Love from NYC

Last week, we had a day of art at the MoMA and a good dose of reality.

I talked the good talk with my kids about the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) being one of the ultimate "Yes, you can break it" destinations.

Pink cows, anyone?

 

 

We walked from room to room with no shortage of artists who carved unique paths that brought them to this space.

 

Jean-Michel Basquiat



Rene Magritte



Piet Mondrian



Claude Monet



Marcel Duchamp

 

From style and expression to technique and color to perception and imagination, it was an extraordinary collection to take in - too bad my kids weren't interested.

(What you and Reese do not see here are the famed Water Lilies by Monet.)

They were mostly aghast or giggling at anything remotely nude (but they thought the bathrooms were really, really nice.) 



 

For a moment, Ethan was impressed to see "Starry, Starry Night"...and then the moment passed.



Van Gogh

Thank goodness for the Art Lab.

On the lower level of the Education Center is a space devoted to kids getting their hands involved in creative projects. The day's project was to build a shelter.

Using random pieces of corrugated cardboard, pipe cleaners, paper straws and tissue paper, my kids sat and constructed for well over an hour on what their "shelter" would be. There was thought and attention, precision and innovation, vision and imagination.

There was much inspiration; all around were examples left by other young architects. 

I have to admit, it was pretty amazing to see what all these imaginative minds had dreamed up with just a few scraps. Do I see a tree growing in the background??

Inside Ethan's shelter.

In the end, my kids didn't care a fig about art's trailblazers of the past - it was ok - I saw their focus for the present and in that moment there were no limits.

Living Beyond Limits

I wanted to share this extraordinary TED Talk with you (and the kids) about Amy Purdy, world class snowboarder and 2014 Paralympic bronze medalist. 

 

Her story about losing her legs after contracting bacterial meningitis and being given a 2% chance of survival is an inspiration and the epitome of

"living beyond limits". WATCH NOW!!

If you don't have a plug-in on your device, click HERE to watch video.
 

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MoMA

We're heading into the city today to visit the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA).

I LOVE this Museum and can't wait to share it with the kids. Besides, I think we're all itching for a change of scenery - one can only look at snow-scapes for so long. 

An art visit could also be a fun way to explore our, "Yes, you can break it" rule for the month. Surely, we can find some inspiration from this ART wonderland...more to come!

Pink or Blue, for Who??

I'll admit, when we found out that we were expecting a baby boy, one of the first thoughts that went through my head was, "goodbye pink, it was nice knowing ya."

I quickly caught myself and paused. How easily the mind follows rules, particularly the ol' pink is for girls and blue is for boys...or is it?

Did you know that back in the 1940's, pink was considered a strong, manly color and best for boys while blue was regarded as delicate and dainty for girls? 

You can read more about pink and blue in the following articles...

How Pink and Blue Became Gender Specific - Co.DESGIN - CLICK HERE
When Did Girls Start Wearing Pink - Smithsonian - CLICK HERE
 
The tide may have since turned on Team Pink and Team Blue but now the trend is extending beyond clothes to toys, books and more hitting a saturation point. Don't believe me? Check out the work of South Korean photographer, JeongMee Yoon who picked up on the monochromatic movement on the streets of New York. When her own daughter amassed a hefty pink collection, she decided to document it.

"The Pink and Blue Projects were initiated by my five-year-old daughter, who loves the color pink so much that she wanted to wear only pink clothes and play with only pink toys and objects," 
                                                                                   - JeonMee Yoon


Blue is for Boys, Pink is for Girls: See Children Surrounded by Their Color Coded Toys - CLICK HERE

I think it's really interesting to see the progression of the pink/blue trend over the years and while I'm happy for the resurgence of pink today for boys and parents who buck trends, I know we won't totally become pink-huggers, but if I get my hands on this baby onesie, let the HUG-FEST begin!

Happy Un-Valentine's To You

What's your idea of a perfect Valentine's Day?

If you have visions of a candle lit dinner for two complete with red roses, a big box of chocolates and the most perfect Hallmark card you ever did read, you might be sorely disappointed by this post.

Our Valentine's is not THAT day.

For us, Valentine's Day is more akin to Chinese New Year than one of cupid and arrows. We didn't intentionally start out to be contrary to the RED-est and PINK-est day of the year. It was more an organic shift that brought about our family "tradition".

On Valentine's we celebrate with a Chinese food picnic. The tradition started when the kids were antsy babies and we were tired parents. No one was attached to anything that wafted of vintage Valentine's and who didn't love some easy Chinese takeout for dinner?

I do remember making some effort to fancy up the occasion by getting out my wedding chinaware. Pretty dishes, Chinese food, it was a good start but when you have kids, even the easiest plans can start to look like a crappy idea. 

I remember us trying to have a conversation while sitting at the dining room table but there were shrieks from one babe and yelling from the other; a war was breaking out. No one was happy. The Valentine's moment wasn't happening and eventually David pulled his plate down to the floor almost in surrender to the witching hour that seemed to overtake our house.

Strangely enough, the kids relaxed when we moved it all down to their level. Maybe it was pure curiosity? What were we doing down here and look, there is food, too! I don't even have a picture of that first Valentine's though I am sure there was a camera nearby. I had pictures of so many other firsts during those years. That Valentine's disappeared into the night rather quickly, just like the Chinese food.

And now that the kids have grown up, the tradition is still with us.

Even though we are all capable of sitting at a table, we are still on the floor. Even though I am certain I have the best idea for a new meal in or a fabulous night out, we order Chinese. Even though they are  getting a taste of the goldmine of chocolate that is out there on this, the SWEET-est day of the year, when we ask, our kids still want, first and foremost, a Chinese food picnic at our house....and so we oblige.

One day I'm sure the tradition will fall away. I think it is starting to a little for me and David. But now with a baby on the way, who knows what new tradition may suddenly take it's place, again, either from curiosity or sheer sanity. Whatever it is, I can't wait to see what our next Valentine's will look like.

And I'll try my best to remember my camera for the occasion.

Tic Tac Toe, Anyone?

 

Here is our inspiration art, up on the fridge for February!!

 

We found this visual online. A mash-up of Tic-Tac-Toe and "think outside the box", the image really clicked with the kids - smiles and laughter equals bonus points.

 

It's one part simple, two parts playful and all around, a great conversation starter, which is what we need as we think about our February rule.

 

"Yes, You Can Break It"

 

Would you like to play a game?

 

 

 

 

February's Rule

Thank you all for your recent congrats and kudos on our baby news!

I have to admit, it was really tough to keep the secret to ourselves for the last few weeks. My apologies that all the excitement, nerves and hormones got me off track for much of January's postings. But we're back now and ready to "hit" February with our next rule.....

The kids LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the name of this rule although they are not completely sure what I mean by it...it's still a work in progress.

 

The original inspiration for this rule was a desire to "break the mold" on some ideals we've all learned (consciously or unconsciously). At the moment, our kids are growing up fast and are itching for more freedom. We are willing to give it to them but we also want to encourage them to question the world around them as they learn to find their own minds.

 

It's a tall order for just one month, I know, but this rule gives them the "mental" sledgehammer to do it.

 

To understand "Yes, you can break it!" is to know that there is more than one way through life. It is not simply black and white, thankfully, there is a lot of gray to be found but sometimes you have to be brave enough to look for it, you have to be willing to let go or "break" with what you know.

 

And that's where a rainbow opens up because to find the gray in moments is to remember that no one person or situation is one dimensional. Nothing is simply good or bad or right or wrong. There is more to life, more to any of us.

 

Shades of GRAY are everywhere!

 

I know. For all our talk of rainbows last month, GRAY is what came alive most for me beyond the shades of a sonogram. And I haven't stopped thinking about or noticing the many GRAYS in our days since.

 

So with this month's rule, permission is granted to push and pull on the everyday we know, to challenge and break "it" and see what shades of GRAY we can uncover and discover for ourselves.

 

xox

Happy Monday to ya!

 

 

 

 

 

HELLO, LOVE

 

For all our talk of rainbows this month, we've found the best reason to love the color, gray and all its many shades this winter....we're having a BABY!

 

 HELLO, LOVE...

HAPPY MONDAY TO YA!