Skating through Life

I love this picture of my Uncle Jim! He was a competitive roller skater at 18 (FYI, he's now 85!)

Meanwhile, can you even imagine your kids dressing up to go to the local roller rink?

I so love that Jim met and fell in love with my Aunt Helen (also a competitive skater) at the rink in their home town of Lincoln, Nebraska. They were married at 19 and eventually raised four boys together.

Looking at this snapshot makes me somehow wish we had a local rink for young kids to socialize and hang out in. Everything today seems to be either a mini-Disneyland or a entertainment mecca. Who knows...Maybe this summer, we'll go roller skating!

Hmm. Yet can't for the life of me see my boys lacing up a pair of skates.

The Power of Imagination

My son Wesley recently decided that he was a cowboy. He went about the house and made an outfit for himself, and informed everyone that he was now a cowboy. For two whole days he wore nothing but his outfit and his cowboy p.j.s. He refused to go anywhere without his hat and lasso, and he tried to lasso just about everything in the house.

Watching him have so much fun being so fully immersed in this character reminded me again of the endless possibilities of a child's imagination. I remember countless childhood days of mine where regular dresses turned into Princess' gowns, dining room chairs turned into trains, tree houses turned into pirate ships and leaves and berries from the backyard turned into a magic potion.

I also love the simplicity that comes hand-in-hand with imagination. Wesley kept himself entertained for days with a simple outfit and a few accessories. That's why I always prefer those traditional, simplistic toys for my boys; they don't need a toy that talks and moves and does all of the playing for them - their imagination is better than any of those toys. Their imagination is the greatest thing that they can possibly have.

For the Birds

It is so odd that my two oldest boys can identify just about every bird in sight while their parents only see the pigeons!

Fischer and Henry are official New York City "Birders". Once a title reserved for the gray-haired retirees with plenty of down time, my kids are flocking to Central Park to quietly spot Grey Cat Birds, Green Herons and Ruby Throated Blackbirds.

Binoculars in hand, they tromp through the Ramble eagerly pointing out sightings to each other. As true field guides and explorers, they both are keeping a journal with drawings of discovered birds.

Hmm. Lewis and Clark would be proud!

No Sour Lemons

For me, lemonade is the quintessential sign of summer. I distinctly remember squeezing lemons with my mom, pouring sugar that refused to melt and trying to get the right balance of sweet and sour. I simply LOVE lemonade!

So, after a blistering hot spell in New York, my son, Fischer and his best friend, Alston, decided to they wanted to make some spending money. And a lemonade stand seemed like the best way to do it. The boys opened their annual stand on Wednesday after school.

Crowds quickly circled the table, eager to get an ice cold, freshly squeezed cup. (FYI, prices have radically gone up as the boys decided to charge a dollar...all because they had NO change!) Ha. Their customers were willing to pay!

They also ingeniously introduced a new marketing tactic this year. They offered to pay younger brother Henry and his friend to wear make-shift Sandwich Board signs advertising their "store front". It worked! The younger boys worked hard to made a little pocket change and drove customers to the booth.

They could barely squeeze the lemons fast enough and had to run to the nearby grocery store for more lemons and sugar! Of course, that ate into their profits a bit.

All told they each made $12 in profit and are eager to open up their next stand.

Time to Set Sail, My Sons

School’s about to end! Yikes! What are the boys going to do this summer? I am notoriously last minute with camp plans.

Last night, my husband and I were strolling around the New York harbor on a perfectly cool summer evening. And there it was. My answer to summer camp was right before my eyes.

There were 24 small sail boats cheerfully bobbing on the water. Ha. My boys would go to sailing camp! So I scampered down the plank to the Sailing Office (aka barge). Immediately, I had my sea legs on and starting wobbling to and fro.

There was an atmosphere of joy in the room. These people were doing something they truly loved. The teachers were young, healthy and energized. In my mind, I was envisioning my boys in a Ralph Lauren-like nautical moment…Wind blowing back their hair to reveal confident smiles as they maneuver their sail boats around the bay.

Done. I signed them up on the spot. Hmm, it would be fun to relax on a boat with a glass of wine, watching the sunset, while my kids sailed around the harbour.