8.29.2005

Chalk-talk


It's been quite a few weeks since I had a conversation with the owner of one of my fave mama/baby hangouts about appropriate baby (hence mama!) behavior. The conversation had been spurred by a recent visit by some renegade toddlers who 'decorated' the walls and furnishings with markers and chalk while their mothers apparently did nothing to curb the inappropriate behavior.

Newhavenbaby and I go to a lot of non-baby places where he is frequently the only (or one of two when he brings a date!) baby there, and we leave if he seems to be disturbing anyone unneccesarily. We even leave my fave mama/baby hangout, coffee-in-hand frequently, because he gets restless and there are 2 or 3 other groups of people there enjoying the day who I am mortified to be disturbing.

Regardless, the conversation got me thinking about parenting in public places like restaurants. What do you do when babies or toddlers aren't acting appropriately? How can a business cater to the baby-set and ensure that the mama-dada-set keep them in check?

It seems like there should be a better way than this... Right?

via bloggingbaby

8.27.2005

Dog (and Cat) Days at the Peabody


We had a lot of fun this morning at the Peabody's Dog and Cat day events. The highlight was the sheep herding demonstration on the lawn---the sheep kept getting tangled up in the plastic fencing during the demonstration, which is apparently very exciting to an almost two year old.

Inside we met Handsome Dan, and newhavenbaby practiced his bulldog pout, and we made tiger masks which he didn't understand how to use at all. Newhavenbaby was thrilled to get his hands on some child-sized (and blunt-tipped!) scissors. There was also a table to make feathery cat toys, and several games to play.

The music "freestyle" was going on when we left---a little bit strange in this bloggers opinion---with a woman dressed in red, white, and blue polyester dancing to a disco song with her dog, who kept trying to run away.

The Dog Day event continues tomorrow (Sunday) from 12-4.
read the full article

8.25.2005

Book-a-holics

Newhavenbaby is a bookworm and a half, so we are always on the hunt for new books. Newhavenbaby and his Dad found Rap-a-tap-tap today at the library (Thanks Myra for the rec!), and we have a whole list in the wings from the daddytypes.com Book Review Contest.
I was even inspired to write my own review of newhavenbaby's current fave, Madlenka.

8.24.2005

SWAGAT = casual deliciousness

I am adding another few restaurants to the Eat page, but I thought I'd highlight this one here too.
We have been craving Indian food for months, so went to Swagat last night for dinner. One of our former neighbors (thanks Ian!) had recommended it a while back. We drive by it all the time on the way to Shoprite in West Haven (best cheap produce we've found), but it's always the wrong time of day to stop for food.

The food was delicious, and served in cool metal cups, plates and bowls. We ordered dosa to start (heavenly!), chicken saag, and a lamb dish that's I can't remember the name of, and bread. Newhavenbaby loved the spicey basmati rice and the dosa with chutney. Newhavenbaby and I split the kahlfi for dessert while his daddy drank sweet Indian coffee. All for about $25. Next time we decided we are going to order a vegetable dish--and maybe some extra spicy rice for newhavenricemonster. Or we'll come back at lunch and try the $4-7 lunch specials.

The decor is sparse, there are only about 6 tables. Two highchairs---one plasticky and one the standard wood restaurant variety. We were the first dinner guests to arrive at 5:30pm on a Tuesday night, but by 6:45 there was only one table left.

Swagat, 215 Boston Post Rd West Haven, CT 06516 (203) 931-0108 (nestled in a little strip of shops on the right before you get to that funky campbell st / fountain st intersection)

8.21.2005

Out-of-house Guests

Newhavenbaby's grandparents came to see us a few weeks ago during our big move, and they stayed in Westville at a guest house that was listed on one of the Yale travel pages. We missed having them nearby, but our guestbedroom / babybedroom was a un-navigatable sea of cardboard boxes. We loved their help with newhavenbaby while we were setting up our new home.

Here's the scoop from newhavenbaby's grandma:


"We really enjoyed our stay in Margaret's beautiful home. Visiting with Margaret was a real treat, as she had so many interesting stories to tell, as well as old time family recipes. We felt completely at home. She is so kind. I feel like I've left behind a good friend. The last two nights we were there two other guests arrived. The lady worked for the United Nations in Haiti. Again, we enjoyed visiting with them and we gained insight into their very busy lives. Margaret's bed and breakfast made our stay in NewHaven very memorable, and we hope to stay there again in the future. If you call to stay there, tell Margaret "Pat" sent you!"

61 Alston Street
Margaret Saars
203-397-8962

8.17.2005

Baja Mexican Restaurant

Coming from Texas, we really start to miss a nice plate of tacos and enchiladas.

Last night, we took newhavenbaby to Baja, on the Boston Post Road in Orange. They have lots of highchairs, and a super-friendly waitstaff. And newhavenbaby loved the orange slices that the kind bartender brought over while we were looking at our menus.

Baja has something that our Texas joints did not: a salsa bar that includes 3-4 different types of salsa, pico de gallo, and pickled jalapeno peppers. Much better that the standard little bowl for us to fight over. These days, newhavenbaby will eat just about anything as long as he can dip it in something else, in this case his broccoli (brought from home to snack on while we waited) was garnished with a very mild orange salsa.

I had the combo #2 (taco, rolled taco and enchilada--yum!), hubby had a burrito, and newhavenbaby had a side-order of spanish rice to go with the pieces of shredded beef from my taco. The fish tacos are also excellent, fyi.

Baja is located at 63 Boston Post Rd. (near the new Target, across the street for Lowes). 799-2252

8.15.2005

Orange St. Market--you made my day!

So, I have to gloat a little bit about the article in today's New Haven Register.
I LOVE it! Especially because you can see newhavenbaby's bellybutton in the photo.

And I was thrilled to walk into Orange St. Market early this morning, and instead of my every-day friendly "Hello!" or "How are you?" I was greeted with: "So, how many papers do you want today?" I couldn't decide whether I wanted to buy them all, or to leave as many as possible for other people to read about newhavenbaby.

Where else can I go today...

8.11.2005

Nice to meet you!

I was fortunate to have a really nice conversation with a interesting, delightful and successful journalist and newhavenmama (now newhavengrandmama!) yesterday. Sandi Kahn Shelton called to write an article about newhavenbaby.com for the New Haven Register (check us out next Monday! Newhavenbaby and I also had a lot of fun getting our pictures taken for the article).

In addition to writing for the NHR, Sandi's "Wit's End" column appears in Working Woman and excepts have been collected into several books. I must say, her observations about life with kids really have me giggling.

I was also excited to find a new novel to add to my ever-growing reading list, What Comes After Crazy? Especially one that takes place New Haven!

And Sandi, if you are reading this, please do stop by when you are in the neighborhood...

8.09.2005

Haircuts and Tootsie pops

Newhavenbaby had a grand time last week getting his hair cut again at Phil's Hair Styles on Wall St.

The first hair cut was a few months ago. That wasn't all that pleasant for either of us, but newhavenbaby was more than thrilled to receive his first chocolate tootsie pop 3 snips, 4 howls, 7 dollars and 25 teardrops later. I must admit, I was a little horrified at the wisdom of letting newhavenbaby have this new super-sugary treat, but....

This time, 4 months later, when I took him back for a trim before his grandparents came to visit, they were out of lollipops. Apparently, in newhavenbaby's superb recollective memory hair cut had already become equivalent to lollipop. Newhavenbaby's own words "no lollipop, no haircut." So we went home.

His dad took him back the next day with a back-up tootsie pop from the Taft drugstore. Newhavenbaby was again not thrilled with the whole procedure until the lollipop appeared. Now, he has been asking to go back for a hair cut almost every day since!

AND he looks so cute with his little boy cut.


Phil's hair styles is at 82 Wall St. We heard a rumor that the barbers there have cut the locks of more than one former president. Maybe more than one future president too?

8.07.2005

File under Smart-mamas

We've recently added some new mama-centric links to our ever growing list of favorite spots on the Web:

literarymama---recently cited as a Best of the Web pick on Forbes.com. There is more to read there then I will ever have time for.

Brain, Child -the magazine for thinking mothers

If you find a local newstand bookstore that carries Brain, Child please send us a note. I've hit Barnes and Noble on Broadway and in North Haven, and browsed the giant selection of magazines at News Haven without success.

8.05.2005

In search of Art

We finally made it to the Yale Art Gallery this summer...it had been too long. We hit the British Art Center first, but the 'animal room" was being cleaned and the top two floors were undergoing some renovations, and newhavenbaby and his friend were not excited at all about the naval portraits.
The Yale Art Gallery was fun, but our favorite red Calder mobile in the American galleries upstairs had been taken down, and Duchamp's snow shovel was apparently back in storage.

Not to be completely outdone with our carefully arranged field trip, we decided to take advantage of the summer weather and visit some outside sculptures nearby. Newhavenbaby was facinated with Calder's Gallows and Lollipops in Beinecke plaza. We'll be heading back to the museums once the fall weather drives us back inside and the summer renovations are over.

BTW, the BAC and the Sterling Library/Cross Campus ladies rooms both have nice quiet sofas for calming or nursing your newhavenbaby. (:

8.04.2005

All moved in...

Sorry we haven't been around much, but we are now all situated in a brand new apartment on a beautiful street with the friendliest neighbors....can I say more?
Newhavenbaby likes his new room (and new toy room!), and we are having a great time watering the flowers in the front yard.
Now to settle back in to our little home in cyberspace...We've missed you!