We lived in a Manhattan apartment until 6 weeks ago.  Now we live a house in the ‘burbs of Westchester outside New York City.  Was the move the right decision?  Yes, for us.

The Big Pros:

1) Backyard. A major reason we decided to move is that our son loves being outside.  Whenever he’s in a bad mood (since he was four months old), if we take him outside, he calms down and becomes happy again.  This wonderful feature of Blake meant that in the city, at 7:30am after he, and therefore I, had been up for nearly 2 hours, I’d have to pack up the diaper bag, put our coats, bring a snack, my wallet, cell phone and take the elevator down to head to the park or just stroll and visit a Starbucks or the supermarket.  I’m not kidding; I did that way too many times.  Then there would be the mornings when he had no plans and it was too cold for an hour at the playground so his nanny would take him in and out of stores or set him free on the kid’s floor at Bloomingdale’s to run around.   Now, in a house, I can just open the back door and Blake can run free in the yard, play on the swing set, and ride his tricycle. Since it’s summer, he also plays with water toys in the baby pool and he LOVES watering the plants with the hose.  The ability to be outside in one second is a huge pro for our family.  It also makes the weekend afternoons flow by because my husband and I are also happier being able to play outside and run into the bathroom or take turns watching him.

2) We have “family friends.” Yes, we had such friends before, but now (more…)

I’m all for date night.  And I’m also for taking the babies and kids out to (some) restaurants with parents, but what happens when family night out interrupts other people’s couple time?  I wrote about a child who interrupted my date night in Are Children “Little People”?

CNN recently posted an article on toddlers in high-end restaurants.  Not surprisingly, it received thousands of comments from angry diners and compassionate parents.  In Tots at upper-echelon restaurants, Sarah LeTrent wrote that certain fine dining establishments are creating kids’ menus to specifically make them feel welcome.  The menu at Landmarc includes “kids” items such as petite filet mignon and orecchiette.  Though, I must say, I’ve been to Landmarc, and it’s a loud, dark place that I think is suited to children, at least at the 6pm hour.  It’s the quiet fine dining restaurants like Cafe Boulud in which the under-3 crowd creates a raucous.

Reading about the trend toward rolling out the red carpet for kids at high-end restaurants made me wonder, are restaurateurs helping parents spoil their toddlers?  One upset commenter to the CNN article wrote “Hire a babysitter!”  Another asked, “If you were in church would you allow your child to run around the chapel screaming?”  (more…)

Style tips?  In pregnancy?  Is that possible?  Yes, because style is not all about looking skinny.  Style is about looking confident, comfortable and happy. It’s about putting your best face (and body) forward.

In a prior post, I wrote about saving money with a maternity clothes merry-go-round among friends.  Another way to save is to buy non-maternity clothes that you can wear for years.  I found low-cut empire waist shirts to be flattering and kind-of sexy, and yoga pants were awesome for my expanding (and later-on shrinking) body.

Here’s a great list of essential items from Destination Maternity:

Essential maternity items:

• Stretch pants – they will accommodate your growing belly (get in black or khaki so they will match everything)
• Slim Fit Skirt – with belly panel
• A Dress – especially a black dress – slimming and will match everything)    (more…)

This past weekend my husband and I flew to Cancun, Mexico.  We spent four nights in Shangri-la, while our son stayed at home with visiting grandparents.  It was our longest time away from our son.  The weather was nice.  It was slightly overcast part of the time, but as long as I could sit in a lounge chair by the pool with my husband beside me, I was euphoric.  Blake was thoroughly entertained and happy at home, and the grandparents were thrilled to be with him.  What could go wrong?  Me.

Apparently, I need to take a vacation from my brain.  For the first day of my trip, it just wouldn’t stop the movie reel: what if our plane crashes?  What if Blake desperately cries for me for hours?  What if they put him in the warmer pajamas but the heat is turned too high and Blake overheats in the middle of the night?  What if they forget to read him “Goodnight Moon” at bedtime?

What if I shouldn’t have left my baby?   (more…)

Mothering: The most exhausting test of endurance I have ever experienced.

Not only does this sport require tremendous energy and money, it also requires parents to be constant activity planners.  That’s where moms Heather Flett and Whitney Moss come in.  They make parents’ lives a little bit easier with their creative blog www.RookieMoms.com (I guest blogged for them last week about 5 activities to stay in love, even when you have young children!) and book. Meanwhile, their book  The Rookie Mom’s Handbook: 250 Activities to Do with (and Without) Your Baby expands upon the blog by sharing helpful, funny and totally necessary advice for new moms, making it a great baby shower gift.

One of their blog posts, 25 Activities to Try During Your Maternity Leave, was oh so fitting for me because (more…)