trying to search for a new place at the same time.

Here are some links of some stuff from over the last week for your enjoyment!


My Beautiful Step-Son has a Birthday Shout out on OHHDEEDOH.com last week. Click HERE to check it out.

Honest Fare posted some amazing recipes for making your own baby food. They look insanely good. I'm super excited to get to try them out on Smoosh in a few months. Scope them HERE.

Hi. THIS is my dream home.

Kelly Cutrone is spitting mommy advice HERE.

Full Circle

Big Bed.Little Baby.Lounging at The Liberty Hotel.

A few days ago we spent the afternoon at The Liberty Hotel (my husband is their resident DJ so we spend a decent amount of time in their amazing rooms). We lounged, ate, Smoosh napped, I watched bad television. It was perfect.




My first time staying at The Liberty was when I was about four months pregnant. I slept in the huge kind size bed, butter soft sheets, feathers for pillows.

Princess and the Pea.

Four months is such a fun time. Everything tasted so good. I felt great. I was aching for others to notice my mini baby bump.

I took the longest shower in the morning. They have amazing glass enclosed showers with the perfect amount of light and just the right water pressure. I kept starring through the door into the mirror admiring my new body. The little nest I was growing for my baby bird.

The light illuminate a roundness below my navel.
A glow on my cheeks.
The mirror reflected Hope.
A future.
Bright and long.

When I got out I wrapped the long white robe around me and tied the sash just above the bump. At the time it got lost under the material. But it never got lost in my mind.

You were always in the forefront. My baby bean growing, changing, living within me.

When I was about 8 months pregnant my husband treated me to another night at the Liberty. Again, we lounged, ate, I complained. I was sick of eating. I was exhausted from waking multiple times every night. No longer did I want attention for my belly but to hide it away as my little secret.

Just for me and your father. Our sweet secret. Hidden gem. Buried treasure.

I was sick of sharing you with the world already.

Peek-A-Boo!

Again I showered. I remember being frustrated because I couldn't reach a dropped shampoo bottle.

The light illuminated fat thighs.
A bloated face.
The mirror reflected chubs and flubs and small inconveniences piling up.

The towel wouldn't fit around my waist. I had to tie the robe high up, just below my breasts. I was hot. Uncomfortable. Impatient.

After he was born. While Hendrix was still in the NICU, again we had a room. Michael and his son would sleep there so they could be closer to the hospital. The plan was for me to eat, shower, and catch a nap with them before heading back to my baby.

I picked at my food.
I cried in the bathroom.
I changed my mind.

I wanted to go back right away. It had been 45 minutes since I'd left.
My husband pleaded with me to at least relax and shower.

So again I showered. This time I hated the light.

It illuminated the bags under my eyes.
I hated the mirror.
It reflected back my grotesquely empty abdomen.

I sobbed. I cried so hard I couldn't breathe. I gasped for air. Choked on my own tears. I rested my face on the cool stone tile.
I put myself on repeat.
Out loud, I begged myself.
Just Breathe.
Just Breathe.
Just Breathe.
It was in those moments that in my head I wrote this and this.

So on our perfect afternoon, about three months later, I of course, showered. This time with my rolly, polly, jelly bean.
I pressed him up against me. He sucked on my shoulder. put his fingers to my mouth. This time,
The light illuminated wide eyes.
Rose petal mouth.
Curled toes.
The mirror reflected Joy.
Pure, unadulterated, deep and wide as the ocean Joy.
My.Bundle.Of.Joy.

He fell asleep. In my arms. In that shower. The same one where I cried and begged the universe to care for my son. To teach him to breathe. Where I begged myself to do just the same.

How far we have come.

Whoa...who is that?

I'm like a real human being again! Thank you Mizu!!!

The results are in!

I'm currently bloggin from a hospital room at Boston Children's. Smoosh has been here for a 24 hour EEG to test for seizures. I'm happy to report that he had none! Phew! I cried with relief. The whole experience has been pretty rough on Hendrix. It's a lot of new people poking at him and while the staff assured me that there would be no pain involved, he was very obviously uncomfortable.

The calm before the storm...

over looking the city from the 9th floor...

Applying the EEG leeds...not happy. He started out really pissed off...

and then he calmed down for a bit and just kinda went with it...

and then he got really sad. Poor lil beeb!

He looks so silly. The whole thing took about 45 mins.

and then they wrapped his head and
we just hung out and waited.
Michael got him to calm down
and he was in a surprisingly great mood.

The night went okay. He didnt sleep great (but does he ever?). Smoosh cried out a few times looking for me and I went over and gave him my finger to hold and he went right back out. I could hear other lil ones crying for other rooms which made it hard for me to sleep. We brought along his lil sound machine so that helped.

This morning the Docs came in and gave us a good report and told us we could bust out!

He wasn't happy about having the leeds off.
They used some really stinky solution
but thankfully they came right off.

He's not happy.

All done!