road trip: d.c.

Two days + Two tiny kids = Just enough time to...

Gather dandelions and a Teddy Roosevelt-sized stick on a walk to the White House

 Goof around in the hotel room

Experiment with a milk mustaches and a Daddy-made hairdo

 And discover cilantro scrambled tofu and salted oatmeal cookies 
at Teaism.  Both were delicious!

Oh, and check out Dali's Last Supper at the National Gallery of Art, with a stop in the gift shop to get books for the ride home

As we pulled up in front our our building in New York at 1am, we had to admit that our two kid traveling experiment was more exhausting that we thought it would be, but don't expect us to stick around for long. 
Big summer plans are in the works!

in the bag

I have a complicated relationship with my makeup bag. I am a natural skeptic of all product claims, yet my heart beats faster at any glimpse of the newest! hottest! latest! in the world of beauty. I try everything. My artistic side loves playing with color and my temperamental skin requires a seriously scientific approach. Over the years I have found a few things that are so good they have become my "hg" items (holy grail, in online beauty speak). Here, a few products that are never missing from my beauty regimen:

• DiorShow Mascara in Noir--My natural lashes are sparse and pale at the ends. DiorShow lets me pretend they are full, dark, and bat-worthy.
• Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Cream--Better than my former love La Mer at a fraction of the price. This little orange and white tube is packed with natural emollients and soothing ingredients like rose wax and marshmallow root (althaea officianalis to you Latin geeks). Like any cream, it is important to warm a pea-sized amount between the fingers and pat on, rather than rubbing. This allows rich creams to moisturize and protect without causing breakouts. Strange but true.
• NARS Lip Glosses in Dolce Vita & Orgasm--Perfect for a pale girl who doesn't always find time to do her makeup before the school run. Just a swipe makes me look polished and gives my face a little color and sophistication.
• Caudalie Vinoperfect Serum Eclat Anti-Taches--The only thing that does battle with those ever creeping dark spots and melasma without irritating my skin. It is soothing and moisturizing, in fact.
• NARS Eye Shadow in Cyprus--A rich golden shadow that adds a little something without looking like you are wearing anything. I have recommended this to sisters and friends with a variety of skin tones, and I have yet to see anyone on whom it doesn't look fabulous.
• Cle de Peau Concealer (I use Ivory)--I will never use another concealer.  Stays on all day, blends perfectly, covers the circles under my eyes, the pink around my nose, and those always inconvenient blemishes. It's ridiculously expensive but a little goes a long way, so it literally lasts years. Pat on with the tip of a ring finger or a tiny brush.
• Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo--Like everything else about me (my skin, my wit), my hair tends to be dry. Too frequent washing and styling only make it worse. This little trick has turned things around: Before bedtime, brush hair with a boar bristle brush (I like Frederic Fekkai's) to massage scalp and distribute oil to ends, where it will absorb and condition as you sleep. In the morning, tap a little of this dry shampoo onto roots (it distributes most evenly when applied with a loose powder makeup brush or the aforementioned hairbrush) and off you go!
• Skinceuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense SPF 50--You can read my rave about it here. I have since found that mixing this with a drop (literally) of long-wearing foundation before I apply it in the morning gives me all day coverage that evens my skintone while still looking natural.

What's in your beauty bag? Come on, spill!

already

Already...

It seems like a million years ago,
the newness,
the adrenaline and dizziness,
the complete lack of sleep.
A Christmas season spinning all around us.
Just trying to survive.

That birdlike newborn with the jutting jawline
has been replaced with a bouncing,
cackling,
beaming baby boy
Who demands eye contact
and loves to cuddle and gnaw,
Who perfectly mimics sounds,
And can't help smiling if someone is smiling at him
even when he's crying.
And sleeps through the night.

Already he is prone to long, impassioned diatribes,
about the joys and injustices of this new world.
His pronunciation may lack a little refinement
but he doesn't let that stop him.

Already...

He has outgrown the grey flannel hat, the one with the ear flaps
and the plaid lining, and the little embroidered wolf on the brim.
The one that I bought in San Diego when I thought we were finished having kids.
I bought it just in case we ever happened to have a baby boy.


Already...

Her uncertainty with him has been replaced with
a weird amalgamation of tenderness and volume
and rapidity of movement.
She sees him as an equal, for better or worse.
Already they are forming their relationship, independent of us,
with its own expressions and dynamics and language...

Already...

I am catching glimpses of the future her,
timid and bold,
sharpishly intelligent,
fiercely independent,
graceful
and fascinating
and hilarious...

Already she is begging for sleepovers
and playdates
and wants to be a rock star.

She says with a dreamy expression,

"Today is my wedding day."

And I think, No, please, not yet, be mine just a little longer...

Already...

My heart is breaking to think that tomorrow they will be different...

And bursting with wonder at the very same thought...

something to talk about

I love TED talks for the five- to twenty-minute intellectual break they give me from thinking about parenting while I'm actually doing it--I have the free app on my iPhone and I also watch them on Netflix and Hulu--but this video about parenting was one that I just had to share. I and several of my friends are in the throes of new parenthood or are contemplating it, and we talk about these very issues all the time. This presentation by Rufus Griscom + Alsia Volkman of Babble.com is a humorous, well-framed discussion of happiness (and sometimes the lack thereof) in parenting.

If you get a chance to have a look, let me know what you think! And for more TED talks, click here.