Working Mom in NYC

I took the red eye to NYC and I'm a little groggy. Here are some trip photos:Jet Blue T5 Terminal at JFK
Icon A5 Aircraft on display at Jet Blue T5 Terminal JFK
There is a Muji Store in the Jet Blue T5 Terminal at JFK
Display at new Purl Soho Store on 459 Broome Street
Fabric wall at Purl Soho
This is what a knitter's dreams are made of . . . yarn from Purl Soho

A Working Mom's Fave NYC Sights

I'm traveling to NYC on business but I'm compiling my non-business list of things to do while I'm there.
I love New York and I can't wait.

1. Brooklyn Flea
After seeing Martha Stewart's TV episode on the Brooklyn Flea - I'm so there. The Brooklyn Flea looks like crafter & foodie heaven.
2. Sam Brocato Salon, Soho
Made appointment for a haircut with Yasue and color with Marisa. I've always wanted to get my hair done in NYC. As a working mom, I rarely have time to sit in a salon chair for 2 hours. I purposely keep my hair long so it can be pulled into a "mom ponytail." This salon visit will be a Mother's Day gift to myself.
3. Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century at MOMA
4. A Prophet film screening at Angelika Theater
5. Purl Soho - yarn and fabric shop
This famous NYC shop is an inspiration to knitters, crafters and quilters. I can't wait to see the shop's new digs.
6. Uniqlo
Uniqlo is the Japanese version of The Gap with stylish, well made and reasonably priced men's & women's apparel.
7. Momofuku Noodle Bar
8. Momofuku Milk Bar
I like cookies and Milk Bar has one of my faves = cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow
9. papabubble
Beautiful handmade candy shop. Free samples of their delicious hard candy and you can watch candy making magic.
10. Bubby's Tribeca
Bubby's is a fave of mine and my DH. It is a great place for kids and the burger with side salad is yummy.

10 Etiquette Rules for Playdates (written by my kids)

Last summer 2009 when it was playdatepalooza in my neighborhood, my kids wrote this list "10 Rules for Having Playdates." My intention was to have them write 5 rules of etiquette to follow during playdates. I wanted them to think about how they behave and how they would like their friends to behave when we have playdates at each other's homes. My kids are 12 and 8 years old. Old enough to act polite and courteous when they are guests in someone's house. I asked for 5 rules, but they gave me 10. This list hangs prominently on my refrigerator. Do you have similar playdate rules on your fridge?

10 Rules for Having Playdates:

1. Always say "Please" and "Thank You" when they offer you food
2. Do NOT talk about X World, Super Mario Flash, Kirby, or Youtube
rule #2 was intended to keep boys from playing video games for 4 hours straight
3. Clean your dishes up when you are finished eating
4. Do not say "Ew" or "Bleh" if you do not like their food
rule #4 refers to an incident with my son and Korean kimchi
5. Do not make fun of their toys if you think they are ugly
my son again
6. Do not break anybody's toys
7. Do not say "I'm bored."
8. Always play nicely with the people you are inviting or who invited you
9. Be careful not to break anything fragile like glass
10. No name calling

Boys Phiten Necklace

Today we attended a birthday party for twin 8 year old boys. The twins are great kids and I wanted to find a unique gift for their birthday.
Being Japanese, my son wears a Phiten necklace just like the Major League Baseball players. I bought the Phiten necklace for my 8 year old son to get him to sleep longer than his usual 6:30 a.m. wake up time. The necklace has helped my son sleep better, but he prefers to wear the necklace to school as a hip fashion accessory. He has gotten many compliments on his necklace by fellow classmates who think the necklace is "cool."
I ended up buying the twins the 18" Camouflage Phiten necklace for their birthday. Hopefully, it will improve their pitching game, but if not, at least they will look cool wearing it.

Super Mario Bedroom

My 8 year old son is a huge Super Mario fan. I decorated his room with these Super Mario wall decals by Blik. Super Mario 8-bit, Donkey Kong and Space Invader wall decals are also available on the Blik website. I'm thinking about the Space Invader wall decals for my new office. Blik is holding a sample sale this weekend at their design office in Venice, California. Here's the info:

Blik Sample Sale
1733 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Suite B
Venice, CA

Friday, April 16 and Saturday, April 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
cash and credit cards only
sample sale in-store only (not online)

Apps for the Kids

I have a second grader and a sixth grader. These are the apps they use to study their homework.

PopMath
for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad
by PopSoft
$0.99 on iTunes
PopMath is my son's favorite iPhone app. He uses PopMath to study for his second grade timed math tests. PopMath is fun way for your child to memorize multiplication tables. The math questions and answers are contained in colorful bubbles that your child pops to answer. The questions become more difficult, as he completes each level. The kids have so much fun playing PopMath. It's more video game than math quiz.

iFlash for Mac
by Loopware
$14.95
iFlash is a flash card program that can be used on an iPhone, iPod or in printed form. My sixth grade daughter uses this program and I never realized sixth graders used so many flash cards as a study aid. iFlash is a fast and easy way to make your own flash cards without wasting mom's index cards. iFlash can be used in paperless form when exported to your iPhone or iPod. iFlash is for Macs only. At $14.95 iFlash seems expensive, but it is well worth the cost when you factor in the amount of time it takes to make flash cards and the numerous uses.

Easter Earthquake

Easter is never typical when one lives in Los Angeles. This Easter, Southern California shook from a 7.2 magnitude earthquake centered in Baja California. We were at an Easter party when the shaking began at 3:30 p.m. My kids were playing with a bubble maker outside and felt the ground shake for 45 seconds. I was in the house and felt nothing, but saw the chandelier swinging back and forth. We expect to feel aftershocks for the next few days. Luckily, there were no major injuries or damage reported in Los Angeles County. Just lots of excitement for the kids. Hope your Easter was more stable than mine!