20 Easter Basket Treats

This is the first Easter I'll be making baskets for Nico and Leo and I can't wait to surprise them with a bunch of special sweets. If you need ideas for a better Easter basket, check out these 20 springtime treats I recently shared on iVillage. They'll all taste a million times better than a boring bag of drugstore candy.

Holiday Fun in Bryant Park

After reading this post on Little Brown Pen, I couldn't wait to take Nico and Leo to Bryant Park. Just as Nichole explained, it was a less hectic alternative to Rock Center and the perfect place for holiday fun with four little ones. We went with our friends Whitney, Liam and June and had a jam-packed day. We looked at trains in Grand Central, posed in front of the library lions, spotted Santa and his reindeer in the Lord & Taylor holiday windows, rode the carousel, read some books in a cute outdoor library, sipped 'Wichcraft's extra special hot chocolate, threw pennies in a fountain, watched ice skaters at Citi Pond (open until February 26) and had a dance party before heading back to Brooklyn. NYC kids really have the life, huh?

Whitney and I definitely deserved some down time after an outing like that and I happened to have a freezer full of frozen appetizers thanks to an iVillage assignment. We sipped some wine and did a taste test while the kiddos played. It looked like a tornado and then a hurricane had hit my apartment when it was time to call it a day, but they sure had fun.

If you're planning a holiday party and want to go the easy route, try my ten favorite frozen appetizers. And to see NYC while it's still sparkly and festive, check out Bryant Park soon.

Happy Everything

Most mornings, I hear the sound of little feet running down our hallway at 6:40am. My bedroom door flies open and Nico rushes in. Lately, he always says—or rather, shouts—the same thing. "I'm ready to start my dayyyyyyyy!" I try to pretend I'm alseep, always hoping he'll take the hint and wait patiently till I'm ready to start my day, but that has yet to happen. I sometimes beg for five more minutes, his go-to request whenever it's time to transition from one thing to the next. He'll give me about five seconds tops and if I'm not showing any signs of waking, he'll pry my eyes open while repeating a let's-start-the-day chant. All this ruckus usually wakes Leo. I go and get him and bring him into bed, hoping that somehow, they'll want to sleep in for a change. Instead, they prefer to bring on the hug and kisses, often fighting over who gets to lie on top of me, forbidding access to anyone else. This morning, they joined forces and decided to try some body slams, you know, WWF style. Leo really didn't master it, but he sure thought it was funny when Nico would jump and then land on me. It's certainly not the most peaceful way to wake up, but I'll take it. Seeing how happy they are gives me goosebumps.

I don't send holiday cards, but if I did, I would use photos like the ones above. We took them the night we decorated our Christmas tree. Daniel, his Dad and I kept trying to get a good shot of Nico and Leo posed in front of it. We bribed them with the iPad, books, goofy faces, and some singing. I'd even pulled out the matching pajamas. We finally managed to get a few good shots, but these are my favorites. They just wanted us to roll around on the floor together, laughing till their little bellies hurt, because that's much more fun, isn't it? And years from now, when I'm trying to remember what the holidays were like when they were 1 and 3, these are the memories that will mean the most.

To all my friends, family and any other This Little Piglet fans out there, consider this my version of a holiday card. Happy Everything!

Sunshine Stripes

Not only did Daniel spend 10 hours painting stripes in Nico and Leo's room a few weeks ago while the boys and I were in California, but he also documented the whole process. We'd been deliberating for so long about what to do with the room and thick horizontal stripes in two shades of yellow (Benjamin Moore haystack and dalila) seemed like a good way to add some much needed light. It really did the trick and was much cheaper than wallpaper. We were inspired by the thick, two-toned stripes I shared in this post (check out the third photo), so Daniel did some research online before getting started. If you want to give it a try, here are some tools, his tips and step-by-step photos. He tells me this video helped him a lot as well: http://www.ehow.com/video_8103877_paint-horizontal-stripes-wall.html.

TOOLS
Chalk line reel

Level

Good masking Tape (he used Scotch Blue with Edge Lock)

Pencil

Hammer

Spackling knife or spatula

A few medium sized nails

Good wide paint brush

Flat head screw driver to open paint can

Small 6'' paint rollers

Paint container to use with roller

Ladder

Laying the tape is the hardest, but it will look professional and painting will be easier it you do it well. Measure the height of the area of your wall you actually want to paint. This height could be from floor to ceiling. In my case it was from floor molding to ceiling molding for two walls. Whatever it is, this number will be your numerator. To make your life easier, you should try to chose a denominator (the number which will divide the numerator) that gives you an integer number. The denominator will represent the number of stripes on your wall. Example: if your wall is 110 inches tall, your denominator could be 10, 11, 5. That way, the width of your stripes would be 11, 10 and 22 inches respectively. But if you were to choose to paint 7 stripes divided evenly on your 110 inch wall, then you would have to mark stripes with 15.71 inches...which would be a pain in the butt.

I actually changed to centimeters to find an even division. We wanted 12 stripes (4 sets of 3 stripes in dark yellow, light yellow and white.). If you can't make the division into a perfect integer (which is likely), I would make the uppermost stripe the one that is not exactly the same as the rest. For example: if your wall is 108 inches, you could have 10 stripes at 10 inches and the last stripe at 8 inches.

Once you figure that out it's time to mark. Use a pencil to mark a short piece of the line on each edge of the wall. Using the hammer, fix a nail to one side. If you have a helper, you do not have to nail anything, which will save you time fixing the wall (as I had to do). Attach the chalk line to one side of the wall, pull the string tightly to the other side, match the pencil lines, make sure you have good tension on the line, pull GENTLY and let it go. It will snap against the wall and make a perfect line. If you do not do it gently, your line will be too strong and hard to clean (that happened to me a few times).

After you mark all lines, get your masking tape and stick it to the wall in such a way that you see the chalk line (do not cover the line). This will give you better control and you'll also be able to use a damp cloth and clean off the chalk from your wall BEFORE you paint. Use a spatula of spackling knife to smooth tape edges.

After that, you paint:

*Always paint the lighter color first.

*Use the brush in a motion that puts paint from tape to wall (not from wall to tape). After you cover the entire edge of the tapes (top and bottom tapes) you can use the roller to paint all over and make it smooth. 

*VERY important: you have to remove the painted tapes after you've painted each stripe. This will ensure you are not removing tape after paint has dried, because if it has, you may get rough and ugly edges on your stripes.

Hope that all made sense to you. Even with Daniel's detailed instructions, I'm still confused. Now that he's done this once, he thinks it'd be much easier the second time around. Too bad he probably has no desire to ever do this again! Good luck if you give it a try.

Seeing Stripes

We've made lots of progress on our apartment and are really happy with how it's coming together, but Nico and Leo's room still needs some sprucing up. We scratched the wallpaper idea and the washi tape stripes didn't work out. They were too skinny for the space. Now we're planning on painting some stripes next week, but have a new dilemma. Do we go with horizontal or vertical ones? I can't make up my mind.

Look at these thick, horizontal ones. I love everything about them.

But then I saw these vertical ones in this dreamy bedroom and it made me change my mind.

Then I remembered these ones which come from one of the coolest bedrooms I've seen in awhile. The thick two-toned stripes are awesome and the same goes for the stars on the ceiling, dark blue rug, and simple Ikea bed.

When it comes to vertical ones, I tend to prefer them like this: some skinny, some thick.

These horizontal ones are  big and bold, but the pops of orange soften the look and make it more fun.

This little guy in his fancy bed makes me smile. The skinny stripes look really good, but if I stare too long, I get dizzy.

Isn't this room so sweet? Stripes are so playful, but they work even as kids grow up.

Seems like I'm leaning toward horizontal, huh? I've read that they can make a room feel more spacious while vertical ones can make the ceiling seem higher. As of now, we're thinking about yellow ones, and hopefully, we'll figure out soon if they should go up and down, or across. What would you choose? 

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Jane's Carousel

The first time we went to Jane's Carousel—a ride built in 1922 that was recently restored and now resides in Brooklyn Bridge Park—I forgot to check if it was open. Of course, we went on a Tuesday, the only day it's closed. Nico and Leo were bummed, but still had a blast running around the pier and being so close to the water. They even threw in a few pile-ons. Brotherly love is the best.

When we went back last week, we skipped the subway and walked all the way from from Park Slope to DUMBO. We made our way down Union Street, through Gowanus, stopping to admire a sidewalk speckled with cool tiles near what Nico likes to call The Stinky Bridge. We strolled on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens and I thought about places like Halcyon and Sur that have since closed and all the new places that opened up. We made our way to Clinton Street into Brooklyn Heights and I pointed out the first block in Brooklyn Daniel and I lived on and when we reached the Promenade, it took my breath away, just like it always has. Sadly, the gaping hole where the Twin Towers once stood didn't feel quite as strange anymore. A long walk with two little kids might not make much sense to some. But looking back on our day, it was one of the best parts.  Showing such familiar streets to my little boys and telling them about my life before they were here, was both surreal and amazing.

As expected, the carousel was a big hit. It's beautiful and spinning around on a fancy ride with the Brooklyn Bridge, East River and Manhattan skyline in the background was pretty cool. I'm sure it's even prettier at night. We rode around a few times, trying out different horses and the frilly chariots. Seems like Friday mornings are a good time to go since we practically had the whole carousel to ourselves. Bonus: Kids 3 and under ride for free.

On the way home, we played at Harry Chapin Playground, a cute spot that's at the top of a hill Daniel and I used to run up during our jogging days. It was just as torturous pushing a double stroller with two kids in it. After a quick stop for some pizza, Nico and Leo eventually fell asleep and I was treated to another long walk along some of my favorite streets.

French Onion Soup

It's finally starting to feel like Fall and I've been cooking whenever I can. There's something about this weather that makes me want to spend the better part of my Sunday making soup, as I did this past weekend. I'd been craving French onion soup and this one just became my new favorite.

Nico seemed intrigued by the name—ever since our trip to Brazil, he's very curious about other countries—so the French part really pulled him in. Either that, or he was trying really hard to skip his nap. Since he promised he would have some, I let him stay up and help me stir the onions and pour in the stock. He loved the process so much that he decided then and there he was going to be a chef for Halloween. Three-year-old's can be so fickle. I put a smaller portion in a ramekin for him, complete with pieces of baguette and melted gruyere, but the little rascal didn't even take a bite. Can't say I really cared though. I was more than happy to have his bowl all to myself.

Little Explorers

In Brooklyn, Nico, Leo and I fill our days with as much fun as we can, but it's hard not to fall into certain patterns when you're close to home. But take two toddlers across a bridge and plop them in Manhattan—The Big City as my cousin Henry used to call it when he was little—and you'll be amazed at how much can happen.

On Saturday, we went to see a play I was reviewing for Mommy Poppins. We rode subways, sat next to a famous family (more on that in my review of the show), bumped into Minnie Mouse, Mickey, Cookie Monster and other famous characters on a corner in Times Square, used a bathroom in a hotel, had custard at Shake Shack, played in an empty fountain, met two dogs named Maya and Walt, threw pennies in a real fountain, lost a shoe in that fountain, were very grateful when a man and his son found a huge stick and fished the floating shoe out of the fountain, walked through Union Square and sampled Martin's Pretzels at the farmers market, watched some dudes with serious moves have a dance party underground and then made our way back to Brooklyn.

New York, you might make me crazy sometimes, but I feel so lucky to call you home.

Pumpkin Picking

On Monday, we took Nico and Leo pumpkin picking at Colonial Springs Farm in Long Island. Just under an hour from Brooklyn by car, it's a great place for families with small children. We found parking right away, paid $1 per person at the entrance and grabbed a free Radio Flyer wagon which made it much easier to lug two little boys and a few pumpkins through the patch. There was even a Little Farmer's Playland with a small maze, a zip line, some swings, a train pulled by a tractor, pony and hay rides, and a small store with local apples, pies, honey and cider. The sun was blazing the whole time we were there and it felt more like summer than fall, but it looks like cooler weather will return this weekend.

Striped Walls

Our camera broke while we were in Brazil and we haven't gotten around to getting it fixed which is one reason I haven't been blogging much lately. The other reason is that any free minute I have, I end up searching for inspiring images on Pinterest or clicking through a digital design magazine. There's so much I want to do with our new place and I could spend hours online looking for ideas.

A few weeks ago, I was talking about wallpaper for Nico and Leo's room. We ordered all sorts of samples, from jellyfish patterns to vinyl red circles from Marimekko. I even asked for all of your opinions, but then we scratched the whole wallpaper plan last week. It seemed too pricey and a lot of work. My new plan is to paint some bright stripes on their super white walls.

I ripped this photo out of Domino Magazine a few years ago. The bedroom belongs to Jenna Lyons's son. Jenna is the creative director of J. Crew and her beautiful Brooklyn brownstone has been featured in many publications.

Her kitchen inspired me to go with dark blue cabinets in mine. (More on that another day.) Painting stripes on the ceiling sounds like a lot of work, but I love the way it looks.

My old bedroom was the prettiest shade of blue and while it would have worked well in a bedroom for two little boys, I wanted to go with something more unique for Nico and Leo. Still, these thick blue stripes keep making me rethink that decision.

But of all the striped walls I've seen lately, these are my favorite. Probably because they were made with Japanese washi tape and cost just $30. As the designer behind them explains, they're the way to go if you don't have the patience to paint and the budget for wallpaper. Bingo! I think I might finally have a winner. Cute Tape has a good selection of washi tape, so now I just need to pick a color and get going. I'll report back with the results as soon as our camera is fixed!

Images 1: Habitually Chic, 2: Julia Lynn and Squire Fox via Design Sponge, 3: Libbie Grove Design

Stone Barns Harvest Fest

Nico's been begging to go apple and pumpkin picking now that it's starting to feel like Fall here in New York. Last year, we took a day trip to an orchard about an hour or two from Brooklyn. Sadly, I don't even remember the name due to some major sleep deprivation back then, but what I do remember is that as fun as it was to pick apples with Nico and take funny pictures of Leo perched in trees, most of the food we ate that day, aside from the apples, was disappointing. There were cinnamon sugar donuts that were stale and didn't seem homemade and don't even get me started on the lame snack bar at the pumpkin patch we went to after.

So, imagine my excitement when I heard about the Stone Barns Harvest Fest on Hither and Thither yesterday. Daniel, my Mom and I celebrated my 30th birthday at Blue Hill at Stone Barns back when I was pregnant with Nico. A farm-to-table restaurant, their food is right up my alley. On another visit, Daniel and I had some wine and appetizers before a friend's wedding reception.

I happened to get electrocuted that evening as well. True story, I swear. I was so enamored by the farm's adorably plump pigs that I didn't even notice the warning signs about their electric fences. The last time I went, Nico was about 18 months old and in the middle of a major acorn obsession. He could have cared less about the animals, or the farm-fresh lunchtime fare.

It was all about the acorns on that trip, but at least I was able to snap one of my favorite pictures ever of him that day.

Now that he's a bit older, I know he'll be into the hay rides, live music, farm activities (egg collecting! pig feeding!) and Leo, our mini foodie in the making, will be all about the unbelievable food at the Farmers Market, a lot of which is from places in Brooklyn, but nothing is better than getting out of the city and onto a farm. The Harvest Fest is Saturday, October 1 from 10am-3pm and you can buy tickets here. Stone Barns is truly stunning, especially during this time of year.

DeLonghi's Il Gelataio

The sound of my father-in-law's gelato maker whirring on his kitchen counter is something I'll always remember from our recent trip to Brazil.  During the two weeks we spent at his house in Bahia, he made gelato almost every day. Two times a day, on occasion. This, and the beach, and the little monkeys that occasionally arrived in the afternoon to see what sort of food they could snatch might explain why Nico said to me out of the blue the other day, "Mama, I really enjoyed our trip to Brazil."

Nico would happily welcome a bowl of ice cream at any time of day, and in Bahia, he was able to eat plenty of it, at the oddest hours, and help his Vovô make batch after batch. Coconut was my favorite, and although we couldn't convince Andreas to throw some pieces of dark chocolate into his machine, we always chopped some up that we brought from Brooklyn and encouraged people to sprinkle it on top.

The machine—DeLonghi's Il Gelataio—made it way too easy to have incredible gelato. There was no slaving over a stove and cooking eggs and all the other complicated steps that come with making ice cream. The machine takes up a lot of counter space and is over $200, and with so many great ice cream shops nearby, I really can't justify buying one. But maybe you can? I never did get a good shot of the gelato, or more accurately, I never really bothered because I'd much rather be eating ice cream than taking pictures of it. Bad blogger.

Is it sunset yet?

I'd take wine over liquor any day and have never been big on cocktails.  Except in Brazil where it's hard to pass up a caipirinha, the country's national cocktail, a drink that goes really well with vacation and sunny weather.  On this past trip, my father-in-law would suggest "a sundowner" around 5pm most days. He'd take orders—cachaça or vodka, lime or passion fruit or pitanga—and then head to the kitchen where he'd plop fresh fruit into tall glasses and get started. Some sugar would go in next and then he'd muddle it with the fruit using a wooden pestle. So serious about his caipirinhas, he owns a machine called The Ice Crusher which he uses to crack cubes to perfection. He'd add a handful of crushed ice to each glass and then top them off with a hearty glug of cachaça or vodka. As you can see, Nico enjoyed the whole process a lot. For our first sundowner, he and Leo both kept sticking their hands into our glasses, trying to fish out pieces of ice and fruit. Since their Vovó makes strong caipirinhas, we decided to give them their very own virgin ones the rest of the trip. By adding water instead of alcohol, they were able to really join in on the happy hour fun, too. In fact, it was Nico who got happy hour going most nights after that, always asking "is it time for sunset yet?"

Some friends are coming to stay with us this weekend and if the weather stays warm, I think we'll have to plan a Brooklyn sundowner using some summer fruits like strawberries or plums. This blackberry caipirinha recipe also sounds good. If you feel like giving caipirinhas a try, but can't find cachaça, vodka works well. It makes the drink a bit more mild and you'll be able to really taste the fruit, too.

Enjoy the long weekend!