Cold Spaghetti

Our house was too ill to attend Saturday’s Jazz Funeral for Helen as we’d planned. But photos can be seen here.

– The kids’ ladders are fabulous. A MUST.
– Bring a step-stool, too.
– Wagons are a great asset with two kids and frequent parades. We love ours.
– Kids wear tons of costumes for Mardi Gras parades and events.
– Parents wear costumes, too.
– Keep boas, hats, and wigs readily available… year round.
– Paul should get a used tux, have it fitted, and keep it on hand.
– I should have an assortment of dresses on hand.
– If you get a throw in a bag, keep it in a bag so that your kid can use it in their school parade next year (it’s easier to throw things in bags).
– Pack flashlights for night parades.
– It is awesome to share Mardi Gras with family and friends.
– Paul and I want to ride on a float; I’m considering joining Muses.
– Take time off BEFORE Mardi Gras to rest and prepare for the long week.
– Cancel everything for Ash Wednesday and stay in bed!

For our household, Carnival ended on Sunday.

The stomach bug that has been rolling around town hit Will… HARD. Lundi Gras, we managed to get a babysitter so that we could go out to dinner… only to cancel as Will worsened. For two days, the little guy couldn’t keep anything up or down. We came close to taking him to Children’s hospital several times. Our pediatrician called in prescriptions for us (phengrin) and between that and fever-all, we were able to control his nausea and fever. (Note: Will doesn’t take medicine… so both are suppositories… how’s that for fun?) Us adults weren’t feeling 100%, either, so we all took a breather. Mardi Gras excitement can take a lot of energy!

Matt and Laura left on Tuesday and we were so happy to have shared the holiday with them. Thanks!

After Thoth, Granna and PapPap stuck around to spend some time with the kids. They (of course!) brought presents. Our Buzz got his own Buzz:Kate’s toy took PapPap awhile to unpack.
And then Kate entertained everyone with her bye-bye waves and crazy girl moves!

We finally got home and to sleep in the wee hours of Sunday morning. A few hours later, we awoke to Will’s cheery morning voice brightly calling out, “Mommy! Daddy! It’s a BEAUTIFUL DAY!!” And so began our Mardi Gras Sunday.

Adrenaline must have still been going from the night before, because we got up and started preparing for Thoth. We weren’t sure who would show up at our door (because we’re right on the route, we announced our house as a home base with breakfast food and clean bathrooms. In years past, the neighborhood has had a block party with live music, food, and dancing.) We had picked up quiche and fruit from Whole Foods the day before and were ready for guests, should they arrive. Some friends did come by, but there wasn’t a lot of time to do more than grab a bite to eat and walk to Magazine to set up the kids’ ladders. This year, the whole street seemed tired; apparently we weren’t the only ones feeling a bit long in the tooth!

The extra excitement about this year’s Thoth parade was that my parents, in town for the Extravaganza the night before, agreed to come over for the morning and see the parade with us. Paul and I have spent the better part of 3 years trying to convince them of the secret truth of Mardi Gras that outsiders don’t seem to get: it’s a FAMILY holiday! After what they had seen at Endymion (a TOTALLY different type of experience) and around the hotel on Canal Street (tourists) they were very leery.

But they came! Despite being at the Superdome long into the night, they managed to get out of the hotel and over to Uptown. They had a bumpy morning — accented by a bird pooping on my Mom while she walked to our house and then tripping and falling on the sidewalk (no kidding). Even with their exhaustion and morning challenges, they arrived excited and ready to be a part of the kids’ Mardi Gras. And they had a great time! Finally! People believe us!

Matt and Paul juggled while we waited for the parade:
A Whole Foods employee joined them for passing (he was really good!)
Will dressed as Buzz Lightyear!
A Dixieland band passes on a pre-parade float:
My Dad, Kate (dressed as a Bumblebee in Will’s first Halloween costume!), and me in head gear I caught from a Thoth rider:
Buzz and I:
Floats as seen from our street:
Granna and Bumblebee Kate:
Buzz and his favorite throw… a plastic toy shark with “ETHAN” written in marker on the bottom. He LOVES it.
PapPap and Kate (who takes parades VERY seriously and watches with great attention!)
Matt photographs a coming float:
Buzz and Paul wave to attract riders attention:
Happy Mardi Gras!

After our thrilling morning, Paul and Matt crashed… hard. They both had been working insane hours (Paul had been pulling 10-12 hour work days 6-7 days a week for over a month — I know Matt has been doing the same) and it caught up with them. Paul got quite bad in later in the afternoon, so bad that we considered presenting at the local hospital (neither of us have family doctors since the insurance change). He’s since compared it to when he was hospitalized in 2003 under suspicion of having malaria — it makes me wonder if I should be bringing him in for a blood draw just to give the infectious disease folk something fun to look into! Public health geeking aside, he was pretty sick. After some fluids, he was much better, but not up for parades.

So, Matt, Laura and I took the kids to Napoleon. It was cold, we missed Hermes (one of my favorite parades due to the beautiful floats) and only stayed for D’Etat. Although we befriended a group and had some interesting conversations, we never really got into a good grove for catching throws and had a hard time finding a solid spot to stand. But it was still fun!

The Krewe of Abeona rolled in their debut parade Friday morning! With The Paulin Brothers Brass Band swinging us down the street and our director, Emmy, leading the way (boa and all!) kids, parents, siblings, and friends of Abeona strolled down Oak Street.The kids rode in wagons and strollers, each decorated in impressive themes. Will rode in the SS Kate, a pirate ship fashioned over his stroller. Kate was also in pirate gear (under her fuzzy coat, it was a chilly 40 degree morning) but slept in her stroller for almost the entire parade (Laura was kind enough to push her!) The kids brought their own throws — teachers handed out the Golden Nunu’s to Oak Street shopkeepers, many whom had donated food and supplies for the “ball” we held following the parade. Will threw stuffed toys, beads (we put them in baggies to prevent the frustration of tangles), and cups that Laura and I had labeled “Abeona House 2007.” (Will is about to throw one of those cups in the pictures below.)
Shopkeepers, neighbors, and other fans showed up to cheer us on. In the picture below is Mr. Jacque Imo, himself, wearing a Golden Nunu and talking to Will. Will threw him a cup and some beads — and blew him a kiss. Below is Miss Norma, Oak Street’s “Queen of the (snow)Ball!”
More pictures of our parade route… these are some general shots (I am trying not to use photos that heavily feature other people’s kids!) and the rest will be linked from the Abeona House website later this week.





After the parade, we had the Krewe of Abeona BALL! Food from Oak Street merchants, a toast by our Queen and King, and lots of fun for all! Paul actually took a picture of me in all the excitement… Recognize a theme? I guess nursing is the only time I sit still long enough for a photograph!

Thursday morning, we dropped the kids off at school and did a short tour of some of the flooded and recovering areas of Mid-City, City Park, and Lakeview. Then we drove back home to change into more tailored duds and arrived at Commander’s Palace at noon. Mardi Gras season was apparent; members of Muses were en masse in their awesome blue costume sacks and head pieces. We sat in the garden room, lovely, but a bit too close to the window (we should have asked to be moved — they certainly would have been happy to accommodate). Laura and I tried the $.25 martinis (we had cosmopolitians, our first). We enjoyed the very reasonable lunch specials — they start at about $15 and include appetizer and entree. Then we split the signature desserts: strawberry shortcake and bread pudding for dessert. Paul wasn’t feeling well and ended up having his lunch packed to go home.

We got the kids early from school, drove out to Metairie to get Paul’s tuxedo and my dress for Saturday’s ball, and went home to get ready for the night’s parades.
We arrived in our spot of choice (Napoleon, towards the start of the parade route) and saw friends Emmy and Kevin with kids. We set up our children’s ladder — a NOLA original with a kid-sized seat on the top — and enjoyed Chaos (shown below) and our favorite, MUSES.
Muses is an all-girls krewe, known for having the best throws and putting on a fabulous parade. This year, the girls threw sleep masks, make-up kits, comic books, and Muses regala for their this year’s theme: Super Muses.We did pretty well — that Mardi Gras ladder works great! For parts of the parade, we went over to the “sidewalk side” to try to see friends of ours who were rolling with certain floats on both parades (didn’t see them) but always returned quickly to the “neutral ground” which we find more polite and kid-friendly. Kate enjoys some of the throws from Muses and Chaos in these pictures… Muses loot includes stuffed toys, footballs, cups, doubloons, specialty beads and medallions, comic book… AND a SHOE!!!
That’s right — Kate and I caught a SHOE! (It’s in the center of the loot picture above.) The Muses shoe is right up there with the Zulu coconut and even more rare in numbers. Kate was asleep in my arms, Will and Paul were on the sidewalk side, and I stood way in the back while the floats passed. One of the riders pulled out the shoe and was looking in the crowd for someone to throw to — I had my arms way up and was apart from the crowd enough for us to be seen. She pointed to us, nodded that the throw was coming, and let it go! The shoes are each one-of-a-kind, ours has the rider’s initials and float number (float 10). Happy Mardi Gras!

Matt and Laura had a long, rough day of travel on Wednesday due to the east coast ice and snow. As a result, they arrived too late on Wednesday to make our 5:45 reservations at Mulate‘s, where we all going to go for family Zydeco music and dancing. Instead, we got a few prepared foods from Whole Foods wonderful selection and heated up our Raspberry Chicken breasts, lemon rice risotto cakes, fresh green beans, and grilled veggies for a later dinner once the kids were in bed. It was very cold — we stayed in and did not attend any parades.

On Wednesday, I photographed the Valentine’s party at Abeona. The kids took turns being “mailman” (notice the hat?) to pass out their hearts and treats to each Valentine. This is what I learned: for kids that can’t read, just help them sign their name to the valentines — don’t write any “to” names.

The school website will have a link to all photographs… stay tuned!