This morning Finn approached me and said:
Finn: Mommy, when I have a son, when I'm older, we're still gonna live in the same house right?
Me: No, by that time you'll be living in a different house.
Finn: Awww ... but I'm gonna miss you.
Me: You'll have a wife already so you're gonna live with her.
Finn: making a sad face, his eyes start to well up.
Me: That will be a long time from now, you'll be a lot older. Right now you're in elementary, and then go to middle school, and then high school, and then college. By the time you graduate from college you'll be over 20 years old. And then you're gonna work and find a girlfriend, and get married. That's a long time from now.
Finn: But are we still gonna see each other?
Me: Of course, we'll see each other, maybe every weekend.
Finn: starts crying
Isnt' he sweet? I'm sure by the time he's a teenager he'll have changed his mind about moving out (^_^) hehehe. Maybe when that time comes I'll be the one crying (T_T)
5
The Little Red Schoolhouse
Everytime we pass by River Road in Lyndhurst, I see this Little Red Schoolhouse and have always wanted to visit. Last week I searched it on the web and found their site. They're only open during the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month from 2-4pm. We went this afternoon and it was very interesting. This is actually the first known public school in Bergen County, built in 1804. It's a one-room schoolhouse that was in use up until 1980! The last class was all 3rd graders but it's usually a mix from Kindergarden to 8th grade, with only one teacher. The house next to the school is where the teacher would board during the week and then she'd go home on the weekends since commuting everyday would take too long.
The top of the school has a bell and they'd ring that to announce to the neighborhood that it was time to go to school. Finn had a chance to ring the bell (^_^) There were separate entrances for boys and girls and they'd sit on different sides of the room as well. The lady who conducted the "tour" also allowed us inside the exhibit since we were the only ones there. Finn got to sit on the bench, got to play with the toys too and she also let him draw on the chalkboard tablet on the table ... wasn't she nice? And she said since no one is really allowed to go in the exhibit, Finn's drawing, with his name on it, will remain there ... hahahaha. Or at least until someone from the historical society decides to erase it. Chalkboards surrounded the room and what's cool is they found 2 panels with drawings still intact! One had the 3 bears and the other was Little Red Riding Hood.
There was a big stove in the back of the room and that was their heater for the winter. In the basement was the bathroom but that was added later on. Originally they had an outhouse in the yard so they had to go out to use the bathroom. Too bad it's not there anymore. They also used a bucket (they don't have it anymore either) with a big ladle for their water. One student, usually a boy, would go out to the stream to fill the bucket with water and bring it inside. If they get thirsty, they would drink from that one ladle (0_o) Not exactly sanitary I know.
If one misbehaved, depending on the offense, there'd be a corresponding number of lashes as punishment. L-A-S-H-E-S! But the students weren't the only ones with rules to follow coz teacher's had their own rules too. Basically, teachers then didn't have a life ... hehehe.
Since books were expensive then and the only ones who had a lot were the wealthy, there was this so called traveling library. They'd visit schools once in a while to let the kids borrow books. In class, each student had what is called a horn book. It's a little paddle shaped piece of wood with the letters and sounds and prayer on one side, and some sort of story on the other, protected by a sheet of transparent horn, hence horn book. But I have no idea what a transparent horn would look like.
Aside from the school's history, there were also a few exhibits about the town of Lyndhurst including a huge bullet that they recovered from an explosion in 1917. There were also photos of the before and after of landmarks around town like the Wendy's along Ridge Road which used to be a movie house.
I took photos but I forgot to go outside in the yard to take photos of the building itself. I only have one photo and it's of the bell tower. Silly me. I'll probably go back another Sunday and take pictures of the building. Meanwhile, here's what I took of the inside.
The top of the school has a bell and they'd ring that to announce to the neighborhood that it was time to go to school. Finn had a chance to ring the bell (^_^) There were separate entrances for boys and girls and they'd sit on different sides of the room as well. The lady who conducted the "tour" also allowed us inside the exhibit since we were the only ones there. Finn got to sit on the bench, got to play with the toys too and she also let him draw on the chalkboard tablet on the table ... wasn't she nice? And she said since no one is really allowed to go in the exhibit, Finn's drawing, with his name on it, will remain there ... hahahaha. Or at least until someone from the historical society decides to erase it. Chalkboards surrounded the room and what's cool is they found 2 panels with drawings still intact! One had the 3 bears and the other was Little Red Riding Hood.
There was a big stove in the back of the room and that was their heater for the winter. In the basement was the bathroom but that was added later on. Originally they had an outhouse in the yard so they had to go out to use the bathroom. Too bad it's not there anymore. They also used a bucket (they don't have it anymore either) with a big ladle for their water. One student, usually a boy, would go out to the stream to fill the bucket with water and bring it inside. If they get thirsty, they would drink from that one ladle (0_o) Not exactly sanitary I know.
If one misbehaved, depending on the offense, there'd be a corresponding number of lashes as punishment. L-A-S-H-E-S! But the students weren't the only ones with rules to follow coz teacher's had their own rules too. Basically, teachers then didn't have a life ... hehehe.
Since books were expensive then and the only ones who had a lot were the wealthy, there was this so called traveling library. They'd visit schools once in a while to let the kids borrow books. In class, each student had what is called a horn book. It's a little paddle shaped piece of wood with the letters and sounds and prayer on one side, and some sort of story on the other, protected by a sheet of transparent horn, hence horn book. But I have no idea what a transparent horn would look like.
Aside from the school's history, there were also a few exhibits about the town of Lyndhurst including a huge bullet that they recovered from an explosion in 1917. There were also photos of the before and after of landmarks around town like the Wendy's along Ridge Road which used to be a movie house.
I took photos but I forgot to go outside in the yard to take photos of the building itself. I only have one photo and it's of the bell tower. Silly me. I'll probably go back another Sunday and take pictures of the building. Meanwhile, here's what I took of the inside.
Party
Happy Birthday! We attended her party this pm at Hudson Lanes. Yup, a bowling party. Finn had fun, he was 2nd place during the 1st game and in the 2nd game, they weren't able to finish it but he was tied in 1st (^_^) Only in his lane coz the kids occupied 4 lanes I think. After playing, it was time to eat and blowing of the candles. Then the other kids went back to bowling while we had to go home already. Finn needs to rest since he's been active since 11.30 this morning, non-stop workout for him from TKD to bowling. But I guess he doesn't feel the need to rest since he's outside with his dad cleaning the car ... oh well.
NJCM
Finn and I went to the New Jersey Children's Museum after lunch today. The place was ok, lots of different areas to see and there were scheduled activities that you can join. Finn had his hand painted with a rocket ship and then he made a rain stick - basically a tube with bird seed and covered on both ends. There was also a real firetruck, helicopter and a backhoe that you can play in. Here are some of the photos.
Carnival
We went to the carnival last night in Kearny. These carnivals are expensive as each ticket costs a dollar and rides have a minimum of 3 tickets. The games don't accept tickets so you have to pay in cash plus the food which are overpriced as well ... it can cost you a minimum of $50 for about 30 mins. Of course Finn had a lot of fun. He went on 2 rides twice - the pendulum canoe and the swing, then 3x on the fun slide. Jojo and I had 2 sticks of pinoy pork barbecue (^_^) We also played one game where you had to throw a ping pong ball into a small bowl. We weren't successful but we got a live fish anyway as a consolation prize. Not sure what kind it is but he's now living with our other fish. Hopefully he won't get bullied ... hehehe.
After the carnival we went to Stewart's Drive-In for dinner. But Finn didn't want to eat in the car so we went to a table instead. It's not a real dinner coz I got full already with the barbecue so we only ordered one coney dog, breaded mushroom caps, chili cheese fries and drinks. I had a rootbeer float, Jojo had plain rootbeer and Finn wanted an orange drink. It was a great night to go out since the weather was nice .. in the 70s! Last year when we went to this same carnival, it was freezing! So we really enjoyed it this year.
After the carnival we went to Stewart's Drive-In for dinner. But Finn didn't want to eat in the car so we went to a table instead. It's not a real dinner coz I got full already with the barbecue so we only ordered one coney dog, breaded mushroom caps, chili cheese fries and drinks. I had a rootbeer float, Jojo had plain rootbeer and Finn wanted an orange drink. It was a great night to go out since the weather was nice .. in the 70s! Last year when we went to this same carnival, it was freezing! So we really enjoyed it this year.
Forgot to mention ...
First, Jojo got his very first traffic ticket (-_-) This happened the day before his birthday. He said there were 2 cars in front of him driving really slow ... like 15mph. So when he got the chance, he passed them ... but on the right. Unfortunately for him, there was a police officer waiting at that particular corner, and when he passed those cars, he saw the lights come on and he knew he was busted. He pulled over and got a ticket. Would you believe that the fine is $85?! 
If that wasn't enough, he'll also be getting 4 points on his license. If one gets 6 points in 3 years, they have to pay a surcharge. If one gets 12 or more points, their license will be suspended. Anyway, you can see in the first picture that there's a court date scheduled. So we went to the county hall, waited for his name to be called but it wasn't. He showed the judge his ticket and we found out that since the "court appearance required" wasn't checked, we had to call first to make an appointment to appear before the judge. Well, he decided to just pay the fine online. His purpose for seeing the judge was to see if he can get the points down but he won't be able to find the time to go to court anymore so he has to live with the 4 points. Good thing is, if he doesn't get another ticket within the year, 3 points will be deducted (^_^) So he'll just have to wait.
The other thing is, Jojo's got a new job (^_^) He won't be traveling anymore with this new job which is good. He started just this Monday and look how formal he is! He said that the guys are all wearing suits so he has to do the same. So for his birthday, I bought him 2 suits. Last weekend, we bought 3 more plus new tops and ties to go with it. A whole new wardrobe thanks to me ... hehehe. I wonder ... will I get a new wardrobe in return? (~_^)
His Precioussss
Jojo's dream watch ... and he bought it today (^_^) All I can say is, with the tax alone, I could have bought 2 watches already! But he's been saving up for this forever so it's ok. He's so happy right now (^_^)
Updates!
We've been busy for the past 9 days because our friends, Rona and Menands plus Liza and Francis, came to visit us. We fetched them from JFK on the night of the 31st, then went to get Francis and Finn so that we could all eat a midnight snack at a diner.
March 31: Woke up early to catch the bus to NY, then the subway going to the American Museum of Natural History. It was raining when we got there and we decided to eat lunch first before going in. We stayed in the museum until before 5pm, took the subway back and then the bus home. We were supposed to eat dinner out but since we were tired from walking all day and also considering the lack of sleep, we decided for Jojo to buy food from Wendy's and we just ate at home. Plus, our Wii arrived that afternoon (^_^) Yipee!!!!! It was supposed to be delivered at the end of April but I guess they got their supplies sooner coz it's here!
April 01: Woke up early again to go to NY, this time to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I love this place! I've been here before and I will never get tired of it. Stayed until after 4pm then we went to Grand Central Terminal to meet up with Rona's high school friend. Had a drink while waiting for another high school friend, then we all went to a Korean restaurant for dinner. After dinner, we took the 9.30 bus home.
April 02: Woke up early (yet again ... we never seem to get enough sleep =P) to meet up with Francis so that we can all drive down to Washington DC. We stopped in Baltimore first to go around the Inner Harbor and have lunch. After lunch, we went straight to Washington DC. Francis went to the airport to fetch Liza with their baby Arianna, and his MIL. Meanwhile, we showed R&M around The Mall from the Washington Monument, WWII Memorial, Lincoln's Memorial and the Tidal Basin where most of the Cherry Blossoms were. Good thing the trees were at their peak so they were able to see the beautiful blossoms. When we were all together, another friend of theirs came to see us. She took us to China town where we had dinner. After dinner, we went to our hotel in Lanham, MD.
April 03: You guessed it, we woke up early so that we could go back to Washington DC to see the White House and buy souvenirs. We drove back before noon and just had lunch in one of the service areas along the way. When we got back home, we had some time to rest before we left to have dinner at Minado. It's our favorite restaurant so of course we brought them there (^_^)
April 04: We left early to go to NY, this time to the Empire State Building. It rained during the night and it was still cloudy that morning so visibility was 0 at the top (-_-) But that didn't stop us from going there ... it's the only time we could coz our schedule is tight. So we went up, nobody was there, the observation deck was all ours! And what did we see? Gray. All gray. Sometimes the fog would lift a little and you could see some of the outlines of the buildings but it was all gray, and cold.
When we went down, we took the subway downtown going to the World Trade Center. First we walked through NYSE, then saw the bull, then to the Path Station at Ground Zero. After that we walked to a store where Menands bought a digital videocam. Then we walked some more to Chinatown where we had lunch. We took the subway to Central Park afterwards and had a liesurely stroll.
Rona, Menands and I continued the tour while the rest went back to 42nd St. to rest. The 3 of us walked to see Carnegie Hall, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, Times Square and then we met up with the others. We had dinner at Yoshinoya, then the rest of them went home already. The 4 of us (Rona, Menands, Liza and I) went to the Majestic Theater to watch Phantom of the Opera. Do I need to say that the show was fantastic? Well, it was super!!! So glad we got Orchestra seats (^_^) After the show, we took the 11.30 bus home.
April 05: We drove to Liberty State Park and found our way to where the ferries were docked to go to Ellis Island and Liberty Island. There was a long line for security and we were able to board the 11am ferry instead of the 10am. We got off at Ellis Island first and had lunch there.
Took the ferry to Liberty Island and went straight to the statue. I got everyone monument passes so we can go inside the pedestal. Another long line for security here. Once inside, we went through the museum on the 2nd floor and then up 156 steps to the observation deck at the top of the pedestal, just below Liberty's feet. They don't allow access to the statue itself for security reasons but you can still see up Liberty's dress (^_^). (I was fortunate to have been able to go up to the crown at one time so I just showed them my pictures from then.)
When we got home, a friend of ours from college met up with us. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to spend some quality time with the boys since they left for an NBA game (Nets vs. Raptors) at 6pm. He just hung out with us girls (^_^) We had dinner then he left to catch his bus before 9pm. The girls however, had to prepare for our night out. We left for Euro Lounge before 10pm, had some tapas and then went dancing. Got home before 2am, a little after the boys got home themselves. Reminisced a bit, then we went to bed.
April 06: Liza, her mom and baby, left for Dallas. We bid our goodbyes before 10am, then went to Jersey Gardens for some major shopping! We left at 7pm (closing time since it was a Sunday). Francis asked us to come over coz he prepared dinner for us (^_^) Thanks daddy-o! hehehe
April 07: No rush today ... went to Costco, had lunch at Carino's, then went to Target. We drove down to Central Jersey to have dinner with a couple of their friends.
April 08: Last minute shopping at a dollar store, then to WalMart. After lunch at Popeye's, Rona and Menands started packing their stuff. We all went to Finn's TKD for a 6pm class, then Francis met up with us to have dinner at Mt. Fuji.
April 09: Jojo took Rona and Menands to JFK airport at 6am. We miss them already!
It has been a very hectic yet very fun 9 days for all of us (^_^) We're already planning for our next reunion!
Here are some photos from the past week and a half.
March 31: Woke up early to catch the bus to NY, then the subway going to the American Museum of Natural History. It was raining when we got there and we decided to eat lunch first before going in. We stayed in the museum until before 5pm, took the subway back and then the bus home. We were supposed to eat dinner out but since we were tired from walking all day and also considering the lack of sleep, we decided for Jojo to buy food from Wendy's and we just ate at home. Plus, our Wii arrived that afternoon (^_^) Yipee!!!!! It was supposed to be delivered at the end of April but I guess they got their supplies sooner coz it's here!
April 01: Woke up early again to go to NY, this time to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I love this place! I've been here before and I will never get tired of it. Stayed until after 4pm then we went to Grand Central Terminal to meet up with Rona's high school friend. Had a drink while waiting for another high school friend, then we all went to a Korean restaurant for dinner. After dinner, we took the 9.30 bus home.
April 02: Woke up early (yet again ... we never seem to get enough sleep =P) to meet up with Francis so that we can all drive down to Washington DC. We stopped in Baltimore first to go around the Inner Harbor and have lunch. After lunch, we went straight to Washington DC. Francis went to the airport to fetch Liza with their baby Arianna, and his MIL. Meanwhile, we showed R&M around The Mall from the Washington Monument, WWII Memorial, Lincoln's Memorial and the Tidal Basin where most of the Cherry Blossoms were. Good thing the trees were at their peak so they were able to see the beautiful blossoms. When we were all together, another friend of theirs came to see us. She took us to China town where we had dinner. After dinner, we went to our hotel in Lanham, MD.
April 03: You guessed it, we woke up early so that we could go back to Washington DC to see the White House and buy souvenirs. We drove back before noon and just had lunch in one of the service areas along the way. When we got back home, we had some time to rest before we left to have dinner at Minado. It's our favorite restaurant so of course we brought them there (^_^)
April 04: We left early to go to NY, this time to the Empire State Building. It rained during the night and it was still cloudy that morning so visibility was 0 at the top (-_-) But that didn't stop us from going there ... it's the only time we could coz our schedule is tight. So we went up, nobody was there, the observation deck was all ours! And what did we see? Gray. All gray. Sometimes the fog would lift a little and you could see some of the outlines of the buildings but it was all gray, and cold.
When we went down, we took the subway downtown going to the World Trade Center. First we walked through NYSE, then saw the bull, then to the Path Station at Ground Zero. After that we walked to a store where Menands bought a digital videocam. Then we walked some more to Chinatown where we had lunch. We took the subway to Central Park afterwards and had a liesurely stroll.
Rona, Menands and I continued the tour while the rest went back to 42nd St. to rest. The 3 of us walked to see Carnegie Hall, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, Times Square and then we met up with the others. We had dinner at Yoshinoya, then the rest of them went home already. The 4 of us (Rona, Menands, Liza and I) went to the Majestic Theater to watch Phantom of the Opera. Do I need to say that the show was fantastic? Well, it was super!!! So glad we got Orchestra seats (^_^) After the show, we took the 11.30 bus home.
April 05: We drove to Liberty State Park and found our way to where the ferries were docked to go to Ellis Island and Liberty Island. There was a long line for security and we were able to board the 11am ferry instead of the 10am. We got off at Ellis Island first and had lunch there.
Took the ferry to Liberty Island and went straight to the statue. I got everyone monument passes so we can go inside the pedestal. Another long line for security here. Once inside, we went through the museum on the 2nd floor and then up 156 steps to the observation deck at the top of the pedestal, just below Liberty's feet. They don't allow access to the statue itself for security reasons but you can still see up Liberty's dress (^_^). (I was fortunate to have been able to go up to the crown at one time so I just showed them my pictures from then.)
When we got home, a friend of ours from college met up with us. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to spend some quality time with the boys since they left for an NBA game (Nets vs. Raptors) at 6pm. He just hung out with us girls (^_^) We had dinner then he left to catch his bus before 9pm. The girls however, had to prepare for our night out. We left for Euro Lounge before 10pm, had some tapas and then went dancing. Got home before 2am, a little after the boys got home themselves. Reminisced a bit, then we went to bed.
April 06: Liza, her mom and baby, left for Dallas. We bid our goodbyes before 10am, then went to Jersey Gardens for some major shopping! We left at 7pm (closing time since it was a Sunday). Francis asked us to come over coz he prepared dinner for us (^_^) Thanks daddy-o! hehehe
April 07: No rush today ... went to Costco, had lunch at Carino's, then went to Target. We drove down to Central Jersey to have dinner with a couple of their friends.
April 08: Last minute shopping at a dollar store, then to WalMart. After lunch at Popeye's, Rona and Menands started packing their stuff. We all went to Finn's TKD for a 6pm class, then Francis met up with us to have dinner at Mt. Fuji.
April 09: Jojo took Rona and Menands to JFK airport at 6am. We miss them already!
It has been a very hectic yet very fun 9 days for all of us (^_^) We're already planning for our next reunion!
Here are some photos from the past week and a half.
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