This is Halloween

We had a lovely Halloween.  Leo was Doc McStuffins and Zoe was his sidekick, Lambie.  I wrote a bit about my thoughts on Leo dressing as Doc McStuffins (from the Disney Channel show) over at VillageQ - but as I suspected, we didn't encounter even a raised eyebrow.  It's just another reminder of how much I love this community.  I know how lucky we are to live in a progressive, urban, tight-knit community where we know (and love) so many of our neighbors.  The only questions we got were from a few people who weren't familiar with the show(gotta love that there are a lot of TV-free people in our circles, as well).  

We marched in the neighborhood parade and trick or treated along the route.  The parade is a great neighborhood event.  Families gather with their children and march through the neighborhood admiring each other's costumes and chatting. Some homes along the route give out candy - those people are usually seated on their porch/stoop with a bowl of treats while the kids line up for a turn. Of course it does make for a lot of trick-or-treater traffic jams at each home, but it's very social and fun.  None of the kids seem to mind waiting a few minutes for each piece of candy.

Both Leo and Zoe trick or treated and they both LOVED it.  Last year was Leo's first year going door to door and he got a kick out of it then, but this year he really was bowled over with the excitement of it all.  And with Zoe wanting to do everything her big brother does, I knew it was hopeless to try and distract her from the candy collecting.  

The only blip on the radar of a fantastic Halloween was when Leo had a moment of costume remorse.  He saw a group of kids dressed as superheroes and he suddenly wished he'd dressed as one as well.  jb held him and reassured him that 1. his costume is awesome and 2. he can totally dress up as a superhero next year - or heck tomorrow!  He wasn't entirely convinced but got back to collecting candy (priorities!).  After a few houses we ran into another kid dressed as Doc McStuffins, and his face lit up.  Then we saw another, and another...and he was excited about his costume again and regained the bounce in his step and air of pride he'd had earlier.  Seems like the momentary regret had nothing to do with gender, but rather not fitting in.  Though, I suppose sometimes gender worries have everything to with fitting in.  The important thing is he bounced back quite quickly.

I'd tried to avoid any costume regret by doing a costume trial run at home a few days earlier.  Leo tried on his costume (which I pieced together with pieces from the thrift store - why yes, that is medical tape as stripes on his turtleneck, and that is a men's button down shirt I shortened and took in as a lab coat...)  Leo was thrilled with the costume.  I also had a Frankenstein's monster costume for Zoe - and she HATED it.  Which is a damn shame because she looked adorable and does this "rawr" thing that would have MADE the costume.  Alas, kids have their own ideas about things, so we were left scrambling for a costume - enter, Leo's suggestion of Lambie.

Funnily enough, though I didn't have any issue with Leo choosing Doc for his costume, my initial reaction to the Lambie costume idea was "Ack, it's so....pink."  I gently suggested to Leo that perhaps Zoe could be Stuffie, or Hallie the Hippo...but no, he insisted on Lambie.  And I'm glad he did, because she was adorable toddling from door to door in her little lamb ears.

Halloween parade emptying into the block party

At the end of the Halloween parade route there is a block party with tables of (more) treats provided by local businesses and neighbors.  That block is usually packed and I've never actually gotten close to the tables, but jb will duck in and bring back a cookie or a cupcake for us.  

After we mingled and talked with our neighbors (many of whom we've known since Leo was a newborn through breastfeeding meetings or play groups - it's so neat to watch the group of kids grow up) we trick or treated our way back home and ate some dinner before diving into the candy bags.  

It was awesome to watch him spread the candy out and sort it and see his eyes grow wide.  Of course he's still learning the different kinds of candies - so he doesn't know what he likes and is sometimes disappointed with a treat choice.  But he is so excited to try all these new and strange confections.  During trick or treating he equated color with better treats, so there isn't as much chocolate as I'd hoped for and there are a WHOLE LOT of Kit Kats.  Darn that red wrapper.  Meh.  Well, as jb reminds me, I can go buy candy anytime I want.  It's just not the same!

Halloween 2013 at our house has been a success.  How was yours?

West Philly Spotlight: All Around This World Music

Jay Sand is well known among West Philadelphians - he's our neighbor, a fellow parent and the teacher of one of the most popular music classes in the city: All Around This World.  Anyone who has met Jay knows that he is incredibly upbeat and enthusiastic, and this certainly flows over into his instruction. My favorite part of the classes, though, is the great concept behind them.  

Each 11 week session focuses on a different part of the world and each class starts with a little overview of the country from which that lesson’s songs came.  So, in addition to new songs (often incorporating different languages), we also learned a bit about the geography, culture and traditions.  

West Philly Spotlight: Green Tambourine Musical Playgroup

There's a new music class in the neighborhood!  The Green Tambourine is hosting musical playgroups (from birth to 5 yrs) and group instrumental lessons (ages 6-10) at the Rotunda (at 40th and Walnut) and at Studio 34 (at 4522 Baltimore Ave).

Leo attended the last 6 week session of the 2 and 3 yr old musical playgroup (well, we missed the first class because we were a little busy having a baby) and he loved it.  I think it's been especially nice for him to have something just for him during this new time as a big brother when it seems like everything is revolving around the baby.

West Philly Review: Philadelphia Zoo

One of the gifts we received for Christmas was a membership to the Philadelphia Zoo - and what an awesome gift it has been!  I didn't think we'd get much use out of it until the Spring, but with some unseasonably warm weather we've been there several times already over the last month.  


I love that the zoo is right here in West Philly (34th and Girard Ave). Not quite close enough to walk to - but still feels like it's right in our backyard.

West Philly Review: Honest Tom's Taco Shop

 The beloved Honest Tom's Taco truck has a new(ish) storefront on 44th St. between Locust and Spruce.  Leo, Uncle Julian and I stopped by for a late lunch the other day since I'd never been able to pin down the truck and have been wanting to try their tacos since we first moved to Philly.

Honest Tom's Taco Shop can be found in an unmarked small, orange gingerbread-house looking building.  There's not a ton of seating - some counter seating and one four person table, but I imagine they do a lot of take-out business.  It was a cozy and clean space and the staff was friendly.

What I loved:

• They take credit cards!
• The sweet potato taco - DELICIOUS and a big hit with my toddler
• The fact that guacamole and pico de gallo are included.  Nothing worse that having to pay an extra $1 for a little guac.
• They carry Mexican Coke!  In addition to the superior taste - it also is (usually) sweetened with cane sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup.  Still not a health food, but a nice treat.

They mentioned that they were going to add fish tacos to the menu in the Spring and I've heard great things about the breakfast tacos.  All in all our experience was good and I'll definitely be back for more sweet potato tacos.

West Philly Spotlight: Walnut Street West Library Branch

I feel very lucky that we can walk to two different branches of the Free Library of Philadelphia from our West Philly home.  One of the branches is the Walnut Street West branch which is on the corner of Walnut and 40th St.   I love the location because it's within a block of a bank, grocery store and post office - so I can combine the trip with some errands.

 We focus our time at the library almost exclusively in the Children's section - so that's what I'm going to cover for the review, but I would like to mention that I browse the online card catalog at home and place holds on any books I'd like to read so I can just pick them up when I bring Leo.  It's a great tool because toddlers don't really have the patience for browsing the adult books.

West Philly Review: Mizu

 I'm always on the lookout for a great lunch spot and a great deal and when I find a place that offers both - well, it's a good day.

Mizu is a little sushi spot on 40th (near Chestnut) that has a fantastic lunch special: four half-rolls of sushi and miso soup for $8.95 (this deal is also good on the weekends).

West Philly Review: Talking Headz

Last week I took advantage of my sister being in town (free babysitting!) and got my haircut (for only the second time since Leo was born - yikes!).  I'd been hearing great things about a local salon that just opened up on Baltimore Avenue (near the corner of 47th), so I thought I'd try them out.

I called Talking Headz and they were able to fit me in that same day.  (Note: Don't use the "schedule an appointment" feature on their website because they aren't checking it yet.) It's a good thing, too - because my hair was out of control!

West Philly Review: Earth Cup

 Earth Cup is among my favorite West Philly destinations for a cup of coffee.  It's a cute little fair-trade coffee shop on 45th St. between Pine and Osage with super-friendly service and great tasting drinks.  It's not uncommon to find Leo and I there in the late mornings for a break between running errands.  In fact, there are at least three coffee shops closer to our home, but I often walk the extra blocks to visit Earth Cup.

In addition to coffee and tea they have a selection of baked goods and a couple lunch options.  They also conveniently carry some grocery staples like eggs and milk.  There is only one table in the cafe - but there are a couple tables out front and a nice sized outdoor seating area next door.  The decor is cute with teapots hanging from the ceiling and a whimsical lamp that looks like a teapot filling a cup.