Hi! In October 2010, I moved from San Francisco to Manhattan with my husband, daughter, and twin boys. Since then I've been busy teaching myself and my kids how to hail a cab, fly a kite in Central Park, and walk across the Brooklyn Bridge with style. And a few other things. I write about those other things here. Thanks for stopping by!
Email questions to sharonbeesley@gmail.com.
My scooter was stolen a few weeks ago at the playground. Hopefully whoever stole it is finally getting to work on time. That's the only reason someone would steal a junky scooter, right? To solve their chronic lateness? When replacing my old one, I decided to upgrade from the A2 ($29) to the A3 ($39). It's totally badass.
I feel like an idiot for learning all about Nora Ephron for the first time this week. It's the same feeling I had when I discovered the greatness of Julia Child through the movie Julie and Julia. While I'm at it, I've also never read a Jane Austen book. How can I call myself a writer? A woman?!
At a luncheon with the editors of Ladies Home Journal last week, I found out they want their readers to write the majority of magazine. Submit your best work here to be considered for future publications. They pay! The only requirement is that you must have read and enjoyed a Nora Ephron and a Jane Austen book. Dang it! haha
And finally, don't forget to enter this contest for a chance to win $250 gift package!
Ok--I'm done. Now you can be on your way. Have a great weekend!
After an incredibly wishy washy morning of lounging around, watching TV, and asking each other over and over, "What should we do today? We should do something. It's so nice out," we finally decided on Governors Island. It's one of my favorite summer activities.
I love that it doesn't have to be an all day production. It was 2pm when we finally made up our minds to go. The island closes at 7pm, so even though we got there at 3ish, we still had plenty of time for fun without over doing it. Plus, the weather had cooled down and most of the people had gone home. It was perfect.
Most importantly, we still had time to order ice cream from a Mister Softee Truck. Of all things, Ella ordered a snow cone, Oscar chose Sponge Bob with bubblegum eyes, and Owen picked Sonic with bubble gum eyes. They totally ignore the fact that Mr. Softee makes the best soft served ice cream in the world. I even offer to sprulge on getting their cones dipped! Cherry, Chocloate, even Blue Mystery flavor! Anything! Please pick something without bubble gum eyes! Blank stares. Mr.Softee is totally wasted on them. Might as well be a 7/11.
Beyond ice cream, I love the sculptures and art found through the island. This year includes 1/1 ratio of the Statue of Liberty's face and a gathering of crazy red chairs, among other things. There's also a donation golf course that is so visually interesting. We noticed it too late (closes at 6pm) so we couldn't play. I didn't take any pictures of the course because perhaps I'll go back and do a post about it later?
There's only so much picture taking I can take in one day before I start to drive my family bonkers. I'd already shot a bunch of butterfly pics and then Lady Liberty became my next obsession. Enough is enough. But isn't the sculpture fabulous? I love the perspective and statement of standing and jumping off of the Statue of Liberty's nose. What does it allllll mean?
(Hot punk rock dudes in the background. Something for everyone at Governor's Island.)
Hope you have a very deep weekend filled with a mix of sculptures, punk rockers, family, and islands. Really does make for a great day.
I got suckered into buying these butterfly nets from the farm's gift shop last Saturday. At the time I was annoyed at myself for giving in to my kids every want and desire, but now I'm glad I did. We've had so much fun and success with these things. We've gone butterfly hunting twice--once at the farm, the other time at Governor's Island. Can you believe we've caught a total of 16 butterflies? Ella made sure to keep track. Owen caught two in one swoop! Skillz.
The kids had the most success trapping a butterfly while it was on the ground. Once caught, we use the catch and release method (like fishing). Bonus: It's such good exercise. My kids wore themselves out running after these crazy creatures. Here's a few supplies if you too would like to try a butterfly adventure this summer. It's the best!
Schylling Creature Catcher Nets When I bought these nets from the gift shop, I asked if they had a life time warrenty. Eh, no. But the nets have endured two outings flawlessly despite boys standing in them, holding soccer balls in them, ect. So far so good. I like that they're solid wood with a metal frame. No plastic parts! That helps.
Insect Creature Peeper. Magnifies the creatures 3x their size! I don't own it, but it's tempting.
Butterfly Pavilion. Owen's teacher gave him this butterfly house on the last day of school. It's a fun way to keep track of all the butterflies we collect during the day. I can't wait to release them all at once. Got to stick to my no pets policy. :)
I have partnered with P&G to discuss technology and motherhood at Mom.me this month. How has technology changed the way you parent? Leave your answer and/or link to a blog post you wrote about the topic on Mom.me for your chance to win one of five P&G gift baskets valued at $250!!Click here to enter!
Ah the joys of Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and blogs. Technology at it's finest. Mechanical swings at the fair can't even compare! While it sounds over dramatic, social media it has allowed me to hand select a community of moms that I find interesting and inspiring. As a result, they shape the way I parent. Here are a few on my favorites.
Gabrielle Blair from Design Mom influences the books I read to my kids. My favorite feature on her blog is the author interviews. Just the other day she did this one with Judith Byron Schachner, author of the Skippyjon Jones book series. After reading the interview, guess who bought a Skippyjon Jones book? Me. Had I never read the interview, I might have over looked the book entirely. But since Schachner’s answers were so thoughtful and relatable, I realized she's an author I want to support . When I saw her book for sale, I snatched it up. My kids were stoked to get a new book!
Jordan Ferney from Oh Happy Day has changed the way I throw a party for my kids. I’ve never met anyone who loves parties more than Jordan. It only took a couple of years of knowing her before I tried my hand at a birthday party for Ella filled with personal touches and a solid theme. I made party hats, candy bags, pinwheels, fake mustaches, a dessert table with labeled candy, and so on and so on and so on. I even spray painted all the musical instruments white to keep within the color scheme. I had a blast putting the party together. That said, my daughter has never had a party like it again! It exhausted me. I’ve since scaled down my kid's parties a bit, but I know if I wanted to, I could search Jordan’s blog for tons of ideas. Next time though, I’ll pick one idea, instead of ten. Jordan makes it look so easy that sometimes I get carried away :) Enjoy this old video of the best party Ella will ever get. It's a shame I set the bar so high on her fourth birthday. A real shame . . .
And finally, there's Betsy from Eco-Novice. I've mentioned her before, but she's my green influencer. Her recent post with tips about getting the most out of your farmers market reminded me I need to attend mine more often. Above all, she makes me feel ok about going green gradually. While she’s a few steps a head of me in the process, it’s inspiring to watch someone make small changes that have a big impact on the earth. She’s honest about her failures (homemade yogurt!) and balances it out with her successes (early potty training!). She brings things to my attention I’ve never thought of and makes me less scared to try them. Remember my bar shampoo experiment? Anyone else make the plunge?
While I used to hang out with Jordan and Betsy when I lived in California, it’s nice to know that despite our distance, I can still learn from them as I follow their blogs, twitter, and facebook accounts. It’s also amazing that a person I’ve never met before like Gabrielle can have an influence on the books I read to my kids at night.
Isn’t it fabulous how technology brings like minded moms together?
Now it's your turn. How has technology changed the way you parent? Leave your comments on Mom.me for your chance to win!
Venturing out of the city without a car takes planning and patience. I'm not a planner and Rob lacks patiences. My kids are kids -- completely oblivious and somewhat ungrateful for the absolutely wonderful life we are trying to give them. All this combined makes for massive amounts of tension while we travel and lasts until we get to our destination.
Once we get to our destination we're usually happy and content, but it's the getting there that brings out the worst in us. I finally came to this realization last weekend on our way to Stones Barn Center. While it doesn't solve anything now that I know this, it puts things into perspective the next time we go out.
We eventually got to the farm in time to enjoy lunch with friends (see their experience here). So bummed we missed out on the chickens! Then we went to the gift shop (Ah! Gift shops! I'll dedicate a post to gift shops later) and said goodbye to our friends. Finally we ventured off to the raspberry fields. We probably spent over an hour here. The kids picked fruit while Rob and I layed under a tree.
The whole time my kids were picking raspberries, I was wondering: Who's in charge here? What's the fee for all of this? Aren't there rules that need to be unnecessarily enforced? Where are all the people? It's Saturday afternoon after all. All this freedom to do whatever we want is madness! No one is telling us how many raspberries to pick. No one has a stop watch. There's no cashier collecting the fee. Where are we?
I remember when I first moved to NYC, I was shocked at all the rules. This field is closed. No strollers aloud on this path. This is a quiet zone. This free activity suddenly costs a bagillion dollars. Obviously, I've learned to somewhat deal with it. Now the minute I'm given freedom, I assume we must not be doing something right. Are we in someone's backyard?
It turns out that having a break from the NYC rules was my favorite part of the trip. More than the fresh air, the wide open spaces, the peace and quiet, the delicious food, or our even our friends! Well, I take that back. Toby steals my heart every time. His cheeks. His signature scarf!
I'll conclude with this: Sometimes I forget what it feels like not to be herded like cattle. NYC does a really good job of making me feel like that. All it took was a trip to the farm to remember it's quite nice to be free!
4 more pictures of our raspberry adventure after the jump. We picked a lot!!
Love this picture, but my dirty TV screen in the background drives me bonkers!
There's a Mr. Rogers episode where he tells the kids, "Nobody can do everything". For example, he doesn't know how to whistle. However, his friends are really good at it and this delights him. By the end of the show, Mr. Rogers explains that while he can't whistle, he's good at cleaning up. He then tidies up his kitchen.
I just watched the episode with my kids last night before bed. It got me thinking.
Turns out, I'm not good at whistling or cleaning. That's ok. Whistling and cleaning aren't part of my job requirements as a stay-at-home mom. Oh wait. Half of that is true. Cleaning is sort-of my job.
Since my husband Rob works really long hours, most of the house keeping chores get put on me. Problem is, I think making beds is a complete bore. Dusting is the last thing on my (fictional) to-do list. My dishes are cleaned as needed. As a result, most of the time my house is a mess.
That is, until we have friends coming over. You should see Rob and me scrabble to get to house in order. When the pressure is on, we work as a great team! But it takes all day long to get our apartment looking good. Remember the time I had an impromtu playdate? Yikes.
Rob has been asking me for years to get a cleaning service. The problem is, he always asked on the days when our apartment was the messiest. I would get so defensive! Do you know what I've done today?! I'm exhausted! I don't need a cleaning service! I can do everything! The house is fine anyway.
So last Saturday when someone from My Clean came over to my house (for my review), I was excited, but didn't think I would use their services again after my comp'd cleaning. I thought it would be a nice one time thing. Ha! I get it now.
As I was getting ready for the cleaning person to come, I purged a lot of my junk that was filling my house and making it so messy. I organized all the toys in correct bins. I cleaned out from under my bed. I did not sweep and mop the floors. I didn't dust and scrub the counters. I didn't vacuum. I knew that all that (and more!) was going to be done for me.
And it was! The woman who cleaned my house was amazing. My house has never looked better. Making the appointment was super easy online, rescheduling was super easy, and now that my credit credit card is on file, it was simple to set up future appointments. They also have a rewards system in place, so eventually I'll get a free cleaning. Yay! I called costumer service twice and each time an actual person picked up the phone and answered my questions without putting me on hold. Got to love that these days.
I realized now I was in complete denial all these years when I told my husband I didn't need help around the house. I thought that as a SAHM, signing up for a cleaning service meant I'm wasn't doing my job well. Turns out, in that aspect, I wasn't! I'm good at making my kids an awesome breakfast, taking them out on adventures, and reading them stories. Cleaning? No.
Do you like to clean? Do you have a cleaning service? Has it changed your life?
I liked my experience with My Clean so much, I've already scheduled future appointments. If you live within Manhattan, Brooklyn or the Bronx and would like to give My Clean a try, use coupon code SqueakyClean to receive 30% off your first cleaning service. I recommend it.
I posed for these pictures after eating healthy and exercising for one month. I think I was around 140 lbs then. I'm sucking in, but still, I think I look good! Currently, I'm about 6 pounds heavier and it all came back to my stomach and cheeks. Seeing these pictures makes me want to swap out cookies for carrots again. I'm still exercising like crazy, but it's my eating habits are the worst.
For that month, I was tracking everything on Livestrong's MyPlate Calorie Tracker. Writing down everything I eat is the only way I make healthy choices. Otherwise, I mindlessly stuff food in my face and then mysteriously my clothes start fitting funky. Take today for example. I've eaten 5 pieces of Trader Joe's 73% dark chocolate and half of a donut. Off to great start!
For a few weeks, I was also using an app called The Eatery. With that app, I took pictures of everything I ate and and random strangers RATED my food. I rated their food in return. At the end of the week, I had a huge collage of all the food I consumed. It was shocking and so helpful!
But then it got embarrassing. Especially when my daughter Ella asked me why I was taking another picture chocolate. As if I don't already document enough of my life! She must of thought I was bonkers. And what kind of message does that send her? I stopped, but I thought the concept was brilliant nonetheless. Having a visual representation of my weekly food intake had such a bigger impact than counting calories.
How do you manage your weight? I have months when I don't care about what I eat, then I get a picture back of myself that shocks me into eating healthy again. After the jump: The picture that inspired me to start eating healthy this time.
Time is running out to get rid of my kid's old toys and clothes. Today and tomorrow are the last two days of school! After that, they'll be around to convince me to keep everything they own and even buy them more junk. I've already filled three 30-gallon size trash bags. And then tomorrow: A person from MyClean.com is coming to deep clean my house (for my review). I can't wait!
While they clean, I'll be enjoying my last day without kids. What should I do? Meet up with Rob for lunch? Wonder around MoMA? Get a pedicure? Coming home to a clean house will be a dream. I've never used a cleaning service! Post edit: Opps, I forgot. Actually I have! I hired someone to clean my apartment on the day we were leaving for a vacation. Best idea ever! Coming home to a clean house after a long flight was ideal. :)
Got to go! I've got trash bags to fill and chess pieces to find. I'm convinced I'll have a completed chess set by the end of the day. Almost there.
How do you prepare for summer break? This is the most I've ever done and I'm feeling very mature and responsible. I'll have to balance those feelings out by sitting on the counter and eating cookies for lunch.
Good old Punta Gorda Bridge. Confession: I once made out on this bridge! ha
Marathon training is full force. Not even this heatwave is going to stop me! Ran six miles this morning and plan on running 11 miles this weekend. So far so good.
The heat reminds me of when I first started running in Florida when I was 18. I used to love running over the Punta Gorda Bridge. Bridge running is my favorite. It's just enough incline and relief to keep it manageable. When I moved to San Francisco, I would drive across town just to run the Golden Gate Bridge. Miss that. Have you ever walk/ran across an amazing bridge? Or at least made out on one? Where should I go?
I haven't run any bridges since moving to NYC, but I look forward to running across the Verrazano Bridge for the marathon. I hope when I'm crossing it, I'm not thinking: Urine urine urine!
Thanks to everyone who suggested Long Beach! We went on Saturday, and it took the beach blues out of me. The sand was soft, the water was blue, and the sun was strong. Home! (With a little tweaking, could that be a haiku poem? I'll resist the urge because once I took a personality quiz and it came back: You are probably the type of person who write poems. Stop. haha)
I was a little shocked to pay $24 to step foot on the beach but the unexpected nap I took made it worth it. Rob said I fell asleep for an hour. When I woke up, the tide suddenly was rising to my toes and the back of my legs felt really hot. I still have a slight burn.
Above is the only picture I took of the beach. I was so busy napping that I didn't have time to take more. After the jump are two more pictures of Owen. He kept asking the universe and me: Where's our beach?
I've lived 18 years of my life in Florida, 3 years in Hawaii, and 5 years in California--always minutes away from the best beaches in the world. Its made me have unrealistic expectations that every coastal city should include an award winning beach.
The thing is--I'm not even a huge beach goer. I've never even been thin enough to comfortably wear a bikini, and that's the whole reason for going, right? To show off a hot bod? It's on my bucket list. Someday! Until then, I'm shamelessly buying Spanx swimwear. I found one on sale at TJMaxx for only $30. I'm 95% certain it magically makes me look exactly like this model when I wear it. Bra-lleluiah!?
The fact that NYC beaches are horrible shouldn't bum me out because there's so many other things do in the city, but it does. Grated I've only been to two out of the seven: Coney Island (love the boardwalk!) and now Orchid (pictured). I have a lot more to test out before I make the sweeping decision that NYC beaches are bleak, but so far the outlook doesn't look good.
My impression: They are over crowded, the water looks murky, and/or there's broken glass bottles in the sand. When I went on a field trip (again? I can't stop myself) with Oscar's class to Orchid Beach, his teacher said, "Ok parents! Let's walk around this area and look for broken glass so the kids don't get hurt." I found three pieces.
Despite the risk of slicing my kid's foot, before the summer's out, I'd like to test the other five NYC beaches listed here. After all, I've got my hot Spanx bod to show off!
Hope you have a good weekend! Go to the beach for me, please! Shout out to my favorites: Siesta Key, FL! Waimea, HI! Santa Cruz, CA! Anyone lucky enough to be going to one of these beaches this weekend?
6:34am, Owen: "Mom. Mom. Mom! Make me a paper airplane."
I've always thought I should record the first things my kids say to me in the morning. This was today's. Wouldn't it make the best memory book? I'm going to look into it . . . and then never do it.
What was the first thing someone said to you this morning? I think it helps to shape the story of the day.
One of these days I'll install Photoshop onto my computer and bust out product collages. Until then, I'll parade my kids around town like show horses and take pictures of them wearing my favorite products. Smile kids! Say cheese. Look happy and candid. NOW!
(Did you know you can use your kid's student id (kindergartner's count!) to get Photoshopfor 80% off? Proof. So tempting. . .)
Here's my favorite summer products for kids in the city.
3. Native Slip-On Shoes I'm spotting them all over the city. They are the perfect marriage of Converse and Crocs. But be warned: Natives gave little Owen and Oscar's baby skin the worst blisters on their heals. Ella didn't get any for some reason. Oscar's blisters have healed and he's been wearing his shoes again. Owen hasn't worn his Natives since these pictures were taken (last Friday!) because his blister is still healing. It was a doozy.
I guess Ella's been admiring it for a while now because she asked me to make it for her school party today. I thought it was a good idea and totally doable. I used these simple recipes for the cake and icing. Only took me 8 hours! Maybe 10. It's the classic problem of being overly confident in my abilities to do anything. I've baked probably 2 cakes in my entire life yet I expect to be as good as the rest of 'em. I'll learn.
After trying a piece of the cake and realizing it tasted like an actual brick (over mixed the batter!), I did what any deflated baker does: pout on the couch. Ella came up to me and gave me a big hug and said, "Just put a lot of icing on it. That's what the kids like anyway." Problem solved. Love her.
Imitating art rather than trying to make a perfect Martha Stewart cake is way more my style. It's more thought provoking, forgiving, and inspiring. Basically, it shows I'm so intellectual and deep. Always a goal of mine! And even if the cake tastes horrible, it's far better then the taste of oil paint and canvas. I hope so at least.
After the jump: Five of my favorite pieces of art featuring cake. The best is the first one--I'm so happy I found it!
i look pissed in the middle shot, but i promise i'm not :) haha
Still, almost five years later, and my job continues to revolve around comforting my boys. Owen looks so fragile here. I love how he's holding me so tight. I don't know what made my friend Steuart snap these photos, but I'm glad she did. She captured a moment between me and Owen that I find so enduring. He was crying because he got hit in the eye by some plastic toy at the playground, and I was trying my best to make it all better.
When Owen cries after he gets hurt, I've learned to first sooth him by rubbing and tickling his back. And finally making him laugh usually brings him out of it. Do you find that your kids have their own unique soothing method? It's so great to finally figure it out, although it doesn't always work.
The last picture I'm making fun of the guy standing next to us that was dressed in a crazy plaid shirt and plaid hat just to distract Owen and make him laugh. It wasn't working. Apparently fashion humor is lost on 4-year-olds. Eventually Owen felt better despite my efforts to make him laugh and ran on his way.
When I was a kid I ate school lunch everyday. Didn't think much of it, it's just what I did. I've never been a picky eater, so I don't memories of being grossed out or overly delighted. I ate what I was served and that was that. One of the only options I was given at lunch was plain white milk or chocolate milk. I always chose chocolate. White milk tasted so boring, and I wondered why anyone would choose it. I think only one or two people in my class did. I used to think they were true weirdos.
Now as a mother, I have my kids eat school lunch, too. Except I've explained to them not to get the chocolate milk, only plain milk. After reading the ingredient list, I've decided plain milk is the way to go. I realize it's ridiculous that I've chosen to demonize chocolate milk out of all the garbage they serve in the cafeteria, but that's where I draw the line. I always find out when one of my kids gets a chocolate milk because they can't wait to tell me when I pick them up. Little stinks.
Beyond that, Ella has decided that she doesn't like the sandwiches they serve on Wednesdays (she says they are always smashed!) and the whole wheat pizza served on Fridays. I understand the health benefits of whole wheat pizza crust, but living in NYC has turned her into a pizza snob. I applaud her for that so I pack her a lunch on those days.
That means twice a week, she gets a home lunch. To be honest, I like it better that way. It's more work for me, but at least I know everything she's eating for lunch is fresh and healthy. I kind of wish I did this for her everyday because I'm fully aware that some of foods she's eating on school lunch days is filled with weird ingredients.
I have some piece of mind knowing that her school is trying to serve better food. Last week I was asked to take pictures for a special Wellness in the Schools event they were having in my kid's cafeteria. Among other things, this programs brings fresh food to the kids for lunch. Last week is was a beautiful strawberry salad picture above. The kids couldn't get enough of it. But see that self serve salad bar below? With all the hummus, fresh herbs, vegetables, and beans? It's there EVERYDAY. I had no idea. This takes the white vs. chocolate milk option to a new level.
After seeing this salad bar, I explained to Ella that most of her meal should come from here everyday, but ultimately the decision is hers. I like that because it makes our system of 2x week home lunch and 3x a week school lunch seem more useful that I planned. On home lunch days I can model what a good lunch should look like and the other days she can decide for herself. Hopefully she'll figure it out on her own and make better choices then I did when I was a kid. And if not, who cares?! :)
How do you feel about about the lunch being served in your kid's school? I'm so ashamed that this was the first time I ever took a look. I think I didn't want to know in fear of what I would find. I was pleasantly surprised, but I would like to go back on a regular day to see what the lunch looks like when I'm not asked to take pictures of it. I'll report back.
3 more pictures of the lunch that inspired this post after the jump.
My husband Rob always says not to make a big deal about his birthday. And that he doesn't need any presents. But that didn't stop me this year. One quick stop to CVS, and I found some real gems to give him. Things that he was delighted to receive and has been using ever since (albeit one). It's been weeks, and I'm still gloating it was his best birthday ever.
Anotherfield trip today. This time to the beach with Oscar's class! The forecast? RAIN.
I had the misconception that field trips were a requirement of stay-at-home moms because, really, what else are they doing allll day? Yeah, I apologize for that judgement. Next year I'm limited my field trip attendance to one per kid. First of all, because I secretly don't like going on them. I love to take my kids on adventures, but adding 20+ kids to the mix stresses me out. Especially the bus ride. I loathe the bus. Second of all, my house needs a scrubbing. Seriously, the last time it was clean was for this photo shoot.
Do you like going on field trips with your kids? I'm having mom guilt over this . . .
. How can I call myself a writer? A woman?!
