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.