Most Popular Topics
- Whitney was a coke head all along. DH is a sound engineer and worked with her way bac...
- If you're choosing private and think you will be stretched financially, please list H...
- I don't see what there is to hate about Michelle Obama. Why do so many people hate he...
- I mean this with the best of intentions. Yes, addiction is an illness. It is a horr...
- Abysmal ERB mom here. God, what a joke that test is. We were very concerned about th...
- Adele needs to lose weight.
- Re drug addiction: tough love v. unconditional love (to an extent)I have always consi...
- DH here. First time poster. I have mistakenly been a frequent visitor during this cra...
UrbanBaby Asks...
Do you 'enjoy' spending time with your kids?
- Yes, most of the time we really have fun together
- Sometimes it's fun, sometimes it's really dull and aggravating
- Honestly most of the time it's not fun at all, but it's not supposed to be fun
- I really don't enjoy it at all, and wish I could spend less time with them
Already voted? View Results
Stay Connected with UrbanBaby: 
Flashback
UB Like it's 1776!
Posted September 13, 2007(191 replies)
More reminiscing about laughs on UrbanBaby »Inside UrbanBaby
UrbanBabyBuzz
Snowy Valentine by David
Meet Jasper, he’s a little bunny on a mission to surprise his wife for Valentine’s Day. He wants the perfect present, so trudges out in the snow looking for inspiration from his neighbors. When no gif ...
More »
UrbanBabyNewYork
GoClifftord’s Heart-y PartyCuddle up and listen to the Big Red Dog’s favorite Valentine’s Day books, make holiday cards and take a picture with the lovable pup.When: Sat. 2/11, 3pm; Ages 3+; Free.Where: The Scholastic Store, ...
More »
[-]Please help.....visiting NYC for the weekend for 9 yo ds birthday after moving out many years ago. Feel like I'm very out of the loop. He loves science and the Museum of Nat History so that's on the list, as is broadway show. Any fun/new restaurants we should check out (italian/sushi/eclectic all ok.....he is not a chicken nuggets kid) or anything else going on this month that you've enjoyed and would be fun? All suggestions appreciated.....few year in the burbs has us very out of touch!!
6 replies [ Reply | Watch | Moresketching at the Met, you may be able to do it just for the day I think it's on Saturdays. New Museum has awesome exhibit right now. PS1 in Queens. Just food, pick random country off the globe and go eat their food. Every country is pretty much represented somewhere in the boroughs. Rubin Museum is super cool. If the kid is super adventurous eater, there is a Japanese place on 2nd and 41st that has no menu, five courses and you probably will be the only non-Japanese speakers in the whole place.
[ Reply | More ]
[-]I need advice: my co-op's board is terrible and the President is harassing me. I have been vocal about the need for change. (finances etc). I wrote a letter to the board and the managing agent complaining about a recent incident and they didnt even reply to me. what can I do?
27 replies [ Reply | Watch | MoreNY Attorney General office has a complaint form-file a complaint and send a copy to the managing agent by certified mail
[ Reply | More ]-
i am a board president -tell me the whole story and i will tell you what will work. what is the issue?
[ Reply | More ]crazy board pres., board totally subservient to the pres., NO term limits. current board did away with limits years ago. Pres. has opened people's mail, retaliates against shareholders that question anything. clearly financially shenanigans. people are afraid to vote against him because they are afraid of him
[ Reply | More ]-
we swept our board about 7 years ago - got them all replaced, took a lot of phone calls, quiet meetings in the building. if you have a power base, you can do it. Call a special meeting of the shareholders. The management company should be able to show you the right place in the bylaws.
[ Reply | More ]big part of problem is managing agent: they wont reply to any inquiries. they are in his pocket
[ Reply | More ]how many shares/shareholders are there? If you get enough to sign for a meeting, they have to call one. Read your proprietary lease. What are the financial shenanigans?
[ Reply | More ]13,500 shares approx. financial shenanigans--pres is negotiating deals for our building with buildings he has interests in. several people have asked for documentation proving we have benefited. nothing. insists people use the overpriced sleazy building attorney rather than a affordable attorney; insists people use certain contractors etc
[ Reply | More ]sounds terrible. it is a small building - without getting the shareholders to come on board with you I don't know how you stop him. i would do letters to the whole building, call for meetings inth elaundry and get some support . there is power in numbers. Invite the management company to all meetings (and the board!).
[ Reply | More ]-
-
-
No idea when you wrote the letter, but our board only meets once a month, so if you send it right after we have a meeting....it is goign to take some time to get a response/resolution. But one of us on the Board would have reached out. When are your meetings? - when are elections held? GL sounds like your building is a mess.
[ Reply | More ]OP here: has anyone filed a complaint with the state via this form http://www.ag.ny.gov/resource_center/complaints/html/comp_real.html regarding their co-op or condo. If so what happened? Thanks!
[ Reply | More ]
-
Did you always know you wanted just one or is that a decision you came to after having one? Is dh on board? Do you ever think it would be easier if dc had a playmate?
[ Reply | More ]didn't give #2 any thought at all tile we had #1 (want #1 very very much), dh on board totally. I woh full time and i am happy to be dc's playmate on week-ends - cherish the 1:1 time.
[ Reply | More ]OR: I woh full time too, and have just one (not by choice, though) and the weekends are so hard, imo! Especially in the winter when we are stuck inside a lot. I want to be with dc, but I don't love being dc's only playmate.
[ Reply | More ]^^^ oh, and one other question (since we're playing): why did you decide you don't want another?
[ Reply | More ]even in winter - never ever feel "stuck in the house" - we bundle up and go out and always find outings with "something for everyone" - like just get on the bus - head to the TW center - hand out in the bookstore - eat lunch in whole foods, maybe meet one of my friends for lunch (with our w/o another dc) - go to a movie - etc.
[ Reply | More ]We definitely do this a lot too, but some days I just don't feel up to it between the cold and being tired from working all week and/or having housework or take home work to get done, and then I find it hard but maybe dc needs to just get better at entertaining himself once in a while, at least for part of the day.
[ Reply | More ]
np: I simply have always ignored my dc at times - she is very good at entertaining herself. Sure, I hang out sometimes & we do things together, but I have never felt the need to be her playmate.
[ Reply | More ]
-
What were the factors that went into your decision? Did you love the 1:1 ratio as mentioned above, feel that having 1 is logistically easier, etc.? Did finances play a role in your decision?
[ Reply | More ]I am a very happy only child. No questions, just a piece of advice - ALWAYS let your dc know that you are so happy to have him/her and that you hit the jackpot and never felt any desire for another child.
[ Reply | More ]This is my dh's mother... Still obsessed with her perfect ds at 40. She is a dood mother and loves him very much but he does have a love/hate relationship with her. Having one was not the right choice for this particular woman. She said she could never imagine sharing herself with more than one child.
[ Reply | More ]
-
-
I'm an only child(probably will have an only myself as I have 1 DB and 37) my childhood was 50/50. I do recall wanting my mom to pay with me and her turning me down or like the OP said, taking me out to diners, movies, malls just to get us both out of the house(PS my parents divorced when I was 5) but I also remember spending hours playing dolls, drawing, riding bikes etc. Now as an adult, I am never bored and I love being alone.I feel best when it's just me, or me with DB and DH.
[ Reply | More ]
-
No, why would I care? Is this that unusual? Practically every kid in dd's MS is an only child. She's not, and I suppose I could be snarky about how much I think having a sibling has meant to my 1st born, what diff. does it make. Everyone makes decisions for themselves (except in China).
[ Reply | More ]
-
I don't, but my oldest is 16 and in his pre-school when they were 3, there was a boy who was clearly gay. I don't know how I knew, but I wasn't the only one that knew (parents didn't seem to know, but I never discussed it with them). He came out last year.
[ Reply | More ]How do you know you didn't end up gay because he was always told he was gay and treated that way? I don't believe you choose to be gay or that you are born gay. I believe a person is gay based on a lot of things that person has no control over. But thinking a kid is gay at 3 is crazy. At 3 you aren't gay or straight you are 3. But if you told you are gay from 3 chances are you will end up gay. And nothing wrong with that but saying you knew at 3 is crazy.
[ Reply | More ]-
I think there's a spectrum - some are born completely one way or another, and environment will play no part. I think for others it can - parenting, peers, lifestyle, etc., can all play a role.
[ Reply | More ]This. It happens in the womb. The male baby is exposed to too much estrogen and the brain becomes feminized. That's why they are gay.
[ Reply | More ]
-
Yes. He's 20, came out to me when he was 14 and I "knew" since he was about 4-5yo. He's very happy, in a great relationship (over 1 year!) with a nice guy.
[ Reply | More ]
[-]Looking for recommendations for summer camp for 4 yr old on UWS (north of 88th). I know about Trinity and Oasis and Riverside Weekday's camps. Are they any good. Any other good ones to consider. Thanks!
2 replies [ Reply | Watch | More
[-]What's with nannies/sitters saturating themselves with PERFUME? is anyone else sensitive to it? i find it VERY annoying to have to ask them not to wear it.
15 replies [ Reply | Watch | More-
-
I hate being on a packed bus with at least one person with CHEAP perfume (cologne) on. It gives me an instant headache. NOW if the scent is soft it doesn't bother
[ Reply | More ]When my nanny first started, she had perfume and makeup on. We simply told her we do not like perfume and prefer no makeup near DC. She never came in with perfume or makeup after that.
[ Reply | More ]
[-]We need an Italian nanny live out for 3 young children. She MUST speak Italian. I have had NO luck with sites and we can't afford an agency. Can anyone help us find an ITALIAN speaking live-out nanny in CHELSEA??? She must work 5 days including weekends and have experience with multiple children. The pay is $700 per week for about 10 hours each day.
36 replies [ Reply | Watch | MoreI agree this will be hard to find this only b/c Italian is not that common. However, the pay is NOT low if this is her net or cash. That is equivalent to about $55K a year gross and 50hrs is standard NY nanny hours. The weekends might have to be negotiated separately or hire a PT italian speaker for weekdays and someone else for weekends (w/o the italian requirement). I just went thru the interview process in Manhattan for 3 dc for 50 hrs and needed Spanish. I had many, many qualified applicants and all but one told me I was offering more than any other interview they had (confirmed by their prior employer references) at $700/week.
[ Reply | More ]the pay is way too low, especially if in nyc. we have 3 kids and pay 19 an hour. i believe his is about 14 an hour for 3 kids. that is the going rate for 1. the above poster is paying slave wages. i went through frances stewart, pavillion, and madam agency and the standard rate was 18 an hour plus. how someone would feel comfortable paying less i do not know.
[ Reply | More ]no, you are paying on the books which is great for you, but does not represent 95% of nanny jobs in nyc. it's pretty much the same as $700 cash. not to mention, reported wages on UB are *always* much higher than irl due to the sampling and rampant nanny inflation. one nanny posting 5 times on any one post makes it look much diff than reality.
[ Reply | More ]It's not THE going rate for one--it's the going rate in your specific circle, possibly. But last I checked, plenty of TEACHERS don't get the eqivelent of $20/hour. Or social workers. In my area, it's closer to $12. If that's too low, all those nanniies should go out and get better paying jobs in line with thier equalifications.
[ Reply | More ]
Hello - I am Italian and I am moving to San Francisco. I was looking for an Au Pair / Nanny position and found your post. I can send you my resume and credentials and previous working experience/references from my families in Australia, France and Italy. Do you have an email address I can send it to?
[ Reply | More ]ciao, io sono federica e sono italiana, io vivo in earls court london a pochi minuti da chelsea e sto cercando un lavoro da nanny, io ho esperienza in famiglie con piu bambini e ho un certificato di animatore per bambini se siente interessati vi prego di chiamarmi cosi possiamo organizzare un incotro per conoscerci e parlare di lavoro, posso fornire contattabili referenze. il mio numero e' 078 33732499
[ Reply | More ]ciao! Mi chiamo Linda, sono italiana, amo i bambini e NY . Sono interessata al tuo annuncio. Sono stata recentemente 3 mesi a NY, quindi con visto turistico. Ora vorrei tornarci "definitivamente" e la tua offerta di lavoro mi sembra perfetta. Mi chiedo però come funziona per i visti e la burocrazia,ma forse tu cerchi un'italiana che abbia già tutte le carte a posto? O tramite questo lavoro c'è modo di ottenere i permessi? ciao e grazie
[ Reply | More ]To whom it may concernMy name is Elisa Crestani. I am a qualified Nursery Nurse from 1997. I am currently looking for a position as a Special Needs Nanny and I wonder if you could consider me for a position you are offering. I am punctual, reliable, hardworking, trustworthy, well presented, flexible and good mannered. I am enthusiastic, dynamic person who will stimulate and encourage the children to develop themselves. I have lots of energy and a friendly outgoing personality. I am happy and bubbly with a love of music, dance and handcrafts, which I enjoy sharing with children as I believe, that arts can stimulate them at any age. I do have experience working with younger infants and toddlers from a variety of different back grounds ...
[ Reply | More ]-
I am an enthusiastic, creative, dynamic and responsible person; I have a flexible approach and the ability to show love and affection to children and their care. Excellent temperament and outstanding interpersonal skills and communication; strong spirit of initiative and adaptability, availability, accuracy in work; empathetic personality. I like to spend my time with the kids, play with them and be a strong point of reference. Contact me please on camilya@hotmail.it
[ Reply | More ]
[-]Please help UB!! Looks like my ds is going to be the "wait list kid" with all the private kindergartens. Received an acceptance letter today from St Ignatius. Haven't really seriously considered it because I thought it would be impossible to get in. Please send me your thoughts!! With #2 on the way, the tuition is looking very sweet and I am drawn to it because it is catholic. Only concerns are 1. academics 2. class size 3. HS placement 4. quality of teachers. Any feedback you can provide would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks.
18 replies [ Reply | Watch | More
[-]Am I the only one who doesn't care that much about schools? Never considered private - we could pay although it would be tight. Our local school Manhattan public is supposed to be very good. If dd doesn't get in there (they end up with waitlist) the other 3 or 4 they send kids to are also supposed to be good. I guess if it were a terrible school I'd think differently but academics/HYP is only one road towards happiness. Anyone else think like this?
10 replies [ Reply | Watch | More
[-]Tell me what you know about Somers, NY. Schools, vibe, people. Thanks!
6 replies [ Reply | Watch | Morewhat's the difference between Somers and Katonah? I have a friend who grew up in the same house and one year her address was Katonah, the next it was Somers, and the next it was back to Katonah. Weird.
[ Reply | More ]I have one relative who lives there. They are pretentious, status obsessed, label conscious strivers. Unfortunately they color my impression of the whole town.
[ Reply | More ]
[-]Private schools in the 70s in NYC, I need to put this to rest because I see such misinformation here. Myself and three siblings grew up and went to private here, some TT some not and I can remember and my parents confirm that this process was always crazy and rife with pain. Working WLs, nannies doing pick up in february, broken friendships, mothers screaming on the playgrounds at each other, heated discussions, tears. This myth that you "signed up" at schools here at any point is being fabricated by people who have an agenda.
68 replies [ Reply | Watch | MoreNo one will reply to this. Everyone here especially today needs to believe its "this year" and "this new system" and not just the way it always has been.
[ Reply | More ]Do either of you read? It's been reported as a major news item in the last year that the # of affluent whites in NYC has hugely increased since the 70's. That's a fact. So let's rely on facts not biased, faulty memories of decades ago. There are a lot more applicants now for the same schools.
[ Reply | More ]
I'm sure it wasn't as easy as signing up, but just check some old NYT articles about the problems that private schools had with enrollment in the 70s and 80s. Birch Wathen Lenox was formed because one of the predecessor schools basically shut down/went bankrupt because of lack of enrollment. Also, look at demographic data: the number of school aged children in the 1970s and 80s was at a post war trough, making it less competitive to get in.
[ Reply | More ]You are simply wrong. No offense to you but while people were not burning down the door to go to Birch, which was for very troubled children at the time and no one wanted to be associated with it, this process for the same 13 schools everyone here freaks out about was exactly the same. No UB, no internet to make the panic spread like wildfire and exacerbate it but you don't get mothers in fist fights - yes, I witnessed it because ones DD did not get into NBS and the other woman's dd got into there and hewitt - because the process was easy.
[ Reply | More ]I'm glad I went to Birch and not wherever you went "myself and three siblings". Birch was never known as a school for very troubled children and we learned basic grammar. The demographics of NYC were very different in the 70s and todays 5 and under population is 35% larger than it was 10 years ago.
[ Reply | More ]
-
-
Sorry, I know. But "Myself ... grew up" is just too painful, and she (you) even did it twice. Otherwise, however, very lively and engaging description. Signed, writing teacher.
[ Reply | More ]-
NP: is it really that hard to use basic sentence structure too? (clearly you were one of the non-TT sibs.)
[ Reply | More ]
-
-
-
-
Have a friend who got her kids into private schools about 14 years ago. She says it was much easier than it is now. She is amazed at what we are going through.
[ Reply | More ]Again, completely incorrect. Your friend is so far removed from it after 14 years and you will be too.
[ Reply | More ]I don't remember exactly how many schools they applied to, but it was a much smaller number than our PSD was recommending, and they had multiple accepts. It never occured to her that getting our kid into private K would be difficult.
[ Reply | More ]Eleven years ago, I applied to one school for my daughter, and she got in. I remember being surprised to get the notification because I hadn't remembered the date they were being mailed.
[ Reply | More ]Well, as a collegiate parent now, when Joanne speaks at the end of the year pa meeting about the year's admissions she often talks about when she began and how hard it was to fill the seats. That people fr the east side were loathe to cross the park. So, I'd say that has changed just a tad.
[ Reply | More ]Wrong. YOU are the one who's mistaken, again. Signed, Spence alum of '90 with a DH from Dalton '91. (Both sets of our parents agree it's harder now than it was for them. Sure, it wasn't easy but nothing like today.)
[ Reply | More ]-
I graduated from Dalton and the 80's and it was a lot easier than it is today, partly because of families with 3 and 4 kids, and suburban flight has ceased since then
[ Reply | More ]-
I tend to agree with you. We are not yet at ongoing, but we were in a preschool interview recently and was told by the director that she has interviewed 400 families each year for decades. So even if more people are applying, don't many of the ongoing schools cap the # of applications they will give out or # of students they will actually interview? This would mean they have historically seen the same number of applicants each year for a long long while. I am not a veteran of the K process, so correct me if I am wrong.
[ Reply | More ]Whaaa Whaaaa! No no its harder this year its harder its harder it isn't snowflakes fault its the system, its the year, its the population, its the new money, its numbers, its..its... Whaaa!
[ Reply | More ]I thought we all understood that for most americans nothing counts unless it's happening to you.
[ Reply | More ]I believe that the level of insanity was the same around the process, but sheer demographics make it extremely hard for me to believe it was the same. I think in the old days, people were as obsessed with the TT, but the worst case scenario was that your dc ended up at a 3rd tier, not that your nice, well-behaved dc with non-PITA parents was still SO. Do you really believe that as the volume of dc's staying in NYC has increased exponentially that this hasn't made the application process even harder?
[ Reply | More ]I basically agree with this. It was never "easy" to get into Spence, Brearley, Dalton, etc., but smart, "normal" kids virtually always got in *somewhere*, even if it wasn't your first choice. People did not get SO because there were 800 applicants for 25 spots, half of which were taken immediately by sibs.
[ Reply | More ]
"Myself and three siblings?" OUCH! No way dd you attend NYC private in the 70's. How about something like, My three siblings and I"
[ Reply | More ]Another survivor of NYC in the 70s coming forward to call BS. The TT were never a gimme, but outside of a few schools you pretty much got into one if you applied to three. I would need to go back to my mom to confirm, but I know of no family who desired to send a child to private school who didn't get them in somewhere, usually without much effort. Keep in mind, the population of the city was 1 million less than today, and the percentage of school age children also much lower.
[ Reply | More ]
[-]I need to find a tailor to hem a pile of work pants. I'm hoping to pay less than $10/pant. Anyone have a great tailor? Preferably near UES, but willing to travel within Manhattan for a cost efficient tailor. TIA!
14 replies [ Reply | Watch | More
[-]Redshirting: DB has a very late December bday. He bright and super verbal.
16 replies [ Reply | Watch | Moredo it if you can - really don't hear of anyone who regrets holding their child back - especially a boy. Also, around the country there are much earlier cutoff dates - as early as August that I've heard of. No downside, really!
[ Reply | More ]Crap - posted this before I was done typing. (And correcting my misspellings.) Anyway: bright, verbal, laaaate December boy. Academically he's ready for K, but emotionally... not so much. (And by that I mean he acts like a boy who just turned 4.) I'd like to hold him back so that he can mature, but have been told by his preschool director that of we do keep him in pre-k, he'll be thrown straight into 1st grade. Has anyone had any experience with this? Any advice? Can't afford private without a huge amount of fa.
[ Reply | More ]send him to public K and see how it goes. Going straight into 1st grade and skipping K is MUCH worse. Children are now taught to read in K.
[ Reply | More ]op: Yeah, that's what I've been told. I thought about sending him to K, then, if it wasn't working out, making a desperate attempt for private. (Although non-diverse and needing full fa, I'm not sure we're anyone's dream.) It's just so hard - he's really young, and already kind of an anxious kid.
[ Reply | More ]if its a good public, and not working out, the school may provide extra resources for free!
[ Reply | More ]Our zoned school is only okay - low test scores, most students with English as a second language, and (because they're building a new school building) their current location is a 45 minute bus ride away. Can't imagine they'd have the resources to help much. We're applying for all the unzoned schools and are crossing fingers for g&t, but I can't help thinking that he'd be so much more confident if he could just have one more year to mature. He's in a preschool class with 2-5 year olds and consistently gravitates towards the younger children. He doesn't have any definitive emotional issues that I could use as leverage - he's just very young.
[ Reply | More ]
Our school had a couple of late birthday kids take K a second time. So, you can put your DC in K and if there's a problem, perhaps they will let him repeat, effectively redshirting him. FWIW, I'm not in there with the kids, but I haven't heard of any stigma on these kids -- they seem well accepted by the DC in their new grade.
[ Reply | More ]
Tried to redshirt public for this exact same reason. Didn't work. Supposedly, my son had to show academic deficiency. It was an emotional issue though. He was not ready for all day k. We spent our year scrimping $$ to pay for private, because I really believe it is worth it in the long run. You pay for private for two years, and you can put him in public at the grade that he would've been for going into next in private school. It is the only way I have found works (through the advice of others) that will allow you to redshirt public schools in NYC. Good luck.
[ Reply | More ]
[-]Nursing a 2 1/2 month old and have a vicious cold... my OB is not in today, any clue what I can take for nasal congestion?
8 replies [ Reply | Watch | More-
Just make sure to use distilled (not tap) water. You can buy a premade rinse or mix kosher salt and baking soda in. Do it 4-5 times a day. http://www.webmd.com/allergies/sinus-pain-pressure-11/neti-pots
[ Reply | More ]
Unfortunately just nasal sprays like Afrin. Some oral decongestants are technically safe but can mess with milk supply. I know it sucks. Feel better.
[ Reply | More ]If not medicating, a saline nose spray will help, and be sure to drink lots and lots of water, with lemon juice, as the lemon juice will thin out the mucous. Isn't acetominophin or ibuprofen ok for nursing mothers to take? One of them helps with inflamation which will make you less congested.
[ Reply | More ]
[-]Live in east 80s, just heard loud explosion and now sirens...anyone live in the neighborhood (
12 replies [ Reply | Watch | More-
-
-
car accident involving a cab and what looks like a small truck or something like that (not a personal vehicle). truck jammed in one of the newspaper bodegas. there was no less than 8 fire trucks and a ton of police. 1st ave closed between 85th & 84th except passing on 86th (all directed by a police).
[ Reply | More ]
[-]MD & Sick Moms: My kids and I have had this virus that is giving us really sore throats. Not strep. Other symptoms now gone, but my throat still kills and my ears hurt. Anybody else? When will it end?!
2 replies [ Reply | Watch | More-
[-]Our daughter showed us this website, in part because we used to tell stories of new york city in the 70s and what application season was like. It appears it has not changed and I laughed aloud when I read someone's comment that the nanny picked up at schools today. Good luck ladies get out and take a walk or have lunch out to clear your heads.
4 replies [ Reply | Watch | More-
My mother (I let her write the OP) has forever told us stories of the two admissions seasons she weathered for myself and my sibling. Same schools were TT, 2nd tier, 3rd tier, same claims of 99x3 shut outs, same stress over WL language and all housekeepers picked the children up on decision day. The more things appear to change the more things remain the same.
[ Reply | More ]
