February 2013 - Adventure, baby!

The Grey Dog Chelsea; Kid-friendly Restaurants, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York

February 26, 2013 / Chelsea, Manhattan Munchies / 0 comment

After a failed attempt to visit the new Meatball Shop in Chelsea (it wasn’t open despite the website saying it was, so I’m still not sure what happened there), we were left with a group of four adults and one kidlet for lunch at prime time in Chelsea. Not a positive start to the afternoon. Lucky, our friend suggested a local fave of his, The Grey Dog, and, best of all, they had a table free so we could sit down straight away.

On its website, The Grey Dog calls itself the “best cafe in New York”. This is a HUGE call to make, people. Huge. I have to admit though, that it’s right up there – we had a really great experience at this cafe.

When you enter, the waitstaff will show you your table – but you order and pay at the bar. This is a little disorganised when the cafe’s full – or when, like us, you’re juggling a whingy toddler. On the plus side, it allows for a very fast getaway after your meal.

Delicious lunch. Mozzarella, tomato and basil pesto sandwich, potato, leek and broccoli soup, sweet potato fries.

We just missed the breakfast menu (it ends at 3pm), but were just as happy with the lunch menu offerings. As was the Cheese. She absolutely loved trying everything, from the soup to my sandwich and the table favourite, sweet potato fries.

The cafe does have high chairs, but with the way the tables are arrange, close to the walls and tightly together, I can see it would be hard to actually fit a highchair at your table unless you had an uneven number of people with you.

What we loved – the food was delicious and fast. Everything was super tasty and freshly made. They didn’t mind that we wedged the toddler between us on a window ledge so she could pilfer parts of our meals and bang on the window alternatively (sorry again for that, people sitting next to us …).

We will absolutely be back. I can see The Grey Dog becoming one of our neighbourhood go-tos.

Highchairs:Yes – it’s a tight fit though to squeeze them in next to you at a table.
Stroller storage: Minimal. We folded our umbrella stroller and wedged it in a space next to our table.
Easy access: Yes. There is a ramp near the exit, next to the main entrance.
Change tables: No. There is however a large wooden bench in the restrooms that could be used as a change table.
Kids’ menu: No.
Baby-friendly rating: ♥♥—

The Grey Dog
242 W 16th St,
New York, NY
Phone: (212) 229 2345

Hours:
Mon-Fri 6:30am-11:30pm
Sat-Sun 7am-11:30pm

[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&q=grey+dog+chelsea&fb=1&gl=us&hq=grey+dog&hnear=0x89c259b082b8c8a7:0x2e54eb9ab02636f0,Chelsea,+New+York,+NY&cid=0,0,10214235811599076831&ll=40.740639,-74.00077&spn=0.006295,0.006295&t=m&iwloc=A&output=embed&w=425&h=350%5D

Nunu Chocolates; Kid-friendly Places To Eat, Downtown Brooklyn, New York

February 25, 2013 / Brooklyn Bites, Downtown Brooklyn, New York, New York Food / 0 comment

On a day with torrential rain and a toddler with cabin fever, we ventured out for hot chocolate and snacks at the nearby Nunu Chocolates.

It’s not exactly the most kid-friendly establishment around, but the owners are lovely and adore kids, so made us feel totally at home. Sure we could leave our giant stroller infront of their register. Sure they could fit us at a table (we then watch as they kick their employees off a long bench to continue whatever they were doing elsewhere). We love you too, Nunu!

Nunu Chocolates are sold all over the city, and made right here in their flagship store in Brooklyn. They serve a limited menu of beverages, chocolates and pastries, but what else do you want from a chocolate shop?

Cheese adored the hot chocolate – it turned her mood from feral toddler to charming kid. She also loved grabbing the teaspoon and feeding herself the hot chocolate. Bring wipes if you’re going to attempt to give your small child freedom with chocolately beverages.

Letting Cheese go to town on my hot chocolate.

We had a wonderful break from the nasty weather at Nunu Chocolate, and felt so welcome that we will most definitely return over and over again. Don’t let our low baby-friendly rating stop you from bringing your small kids. Despite physical limitations, it’s a real find for families in the neighbourhood.

Highchairs: No.
Stroller storage: Minimal. Bring a folding stroller or carrier if possible.
Easy access: No – several steep stairs.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Nunu Chocolates
529 Atlantic Ave,
Brooklyn, NY 11217
Phone: (917) 776 7102
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am–9pm Sat-Sun 9am–9pm

[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&q=nunu+chocolates&fb=1&gl=us&hq=nunu+chocolates&hnear=0x89c24fa5d33f083b:0xc80b8f06e177fe62,New+York,+NY&cid=0,0,3351752370912557403&ll=40.685191,-73.979976&spn=0.006295,0.006295&t=m&iwloc=A&output=embed&w=425&h=350%5D

Raising a Little Aussie

February 24, 2013 / Australia, Family, Kids / 0 comment

Something I think about frequently is identity, specifically through nationality. The full identity issue is a much larger discussion and blog post than I’m tackling here. My national identity is pretty simple – I’m a Australian – at least fourth generation if not further. No matter how long we live abroad, I will always think of myself as an Australian. My parents are 100% Australian, as was my childhood home and education.

So where does that leave Eloise? Is she American or Australian? Will she feel American because she lives here? If we move back to Australian in a few years, then what will that make her? Technically she’s an Australian born in the US, with dual citizenship. I often wonder what she will feel like as she grows up. As she starts school she will pick up an American accent (nooooo!!!) and identify with her friends more than with us. Whereas Alec and I yearn for things like Cadbury chocolate and Gippsland yoghurt, will she prefer (god forbid) Hersheys and Chobani?.

How do we help Eloise embrace her Australian heritage and nationality so it forms part of her identity? Read her Playing Beatie Bow, serve her Vegemite, make her watch The Man From Snowy River? Will she even care?

The point is we do care, even if she won’t for what will probably be a long time. I hope that by constantly going back home to visit and by surrounding her with global experiences that she will embrace an identity of being more than just an American.

Eloise – 18 months

February 23, 2013 / Cheese, Kids / 0 comment

I turned around and suddenly my little squirmy noodle hit another 6 month notch.

Since turning one, Eloise has developed into a real little kid. Running everywhere at top speed, dancing, play pretend with her dolls and her toy kitchen. She’s so physical, and is getting really agile. She loves walking on the balance beam at kids club and swinging on the parallel bars like a little gymnast. Put on music and she taps her feet, sways and shakes her head to the beat. The independent streak she’s shown since she was born is still at the forefront of her character – she’s so physically brave.

One of the best developments is the physical affection. We now get hugs and kisses and real interaction. It’s so magical. Eloise understands so much of what we say to her now, following directions and replying to questions we ask her. She also speaks! Lots of words where she says the first syllable, like cheese, water, milk, duck, more, cheddar bunnies, dog, ball. Some words she can say two syllables, like bubble and baby. She’s also started to string words together, like “hi dada”, and “bye becky” (becky is a butterfly).

Eloise has gotten really attached to a little toy mouse, who she’s called Mimi. If she can’t find Mimi she gets hysterical.

All of her baby teeth have come in, with the exception of the 2 year molars. We had a brutal few months while they came through – hopefully now we’ll get some sleep again. Eloise’s sleep in the past few months has been terrible – a big remission to waking multiple times a night again. Bad, bad news.

Eloise has started to love drawing with crayons, and particularly loves books. From when she wakes up in the morning to when she goes to bed, it’s all about “books, books, books!!!”. She likes to have them read to her, and also likes sitting in the armchair in her bedroom looking through the books herself, particularly books with animals in them. If we point to animals she can either make the noise they make, or says their name. It’s co cute! She also refers to herself as “Cheese”, which is a parenting fail, but incredibly adorable.

She’s also started to play pretend with her toys – feeding her dolls, making us tea in her kitchen. It’s so adorable, even if she’s making some dubious recipes like carrot-flavoured tea.

In Defence of Toddlers

February 18, 2013 / Family, Kids / 0 comment

I feel like toddlers get a pretty bad rap for being out of control maniacs. And there is definitely some truth to this – most days Eloise spins through my life like mad squirrel, leaving total destruction behind her. Even though some parts of this stage can be trying (mind-numbing exhaustion at the end of each day!), it’s actually my favourite stage yet. Here’s why:

1. Hugs and kisses. I get them ALL THE TIME. Open mouth French slobbers, little pecks on the mouth, and little hands that grab me from behind and nestle in for a snuggle. Ahhhhh this is the best thing of all.
2. Words! Finally, she is communicating! True, it’s still hard to understand what she’s saying a lot of the time, but hearing this little baby-child wrap her lips and tongue around words like bath, dog, duck, flower just fill me with awe at seeing tiny changes happening every minute of every day.
3. Pretend play. Eloise holds up any phone-sized object to her ear and conducts a deep conversation with it, complete with the correct intonations. Kill me now, I’m dying from the cuteness of it all.
4. Dance moves. The little girl has her own groove going on. Put on music and she’s swaying and tapping her feet out of natural instinct.
5. She can feed herself. Here’s the food, off you go, baby.
6. She’s not that screaming, refluxy infant anymore who made me doubt my ability to do this parenting job. Compared to the first ten months of her life, toddlerhood is a breeze so far.

January Blues

February 17, 2013 / Cheese, Family, Kids / 0 comment

I won’t lie, January was hard. Bitterly cold, jet lagged baby, sick family over and over again, plus a case of the blues that just wouldn’t budge. I’ve been struggling to find room for myself again now that Eloise is getting older and doesn’t need me quite so much. I’ve been feeling time slipping by me in all directions. In Eloise’s little face as it slims and grows, in my friends’ careers as they get promoted and start their own businesses. I’ve been feeling torn in a way I never thought possible between choosing myself or choosing to spend my time with Eloise.

It’s a fine line to walk. I love hearing every word for the first time, seeing every new trick she throws out daily. I also feel like I’ve been living my life entirely for someone else, and that I’ve completely lost myself.

So what’s the answer? I’m trying hard to get some freelance and part-time work going that I can do with some short babysitting stints for Eloise, and during her naps. So far it’s going well, but it’s also hard! Hard to focus, hard to spend all my free time working rather than resting up for the next tornado Eloise. It’s better than the alternative though, and I still get to spend most of the week with my crazy, wilful, adorable toddler.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

February 14, 2013 / Family, Kids / 0 comment

Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House; Kid-friendly Restaurants, Midtown Manhattan, New York

February 12, 2013 / Indoor Play, Manhattan Munchies, Midtown, Midtown East, Murray Hill / 0 comment

With the weather so cold and foul, I planned a lunch with friends at Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House purely because they also have a playroom in the building, and because they take reservations for brunch. Smorgas is known for its Scandinavian food, which makes most people think of meatballs. Being vegetarian, obviously meatballs are out for us – thankfully their brunch menu is full of traditional brunchy fare that everyone will like, including picky toddlers.

On arriving, we were met by a friendly hostess who immediately offered us a high chair and kids menu with crayons, and directed us to the stroller parking area. Immediate score! Between the waffles we ordered for the Cheese off the kid’s menu and the crayons, our cheesy little friend was having a ball.

Our server was a bit slow to take our order – and we had some really annoying screw ups with my order in the kitchen. Take note – do not try and make changes to any items on the menu, or you’ll be sorry! Also, if you’re a vegetarian, check your dish carefully for meat as you eat it.

The food was pretty good – the Cheese loved her waffles (which came with a little milk box).

After lunch we made our way to the Heimbold Family Children’s Playing and Learning Center upstairs. It was a pretty cute little area – lots of engaging things for kids to play with, like a slide, train table, play kitchen and mushroom house. It was also completely packed with parents and kids, so it wasn’t the best experience – toddlers all wanting to play with the same toys … cue all kinds of excitement!

Would we be back? Probably not to the restaurant, unless we wanted to go to the play space again. When the weather is nasty out, it’s definitely a really good option for a Saturday afternoon.

Highchairs: Yes. Stokke of course!
Stroller storage: Lots – bring your giant stroller if needs be.
Easy access: Yes. They have elevator access.
Change tables: Yes – although you have to get the elevator down to the floor below to use the restrooms, which is a bit odd.
Kids’ menu: Yes.
Baby-friendly rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
58 Park Ave
(between 37th St & 38th St)
New York, NY 10016
Phone: (212) 847 9745

Hours:
DINNER: Mon-Sat 5pm-9:30pm
Brunch: Sat-Sun 11am-5pm
Lunch: Mon-Fri 11am-5pm

[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&q=smorgas+chef+scandinavia+house&fb=1&gl=us&hq=smorgas+chef+scandinavia+house&cid=0,0,6926579723310192245&ll=40.749427,-73.979924&spn=0.006295,0.006295&t=m&iwloc=A&output=embed&w=425&h=350%5D

Snow day!

February 10, 2013 / Family, Kids, Love, New York Life / 0 comment

Blizzard Nemo (ha!) hit New York yesterday. It was pretty crazy being out in it – like icicles prickling my face. Today the blizzard had passed and the city was covered in a glorious foot of snow. Yay! We head over to Fort Greene park to give Eloise her first real taste of snow. She really loved it – she couldn’t get enough of sitting on the ground and trying to grab it in her little mits.

Vive La Crepe; Kid-friendly Restaurants, SoHo, Manhattan, New York

February 9, 2013 / Manhattan Munchies, New York Food, SoHo / 1 Comment

It seems like something as simple as a really good crepe can be hard to find. We’ve been obsessed with the Vive La Crepe chain for a while, and last weekend went to SoHo just for crepes.

The store is run very efficiently. Order and pay at the counter, and your crepe will be ready within about 10 minutes. They’re super friendly towards the babes, and will bring over your food if they see you have your hands full.

Order at the counter – huge selection of crepes.

What makes them so good? The perfect batter, crisp on the edges, soft and slightly sweet in the middle, and plenty of fresh toppings like mozzarella, tomato and basil (my favourite). Their dessert crepes also rock my world – we can never settle at just one savoury crepe, we always need to go back for more.

It turns out that babies have good taste and love crepes too. Cheese went wild for the batter as well as the fillings – gooey cheese in particular. They’re fab for kids cos they can hold pieces in their hands and it doesn’t make too much of a mess.

The only downside is this SoHo location is a bit cramped when you bring a baby. The chain has various locations though, and we’ve also been to Vive La Crepe at Union Square, which had lots more space for strollers as well as lots more tables in general, so you don’t have to stalk other diners to get a seat. Note – none of the locations that we’ve been to have highchairs, so prepare to balance your kid on your lap and eat one-handed – which is actually fine because you can easily do this with the crepes (they come folded in a triangle shape in a little paper cone). Vive la crepe! See you again soon!

Highchairs: No.
Stroller storage: No. There is a small space next to the counter where you can fold a stroller, or if it’s pretty empty inside you can park the stroller next to your table.
Easy access: Yes. One step to get in.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Vive La Crepes
51 Spring St,
New York, NY 10012
Phone: (646) 484 6897
Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-12am, Sun 9am-12am

Month: February 2013