Abby and Zach had no school and few activities this week due to the East Coast's winter break. Break - yes; winter - not much! It's been in the upper 40's and 50's this week, which obviously is not normal for a New York February, but we are not complaining, as we are able to spend more time outside!
On Monday, Abby and Zach went with daddy and their cousins and grandparents to the Norwalk Children's Museum. Tuesday, Abby enjoyed making a mini cherry pie at her cooking class. Wednesday was a group playdate at a former classmate's house with about 10 kids (so happy it wasn't at my house!) and today, mommy got a treat when the gang visited me at work and we had lunch at IHOP.
While no school always proves to be challenging to keep everyone busy, they seem to be doing just fine. The kids are tired and happy at the end of the day, and no doubt are looking forward to getting back to their regular routines next week. It seems crazy that February is almost over, which means spring is right around the corner, and I can't wait to see what's in store!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
A Tiring Week
Our house was a den of sickness last week. We started off the week with Zach sick as a little pup and ended with him being ok but Abby developing one of her lovely, long-lasting and night-waking coughs. We knew she really didn't feel well when she chose to skip her favorite cooking class AND take an hour nap IN HER BED (which hasn't happened in over a year)!
Needless to say, not much sleep was had by Jason and I last week and I am still trying to recover. The area underneath my eyes is looking a bit like tea bags at the moment. Luckily everyone seemed ok for the 2 birthday parties we had yesterday, though by the end of the day, I had two very tired kids. One was lucky enough to take a 3.5-hour nap (remind me why adults can't nap again??) and the other was too tired to even eat a bite of dinner. Which left the 3.5-hour napper wide awake and ready to go at 5:15 am today. And that left mommy and daddy feeling like walking zombies the rest of the day!
We are lucky that the kids have remained pretty healthy during this mild winter, but here's to hoping everyone gets back on track and back to sleeping soon!
Needless to say, not much sleep was had by Jason and I last week and I am still trying to recover. The area underneath my eyes is looking a bit like tea bags at the moment. Luckily everyone seemed ok for the 2 birthday parties we had yesterday, though by the end of the day, I had two very tired kids. One was lucky enough to take a 3.5-hour nap (remind me why adults can't nap again??) and the other was too tired to even eat a bite of dinner. Which left the 3.5-hour napper wide awake and ready to go at 5:15 am today. And that left mommy and daddy feeling like walking zombies the rest of the day!
We are lucky that the kids have remained pretty healthy during this mild winter, but here's to hoping everyone gets back on track and back to sleeping soon!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Sunday Funday
Yesterday, my plan was to take the kids to meet friends at the NJ Children's Museum, which we've been to before but never with Zach. Unfortunately, the little guy came down with a virus and ended up staying home with Daddy, so Abby and I took off for a girls' day.
We met our friends (well, my 2 girlfriends and their 4 kids) at the museum and explored and played for 2 hours. Abby loved doing an arts & crafts project and playing with the pretend food in the kitchen & supermarket. After that, it was lunch at Applebee's where remarkably, 4 adults and 5 children sat and ate very nicely.
On the way home, Abby snoozed and I made my way back to Tarrytown, where I made an appointment for mommy/daughter manicures. After waking sleeping beauty up, we grabbed a yummy frozen yogurt from YogoBerry and then had our nails done together.
Jason and Zach didn't have much of a boys' day since Zach slept almost the entire day. We ended the evening between watching the Superbowl and taking care of a vomiting little boy.
All in all, it was a pretty fun day for the little lady and I and one I hope we can do again - maybe next time with a stop at Fairway or Dairy Queen, two Paramus faves! And hopefully next time, Zach can join us since we know he would have had a great time there.
We met our friends (well, my 2 girlfriends and their 4 kids) at the museum and explored and played for 2 hours. Abby loved doing an arts & crafts project and playing with the pretend food in the kitchen & supermarket. After that, it was lunch at Applebee's where remarkably, 4 adults and 5 children sat and ate very nicely.
On the way home, Abby snoozed and I made my way back to Tarrytown, where I made an appointment for mommy/daughter manicures. After waking sleeping beauty up, we grabbed a yummy frozen yogurt from YogoBerry and then had our nails done together.
Jason and Zach didn't have much of a boys' day since Zach slept almost the entire day. We ended the evening between watching the Superbowl and taking care of a vomiting little boy.
All in all, it was a pretty fun day for the little lady and I and one I hope we can do again - maybe next time with a stop at Fairway or Dairy Queen, two Paramus faves! And hopefully next time, Zach can join us since we know he would have had a great time there.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
A Bit of a Scare
I took the day off from work yesterday, in anticipation of my nephew's bris and Zach's 21-month height/weight check at the doctor. Then I planned on having a lovely "adult" evening in NYC, first having a drink with my old boss and then meeting my visiting mom for a yummy, kid-free dinner.
All of those things DID happen - but what I did not anticipate was the trip to urgent care at midnight last night (this morning) with Zach. You see, our little active 21-month old loves to jump on Sadie's dog bed, and plop down. He happened to plop down just hard enough to land on his hand, on our nanny's watch. Of course I wasn't home at the time (having drinks with the old boss) but Jason called to say Zach was absolutely hysterical and not moving his arm at all. He said it didn't appear to be swollen or bruised but he wouldn't let Jason near it and Zach didn't use it at all during dinner. Jason gave him Motrin and (carefully) sent him off to bed.
I arrived back home at 10 pm and just as I was falling asleep around 11, Zach woke up crying. He was clearly in a great amount of pain because he wouldn't move his left arm at all, and cried when I touched it lightly. After a call to Dr. Grandpa to see what we should do, it was determined we should bring him in. By the time I left the house at 11:30 pm for PM Pediatriacs (which is 20 mins away and closes at 12 am), I was just praying he wouldn't need a cast (or x-rays, for that matter).
Thankfully, the doctor was quick and precise and determined it was a common case of "nursemaid's elbow," which is found in kids under age 5 when their elbow dislocates from the joint. He popped his elbow back in place, and we were sent on our way back home, with a much happier Zach and a relieved (but tired) mommy.
Of all the things that could have gone wrong, I am quite happy that this was such a minor incident. I am sure there will be more trips to the doctor and urgent care in my kids' lifetimes, but thankfully this was a quick, easy one. I hope they are all this easy!
And speaking of pediatrician visits, Zach's height/weight check went fairly well. He grew 2" in the last 3 (really 6) months and gained 1/2 pound. He moved up to the 8% for height and is still not on the chart for weight at 21 lbs. But the doctor was happy that he grew and gained some weight. Next visit at 2 yrs will determine if we need to see an endocrinologist or if we stay the course and wait for our little guy to have a growth spurt. For now, though, it's a good thing he is small since he wants to be held all the time!
All of those things DID happen - but what I did not anticipate was the trip to urgent care at midnight last night (this morning) with Zach. You see, our little active 21-month old loves to jump on Sadie's dog bed, and plop down. He happened to plop down just hard enough to land on his hand, on our nanny's watch. Of course I wasn't home at the time (having drinks with the old boss) but Jason called to say Zach was absolutely hysterical and not moving his arm at all. He said it didn't appear to be swollen or bruised but he wouldn't let Jason near it and Zach didn't use it at all during dinner. Jason gave him Motrin and (carefully) sent him off to bed.
I arrived back home at 10 pm and just as I was falling asleep around 11, Zach woke up crying. He was clearly in a great amount of pain because he wouldn't move his left arm at all, and cried when I touched it lightly. After a call to Dr. Grandpa to see what we should do, it was determined we should bring him in. By the time I left the house at 11:30 pm for PM Pediatriacs (which is 20 mins away and closes at 12 am), I was just praying he wouldn't need a cast (or x-rays, for that matter).
Thankfully, the doctor was quick and precise and determined it was a common case of "nursemaid's elbow," which is found in kids under age 5 when their elbow dislocates from the joint. He popped his elbow back in place, and we were sent on our way back home, with a much happier Zach and a relieved (but tired) mommy.
Of all the things that could have gone wrong, I am quite happy that this was such a minor incident. I am sure there will be more trips to the doctor and urgent care in my kids' lifetimes, but thankfully this was a quick, easy one. I hope they are all this easy!
And speaking of pediatrician visits, Zach's height/weight check went fairly well. He grew 2" in the last 3 (really 6) months and gained 1/2 pound. He moved up to the 8% for height and is still not on the chart for weight at 21 lbs. But the doctor was happy that he grew and gained some weight. Next visit at 2 yrs will determine if we need to see an endocrinologist or if we stay the course and wait for our little guy to have a growth spurt. For now, though, it's a good thing he is small since he wants to be held all the time!
Friday, January 27, 2012
News in the New Year
The first month of 2012 is nearly complete (wow, that flew by!) and our family has a few new and exciting things to share.
Starting with the biggest news - the arrival of our nephew, Jake Ryan, on Jan. 23! This baby makes 5 grandchildren for my in-laws, and we are all very excited. As an only child, I had always wanted a sibling and to be part of a big family. While that didn't happen as I was growing up, it seems to be happening as an adult, with Jason's sister and BIL adding their third child to the mix. Lucky for my kids, who will grow up with cousins around their age (and different genders - I only had two older boy cousins, which proved to be rather boring when they didn't want to entertain their younger girl cousin). We can't wait until Jake is old enough to play with my kids because we know they will have so much fun together.
Also new this month is Zach's first "pre-preschool" class - the Wondrous Ones. It's his first "classroom" experience and as the eldest in the class, we know he'll have fun teaching the younger kids everything he knows. Which, by the way, is quite a bit these days! He is putting 2-4 word sentences together ("I want mama" seems to be his favorite so far) and he is really changing from a baby to a big boy before our eyes. We hope he'll enjoy this new class, especially since it's where he'll be going to preschool this fall! Oh my.
As for Abby, she had a great accomplishment at school when she rode 47 laps in the annual trike-a-thon to raise money for pediatric cancer. In previous years, she had little interest in riding, but this year we are really proud of her for doing her part - and she raised $100 for the cause! Also, Abby's friend Clara just lost her first tooth, so we know that milestone isn't too far from us. I don't think I am quite ready for that yet, though!
No major news to report (yet) for dad, but we are hopeful for some news on the job front soon! In the meantime, we'll be enjoying our new nephew and our kids' accomplishments one day at a time.
Starting with the biggest news - the arrival of our nephew, Jake Ryan, on Jan. 23! This baby makes 5 grandchildren for my in-laws, and we are all very excited. As an only child, I had always wanted a sibling and to be part of a big family. While that didn't happen as I was growing up, it seems to be happening as an adult, with Jason's sister and BIL adding their third child to the mix. Lucky for my kids, who will grow up with cousins around their age (and different genders - I only had two older boy cousins, which proved to be rather boring when they didn't want to entertain their younger girl cousin). We can't wait until Jake is old enough to play with my kids because we know they will have so much fun together.
Also new this month is Zach's first "pre-preschool" class - the Wondrous Ones. It's his first "classroom" experience and as the eldest in the class, we know he'll have fun teaching the younger kids everything he knows. Which, by the way, is quite a bit these days! He is putting 2-4 word sentences together ("I want mama" seems to be his favorite so far) and he is really changing from a baby to a big boy before our eyes. We hope he'll enjoy this new class, especially since it's where he'll be going to preschool this fall! Oh my.
As for Abby, she had a great accomplishment at school when she rode 47 laps in the annual trike-a-thon to raise money for pediatric cancer. In previous years, she had little interest in riding, but this year we are really proud of her for doing her part - and she raised $100 for the cause! Also, Abby's friend Clara just lost her first tooth, so we know that milestone isn't too far from us. I don't think I am quite ready for that yet, though!
No major news to report (yet) for dad, but we are hopeful for some news on the job front soon! In the meantime, we'll be enjoying our new nephew and our kids' accomplishments one day at a time.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
New Year, New Hopes
Out with the old and in with the new (year)! 2012 is finally here, like it or not, and the Strongins are ready! We spent the last few days of the year together, organizing our playroom, running errands, having playdates, participating in classes and hosting a low-key New Year's Eve party. Being home without our beloved nanny for 10 days didn't allow for as many opportunities to clean and organize as I had hoped, but it did allow for some brief time to look back on 2011 and look forward to 2012.
The year had its share of ups and downs - with Jason not employed, it was financially stressful on us, but rewarding with him being more involved in the kids' everyday lives. We started the year off with Zach barely able to roll over and ended it with him talking, running and climbing (all over furniture, I might add). Abby began 2011 barely potty trained and I could not be more proud of her for her accomplishments in the bathroom as well as in the classroom, where she is working on reading, writing, spelling and excelling in arts & crafts. As for me, I changed jobs early in the year and I look back on it with no regrets.
I am optimistic that 2012 will bring good things for us all. With huge milestones this year like Abby graduating preschool and starting kindergarten, Zach beginning preschool and Jason hopefully becoming employed, the year looks bright and hopeful (at least 2 days in). I'd like to get (back in?) shape and lose the few holiday pounds I put on, and maybe even start a workout regime. I also hope to reinvigorate my passion for writing, if I can squeeze that in as well.
Now if we could only get Sadie to stop peeing on our couch, we'd be off to a great start!
The year had its share of ups and downs - with Jason not employed, it was financially stressful on us, but rewarding with him being more involved in the kids' everyday lives. We started the year off with Zach barely able to roll over and ended it with him talking, running and climbing (all over furniture, I might add). Abby began 2011 barely potty trained and I could not be more proud of her for her accomplishments in the bathroom as well as in the classroom, where she is working on reading, writing, spelling and excelling in arts & crafts. As for me, I changed jobs early in the year and I look back on it with no regrets.
I am optimistic that 2012 will bring good things for us all. With huge milestones this year like Abby graduating preschool and starting kindergarten, Zach beginning preschool and Jason hopefully becoming employed, the year looks bright and hopeful (at least 2 days in). I'd like to get (back in?) shape and lose the few holiday pounds I put on, and maybe even start a workout regime. I also hope to reinvigorate my passion for writing, if I can squeeze that in as well.
Now if we could only get Sadie to stop peeing on our couch, we'd be off to a great start!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Eight Days of Lights
Tonight marks the start of Hanukkah, which by any standard isn't the most significant of Jewish holidays but when you are 4 and a half, it certainly is. My kids will be overloaded with gifts this year - from their grandparents, aunt/uncle, extended family, nanny and of course us. Yet, their favorite things still continue to be activities like baking cookies (Abby) or throwing a tennis ball to Sadie (Zach). So why did I find myself out at the beyond crowded and disorganized Toys R Us at 8 pm on a recent weeknight? Well, it seems that I, too, have gotten caught up with this holiday.
As a young child growing up in a reform Jewish home, I distinctly remember my parents actually hanging a stocking above our fireplace (the horror!) and leaving out cookies & milk for Santa until I realized there was no Santa. Looking back, I realize that perhaps that was more because my parents wanted to eat the cookies but also probably to see the look of joy on my face on Christmas morning. I never had a Christmas tree or egg nog, but I definitely looked forward to waking up to see what Santa had brought me.
While I won't go that far with my own family, I do look forward to the "traditional" Hanukkah celebrations of lighting the candles for 8 nights, saying the prayers (which I sure hope that 3 years of Jewish preschool have taught my daughter), eating latkes and watching my 4.5 and 1.5 yr old tear open presents that they will no doubt love (for at least a day or two). I also look forward to creating new memories and traditions with my own family that my kids can carry on.
Happy Holidays to all and here's to a great 2012!
As a young child growing up in a reform Jewish home, I distinctly remember my parents actually hanging a stocking above our fireplace (the horror!) and leaving out cookies & milk for Santa until I realized there was no Santa. Looking back, I realize that perhaps that was more because my parents wanted to eat the cookies but also probably to see the look of joy on my face on Christmas morning. I never had a Christmas tree or egg nog, but I definitely looked forward to waking up to see what Santa had brought me.
While I won't go that far with my own family, I do look forward to the "traditional" Hanukkah celebrations of lighting the candles for 8 nights, saying the prayers (which I sure hope that 3 years of Jewish preschool have taught my daughter), eating latkes and watching my 4.5 and 1.5 yr old tear open presents that they will no doubt love (for at least a day or two). I also look forward to creating new memories and traditions with my own family that my kids can carry on.
Happy Holidays to all and here's to a great 2012!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
