Life is Good.

On Saturday, we joined some friends at the Life is Good music festival in Canton, MA. And we had a fabulous time. This was my kind of festival, hands down. Not only because it was extremely KID FRIENDLY and had AWESOME music for both the kiddies and the adults, but also because it was GREEN. Ahhh, green. My favorite kind of anything. There were compostable beer cups. Refillable water stations. A nursing zone. Vegetarian food. And right alongside the trash and recycling bins were COMPOSTING bins. Ok, so of course hundreds of people also had to drive to get there, but with all the exposure to green initiatives I like to think it was offset just a little bit. And this festival proved that it is possible to have fun and convenience while still being earth friendly. 

The kids in tow had a blast. There was so much for them to do and see and hear. Kai and his buddy Grayson danced and played, laughed and whined all damn day. They made some friends, ate some yummy food (including a big plate of sweet potato fries that Kai scored for free), and enjoyed romping around with each other on one of those big, colorful parachute thingamajigs. Kai also enjoyed some baby yoga,  an obstacle course, rocking out at the kids stage, and of course, some QT in the nursing station. Wow. It's a lot even to write! Still can't believe those boys made it through the entire day with ease. And to think Kai was going on just a half hour nap! What a great way to end the summer!

And Let the Potty Training Commence....

We hadn't really planned to start potty training. Sure, we've had the baby bjorn potty for a few months now, and he'd gone on it a couple times here and there, but it was never in the form of any serious potty training. We just figured we'd ignore the issue until he decided it was time. Well, it seems like that time has come. A couple weeks back when I was getting Kai ready for bed, we had the following conversation:


Me: "I'm going to put your diaper on now."
Kai: "No diaper, Mommy."
Me: "Well, I have to put your diaper on for bedtime... unless, you want to go peepee on the potty."  
Kai: "I have peepee coming now."
Me: "ok, so do you want to go to the potty?"
Kai: "ok!"


And that he did. Followed by a poop! He was very proud of himself. And so he got a reward in the form of a treat. A (grain-sweetened) chocolate chip. I don't really know what's being said out there about potty training rewards, but its working for us. The second day he didn't wear a diaper the entire day, all peeing and pooping on the potty. A couple of times he didn't even ask for a treat after. He was also excited to show his other toddler friends how he goes on the potty when they came over for a visit.


Since that first day he has definitely made progress. He is still wearing diapers most of the time for sleeping and when we go out, but at home he usually always tells me when he has to pee or poop, and he's still asking to go in the potty. He even enjoys bringing the potty bowl over to the toilet to dump it in! I'm not really sure what the next step is. I do have some "big boy undies" and a cloth potty training pull-up, but don't know if he's quite ready to be wearing them full time yet, although he does ask to.  If any seasoned moms out there have some advice about potty training, please feel free to offer it up!

A New York Weekend!

~Birthday tickets to see the musical Hair!
~My lovely sister, Jessie, meeting us in the city to hang with the KaiGuy. They Central Park'd it up!
~Yummy falafel sandwiches from Maoz Vegetarian to kick off the weekend.
~Graham and I seeing an incredible, hippie dippie, sexy, hopeful, anything but conservative show on Broadway! 
~Going to dinner at a delicious vegan restaurant called Red Bamboo.
~Hearing Jessie tell us about how she so gracefully and perfectly put an uptight woman in her place when she and Christian took Kai out to dinner. 

     The Woman: (under her breath but so they could still hear her without

     saying it directly to them), "I just hope he's well behaved."

     Jessie: (hearing this and definitely not being one to let someone get away

     with talking about her nephew) "Well, he is very well-behaved, and we were

     ALL children once."

   

~Awesome Sunday brunch at the Village Natural Restaurant in the West Village with some great company- Graham, Kai, Jessie, and her friend Christian.

~A beautiful community garden... stumbled upon, while looking for a place to change Kai's diaper.

~Quick trip into FAO Schwarz (only looking, no buying!), and a visit to the giant floor piano. (Unfortunately, Kai, who is semi-cripple at the moment after a playground fall, could only sit and watch!)

~A flawless, exciting, fun, yummy food-filled weekend! Thanks, everyone!

Here are some pictures:

 *At Red Bamboo there were these delicious Buffalo wings, complete with a wooden "bone" inside. Strange, but true!

* For my meal, I had the most authentic tasting "chicken tenders". The potatoes and veggies were nothing to write home about, but who needs them anyway when you're having "chicken tenders" for the first time in almost 2 years! Graham's meal was yummy too, black pepper "steak" or something like that.

~And for the real treat, an incredible mocha "cheesecake". Even though I was already stuffed and couldn't envision taking one more bite, I managed to just about finish this off. So delicious!  I definitely wouldn't want to eat this way everyday; I much prefer a whole foods diet to a processed one (which surely fake "meat" is), but every once in while I think it's ok to indulge. And it makes it that much more special when you do! Vegans and non-vegans alike would thoroughly enjoy this restaurant!

*At brunch the next day, Jessie and I shared this yummy tofu rancheros- scrambled tofu on a corn tortilla with onions, salsa, guacamole, chili beans.  

*And delicious vegan buck wheat waffles! Oh, and some sweet potato fries!