Carnegie Hill Mom

I went to bed the other night feeling blah. I had glimpsed the teenage version of my 10-year-old daughter berating me for ruining her evening. Mean old mom that I am, I insisted we finish a chapter of our read-aloud before starting a movie. Then I rained on the movie-watching parade by hitting pause half-way through. Much to my daughter’s chagrin, “lights out” trumps all the other activities she’d rather be doing at 8 p.m. It never seems like there are enough hours in the day. And yet, when we put life’s demands and our hearts desires in their proper place on our list of priorities, time management magic can happen. I reminded my daughter that life is full of wonderful choices and millions of valuable ways to spend our time. She had invited a friend over that afternoon to play and craft Christmas presents–only to run out of time that evening for family movie night. Other days she chooses to make music or play hide-and-seek with her siblings rather than complete her daily required read...

  I love fall. Nothing beats the bliss of biting into a juicy apple, stomping through crunchy leaves, and sipping hot cider. A good book is the perfect fall companion, whether I’m soaking up the gentle warmth of a low-hanging sun while perched on a park bench, surrounded by trees in all their autumn glory, or tucked into the cozy corner of my couch, mug in hand.  Fall is the season of fresh starts. With schools abuzz with back-to-school energy and teachers assessing their students to see what reading growth they made over the summer, this is the perfect time to dive into a new book and either introduce or revamp a culture of reading in your family. Got reluctant readers, too many reading levels to keep track of, some kids who need quiet and others who read as if they are shouting, and barely enough time in the day to get dinner on the table? Overcome these challenges with a little determination and a few tried-and-true tips. The Early Years Keep it positive – From infa...

While celebrating my twins’ birthday yesterday, it dawned on me that I’ve now spent 10 years growing tiny humans. My munchkins are half-baked on their way to adulthood. Before long, my brood of four will venture off into teenage independence and the physical distance of college. A decade into motherhood , I’m determined to make the most of these few yet formative elementary years to launch my kids into a happy, healthy, meaningful life. Nature already had its turn to influence my offspring—it’s fun to see my curls pop up in my daughter and my husband’s math-oriented brain manifest itself in my son. And I trust they will develop into the people they are meant to be. But I’m not going to just sit around hoping for the best. Let’s see what nurture can do. It’s on me and my husband to establish some norms by modeling the values, skills, and habits that will serve them well as they mature. I also want to equip them with the background experience and vocabulary needed to engage the wor...

Dear Parents, With Teacher Appreciation Day upon us and the end of the school year just around the corner, I thought I’d make your job a little easier by sending home a wish list—just in case you get the urge to shower me with gifts I  actually  want. If each family takes a couple, we’ll have this list checked off in no time! Fresh-cut flowers—along with your promise to return next week to toss out the wilted blooms and clean the gunk out of my vase. A platter of baked goods that are simultaneously delicious and healthy. A Rosetta Stone so I can decipher your child’s scribbly handwriting. A color printer with gallons of ink and towers of paper. Noise-cancelling windows so I don’t have to lose my voice speaking over the din of traffic, construction and sirens. A parking spot directly in front of the school building and valet to handle the parallel parking. An assistant to grade mountains of student work, refresh my bulletin b...

Last weekend, I opened my entryway closet to find a doll stroller wresting the hula hoop, a jump rope strangling the tennis racquets and a jumble of scooters knocking the vacuum over directly into my shin. And that was my seasonal cue to purge. Out went the neglected badminton racquets, neon green plastic baseball bat and outgrown balance bike. And in swept the bliss I find in freeing up space. My default is to shed toys, clothes and art projects the moment they become irrelevant. I eagerly donate, toss or pass them along to a neighbor or cousin to make room for the next hobby my kids adopt. And, frankly, every single thing I get rid of, is one less item I need to manage. It’s exhausting to constantly pick up pipe cleaners and toothpicks before someone’s bare foot gets stabbed. I detest tripping over dolls, slipping on marbles, and peeling Elmer’s glue off the windowsill from a drying popsicle stick creation. It’s frustrating to wage war against Rubik’s cubes monopolizing the end table...

City dwellers know the drill: push through graduation, land a job in the big city, find an apartment, get hitched, make babies, scramble for more space, get priced out, flee to the suburbs. I get it. Some days the draw of extra bedrooms and big backyards without the need to pinch pennies is super appealing. But, after 15 years of living in Manhattan, I’m just not ready to give up the culture, convenience and community that enrich family life in the city. New York City is where my heart sings. Thankfully, I have found plenty of ways to make city living feasible, even with our family of six. If you are considering jumping ship, first reconsider your financial lifestyle choices in these 10 areas. Perhaps you’ll find an affordable solution that emboldens you to set down roots in your favorite metropolis. 1.      Housing Choose an apartment based on the qualities you prioritize. Don’t unwittingly get roped into amenities that aren’t important to you or that yo...