kids book review: PHILANTHROPY . . . A Big Word for Big-Hearted People

we’ve been struggling with Chanukah gender neutral gift ideas for our boy / girl twins. they are only 19 months old, and traditionally should receive 8 gifts each.  this is my second time celebrating my husband’s religious holidays with the children (i am spiritual, not religious) and so while gelt and dreidels are definitely on the list, as a latina mom i still wanted to bring some diversity into our season (minus pernil. bummer.)

a girlfriend works for the nytimes and mentioned a children’s book sale. i asked her to look for books featuring children of different races, and specifically of color. our twins are puerto rican, italian and jewish – and while the classics are adored, we want our collections to represent all races, religions, cultures. Naomi brought up a bunch to us yesterday, and this particular book not only stood out, but rocks so hard:

PHILANTHROPY . . .

A Big Word for Big-Hearted People

inside you’ll find messages for every letter in the word Philanthropy.

i love the letter “H” for Help:

Music and art can be a cure

To some people who think they cannot endure.

It brings joy and laughter, a smile or tear,

But can it help kids be good people all year?

Believe it or not, a young artist and dancer,

Thought he could use peace and love as an answer.

Blake Stuerman helped with workshops to show every kid,

Instead of doing something their parents forbid,

They could dance, sing and paint or even act funny

To help them feel better and make their days sunny.

check out the reviews on Amazon. this is a great gift for any kid of all ages (not just the holidays!) with messages of community that will last a lifetime.

Community: Sponsor a Child This Holiday Season

when Bread and Yoga first opened, i questioned as to whether most of our community would be able to afford this wonderful addition to the neighborhood.  Marcela’s response can be read here.

so how thrilled were we when we saw this email last night? a holiday outreach project is *exactly* what we wanted to see. so very proud of Bread and Yoga for stepping up, and we hope that other new businesses will follow suit, quickly.

SPONSOR A CHILD PROGRAM Commit to making a difference right here in your community.  Sponsor a child through Yoga, Art or Music this winter. Bread and Yoga is partnering with Zena Group, a NYC not-for-profit arts organization, to sponsor low-income kids in our neighborhood. Our after school programs include: -    Drama & Yoga with Michelle Bernard for kids 4 to 7 years  old. -    Kids Yoga with Stacey Linden for kids 7 to 10 years old. -    Scribble Art Workshop with Sasha Schwartz for grades K-5 -    Little Songwriters’ Club with Christopher Wilson and Eric Nolan for  grades 2-5. Donations are tax-deductible and will go towards funding a low-income child through one of our programs.  We are working with guidance counselors from local schools to identify kids that would benefit the most from what we offer. Our classes focus on building strength, self-esteem, focus, concentration, independence and responsibility.  Children are introduced to ideas they wouldn’t normally be exposed to in their daily lives. This is an opportunity to change a child’s life. Are you looking for a socially mindful holiday gift?  This year, sponsor a child! Donations in any amount are welcome. Checks can be made out to Zena Group Theater, Inc. and mailed to: Bread and Yoga 4951 Broadway, Suite 6 New York, NY  10034 For more information please contact Marcela Xavier at director@breadandyoga.com or call 646 645 4112. HOLIDAY SPECIALS WE ARE STILL OFFERING OUR HOLIDAY SPECIALS: 2 Week Unlimited – $40 (for new students only) 5 Class Card Special – Buy one get one 1/2 Off- $125 All class cards can be purchased as gift certificates Call or email for more information. SCHEDULE UPDATE We have some schedule changes for the next couple of weeks. Please make sure to check our website for the most up-to-date schedule. Christmas Week: Monday – Regular Schedule Tuesday – 7am Rise & Shine;2pm Parent & Child; 8pm Iyengar Wednesday – 9:15am Tai Chi; 7:30pm Ashtanga Thursday – 9am Vinyasa Open Friday – CLOSED Saturday – 9am Vinyasa Open; 5pm Vinyasa Open Sunday – Regular schedule We are really proud of our Sponsor a Child initiative.  Please consider supporting the program this season. And your donation is tax deductible! As always, you can find me at director@breadandyoga.com or call 212 569 4112 with questions or concerns. Much love and peace to all of you! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! Marcela Xavier – Director www.breadandyoga.com

Uptown Connection: Jai Catalano

my “boyfriend” from 5th grade is hilarious.

he was my first kiss too.

ive always loved funny guys, what can i say?

More from Jai:

www.youtube.com/jacksun

www.jaicatalano.com

twitter @jaicatalano

working on something  fantastic, and want to share it with us? join the Uptown Connection.

The Uptown Connection

hurray!  there’s a new group here in our tiny little neighborhood called Inwood Networking Parents.  it’s a closed group on FB, so there’s no guarantee that we will be accepted and im now a member!.  regardless, here is the intro letter i wrote to the moderator on InwoodKids, and i wanted to extend the offer to all my Uptown readers.

Hello!  I am now a stay-at-home mommy blogger of twins and a teenage boy.  My Manhattan’s Peak blog focuses on everything fabulous and fun in Inwood, as well as the occasional post about our personal parenting trials & tribulations.  If anyone is looking for free local promotion or marketing (it’s what I call “Linky Love” on my blog) I would gladly put a post up on your behalf.   I get a couple of hundred hits a day, mostly from my local readership base which includes Inwood, the Heights, Harlem and Marble Hill. The tone of my blog is very, very laid back and conversational.  This is a place where my friends meet, and most of my friends in both “real life” and “online” live uptown.  My husband has been nudging me lately about making some money via a “blogging from home” situation, so FYI I might put some advertising up on my sidebar in the near future.

My plan is to request to join the facebook Inwood Networking Parents group today, and will request your permission before posting any referrals on Manhattan’s Peak blog. Also note that my blog URLs are also automatically imported into my twitter feed and facebook account, so anything posted will be far reaching within my extended network.

Word of mouth via local blog posts spread like wildfire up here, and I’d love to help any Uptownies out if I can.

Please email me offline if you are interested in getting your business posted.  manhattanspeak at gmail dot com

Thanks,
Zaida
mom to Ryan – 15, Gabriel & Stella – 3 months
blog | twitter

in this economy, we can all use a little free help these days.  expect to see me shilling my own baby goods up for sale, and yes, it’s true – im considering putting ads up on the blog.  i know! im selling out! there goes my gangsta lean, right? but we have 3 kids and 2 dogs to feed, so i might as well put this blog to good use in some way, shape or form. it’s kind of unfair for my husband to handle the entire financial load all by himself.

and if i can help a neighbor out in doing so, then why the hell not?

update: Susan asked a great question – you DO NOT need to be a parent to have a post put up on my blog, just a local business owner or self employed.  you must request an invite to the FB group i linked which i am not at all associated with, unless im approved and then i will be a member. also, i will gladly put up any IRL friends info even if you dont live uptown.  friends take care of each other!

check out more linky love on my sidebar.

Inwood Romantic Date Nights Continue with DRACULA!

the banner below says “drink responsibly” so is that like condoning the consumption of alcohol in the park on the sly? because we are notorious for bringing a great bottle of wine to these wonderful outdoor performances.

Opens Wednesday July 15!

Sup and Sack in the Sunset, 6/12 @ 5:30pm

My husband is desperate for a date night, and I keep turning him down. I know, I know, “dating” your partner is healthy, but you can’t pry me away from these new babies even if your life depended on it.  Well, with one exception…

The only event in our neighborhood I would even consider leaving my brood, or buying a new sling for is this one:

The 10th Anniversary Celebration Fundraiser

For Inwood Shakespeare Festival

In Inwood Hill Park Peninsula

How many summer nights have we escaped to the peninsula, blankets & picnic baskets in tow, to watch another fabulous performance by the Inwood Shakespeare Festival?  Or how about those warm nights, when we are taking our evening stroll around the park with our pooches only to be drawn to the beautiful music floating over the salt marsh?

Inwoodites, we have to come out for this one in droves.

SUPPORT OUR BELOVED INWOOD SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL!!

Let’s mix and mingle, sip on a cocktail, and eat a snack donated from some of our favorite local restaurants!  It’s time to enjoy yet another romantic evening on Lover’s Lane, perhaps dance to some live music… and it’s all right here in our own little ‘hood.

Tickets are available for $30 online via PayPal and will also be sold for $35 at the door.

Please visit the Moosehall Theater Company website or join the Sup and Sack Facebook group for more info.

Buy your tix, pick up something summery, and spread the word!  See you there!!

Girly Bit Adventures: from CPW to a free WaHi clinic

we have to keep walking east, i mumbled to daniel.  this day was not starting out well, but we kept trudging on.

the stark contrast between 181st west of broadway to 181st east of broadway was startling.  once we hit wadsworth, there was not a gentrifier or college student in sight.  no hipsters or yuppies or fancy strollers.  no starbucks or colorful knit scarves or expensive coffees in hand.

and even more surprising, i didnt hear any english being spoken.

friends & family thought i was insane to leave my upper west side OB/GYN so close to delivering, but for a while i felt like something was not right.  last week, i took a brave pill and finally cut the cord after a 10 year dr/patient “relationship,” quickly realizing that finding a new OB in the 8th month of my multiple pregnancy might be problematic.

so i did what any mother desperate for prenatal care does:  i went to a free clinic in washington heights.

the most asked question of the day:

do you prefer spanish or english?

up until this moment, i never thought that english would be an actual option.  but that’s neither here nor there.  what i know for fact is that i met the nicest people and received the best care of my entire pregnancy at this local free clinic.  every room and office was clean, every nurse/assistant/doctor seen was warm, inviting, caring and informed.  these spanish women were the mothers i never had, and after 5 hours i still didnt want to leave. the young women in the waiting area, kids in tow, either all knew each other, or became fast friends.  there were pictures and posters and knickknacks of angels and babies and words of inspiration everywhere in the nurses private offices. each time i went into a new room, i felt like i was a young girl at my abuelas house – the laughter and “no worries” and “we’ll take care of you’s” were never ending.

finally, i felt safe and taken care of.

mentally, i struggled with the fact that my obgyn in his posh private practice on central park west had not been this attentive.  dont we pay more to get better service?  shouldnt i have recieved all this information six months ago?  how could so many mistakes have been made?

at the end of the day, i followed my gut instinct, and even though it landed me in a place i least expected, we could not be happier with our new prenatal care.  now all 3 of my children will be born in washington heights at the babies hospital on 166th street, and we are thrilled beyond belief.

my new love affair with the heights continues wednesday, when i go back for a follow up.

details of each visit can be found on our pregnancy blog.

Last Night at the Piper’s Kilt…

The Piper’s Kilt is my bar. It’s just that simple to me. I think everyone should have a bar to call their own, a place where they feel comfortable, at ease and at home. A place that waits for them at the end of a long day, a place of refuge, sanctuary, celebration, release and relief. For me, that place is the Kilt. So I knew that, one way or another, I was going to wind up there on Election Night.

I put the word out, invited some fellow locals to join me there to watch the returns, the speeches, see how it all ended. And then I was promptly late for the party.

help scare the shit out of little children

great, i got your attention.

ok, let’s say you haven’t done ANY community service at all since you’ve moved up here, because picking up trash or dog poop is gross, tutoring is boring, and you just dont have time helping that little abuelita cross broadway.

you are busy, you are rushing, you can’t be bothered.

it happens to all of us, let’s be honest.

here’s your chance to get good karma back in your life – in a really fun way. VOLUNTEER to help put together one of inwood’s best free events for kids and the young at heart:

Inwood Hill Haunted Forest on Halloween.

i can’t even tell you how much this event improves every year – help make 2008 the scariest one yet! organizers take one of the trails in the park over by the soccer field, section it off and make it a REAL haunted forest. we took the dogs last year and you could hear the kids screaming their assess off before you even approach the soccer field – it was THAT MUCH FUN.  and isn’t that what halloween is all about, anyway?

Halloween is a Friday night this year – so if you dont feel like leaving ‘hood and kinda like dressing up in zombie costumes (UME’rs im talkin to you guys!), see below:

— In inwoodkids@yahoogroups.com, “margaretpeeler”
<margaretpeeler@…> wrote:

Some of you may have noticed some flyers around the neighborhood
seeking volunteers to help with this year’s haunted forest. A local
resident has pulled off this free Halloween event almost
singlehandedly since its inception five years ago but it has grown in
size and complexity and this guy could use some help. Please consider
contacting Jerry Dixon and helping with whatever you can. A message
from him is copied below. For those of you who have never attended,
it is a pretty spooky and even scary walk through the forest but my
4.5 year old daughter can’t wait to do it again this year.
-Margaret (mom to skeleton and lion)

My name is Jerry Dixon, and for the past 5 years we have been doing
Halloween events. It started in Park Terrace Gardens and then moved
to Bruce’s Garden and now to our final home “The Inwood Hill Nature
Center and Inwood Hill Forest.” In continuing with our tradition we
will be hosting the 5th Annual Inwood Hill Haunted Forest and Haunted
House. We are desperately in need of volunteers as well as donations
to cover our costs. Every year we expand a little more. Last year we
had approximately 800 people in attendance.
We are looking for people to help set up the day before Halloween at
the Nature Center and Halloween day in the Forest. Halloween set-up
starts @ 10AM . Halloween day we also need volunteers during the
event 5 – 10 PM. Halloween evening we need people to help break-down
and clean up 10PM – Midnight.
I am now in the process of getting volunteers. If you know of anyone
interested in volunteering, have them send me an email at
thistleandlilly@… or call me (646)642-2020. There will be one
or two meetings with everyone to get organized and delegate.
Thank You,
Jerry Dixon

and since you’re dressed up anyway, why not host a party at your place that night?

or, let’s all go crash liffy’s!!

An Inwood Wedding…

The bride had tats and the groom wore a smiley face yamulke.

Her son and his little brother held up the chupa.

No pews, no rows, no church or synagogue walls. A loose crowd of friends, family, dog owners and passersby on a sunny Sunday in the park.

The day before, it seemed impossible, flat-out out of the question that there could ever be a wedding in the park, maybe ever again. The entire sky opened up and dropped pound after pound of water on us all. Surely the park was flooded, the trees blown down, the ground a muddy soup. There was no way anyone was getting married.

But there they were, walking their dogs down the aisle into a perfect sunset.

Sometimes the whole world smiles. This was one of those times.

And, after the ceremony, back at the bar, awash in strong beer, good wine and tasty vittles, they danced. They put their song on and danced like we’d all already gone home and they were the only ones in the place.

They handed us cupcakes, each a different flavor, each one our own. Not one cake for these two, but a hundred cakes, a multitude of cakes for all. It said, “We can’t cut our love for you and each other up into small pieces, decide who gets the big, fat piece and who gets the skinny piece. Each of you gets some and come back for more.”

And then they sent us home. There were many who had to drive, take buses and subways. There were people who’d flown from the Midwest to be there. But for the lucky ones, home was a few steps away, nearby and close. And, like dear, dear friends, never far away.