Om Your Way Through Parenting: A Buddhist Class
by Karen on 1/08/12 | 2 Comment(s)
Just tonight I found myself saying to my 5 year old son (who got out of bed for the 4th time), ” I’m sorry I got so angry, I need to take a deep breath before I react next time.” It seems that I could benefit from a new series of classes for parents based [...]
Looking to volunteer as a family for the holidays?
by Karen on 12/21/11 | 2 Comment(s)
“Small hands can bring big changes.” It’s the perfect time of year for your kids to see how true that statement is. From making cards to holding someone’s hand, there is great potential to make a difference. We found some wonderful opportunities for your family to help out this holiday season. Stockings with Care Stockings [...]
New Place To Donate Your Items and Your Time
by Karen on 12/16/11 | 2 Comment(s)
When my son says, “I need that lego set”, I understand what he means. He feels that that toy is essential for him to have right now. But, what is truly essential to the 51% of Brooklyn kids who are living below the federal poverty level? Cribs, car seats, carriers, clothes and diapers. Many of [...]
Cooking Classes for Brownstone Brooklyn Families
by Karen on 12/06/11 | 0 Comment(s)
Parents know that cooking balanced and healthy meals can be the last item on your “to do” list when bills and laundry beckon. There are local classes that help parents to learn simple recipes for the whole family, most notably by Debbie Koenig, and a new and unique cooking series begins this week. Setting the [...]
Daylight savings sleep tips!
by Karen on 11/04/11 | 0 Comment(s)
Daylight savings is coming up this Sunday: this is when we move our clocks back one hour and “gain” an extra hour. Even just an hour change can be a disruption in your child’s (*and yours!) sleeping. Janeen Hayward, a parent consultant at Swell Being, was kind enough to share her daylight savings sleep tips [...]
New Developments for Bija Kids
by Karen on 11/01/11 | 0 Comment(s)
I dropped by Bija Kids a few weeks ago to host one of our Meetups- and marveled at their new studio design with two open airy spaces that accommodate both yogis and kids. Lauren Maples, the owner of Bija Kids, mentioned that she was considering offering a drop-in playtime for the cold weather- and, she [...]
Childproofing Heating Pipes: How To and With What?
by Karen on 11/01/11 | 2 Comment(s)
Whether you live in Brooklyn or Portland, exposed heating pipes in older homes can give kids some nasty burns. The question is: how to do this effectively and also have it look nice? We opted for a clean-looking, minimal solution at our place: fiberglass shell pipe insulation. My husband and I went to the hardware [...]
How Your Family Can Help Out at Occupy Wall Street
by Karen on 10/26/11 | 0 Comment(s)
Last week, the post that got the most Facebook shares on the blog was on how families could sleep over to support the effort of Occupy Wall Street. What that says to me is that you all are moved by what is going on with the movement, want to educate your kids about it and [...]
It’s Our Turn: Family Sleep Over At Occupy Wall Street
by Karen on 10/19/11 | 5 Comment(s)
If you have wanted to join in on Occupy Wall Street and haven’t been able to do so because of family obligations or if you want to teach your kids about making our voices heard- you now have the opportunity to do so in a safe and festive event. Parents for Occupy Wall Street is [...]
What I Resort To When My Kids Are Sick
by Karen on 10/18/11 | 0 Comment(s)
Sick day! I used to love sick day: it meant Mad! Magazine, jello water and lots of room service by mom. Now, that I’m the mom, it means videos, coloring, reading books aloud and lots of room service. Sick day calls on every ounce of creative thinking I have. Today, was that day. (I swear [...]
New Dad? Lace Up For Boot Camp
by Karen on 10/12/11 | 0 Comment(s)
Have you ever noticed that dads get short shifted in the parenting section at the bookstore? For every 200 books on “how your life will dramatically change forever” that are written for moms, dads have one or two. Dads have to learn how to navigate parenthood also and the lone few books aren’t cutting it. [...]
New Meetups- Mandarin Playgroup, Ebay Workshop, Babysitting Co-ops and Best Resources
by Karen on 10/06/11 | 0 Comment(s)
I started a Meetup group for A Child Grows In Brooklyn after some readers told me that they wanted to have a way to meet one another “live”. They wanted not just to meet each other, but to have playdates, mom mentors, babysitting co-ops and parenting seminars. In August, I ran the first 2 meetups [...]
Paid Leave for Parents?
by Karen on 9/30/11 | 0 Comment(s)
Are you one of the 1.3 million New Yorkers who don’t get paid leave? What happens when one of your kids is sick and you have to stay home? Have you lost a day of pay or, worse, had to send your ill child to school/daycare because you couldn’t afford to stay home? The New [...]
Want To Join A Babysitting Co-Op? We’ll Tell You How
by Karen on 9/21/11 | 1 Comment(s)
Do you want to meet other parents, have a date night and make playdates for your children? Join a babysitting co-op! The parents of the 1970′s had it right when they realized that instead of paying for babysitters, they could pay “in kind” for a swinging night out with their partner. Times have changed, but [...]
The Marshmallow Test: why saying “no” is good
by Karen on 9/16/11 | 2 Comment(s)
This post is from 2 of our Experts on the blog that form the rational and thoughtful whole of Soho Parenting. To read more of their writing, head to ParenTalk. Dr. Walter Mischel’s study of impulse control in the 1960′s and 1970′s using a marshmallow and the directive to wait-and-you-will-get-two has turned out to have [...]
Free Meetup- Brooklyn’s Best Resources for New and Expectant Parents
by Karen on 8/04/11 | 0 Comment(s)
Do you want to know which are the most highly reviewed pediatricians, midwives, dentists, kids’ classes? How about where to meet other parents or even what car service to use? We have the answers! We’ll start off the night asking what your burning questions are: daycare, nanny, doulas, best hospitals? We will help you uncover [...]
Tips for Second-Time Parents
by Serena on 7/21/11 | 2 Comment(s)
When I found out that I was pregnant with baby number two, I was immediately excited…. but then some fears crept into my head. How was I going to do it, really? Work, active toddler, school? The thought of two seemed daunting: double strollers, a carrier and a stroller, diapers and potty trips, more cooking [...]
List of Parent Groups: Where to Meet New Parents in Brooklyn
by Serena on 7/13/11 | 1 Comment(s)
When I first became a new parent I didn’t realize how daunting it would be to not have any parent friends. I really didn’t know anyone that had babies in my neighborhood – meaning there was no one to talk about this new exhaustion, constant diaper changes or the ups and downs of breastfeeding – [...]
Giving Birth: Who Takes Care of Your Older Child?
by Serena on 7/12/11 | 0 Comment(s)
Most of us don’t live near family, so what do you do when you give birth and have an older child at home that needs to be watched? I wondered that when we were faced with that question. I knew my MIL would not come down to help out in the middle of the night, [...]
Want a better work-life balance? So do these Brooklynites
by Karen on 6/22/11 | 1 Comment(s)
Who isn’t frustrated by the lack of imbalance between our lives and work? With our super cool PDAs that allow us to text, email and call, we are constantly “available”. What we need are support systems that help balance life and work, like mandated parental leave and affordable quality daycare. A group of neighborhood parents, [...]
Why are our children their worst with us?
by Karen on 5/31/11 | 0 Comment(s)
How many times has your mother-in law said, “She wasn’t like this with me!” or your nanny comments that your son goes down for a nap like an angel with her. Or you go for a parent teacher conference and the description of the child, “first to clean up, so empathetic to other children, what [...]
New Comedy About Parenting- plus giveaway and discount
by Karen on 5/19/11 | 4 Comment(s)
Here’s a question that I bet you can answer in 3 seconds. What issues have you dealt with as a parent? Work/life balance Keeping romance alive Loss of sleep And the answer was…..? (Of course it was all of them!) In a new romantic comedy called “Cradle and All”, two Brooklyn Heights couples work through [...]
Are you a stepparent or divorced parent?
by Karen on 5/12/11 | 0 Comment(s)
If you are or are considering becoming a stepparent, are a divorced or divorcing parent, this Peace Summit might be what you are looking for. There really isn’t much “live” discussion about stepparenting, despite the fact that some key books have been written on the topic. I’m so happy that there will be a live [...]
Cool library events- from free portraiture to performances
by Karen on 4/26/11 | 0 Comment(s)
The Brooklyn Public Library’s Biggest Playdate Ever was a huge success this winter. A few people emailed me to find out when it would be repeated. Though they have yet to schedule another playdate, the Brooklyn Public Library does have a bucket load of other cool activities lined up for the spring and summer at [...]
Why kids don’t hear “no”
by Karen on 4/19/11 | 5 Comment(s)
Parenting Through Picture Books #2: Boundary Pushing with “No, David” by Alice Kaltman Have you ever tried to count how many times a day you say “No” to your child? No, not now. Time to go. No, that’s dangerous. Put that down. No, don’t touch that. Pay attention. No, you cant. Be quiet. Stop that!!!!! [...]
