Sweet, Sweet William

Got wind of the fact that charming little Sweet William opened a brand new shop in downtown Manhattan on Kenmare off of Lafayette. What sweet news!

New York mom-to-watch, Bronagh Staley, former editor at Cookie Magazine (if you can't tell, I'm still mourning its' end...), opened the original Sweet William shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn a few years ago - featuring small and socially responsible labels this boutique offers a unique, natural, and fanciful spot to pick up children's clothing, gifts, gear, and accessories.

I've been long-time loving the fabulous collection - she simply puts together all the greatest out there - and wanted to spread the word and wish her heaps of luck at the new location:

85 Kenmare Street New York, NY 10012 212 343 7301

Here's a little roundup of some of my favorites, so you can get an idea what all the fuss is about!

1. April Showers Dada Wool Baby Shoes

2. Atsuyo Et Akiko Alphabet Sweatshirt

3. Oeuf Moose Hat

4. Wovenplay Ribbon Socks

5. Finger in the Nose Snowbird Down Baby Warmer

6. Tane Organics Mushroom Rattles

7. Kidsonroof Totem Tree

8. Bear Feet Cool Boot

9. Oeuf Sparrow Grey Crib

Spotlight Mom: Tracy Anderson

Lately I've been feeling bored with my regular exercise (treadmill) routine... there comes a point where you feel like it's just not doing it for you anymore, you know what I mean? Sometimes it's just fun to switch it up and go back to some old favorites - so I'm going back to Tracy Anderson's treadmill routine. I'm sure most of you have heard of celebrity trainer (and mother-to-watch) Tracy Anderson (her method really blew up in the past few years). I first read about her in an article featured in Cookie Magazine. It was right after I gave birth to Freida, and from what I read, it sounded like she had a pretty little method going - the line that really got me was "it's healthier for your kids to see you dig into a slice of their birthday cake with gusto rather than always seeing mommy counting her weight watcher points" - she was selling that as the main payoff for all the fitness work. I really related to that so I searched YouTube and started doing a preview video of her workout routine - I loved it, and after seeing results I ordered her Post Pregnancy DVD.

Now, I can't claim that I lost weight from it - a couple pounds at most - but that is because I wasn't properly dieting or doing serious cardio. What I will say for the DVD is that it completely strengthened my most important muscles in the most fantastic way! After giving birth (aside from the extra stomach pouch) our abdominal muscles tend to disconnect and fall lazily idle; making it extremely important to work those muscles afterward. The sequences in this routine made me the strongest I've ever been - my core, my abdominal, my thighs, and my abs were whipped into shape! I didn't even realize what kind of amazing results I got until I went to a class and showed these moves to some women - toned, fit, and slim women - who were not able to keep up at all! Again, this DVD alone will not yield wight-loss results, but Tracy promises that mixing this (or her Mat Workout DVD) with here Dance Cardio DVD or her awesome Treadmill Workout Routine (which I looove!) - will make your body issues dissipate and provide a "teeny-tiny" lean figure.

I would highly recommend the Post Pregnancy DVD for all post-partum mothers (come to think of it, this would make for a useful and original baby gift)! It is calming and low-key, set to classical music, and makes for a relaxing and strengthening post-partum workout (aside from the fact that the room decor she does the workout in annoyed me to no end!!). I did it for months with little Freida on a blanket on the floor right in front of me, she seemed to enjoy the calm of the music, and she would watch intently as I'd lift my legs or arms up and down... was good exercise for her development as well! :)

You can find out more about Tracy and her method here.

Here is the original video that I found and did for a while before buying her DVD:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taCiMBFc0sc]

Fall Festival

On a recent trip to Trader Joe's Freida discovered the pumpkin display and was infatuated with the vibrant colors, shapes, and the different textures. I had been wanting to take her to a pumpkin patch, but wasn't really keen on the obvious atmosphere at those October patches. After seeing how interesting she found the pumpkins, I did some online research and discovered a myriad of "pumpkin patch" spots that were much more "fall festival" than halloween. We trekked out into the hills of Irvine Park Railroad, and had a lovely day of fall festivities! Might as well take advantage of the seasonal events in your neighborhood; there is so much for the children to explore! Freida enjoyed an old fashion train ride through the forest brush, a petting zoo with baby animals (she saw her first peacock!), a walk through a straw maze, lunch on the duck pond, her first free-style pony ride, and plenty of pumpkin exploration! Sometimes it's worth looking around a little to find something a bit more neutral this time of year, rather than skipping it altogether...

The next morning I let Freida mess around with the inside of the pumpkins. She helped me scoop out all those seeds, and I gave her a bowl of them with pumpkin flesh still attached as a tactile activity (she didn't like the feeling much). I roasted the pumpkin in chunks (with olive oil, salt, and pepper) and we had it with dinner that night. The pumpkin seeds make such a great snack (and are loaded with magnesium, iron, and omega -3) - this easy recipe rocks!!

Fun & Free on a Rainy Day

Freida woke up this morning at a shocking 5:35am (thank you dear husband for letting your woman sleep!). Not wanting today to turn into a miserably lazy rain-day, I decided to splurge and take her to an art center in my neighborhood ($20)... Only after my morning cup of joe did I think to check in and make sure they were open; which they were not (closed for "vacation" - who's taking vacation in October??). I half-heartedly decided to make our signature rain-day-buster trip to Barnes & Noble. Happened to be the school here had Teachers In Service day, so we brought Freida's cousins along for the ride. I know this sounds pathetic - we were there (happily!) for 2 whole hours! We parked ourselves at a picnic table in Kids Section, and set off to collect and set up a stack of books, some snacks and drinks etc. and believe it or not - had fun. Not just quiet-time library-style fun - real live fun. The boys were stoked to compete with each other in "I Spy" books, and Freida was happy to munch on crackers and leaf through colorful board books. She made some stuffed friends, and had a surprisingly good time trying to remember where she got each book from, and matching the ones on the shelves while putting them back. The kids even put on a full-fledged performance on the stage (it was 9am and the store just opened - believe me no one was there to mind). We hit up the in-house Starbucks for some Coffee/Tea- time, a friend of ours even joined us there, and generally we just spent a couple of educational hours enjoying each others company...

On the way back to the car we decided to stop in next door at the PetSmart and check out the animal-happenings. I looove taking Freida to pet shops! She always has such a good time talking to the animals, and learning about where they like to live, and eat etc. Today we lucked out - this PetSmart had a huge glass wall and on the other side of it was "Doggy Day Camp"! The kids happily watched as the dogs played around while the trainers got them to jump, fetch, slide etc.

If you are dealing with kids and rain this week - definitely stop Barnes & Noble... it is not just a bookstore.

October Fest!

Here are a few of the things I'm looking forward to before the month is over, a few of our Autumn favorites:

• extended-family couples trip to Knott's Scary Farm (the guys can't handle it without us!)
• Sunday trip with Freida to a pumpkin patch (for hay-rides, straw maze, and petting zoo)
• date-night at the Queen Mary's Dark Harbor
• collecting leaves and teaching Freida how to do crayon "rubbings"
• double-date to Phantom of the Opera @ Pantages Theatre (can't wait, Rivky!)
• pumpkin pie (from fresh pumpkin!) with homemade whip cream
• frequenting flea markets for antique lighting
• a cozy night home with an old film and hot rhubarb-cranberry cobbler + vanilla ice cream
• spending our wedding anniversary in some of our favorite spots!

Hope you're all falling for fall!!!