This blog is turning into "Traveling with Taiyo" this year. For Columbus Day weekend, we explored our neighboring "Garden State" New Jersey. In the last minute trip planning, I came across Diggerland and I really had to go there. It's a construction themed adventure park, where you can ride and operate real construction vehicles and machines!

It was simply brilliant. The place was real and simple. Lots of dirt. It was a riot.
Taiyo, at age 5, was operating a mini digger. It was just so awesome. But the place became twice absurd when Orthodox Jewish families arrived by a bus load and filled the park. They seem to be so out of the place, but they were having just as much fun as other kids. It was also fun to see some grandmas having fun operating big diggers and such. I could not believe no one told me about this place. Taiyo wished for Diggerland all the way home the following day.

On the way home, we visited Terhune Orchards in Princeton. There were many more things to do where we stayed, Mt. Laurel, which is right outside of Philadelphia, but I thought open space would be good for Taiyo. I think it was. There was a fall harvest festival going on, and the farm was full of little kids! We picked out pumpkins, rode on a wagon, got lost in a corn maze, and Taiyo even got a pony ride. The apples we bought at the farm were so fresh and delicious. We found some serious fun in New Jersey on this trip.

The summer of 2014 ran past us. It was rather short after all. Nevertheless, Taiyo going back to school makes mommy a bit more human again. Last year, feeling freedom and independence for the first time since Taiyo was born, September was for shopping for me. I'm feeling very much the same this year and spent some quality time shopping around town for the past week.

Yes, our summer was full of adventures and it ended very nicely. The Labor Day weekend was our last summer getaway. "This is going to be the best vacation ever!" Taiyo was extra excited. We were just driving upstate to Hudson Valley for fresh air. It was action packed, indeed! First we stopped at Storm King Arts Center and he ran around enormous sculptures. Later we ran around Walmart Superstore that was conveniently located just across the street from our hotel in Fishkill. Next day, the weather wasn't really perfect, so I switched itinerary from Waterpark to peach and berry picking. He ran around the vast farm and picked some fruits, but got bored quite fast. Then we went to a huge antique show where he became increasingly whiny. He conked out in the car, and I drove north to Poukeepsie and he wake up at the Children's Museum. When the museum closed, we walked up to the elevator to go up to Walkaway Over the Hudson, "the world's longest elevated pedestrian walkaway." The elevator ride was torturous for me. It made me so aware of my fear of heights. It really gotten worse as I got older. I was feeling almost nauseous by the time we got to the top, but rain was developing and they made us go right back down since they thought lightening may be coming. It was almost the closing time anyway. I was relieved. I wasn't sure if I wanted to walk across it when I realized how high it was. We made it to a nice restaurant on river front and had a very nice dinner. Next day on the way back to city we went back in time at the Renaissance Faire. It was a riot! We agreed that we shall return next year costumed. Our little vacation was full of big things, like a turkey leg they sold at the Faire.

I'm taking Wed. off from my cooking class series this month- giving us precious extra day off to do things. Every morning Taiyo would ask me, "So, what are we doing today?" My answer is usually, "We have to go shopping, then I have to work." But on Wednesdays this month I get to say, "I don't know. What do you want to do?" or "I'm taking you someplace. I have a plan." Last week I took him to LEGOLAND in Westchester. I just have to say, it was awful. We both hated it. It was pretty expensive; more than $40 for both of us. And I must simply say- it is a serious rip-off. It was small, chaotic, and since there's not much attraction in Westchester, the place was packed with summer campers and their caretakers. There were bunch of different activities, but they are basically just LEGOs of different size and materials. Taiyo was totally done in about one hour. I really didn't stay there either, so we watched a short 4D movie, which was fun, and left. Of couse the you exit into LEGO store and you have to buy something since your child insists. Also we came kind of far but felt like we didn't accomplish anything. So I got him another box of LEGOs- another Star Wars collection. LEGOLAND was horrible, but I do not despise LEGOs at all. I think they are a great toy. Taiyo often comes up with some original vehicle of his own design that are interesting and impressive. I also have to say that LEGO Movie was really fun.

So what else we've been doing? Yesterday we went to feed the goats and climb rocks in Central Park. We also spent another day in the park, boating on the lake and climbing up to Belvedere Castle. Then we got lost in the Ramble. Last weekend we went to a kite festival and flew our kite with brazilian drums in background. It was perfectly windy over Hudson. Sunday was spent at Brooklyn Children's Museum. This place always ranks #1 for Taiyo in terms of the length of time he can spend totally engaged. I may sit there for hours, a bit bored, and I have to remind myself that when I had my son, my life became not about me. It's not about what you want to do, what you want to see, or what you want to eat. At least for the time being. But it's ok. It's still a lot of fun.

The ocean was perfect turquoise in Dominican Republic. Since we are having such a cold summer in NY, I felt we had to travel south. This was the furthest we ever traveled, and yes, we jumped right into the height of summer. The beach was right in front of us at this beautiful resort. A pair of flamingos lived in the middle of the garden. It took me some time to convince Taiyo to step onto the beach although it was only a few steps away from the swimming pool we were hanging out all day. Sun was high and strong, but even warm ocean water gave me a break in mid-day. Sea was calm, and crystal clear. They made really good mojitos at the bar. Food was also pretty good at the buffet. For Taiyo, added bonus was watching SpongeBob on cable TV. Since we stayed at the resort for the whole time, I feel like I really didn't visit Dominican Republic. Nevertheless it was a wonderful and successsful vacation.

The country life was just wonderful. We got used to it all right- having a yard full of flowers to run around, having a spacious porch to have all three meals on, making a fire to roast marshmallows, waking up to birds loudly chirping outside the window, instead of horns and garbage trucks. Coming back was a shock. For days I just wanted to move to a country. Taiyo had a terrible tantrum for two days, but on the third day, he said he was glad to be home. After a week we seem to be adjusting to the way of our summer days. Shopping in the morning, then working in the restaurant in the afternoon. Then what did we do this weekend? Went fishing! At a festival on East River at Pier 42, we attempted to fish. We were told not eat the fish if we ever got one. We never did. But next day at a fair in Williamsburg, Taiyo won two goldfishes. One died overnight, but the surviving red capped guy seems pretty happy so far in a little tank with a fake plant. Ah, city life even for a goldfish.

Where did June go? It came and went. It was the end of his first school year; the growth of all the children in the class was just amazing. On the last day of school, their teacher Shonelle was telling them to try new things during summer vacation - they have to keep growing without school and her guidance for the next two months.

So we took off to experience a country life in Carbon county, Pennsylvania. We only got here yesterday, but Taiyo has been experiencing so many new things already- like fishing in a lake (or more like a pond.) We are such city folks and decided couldn't handle live worms for bait, so we used more expensive artificial worms. When I pulled out a nice big bass from the water, Taiyo screamed and ran away. I asked him to hold the fish and posed for the picture, but he would not come close. He watched the lady clean out the fish for us at the pond, though. She showed him a tiny fish heart still beating when she gutted. To my surprise, he saw it closely. He's been making a big deal of the bugs at the house we are staying. "We can never live in a country," I said to him. "I can get used to it," he replied. We'll see how much he can get used to it by the end of the week. The dinner was an amazing feast of all fresh local produce: bass grilled on the porch, tomatoes, zucchini, and beets from the farm stand. I could totally get used to these.

So I discovered the secret for becoming the coolest mom ever- taking my son to Built-A-Bear Workshop! Thanks to their TV commercials, Taiyo was asking me to take him there for a while. It was a really cute thing to do. He picked out a dog, and made it come alive! First, he got it stuffed, helping the store staff by stepping on a foot pedal. Before finishing, we had heart-beat device added, then Taiyo picked out a little heart which he rubbed, kissed, and made a wish, then had it put in his new friend. We picked out his clothes- a car racer's jump suit with Lightening McQueen from Cars on the back. They also told him to name this new buddy. So I helped him enter the doggy's new name "Scout" at a computer station. "His last name is Biscuit," Taiyo was so proud. We received his birth certificate at check-out, where he was placed in a cardboard kennel. For the rest of the day and after, Taiyo kept saying that I was the coolest mom ever.

On the way back, this seemed to be a perfect place for our lunch: La Follia was not crowded, European decor, tables on sidewalk, reasonably priced (relatively). We situated ourselves at an outside table, with his new buddy on a chair next to us. The setting was almost perfect for nice Sunday brunch. Then here they came, our french toast and Italian sausage omelette. The plates looked pretty, and Taiyo immediately picked all the bananas off his french toast. It was supposed to be "Brioche French Toast," although it was plain toast, and was extremely mushy. We've been trying French toast here and there, and they are often mediocre to terrible. My omelette wasn't terrible, but it was like diner omelette. So food wasn't anything I'd like to go back to, but it was nice relaxing brunch. I enjoyed having my glass of Bellini, and was glad that it was $6, and not $10 or more like in many other places these days.