Lionel Trains - Christmas Nostalgia At Its Finest

Theo and I were at the Lionel Train store that is open for the holidays at Rockefeller Center today and just as I imagined, Theo was mesmerized by the trains. At first, there was a big crowd over by the main display case, so he was just flitting around to all of the little cars he could touch, on tip-toe to see the ones just out of his reach. He soon grew bored of that because, well, at only 2 years old the attention span isn't exactly Einstein-esque (yet!). But at some point, the crowd thinned around the big display case and it was as if the clouds parted and a ray of sunshine beamed its Heavenly light on the Lionel Trains, lol. Theo was, from that point on, utterly transfixed. I mean he would not move.



He already loves trains, he has two at home but neither of them are motorized, he makes them "go" himself. But this, this was Nirvana! He watched those trains go 'round and 'round for so long that when it was time to go, I knew there would be a tantrum to deal with, and lucky for me Theo the Great did not disappoint, Lol! I loved Lionel Trains as a child too so I completely understood, and although I didn't have a set of my own back then whenever I saw one I would marvel at it. There's something about them that always make me think of Christmas, and seeing those trains brought back memories of my childhood, peering into the fancy department store windows, watching the trains circling the snow covered "towns". It made me wish that we didn't live in a tiny Midtown Manhattan apartment so that I could get him one - even if it was just a small one, but our apartment is so tiny that if I moved a train set in I would have to move Theo and I out!

If you are in the New York Tri-State area, you simply have to go to the Lionel Train store - it's only there at 30 Rockefeller Center for the holidays (November 1st to January 5), so hurry on over!

Single Mom Burnout

I know you don't have to be a Single Mom to experience Mom Burnout; every Mom has a lot on their plate, especially if they're working moms. But Single Mom Burnout is especially hard, I think, because there is no one in your home you can hand ANYTHING off to, EVER. It's a daunting, isolating, and draining feeling to have to do everything on your own. I told a friend that I was feeling this way and his response was, "But doesn't it make you feel proud to be doing it on your own, like Superwoman?" He meant it as a compliment, but for some reason it hurt my feelings, like I was outside of needing support and respite like every other human being in this world. I replied that yes, most of the time I do feel darn proud for doing what I do each day. And some days I even feel like Superwoman. And I don't do it entirely alone; Theo's sitter, my Mom, and my Dad help out too when they can. But I'm still bone-weary. There's still so much I'm NOT getting done because I'm so tired all of the time. And it can get, well, sad sometimes. Not usually, but sometimes. Like now.

I'm going to bed now. Who knows, maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

Oh, Stop & Shop - How I Wish You Were In Manhattan!

Stop & Shop is a truly great place to shop for groceries when you are on a budget - and let's face it, who isn't these days? They give you great tips (like buy all your baking goods and turkeys now when they're at their cheapest and freeze the perishables for months), as well as the freedom moms need to make their shopping experiences as quick and painless as possible. One of things you can do is sign up for the "Scan It" program, where you can hand the scanner to your kids and have them scan products as they go into your cart. Your kids will love the "laser gun" and you can keep them from running amok through the store. Also, the deli kiosks can take your order, give you a slip with your number on it and you can continue to shop without waiting on the hour-long lines at most deli counters in supermarkets. When your order is up - they call the number over the PA system!

The best part about Stop & Shop during the holidays is that they have ready made holiday meals so you don't have to cook a thing! For those of you who know just how disastrous my cooking attempts turn out to be - this is FABULOUS news! They have Turkey dinners and Ham dinners and even a Rib Roast dinner! They even have a "Meal Extras" package so you can have leftovers of all the little things you love without looking like a moocher when you leave your family's house with huge plastic containers of their food! WHOO HOO!!!

I found out all this great stuff at the complimentary Stop & Shop luncheon they gave bloggers last week here in NYC. Right before the luncheon they gave us an opportunity to make fun "food gifts" like chocolate covered pretzels. The food gift I chose to make was "Cookies in a Jar", which entailed getting all the ingredients into a large Ball jar, making it look almost like sand art. Take a look:



And another fun moment was getting caught in something I NEVER wear -- an apron!



Here's the best part for you: if you leave a comment here with one of your quick and easy holiday recipes (can be a link back to a post of your own if you like), I will give away the Stop & Shop gift card they gave to me at the Luncheon to one lucky winner! And if you're guessing that I am shamelessly using this giveaway to get holiday meal ideas because I'm a disaster in the kitchen on my own - you're right!!! :-)

Big Apple Circus Fun!

I was so thrilled to be at the Big Apple Circus last night!

Big Apple Circus' marketing firm sent me 4 tickets to their show and I took my Theo, of course; my Goddaughter, Sibelle; and one of my oldest and dearest friend's son, Geo. Sibelle, Geo and I had a blast! Theo? Uhm, not so much - he was terrified! I know not all kids are the same and that there are so many 2 year olds out there that would have been super-excited to be at the circus. Unfortunately, my little guy doesn't seem to like crowds and loud music in confined spaces, which, of course, defines the circus to a T. Add in horses and clowns and well, just see for yourself:

I never thought having fabulous, third row seats would be a bad thing, but the horses seemed so gloriously close to us that I thought Theo was going to have an epileptic fit from fear. LOL. Poor baby. He did calm down by intermission though, and the second half of the show was more enjoyable for him. Next year I just know he will be utterly enchanted by the experience, as he will be older and less fearful.

All in all I had a wonderful time. We got to see amazing acts from around the world (the Trapeze artists will blow your mind!), Bello the clown was fantastic (he comes from 7 generations of circus performers - that's over 200 years of circus pedigree!), and the part that I loved best was that the dog show was performed by dogs rescued from animal shelters all around the country. How awesome is that?!?

If you have the time and are in the New York tri-state area from now until January, you should absolutely go see it! After January they move on to other parts of the country, so if you're not in the New York tri-state area check out their website to see if they will be stopping near you. And please don't judge me for saying what I'm about to say, but if your little ones get scared that could be a good thing too -- my super-independent Theo NEVER lets me cuddle him, but for almost 2 whole hours he was firmly in my arms, not wanting me to let go of him for even a second. It was so lovely to hold my baby like that - even if it was only because he was scared. Hmmm, I might have to go back to the Big Apple Circus in a few weeks (cue the evil laughter).
:-)

Hope Everyone Had a Wonderful Halloween!