Happy Halloween 2010....Lady Gaga and the Little Monsters

We had another great Halloween. This is the 6th year that our family has marched in the NYC Halloween Parade. We dressed as Lady Gaga and the Little Monsters and were featured on the Channel 11 news tonight, too. What a fun night.

Cooking Class Continues

We just finished our 3rd week of cooking class and all is going well. I have decided rather than to choose the recipes myself that Grady & Cyrus can choose what they want to make each week. So as not to create any conflict, they take turns every other week picking the menu. We have been choosing recipes from a cookbook that I have called "Dad's Cookbook' (fancy title, huh). We have made scrambled eggs and toast, blueberry and chocolate chip muffins and fruit smoothies, all with relatively good results. The muffins could have been better but it is more about doing spending time together than what we create. If we want fine dining, we can go to Indochine (which Grady thinks that she should be allowed to go to).


This cooking class has been more fun than expected and the kids actually look forward to it. The look at the cookbook all week and decide what they want (the best-looking photo usually wins). Grady gets to choose the next recipe and she is alternating between chocolate chip cookies and grilled cheese. My gut tells me that she will pick the cookies, as she is a bit of a chocoholic. 


We plan to do this every Thursday after dinner and homework. It is a nice way to end the school week and just have a good time as a family. 

Cooking Class #1 (Scrambled Eggs and Toast)

I wanted to do something that all of us could enjoy doing together, so I discussed to organize family cooking classes. Something very simple, in order to show the kids the basics of cooking. I am typically the family chef which I quite enjoy being. I like to have fun in the kitchen and love to eat. Both Grady and I love food and could spend so much time feasting. Tim likes to eat but I don't think he is as passionate about it as the two of us and Cyrus loves to eat breakfast but after that he is pretty much done for the day when it comes to having a big appetite. 

Anyway, rather than go out and spend money on taking a class, I decided that I would just teach the class myself. I figured that we could not only save money but have a great time together in the comfort of our own home. Everyone was down for the adventure, so we gave it a go. Our 1st meal we made was scrambled eggs and toast which everyone should know how to make. It is a great standby and can be enjoyed at anytime of the day.

Here are a couple of photos of the finished meal, all of which I can say was delicious and enjoyed by each of us. We even made an old-fashioned menu card so that the kids could start their very own cookbook.We will continue to do these classes each Thursday for the course of the school year and by the end of it, we will get to spend quality time together all the while enjoying a good meal.

Happy Birthday Grady

wishing Grady a very happy birthday

6 never looked so great!!!

08.05.2010

xo....daddy, papi, & cyrus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FchMuPQOBwA

Morning Photo Project Day ...The Last Day of School.....June 28 2010

Today was the last day of school as well as the last installment of our Morning Photo Project Series which we began in the Fall 2009. The purpose of the project was to show the kids how much they grow over the course of a school year. Both Grady & Cyrus were always interested in "when they would grow, when they would be big, etc." I told them that they were growing but they couldn't always see the change in themselves. So, I told them we would document their growth by taking a photo before school each day. This way they could see the change that everyone else sees. Well, grow they did! Not only did they grow physically, but they grew so much as people. Grady lost a handful of teeth this year, while Cyrus finally caught up to Grady in height (he had her on the weight ages ago). They are both equal in stature but stand tall as individuals. Grady is learning to read, asking tons of questions (so many so that we now call her Lil' Oprah), starting to do chores and even had her 1st sleepover. Cyrus has learned all of his letters, colors, can count to 60 and goes to school for a full-day.

It has been wonderful watching them grow. I can't believe that I am the Dad to two 5 year olds. Time sure flies when kids are in the picture. Funny how as a kid, all we want to do is be a grownup and as grownups all we want is for time to slow down. We have no control over any of it, so it's best to just sit back and enjoy the ride. Keep photo memories and stories to pass on to your friends and family. They help remind us of the importance of taking each day as it comes. 

...Calvin (Dad)

Morning Photo Project Days 113-152 May 3-June 25, 2010

Our daughter Grady...the next Julia Child

Our daughter has always been a GREAT eater. She has an appetite for things that I would never eat such as anchovies, olives, blood sausage just to name a few. When I hear parents say that their kids won't eat anything but chicken nuggets and french fries, I think that they must be from another planet. 

Grady loves to talk about food. In fact she sometimes discusses meals a full day ahead of time. "What are we having for breakfast tomorrow. I think I'll have waffles and fruit. And sausage. Can we go to Lil' Frankies for dinner?" Heaven forbid we skip a meal. It throws her whole food diary off. 

Some of her favorite foods are peanut butter & pickle sandwiches, shrimp quesadilla's, banana bread, blueberries, spicy tuna sushi, pizza (of course), beets, asparagus, brussel sprouts, sardines, rare steak (like her Dad), french fries, guacamole, chocolate, salads,  yogurt with jelly (why have it with peanut butter when you can put it in yogurt?). The list goes on an on.

For a person who is particular about food and tastes, it has been a nice change to have a child who will try anything at least once. I am no where as daring about food. I tend to order the same food all the time. Grady will switch things up and try the chicken livers. When all of the the other kids are throwing fits about not wanting to eat their beans, Grady is diving in for seconds. 

We have found something that she won't eat. Cooked broccoli. It has to be raw or she's not "havin' it." The fact that she even likes broccoli amazes me. It is not on my list of foods that I like.

Maybe one day, Grady will grow up to be a world-renowed chef or food-critic for the NY Times. "The Kumamoto oysters at Le Bernardin are fantastic, while the sea urchin risotto never seems to live up to the hype." Whatever she chooses to do with her life, I am confident that she will have tried all of the delicacies that this world has to offer. What a wonderful journey her life will be if she stays on this path. Have fun Grady and eat well.

xo......Daddy

The Answer is still........NO

Regardless of how many times we say NO, our kids continue to ask:


Why Not, when, why, but (Grady's fave), ppplllllleeeeeaaaassseeeee, just this one time, i promise never to ask again, but everyone else can, that's not fair, really?, i don't want to, i don't understand, daddy would let me, papi would let me, because, i'm not a baby, you let me before, you never let me, etc, etc, etc.


Does this continue until they go off to college? Pray for our sanity people. 


xo...calvin and tim

School's Out for Summer....Yeah

Our kids attend school in New York City and what seems like the longest school year ever has just ended. Monday 28 June was the last day of school. 11:30am dismissal. Why the Board of Education felt it necessary to torture kids and families alike by making the last day of school on a Monday for 3 hours is beyond me. I won't even begin to think of an excuse.

Anyway, school's out and summer is officially underway. Soccer, basketball, country living, b-bq, swimming pools, parks, butterflies & toads, bike riding, skinned knees, bug spray, beach days, s'mores, iced tea & lemonade, ice cream cones, watermelon, fire flies, and bug bites.

We are ready. Are you? Have a great summer from our family to yours.

xo...ctgc