NYC Moms

The Land of Interactivity

The New York Times writer, Matt Richtel, recently wrote a fabulous story on how much technology and multitasking is shaping and effecting our brain and our behavior. The article provided commentary from a number of leading scientists in the field and it seems that information overload is having a negative effect on our ability to actually focus and concentrate.

I am guilty of all the blackberry checking, and multi-tasking that is mentioned in the story, maybe not quite on the subject's level, but enough to fully appreciate the article and think about my own life and actions. I think back to what quality time used to be for my husband and me. We used to actually really talk and even do things non-computer-related like play backgammon or watch a movie without having a laptop in front of us. That really helps the whole, "wait, what just happened? Sorry babe, I just missed that entire scene" thing. It isn't always like this, but a lot of week nights are definitely spent with both of us on the couch not talking to each other, not looking at each other, occasionally looking up at the TV and both of us typing away. Scary. I miss the old days, but I find these new patterns are hard to change.

Bath time Chaos

We have been bathing our children together since the second was old enough to get in the "real tub" with is older sister, and then when the third came along she got thrown into the mix.

We do it because it is more efficient and because they seem to have fun, but wow is the water dirty afterwards like they rolled around in mud with a pig...but they didn't. I think this is one of the greatest wonders of parenting.

Now bath time is getting dicey, with my oldest daughter and son knowing the "proper" names for their private parts. My daughter has garnered a significant curiosity of the penis. I find myself yelling that she needs to keep her hands to herself and not touch her brother's penis. Now that is a line I was not expecting to say at the age of 5.5.. My son of course thinks it is hilarious that his older sister does not have something he does, so he will taunt - "I have a penis," "I have a penis." This pretty much goes over like a lead balloon.

What Happens When Mommy Gets Hurt?

I recently decided to play soccer with a fellow mother from my school and a group of mothers she started to play with. Sounded fun to me! I love playing sports and thought the chance to run around and do something besides going for a run or a typical gym workout would be a great way to spend a Friday morning.

Well it started off all well and good and then I ended up twisting my knee and going to the hospital. A visit to a doctor the following Monday confirmed my fears, I tore my ACL and would need knee surgery and would have a few months of rehabilitation.

Not an easy task being on crutches when you are a mom to three young kids. As my husband joked with me two days after my injury, "you know this is arguably harder on me than it is you?" It is actually just harder for everyone who is in my life right now.

Injuries and Our Youth

I was into sports growing up, and my husband and I are introducing sports into our children’s lives very early on. In NYC you can begin to take soccer classes at age 2 and baseball classes at the age of 3! There are certainly a number of benefits kids can garner from a love of sports including confidence, a sense of being a part of your community and a team, responsibility to get your school work done so that you can participate in sports, time management and I could honestly go on and on. I am such a believer in sports participation for kids.  

However, something I have noticed that needs to continue to happen, is education around sports injuries and even more so, an emphasis on injury prevention.

Dads in the Delivery Room

I am obsessed with Mad Men and recently just watched the episode when one of the main characters, Betty Draper, gives birth to her third child. What shocked me while watching it was the fact that her husband was absent from the delivery room. There he was, pacing in the hospital waiting room.

I could not imagine not having my husband in the delivery room with me, and after watching this episode I became curious of the history of men in the delivery room. Here's what I learned. In the 1950s about 95% of babies were being born in hospitals. Women started out in a prep room, then went into more or less a labor room where she endured contractions, and when she was "ready" she was finally taken into the delivery room, which looked more like an operating room.

Finding Comfort in Chaos

We all do our best to get through the morning rush and bedtime rush as best as possible, but kids are of course unpredictable. Our apartment, while homey, lately feels like a crazy chaotic mess and I am just trying to regain control. In the morning we strive to get the kids dressing themselves, and doing all the necessary prep to get them out the door on time. But most of the time my best efforts are thwarted. The dog has pooped on the floor, the kids don't like what we made for breakfast, one of them wants to bring something god awful in for Show & Tell that turns into a terrible meltdown...you get the picture.

I walk the few blocks to school to drop the kids off and then it is off to work after the usual - "I love you - see you tonight!" Next it is time to turn attention to the next set of challenges -  demanding clients, too many calls during the day to actually get work done, etc., but not before a few brief moments of feeling the energy of the city for a few block walk and having some coffee to prepare for it all.

Free Afternoon?

I found myself recently daydreaming about what I would do if I have an entire weekend afternoon off to do whatever I wanted completely child free. The culprit of course was the recent hit of spring weather and the memories of  pre-kid leisurely weekend days of coffees, yoga classes, pedicures, shopping with friends, drinking at lunch and just the ability to lose yourself in the freedom of an entire day in the amazing city of New York.

So, if I do get a free weekend afternoon here is where you will find me.

I would start out with a yoga class at Pure Yoga on a the Upper West Side to enhance the zen and start the day off right. That would be followed by a Starbucks Coffee from my favorite baristas at the 93rd and Broadway location and next would be a trip down to Soho with some friends to soak in the sun and the new spring fashions. Cipriani  would be on my must hit list. I think their bellini go down like candy, and I love and curse my dear friend that introduced me to them because now really cannot be in the vicinity of a Cipriani without having one.

Then I would love to hit up Shake Shack  for an amazing burger and milk shake and get home just in time to read the kiddos a story and tuck them in. Bliss.

This is an original NYC Mom Blog Post.

Which Age Do You Love?

My baby recently turned 18 months old. She is into everything and of course she needs to be watched all the time. I have found myself saying that I do not like the age of 1 to 2 recently because it is a lot of hard work, but then the baby did something amazing. She said "I love you" just in time for Valentine's Day. Melt my heart. Maybe I do like this age?

 

I was chatting with friends recently and we were talking about various stages and of course someone asked, "so what is your favorite age?" It was a question that I all of a sudden had a hard time answering and then I realized, whatever age it is that they are currently at, that is the age I love. Every day they are a day older they can really change. That is the best part of being a mom - seeing your kids really grow up day by day.

 

Watching the baby start to master talking, watching the middle guy dress himself now and master independence in the bathroom and then watching the oldest begin the early stages of reading, it's all pretty good stuff. What could be better than that?

 

This is an original NYC Mom Blog post.

Live in the Moment

Life unfolds in the present. But, it seems the present can easily slip away without us even noticing what we just missed. We are always worrying about what comes next, or what we have to get off our to do lists, and on and on. I find this is especially true for me when I am with my children. Instead of just enjoying the moment with them, I often find myself checking my blackberry, or sneaking in the laundry or stealing peeks of a magazine or thinking of all I have to do once I get them all to bed, and how I have to wash their hair tonight, and wash their towels, and order new shoes...you get the picture. There are definitely times when I do feel "in the moment," but I would like to increase my ratio of being in the moment versus not.

I recently watched my children conduct a very involved imaginative play game with their stuffed animals and I realized that they are the best examples of being in the moment. They were not thinking about what happened at school, or what they were going to eat for dinner. When my daughter took a certain animal from my son he was upset and started to cry, and in that moment that was all he cared about. And, when we straightened out the fight, he went on happily with play and didn't hold a grudge.

Back to the Grind

Ah - it is now early January and frigid and the holiday season is now behind us. My family spent the holiday season in Los Angeles, California visiting my husband's family. We had 6 kids under 6 all under the same roof and while it was great to see family and catch up, it was not what I would call "relaxing" or a "vacation." There was always someone crying, or in need of something, or a fight to break up, a nose to be wiped...you get the picture.

We enjoyed much milder weather than what we are experiencing in New York and did lots of activities- we tackled  Disney Land, the Getty Center and Santa Monica Pier. However, by the end of the week, I was aching to come home and get back to my boring routine. This really surprised me, as I am usually always up for an adventure and thrive on change and new experiences. I longed for my own bed, to not have to break up any more fights between my children and their cousins and could not wait to get back into my exercise routine and normal eating habits for myself and my children. My daughter actually asked during vacation when we would have our "New York" food back for dinner.