Mid-Winter Recess

This past week 2/16 -2/20 the kids and I (and Steve, taking time from work), were all off for President's Week. Last year for our mid-winter recess we went to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. While not the elaborate trip of last year, we still enjoyed time home keeping busy with local activities.

We started the week last Saturday, Valentine's Day with a performance at Proctor's Theater - a gem of an old theater that

generally draws Broadway plays - to see "The Five Browns." A family of 5, twenty-something siblings-playing 5 grand pianos, all trained at Julliard with incredible talent. We hoped it would inspire our novice two with their own piano playing.

Then on Sunday, Shaye and I went to my sister Sandy's house and spent our first day in NYC exploring SOHO with all its cool shops, street vendors and artists. Monday, Shaye and I went back to IKEA and added some pieces to the kids newly staged rooms with Ryan who then came home with us for two days (Ryan was off from school but Sandy was not). Tuesday we had lunch out and explored a new children's museum - for Ryan's sake. Wednesday we went to Hyde Park (about an hour south of us) to see the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library and a tour of his home and then we went to the Culinary Institute of America for lunch. The campus was beautiful. Lunch was in the cafe/bakery. We had delicious soups, sandwiches and baked goods that truly were out of this world! In the same building as the cafe, you can walk around to see students through large windows preparing foods in various kitchens, lecture classes - (this one on Herbs) - and where the fine dinning restaurants are for hopefully a future visit. Thursday, I took the kids with one friend each snowboarding for the twilight ski that starts at 3pm. I like this time because the lift ticket is less expensive and I can still do things around the house before sitting in the lodge for up to 6 hours. But, I do make good use of the time when I am there and found a spot by the large fire place and did all my school planning for next week. Friday, a quiet day at home. Saturday we went to the New York in Bloom Flower Show at the NYS Museum which did bring the feeling of spring in the air.

Tomorrow we are back to school and our full routine. Our next break from school is April 13-17, the kids birthday week and I'm hoping we might be able to take a trip to North Florida for some location scouting... just out of curiosity and a visit with the Florida half of our family.