Light in Winter

A light in winter

You know how Ithaca is like the third cloudiest city in the country or something, and it’s the everlasting grayness that makes winter feel so long?  (Actually, I think that’s a myth… at least, my extensive 10 minute search of cyberspace has turned up no credible evidence to back up the claim.)  True or not, the annual Light in Winter Festival is a shining beacon hope in this endless season.  With this month’s Gallery Night coinciding with the Festival, Mimi’s Attic and several other local businesses have decided to celebrate.

Mimi’s Attic will be staying open until 8 pm tonight (Friday!)  Mimi’s will be illuminating the evening with a 10% off sale on all lamps, light fixtures, candle holders and votives, plus double top trader points on all purchases.

Ithacamade will be open until 8 pm as well, marking the occasion with new artist vendors and lines of merchandise.  Silk Oak will be having an “Out With the Old, In with the New” sale.

The Kitchen Theatre’s Gallery Night events include an art show from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm and a preview performance of their new show Bed and Sofa at 8:00 pm.

Finally, Felicia’s Atomic Lounge will be mixing up a special Gallery Night cocktail to go with the evening’s live music.

Come on — spend tonight in the West End.  It’ll light up your winter.

-Meryl at the Goose.

The Goose Gallery Grows Up with Johanna van der Sterre

Johanna van der Sterre, children's book illustrator and Mama Goose customer

You know how sometimes kids tell you what they want to be when they grow up, and then they name something so clearly out of reach that you just want to gently pat their hands and say, “Oh, honey, let’s maybe think about a back up plan.”  Or maybe you don’t react like that —- maybe I’m just naturally a pessimistic crusher of dreams, but that’s how I respond whenever a kid wants to be a professional basketball player, or a ballerina, or a rapper.  Until recently, children’s book illustrator was on that list too — the kind of job that some people somewhere get to do, but nobody you actually know, so it doesn’t seem like a realistic option.

Johanna van der Sterre, real live children’s book illustrator, has changed that for me.  Johanna went from a kid who liked to draw to a student of fine art to a grown-up honest-t0-goodness published children’s book illustrator.  Her work includes Mendel’s Accordion by Heidi Smith Hyde, The First Christmas Present by Marilyn Sommerer, Fievel’s Flying Horses by Heidi Smith Hyde, and, most recently, Why Do I Have to Make My Bed? by Wade Bradford (due to be released next month!)  When she’s not working on a book, Johanna spends time with her husband and two children, and fits in some shopping at Mama Goose whenever she can!

Johanna’s illustrations are whimsical and engaging — grown-up art for a child-friendly environment, and are currently on display as framed prints for sale in the back hallway Goose Gallery.  If you’re interested in purchasing one of Johanna’s original pieces,visit her Etsy shop. Check out some of her illustrations below, and then stop by the Goose to see our entire selection.  (Look for “The Goddess” — it’s my favorite.)

"Little Flower"

From "Fievel's Flying Horses"

From "Why Do I Have to Make My Bed?"

-Meryl at the Goose

Coat Sale 2010: The Revelations

You know how every so often you hear from someone you know about an eye-opening life experience that, in one fell swoop, revealed all that is true about that person and her life?  You know, like, “When I was 18 I spent the summer in Belgium and it was there amidst centuries-old ruins that I found myself” or the night Clarence spends with George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life?

For Mama Goose, that epiphanic event is our yearly Coat Sale, an event during which goslings and customers band together to prepare the children of the Finger Lakes region for winter, saving gobs of money and having oodles of fun in the process.  This year’s Coat Sale revealed (or reiterated) the following truths:

1) Mama Goose customers are inherently good.

One woman, having clearly failed to budget her Coat Sale time appropriately, found herself in line and panicked, realizing that she would never get to the register in time to make it to the wedding she was scheduled to attend in 30 minutes.  The customers in front of her graciously stepped aside, allowing her to check out and fly off to the special occasion.  With all that Goose goodwill behind their special day, we’re sure that newly-married couple has a magical life ahead of them.

2)  The Goose is a well-oiled machine, even when some parts of that machine malfunction.

This was our 5th Annual Coat Sale (and yes, a very happy wood anniversary to us.)  After five years, we’ve got things working pretty smoothly — not smoothly in the sense that things never go wrong, but in the sense that when things do go horribly wrong, we adapt.  For example, when I arrived yesterday around 5pm to take “after” pictures to supplement the photos I took in the morning, I was sorely disappointed.  Where was the disarray?  The chaos?  Larkin spotted me and said, “Oh, you’re too late — you missed the disaster.  We were on top of that.”

That’s the thing … the Goose is on top of it all.  Already, we’ve got plans in place for next year to correct for things that went awry this time around.  For example, with a longer opening line and easier access to the coats with the opening of our parking lot, we wound up with a bit of a mosh pit waiting to pay.  So, next year’s Coat Sale will feature … wait for it…. a THIRD REGISTER IN THE PARKING LOT.  You’re tempted to start lining up right now, aren’t you?

3)  Mama Goose Goslings are indeed freakishly attractive, no matter what you do to them.

Just as I was expecting to see the store torn apart on my afternoon visit to the Coat Sale, so was I expecting to see goslings battered and bruised, hair out of place and clothing unkempt and yet again, I was wrong.  As you can see from the pictures below, nothing phases a gosling, not even hundreds of coats and snowsuits and snow boots and customers, and then end of the day crew looked just as sunny and cheerful as the early morning one.  We must put something in the water.

With that, I leave you to the pictorial below, Coat Sale 2010:  If You Missed It, You Must Be Kicking Yourself.  See you next year!

-Meryl at the Goose

The pre-opening line stretched all the way from the State Street parking lot around the corner onto Corn Street.

The line leaders waited cheerfully for the sale to open, having arrived at 9:00 am to secure their spots.

Poor coats, blissfully unaware of the amount of frantic pawing awaiting them.

Alita prepares the Wheel of Savings.

Larkin awaits the cash and store credit only crowd.

Sandy and Julie on register: BRING IT ON.

9:59 am .... here we go!

At last, the line moves...

and a new line forms.

Joanna Cornell of Locke made it to the register first. Mad props, Joanna.

Mamas like Asha look for practical things like mittens and gloves.

Kids know that costumes are the real highlight of the Coat Sale. This one even came with a watch -- SCORE!

A little bumblee ponders whether her parents will let her wear this costume instead of a winter coat.

Somehow, six o'clock came.

End-of-day register goslings Erianna and Violet looking inexplicably cheery.

Louise disassembles the racks, because even the best of days must end.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," Kelly quipped as closing time came.

Even if you didn't make it into the Goose yesterday, never fear. Just check out Megan above, hauling one of many loads of cute stuff that will be out on the floor starting Monday. Next year, though, you better get in here --- there's always room for one more at the Coat Sale.

Won’t You be Our Neighbor, ITHACAmade?

You know when you’ve lived in the same neighborhood for a long time  and then all of a sudden a big moving truck pulls up next to a house that’s been vacant for a while and everyone sort of wanders out to their front yards to get a glimpse of the folks on the block?  Well, this week, Mama and Mimi are getting new neighbors, and you can do more than peer out of your curtains.

Jan Rhodes Norman and Alice Muhlback are certainly not new in town.  They’ve been making Ithaca a more beautiful place as local artists for years… Jan is the woman behind Silk Oak, which was most recently located in the old Little Goose space, and Alice has long made her artistic home at Spirit at Kitsch. Together, they’ve decided to launch ITHACAmade, a collaboration of local artists designed not only to make local work available to our community, but to provide a sort of Ithaca-in-a-box for those who have left the area but could use a creative taste of home.

These are exactly the kind of neighbors Mama Goose has always wanted, and apparently the feeling is mutual.   “I’ve had my eye on that area [the West End flats, as Kelly likes to call the neighborhood] for quite some time,” said Jan. “We’re just so excited and thrilled to be there.”

ITHACAMade is having its grand opening tonight, from 5pm to 8pm, as part of Gallery Night.  In a show of neighborly love, Mama and Mimi will be open as well.  After that ITHACAMade will be open from Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10am to 6pm, with hours eventually expanding to mirror those of Mimi’s Attic.

Welcome to the ‘hood, Jan and Alice!  We think you’re going to like it here.

-Meryl at the Goose

The SUPERFAN Contest: An Update

Over a month ago, we announced our SUPERFAN Contest on Facebook to try and reach some nice, big round numbers on that all-important social media website.  Our goal is to reach 1000 “likes” for Mama Goose and 500 for Mimi’s Attic, and we’re getting pretty close, at least on the Goose side… as of this writing, we’re only 33 “likes” away from the big 1-0-0-0 on the Mama Goose FB page, and we’ve got a clear front-runner for the winner.

Mama Marsh Creations, aka Kristen Marsh, has been racking up SUPERFAN points by commenting on/liking FB posts and referring her friends to our pages.  If she keeps up the pace, she’s on her way to a $25 Mama Goose gift certificate.

However, there are still some contenders nipping at her heels who could surge ahead at any moment.  Laura Love and Asia Bonacci may not have as may referrals under their surely-adorable belts, but they rack up points by commenting on blog posts in addition to FB updates.  Either one could overtake Mama Marsh in an upset at any time.

Plus, with 33 likes to go, there’s still room for a dark horse … I’m talking to you, closeted Mama Goose lover who wants to devote the next 48 hours to doing nothing but engaging in online Mama Goose-related pursuits… Tweeting, FBing, blogging … those are all ways to rack up the SUPERFAN points.

Plus, once we get to 1000 on the MG page, there’s still the matter of building the love for Mimi’s.  We’re thinking there could be some additional rewards on the way to meeting that goal, so get out there, SUPERFANS.  Share the love, earn some prizes.  Fun for all!

-Meryl at the Goose

Art in the Woods: A Mama Goose Exhibit

A sample of the beautiful artwork currently on display at the Goose

A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of hostessing an art exhibit for members of the Northern Lights Learning Center, a homeschooling resource cooperative serving Tompkins County.  This past spring, one of the cooperative member parents taught a class in which she and some young artists wandered through our local wooded areas, building natural artscapes among the various natural resources they found there.  She documented the projects with a camera, and the resulting photographs are now on display at the Goose.

The young artists and their families and friends officially celebrated the exhibit with an opening reception, complete with ribbon cutting ceremony.

Not all of the young artists were able to attend, but those who did showed off their cooperative learning skills by sharing the ribbon cutting duties

One of the young artists gleefully points out his pieces on display

A young patron of the arts ponders the meaning of the work

For these little artists, in the Goose for now, but the Guggenheim, someday

If you haven’t seen it yet, come check out the beautiful artwork displayed in the Mama Goose exhibit space (aka our back hallway.)  If you know some little artists who would like to be slated for an exhibit, stop by or call Larkin or Kelly.  We’re always looking for new talent!

-Meryl at the Goose

The Goose Gives Back

Babywearing is an international phenomenon.

It seems to me, though some of you better balanced people out there may not have this problem, that one of the dangers of motherhood is how small it makes your world.  The smallness isn’t always bad — I often consider how wonderful it is that all the people I love the most live under the same roof and, as much as I complain about dealing with all of their agita on a daily basis, having them within arm’s reach is what makes me feel whole.  The downside, though, is that sometimes it takes me a little too long to realize that the Gulf Coast is suffering yet again, or to notice that our state government can’t get its act together.    I’m too caught up in whether the baby’s fever has gone down, whether the middle one needs another change of clothes in his cubby, and whether the oldest is currently a full-blow teenaged emotional monstrosity or just moderately angsty.

This extreme self-involvement has also damaged my ability to keep things in perspective.  When I can see the big picture, I can remember that my small world here is a golden one.  We have shelter, and food, and clothing.  My children have schools and access to health care.  My life is a privilege, and even having the chance to forget that is a luxury.

Living in Ithaca has not done much to break me out of my mom bubble.  You’ve seen the slogan — 10 square miles surrounded by reality?  It’s not untrue, but it’s also not ideal.  The bridge between local and global is essential, and remaining mindful of our place in the world community is part of being a responsible citizen.

Educate the Children, International is a non-profit organization that perfectly balances worlds small and big.  With an office located here in Ithaca and another in Kathmandu, ETC betters the lives of women and children on a worldwide scale, and we here at the Goose would like to help them out a bit.

For the month of July, if you spend $100 on diapers or buy an Ergo, we’ll donate 10% of your total purchase to Educate the Children.  You can help us all keep things in perspective.

ETC helps rural Nepalese children, especially girls, obtain educations through direct scholarshpi programs as well as aid to teachers, schools, and other local programs.

-The Geese at the Goose

Mama Goose Loves a Parade

The highlight of my Festival Parade experience... and possibly of my whole year.

Turns out that my friend Erika, in all her years living in Tompkins County, has never been to the Ithaca Festival Parade.   I know, shocking, right?   You’re shocked, horrified, completely aghast?  Me too!  

For us, still fairly new Ithacans in the scheme of things, the Ithaca Festival, and the parade in particular, has managed to be a fairly momentous occasion more often than not.  Bailey and I moved upstate in late May 2006.  At that point, our last known residence was a 9th floor North Bronx apartment with a spectacular view of a 24-hour McDonald’s Drive-through, and for the four months preceding our arrival in Ithaca, we’d been driving around the country, living in our car — our version of a honeymoon.  This is all to say that we were a bit turned around when we finally plopped our suitcases on the floor of our new summer sublet, precariously perched on the terrifying slope of death that is Prospect Street.  Our disorientation worsened as we struggled to sleep at night, missing the noise of the city, and spent our days struggling each time a stranger smiled at us, or uttered an unsolicited hello.  Quiet? Friendly? Ample opportunities for recycling? What was this place? 

Still shell-shocked, and barely at the end of our first full week in town, we went for a walk one evening and stumbled into a crowd, who turned out to be awaiting a parade.   We stayed, of course, because it’s terribly bad manners to turn down a parade when it presents itself to you,  and it was that evening that I first experienced the magic of my two favorite parade events:  the Volvo Ballet and the He-Man Chainsaw Marching Band, and with that, we knew this small town was right up our alley. 

Two years later, we missed the parade — we were otherwise occupied, attending the birth of our daughter, Corrina.  She arrived on the scene just as people were getting into formation at the top of Cayuga Street.  News of her birth spread throughout the parade, as my friend Keli, our first phone call after the one to my parents, ran up to the First Baptist Church parade contingent to tell our dear friend Andrea that her honorary grandchild had arrived.  It is no wonder that Corrina seems to expect fanfare and festivities in response to her every move. 

Last year, we marched with the Mama Goose brigade, though I was still several months away from joining the gosling crew.  I think I stumbled into the Goose just as Kelly realized that she was still in need of a couple contestants for her mobile cloth diapering contest and before I knew it, we were ensconsed in the Goose crowd — faces that, on that day, seemed vaguely familiar but today, now that I’ve settled into the Goose nest, feel like family.  

This year, with the opening of Mimi’s Attic and all the attendant hullabaloo, we all needed to rest our marching feet.  I rested mine in excellent company, cheering on the parade with Julie and Gina’s families, cooperatively playing a sort of Mama Goose Where’s Waldo? game.  Every two minutes or so,  one of us would exclaim, “Look!  Over there!  She’s a customer!”   Don’t mock us — we get our kicks where we can.  Plus, we took pictures, like the ones below.  Visit our Flickr page to see  the complete set.  If our not-so-eagle-eyes missed you, send me your own pics — I’ll get ‘em up there faster than you can play the opening line of Chain of Fools on the buzzsaw.  

Customer Asha Sanaker, marching with the Greenstar contingent, stops to admonish the goslings for our failure to march.

Customer Kristina jumped into her first Ithaca Festival with both feet, packing up her family to march with BirthNet. She's such a go-getter!

-Meryl at the Goose

My Top 10 Favorite Children’s Books

Did you know that we’re coming to the end of National Children’s Book Week?  Did you even know that there was a National Children’s Book Week?  We didn’t, until Bob from Buffalo Street Books kindly passed along the information.  Now that we’re in the loop, though, we’re going to celebrate two ways!  First, we’re having a sale:  Today and tomorrow, all kids’ books at the Goose will be Buy 2, Get 1 (of Equal or Lesser Value).  Second, I’m going to rhapsodize about my favorite children’s books, and invite you to do the same.

 

Meryl’s Top 10 Kids’ Books, as of 8:44 PM on May 13th, and Subject to Change at Any Moment, because New Books Are Being Published Every Day, and Meryl is Just Generally Kinda Flaky

 

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

“Goodnight stars, goodnight air, goodnight noises everywhere.”

Really, I just had to get this one on the list right away, because it’s probably the best children’s book ever written, and if it’s not on your top 10 list, you’re probably a sociopath, and I’m sort of curious how you wound up reading this blog.

 

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

“And Max, the king of all wild things, was lonely, and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all.”

This is a really important book in our family, which I’ve probably mentioned one or two times before.  Quite possibly one of the most heartfelt moments in my entire life happened when older foster son was reading this book to younger foster son, got to the line above and said, “Hey, you know what?  In our house, we love you best of all.”   

 

If You’re Afraid of the Dark, Remember the Night Rainbow/Add One More Star to the Night by Cooper Edens

“If you’re at the end of your rope, untie the knot in your heart.”

This is technically two books in one, and therefore takes up two spots on the list.   I was introduced to the book(s) in college by my friend Martha, who makes a point of buying them as gifts for people she believes will truly appreciate their worth.  (Incidentally, Martha also frequently gives me the gift of editing my blog posts, out of the sheer goodness of her heart.)  If You’re Afraid of the Dark.. pairs whimsical illustrations with nonsensical yet beautiful modern proverbs.  The poignancy-per-page ratio in this text is higher than in any other book I’ve ever read, and even the youngest of listeners can appreciate that.

 

The Family Book or We Belong Together or really any book  by Todd Parr

“There are lots of different ways to be a family.  Your family is special, no matter what kind it is.”

Sometimes, when your family looks different from other families, and is different from lots of other families, your kids stop listening to you when you tell them for the eightieth time that different is okay.  They never stop listening to Todd, though, who conveys the message through perfectly chosen wording and engaging and vibrant pictures.

 

Someday by Alison McGhee & Peter H. Reynolds

“Someday, I will stand on this porch and watch your arms waving to me until I no longer see you.  Someday you will look at this house and wonder how something that feels so big can look so small.”

The Pia-Miller Family gave us (Corrina & myself) this book just a couple of weeks after she was born.  I read it to Rina when I put her to bed, and cry at the exact same page, every time, even when I read the book three times in a row.  For anyone who has a daughter, and who hasn’t read it yet, drop what you’re doing this very moment and go find a copy.  E-mail me.  I’ll lend you mine.  There’s a copy at the public library, under E McGhee, in the picture book section.  GO. 

 

The Sneetches and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss

“I’ve heard of your troubles. I’ve heard you’re unhappy.  But I can fix that.  I’m the Fix-it-Up Chappie.”

I’m a fan of the entire Seuss oeuvre, but in recent years, The Sneetches has emerged as my favorite.  (That slot was previously held by The Lorax, but a girl’s gotta move on.)   This book actually contains three stories in addition to the title story:  “The Zax,” “Too Many Daves,” and “What Was I Scared Of?” As is to be expected from Seuss, the rhyme is awesome, the underlying political commentary biting, and the overall reading experience, excellent. 

 

Today I Feel Silly by Jamie Lee Curtis

“Today I am quiet, my mom understands. She gave me two ice creams and then we held hands.  We went to a movie and then had a bite.  I cried just a little, and then felt all right.” 

Turns out that Jamie Lee Curtis is one of those actress-turned-something-elses who is actually really awesome at the something else.  This book in particular is very popular around our house, where mood swinging is practically  a competitive sport.  Plus, there’s a super fun wheel at the back that changes the main character’s facial features to match her moods.  Girl’s got some crazy eyes. 

 

I Like It When by Mary Murphy

This is just a cuter-than-average, run-of-the-mill board book.  We got it from our pediatrician, through the Family Reading Partnership, I think?  The way it wound up on this list is that it’s the first book that our little pre-reader learned to “read” out loud, using the picture cues to get the words exactly right.  There’s nothing like toddler pride splashed all over that dimpled face to endear a book to me forever.

 

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams                   

“Once you are real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

The extended version of the above quote was one of the readings at our wedding.  Plus, when I was a little girl, my copy of this book came with a recording of Meryl Streep narrating the story.  (It came on a record.  I’d listen to it on my Fisher-Price record player in the basement, and follow along.)  Meryl Streep has an awesome story-telling voice, in addition to her awesome name.   

 

What are your top ten children’s books?  Or top twenty, or top two?  I don’t care how many you’ve got, I just want to know — and a happy National Children’s Book Week to you. 

-Meryl at the Goose

Ithaca Loves Pre-K, Mama Goose Loves You

A beautiful piece of artwork crafted at IACC, Ithaca's Downtown Daycare Center, and currently on display at Mama Goose.

At the Goose, we see all types of mamas:  vegetarian and carnivorous mamas, working and stay-at-home mamas, home-schooling and public/private schooling mamas.  This last mama difference – the school issue — can sometimes seem divisive, especially in these challenging financial times.  Some customers are devoted to their home schooling cooperatives, while others are enraged about the potential elimination of funding for universal pre-K.  (That’s where the title of this post came from: one of our lovely teacher customers recently came into the store wearing an “Ithaca is Pre-K” t-shirt, to show her support for the ICSD pre-k program.)   I, personally, am a huge devotee of South Hill Elementary and New Roots Charter School, and could talk your ear off about the virtues of both.   The point is, with all of this love out there, it’s impossible for Mama Goose to be supportive of just one educational option.

This is where the blog, and you, lovely readers, come in.   All along, we’ve wanted to use this space as an open forum on all of the issues which interest our clientele, and education is definitely on that list.   If you have a schooling option about which you feel passionate, we’d like to invite you to submit a testimonial piece for our Educational Profiles series, which I will be officially launching in, say, one paragraph from now.   Just e-mail your thoughts on your child’s school/daycare/home-school experience to meryl@mamagooseithaca.com and, if possible, include some pictures of your shiny, happy children, you know, learning stuff.  If the timing is right, you can also utilize our back hallway art gallery and show off some school-inspired kiddie creations, to go with your words. 

I’m going to get this school-lovin’ party started, since I’m the one typing, and therefore get first dibs.  If you’ve heard me blabbering at the Goose lately, you may have heard that my littlest one has just started daycare full-time.  Huge shout-outs of thanks to the people who have looked at me kindly and asked not, “How is she liking it?” but “Oh… how are you doing?”  because, in truth, I’m not doing so hot.  I feel guilty, and paranoid, and I miss her, and when I forget to miss her, I feel guilty, and then paranoid, etc…  (Corrina appears to be handling daycare fine, although I worry that she’s lying awake at night planning my eventual and well-deserved demise since I obviously don’t love her enough to be with her every minute of the day.) 

The daycare program itself, IACC, is what has made this whole transition bearable.  Coming highly recommended by Mama Goslings Barb and Julie, and having the added advantage of being around the corner from our house, IACC was the perfect place for us even before we walked through the door.  Now that Rina’s there five days a week, and we know her wonderful teachers and adorable classmates, we’re even happier.  There’s only one wrinkle:  due to a variety of factors, IACC is under some serious financial pressure right now, and there was even talk of the 40-year-old program being forced to close.  Though there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel, IACC is still in the midst of a big push to raise funds and increase enrollment.  If you want to come out and show your support, or if you’re looking into daycare options, or even if you just want to catch a glimpse of my adorable family, you can do so this Saturday, May 1st, from 2 to 5 pm in Dewitt Park.  IACC is holding a benefit with music, magic, munchies, and much much more.  All are welcome. 

If you’d rather get a glimpse of IACC from the Goose, of if you’re just generally more into symbolic representation, drop by the back hallway art gallery, where beautiful works of art from the IACC classrooms, like the one pictured above, are currently on display.  Once you’re feeling inspired, drop me a line about your child’s learning experiences, and we’ll work together on sharing it with the Mama Goose world! 

An IACC informational poster is currently hanging with the artwork on display. Check it out in person next time you come in.

-Meryl at the Goose