I made paper airplanes today for the first time in probably 30 or more years. With a little one you get to do things you never thought you'd do again. I didn't remember how to make a good paper airplanes- first tries sadly nosedived to the floor and didn't fly at all. But thanks to internet, I found some fabulous simple paper airplane prescriptions and we enjoyed flying colorful big airplanes across the restaurant this mellow afternoon. Cold has gone for the week and it felt like spring. Conversation with Taiyo has been just endlessly entertaining. Today in the tub, he started talking about "Bathtub car." "We need a bathtub car. We need wheels and remote control for the bathtub," he said. "Bathtub car? This tub turns into a car to drive outside?" "Yep." "So we can drive around while taking a bath?" "Yep. We need a steeering wheel." "But is it all open and people can see us taking a bath?" "No there's black cover and people can't see from outside." "Oh, ok. So they can't see us taking a bath inside." "Nope." "But how about when we want to stop some place. We just get dressed and go outside?" "Yep." I swear this was really what we were talking about in the tub.

Mercury falls to teens and it feels really cold since we were spoiled with mild winter last year. But even in this temperature and even with added icy wind little sparrows are sleeping on the bare pear trees up the block, not huddling together but individually perched, which always fascinates me. Though so small, I guess they have enough feathers? When I was a runner this totally didn't discourage me from going out for a run in the morning. It's a perfect sweat icicle weather; I would come back from a run and feel my sweat that got frozen stiff melt down around my neck inside warm apartment. If it's in single digit I may hesitate, but weather in general was hardly ever an excuse for not going out there. So last weekend when Taiyo announced he wanted to go to the park, I was totally in. It was a long weekend with Monday off, and we spent too much time inside. "I want to go to Pumpkin Square Park," he said. So we went to deserted Tompkins Square Park. There were very few kids and adults in this usually busy playground. I decided it was the perfect time to really run around with Taiyo- besides it was just too cold to sit around. We hopped from one gym to another, playing pirates on ships. We also just chased each other and played hide and seek. I enjoyed sliding on the tall slide which was really smooth and fast. It was just a perfect day for it. When we saw flurries we went across the street to 7A for late brunch.

This is one of the few places still left in the neighborhood since I moved to Manhattan in 1990. Like Sidewalk Cafe across the street, I'm sure management has changed at least once because it just does not feel the same, but I do appreciate that it still bears the name. It was great time for us to be there after brunch rush. We got to sit in a roomy booth near the back. Taiyo no longer needs one, fortunately, but they seemed to have plenty of high chairs. I wasn't expecting much for their food, just being nostalgic to go to my old hangout, and I was pretty sure this popular joint was child-friendly. Taiyo didn't get any notable service or attention, but there were a few other family diners in the restaurant which made us more comfortable. In any case Taiyo was acting crazy as usual pointing his new potato gun at people, bubbling, jumping up and down on the booth, and I just had to get something to shut him up. Blueberry pancakes with sausage. It was kind of sad looking. But Taiyo was so excited and he totally sat quietly and cleared the plate pretty much all on his own. So it was really nothing notable about the food and I would not order it again unless it was $3. But Taiyo was so happy and kept him in his seat, so they did something right.

In the beginning of the year, I would often think of blogging more, which will quickly fade from my mind in a few weeks. I've been definitely slacking from it in recent years, and well, besides "drinking more tea" thing, I thought "blogging more" thing would be another new year's resolution. Again. Maybe four entries a month minimum. I am not going to be too ambitious. And here I am, only the second entry for the month/year at 13th day. Not quite on time yet, but not terribly behind. I would really like to reclaim my status as a super woman. Eventually.

Elliot took us to the Holiday Train Show at the Botanical Garden on Wednesday. Taiyo and I saw it last year for the first time- this is one of the New York gems you may not be so interested if you don't have a kid. But this is something I would truly recommend seeing once in your life. Both Taiyo and I were not as blown away as last year, the first time seeing it, however. Still, it was just an amazing show with artistic reproductions of New York landmarks all made by natural materials like twigs, leaves, and acorns, within a beautiful indoor garden with little trains running though. Then we caught after holiday attraction of "Thomas Train Show," which was terribly bad but Taiyo was happy to meet Thomas and even have a picture taken. At least the photo is kind of cute and we were one of the first one's to get it done.

Taiyo says he wants to go to vacation. I really don't mind going to some place warm before spring.

Another long weekend for the New Year holiday- although quite mellow, it was still tiring. On 30th of December I suddenly decided to do a paint job in the restaurant, and that's what I did after Taiyo went to sleep. It's somehow so hard to get motivated to do this- this time it was relatively short two years- but once you get started it is quite therapeutic to apply fresh coat of paint. I very much enjoyed quiet relaxing and uninterrupted time although it was still work. A few beer helped very much. By 4am I finished major parts of dining area. So we woke up to this newly painted restaurant but to my surprise and disappointment, Taiyo didn't seem to notice. He was of course excited about some tools laying around.


Finally I lured him out of the house after two days of spending mostly indoors to see the train show at the Grand Central Station. Then we went to Bryant Park and got on the carousel. These were the most holiday-like things we've done this season. Then Taiyo had to have a hotdog. The only hotdog I found around the Bryant Park holiday market was "Hotdog Strudel." It was pretty yummy he had to have the second.

Back home, we rang in the New Year watching "Nightmare Before Christmas," second time this week. "It was great!" He wanted to watch again. It was just another night for him. My block was fairly quiet- I didn't even notice when it past midnight. My New Year resolution- I usually like to keep it simple- drink more tea.