Teaching Colors to a Color-Indifferent Toddler
My son loves to draw. He loves his crayons and what they do.But, despite my efforts to teach him, he does seem to want to learn colors.He seems to like the color "blue" and chooses a blue crayon first 90% of the time he is involved in an art project.I want to teach him colors, but I'm not sure where to begin. We have some books on colors, and I'm constantly pointing out that "this is a red car," or asking him if he wants "the blue crayon." He doesn't seem to get it and/or care!Any suggestions on how to teach colors to a toddler?
Ari Meets Ari From Duane Reade!
Today something exciting occurred: Ari met Ari from Duane Reade! My doctor's appointment happened to be in Ari From Duane Reade's neck of the woods. My mom, Ari and I stopped by DR to pick up a prescription. Guess what little Ari found first:Then Duane Reade Ari stopped by to say hello!Duane Reade Ari noted that little Ari was excellent at sorting the cars by color! He seemed to avoid all the brightly colored cars, for some reason, and separated the black limos, trucks and police cars into a giant pile. Maybe these were the cars he wanted to take home?Duane Reade Ari and little Ari exchanged greetings and then my mom and I scrambled to put all the sorted cars back on display before we headed back to Brooklyn. Little Ari managed to convince us to purchase these two beauties before we left:
Epilogue: My Doctor Explains What Happened To Me
Now I have an explanation for what happened to me yesterday. My doctor tells me that after the rubber band procedure, where my hemorrhoid died and fell off, there was a scab remaining. Usually (in the majority of these surgeries) the scab heals and you never hear from that hemorrhoid again. However, in 3% of these surgeries, the scab falls off and there is a rupture of sorts. This is what happened to me. That being said, if you get your hemorrhoid removed, let's hope that you are not in this 3 %!
My Alpha Hemorrhoid Strikes Back With A Vengance (Not For the Faint Hearted)
This morning I went to the bathroom and stood up to find that the toilet was filled entirely with blood.After this occurred exactly seven more times, it was clear to me that something was very wrong. I suspected my alpha hemorrhoid had something to do with this mess, but I couldn't be sure.All of a sudden I felt sweaty, nauseated and unable to move from the couch. Thankfully I was at my parent's place at the time. My protective maternal instinct kicked in. I motioned to Ari and exclaimed to my mom:"Get him out of here!" She rushed my little guy out of the room.Then I vomited on my favorite hoody and jeans, which made me very sad. After expending all this energy on bodily functions, I could not rise from the couch and I knew something was, in fact, very wrong with me. Before I realized what I was saying I'd already called out to my mom:"Call 911!""Okay, okay!" My mom said in a state of shock.The ambulance arrived, and there were three surprisingly friendly EMS workers in my parent's apartment. As she administered an oxygen mask to my face while I was lying on the couch, Samantha (one [...]
The Survival Guide For Rookie Moms: An Interview With Lorraine Regel and Erica Wells
Through the land of Twitter, I was introduced to Lorraine Regel and Erica Wells, authors of The Survival Guide For Rookie Moms. I immediately loved the title of their book as well as logo for the guide:I wanted to know more about The Survival Guide For Rookie Moms and the authors, who are from one of my favorite countries. Yes, you guessed it, Canada! Lorraine and Erica gladly agreed to answer some questions about their upcoming book.1. Lorraine and Erica, tell us about yourselves!We are both mothers of boys age 2 and girls age 5. Our kids are our pride and joy and were truly the inspiration for our upcoming book. The stories that you will read throughout the book are driven from our own experiences….the good, bad and the ugly.2. How did you two meet?Lorraine: Erica worked with my husband at a telecommunications company in Vancouver and I eventually began working there as well. Erica’s husband also works there so we were destined to all meet and become friends. As we were new to Canada Erica was kind enough to take us under her wing and welcome us into her extensive social circle where we made many great Canadian [...]
The Stove Timer Helps a Toddler TV Addict
Recently, though I am ashamed to admit it, my son has become a television addict. Don't be alarmed, he's not watching Law and Order SVU or anything like that. He's into two shows in particular: Blue's Clues and Yo Gabba Gabba, which he calls "Cuckoo's!" and "Bugga Bugga," respectively.Today I tried an experiment. At the suggestion of my sister-in-law, Rosa, I set the timer on the stove for thirty minutes.I can't even show him the picture above because he will go bonkers.Anyway, as tempting as it is to let him watch just "one more episode," I had to draw the line somewhere. After one episode of Blue's Clues, the timer hadn't gone off yet, so I let him replay the episode for the remaining 8 minutes we had left on the stove timer.When the timer beeped, I shut the TV off. All hell broke loose. If you looked up the word "tantrum" in the dictionary, along with the definition, you might see this:It was intense. I decided to try to ignore the tantrum. I said to Ari:"I'll be back when you're done." As I left the room he was screaming "Cuckoo's! Cuckoo's!!!!" Demanding to watch Blue's Clues.I waited an unbearable [...]
My Cat is a Better Parent Than I Am
This evening, Ari was doing his regular routine of thwarting bedtime. Wilhelm and I tried to sing to him, rub his back, but he just screamed and kvetched and he was not willing to go to sleep.Wil left the room to let Ari and I have some mommy and son time. Unfortunately, my child continued to scream.All of a sudden, Uncle Egreck (my cat) jumped up onto the bed to see what was going on.In desperation, I pointed to Egreck and said:"Look Ari! Look who it is! Kitty!"Ari stopped crying, crawled over to Uncle Egreck, curled up next to him and fell asleep.As soon as Ari was asleep, Uncle Egreck relocated to another section of the bed as if to say:"My work is done here."Clearly, my cat is a better parent than I am.
Working to Live, or Living to Work
When I started subbing for the NYC Department of Education, I was working a day here and there. It was the optimal situation for me and my family.Gradually, as I found a school I clicked with, I began subbing more and more. This was great at first, I was making decent money and able to pay the bills.However, recently I've been working between three and four days a week.When I get home I am excited to see my son, but it is hard to have the energy to converse with a toddler when you've spent the day with 25 wily 7 year olds!I don't know how full time teachers who have children do it! My great friend Josina has a full time job teaching history at a prestigious high school, and then returns home to her husband and energetic 2 year old ( I am jumping the gun, he will be two in March).The point is, working in any capacity and being a mother is hard! You are doing two very real very hard jobs, both of which are rewarding and exhausting all at once!What about you? Are you working and mothering at the same time? Are you staying home? [...]
Breastfeeding Stories
My sister-in-law, May, recently had a baby. She was asking me about my breastfeeding experience, which I gladly recounted to her.I was able to nurse my son for a year. However, starting nursing was trickier than I anticipated. I remember right after pushing Ari out, Dr. K. put him on my belly. My amazingly supportive doula, Cori, attempted to help me get Ari to latch on, but he was pretty out of it, and I couldn't get him to recognize my breast as a potential food source.Eventually, with the help of a wacky Upper East Side lactation consultant, who wore scrubs and pearls, I was able to nurse my baby. For more on that story click here.When May was asking me questions about nursing, I thought about how many mothers have nursing stories to share! I wanted to invite all you mamas out there to share your breastfeeding stories.Post a comment below with your story about nursing. How did you start? Was it difficult to begin nursing? Did you have any help getting nursing going? Please share your experiences below!
1 2 A?
I just want someone to tell me: What does "1,2,A" mean?
The Best Snow Shoveler I Know
Ari has taken to the winter season so much so, that he even volunteered to help shovel a random Manhattan street corner. Uncle Mike assisted in the cause. If you need help shoveling your driveway, Ari tells me that he's available for hire.
The Word of The Day is: Owl
I now present to you, the word of the day: Owl!
The Gratitude List
When I was a child, before going to bed, or when we were sad, my mom used to ask my brother and I to make a "gratitude list." Our task was to name 10 things we were grateful for.Here is my gratitude list:1. Ari2. Kisses and hugs from Ari3. Wilhelm4. My family (My brother, Rosa, Frankie, Every member of my extended family)5. My parents6. My Cats7. Having a place to live8. My friends (I have the best friends ever! Thank you for everything that you do!)9. Working with great kids10. MintWhat are you grateful for?
A New York City Department of Education Miracle
The Meriam Webster Dictionary defines a miracle as "An extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or accomplishment." Today a miracle occurred. There was a 2nd snow day in the year 2010 for New York City public schools.In my 13 years of public schooling in New York City, I experienced one snow day.These kids don't know how lucky they have it. Two snow days in one New York City public school year is unheard of.That day in 1996 will be ingrained in my memory forever. We went sledding in Riverside Park on the lids of trash cans. We were so filled with surprise and joy (because we'd never had a snow day in our entire lives) that we hardly knew what to do with ourselves.It's sort of like never having the chance to celebrate your birthday for 16 years, and then suddenly someone throws you a surprise party.Ari seemed to enjoy the snow day news as well!