Monday, June 30, 2008

New thought... The Arts.. Children's Art..

We just bought Ari, box of Crayola Crayons, marker, etc. I also got her some fingerprints.

I was a art major throughout college. So it make sense for me to get these things. It's want I know. Just as someone you spent their life involved in music would purchase their child a piano and would possible be play the piano often in front of their child.

It is why it is good to have all types of friends... So they can share the talent's with others. I don't expect Ari to be artist or a drummer, it is want we know. It is also good for the persons to look beyond themselves and learn with their child.

So that is why I am taking Music Together Class, I am not a song writer, singer, dance or musician. I am a artist, jewelry, photography and graphic designer.

Back to the Visual Arts...
I hope to come out this project or find ideas for projects, or a program involving the Arts. One of the assistant for one of the playgroups has set up fingerprinting day, another Drawing, Craft days.

I found these sites.. http://www.kinderart.com
http://www.enchantedlearning.com
http://www.first-school.ws
Holidays

Today, July 1st, we gave fingerprinting a try... This is a out door thing for the future. LOL

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Job as parent and mom...

What is our job description as parents and moms or dads..

Well... to make sure they are Yankee fans or Red Sox fans, to not be friendly because the other person wasn't, to continue the flight out of pride.

I believe my role is not to force my opinions on my children, but to let them experience things for themselves and share my experiences good or bad. And of course teach right from wrong not my way only. Oh that they are safe from getting hurt, not not sheltered. Speak to us of Childern. from The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran

Let them know it is fine to walk away from a flight, not like sports at all just as long as you try it, it's okay not to have a lot of friend. A few good ones are fine.

Girls it's okay to play with frogs, trucks and dirt. I did. I was entered in the Hebron Harvest Fair Frog jumping contest and I cousin was in the Tractor pulls. I play with my Breyer horse statues in the yard all day long. We have goats and then horses. I hope are Ari with be interested in horses.

Boys go a head, cook, and play with dolls.. It good practice. Girls like their guys to help out around the house and be nice to them. We are not in the 1950's June Cleaver , or the 1980's super mom era.

Oh, girls it okay that your guy has an opinion just let know once in awhile that we are mostly right. LOL

Okay June wasn't all that bad, I guess, if you are home all the time and not working outside the home or job. A different view of the 1950's housewife..

Wethersfield...Bargain Shopping

Once a upon a child. Big consignment shop on Rt 99 next to TJMax. Lots of clothes and toys, plus Melissa and Doug Art supplies. It is a big business with several locations.

New Business in Colchester...


Hide & Seek Toys on Hartford Rd. They own a business called Whatnot Cottage Kids in East Hampton. I hope to check it out. They have yoga classes for parent and child.

Today, July 1st, we check out Hide & Seek Toys... Lots of Fun..

Playgroup Choices... We made it.

Finally, Ari and I made it to a meetup playgroup. The Colchester Moms Meetup. We when to the Colchester Park and Rec park. We stay for an hour or so. The park had a nice playground and splash area. The moms where nice and welcoming.

Side Track to New York...What does this have to do with kids...

Culture and all the fun experiences.

I enjoyed going to the Museums; The Met, Whitney, Guggenheim, Copper Hewitt, New Museum of Contemporary Art, MOMA, Museum of Sex, The Museum of Natural History along with the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Frick Collection, Ellis Island Museum, American Craft Museum.

Art museums...
I was think it is pass do on the museum thing... I remember that one of my school age friends would go to the New Britain Museum often, it was right in his backyard.

I went to the Wadsworth for several exhibits; Robert Mapplethorpe, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso. I would walk from 27th street to the Met at 82th street often when I went to college in NYC. Where I would stay there for hours... I remember the
Seurat exhibit. Been to an Art Academy on the upper East side.

I would also visit amazing little Art gallery, jewelry studios like Artwear, Arron Faber Gallery, and I went to the Columbian Nations office to see a Sterling Silver teapot exhibit.

I was the Salvador Dali exhibit in Italy and been to the museum in St Petersburg, Fl. Rhode Island I have been to the RSID museum, that is a beautiful building and collection. I have been to museums in Boston, DC and Seattle, WA.

Natural History
The Museum of Natural History is still my all time favorite, that was my first visit to a museum with my dad. You can have art with out nature.

http://wwar.com/artists

Friday, June 27, 2008

Side Track to New York...

One of my favorite places. =) New York...

I have wonderful memories of visiting my dad's cousins in Greenwich Village; going to Bronklyn, Lake Placid and Saranac Lake to visit family friends; Spanish Harlem, Astoria, Brewster and Queen to visit my college friends. Flushing for the US Open twice. Madsion Square garden for a big Horse show.

I went to Tarrytown and Sleep Hollow for a family friend's wedding. Been to Niagara Falls several time on my visits to Montreal and Toronto. I almost forget Saratoga Springs to visit my father's uncle and Lake George for whitewater raffling.

And did I say I attended FIT and made regular trips (every other week to NYC or Boston almost) to Chinatown throughout my twenties.

What does this have to do with kids...
Culture and all the fun experiences.


http://www.ny.com/museums/all.museums.html
http://www.cmom.org/visit.html

Carousels in Connecticut

I have been wanting to go to the Bushnell Park Carousel which lead me to a search on carousels again in Connecticut, Rhode Island.

I come across "The Magical Charity Carousel" at Lenny and Joe's Fish Tale in Madison. I can't reminder when the last time I went to Lenny and Joe, I think it may have been for my grandparent anniversary.

Mystic Carousel & Fun Center, 193 Greenmanville Avenue, Mystic, CT, 06355 and at 40 Highland Avenue, Westerly, RI, 02891, 401-596-4269.

Rhode Island ... The Flying Horse Carousel on Bay Street, Watch Hill, RI in the Watch Hill Fire District. 401-348-89322. Not sure if this carousel is still working Crescent Park Carousel at 700 Bullocks Point Ave, Riverside, RI. 401-435-7518 And The Slater Park Carousel in Pawtucket.

New York.. Central Park Carousel, 64th Street, Central Park, New York City, NY. http://www.centralpark.com

Mass... Holyoke Merry-G0-Round, 221 Appleton St, Holyoke, MA. he Carousel at Battleship Cove @ 1 Central St. - Battleship Cove, Fall River, MA 02721 1-508-678-1100. Six Falgs has one.


I have been on the Bushnell Park Carousel as a kid and the Battleship cove one, I hope to get Ari on at less the Bushnell Park Carousel.

Resoures..
http://www.visitrhodeisland.com/what-to-do/childrens-activities
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/carousel
http://www.nca-usa.org/NCAcensus.html

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Planning a One Year old's birthday party..


I a working on my baby's first b-day party... She is born in in the begin of July which makes her a "Cancer". Cancer's sign is a crab. She is also born in the year of the pig. In the Druids theme is she oak.

Well she how we are not Chinese and calendar is by years.. We will have to wait till she is 13 to do that theme, and at the point to will have an option. The Druid thing, I just pass on that.

So crabby it is with a little 4th of July theme... NOW, try to find thing to go with that there..
Good Luck...

I designed our own invitations, thank you cards, pin the claw on the crab, banner and card for favors. Printing was done thought vista print and shutterfly. com.

The favors Crab erasers from marylanddelivered.com, for the kids canvas star tote bags, crayons, design their own slip cups, bubbles from the Orientaltrading.com. Birthdayinabox.com was a good site too.

I was going to get Chocolate Crabs for the Chesapeake Chocolate company. But they won't ship pass May. We end up getting the mold for customchocolateshop.com and making them ourself.

Yes, maybe I did get carried away... You should have be at our wedding 3 years ago.

*********************************************
What fun... so sad, it went so quickly... The year & the party. We have made some good friends along the way.

Happy 1st B-day sweetie pie.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Festivals

July starting Fairs & More
Find a Fairs & Festivals
You belong in CT
Fairs

East Hampton Old Home Days is coming up atfer the 4th of July.

I hope to make it to the Hebron Harvest Fair the weekend after labor day. I have try to go every year since I was 7 years old, when I was showing our goats.

Music

Music
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra's Talcott Mountain Music Festiv

[i][url=http://www.riverfront.org/]

2008 Music at the Mansion Series -Wednesdays
Annual summer concert series on the south lawn of the Wadsworth Mansion. Guests are welcome to bring a picnic dinner and enjoy an evening with family, friends and great musicians.

Grounds open at 5:30 p.m. and the concerts begin at 6:30 p.m. The event is free. In the event of rain please check there website after 2 p.m. for cancellations.

Summer Music Series in Glastonbury - Wednesday evenings
Relax with family and friends on warm summer evenings with entertaining music. A series of free, outdoor concerts on Wednesday evenings July 2, 9, 16, and 23 beginning at 7:00 p.m. Performances will be published in the Glastonbury Citizen and Hartford Courant at a later
date.

Riverfront in Hartford - Wedensday & Thursdays days
June 3 - July 31: Busker entertainment - musicians, jugglers, clowns - perform Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 11:30-1:30pm on Mortensen Riverfront Plaza, Hartford, FREE. No activity the week of July 1.

August 5 - September 11: Entertainers - musicians, jugglers, clowns - perform Tuesday and Thursdays from 11:30-1:30pm on Mortensen Riverfront Plaza, Hartford, FREE.

Thursdays in East Hampton
Colchester

Farmers' Markets and Farms

Pick your own / Farmers' Markets
List of Pick Your Own Farms

Farmers' Markets

Year Round
HARTFORD REGIONAL MARKET
I-91, Exit 27
101 Reserve Road
Open Year Round, 5am - 9am


Starting May
WEST HARTFORD FARMERS' MARKET
LaSalle Road Public Parking Lot, Across from the Post Office
Intersection of Arapahoe and LaSalle Roads
Tuesdays, Saturdays, 9am -1pm
Thursdays, 11am-3pm
May 5 thru December
Nov and Dec Saturdays Only

Starting June
Coventry Farmers Market
The market season runs June through October, every Sunday from 11 am to 2 pm.
The grounds of the Nathan Hale Homestead located in Coventry at 2299 South Street.

Ashlawn Farm Coffee - Specially roasted coffee in Lyme, Connecticut

HARTFORD - DOWNTOWN FARMERS' MARKET
Old State House
800 Main Street
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 9am - 2pm
June 1 thru Thanksgiving

JEWETT CITY FARMERS' MARKET
Second Chance Consignment, Rear Parking Lot
37 Main Street - Jewett City
Mondays, 3pm - 6:30pm
June 4 thru October 29

NORWICH DOWNTOWN FARMERS' MARKET
Howard Brown Park
Chelsea Harbor Drive(Route 2)
Wednesdays, 10am - 1pm
June 6 thru October 31

DEEP RIVER FARMERS' MARKET
Deep River Library
Main Street
Thursdays, 3pm - 6pm
June 7 thru October 18

LEBANON FARMERS' MARKET
Town Hall Green
Saturdays, 9-1pm
June 30 thru October 27


Starting July
COLCHESTER FARMERS' MARKET
Priam Vineyards
Shailor Road
Rt 2, Exit 16, Turn Right Follow Signs
Sundays, 1pm - 5pm
July 6 thru October 6

HARTFORD - CAPITOL AVENUE FARMERS' MARKET
First Presbyterian Church of Hartford
156 Capitol Avenue (Down the Street from Bushnell Auditorium)
Mondays, 10am - 1pm
July 9 thru October 29


August
August 24, 2008 ~ Open Air Market and Festival- 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. @
Wadsworth Mansion
At our 6th annual summer event, the 700-foot vista behind the Mansion will be transformed into a marketplace where a variety of vendors will gather to sell their Connecticut products. Stroll from tent to tent purchasing fresh produce, fruit,herbs, fine cheeses, and breads. Freshly cut garden flowers and perennials will also be for sale. Local artisans, such as potters, painters, and weavers have been invited to sell their work. Lounge on the lawn with lunch and listen to live music. Learn about the history of the Mansion during a docent led tour. Children's entertainment from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm will include face painting and horse drawn carriage rides. It will be a day to enjoy the Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill and savor the tradition of shopping at an open-air market.


Links
CT Farmer's Markets
CT Farm Fresh
Another List
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