Stone Soup

Oscar performed in his class performance of Stone Soup yesterday. He did a wonderful job portraying a soldier returning from war, remembered all of his lines, and managed to stay in character most of the time (he couldn't resist the temptation to make everyone laugh at least once)….

3 short clips from the performance - 

making soup: http://youtu.be/kRoeWzzGZBQ

hoedown: http://youtu.be/3nqxrTr3Mg4

hamming it up at the end: http://youtu.be/_n05TEb98LE

Spring has sprung

We went from winter to full bloom, and while many allergy sufferers are struggling, we're getting into the spring spirit. We kicked off the weekend with a few Easter painting projects…

This was the last photo I took, but rest assured the painting session ended with Livi naked and in a bucket of water. Oscar was quite proud that the only thing he got paint on were the two fingers he finger painted with.

After some playdates and park adventures, we closed the weekend with some gardening. For the record, Oscar is actually posing in this picture. He says he wants to be a scientist, but acting may be in his future….

White alligators and hungry zebras

oscar's "hiding" from the camera

While many New Orleanians have commented that March was unseasonably cool, we've truly enjoyed the weather and have been trying to spend as much time as possible outside before the mosquitos and humidity start to dictate our movements.

A few weeks ago we took a trip to the zoo, and discovered a whole section we'd never seen before! You unfortunately have to go through a gift shop to get there, which is probably why we never really made it there before. We got it through with plenty of pleading for stuffed animals and toys but sans purchase, and finally discovered the famous white alligators.

check out the sign under Livi…

Last weekend we ventured to the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain for the first time and visited Folsom Wildlife Center with a few friends. The kids had the opportunity to feed some exotic animals from the tractor-pulled covered wagons, including countless deer, zebra, emu, llamas, and more… They loved the ride at first, and while Livi was a constant feeder, the boys prided themselves on how slowly they went through each feeding cup. The ride was a bit long though, and after an hour when the food rad out they were all getting antsy (it lasted 1.5 hours). After the trip was over, I asked the kids if they liked the zoo or wildlife park better and they both said the zoo since there was so much more to do there. Works for me since it's much closer and cheaper! If we make it back again, it would be to feed the giraffes who will eat right out of your hand (they were keeping their distance since a few were pregnant).

Oscar's new friend ready for treats

What do you have there Livi?

After a long Sunday, I decided to keep the kids home one more day. We had a great Monday visiting the library and going to see Mr. Peabody and Sherman. As far as kids movies go, I preferred Lego and Frozen much better, but they both seemed to enjoy it. Livi did get a little scared at a few parts, but Oscar has some fun questions about Troy and Ancient Egypt afterwards.

Milton Latter Branch library

The flavors of fundraising

I had the lovely experience of attending both Livi's and Oscar's school fundraisers this past month. I'm not sure if this is a New Orleans thing or a private school thing, but since I have little experience with either, it could be a bit of both.

Livi's was first and I was really impressed. The event was held at a Hall downtown and included a silent auction, multiple musical performances, an open bar, and a sampling of at least 10 amazing restaurants for the area. The dishes ranged from pate to braised beef, and I'm still thinking about the crawfish crepe…. The silent auction items ranged from a photo of Willie Nelson to a weekend in NYC. While some items were in the more "economical" range (like the Willie Nelson photo) most bidding started at $100 so my friend and I just took it all in, while sipping on cocktails and sampling the scrumptious tapas. Ani DiFranco also has a connection to the school, and was a guest performer. It was awesome to see such a great performance in a small and casual setting, and my fav part of the event. Local Jazz celebrity Kermit Ruffin's headlined, and an artist painted away as the music played…I'd love to know what that painting went for at the auction!

a horrible picture, but right in front for Ani 

Frenchy paints while Kermit plays

Oscar's school event was a few weekends later and was also quite impressive, albeit on a much smaller. The tickets were a third the price, and the food was catered by Cochon - which fortunately happens to be one of the best restaurants in the city! It was held at the school, and the committee did an amazing job of transforming the space for the evening festivities. They had some pretty cool performers as well, including a band led by one of the parents with guest vocalists and stilt walkers. The silent auction had a ton of stuff, but in mostly the lower price ranges. The Waldorf School doesn't seem to have the resources or connections that Lycee does, but they both know how to throw a good party!  (Waldorf hasn't advertised their results yet, but Lycee raised over $20,000 in their auction!)

I'm honestly a bit torn on is how much parental involvement should be "encouraged" for a fundraiser of this sort. There was pressure from both schools to not only sell tickets, but also to donate or solicit items for the auction. For private school, aren't we paying a hefty tuition price that should cover, well, tuition? For a public school, where do the other schools in the city fall on this scale? And this is a city wide thing. All spring the schools, public and private, have been having soirees of all kinds. No surprise that the best schools in the city have the best events that are attended not only by people associated with the school, but the general community as well.

I suppose I shouldn't delve into this too much. New Orleans schools seem to be in a league of their own… Regardless, the evenings were both lovely affairs to raise funds for both schools. I'll leave it at that for this year!