Spring break in the Garden State, March 2016

In just a few months, we will be back in the US, and re acclimating to life in the states.  I'm trying  to picture it.  We have lived in Bermuda for over five and a half years now.  I always knew we would return to the US, and I've looked forward to it.  It's watching the process unfold that makes me pause.  I can't wait to move back.  I've missed it so much.  I have no ambivalence about it.  But the process isn't that easy.  There is so much to do between now and July.

Over spring break, we returned to NJ for some house hunting.  You know how much fun it is to watch couples wander through homes on House Hunters or Love it Or List It?  It's not that much fun in real life with kids in tow or where your budget basically gets you the equivalent of Snoopy's dog house.  It's also different when you have a house of your own that must be sold, and it needs work before you can put it on the market.  Technology has improved over the years, so it's easier to view houses online and get a good feel for them before you go out to look at them in person.  That helps a lot since flying back and forth from BDA to the US to look at houses as a whole family is cost prohibitive.

Thankfully, on this trip, Grandma H and Michael took over kid duty, and left Jeff and I some solo time to look at homes, reinstate our state driver's licenses, and debate the pros and cons of mid century modern vs Victorian home ownership.

Unfortunately, this round didn't reveal the droids we were looking for.  Last week's solo trip on my end didn't either.  But, we have hooked up with a fantastic agent, who was vetted by my own real estate mogul brother no less.  She's been very helpful thus far, and I hope she will bear with us as we forge the path of home ownership again.

After exhausting the list of homes available to see, we decided the kids needed a break.  New Jersey is a wonderful place for kids, as I knew from the years we spent living there, when I was deep in the trenches of motherhood.  With two kids under the age of two, we spent a lot of time in the parks. Van Saun was a favorite.  They have renovated significantly, over the years.  None of that matters to a gymnast though. 

He saw toadstool seats and decided it was time for a spin.

Kids U. was another popular place for us.  Back it the day, I took Jordan and then Mina to mommy and me classes. Maybe I'm feeling overly nostalgic.  It was also the home of the infamous telephone in the toilet incident.  Mommies are not allowed to go to the bathroom during gym class, even if their daughter is left in the care of her teacher.  If mommy departs, it must mean it is time to start banging on the bathroom door, which results in mommy darting up, phone falling out of the back pockets of mommy's oversize corduroy Costco pants, and falling into the toilet.

 Kids U is also great because it had a huge play quad that you could use whenever.  We revisited it this time with Theo, who had a blast.



Spending some time in the Poconos over Easter.  The chilly weather encouraged the Easter bunny to hide the eggs somewhere warm... like the playroom. 



I got to enjoy my birthday over the break as well.  We had a lovely family dinner at Trattoria 903.



Theo didn't disgrace himself too badly.  There may still be some hope of taking him out to eat with us in the future (fingers crossed.)



Grandma and Michael got a Chocolate cake to rival all chocolate cakes for a lifetime.



Jeff and I also did some solo celebrating at the Mermaid Oyster Bar in NYC. 



And we enjoyed Aperol Spritz toasts for an evening of solitude at the Battery Park Ritz Carlton, kid free.

Between time spent with family and seeing good friends in our old town, I felt the week was supremely successful, even though we couldn't find the right house.  I vaguely remember when we purchased our first home.  I still can't exactly recall how we wound up in the town we did, or how long it took us to find the right home.  I remember loving the house and wishing it was in our budget.  Back in 2006, pretty much everything was overpriced thanks to the housing bubble. So, with this next move, I really wish it could be our last one - one to settle into our final house, the forever home.

The search continues.

The Spring Holidays 2015

The kids are back in school after a two week Spring break, and here's our recap of the holidays.  We got in a good dose of Bermudian traditions as well as a few of our own for the perfect masala.



Good Friday here in BDA is known for kite-flying.  The beach is the best spot as winds are up and power lines are nowhere to be seen.  This is the first year we did Kitefest at Horseshoe Beach.  Getting there early, we claimed our spot along the perfectly manicured sand.



Armed with codfish cakes, hot-cross buns (two other quintessential Bermuda Easter items) and reject macaroons (more on that later,) we settled in to watch the kites soar in the blue sky.  Theo was suitably impressed.




Of course, us being us, celebrating one holiday is never enough.  We were lucky to be invited to our friend's annual Passover Seder.  Desert is my thing, so I was happy to bring along a couple. 

Experimenting on my good friends is what I do, so when I saw this recipe for Tira-Matzah, I had to do it.  It's layers of matzo crackers soaked in espresso, coffee and rum, along with sweetened marscapone cheese and cocoa.  I adapted my version from the recipe at evilmadscientist!  It's good - not as soft as a traditional tiramisu (ladyfingers, zabaglione, etc.) but yummy and different.



I also made coconut macaroons.  It took three attempts before I finally got this batch that had minimal puddling along the base.  I started with a recipe given to me by Jeff's cousin.  I recalled hers from many a Passover dinner in the US.  Hers come out perfectly!

Mine were a disaster.  This is one of those recipes that is deceptively simple - just a few ingredients, but be warned.  After consulting various sources, I finally got the proportions of coconut right and achieved some semblance of stick to it by using meringue powder.  All the rejects tasted good, but they didn't look right.  Which is fine.. my kids devoured them the beach.



Dipped and drizzled with some chocolate ganache, and we were set to go.

Easter lillies from Amaral farms... such a great fragrance! Bought a bunch from the roadside stand en route to picking kids up.  The next day, the car stilled smelled like them.  (Big improvement.)



By Sunday morning, you would think we would be taking a detox.  Oh no. 

Sunday was Easter morning, and my kids were ready for the hunt.  While they ran around the back yard with our neighbors' kids, the moms (and Jeff) sat down for a semi-civilized brunch on the back porch.  Some strata, chocolate croissants, hot cross buns, and mimosas on the rainy morning were a nice start to the day.  I think my kids ate chocolate Easter candy.  I don't know.



That evening we had a quiet little family dinner at home - Suvir Saran marinated lamb, roasted new potatoes with rosemary and olive oil, and Pioneer Woman pistachio cake.  Shout out to Supermart on Front Street for the best butchers in town.  When I asked them to give me 2 pounds of rib chops, they delivered in style.  Great cut of meat, nice and thick and they handled the heavy Indian seasonings perfectly!



Theo wanted some, but I told him to get back to me when he has some teeth.

Spring Break 2014 - Cruising on the Disney Fantasy

We bit the bullet this year and splurged on a Disney cruise.  Since three out of the four of us have never been on a cruise before, Disney was definitely the right way to start.  Once you force yourself to forget about the cost, and let Disney work its charm, it becomes a pretty amazing adventure.

Disney makes everything so easy!  We were originally supposed to fly into Tampa, rent a car and drive to Port Canaveral, where the Fantasy docks.  However, the Tampa flight was cancelled, as we sat there in the airport.  We scrambled for alternate options that would get us there before the ship left, and wound up taking a flight to Orlando instead.

There, we found the Disney cruise buses, which conveniently pull up and whisk you away to the boat.  Yes, they charge, but they were so incredibly efficient about organizing your bags, getting you in the right lines, and transitioning you to the boat, it was easy to shell out the money.  Coming from Bermuda, where it sometimes seems like everything is a hassle for tourists and natives alike, Jeff and I kept shaking our heads at the efficiency of the Disney tourist machine. 

What we could learn!

Here the kids pose in line while a Disney cast member photobombs the background.  Gotta love it.



Embarking on a cruise is a bit of work, and line-standing, but again, Disney breezes you through it.  They had a pre-registration station for the Oceaneer's Club - the on board Disney kids club for our age group.  They kids got their electronic bracelets affixed to their wrists (hostages!) and we went through the process of confirming any allergies, who could pick them up, whether they were allowed to leave the club by themselves (heck no).




Jordan proudly declared he was allergic to grapefruit, which is completely untrue (grapefruit is not recommended when you take cyclosporine as it interferes with the absorption of the drug he takes for his heart.  I've explained this to him many times, but in his mind it's easier to translate it into an allergy.  Of course then it becomes a competition and Mina needs something to be allergic to as well.  The closest thing she can find is a body lotion that once made her break out into a rash.  So, for the record, she is allergic to Eucerin cream.)

But the staff took him seriously and added the information to his check in so there would be no mistaken grapefruit servings during his time on the boat.  And no one would dare slather Eucerin on either of them either.

Despite the self-imposed ban on grapefruit,  the boat did not lack an abundance of food.  When Jordan realized that I wasn't going to limit his dessert options, the glee on his face was akin to the proverbial kid in a candy shop.  Then he discovered the free, unlimited soft serve ice cream stand near the pools on Deck 11.  Jeff counted one day - four servings for him alone.

We also noted that one week on the cruise and Jordan gained two pounds.  To put this into context, you have to realize that it typically takes a year for Jordan to gain one pound.  I will decline noting how much I gained.



There is no shortage of activities on the boat.  In preparation for the trip, I spent a long time researching the message boards on a site called cruisecritic.com.  The section devoted to the Disney Fantasy was very helpful for someone like me - with no cruise background.  I got to see what other families did each step of the way, what to pack, what activities to pre- register for, what port adventures were worth the money, what little things we could look forward too, how the restaurant rotation worked, what we could bring on board with us, etc.

There are three main restaurants on the ship - The Enchanted Garden, The Animator's Palate, and The Royal Court.  You rotate through each of them and you are assigned either an early seating (5:45) or later one (8:15) .  We got the later one, which I actually appreciated because it gave us more time during the day and I didn't feel rushed to get to dinner. 




The kids were tired, definitely, (see pic above) as they are used to eating around 6 and typically in bed by 8.  But, we were on vacation, so most of the rules went out the window.

There are also two restaurants on board exclusively for adults - Remy (high end French) and Palo (Italian).  We went to Remy and it was impressive.  Having been lucky enough to eat at some very fancy restaurants over the years, I thought Remy did a good job of aspiring to that caliber of dining  - attentive staff, exceptionally prepared food, attention to detail, wine pairings, ambiance, and catering to the concept of dinner as an experience.

Apart from restaurants, there's also fast dining options close to the pool - Cabanas is a buffet style restaurant where we typically ate breakfast. They also had lunch.  There's also quickie food stations on the same deck for hamburgers, hot dogs, Paninis, wraps, pizza and salads.



Animator's Palate is awesome.  The kids loved it.  You get a chance to doodle a drawing on your place mat, which your waiter then whisks away.  Later in the meal, the animation comes to life on the screens surrounding the restaurant.  The kids were also big fans of our waiters, who stay with you through each of your rotations.  I think they loved best was that once the waiters figured out the kids loved chocolate milk, there was a big cup of it waiting at the table each night when we arrived.  With their names on it.  Magic. 

Obviously, I can't take those away.

One of the things I noticed on the message boards was the commentary about the unlimited free drinks.  This is true - on Deck 11, they had stations where you could fill up to your heart's content on free soft drinks, water, lemonade, coffee or juices.  People kept saying you should bring the big water bottles so you could carry around your water or soda all day.  I guess I just don't get this.  I definitely pushed for hydrating all day, especially when we hit the warmer climate zones, but I was surprised to see kids and adults juggling around these monster sodas at 9:00 in the morning. 

That's the kind of thing that wouldn't rank on my list if I was putting a message board post up. I did appreciate that Disney allows you to bring your own alcohol on the ship.  We didn't as I'm pregnant and Jeff couldn't be bothered.  But if we were to do it again, I would.  That to me is a bigger cost savings option.  There's plenty on board, of course, but I'm not a big fruity cocktail with wee umbrella drinker.  Just give me a crisp glass of Sancerre and I am fine.




I did love the message boards for the commentary on port excursions.  We did the seven day cruise and stopped at several ports - Grand Cayman, Costa Maya, Cozumel, and Disney's Castaway Cay.  At each of those ports, you can sign up for adventures off ship.  Once you're registered for the cruise, you can sign up online, which I recommend.  You can and should sign up for amenities like beach cabanas as well since those go really fast.  We didn't get one, and it wasn't the end of the world.  The kids played happily on the beach and I relaxed in the shade anyway.



The kids did all the ports - climbed ruins in Costa Maya, played on the beach in Grand Cayman, watched the dolphins frolic in Cozumel and snorkeled with the stingrays in Castaway Cay.



I can't think of anything negative about the cruise.  Apart from the cost, of course.  But for us, vacations are the one thing we're willing to spend money on. 

My favorite parts of the experience were giving the kids the freedom to explore the boat on their own under the guise of solving the Muppets Mystery Adventure, the Disney live shows in the Broadway theater, dining at Remy, feeding the sting rays, and indulging in feeling of not having to cook or clean or stress about anything for a week while being indulged every day.    Being such a germaphobe, I loved how hyper sanitizing the staff was.  People were cleaning all day long, and every time you walked into a restaurant, a staff member handed you a hand sanitizing wipe to use immediately. 

Ahh...



The kids would say they loved the ice cream.  And the "sleepy chocolates" they left on the pillows every night. 

Priorities, people.



Royals.

While the cat's away....

the mice will play.

While we were on vacation, Grandma kept the kids amused.

Outdoors...













and in.





I think they had as much fun as we did, judging by their reaction when she left. Thanks Grandma and Michael for holding down the fort.

Mofungo, baby!

This year marks a milestone in monkey history. It's the first year Jeff and I ventured without the kids, on a vacation, TOGETHER!



Ahh... Puerto Rico...at sunset.



This is pretty much where we spent the entire two days. Poolside, beachside, lounging.. Note how nicely I've covered up my running injury. Which has now developed into BIGGEST SCAB IN HISTORY. It is seriously so gross, I have been keeping it covered at all times. Sometimes when I cross my legs though, I can feel the fat ridges of the scab brush up against the fabric of my pants and I shudder to myself. I'm never going to be able to wear cute little, summery dresses again.



I digress. View from our room... This was just one side of the pool/lounge area. There was a whole other side of the hotel that was pools and lounge areas with chairs and BEDS! Outdoor beds! And naturally, poolside beverage and food service. This is my kind of vacation.

When we weren't lounging and sunning, we were stuffing out faces. Yep. That's about the nicest way to put it. From happy hours to four star restaurants, we indulged.



Wherein I learned that all things go better with MOFUNGO!! (plantain).





Another reason why I loved Puerto Rico. Hotel lobby statue says it all. If you notice the shadow image in the glass in the left corner, you'll see that after three days, my shape is looking remarkably similar.

It was hard leaving Puerto Rico behind. But with one last sweet gesture, I found yet another reason to love this place.

The airport had these things all over the place.



Heaven.....

Visiting Home .. part one.

We returned from a recent trip to upstate New York - where we visited my parents and celebrated my nephew Arman's first birthday. More on that later.

It was a busy four days. And who knew it was possible to consume so much food?



Here's someone who knows what I mean. This kid can pack it away. Over the course of our visit, I watched in awe as he happily ate every item of food that found its way near his mouth. And I don't just mean the birthday cake.



"Teach them, Arman," I kept whispering to him. Please teach my kids how to eat normal food without bribes. Please!



Mina and Arman bond over toys at T's parents' house. Jordan temporarily disappeared.




But we quickly found and heard him.



Jordan and Mina take a moment to perform "Ebony and Ivory."



Jordan and Mina on the stairwell at my parents' house. This was the first year they both slept in real beds. My brother's old beds, I should add. So... Osman and Riz... if you should happen to come across anything out of place in your childhood rooms the next time you visit - you know who to blame. Guitars, bhangra drums.... little bottles of cologne.... and boy, is it time to redecorate those rooms!!!!



Eating seems to form a major component of every upstate visit. It happens immediately, and no amount of willpower ever makes a difference. I don't even know why I bother trying to resist. I actually did sort of try... for about two days. By Saturday, I just threw in the towel. Croissants for breakfast.. sure... followed by a round of chai and mitai... sure... how about some specialty European chocolate, just because it's sitting there on the table next to me... ok.

Mina eating her morning croissant without a care in the world.



Jeff eating the same... along with a big fried egg.



I don't know whose brilliant idea is was to place a scale right next to the dining table, but it was a painful visual reminder for me over the course of our visit. Mina happily jumped right on after breakfast. I stayed away. Far away. Why is that thing there??!!




On Friday, we headed over to one of my old childhood stomping grounds - the Big Flats Community Park. Jordan climbed his way up the monkey bars (is that what they still call these things?) This was a good weekend for a visit. The weather was perfect.



There he goes. This stuff was relatively new. I don't remember it from back in the day. We never had this fancy stuff.



Reaching the top. He was very excited to get there.



Jeff and Mina riding into the sunset. Those fields in the background are some of the ones both me and my brother played softball/baseball on. They used to seem so much bigger.



Mina on the old slide. This thing I remember. It's the kind that heats up when the sun shines down on it.

Nice!

Up next.... celebrating!