New Meetup Group Created for Single Moms of Young Boys in NYC!

For those of you who live in NYC and are the single moms of boys ages 3 to 5, I have created a Meetup group:
http://www.meetup.com/Single-Moms-of-Boys-Ages-3-5/ 
Here is why:

I am the single mom of a 3 year old boy and I am looking to build a community of other single moms with boys ages 3 to 5. There are a few reasons I am looking to do this:
- Looking to connect with, and support, other single moms who share the same joys and challenges I might be encountering
- Looking to have my son interact with boys in his age range
- Looking to have my son see other Mommy/Son families
- Make new friends!  (I feel like you're never too old to make new friends.)

I envision a small group of women with whom my son and I can go out and do activities with, but with whom we can also have a "Family Night In", where we each swap homes where the boys can play and the moms can relax with a glass of Wine (or Ginger Ale!) and be in the company of adults without having to forego being with our children as well.  If this sounds at all interesting to you then please join at http://www.meetup.com/Single-Moms-of-Boys-Ages-3-5/.  Looking forward to meeting you all!

Holiday Giveaway: 'Where The Wild Things Are' Hardcover Book

Many of us loved this book as a child and now get to re-live that love through reading it to our children.  There are many interpretations of this book, but this is my favorite:

Mary Pols of Time magazine wrote that "[w]hat makes Sendak's book so compelling is its grounding effect: Max has a tantrum and in a flight of fancy visits his wild side, but he is pulled back by a belief in parental love to a supper 'still hot,' balancing the seesaw of fear and comfort."

In honor of the holidays, I would like to give away a copy to someone who has in their life a child that they love, whether it is their own or the child of a loved one.  To enter this giveaway you can either leave a comment here, or Tweet the following:

'Where The Wild Things Are' hardcover book Holiday Giveaway. RT & follow @SingleMamaNYC to enter, or enter at http://singlemamanyc.com/

Each comment and Tweet will count as individual entries.

Good luck!

The Lionel Train Experience

If you have a kid like me who loves trains (and I mean loves trains), then going to the new Lionel Trains pop-up store across form Bryant Park (41st Street and 6th Avenue), is pretty much the coolest thing you can do for them, like, ever.  I was super excited to go to their new store because I just knew Theo would be thrilled, and of course I was not mistaken in the least.  Their new store had two large displays that drew the kids in like nothing I'd ever seen before.  At first, Theo would stare at one set for a very long time, longer than I thought any 3 year old could stay still for, and then after a while he would excitedly jump from one display to the other, almost as if the trains in each display were racing each other in his mind.  He was so happy!

I'm not sure if you can tell, but immediately behind Theo in the second photo are the boxes of their newest trains, Harry Potter's Hogwart's Express.  For you huge Harry Potter fans, I'm sure this is super exciting news.  They also had the Polar Express trains, which are by now a "new classic" of theirs.  Of course, they had all of their standard classics that you may have grown up with (or that your Dad, Grandfather or Uncles would reminisce about). 

You might remember that we visited the Lionel Trains pop-up store last year, and that I almost had to cloroform him to get him to leave the store.  Well, this year was shaping up to not be any different, except I had an ace in my pocket that got him to leave with as little drama as humanly possible: the good people of Lionel Trains gave each blogger who attended their blogger event a Lionel Little Lines train set, which is what I used to lure him out like a carrot on a stick.  Just a way, way cooler carrot.

And this is him, happy as can be, with his new train set (a train set that his Mother put together, thank you very much!):

While you can always buy Lionel Trains online, if you live in New York City I really do suggest a trip to the pop-up store.  The sales staff there will let your kids play for as long as they like and you can take your time selecting your purchase, making it more of a family outing than a mere shoping trip.  Have fun!


*While Lionel Trains did gift me a Lionel Little Lines train set for Theo, I have not been compensated for this post. The views and opinions expressed here are solely my own, and besides, Theo doesn't know his train set was given to him for free and he had a blast at the store anyway!

Grandma

My Grandma primarily raised me because my parents were heavily involved in their careers. She died on this day, 9 years ago. I'm amazed that it still hurts after all this time. She was Home, and, well, I suppose I haven't felt quite at home for 9 years now. Not completely.

Today I will allow myself to feel whatever it is that I feel, at any given moment. If I choose to smile while remembering that as I grew taller than her I once said, "Goodbye, Shrimp", and her not knowing English well enough to understand Shrimp was a euphemism for "short" replied, "Goodbye, Lobster!", and I laughed because of that for weeks afterward, then I will do so. If I feel profound sadness at her loss, and at the fact that she never got to meet Theo, then I will allow myself that sadness instead if trying to tamp it down. I will give myself license to simply BE with whatever chooses to arise, and then maybe, just maybe, I can get through today without feeling like I've been run over by an 18-wheeler.
Wish me luck.

The Single Mom Sisterhood

It's so interesting to me, how people can bond over difficult circumstances.  I have made the acquaintance of, and even befriended, many women with whom under other circumstances I may not have connected with.  People from very different backgrounds, political affiliations, religions, socio-economic statuses; you name it, I have befriended them.  Now, to be frank, I've always been that way to a large extent.  One of the things that I am lucky to have been born with is the ability to connect with people from all walks of life, so it isn't a huge stretch for me.  I think, however, that for some of these women, becoming friendly with someone who is so vastly different from them would never have been something that they would normally have done -- were it not for the fact that I too am a single mom.

Being a single mom affords you the luxury (pun intended), to connect, empathize, and commiserate.  It gives you a place from which to bond and support -- or draw support from.  I'm so grateful that during this single mom journey of mine, a journey that has been quite challenging at times, I have been able to offer my support to people that may never have known what I have to offer.  I also marvel at the connections I have made with women who have offered me support as well.  It's all very random, and yet, not really.  This most joyful, challenging, lonely, fulfilling, beautiful role of Single Mother brings with it a built-in sisterhood; one that I am truly grateful for.

Wordless Wednesday

fill-r-up Boutique New York City

Issa at fill-r-up Boutique Event

I have an unusual name.  Issa Mas.  Neither my first name nor my last name is what one would call average.  Growing up I hated that.  When I would go to stores that had toothbrushes or mini license plates, or mugs, I would stare enviously at the Lauras and Jennifers and Kathleens.  I would have been the happiest girl in the world had there, just once, been a mug with Issa on it. Once I got into High school I learned to appreciate the fact that my name was unique, but it was a hard, hard road up until then. 

I was fortunate enough to be introduced to a great little boutique on the Upper East Side, fill-r-up, that personalizes almost everything they sell there, and that got me super excited!  You would be surprised to know that every single time I have searched through the racks of personalized gifts in large retail locations there has never once been anything with Theo or Theodore on it (that surprises me every time!).  So when I found out about this boutique, that sells unique gists that you can either purchase separately or fill a gift basket with, I was thrilled.  Okay, fine, I wasn't just thinking about Theo, I had a few personalized gifts for myself in mind as well. 

At fill-r-up you can personalize baby items like blankets, frames, diaper covers, burp cloths and more to items for the grown-ups like bath pillows, cosmetic bags, note pads and memo boards.  The owner, Amanda Poses, is extremely knowledgeable in the art of gift-giving, so you can go into the store (or give her a call), and she will tell you what the best items are for the occasion you're purchasing for (and with the holidays coming up, there's always that hard-to-shop-for person on your list!). 

So, whether you are buying for a Jane or a Hepzibah, make sure to visit fill-r-up for unique, customized gifts this holiday season.  You will be sure to leave a lasting impression on the recipient and feel great that your gift was one-of-a-kind!


*I have been retained as a consultant by this boutique and have therefore been offered monetary compensation for all work I do for them, including publicity, such as this post.

Fun At The Big Apple Circus!

Theo and I had the wonderful opportunity to attend The Big Apple Circus and WOW did we have a great time!  The Big Apple Circus is the perfect sized circus for little ones because I think that the larger circuses can be extremely overwhelming for very small children sometimes.  There's also something nostalgic about a circus in a Big Tent that feeds this Mama's soul as well.  This year the theme was "Dance On!", which was fun for Theo because he just loves music and dance.  While there was a whole lot of dancing going on, Grandma the Clown's dancing was the most fun.  I don't know what it is about that clown, but Grandma never

fails to make the kids giggle (okay, and me too).                        

                    

While The Big Apple Circus may not be huge, there was a lot to this "little" circus.  There was a wonderful juggler from Ethiopia;  Acrobatic Dancers from China;  and acts from Kenya, Russia and more.  There was a great act with horses, which Theo really enjoyed because he just loves horses so much.  It was all truly magical actually, but the absolute best part of it all?  The look on my Theo's face when he saw the amazing Regina Dobrovitskaya performing her breath-taking aerial feats.  His mixture of concern and amazement was written all over his face.  Take a look:

Theo marveling at The Big Apple Circus

I'm so grateful we had the opportunity to experience The Big Apple Circus again this year.  Last year he had just turned 2 years old and was easily scared by loud noises and huge crowds, but this year was a HUGE success!!!  He wasn't scared even for a moment, and was awed by all the amazing things there were to experience.  We even got him a Big Apple Circus truck to take home, so he gets to relive the experience again and again.  No matter the age of your children, you absolutely cannot go wrong with a family day at The Big Apple Circus.  After all, making wonderful childhood memories like these are what it's all about for us parents, right?  They are only in town until January 9th so make sure you hurry and get your tickets!

*While we were given complimentary admission to attend this event, I have not been compensated for this post.  The views and opinions expressed here are solely my own, and besides, Theo doesn't know it was free, he just knows it was fun!

Choosing Happiness

I have been wrestling with The Blues for some time now, and some of it is completely out of my control.  A hormone imbalance makes it difficult at times to be chipper, and can sometimes drag me down into a painful place.  PMS days are horrible.  On these days I can only do my best to get through the day without too many tears and too much hopelessness.  Sometimes, well, I'm not so successful.

Here's the one thing that keeps me from getting too far down though:

And because of him, I choose happiness.  Over and over again.  Because really?  Nothing else matters.