Let's All Go to the Circus

Bebe Bird and Little Miss in Lincoln Center- New York City, 2013

All hail the magic that is New York! New York, a city, where possibilities seem endless, the energy never falters & dreams can unfold right before your eyes.  This magic makes me proud to be living here.  To be raising a son here. To have a life here.

Recently, when cruising down the West Side Highway I had one of those magical moments after attending the Big Apple Circus at Lincoln Center.  I found myself saying aloud "New York, I love you! What a great city!"  I turn to Bebe Bird and say "Look Bud, this is your city! This is where you were born." He's less enthusiastic.  This cupid arrow usually strikes in the evenings while catching a glimpse of the skyline & Brooklyn Bridge all lit up and always when heading down the West Side highway.  After 11 yeas of taking up residence in the Big Apple I still have many moments of love and awe for the greatness that is New York.

Lincoln Center, 2013

Last week Bebe Bird and his cousin Little Miss took their seats at The Big Apple Circus, Luminocity to experience, for the very first time, the magic of the circus.  For the first time they saw acrobats fly through the air like superheroes.  They saw men so strong they could hold other men...who were upside down.  They watched tight rope walkers climb high into the air while holding another person on a chair.  We were able to witness that awe of possibilities unfold from their tiny faces.  That magic exposed in one ring under the big top.  I discovered that the circus is a lot like life & life in New York- a magical juggling act with confetti at the end-"where little boys may cry out I only want the blue confetti" Kids!  

On his way to the Big Top

Thanksgiving & Apple Pie

Nothing's more American than good ol' fashion apple pie.  But, this Thanksgiving, when showing off this years dessert table add a little twist & serve apple pie on a stick.  Pie Pops , filled with a yummy apple filling, are made by Pie Corps and sell for $3 a pop.  These delicious (we indulged in one on a trip to Stone Barns Farm) treats, are sure to get guests talking while giving them something extra to be thankful for.  Order yours today & send us the pictures of your holiday guests enjoying these yummy Pie Pops to hi@bebebirds.com.

Love/Hate

An excerpt from an email I sent to my sister Friday afternoon:

Email
Nicole ----------------> Danielle
Friday, November 15th 2:42pm

"So, ya want to hear about my morning?"

1.  Vic took Rocco to school today, which left me HOME ALONE for the first time in AGES (And in ages I mean at least a year or more): LOVE LIFE

2. A handyman is to arrive at 9am to hang blinds ('cause I'm makin' things happen): LOVE LIFE 

3.  Realize at 915am that I actually scheduled said handyman for 9PM!: HATE LIFE

4. Accept mistake, drink a cup of tea in my quiet home, send emails, have happy thoughts of all I can accomplish, there are no interruptions: LOVE LIFE

5.  Leave house feeling good. Go pick up Bebe Boy.  There's a breeze swirling in my hair, birds singing a song just for me, sun is shinning bright on me. People on the street waving & smiling at me,  I consider getting a coffee.  There's even a bounce in my step: LOVE LIFE

6. I realize halfway there that I actually forgot the stroller: HATE LIFE

7.  Pick up the exhausted 2 year old strollerless. His jackets too big, face is dirty, eyes are droopy, there's a hole in his shoe and hair in his face. He asks to sleep in his "strollie"(stroller): HATE LIFE   

8.  I explain he's without wheels for the time being.  He accepts: LOVE LIFE

9.  We sit down for a snack together at a local cafe near the bus stop before hitching a ride on public transit: LOVE LIFE

10.  Miss the bus twice: HATE LIFE

11. 2 year old finds a near by corner at the bus stop and demands privacy as he takes care of "business" in his diaper (if you catch my drift): HATE LIFE

12.  Bus arrives: LOVE LIFE

11.  Board bus. Im the stroller-less mom with a diaper bag, computer bag, kid backpack & 2 year old, scrounging for change even though moments before I had everything tucked neatly in my pocket counted and ready.  Line forms behind me: HATE LIFE

12. 2 year old takes his Muno back pack as I continue to look for change.  He walks himself to the back of the bus & looks for a seat.  Bus begins moving before 2 year old finds a seat & he begins stumbling around: HATE LIFE

12.  Random bus rider helps 2 year old. I'm reminded of the goodness in humanity: LOVE LIFE 

13.  Arrive home. Get off bus.  Exhausted 2 year old demands to be carried up the slope along with his Muno back pack, my computer bag & diaper bag: HATE LIFE

14. I can do it & reminded I am stronger then I think (sometimes): LOVE LIFE

15.  My sleepy 2 year old lays his head on my shoulder: LOVE LIFE (and him) 

16.  Finally home: LOVE LIFE

17.   Run into the apartment to retreive the stroller.  Stroller not there.  Stroller missing.  I question my sanity.  I call Papa Bird.  Did he take the stroller to school. "No." Where the "EFF" is the stroller?  Bebe now crying.  He wants to sleep in his BLACK stroller.  I have to pee.  Racking brain for stroller location.  Still questioning my sanity.  Mind racing.  Still have to pee. Bebe refuses  to come inside: HATE LIFE

18.  A light bulb: The BLACK stroller is actually in the car from the day before: LOVE LIFE 

19. Run inside with crying baby & get the car keys, am able to pee: I LOVE LIFE  Tired Crying Bebe  HATES LIFE

20. Retrieve stroller. Baby jumps in (poppy diaper from bus stop earlier is finally changed) Bebe closes his eyes and takes his place in dreamland as I head to the coffee shop to write.  All is right in our world: LOVE LIFE

Please note that all the while I have been unable to hear out of my right ear because of an ear infection.  And I cut my bangs myself so I look a lot like the Dutch Boy now.  

How is your day ?

John Lithgow's: Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo

John Lithgow with illustrator Leeza Hernandez reading"Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo" 

One of my favorite New York experiences is having the opportunity to meet some of our favorite authors at local bookshops. It's intimate and inspiring.  After an afternoon excursion to Central Park Zoo Bebe Bird and I were able to enjoy such an experience when we stopped into Books of Wonder on our way home.  Actor & children's author, John Lithgow was performing a reading from his newest children's book "Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo "with the books illustrator Leeza Hernandez.

This fun & interactive children's book tells the story of a boy who attends a summer concert at an outdoor bandshell right next to the zoo.  The zoo animals love the music so much they storm the stage, take over the instruments and hilarity ensues.  "Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo" is wonderfully written in a sing song way-literally.  The book comes equipped with a CD of a live orchestra & Lithgow singing.

Lithgow, whose father had instilled in him a  love of books, has passed on such a joy of reading to his children.  "I have carried on my father's tradition by reading aloud to my own kids when they were little.  I have also started a few traditions of my own, like singing to them and playing really mediocre guitar, building castles with them out of refrigerator boxes and treasure hunts across museums" According to Lithgow's biography.

John Lithgow performs a snipit- of"Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo" at Books of Wonder 

You can purchase your own signed copy with CD of "Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo" for $17.99, at Books of Wonder. 

Happiness Is

Belly Laughs

West Coast Sunsets

Exploring New Things

Witnessing Magic Unfold from the Imagination

Appreciating Beauty Around You

Capturing Quiet Moments

Cupcakes (in tutus & in jars)

Sleeping In

Tiny Footsteps

Wednesday's

Taking Off

Little Boys in BIG Beds with Fauxstaches

Having Joy & Courage

Life in NYC

Discovering Love in Unexpected Places

Bedtime Stories

Knowing We Can Do Hard Things (thanks Momastery) 

Little Boy Things

Breakfast at La Galette Creperie

Babies & Buddhas

Seeing Your Bebe for the First Time

Casa Kids: Making City Living Look Easy

Roberto Gil, creator of Casa Kids

Making Spaces in the Tiniest of Places:  Last weekend, I had the opportunity to chat with the talented children's furniture designer, Roberto Gil, creator of Casa Kids.  Gil, a former architect, found inspiration in children's furniture design when, during some time off he began designing adult size chairs and was told by friends how perfect those chairs would be for children.  Thus began Casa Kids-children's furniture that help transform city living with kids into chic, fun and well manageable.  Every piece of furniture is modern in design with a clean esthetic and oh so functional

Take a look for yourself:

This bedroom built for two has built in "stairs" leading up to the bed with large drawers offering plenty of storage space.  

Fit for Four:  Each bed in this bedroom is designed with their own reading light, closed off foot boards and higher guard rails creating a quiet refuge for each child in one room. 

This is a favorite of mine:  Maybe it's because I know so many families that could benefit from this design.  This bedroom set is clean, modern & can grow with the children.  The space under the bunk bed can be used for a crib, then a toddler bed and can even fit, for an additional purchase, a twin bed when the baby is older.  

This playful children's "Treasure Drawer Desk", $300, is made of birch plywood at Casa Kids

FUN FACTS 

• Bebe Bird is the proud owner of a Casa Kids rocking chair.  The rocking chair is 12 years old and has weathered two toddlers and is still in mint condition.
• Gil, uses the large window located in the guest bedroom of his Brooklyn home as a window display for his furniture.  
• Casa Kids loft beds & bunk beds offer everything for comfortable sleeping from detachable trays with the ability to move back and forth as well as moonlight as a nightstand, extra cutouts on ladders for easy gripping or "stairs' that can also be used for storage.  
• Roberto, and his team, have designed approximately 300 bedrooms in the NYC area alone.  
• Most common material used is birch plywood certified by FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) & CARB (California Air Resource Board)
• The signature circles incorporated into so many of Casa Kids designs was inspired by the ships portholes that Gil can see outside his Red Hook, Brooklyn studio on a daily basis.  
• Casa Kids offer home installation for the NYC area.
• Casa Kids furniture is so beautiful they should be in a museum...and WERE-showcasing at the MOMA, Guggenheim and The Whitney. 

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Check out Bebe Bird  in his 12 year young Casa Kids rocker. This is living proof that Casa Kids furniture can withstand the test of time & toddlers.    

To learn more about Casa Kids and to be inspired by this modern children's furniture line visit them here. Prices range from $200 for the Treasure Chair to $5,900 for the Marino Bunk Over Daybed with Stairs.  And if Casa Kids has tricked out your urban dwelling please share at hi@bebeirds.com.  We would love to share with our readers.  

Casa Kids furniture even has a Superfan