Sew Cool

I'm always so impressed when someone comes up with a new toy that really changes the "play" landscape, and is (generally) easy on the parents!  This sewing machine, called "Sew Cool," is totally safe and simple for the 7 and up crowd. A felt so proud and creative making her own backpack and doudou.  Thanks, Nana, for the fun birthday present!  Fun way to spend our last night together!

The finished products!

Meanwhile, R fashioned a paper sail boat, floating on two wine corks, with a foosball soccer ball as the anchor. Surprisingly, it worked!

Black Drop

I could not be more intrigued by this statue of Mary Stuart in Luxembourg Gardens.  I almost filed this blog entry under my "Nerdy History Toys" label, but this isn't a toy.  It's an existing statue of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, cloaked in a contemporary artist's "black cape," which is meant to represent the the 90 days of darkness Mary spent mourning her husband, the king of FRANCE. After the king's death, Mary returned to England, where after much scandal, intrigue, and (my favorite topic) 16th-century Protestant-Catholic craziness, she was beheaded by Elizabeth I.  Oh, the annals of history.

Room with a View

I'll forever remember our amazing room in Turkey that overlooked the Mediterranean, thanks to my husbsnd's painting skills. Love.

Jardin du Luxembourg

I've always dreamed of channeling my inner Madeline at Luxembourg Gardens, sailing the little wooden sailboats with my very own children.

Got my chance this weekend while on a long weekend in Pairs with my mom. Her very first time to Paris.

They left the house

at half past nine

in two straight lines

in rain

or shine --

the smallest one was Madeline.

Our literary channeling wouldn't be complete without brunch at Les Deux Magots, the favorite Parisian haunt of the literary and artistic elite of the early 20th century (Hemingway, Satre, Picasso, Camus, Joyce . . .).

Seconds

Look who lost his second tooth!  In Belgium, on the train back from Paris!

As usual, we are wondering if tooth fairy finds us in Amsterdam tonight.

7 Sunsets in a Row

When Doug and I were on our honeymoon in Greece almost eleven years ago, we made it a point to be outside and seated (usually with a delicious glass of wine) for every sunset of our trip.  It's always a priority on our vacations with the kids when we find ourselves in warm, sunny locations. Turkey was no exception.

We say goodnight to Turkey, and thank her for a beautiful two weeks and for the introduction to her fascinating history.

In no order whatsoever, our Turkish sunsets:

An Education

I'm a firm believer that's there's more than one way to get an education, outside the traditional way.  So what, if Abby skipped one day of school to spend it with her Nana, enjoying a ladies lunch and going to the Matisse exhibit at the Stedelijk?  She taught me a thing or two, having just studied Matisse at school last month.