Summer Reading (2012)

The big kids have gone back to school (all of my parent friends of school-aged kids were either bleary eyed and sentimental or joyously relieved in the past few days, depending on their kids' ages), but for us mamas of littles, there's still a few extra weeks of summer left before us, still a few weeks left to cram in some summer reading before the weather turns. I love summer reading -- it gives me a chance to put down the heavier tomes I try to tackle over the rest of the year and indulge in some pure fluff. I thought I'd share some of my favorites of this summer, in case you are looking for something to take with you to the pool or beach over Labor Day weekend.

-The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty: On their first date, handsome Patrick confesses to hypnotherapist Ellen O'Farrell that he's being stalked by an ex-girlfriend, and as their relationship progresses, Ellen finds herself thinking more and more about Saskia, the mysterious woman from his past. What she doesn't know is that Saskia has already assumed a fake identity and is posing as one of Ellen's clients in an attempt to find out more about her. The story is told alternately from Ellen and Saskia's point of view, and it's pretty amazing how Moriarty manages to make both women equally sympathetic, given the squickiness of Saskia's behavior. The end result is a story about new beginnings that is both funny and psychologically complex. Should be read: by the pool, resisting the urge to check your ex's Facebook profile.

-The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan: I read this book late at night while James was out of town, which turned out to be a mistake, given that it is a truly creepy read about survivors of an ocean liner disaster in an overcrowded boat making some tough decisions about the best way to stay alive. It's set in the early days of World War I, and there is a deliciously Downton-Abbey-esque vibe to the flashback (and flashforward) scenes. Should be read: at the beach. On a sunny day. With lots of people around.

-Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman: There was a lot I disagreed with in this book comparing and contrasting the ways in which American and French women raise their children (Note: the French women always come out on top), but there is no denying that it was a fun read. I felt like I could see the little Parisienne children as they frolicked in their striped tops to the sound of organ-grinder music...and there were a few inspiring bits about getting kids to eat veggies. Should be read: At the playground, while your little American beasts take out some of that corn-fed energy on the swings.

-Motherland by Amy Sohn: In 2010, Amy Sohn wrote a razor-sharp satire of rich moms in Park Slope, Brooklyn, called Prospect Park West; Motherland is the followup, and picks up with all of the characters' lives in shambles (divorce, adultery, secret love children). Should be read: Any day your family is driving you crazy. You will be grateful for them by the time you're done with this book.

-Attachments by Rainbow Rowell: Lincoln is an IT guy whose job is to check and make sure that employees of a small midwestern newspaper aren't using company email for nonwork conversations. Beth and Jennifer are coworkers who use email to chat all day, about life, love, and their innermost feelings. When Lincoln finds himself falling in love with Beth, he must decide whether to come clean. A very sweet love story about not only romance but the feelings between good friends. Should be read: Anytime, anywhere. (I loved it so much that I might revisit it over the holiday!) 

What's your favorite summertime book? Please share, I would love to add to my list. 

Happy three-day weekend to all!

Kid Zone at the Pretlow Library

After something like ten straight afternoons of thunderstorms, Baby A. and I have both been suffering from bad cases of cabin fever. Today we finally couldn't stand it anymore, all of our usual afternoon activities had worn pretty thin (Not another crayon!) So we decided to brave the rain and headed out to the Pretlow Library in Ocean View in hopes of finding a much-needed change of pace.

The Pretlow Library is one of my all-around favorite places to spend an hour or two (it also houses the Ocean View Station Museum, which I love and plan to write about in a later post, and a great selection of books and genealogy resources). But the obvious draw is the Kid Zone, which takes up the entire top level of the library. There are whirling and spinning light features, a soft play area with tumbling mats, a kitchen nook with all sorts of play food and utensils, stacks of blocks and puzzles and trains and books and pretty much everything a stimulation-starved kid could desire in a rainy-day destination (including a bank of computers with games for the older kids).

Some of the toys are a little moth-eaten, honestly, but in light of the age-old rule that toys that aren't your toys are always more fascinating, Baby Anne didn't seem to mind very much and happily carried around one of the saddest baby dolls I've ever seen as though it were an especially hot-ticket item.  After she tired of that, she spent a good long while feeding plastic play food to the other kids (and having a few "tastes" herself) and generally making a big old noisy happy mess.

 Just in case you needed more convincing, here's how we looked by the time we left (much cheerier, no?): 

What are some of your favorite rainy day places? 

Breakfast at the Get Fresh Cafe

We take brunch very seriously in our family and a lot of discussion goes into each week's choice. For this past week's rainy Sunday, we decided that the Get Fresh Cafe at the Five Points Community Market would be just right.

Get Fresh, like the name implies, serves fresh local produce sourced right from the market (you can get breakfast from 9-1 and 11-1 on Saturdays and Sundays, respectfully). After we placed our orders, we browsed the other vendors and took a look at some of the market's other offerings, while Baby A. amused herself with a handful of Legos in the play area.

James ordered an omelet with a side of sausage, and I splurged for a very un-Paleo French toast made from challah from the Sugar Plum Bakery. Baby A. sampled liberally from both of our plates, and was an especial fan of the home fries. 

I just spent five minutes trying to write a sentence about how good it all was, but you know what? I'm going to let the evidence speak for itself: 

Yum.

Nansemond Indian Tribe Pow Wow

Our friend Angela has a knack for finding the most offbeat, most totally amazing things to do in the area (if she had a blog, it would definitely be one to read!) She was the one who told us about the Nansemond Indian Tribe Pow Wow this weekend; on Saturday, James, Baby A. and I drove out to the Lone Star Lakes Lodge in Suffolk to meet Ange and her husband, watch the dancers, listen to traditional songs and stories, and experience a little bit of local Native American culture.

Awesome things about the day: the grand entrance procession, watching the jingle-bell dress dancers, a group of young girls whose dresses glittered and flashed and jangled as they moved in time with the drums, and the big swooping wings of eagle and hawk feathers that seemed to sprout from the backs of every dancer. I have a thing for feathers, and these were definitely striking.

We had the chance to join the dancers on the field at one point, and Angela and I grabbed Baby A. and hauled her out with us. She had a blast standing in the middle of the long twisting line of people and observing, until one very serious male dancer with a full face of black and white paint bent down to smile at her and sent her scurrying to find us in the throng.

In between dances, we ate buffalo wraps and traditional Nansemond bread and strolled through booths of brightly-colored wares. The quote of the day came from a mother of about four preteen boys who descended on a table of spears: "I'm not buying any shooting, stabbing, throwing, or killing utensils, forget about it!"

I think one of the things that surprised me most about the day was learning that the Nansemond tribe (along with five other Virginia tribes) are still fighting to be recognized by the federal government. A bill to recognize these tribes was put up for consideration by the Senate in 2009 but was put on hold. Until it passes, these tribes won't be eligible for the benefits that other federally recognized tribes receive. (To read more about what the bill means for the Nansemond and the Chickahominy, Eastern Chickahominy, Upper Mattaponi, Rappahannock, and Monacan peoples, go here.)

We had a really good day. Thank you, Angela!

Sandbridge

Another reason I love going to the Virginia Garden Organic Grocery is that sometimes on the way there, I'll take a wrong turn...

And then see a sign that says "Sandbridge" with an arrow...

And then say, "Oh, hell," forget about veggies, and follow it.

That's how Anouk and I ended up at Sandbridge beach a couple of weeks ago, completely unprepared, with no bathing suits, no towels, no sand toys, nada. I admit there was a moment when I pulled into the beach access parking when I thought about how there would be no salad for dinner and how full of sand my just-cleaned car was going to get and I almost turned around. But I could already hear the waves from inside the car, and the temptation was too strong. I had to get down to the beach, right away.

And so down to the beach we went.

It's been so many years since I went to Sandbridge that I almost forgot it was there. But now I remember how much I love it. The waves are so wild and strong and thrilling. You have to get in the car and really drive to get there, which makes it feel a little like vacation to go. But unlike the vacation beach experience, there's no boardwalk, no penny-printing machines, no errant french-fry containers littering the sand. There's just beach, and waves, and water, and houses with names, like Sun Haven and Angel of the Sea, which appeals to the Green Gables in me.

(Speaking of beach houses, there were a ton more than I remembered and one very raw, very new-looking condo building, which worried me slightly because it made me fear that those french-fry containers aren't far behind and the sight of one in Sandbridge might break my heart. But for that day, at least, we were safe.)

And speaking of sand, if I dislike it, then Baby Anne makes up for it. She likes sand approximately 15,000% more than I ever will.

We went home tired and slightly sunburned, the car was sandier than I ever could have imagined a car could get, and to top things off, we got caught in base traffic on the way back. But sometimes the best part of the day is the unexpected detour. I stand by that.

Virginia Garden Organic Grocery

 You know you've got a good thing going when running out for groceries feels like a bonafide outing. Anouk and I love going to the Virginia Garden Organic Grocery (at the Virginia Beach Farmer's Market). Here are a few reasons why:

While there are many food vendors with local and naturally grown produce at the VB Farmer's Market, there's also a lot of traditionally grown stuff, too--meaning the same watermelons and grapes you see at your local Kroger. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference. In addition to a focus on local foods, virtually everything at the Virginia Garden Grocery is organically grown or humanely raised: fruits, veggies, meats (we are big fans of the grass-fed beef), fish, eggs, dairy, and dry goods (locally-milled flour!) If you're unsure, the staff is knowledgeable enough to ask, and if they don't have something you want, you can request it (Anouk's stomach gets a little funky with too much cow's milk, so today I put in for goat's milk on the spur of the moment, hoping that will be better.)

Bonus points: it's just a short walk to the Oberweis dairy stall for ice cream cones, best eaten on the grass watching the jets from Oceana practice overhead.

Having the cutest shopper-helper in the world is a bonus, too.

Fruit necklaces

We're going out of town this weekend, so today is a flurry of packing and last-minute chores. But Anouk and I did take the time to make some quick Friday fruit necklaces (as seen on the Artful Parent) for our snack. We used (unflavored) dental floss and embroidery needle to string Trader Joe's frozen berries, some grapes, and a cut-up apple (we also tried a mango, but it was too ripe to stay on the string. Delicious first-world problems!)

We ended up inadvertently fruit-juice tye-dyeing a few shirts and part of the couch, which only added to the overall load of things to do this afternoon, but we a lot of fun, too. And that's what matters, right?

Happy weekend, Blogland!

Paint Day at the Peninsula Fine Arts Center

I think Anouk and I found a new favorite place today. It just happens to be the Hands on for Kids Gallery at the Peninsula Fine Arts Center, a veritable Aladdin's Cave of creativity featuring (among other things) a chalkboard wall, light table, bins of blocks and Legos, and an art station stocked with everything from yarn to colored pencils to crayons, scissors, silk flowers, and googly eyes.

All of this by itself is pretty rad, but it gets EVEN better because Tuesdays and Thursdays are Paint Days at PFAC! If you stop by between 10 AM and 4 PM, you can don a smock and take your place at one of the easels to create your masterpiece (with very washable tempera paint) (thank goodness).

At home, Baby A. is usually kind of ambivalent about her crayons and paints but today she turned into a whirlwind as soon as we stepped through the door into the kids gallery, determined to touch and experiment with every. single. thing. in the room, from the tiniest Lego block to the googliest eye. I don't know if the unfamiliar surroundings made everything seem new and fresh and exciting, or if the space is just conducive to creative action in a way that our kitchen table is not (probably the latter). Either way, we (both) had a blast.

A few other things to remember if you're visiting PFAC:

• Admission is $7.50 and $4.00 for children older than 6, but discounted admission is available if you are a student, teacher, Triple A member, and a few others (I forget!) Be sure to ask & bring pertinent cards/IDs/etc when you visit to take advantage of this.
• Save your admission ticket: it will get you back into the museum for a whole week after you visit! 
• Don't forget to stop by the Biennial 2012 exhibit, especially to check out 'The Story of Numm," a show by husband-and-wife team Rebecca Davis-Kelly and Kevin L. Kelly that's very steampunky and thought-provoking and cool.
• And don't forget to exercise your own creativity muscle while you're there:

Ice Boats

Today it's wet outside, and also pretty hot, and we've already had one very public, very awful diaper blowout at the library about one minute after playgroup started that involved not only a diaper change but a change of clothes for me and Anouk both. So basically: today is turning out to be the kind of day where you just cut your losses and retreat home and haul a bucket of water out onto the deck and break out the tray of ice boats you've been saving for a day just like this one.

Ice boats are such a simple yet genius idea that I am almost tempted to try and take credit for them, but alas, I cannot tell a lie, I learned about them from Under the Pecan Tree. Here is how it goes: fill an ice tray with water. Then fill the water-filled tray with small plastic toys. Freeze so that the toys are encased in ice like Han Solo in carbonite. I can't even believe I bothered to type that out, that's how easy it is.

But it was also a big hit, and though we are wetter overall, we're less sweaty, Baby A. got in some fun sensory play, and Mama got to sit and put her feet up for a bit. Maybe today is turning itself around, after all?

Butterfly House at the Norfolk Botanical Garden

Here is the thing about butterflies: sometimes I forget they are bugs and then one flies into my hair and I remember.

But we have a butterfly bush in our backyard and Baby Anne loves to sit on the deck and watch them flitting around, and so today I sucked it up and took her to the butterfly house at the Norfolk Botanical Garden.

The butterfly house is a 10-minute walk from the main entrance of the Garden, or a quick tram ride, and because it was hot, we settled on the tram. Once we arrived, we strolled through the Bristow Butterfly Garden, which is laid out beautifully, and made our way to the butterfly house itself, which is very cool in more than one sense of the word thanks to the misting fan parked by the door. There were lots of little nooks where we could sit and admire the hundreds of bugs butterflies that zipped around overhead. Everything was a sprawl of colors, the nectar plants and the butterflies themselves. I was especially fond of the blue Gossamer Winged Butterflies (Baby Anne tried to catch and eat a beautiful Monarch that alighted on a bush near her outstretched hand, which I assume means it was her favorite of the bunch). 

After we had thoroughly explored the house and watched some butterflies hatching from their chysalises, we went for a ramble through the Butterfly Maze, which a bit trickier than I thought it would be (definitely would be a bit of a hassle if you had to shepherd multiple kids through the kinks, but nobody had to send a search party for me and my one) (for which I was grateful).

Given that and the fact that no bugs flew into my hair, I feel comfortable saying a good time was had by all.