7th Annual Pleasantville Music Festival

Yesterday was the Pleasantville Music Festival, an event we've attended and enjoyed just about every summer since we've moved to Westchester. Last year's line-up was great--Rusted Root, The Bacon Brothers (as in Kevin Bacon), and Jakob Dylan--but this year the bands scheduled to perform were less impressive. Sure, the headliner, Marc Cohn, is a huge recording star, but he's just not my cup o' tea. And the other acts scheduled for earlier in the day were mostly no-names (except for Augustana, who I saw opening up for Stereophonics at Bowery Ballroom back in 2005), so I wasn't quite as psyched to go this year. But I'm always up for an outdoor music festival, no matter the lineup.

Nicole Atkins

Back in 2005, I thought Augustana were just okay, and yesterday's performance didn't change my mind. They were pretty good, but a bit twee for my taste. However, the big surprise of the day, for me, was how awesome Nicole Atkins & the Black Sea were. They totally rocked! Atkins has a powerful, smoky voice, and her guitarist is a woman, which is always cool to see. The two other members of the band--bassist and drummer--are hairy dudes with scruffy beards (of course they live in Brooklyn).

I enjoy getting as close to the stage as possible when I see live music, but since we had the kids along with us, we couldn't sit up front next to the blasting speakers. But when I saw that two of the four members of Nicole Atkins's band were female, I suggested to my 3-year-old daughter that we walk up closer to see them. I want her to learn that girls can rock out just as hard as the boys, and this was the perfect opportunity. I held her in my arms so she could see the musicians up on stage, and I pointed out the various instruments. She seemed to be enjoying herself, even though it was pretty darn loud.

We stayed for a song or two, then started making our way back to our spot on the grass (where my husband and son were watching from afar). Halfway there, my little one abruptly stopped walking and began to cry. When I asked her what was wrong, she wailed, "I want to see the lady sing more!" Yeah, that's my girl! So we went back and resumed our position in front of the stage.

I loved it. I mean, what's better than a mother & daughter enjoying some kick-ass chick rock 'n' roll on a sunny summer afternoon? As far as I'm concerned, that's pretty much as good as it gets.

Yeah, it was a great day.

(And go check out Nicole Atkins & the Black Sea--you won't regret it.)

The Sad Tale of Swing Boy

My husband and I took the kids to a nearby playground tonight. It's not the closest one, but I like going there for a number of reasons--one being the diversity of the kids who play there.

Our town is not diverse. In fact, it's my second least favorite thing about our Westchester hamlet (my #1 being that you can't walk anywhere good). I grew up in a very white town, and once I was old enough to realize it, it sort of bummed me out. I didn't have the chance to meet people from various backgrounds, and when I went off to college I was unprepared for the diversity I found there. I was naive.

Economically, the New England town I grew up in ranged from well-to-do electricians and contractors to ivy league professors and renowned neurosurgeons. Ethnic diversity meant Greeks and Armenians. A handful of Asians lived in town--mostly affiliated with Boston's many universities and hospitals--but basically no black or hispanic families. There were some black kids in the school system--bussed in through the much-maligned METCO (Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity) program--but they didn't live in town and tended to stick together.

I was hoping to raise my kids in a more diverse environment, but because our town isn't great in that regard, I have to leave town so my kids can learn that not everyone looks the same.

The playground was packed tonight. After pushing my daughter in one of the baby swings, my husband informed me there was a little boy, around three-years-old, in the other swing who seemed to be parent-less. He pushed the kid a few times because he felt sorry for the boy, who was just hanging there. He wasn't complaining, not crying, not acting out...just hanging, legs dangling.

My husband asked him if his parents were around. He pointed behind him, to a picnic table with three adults. Because the grown-ups at that table never even glanced over at the boy, my husband was not convinced they were actually the parents.

The boy was stuck in the swing for over an hour! He didn't look unhappy, but neither could he get out on his own. Whenever the other baby swing opened up, a new parent would put his or her kid in, start pushing, and then notice the sad little boy hanging adjacent. The other parent would awkwardly push both swings for a little while, glancing around for the boy's caretaker all the while. In between, the boy would just hang there.

What the heck was going on? Were his parents really not there? If they were, in fact, around, did they not care that dozens of random adults were pushing their kid on the swing? How lazy could they be? Apparently, this particular playground is diverse even in terms of parenting skills.

Finally my husband went over and asked the boy if he wanted to get out. He did, so my husband lifted him out. The boy ran off to the play structure. We still weren't sure his parents existed, but after a few minutes he ran over to the picnic table with the three adults sitting around it.

I couldn't believe it! For an hour, the boy's parents (or guardians, at least) completely ignored it while random other adults uncomfortably pushed their boy on the swing. I was looking around the whole time, and the adults at that table didn't look at Swing Boy even once. And they appeared normal enough. Sure, the dad/male had a tattoo sleeve on one arm but that's hardly unusual these days. The two women were...eh...texting on their phones most of the time. Not great, but they weren't strung-out junkies, either.

They didn't care that he was just hanging there! For an hour! While other adults pushed him! While my husband talked to him and helped him out of the swing!

What the hell? In this era of helicopter parenting, this kind of disregard is downright shocking.

My husband: "Well, he'll probably end up being really independent, at least."

Me: "Or a drug addict."

But isn't that the great parenting dilemma?

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String

Wave by Suzy Lee

This children's picture book isn't new--it came out in 2008--but we just discovered it. Wave is without words, and the color palette is just black, white, and blue, but it tells a better story than 90% of the picture books out there. I came across the book at the library a couple of weeks ago. I checked it out because my kids were eagerly anticipating our upcoming beach vacation, and I thought they'd enjoy the pictures. I was surprised, however, by just how much they love it. The pages are deceptively simple--the artist Suzy Lee has transformed simple illustrations of a girl and the ocean into works of art. Her brush strokes perfectly capture the beauty and wildness of the ocean, as well as the emotions of a little girl who is, in turn, scared of the wave, enchanted by it, and then soaked from it.

Let England Shake by PJ Harvey

I've been a fan of PJ Harvey's going on 20 years. Her latest album, Let England Shake, is a homage to her country. England gets a bad rap as a dreary, uptight place, but it's actually a magical place full of breath-taking scenery, charming villages, and colorful folklore. There's plenty of ugliness, war, and death in its history, too, of course...PJ Harvey captures it all on her new album. The song "The Last Living Rose" is one of her loveliest and most haunting to date, with lyrics that truly paint a picture. The song, like the album, is raw, honest, and beautiful.
Goddam' Europeans!
Take me back to England
& the grey, damp filthiness of ages,
fog rolling down behind the mountains,
& on the graveyards, and dead sea-captains.
Let me watch night fall on the river,
the moon rise up and turn to silver,
the sky move,
the ocean shimmer,
the hedge shake,
the last living rose quiver. 

Berry Burst Ice Cream-Flavored Oreos

This is what happens when you bring your five-year-old to the grocery store--you come home with the most repulsive-looking cookies imaginable. But then, sometimes, what looks gross actually tastes sinfully delicious. That's what happened with these pink, berry-cream Oreos. I am usually a purist when it comes to the cookies I loved as a child--I'll try the newfangled flavors, but I won't like them! So I was truly surprised to try one of these berry-flavored Oreos and find it even better than the original. Oh, and they're double-stuff, too. Double-yum.

Summer Breeze, Makes Me Feel Fine

Ahhhh, the beach! There's nothing like it, of course. I can be in the foulest mood, but let me loose on a serene beach for an hour and it's guaranteed I'll return in much better form.

I've been coming to Cape Cod since I was a baby--my uncle bought a place in North Falmouth's Old Silver Beach in 1969, the year I was born. My family spent a week or two there every summer, and many of my fondest memories are from those visits.

I remember the drive down seeming interminable, even though it was only an hour-and-a-half (mere child's play to my kids, who are used to regular five-hour drives to see their grandparents.) "Are we there yet?" is such a cliche, but I distinctly recall driving my parents insane with that query the whole way. Or maybe the parental insanity was due to there being no car seats to prevent me and my brothers from pummeling each other the entire 75 miles, and no in-car DVD player to put a stop to the endless litany of complaints.

Three years ago, my parents bought a to-die-for Cape house, right across the street from the beach. So now it falls on me--the parent with New England roots--to instill in my kids a love of Cape Cod. Not that it's difficult--the Cape pretty much sells itself--but five-hour drives suck no matter how many snacks, DVDs, and Sesame Street CDs I pack. Seven-mile backups leading to the Bourne Bridge don't help, either.

But then we arrive...the cool sea breezes beckon, the warm sand slips between our toes, the waves gently lap at the shore, the sun turns the water into an ocean of glittering jewels...and the memory of the long drive, bridge traffic, moaning children, and crappy fast-food fades away.

Because now we are in Paradise. "Hello, Paradise, I've missed you."

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String

Blue Diamond Wasabi & Soy Sauce Almonds

Note the big "BOLD" warning on the side of these almonds; it's no joke-- these nuts pack a spicy, delicious punch. Perhaps you love almonds so much you can eat a whole container of them in one sitting. Perhaps you are thinking that such extreme-tasting almonds will prevent those nutty binges. Well, you are wrong. Quite the opposite: they are so damn good you will eat the whole container and then rush back to the grocery store for more. Around $4.99.

Automoblox

A couple of years ago, my son received a set of three Mini-Automoblox for his third birthday. At the time, he was obsessed with cars and trucks (like 80% of boys that age), and the toy immediately became his favorite plaything. No wonder: Each Automoblox can be taken apart and then reassembled in various ways by mixing and matching parts from different vehicles. The combinations are endless, and because the wooden cars are precision engineered, all pieces fit together perfectly and each newly-created vehicle runs smoothly. Automoblox were designed by industrial designer Patrick Calello and took five years to perfect. $30 for a set of three different mini-vehicles.

California Baby Tea Tree & Lavender Shampoo & Bodywash

When my daughter was a baby, she had cradle cap, but unlike most kids, she didn't grow out of it. I tried rubbing baby oil into her scalp then sloughing off the oily, peeling, gross skin (per the suggestion of her pediatrician) but that didn't work, and it took three washings to get out the oiliness. Then there's my son, who has sensitive, pale, Irish skin prone to rashes. So I was definitely in the market for a product that was super-gentle and natural. I found it in California Baby's Tea Tree & Lavender Shampoo & Bodywash, which is tear free, allergy tested, and helps to remove cradle cap and flaky scalp. All ingredients are organic, sustainably grown, vegan, not tested on animals, with no animal ingredients, no irritating sulfates, gluten, soy, oat, dairy, or nuts. $12 for 8.5 oz.

Itsy, Bitsy, Teeny, Weeny Bikini

Summer is here once again, which is awesome. I'm a big fan of summertime. Here in our town of Mt. Pleasant, we are lucky to have the greatest municipal pool I've ever seen. It has a million features, including a 40-foot, tunneled, corkscrew water slide. All for less than $500 per family.

As you can imagine, we are at the pool as often as possible, which means running into the same families day after day. This can be great when the moms are interesting and the kids well-behaved. But when the kids are wild and the mom weird, well, it can be sucky.

There is this woman: We don't see her much during the school-year (thankfully we're in different school districts), but every time we're at the pool, we run into her and her brood. Because my children are close in age to two of hers (she has three kids and is pregnant with #4), we get to talking as moms do. She's perfectly nice, but let's just say that our politics and philosophies could not be more different, and for that reason she annoys me.

Mind you, it's not like we actually talk about politics or philosophy, but you can learn a lot about a person just by discussing kids and hobbies. I've written about this woman before: Once she made a crack about how she'd better start using sunscreen or else she'd "look 40" in no time (not realizing I was 41); another time, she offended me with the Pro-life bumper stickers on her mini-van.

Since our paths have started crossing again, I've been a bit wary of her. And sure enough, the other day Ms. Clueless did it again. We were sitting on the edge of the kiddie pool watching our kids and chatting. Her four-year-old daughter had on the cutest bathing suit: pink and green, flamingo-patterned, skirt bottom, short-sleeved top, matching headband. I complimented the mom on the suit, and she said, "Yeah, I think it's so cute but I couldn't get her to wear it at first. Then I was like, 'I paid $20 bucks for it, you're wearing it!' I don't know, I'm just not into bikinis for little girls." She crinkled up her nose. "There's no need to show that much skin when they're so young."

Not ten feet away, my three-year-old daughter was splashing around in her bikini. I wanted to smack the b*#ch.

Looking adorbs in her bikini

I happen to think bikinis on little girls are adorable. And they are also practical when you are trying to potty train your kid--getting a wet one-piece off an about-to-bust toddler is challenging, to say the least. My daughter has about five swimsuits, yet she almost always chooses the bikini, even though it's from last year and barely fits anymore.

I'm not about to argue with her about which swimsuit to wear. I mean, what is the BFD if your toddler wears a bikini? In Europe the little girls splash around topless, and no one cares. Why must Americans--especially those who are part of the religious right--be so uptight about this stuff?

They think they're protecting their kids but what they're really doing is giving them complexes. What's Ms. Clueless going to do when her precious little girl turns sixteen and starts rebelling against all the Puritanical dogma with micro-minis and piercings?

That I would like to see.

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String

Method Bathroom Cleaner

I've slowly been going green for, oh, decades now, but for the longest time, I wouldn't give up my Tilex bathroom cleaner. My loyalty goes back to college days when the bathroom was so disgusting that you wanted to blast the crap out of it with the most toxic stuff out there. But those days are gone, and the bathrooms in our house are only mildly gross (5-year-old boys often miss the bowl). So it was finally time to green my bathroom cleaning, and a coupon for a Method product sealed the deal. However, I still wasn't convinced a non-toxic product would actually get rid of the soap scum and mold that quickly grows in the crevices of our limestone shower. The first thing I noticed when using Method's Bathroom Cleaner was the delicious eucalyptus-mint scent--it made me want to lick the walls. And that's when I realized: my nostrils weren't burning! I wasn't light-headed! The plant-based, non-toxic formula dissolves soap scum just as well as Tilex (maybe even better because now I don't rush the job to get away from the noxious fumes). $5.49

Migoga Marble Run

My son purchased this building set a few months ago using Christmas money from Great-Grandma. We had been to his friend's house, where they had a different marble run game (cheaper and flimsier, as it turned out). My son loved it, so I did some research online. The reviews of that product were horrible; the Migoga marble runs were reviewed favorably, however, so we purchased a set at our local toy shop. The marble runs come in various sizes, and some even have a motorized marble elevator thingy, but we got the medium sized, low-tech set called Vortis. My son has had hours of fun with this toy (and so have I). I'm pretty sure it teaches advanced mathematical skills--there's a lot of spacial and geometric calculations going on when you build a marble run. You can build one of four models pictured on the box (instructions are not provided--yay!) or else just build free-form. Then you race marbles (real glass ones, not crappy plastic like in some other sets) and see who wins. Sets run from $35 upward.

Benefit Moon Beam or High Beam

Okay, so I'm cheating with this one, because I haven't actually used this product yet. But I'm seriously just about to order it. I am excited about this product because, after months of watching American Idol and wondering how the hell Jennifer Lopez's skin looks that glowy and dewy (yet still remarkably un-Botoxed) when she's almost 42, I read that she uses a facial highlighter--something like Benefit's Moon Beam. I don't know for sure which exact highlighter she uses, because celebs guard their beauty secrets like Fort Knox, but the reviews of this product are excellent. Obviously, J-lo has the resources to purchase products and procedures that mere mortals can only dream of one day having, yet some of her signature radiance surely comes from using a facial highlighter like this one. Moon Beam has an apricot tone, while Benefit's High Beam is pinker. $24.00