Motherhood Mondays: Nursery in a closet

Our friends Ashley and Aron live in a 500-square-foot studio apartment in the East Village. When they found out they were expecting a baby boy, they rolled up their sleeves and transformed their walk-in closet into a six-square-foot nursery...
I interviewed Ashley on Martha Stewart Living's new blog, if you'd like to hear how she once army-crawled past his crib to get to the bathroom. And isn't the wallpaper a great touch?

P.S. More nursery inspiration...

(Photos by Ashley and Aron of Hither and Thither)

Are you a city mouse or country mouse?

Toby is a born-and-bred city kid (who knows how to hail a cab and wear tattoos), but this Saturday, we decided to escape to the country...
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Motherhood Mondays: 5 tips for taking great photos of kids

My friend Alyson from Unruly Things posts family photos on Instagram, and every shot she takes of her son Wolf is utterly adorable. Luckily for us, Alyson agreed to share five tips to taking great family photos...
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Motherhood Mondays: Wallpaper

Now that we're (vaguely) househunting, we're also daydreaming about decorating. Wouldn't Ferm Living's graphic wallpaper look fantastic in a small space, like a bathroom or foyer? xo

Motherhood Mondays: Brooklyn househunting

The other day, Alex and I saw the raddest apartment in Brooklyn...
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Toby the boy

At two years old, Toby is becoming such a BOY. The other day, I asked him what he wanted for breakfast, and he said, "Butt." So I laughed and asked him what he really wanted, and he said, "Penis." Ha, noted.

Thankfully, this recent photo of Alex and Toby watching a video in the morning still captures that baby look. If only for a fleeting moment. Oh, how I love my little man.

Motherhood Mondays: Native shoes

We were hanging out with friends this weekend, and every single child we saw was wearing Native shoes. Apparently they're the new "it" shoe for kids. It makes sense: They're waterproof, comfy and way cooler than Crocs. Until now, Toby has worn only sneakers, but we're going to order him a pair of these right now for summer vacations.

P.S. They also have them in grown-up sizes!

(Photos by Vincent Kwok and House of Hype)

Travel-themed week

Are you going on any summer vacations? Back in January, I did a travel-themed week, and I'd love to do another one this week! First up: When you're traveling with kids, bring along a soccer ball. Our friends, who have two young boys, bought a soccer ball during a trip to London, and they'd take spontaneous breaks from sight-seeing to kick the ball around. They even made friends with local kids. What a great idea!
P.S. 10 tips for traveling with a baby, and travel fantasies.

Brooklyn Bridge bike ride

Last night, Alex, Toby and I rode across the Brooklyn Bridge. Manhattan looked beautiful in front of a bright pink sunset, and it was one of those perfect New York moments. Toby's still working on his smile for photos, and I thought this smile was a great one! What a bunny. Hope you had a wonderful weekend.

Update: Thanks for your comments. My sunglasses are from Lookmatic. My specific pair (Colt) is sold out, but I also like the Harpers and Wayfarers. xo

Motherhood Mondays: French Kids Eat Everything

When we were on on vacation last month, I read an eye-opening book that completely changed the way we feed Toby...
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Cute T-shirt

I know at least one little boy who would like this T-shirt.

Motherhood Monday: How much did the tooth fairy leave for you? Your kids?

When we were kids, we left our lost teeth under our pillows and got a whopping...
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Motherhood Mondays: Scrapboxes

Last year, for his first birthday, Toby got a toy bus as a gift, and since then, he played with it so much that we lost the passengers inside, and then the wheels fell off, and then the whole bottom fell off. In the end, it was just a yellow shell. We ended up throwing it away this past weekend, which was surprisingly heartbreaking for Alex and me. (As a parent, you become so sentimental!)

So, these scrapboxes by Darcy Miller, below, really appeal to me. You frame a photo and an actual item. We could have framed this photo of Toby along with part of his beloved bus. This kind of thing could come off as cheesy, but Darcy handles them so beautifully. How sweet to have a photo of your child's birthday with the actual candle she blew out, or a newborn photo along with that sweet striped hospital cap. (And they could be great for grown-ups, too. Think: a vacation photo with seashells, or a wedding photo with a dried flower from your bouquet.)

Thoughts? How sweet are these? I'm turning into such a sap!
P.S. Remember this couple's idea?

(Photo of Toby by our wonderful photographer friend Kelsey Foster)

Motherhood Mondays: One Last Mother's Day

Motherlode, a parenting blog, featured a touching essay last week, written by a woman whose best friend was dying. Her friend Lisa had just found out she had inoperable Stage 4 pancreatic cancer and would die soon, leaving behind her young son and daughter. She wrote an email to her friend saying, "We will tell the children tomorrow and a bomb will go off in our family...."

The essay was heartbreaking--can you imagine?--but one beautiful insight from the essay stayed with me.

"If you are the mom, you have to keep raising your children, whatever that means. Your job is to prepare them for the road ahead, and suddenly, that road had changed. There are lunches, homework, chores--the usual--against the new backdrop of the surreal: soon I’ll be dead. If you are the mom, and you are dying, there is just no handbook...

One thing I learned: the relationship remains, and no matter what happens next, the mother is always the Mom. Mom, Always. That was something Lisa really wanted to hear...Also, to me, Mom, Always sounds like Love, Always. Which is all any of us can hope to leave behind."

I thought that was so beautiful.

(Photo by Elliott Erwitt)

Motherhood Mondays: Doo-wop group

Toby and I were on our way to the playground on Saturday, when we passed this AMAZING doo-wop group. Toby was transfixed! It was one of those awesome New York experiences. They play every Saturday (except when it rains) on Bleecker Street right outside Murray's Cheese. Man, those voices.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend! xoxo

Motherhood Mondays: The Great Toy Experiment

When pregnant, I barely read any books (they freaked me out!), but happily I've stumbled upon some parenting books for toddlers that seem to have wise and down-to-earth advice. Simplicity Parenting is one of those books. Here are four enlightening tips about toddlers and toys...
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Mother's Day: 4 gifts for new moms

Last week, I featured a Mother's Day gift guide with gift ideas for our own mothers. But I've gotten emails from husbands asking for gift ideas for their wives, since they want to honor the mothers of their own children. How sweet is that sentiment? So, here are four Mother's Day ideas for new mothers...
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About a Little Mole Who Wants to Know Who It Was that Pooped on its Head. (Seriously.)

The funniest thing we discovered in Amsterdam was definitely this classic children's book. The title? "About a Little Mole Who Wants to Know Who It Was that Pooped on its Head." Look inside...Read more »

Motherhood Mondays: Biking in Amsterdam

I'd love to share our Amsterdam photos later this week, but in the meantime, want to see some crazy photos of bikes in Amsterdam? Here goes...
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Lemonade-stand season

A few years ago, for New York Magazine, I interviewed kids about having lemonade stands in New York City. They were so hilarious and crafty! Their tricks to increase sales included purposefully misspelling "lemonade" on their signs and telling people's fortunes. One brother-sister team made $240! Read the story here, if you'd like.
And these photos by photographer Joanna Ebenstein made me laugh. She passed two boys in Park Slope, Brooklyn, selling bacon panini, of all things! And at $3 a pop. Haha, only in NYC.