Naot Beyond: A Comfortable Clog

As my pregnancy progresses, it's become increasingly harder to tie my shoes. I've been on the lookout for a shoe that I could just slip on. Thankfully, Naot came to the rescue when they allowed me the chance to try out one of their clogs: The Beyond.

I immediately liked the look of the shoe, and though I was hesitant about the heel (because I generally avoid heels as they tend to make my feet hurt) I decided to give the Beyond a try.

First I tried it with no socks:


I took a long stroller walk to the library with Ari like this, and when I came back home, my feet didn't hurt at all.

The next day I wore The Beyond with jeans and socks:

I took an extended stroller walk around the neighborhood with Ari, and once again, my feet felt great at the end of the day.

So I decided to really put the The Beyond to the test. I wore it with stockings and a dress today for a full day of teaching 2nd graders.

After walking up and down three flights of stairs and chasing after energetic seven and eight year-olds, I can say that my feet feel great. My mind, however is another story.

A side benefit for me personally is that The Beyond adds a couple of inches to my height. Contrary to popular belief, I'm only 5'3''. I know, I have a tall personality. But at least I can pretend to be taller than I am in this shoe.

If you're looking for a comfortable slip-on shoe, I would highly recommend The Beyond. For more information about The Beyond, click here.

A Lesson in Discipline From a Nanny at The Library

Today we went to the library and Ari was having a fun time acting out.

Did I say acting out? I meant browsing for books and reading.

After his antics, I needed to unload my troubles onto someone. Thankfully there was a nanny of a four year old girl ready and willing to be my impromptu therapist. She was a Pisces and therefore empathetic.

I told her about Ari's bad behavior, and I solicited her advice on the following issue:
Ari does not like to be changed. In fact, he kicks me in the stomach when I'm trying to change his diaper.

She suggested that I:
1. Ask him if he would like to put the lotion on himself when I'm done wiping him with baby wipes. That way he is involved in the process.
2. Tell him if he doesn't cooperate while being changed, put him in time out when a clean diaper is finally on him. Explain that he is going to time out because he didn't listen to mommy when he was getting his diaper changed.

I thanked her profusely for her help. I'll keep you posted on the results.

Sunday Night Blues

It's Sunday night, and Wil just went back to work. Unlike many of the population whose work week begins on Monday at 9am, Wil works at night, which means his work week begins on Sunday evening at 8:30pm.

The nice thing about his current schedule is that he has the weekends off. But when Sunday night rolls around I get pretty depressed. After spending two uninterrupted days together, he has to return to the grind, and on a Sunday no less. Ari and I try to keep ourselves entertained when he leaves.



But I find myself enviously thinking about the people out there who get to have their husbands/boyfriends/partners with them on this Sunday evening. Meanwhile, Ari and I (and the mystery baby) are missing Wil a lot. It's especially hard when Ari's going to sleep and he asks:
"Where's daddy?"
"Daddy's at work." I tell him.
In true two year-old fashion, he replies
"No, daddy's not at work."
"Oh, where is he then?" I ask, curious to know what he'll come up with.
"He's uh...downstairs!" He says confidently.
Usually this situation is resolved when we call Wil at work to say goodnight. Ari concedes that daddy must be at work. Or I guess he could be calling from "downstairs."

It's lonely here on Sunday nights, and I find it really hard to get back into the weekly routine. Then again, I suppose no matter when your husband/boyfriend/partner is gone, it's bound to be hard. I think about people who have significant others in military and don't see their loved ones for months or years. Then I feel like a whiny exaggerator.

But this schedule is hard. Wil is either sleeping or at work and there's no in between. I suppose the best thing to do is to savor the two days off we have together.

How do you cope when your husband/boyfriend/partner is away?

Automotive Paint Job

It's Cold and I Wanna Lie on The Couch

It's been unseasonably warm here in New York City, up until now. It's like instant winter and all I wanna do is lie on the couch in a silent rebellion.

In the spring and summer times, there are tons of things to do with kids. You can hit up the playgrounds, the botanical garden, go to free concerts, but in the winter it's so cold, all I wanna do is this:

I've been to the library a zillion times, and I certainly don't feel like walking around in the cold. I need to find some indoor activities Ari and I can do that are free and allow us to be social.

I'm also getting increasingly nervous about having a newborn in the winter. I need a full-proof plan so that I don't go crazy being indoors with a non-stop 2 1/2 year old and a needy newborn.

So I'm asking you:
1. What are some fun indoor winter activities you do?
2. Who's had a baby in the winter? What did you do to avoid going insane?
3. Do you also like your couch a lot right now?

No Mommy! We Not at The Grocery Store!

According to Ari, everything I say is a blatant lie. Or at least that's how it feels to me. I could be sitting on the couch, and say to him:

"I'm sitting on the couch."
He would reply:
"No, you not sitting on the couch!"

He loves to disagree with me. Here's another example:

I mean, clearly we're at the grocery store and I am objectively right. Unfortunately, that doesn't matter to him. I just don't know how to respond without getting into a full on semantics argument.

If I say "No, we're at the grocery store" he'll just argue that we're not. But I don't feel right about acquiescing and saying "You're right, we're not at the grocery store." Because we are!

What is an effective way to deal with this dissenting behavior?

Francesca Selects The Winner of The Little One Books $25 Gift Certicate Giveaway!

Today I solicited the help of niece, Francesca, to randomly select the winner of the Little One Books $25 Gift Certificate Giveaway.

Here is the incredibly scientific process we used to select the winner:

1. Francesca read me the names of all the people who entered:

2. Next she cut the names into individual tags:

3. She mixed all the names up:

4. She put them in an empty camera case and closed her eyes:

5. Then she selected a winner!

Congratulations Elaine! You won the Little One Books $25 Gift Certificate Giveaway. You can browse the site for quality kid's books, music and DVDs! Audra from Little One Books will be contacting you soon to send you your gift certificate!


6. After Francesca randomly selected the winner, Wil left for work:

7. And finally, with Francesca's help, I wrote this post: