Kid's birthday parties suck. They are organized to keep the little munchkins have a most unique experience of activity and fun but the surreptitious focus is on the organizer's skill. How innovative can that person be in coming up with a new theme, fun activities that are also education? Create the most perfect thank-you gift? And of course, yummy food without breaking the bank?
I have done my share of putting up these shindigs and because I get easily carried away, I have had a lot of fun at my children and other kids' birthday parties. Don't get me wrong, the food is still crappy. I mean, how many carrot sticks can one eat? Pizza is fine by me but its baaad for the kids. So bring on the celery sticks and fruit plate and banish the coke and pizza! Plus there are all these parents standing in the room who scarcely know each other, trying to make awkward conversation as the honored guests romp around the room.
Well, this is not the point. The point is, after years of throwing and attending parties that are a variation on the same theme, I finally found a theme that just got my goat. Also the goats of several other attending adults. For my son's seventh birthday, we had an astronomy themed party where the kids got to make icecream using liquid nitrogen.
Yup. Liquid nitrogen!! I'm not kidding. The first time the lady at the science museum mentioned I did a double-take. Are you fucking serious?!! It sounds preposterous. Is it safe? Are there safety goggles? Will there be a helper or we just going to go nuts with wart-removing medicine??!!
Turns out that yes, there's helper who does everythung, yes there are safety goggles and yes, the milk instantly hardened (or is it coalesced?) into icecream. Thanks to my son's genius idea, the icecream was blue. I have never been this excited at a party where there were no margaritas or boys dancing on a table!
I know I will eventually talk of other things and the memories of that day will fade. But to the parent whose party is next line I say "beat that, suckers!".
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Catching up
It has been nearly three weeks. I have missed this room of my own. Last night at dinner with some friends, I discovered that most mothers and fathers are on child education duty till at least nine every night. Well, it started with my complaint. I like to have a glass of wine at night before bed. This helps me calm down a little after the whole day's marathon. My hubby thinks I'm on my way to becoming an alcoholic. Now, I have no desire whatsoever of becoming an alcoholic. On the other hand, I also do not want to give up on that glass of fermented grape juice that promises so much...happiness, a generally amiable look upon my fellow beings and most of all, sleep.
Well, as I complained that I'm sure this is ok, I found out that both our friends did the exact same thing!! I was not a crazy drunk lady!! Further in the conversation it became clear just how much time parents invest in school and extracurriculars--my sons go to soccer pratice and games twice a week each, Mondays through Thursdays. The older one has French on Tuesdays and piano on Thursdays. My husband and I like to work out with our trainer twice a week, usually on Mondays and Thursdays. Throw in homework, projects, show and tell days and we're working pretty much full time till 9 p.m.!
This is a very average routine. I'm sure there are plenty of parents out there who do much much more. But why does it have to be this stressful? I mean, I understand the importance of developing skills, forming bonds through team sports yada yada. But does it have to be this rigorous? Whatever happened to Saturday morning soccer in the park? Hanging out with the neighborhood kids in the evenings and weekends? True, there wasn't much structure to these things so the net gain from these activities is not quantifiable. But I still remember the games of tag, the days when I played by myself because my neighbors were out of town, or the days when we played with their cousins visiting from elsewhere, even though the cousins were somewhat weird:-)
I sound like a old fart. Next I'll start my sentence with "in my day...". But given the amount of attention this consumer driven economy pays to stress relief and providing all kinds of advice on how to live better, this kind of pace just seems forced.
Whatever. I know I'll rant out here and then go back and add one more activity to the list. Because I want them to be better, faster, stronger, higher. Because I'm ambitious not only for myself but for an entire family and I'll probably stay this way till I keel over.
And that's how the world ends, not with a bang but with a whimper. Thank you T.S.E.
Well, as I complained that I'm sure this is ok, I found out that both our friends did the exact same thing!! I was not a crazy drunk lady!! Further in the conversation it became clear just how much time parents invest in school and extracurriculars--my sons go to soccer pratice and games twice a week each, Mondays through Thursdays. The older one has French on Tuesdays and piano on Thursdays. My husband and I like to work out with our trainer twice a week, usually on Mondays and Thursdays. Throw in homework, projects, show and tell days and we're working pretty much full time till 9 p.m.!
This is a very average routine. I'm sure there are plenty of parents out there who do much much more. But why does it have to be this stressful? I mean, I understand the importance of developing skills, forming bonds through team sports yada yada. But does it have to be this rigorous? Whatever happened to Saturday morning soccer in the park? Hanging out with the neighborhood kids in the evenings and weekends? True, there wasn't much structure to these things so the net gain from these activities is not quantifiable. But I still remember the games of tag, the days when I played by myself because my neighbors were out of town, or the days when we played with their cousins visiting from elsewhere, even though the cousins were somewhat weird:-)
I sound like a old fart. Next I'll start my sentence with "in my day...". But given the amount of attention this consumer driven economy pays to stress relief and providing all kinds of advice on how to live better, this kind of pace just seems forced.
Whatever. I know I'll rant out here and then go back and add one more activity to the list. Because I want them to be better, faster, stronger, higher. Because I'm ambitious not only for myself but for an entire family and I'll probably stay this way till I keel over.
And that's how the world ends, not with a bang but with a whimper. Thank you T.S.E.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Restaurants I like
I like to eat. I also like to complain when I get fat from all the eating but that doesn't deter me from eating more. In this process of eating, I've developed quite a list of places I love to visit over and over again. Places where they don't quite know my name but they can smell the grease in my hair from the previous visit. Okay that last sentence is probably an exaggeration. But still, we've settled into a happy steady relationship, these food places and I. So here are a few of my favorite places:
Breakfast: For American style eating, nothing beats the Original Pancake House on 15th Ave NE. I've heard of A Bird's Nest on Phinney but I've never been there. There's also the W, but that's a little upscale as is Lola. Etta's in Pike Place market is great. Essential Bakery on Madison is also good. On Sundays there's great dim sum at Top Gun in Bellevue. Grilled sausage sandwiches at Uli's in the market is drool-worthy but the hours are unpredictable.
Lunch and Dinner: For Chinese we like Seven Stars Pepper on 12th and Jackson. For Vietnamese Green Leaf Restaurant on 8th and Jackson and for Malaysian, Malay Satay Hut, also on 12th and Jackson. For Indian, Kabab House on 78th and Greenwood. For Italian there's Via Tribunali on Pike, there's Cafe Lago on E. 24th. For Mexican, Rancho Bravo on 12th and Pike (could be Madison)and Tacos Guyamas in Fremont. For Moroccan, Marrakesh in Belltown. For Japanese and fusion Asian, Umisake and Shiro's in Belltown, Wild Ginger on 3rd and Union. For Ethiopian we go to Queen of Sheba on 15th and John. Dahlia Lounge is great for a relaxed evening for two. Steaks are orgasmic at the Metropolitan Grill. For dinner with a view, Canlis is the best. For fancy dining to impress your partner, Campagne in the market or Rover's on Madison fit the bill. Both are French cuisine. Tapas is super tasty at Harvest Vine on Madison and Andaluca in downtown. For pizza at home I love Pagliacci, and for sitdown, Tutta Bella makes a mean pie. Serious Pie on 4th is yum!
For a little kick to your dinner, dinner and trapeze at The Pink Door is fun. Among winebars, Poco Wine Room is good. Artisal Brasserie at the Bravern in Bellevue provides amazing taste at a very steep price. Martinis are good at The Taphouse Grill in downtown, as well as at Von's. Taphouse also has a good happy hour menu. Dragonfish on Pine also has a very good happy hour dishes. Montlake Pub is open to kids so perfect for parents with little ones.
Icecream at Molly Moon's on Pike is yummy. Cakes and mousse is delicious at Dillettante Cafe on Broadway.
I think that about completes my list. I'll update this as I discover more in my quest for the better and the tastier!
Breakfast: For American style eating, nothing beats the Original Pancake House on 15th Ave NE. I've heard of A Bird's Nest on Phinney but I've never been there. There's also the W, but that's a little upscale as is Lola. Etta's in Pike Place market is great. Essential Bakery on Madison is also good. On Sundays there's great dim sum at Top Gun in Bellevue. Grilled sausage sandwiches at Uli's in the market is drool-worthy but the hours are unpredictable.
Lunch and Dinner: For Chinese we like Seven Stars Pepper on 12th and Jackson. For Vietnamese Green Leaf Restaurant on 8th and Jackson and for Malaysian, Malay Satay Hut, also on 12th and Jackson. For Indian, Kabab House on 78th and Greenwood. For Italian there's Via Tribunali on Pike, there's Cafe Lago on E. 24th. For Mexican, Rancho Bravo on 12th and Pike (could be Madison)and Tacos Guyamas in Fremont. For Moroccan, Marrakesh in Belltown. For Japanese and fusion Asian, Umisake and Shiro's in Belltown, Wild Ginger on 3rd and Union. For Ethiopian we go to Queen of Sheba on 15th and John. Dahlia Lounge is great for a relaxed evening for two. Steaks are orgasmic at the Metropolitan Grill. For dinner with a view, Canlis is the best. For fancy dining to impress your partner, Campagne in the market or Rover's on Madison fit the bill. Both are French cuisine. Tapas is super tasty at Harvest Vine on Madison and Andaluca in downtown. For pizza at home I love Pagliacci, and for sitdown, Tutta Bella makes a mean pie. Serious Pie on 4th is yum!
For a little kick to your dinner, dinner and trapeze at The Pink Door is fun. Among winebars, Poco Wine Room is good. Artisal Brasserie at the Bravern in Bellevue provides amazing taste at a very steep price. Martinis are good at The Taphouse Grill in downtown, as well as at Von's. Taphouse also has a good happy hour menu. Dragonfish on Pine also has a very good happy hour dishes. Montlake Pub is open to kids so perfect for parents with little ones.
Icecream at Molly Moon's on Pike is yummy. Cakes and mousse is delicious at Dillettante Cafe on Broadway.
I think that about completes my list. I'll update this as I discover more in my quest for the better and the tastier!
Picking up Parents
Husband and I often have this discussion where we start out by saying how few friends we have...how our social lives are increasingly going down the drain as our kids get older. I can organize a playdate in a heartbeat, know exactly what to say to seven year olds but I have to really rack my brain to come up with names of people who might be available for a drink at the drop of a hat, who don't have kids and live in the same city as we do.
Dear friends have moved to distant places, so now we see them once a year if that. Close friends we love to spend time with have children with different school and sport schedules. While its easy to think that I'll just pick up the phone and call so-and-so, it always turns out that so-and-so has either already left for a hike or climb, is taking their kids to a game or has run away to Whistler. I would take to the hills too.
It did cross my mind that maybe I'm projecting my psycho self and scaring away others. But the few parties that we had or attended last year rivaled any college bash in its duration (3 p.m. to 3 a.m.), rowdiness (the neighbours were away..yaay!) and general merriment.
Taking a proactive approach (lovely euphemism for being bossy), we decided that what we needed was to pick up parents. I mean, we've all either perpetrated or been a victim of random conversations with strangers in semi-fishy or flashy pubs and cafes. Trying to pick up, getting picked up, wading through a myriad of pickings and droppings.
Use those ninja skills to pick up not just a person but an entire family, so we are all happy. Why hadn't we thought of this before? This is genius! Putting plan into action we targeted our neighborhood bar that allows the kids to play as the parents get smashed. I love my neighbors:-)
We are big on talk but secretly I wasn't so sure. As it turned out, we sat next to this adorable toddler girl who smiled and rolled her eyes right into our hearts and before we knew it, the parents were bonding over school selection, lack of sleep, cost of a private education and other boring parent stuff. Right there, in front of the whole bar, we had picked up a family to be friends with. Even made a date to meet at the pub as often as we can.
So the old skills still work. But the question is, did we pick them up or did they pick us?
Dear friends have moved to distant places, so now we see them once a year if that. Close friends we love to spend time with have children with different school and sport schedules. While its easy to think that I'll just pick up the phone and call so-and-so, it always turns out that so-and-so has either already left for a hike or climb, is taking their kids to a game or has run away to Whistler. I would take to the hills too.
It did cross my mind that maybe I'm projecting my psycho self and scaring away others. But the few parties that we had or attended last year rivaled any college bash in its duration (3 p.m. to 3 a.m.), rowdiness (the neighbours were away..yaay!) and general merriment.
Taking a proactive approach (lovely euphemism for being bossy), we decided that what we needed was to pick up parents. I mean, we've all either perpetrated or been a victim of random conversations with strangers in semi-fishy or flashy pubs and cafes. Trying to pick up, getting picked up, wading through a myriad of pickings and droppings.
Use those ninja skills to pick up not just a person but an entire family, so we are all happy. Why hadn't we thought of this before? This is genius! Putting plan into action we targeted our neighborhood bar that allows the kids to play as the parents get smashed. I love my neighbors:-)
We are big on talk but secretly I wasn't so sure. As it turned out, we sat next to this adorable toddler girl who smiled and rolled her eyes right into our hearts and before we knew it, the parents were bonding over school selection, lack of sleep, cost of a private education and other boring parent stuff. Right there, in front of the whole bar, we had picked up a family to be friends with. Even made a date to meet at the pub as often as we can.
So the old skills still work. But the question is, did we pick them up or did they pick us?
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