The Rudest Bus Driver I’ve Ever Encountered
This morning Ari and I took the subway to Josina's house to feed her cats while she and her family are away camping. We arrived at the subway. Ari was in the stroller, it was excruciatingly hot underground and all three of the elevators we took to get to our destination smelled like some sort of human excrement.I decided on the way back home, we would take the bus. Surely, it would be a more pleasant journey.We boarded the bus and as soon as the stroller wheels touched the bus floor the Bus Driver shouted at me:"You can't come on here like that! You need to break that stroller down!""I know, sir," I said trying to maintain my cool "I need to pay, and then I'm going to break it down."He grunted in response.After the stroller was broken down, a couple of nice elderly ladies helped me lift it up to store it safely for the ride."Sir," I said to the Bus Driver "Does this bus stop anywhere near 5th Avenue?""Look at the route!" He barked back at me."Okay..." I said baffled by his demeanor. I attempted to look at the bus map, but (if you've ever seen an MTA [...]
Huggable Hangers Review
Recently I had the pleasure of reviewing Green Pan, an eco-friendly cookware. The same PR firm that sent me the Green Pan for review, allowed me the opportunity to try out Joy Mangano's Huggable Hangers.Huggable Hangers are just what they sound like, they're clothes hangers made of soft velor-type material. I was really excited when I opened the box of them. They were so colorful!To be honest, I don't bother to hang Ari's clothes up. I mostly shove them in a drawer the minute they are out of the dryer. But recently I realized that when I do this, I have no idea what clothes he has. But when I hung his clothes up:It occurred to me that he has some really cute stuff! I like that Huggable Hangers are made from fuzzy material because it makes them feel more child-friendly, rather than an anonymous plastic hanger. I don't think I would bother hanging his clothes up if I had to use plastic hangers. It wouldn't be as fun!Here's how huggable hangers look in the closet:I believe these hangers have inspired me to be more organized with Ari's wardrobe! They're just so aesthetically pleasing!To learn more about Huggable Hangers click [...]
Poop Poisioning
Maybe it was the burger and fries I ate from Five Guys yesterday, but my stomach was just not okay. I was visiting the bathroom way too frequently. I called my doctor and he told me to go straight to the emergency room to get IV fluids.I feel like a frequent flyer at the emergency room, I should really start to get cash back, or something, for the amount of times I've been to the ER, especially in the last two years. For example this time or this time or perhaps this time.Anyway, there I was again. I was so tired that I barely complained when I had to wait five hours just to be seen. Fortunately for me, I took my Jewish mother with me who was full of energy to advocate and complain for me."My daughter has been waiting five hours, and she's pregnant! This is ridiculous! She just needs some fluids for G-d's sake!"I finally got a bed, and all at once a fantastically hot doctor arrived to treat me."How are you feeling?" He asked"Um...like crap." I said."That's a fair and honest answer." He replied. "We're going to get you feeling better, okay?"I nodded faintly. I told [...]
I Feel The Need to Complain
As if being pregnant and having a two year old wasn't hard enough, I now have the added bonus of a stomach virus. Fantastic!There are so many things wrong with this situation:1. There is a limit to what medications I can take to treat my symptoms because I'm pregnant.2. Ari doesn't care that I'm sick, and says things like "I want to go outside mommy." "Playground, mommy." And I feel too guilty to say no.3. My doctor has made it clear that I must drink three liters of Pedialyte/day for three days if I want to feel better. Have you ever tried unflavored Pedialyte? It's the most vile liquid I've ever tasted. I've gagged several times trying to consume it.4. I'm starving all the time, but whenever I eat my stomach rebels against me. Yes I've tried the BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Apple Sauce and Toast), and no it hasn't worked.I'm at my wits' end here. I want to magically feel better. but instead I feel like this:Have you ever been pregnant with a stomach virus? How did you treat it?
Vote For Ari!
Recently, Mint took some cute photos of Ari with her new Hello Kitty Fisheye camera. Picture # 1 Picture # 2 These pics have been submitted to a contest: Lomography's Kawaii Fisheye Rumble! This photo competition celebrates all things that are cute: babies, puppies and kittens for example. Fisheye lenses tend to make cute things look even cuter!If you like either of these pictures, vote for Ari! For picture 1, click here.For picture 2, click here.
Jazz Up Kid’s Glasses With Ficklets!
I have to say that I was reluctant to join Twitter. I used to think of Twitter as a silly place to read celebrity gossip. However, since joining I've met some really interesting people and especially fellow moms, one of whom is Ros Guerrero. Ros is the founder of Ficklets, a company that makes fun accessories that attach to kid's glasses. Ros has a teenage daughter who has special needs. Her daughter inspired her to create Ficklets. She wanted to jazz up her daughter's glasses. But wait...let me leave the rest to Ros. 1. Tell us a little about yourself. I’m originally from Guam, married to Roy for 16 and half years & have one child, Gem. We love to travel and because of my husband’s previous job, we had the opportunity to travel to Asia & Europe and have lived in the Philippines, Singapore and Dubai.I’ve always been interested in business – dabbled in real estate investing, co-owned a window treatment design and nail salon business, but my entrepreneurial spirit has soared like never before after learning about my daughter’s disability, which inspired my latest venture, Ficklets.2. Tell us about your daughter. My daughter, Gem, is 15 years old [...]
Ari’s New Ride
After our trip to Governor's island, it was apparent that I could no longer push my stroller. You see, one of the back wheels of the Maclaren Techno XT (circa 2000) had fallen off. My sister-in-law kindly gave us this stroller, and let me tell you, this baby is a veteran. She strolled around town with my niece in the Techno XT when she was a baby. My niece is now almost nine years old. Considering it's age, it lasted a long time! We've had the Techno XT for over a year! Even though I was exhausted from the trip, I called my dad, and asked if he wanted to accompany me to Maclaren repair store in Soho to get the back wheels fixed for $40. My dad agreed to come along for the journey. Ari was thrilled to re board the "choo-choo" with Grandpa.When we arrived at Maclaren, we saw this:Beneath it was this:Wait a minute? I thought to myself. I'm going to pay $40 for new wheels, when I can get a NEW stroller for $100? My dad I talked it over, and we decided that it made more sense to buy the new stroller.Maclaren even gave me [...]
Governor’s Island: An Artsy Adventure
This morning Ari and I rushed around getting ready for his pre school's trip to Governor's Island. I was so tired that I decided to wear the same clothes I wore yesterday, even though I had a giant peanut butter stain on my pants. We managed to get out the door, and onto the subway. We were late, as usual, so I frantically asked the subway booth person which was the closest handicapped accessible station to my destination. I did not want to carry my stroller up several flights of stairs. She kindly handed me this:How nice! I thought to myself. Now I actually know which stations have elevators! To think I've lived in New York City all my life and this is the first time I've received this information. We got on the train, and Ari started freaking out.Why was he so upset, you might ask? Well, he wanted to sit in an actual seat. So I obliged.Things were okay after that. We got off the train, and I got lost several times in Battery Park before we arrived at the ferry to Governor's Island. We were just in time!We arrived at Governor's Island.Upon entering Governor's Island, we walked [...]
What Ari Does at My Midwife Appointments
Here's what Ari does at my midwife appointments:Good thing it's a family friendly practice!
GreenPan Cookware Review
Recently, I was contacted by a PR firm with a list of potential items for review. After scanning the list, my eyes lit up when I saw "cookware." I read over the description quickly, saw "non-stick coating" and got irrationally excited. My current pots and pans are stainless steel and all they do is hang on to food.Then, I panicked. To my knowledge, many brands of non-stick cookware are known to be toxic because they contain PolyTetraFluoroEthylene or Teflon. I called my best friend Mint, who is more eco-conscious than I am. She asked me to find out the name of the non-stick cookware I would be reviewing. I scanned the email from the PR firm, and found the brand name."GreenPan?" I asked tentatively."Yes! GreenPan is good." She confirmed. She went on to say that she was excited I would be reviewing this particular product, as she was strongly considering putting a set of GreenPan cookware on her wedding registry!GreenPan is an eco-friendly alternative to teflon-based cookware.Instead of Teflon, GreenPan uses Thermolon, a mineral coating that is derived from sand that contains no toxins. For more information on Thermolon, click here.I was so excited to test out this frying pan, [...]
Internet Mom Dating
Please note: the names of the characters in this story have been changed so that I can talk about them freely. They are, however, real people that I did meet.I was at the playground today trying to "pick up" some moms. For those if you that don't know what that means, it means I was trying to make new mom friends, which is a process that is much harder than actual dating.I met this one mom, we'll call her Angela. Angela had a two year old girl named Wendy and a baby named Grayson. Remember fake names. The minute I saw Angela, I thought "Here's a lady who I could relate to. She has a two year old and a baby who it turned out was five months.I tried folks. I tried to relate to Angela. But she wanted nothing to do with me. She gave me monosyllabic answers to all the questions I asked her. In fact, the only time she chose to speak to me was when I was engaged in full on conversation with another mom of a two year old girl. Her name was Delia, and she had recently moved to NYC from the south due [...]
The Truth About Smoking
Parenting dilemma:Wil smokes. He wants to quit before the new baby is born, but in the meantime he smokes. He doesn't smoke in the apartment. He goes outside to the stoop of our building to smoke. The problem is, when he leaves to go have a cigarette, Ari asks me:"Where daddy go?"And I don't know whether I should tell him "Daddy went to smoke," or not. So far I've been giving a generic response like:"Daddy went outside. He'll be right back. " I don't know if it's the right thing to say. Should I be honest and tell Ari that his dad is out smoking? And how do I explain the contradiction that smoking is bad for you and his dad engages in it anyway?Thoughts?
Time Out Egreck!
Ari was playing with his Uncle Egreck the cat, when all of a sudden he announced:"Egreck's happy! Egreck's mad! Egreck, go to time out!"
Wouldn’t It Be Nice?
There are a lot of things that would be nice right now. A vacation by the beach, having more money, a manicure/ pedicure...I could go on and on.I cannot believe I am saying this, but I would abandon those fantasies for one simple wish: I would love for Ari to be potty trained.When this baby arrives in the winter, I hope that I am only changing one and not two.Help me out people! How can I accomplish this feat?
A Trip to Wolfe’s Pond Park
This morning I woke up at 8am. Today of all days, Ari decided to sleep in! Unfortunately, we had to be in Manhattan by 10am to catch a bus. We were scheduled to go on an exciting trip today to Wolfe's Pond Park, a free city park in Staten Island. I sluggishly made my way to the kitchen and made some coffee while Ari watched Blue's Clues.By the time we made it out the door, it was 9:30am, clearly not enough time to get to the city and make the bus. I decided I'd better drive if I wanted a shot at making it there on time. Unfortunately, three blocks into driving and traffic was not agreeing with me. I called the director of the school and let her know that I was not going to make it to the bus. Instead, I would drive to Staten Island and meet the group there.She said that was fine, but remarked that she had been waiting for us to arrive so the bus could leave. Keep in mind the last time these moms saw me I broke down crying in front of them because Ari was behaving so badly. Now I'm holding [...]