Flirting with my husband

I am so grateful that after nearly 5 years of marriage and almost 10 years of dating, I still like to flirt with my husband. He can still make me giddy and bring a goofy smirk to my face.

I love it. 

The other day, I sent Nick a text in the middle of the day that led to a brief, but silly and flirty exchange. It made me smile. I love that I know him well enough to read his text messages in his voice. And I love that I still enjoy flirting, even after all this time :) 

We've been having fun and making each other laugh for a long time... 

looking back at these pictures made me smile :)

Circa 2005

  From last week's Graduation

 "I'm married!!" Even then I couldn't believe how lucky I was :)

 

Taking picture in Manhattan before our wedding reception

 

 

Music

I rarely put headphones in when I'm out, walking around. But for some reason today, I felt like listening to music while I was running errands. I popped my ear buds in and put my iPod on shuffle. The first song that came on was Dave Matthews Band, Pig. It was a perfect song for my mood. Isn't it funny how music can be that way? I was still feeling off and very introspective. I've been thinking a lot lately and I happened to be thinking about cherishing moments and people. If you're familiar with the song, you'll appreciate the irony of it. By the end of the 6+ minute song, my mood was completely changed. I was feeling much more upbeat and positive; glad that I cherish moments and hopeful that I cherish people. But mostly inspired to continue living my life and savoring it's moments.  

"Wash out this tired notion

That the best is yet to come

But while you're dancing on the ground

Don't think of when you're gone

Love! Love? What more is there?

We need the light of love in here

Don't beat your head

Dry your eyes

Let the love in there

There are bad times

But that's OK

Just look for love in it"

- Dave Matthew's Band, Pig

I love how music can change your mood or bring you back to a memory. It's so powerful! 

Do you have a favorite song?

Product Love

Last week I stopped into Fresh for a gift and splurged on myself... I ended up with this Sugar Passion Tinted Lip Treatment and have yet to leave the house without it since. 

I am in love with this stuff! I always envy women who can rock red lipstick. I've tried, but it never feels quite right. But this is a red that works!

You Did It

Just 2 days before she died, I was sitting with my Mom in her room when Nick came over with Jack. Instinctively, he walked into her bedroom with Jack to come and see me. I hadn't expected it and frankly, I hadn't really wanted Jack to see my Mom anymore. I really didn't think that I could handle it. But there we were, Mom, my Dad, Nick, Jack and me. 

After Jack said hi to everyone and gave me a kiss and hug, I told him that it was time to say good-bye to Nanny. I told him that Nanny was going to have to go soon, so we should give her a kiss and tell her that we love her. So Jack lovingly kissed his Nanny Shells and said "Love you, Nanny Shells." and then I told him that it was time to say good-bye. So Jack blew Nanny one more kiss and waved bye-bye.

This is my Mom meeting Jack for the first time minutes after he was born. 

She was in the room for his birth.

I still to this day don't know how I kept it together to get through that. I cry every time I think about it, but at the time I knew that I needed to be calm. The minute that Jack left the room, I started to cry. My Mom hadn't opened her eyes at all while Jack was in the room, I think it was just too hard, but once he left I laid next to her and held her hand and we both cried. Then I looked at her and said "that's the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I don't even know how I did it." and after a quiet moment, my Mom said "But you did." Those words were so simple but yet so profound. They have stuck with me through so many of these difficult days.

That day was the hardest for me - harder than the night she died or the day of her funeral... The only other day that really compared was the day that she told me that she was going to die, that her cancer was too advanced for them to cure it. That day was tough. But watching my innocent baby boy kiss his grandmother good-bye was the worst. 

But I did it.

My Mom never stopped reassuring me - even in her toughest days. She never stopped encouraging me. And she never stopped sharing her wisdom. Life is full of difficult things that we think must be impossible. But we do them.

And here she is meeting Wells for the first time. Again, she was in the delivery room. 

This time she held the baby before anyone else did.

I was thinking about this a lot yesterday, Mother's Day, and wanted to share. All in all, Mother's Day was a lovely day. I will write more about it later. There was much to be grateful for and many things to reflect upon. And though I was dreading it a bit... I did it.

 Here we are together, with both of my boys. Wells was just hours old.

Small Things

I am blessed to have a wonderful Nanny who looks after my boys while I work. She is lovely and works so hard! On top of spending her days entertaining my boys, which she does fabulously, she is a single Mom to a 2 and a half year old boy. Needless to say, she works hard and doesn't get a lot of down time. For Mother's Day I decided to pick her up a little treat. Something for her that I don't think she'd splurge on for herself. 

My go-to for busy Moms is always bath products. For me, the bath/shower is one of the few times of the day where I can get total quiet and alone time, so I like to indulge a bit. A nice scented shower gel or cream can make that 10 minute shower feel just a bit more special. One of my favorites is Fresh! They just came out with this new scent that is citrusy and delicious. I purchased our Nanny a shower gel & body lotion set and treated myself to a shower gel too, just for fun! ;)

Every Mommy deserves a little "me" time, even if it's in the shower after your babes go to bed or in the wee early hours of the day. 

I can't wait to try mine out tomorrow!

A Hot Bath

Jack and I have been battling a cold for a few days and tonight I was feeling really miserable. Just tired and achy.  My Nan called to check up on us and she gave me brilliant advice. She told me to try "Mom's medicine" a hot bath (said with her lovely British accent), a cup of tea, Tylenol and an early night. Sounded good to me!

I realized once I got in the tub, that I hadn't had a bath since I was pregnant. It felt ridiculously good to sink all the way in. I even chuckled when I looked down and saw my toes without a baby bump in the way! It was also nice to make the water piping hot without having to worry.

While I soaked in my quiet bathroom, I decided that I couldn't imagine not having a tub to soak in. One day when we grow up and buy a home, a tub will be an essential component. Do you ever fantasize about your future home? I think that even if we owned a place, I'd still dream about someplace different. In my dreams we'll someday own a modest 2-3 bedroom apartment in the City - how fabulous would that be?! (note: this is highly unlikely, but a girl can dream!) When I get to decorate or renovate my very own bathroom, it will require a nice, deep tub. Deep enough that I can sink all the way in without having to bend my knees! 

tubs found here, here, here and here

How deliciously decedent do these tubs look?! (Seriously, I sound like I'm talk about dessert. Ha! I like baths, what can I say?!) I think number 2 is my favorite. There's something about a tub in front of a window that seems so relaxing, especially with a City view!

A nice hot bath is almost like a mini vacation! It was such a wonderful suggestion, thanks Nan. Mom's medicine is always just what you need... :)

Proud parent

Last week I spent a lovely day with my Dad. He came over and we went for a nice, long walk and just talked. Then when the boys were up from their naps, we all went out to dinner together. It was a great day, but the highlight came when my Dad was talking about Nick. 

Nick is graduating from Teachers College of Columbia University next week with his Master's degree. He started the program when I was newly pregnant with Jack and was able to balance teaching full-time with bringing home 2 babes and getting excellent grades - not to mention his being an outstanding, supportive husband and an amazing Dad!!

When Nick got up to use the bathroom, my Dad told me how proud he was of Nick and how much respect he has for all he's been doing. But then when Nick came back to the table, my Dad told him directly. It made my heart warm!

I am extraordinarily proud of Nick and his massive accomplishments! He has managed to take care of everything, often at the expense of his own sleep/rest/sanity. He has never once told me that he didn't have time to listen or support me, feed a baby or change a diaper... He always finds a way to make it work.

I cannot even express the pride I have in knowing that my boys get to watch their Daddy graduate from Columbia University! What an awesome role model!

But I could also burst with pride for my Dad's willingness to boast about his son-in-law. It seems difficult for men to speak so honestly about pride and respect, so I was so glad that my Dad was willing to tell Nick the things that he often tells me about him.

Babe, I am SO incredibly proud of you.

I am grateful for both Nick and my extraordinary Dad.

City Living

As you may have read in my little profile, I love a vanilla latte. Seriously, I am gold card carrying Starbucks-a-holic. I love the way Starbucks smells and how familiar it is - even when you're in a brand new place! (I have visited Starbucks in many of the places I've visited. It's become a bit of a joke!) But I love that my vanilla latte always tastes the same. It's always warm and comforting. So it may be no surprise that my local barista and I are on a first name basis. Dave asks me how my kids are and what Nick's been up to if we haven't come in together in a while. He notices when I get my hair cut and always asks how I'm doing. He was one of my first friends in this neighborhood. Not exactly, but I distinctly remember the feeling that I had the first time that he remembered my name. It felt like I was at home. It's when I realized that this big, fabulous City could also be warm. So this past week, Dave invited me to his show. He's a musician who was performing in the neighborhood. Luckily he prefaced the invitation by saying that he knew I had my hands full (understatement) so I didn't feel as badly that I couldn't make it. But it made my day! 

One of my favorite things about Manhattan is when such a massive city can feel intimate and small. In one week recently, I randomly bumped into 2 people that I know within 2 blocks of our apartment. Both happen to work in the neighborhood, which I didn't know! One of them is a friend from high school that I hadn't seen in years - literally, like 8 years! 

I love how NYC has a way of reminding you that though you are literally one in a million, you're still home :) 

Long week...

This has been an incredibly long week. I'm completely exhausted! But I am glad to work beside incredible colleagues whom I respect and appreciate. Tonight I'm grateful to them.

I'm also grateful for this, it makes me smile every time I see it! :)

Listening.

Today I am beyond grateful for a friend who was willing to listen. 

I didn't realize how much I needed to talk, until I started.

Thank you for letting me feel like you had all the time in the World, even if you didn't. And thank you for being brave enough to cry with me. 

I love you and appreciate your friendship so much.

Good Night, God Bless

My Mom said this to me every night when I was growing up. Even as an adult, if I was at her house she'd say it to me on my way upstairs to bed. My Grandmother says it too! I guess that's where my Mom got it from... well now my Jack says it. 

The other night I said "Good Night, God Bless Jack" and he said "Night, Bless." 

My heart nearly exploded. I'm so happy that our little family is already establishing traditions.

And since we're talking about bedtime... how could I resist sharing this?! Love.

Nice to Meet You

One of my students was playing with Jack the other afternoon and wanted to shake his hand. This was something that we hadn't ever thought to teach Jack, so he was clueless. It was adorable to watch this fabulous 17 year old teaching my little 2 year old how to shake hands. Though Jack was clearly loving the attention of this older boy, he was not picking up on how to shake hands. So when we got home, we decided that we'd tech him this necessary (and fun) new concept.

This morning, I wanted to see if he remembered. I asked him, "Jack, can we shake hands?" and he ran over, took my hand, shook it and said "Nice to meet you!" He then giggled and said "show Dennis?" My heart nearly melted. Dennis is the name of my student! I couldn't get over how sweet it was that Jack both remembered this interaction with my student and wanted to complete it! I was so excited to run into work and tell this boy, Dennis, all about it. The best part? Dennis said that I made his day by telling him the story.

Needless to say... mine was already made! :)

Best Friends

Being a Mom to two boys under two is hectic. We laugh a lot, but we're also often exhausted. But this morning, when I went to get Jack out of his crib, he asked to hold Wells. I put Wells on his lap in the crib and immediately discovered the reason why all of the tired is worth it... My boys are becoming best friends right in front my my eyes! It was awesome and so fun! 

Thankfully, I deleted some pictures from my iPhone, so I had space available ;)

Sharing

As a Mom to a toddler, I spend a lot of time trying to teach the concept of sharing... but tonight, it was one of my students who demonstrated this best! He completely warmed my heart.

Today was this boy's birthday. As his gift, he asked his parents to buy cupcakes for every person at the school. He wanted to celebrate this with everyone - not just his closest friends. I thought that this was remarkably kind and thoughtful. I was so impressed by him.

But this evening, he came to see if me, Nick and Jack would like a cupcake too. It was such a thoughtful gesture, it completely made my day!

Tonight I am grateful to get to work with selfless, kind students. They give me faith that there is still good in the World.
They give me faith in my children's' future.


The cupcake also happened to be delicious! ;)

A Good Nights Sleep

Today I am grateful for a good nights sleep. After such a fun, busy weekend I slept hard last night. It felt so good.

Children's Museum of the Arts!

Saturday we met friends at the Children's Museum of Art. It was awesome! It's a wonderful space for kids of a variety of ages. We hung out in the toddler room, which had one table after another of fabulous art projects. The kind that you would never want to do in your own home, but that your kids love! I took about a million pictures, but here are some highlights...

 

Flubber!!

 This was a table full of magnetic blocks. Jack loved them and built a castle!

You can see the little one in the background taking a nap in his wrap.

 There was a room filled with these exercise balls. Jack had so much fun that at one point he stopped and just screamed with joy. It was hysterical to watch! The best part is that the kids are seperated by age. There are 20 minute time blocks for each age group so we didn't have to worry about Jack being too small.

 This was the cool new exhibit by Misaki Kawai. 

Jack loved combing the fabulous pink hair on this giant creature.

 About an hour into our visit, they had a little music group. All of the kids got drums to play along with the leader. Jack & Maddy shared their drums. It was adorable!

 Here's a shot of Wells who woke up to check out the scenery :)

 Jack painted for the first time with these watercolors. It was adorable - especially because Nick & Wells were watching through the glass.

We had an awesome time!

We love Central Park!

Last week I posted about a fun day in the Park. It really was a great day! Well, I finally uploaded some pics from my camera and wanted to share. 

It was a beautiful, sunny day. The kind of day that makes you really love NYC.

 

It was the baby's first time on the swings. 

He's still a bit teeny for it, but it was so fun to have the boys swinging next to each other.

We even played long enough that Jack left without a meltdown!

SUCCESS!!

Craig's List

Today I am so grateful for Craig's List. 

Seriously, it's one of the best things about being a Manhattan Mom! No one has storage space, so people are willing to sell gently used things just to make space! Additionally, my neighborhood seems to be full of seemingly rich people who are willing to sell things at a ridiculously reasonable price! It's awesome! 

I have purchased 3 strollers from Craig's List - yes, I said 3. We don't have cars, instead we have strollers. There's the big comfy one that we love for schlepping around the City, the lightweight single one, and, of course, the lightweight double (that we've yet to use). Hey, I got all 3 for the price of one brand new one! I also got a lovely wrap that my little one loves to snuggle in and a jumperoo that Jack went wild for and Wells can't wait to test out! 

The list goes on... But tonight I scored a video monitor for $50. I literally almost bought the same one for $180 on Saturday. $180! I'm so glad that I consulted my friend Craig first. 

Thank you to the lovely Australian Mum on the Upper West Side who sold me her gently used monitor for a steal since she's moving. We are using it well and appreciate your kindness and the great deal :)

And just for fun - here's a pic of the little one enjoying his wrap. He loves that thing!

A Fun Day in the Park!

Today I am grateful for this.

 A wonderful day in the Park with my family.

Turn Around

Sometimes you can end a really tough day at a program with really great kids and you feel a little better. :)

It's amazing how sometimes a little thing can turn a day around!

Tonight I am so grateful for the fabulous students that I work with. They are amazing. And tonight they helped me find gratitude.