Garden of Growing Girls

Posted September 21st, 2011 | Permalink

By the time you were twelve how many community events did you organize? How many fundraisers did you plan and execute? How many budget related decisions did you make and how many local business people did you know by name (not counting family and family friends)?

Yeah, me either.

And before you were in sixth grade, had you travelled hundreds of miles on an overnight train, with a group of close friends, to a state where you’d never been, to visit a living museum and submerge yourself in the history of our early colonies?

Me either.

When you were twelve, did you think you were capable of any of these things? Did you think you’d be allowed and trusted to accomplish any of these things? Think about it – did you even have reason to ponder any of this?

Twelve years old is 6^th or 7^th grade.

I know a group of 10 girls, twelve years old, who have done these things already. Who know the owners and managers of many of the businesses in their town by name and aren’t afraid to talk to them in passing in the market. Who have imagined and planned events to benefit organizations in their local community. Who have volunteered their time to help out with festivals in their town, or to serve food at the local “community dinner.” Who have travelled afar to learn, and who have begun to think on a very wide, very worldly scale.

They are the Girl Scout troop that I help to lead.

Yes, Girl Scouts.

I know it.

When I was in 5^th grade, I gave up Girl Scouts. Well, why not? It’s not as if we ever DID anything. We met once a week, brought our 50¢ dues, sat on our sit-upons in the dim living room of our troop leader, ate a snack of cookies and juice and, I guess, talked about school and whatever was on our mind. I think in the years I was a Girl Scout, I earned 3 badges. We never went camping, we never did any community service, we never traveled or learned new skills. I think we did some crafts, but I don’t remember any of them.  By the time we were in 5^th grade, other kids looked at us funny when we said we were still Girl Scouts. We were too old then – too old to be Girl Scouts and still be cool.

So as my co-leader and I have worked with these girls over the years (most of the troop has been together since first grade) we’ve made it our mission to make Girl Scouts what we think it should be: the growth of future leaders, of girls who are not afraid, who are creative, who are individuals, who think wide-open, who will be assets to their communities and proud of themselves because of who they’ve become.

In order to achieve that, we first have to have as our foremost mission to make Girl Scouts what they think it should be. It has to be enjoyable and meaningful for the girls. It has to be their Girl Scouts, not ours. It has to be about what they want to learn, what they want to do, what they want to accomplish. It has to be something they’re proud to say they’re a part of.

Lofty missions.

In order to accomplish all this, you’d really have to be passionate about it, wouldn’t you? I mean, you couldn’t just show up to a troop meeting with some doilies and glue and expect the girls to transform into world leaders.

No.

It’s hard work.

It requires a lot of thought, even some agonizing now and then, lots of time. It requires finesse – we’re talking about pre-teen girls here (think roller coaster, on a hot day, with storm clouds). It requires the kind of patience that you don’t hang from a hook at the end of a day. And as they get older, it requires more and more and more of you.

But the rewards are greater and greater and greater.

And so, in the last two years especially, as our girls have accomplished far more than I ever thought possible; as we’ve watched them gain skills, confidence, character; as we’ve seen them form a team, always watching each other’s backs; and as we’ve watched them blossoming as individuals; I’ve come to realize that I no longer do this just because I’m a troop Mom with a daughter in the gang, or because I’m buried knee-deep in it. I don’t do it just because my co-leader is a dear friend. I do it because I believe in it. I believe in these girls. I believe they can do whatever they set their minds to, and I believe in helping them set their minds to huge things. I believe in helping them over the stepping stones to bigger and bigger.

All this believing. I think that’s called passion.

Building the Dream…House…in Pink…

Posted July 17th, 2011 | Permalink

Have you heard about Architect Barbie yet?

Yep, she’s an architect now. I’ve been following the introduction of Architect Barbie since she was first announced this past winter. I came across the announcement through the AIA website (American Institute of Architects). The AIA helped Mattel create an Architect Barbie that is “authentic to the career”.

Mattel says it created Architect Barbie so girls can imagine designing their own dream house. In its marketing messaging for the doll, Mattel calls Barbie ‘’ready to tackle the daily responsibilities of a real architect in or out of the office.’’ (AIA)

Since then, the AIA created a competition for architects: design Architect Barbie’s dream home. The requirements for the design were pretty clear:

A sleek, smart home office is important for any doll. With more than 125 careers, I need a spacious office that can accommodate my hi-tech gadgets for meetings, client visits and presentations.
I love to entertain so I need living and dining areas that are open and connected allowing for mingling and easy entertaining from one room to the other.
The kitchen should be functional and fabulous with top-of-the-line appliances—large countertops and lots of space to cook. I also love natural light in my kitchen so windows are critical. I am quite the chef you know!
As the original “fashionista,” you can imagine how large my closet needs to be! I have unlimited fashions and accessories, so I need lots of shelving, shoe racks and a closet that can be easily organized – getting ready can’t be a chore every day.
My dream bathroom: a large, stylish space accessible from the master bedroom and other areas.
I love animals and I have as many as five pets (including a giraffe) around at any given time. A big backyard is very important so they can roam and play!
As the ultimate “California girl” from Malibu, I am all about location, location, location! My house must have fantastic views of my fabulous backyard and overlook the ocean.
(AIA)

Architects were asked to create a home with 5-6 rooms and provide 1 data page, 2 floor plans, 1 elevation and 1 section through the body of the house.

The AIA received almost 30 entries. They have now narrowed the choice to 5 submissions and have put the final vote out to the public. I reviewed them all very carefully today. In order to follow along with me, you’ll have to use the individual links I’ve created with the submission #’s. Then you can view them all here to place your official vote (voting ends Aug 1).

Here are my thoughts on the 5 designs. I won’t tell you which one got my vote. I’d love to know which gets yours though!

#30657968
I love the dramatic, glass staircase. I love the photovoltaic panels shaped like lily pads. Really, I think I like anything shaped like a lily pad. How friendly. My fave thing about this submission is the research that obviously went into it; using the initial 1959 swimsuit for inspiration, the use of pink and turquoise, dresses designed by a 14 year old, specific paintings on the walls. Who wouldn’t want a “vegetation wall” full of herbs in the kitchen?
The catwalk hallway is also very cool. Okay, the big plastic funnels in the yard are just weird. “Dream pink, live green”

#30657825
I think of all, this one impressed me the least. I like the shape of the house and all of the “green” elements. I like the gardens and bike parking. I like the stairway – it looks glamorous. But, the bedroom and bathroom look quite small and ordinary. I think the saltwater pool will wreak havoc on Barbie’s luscious locks. And where does the giraffe live?

#30658049
I LOVE that this person actually designed Barbie’s Dream House – a dollhouse!  I love that they thought through the packaging and the set up and how a little girl could play with it. This is the quintessential Barbie toy.
I like that the little owner actually has to ‘build’ Barbie’s house and she can do it in several ways. I like the “B” frames (earthquake safety) and the “Velcro-backed art on the “fuzzy” pink walls.”  Who doesn’t want fuzzy pink walls? This one stands out to me because they thought to make a toy, and it’s a well-designed and super appropriate toy.

#30657949
Whoa. Cool. This could be made into a toy too, don’t you think? It could be built to split in half, just as it’s shown, opening on hinges. No need for dressers here; Barbie has this wild, huge, rotating, computerized, column closet thing. Neat. She has a library. That’s good. Is that a Thos. Moser bench I see in the living room being used as a coffee table? She only has a scooter, eh? No driveway or parking? I think she needs one parking space for Ken and friends. I love that Barbie is shown in all her best duds. I love that she is described as “powerful”. We all know she’s bigger than Oprah.

#30657947
Okay, I had a little trouble sorting this one out, but once I got it, I liked it.
I like the idea of the long driveway “intensifying the experience of arrival.”
I dig the runway, the movie screen curtains, the two-story closet and the slides to the pool. I also really like the overall look of the exterior of this building, and the site itself. I think I could live here. Even though I’m not Barbie. I’m not sure where my giraffe would live though.

What’s your favorite? Which one would you choose? Are you in love with the idea that you could touch a button and your outfit would arrive at your door, ready to wear? Do you want to have a full herb garden in your kitchen every day? Maybe you think designing a toy was the wrong way to go? Or was that the only submission that did it right? Can’t wait to hear what you have to think?

Pony Up

Posted October 8th, 2010 | Permalink

As the school year approached and the summer was coming to a close, we took our end-of-summer family vacation, visiting two regions of New York State where we have family: Binghamton and Saratoga Springs.

As usual, we packed in the activity, determined to try new things, share childhood experiences with our own kids, spend time with family, and come home rested, refreshed and smiling. It worked.

The first few days were spent in Binghamton. The boys drove down to NYC for a game at Yankee Stadium while the girls poked, shopped and snacked in Skaneateles. On the way to Saratoga, we stopped at Howe Caverns and viewed the big caves. While staying in Saratoga, we spent a day at the racetrack, feeling pretty smug in our fancy clothes and hats and enjoying great box seats that I’d won at an event in the spring. We went rafting in Sacandaga, spent a day in Lake George where the kids went parasailing and Grace and I posed as a flapper and a cowgirl in an Old Time Photo. We had floats at an old fashioned, drive-up A&W Root Beer restaurant and some of the best barbecue ever at PJ’s Barbecue.

We also went to a polo game. Ever seen a polo game? A real one, with horses, and British accents, and mallets and ladies in fancy clothes? I hadn’t been to a polo game in years. Maybe decades. But Saratoga is one of polo’s hangouts during the summer. There are matches from July through Labor Day and teams from around the world come to play. Really, like royals and everything. It’s true.

I struggle to come up with good adjectives for polo, for watching it from the sidelines. It’s unique, unlike any other sport you’ll spectate. It’s fast, thunderous, rich, steeped in tradition and lofty. (How’d I do with the adjectives?) At Saratoga Polo, there are two sides to the field, affectionately called the “Club Side” and the “Poor Side” (officially: Clubhouse and Tailgate). I’ve only been on the club side once. There is a dress code over there (Lily Pullitzer is a sponsor), and lots and lots of Range Rovers and champagne. It’s pretty posh. Yes, just as you’re imagining.

I really prefer the poor side. Over on this side, spectators back their cars toward the sideboards of the field. Tailgates and picnics begin to emerge: from gourmet foods, wine and tartan blankets to stadium chairs, fried chicken and Budweiser. Some people dress up, just because, and others are in sneakers and jeans.

We were on the poor side this year. We brought lots of food (way too much) and my father and his wife brought even more. The horses were beautiful, sleek, muscley, athletic.

The action was fast, the hooves were loud.

It was the first time our kids had seen a polo game. They had no idea what to expect – except horses, sticks and a ball.

At half-time it’s traditional to “stomp the divots” – push the grass back down flat on the field where it’s been pulled up by the players’ mallets. Spectators from both sides wander onto the field (300 yards long by 150 yards wide) and stomp around; some in sneakers, some in high heels, some in glass slippers (just kidding). Jaunty music plays in the background, many have glasses of wine or champagne in their hands as they stomp, stomp, stomp. The kids loved this part.

One of the nice things about polo too is that it ends fairly early. So after the match, there’s still time to head downtown, find the Grasso’s truck and then head over to Gaffney’s for some live music and libations. No dress code there. No stomping either. Usually.