My last post was pretty heavy so here is a dollop of sunny design advice to preserve memories of special moments with your child through her or his clothing in addition to the gazillions of pictures you have taken.
Last June, my daughter Casey experienced NYC for the first time with her nonnie and me on our annual Mother's Day celebratory jaunt. We rode the train in from CT, and Casey acted as if she were on the Polar Express, wishing the conductor, "Merry Christmas".
Don't be hesitant to bring an age 4 and up child to NYC, they will flag a cab before you can open your mouth. The best initial purchase is an Uptown double decker bus tour pass. You can jump on and off at many locations and see the city without hoofing it on pavement. Leave the walking for Central Park.
In Spring/Summer, Central Park has enough attributes to occupy a family for days. The Children's Zoo, the concerts, the street artists, the paths, statues, bridges, playscapes and terrain will delight.
One activity you might want to distract your youngster from obsessing over is a ride in a rickshaw carriage pulled by a bicycle riding teenager. Casey obsessed and my mother and I shamefully caved. So this frail Dutch teenager beckoned us over to the delight of squealing Casey. We forked over a hefty fee and hopped in for one of the funniest rides of our lives. My mom and I shoehorned ourselves in the petite carriage and sandwiched Casey in between our flavorful Italian physiques. Forget the seatbelts, there were none.
Our teenage bicyclist was optimistic that he was going to peddle us through the park! My mother could not stop nervously cracking jokes about how he would be due workers' compensation for carrying the heavy load we provided. As we ascended a big hill, our unhonored Olympian didn't break a sweat as he bobbed up and down pushing the metal pedals of his bike, switching the clanging chain to more helpful gears. He did it. He scaled Mt. Everest with us in tow! Then the fantastic descent. Our rickshaw flew down the hill. I knew my good deeds in life would spare us a tire blow so I enjoyed the whipping wind, the swerving maneuvers of our Olympian rider, and my happily screaming child. My mother smiled even though she had a white knuckled clutch of the side rail.
Just when we thought the ride was over, our Olympian proceeded onto a stretch of Central Park South leading to the Plaza and 5th Avenue. I couldn't believe it. Our Olympian bobbed and weaved us through city traffic! I felt like a cat with nine lives. The jury is out whether I recommend this experience to you.
The Plaza is a must visit and every girl, any age, loves the Eloise room.
To preserve this special NYC trip, when Casey is done wearing this beautiful applique sun shirt by Lemon Loves Lime, I will cut out the applique and have a pillow made with NYC and the date of our trip embroidered on the back.
Lemon Loves Lime summer collections have magnificient, bejeweled appliques that are adorned with crochet stiching that is unequaled in the children's clothing market. You can expect to pay between $48 and $56 for a shirt and $68 for an applique dress, but it will deliver to you a cherished memory of your child's fun.
Lemon's summer 2011 collection has exquisite turtle, flower fairy, cupcake, and mermaid appliques which can be saved and re-purposed as pillows or as a quilt of memories. Each applique shirt or dress provides a window into a short span of childhood whimsical dressing and living.
So when you are planning to spend limited funds on your child's summer wardrobe, skip the mindless, impulse-driven shopping cart and a stockpile of cheaper, forgettable outfits in favor of a few artistic outfits that will afford you a lifetime of memories.
Here is a priceless one!
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