Am I actually a really lame mom?

Every day my kids ask me about going to school. The older one says "When do we get to go back to school?" and the little one just plaintively wails "Schhooolll. Schhoool. I wanna go to school!" And every day, I say cheerful as can be "In the summer it's a vacation from school. We do fun stuff together, go to the playground, to the library, play with your friends...." And they just ask again about school. So, I offer up the big things I have to offer over school - we can go to the zoo! Grandpa's beach-house! Out for ice-cream! And still, they just want to go to school. Which makes me have to wonder, is it really that bad hanging out with me? And, more to the point, is it time I called their school and asked them if they have two spaces for the last three weeks of camp?

Tomorrow-day

I'm not usually one to retell my kid's syntax mistakes, but one of Kelly's words is so cute, I just have to share. Whenever I tell her no about anything she asks, "tomorrow-day?" to which I usually answer, "Yes, sweetie pie, tomorrow-day you can do that." Because even Kelly knows tomorrow and tomorrow-day are not the same thing. Tomorrow-day is everything that could be and should be in Kelly's little toddler world, and I wish that even just one of the many tomorrows we live through would live-up to the expectations of a tomorrow-day, too.

Thanks for voting!

Thank you to everyone who voted in the latest poll about where to move.... I can't believe it's 6 to 2 in favor of Brooklyn vs. Westchester and not a single one of my friends or neighbors wants me to stay here on the UWS. hmmm.

Also unbelievable is that there were EIGHT votes. Biggest traffic day ever for Big City Mom!

Who knew my relocation could be so polarizing?

I've posted a new poll focused yet again on where my little family should move. The prior poll had no Brooklyn option (since I would never live there) and no stay on the Upper West Side option (because if that was an option there wouldn't be all this talk of moving). However, since I like to be considerate of all the points of views held by the (few) readers of my blog, here's a new poll with both the Brooklyn and stay put options.
I'll just be happy if more than one person votes and if I get at least as many votes in the poll as I get in protest votes.

Last Day of School

Don't worry, Instructions for Mike will be back soon

Sorry to all the readers of Instructions for Mike (IFM) for the recent blackout of IFM, the blog will be back bigger and better than ever in a few days.
Until then, you're stuck with this, the less inflammatory New York City Mom blog.

Nursery School Relics

Today was Molly's last day of nursery school. She came home with a whole bag full of swag, including all of her day-to-day stuff from class - her carpet square for circle time, her chair name tag, her yellow triangle with her photo on it which was used to check in every morning, and perhaps most touchingly, her Shabbat Ima (handmade) necklace, complete with Hebrew name. All these things were in her classroom day in and day out, and of course amongst the bustle of a rainy Tuesday morning or a hurried pick-up on a way to a dentist appointment, were the most mundane things in the world. Now, out-of-context and lying around our apartment, they are of course overwhelmingly touching. And like so many things with one's child's childhood, I am suddenly filled with regret for every moment this past year that I complained about, rushed past, or simply didn't appreciate. Or, as Molly would say, "no more pre-school."

Hello New Readers!

Now that we are "live" on FaceBook I am looking forward to greeting some new readers of this blog. If you're here for the first time please take a minute to give your opinion on our latest poll or to leave a comment, and please accept our hearty welcome!

Could New York City Mom Become Westchester Mom?

My (clearly brilliant) kid got shut-out of the New York City public school system.
No Hunter.
No G/T.
No lottery placements, either at the lottery-only schools or the general education lottery.

I thought we could just give her zoned school a try, but after a tour, decided that too just wasn't an option.

So, what to do? Move to a good zoned school? Try the lotteries again next year? Apply to private schools?

My answer: Goodbye, New York City. So, the question is, where is the best place for a New York City Mom to live, besides New York City?