"Totsticks"

Our favorite downtown restaurant to go to with newhavenbaby has to be Thai Pan Asian on Chapel St. Yum!

Newhavenbaby loves to flirt, and he always gets plenty of chances with the waitresses there. They are super-helpful about stashing strollers, too: and really set themselves apart downtown for being so considerate. Newhavenbaby's own special basket of sticky rice rarely shows up on our bill, and the lunchtime buffet is super-easy and always delicious.

Last weekend, newhavenbaby watched us with great fascination as we ate our Pad Thai with chopsticks. Since then, he has tried his best to make "totsticks"---his word, not mine---out of anything and everything: straws, IKEA coffee stirs, crayons, toy drumsticks.

After a hefty ebay search, we found some great chopsticks sized for kids (6'' long, with grooved ends to help pick up those slippery green beans) at the Hong Kong Market on Whitney St. They are at the end of the aisle by the cash register. They come in pink and blue with various cartoon characters and ninja warriors. And you really can't beat the price at $1 /pair.