So Rick and I have been kind of, sort of looking at houses OUTSIDE of New York City.

Like in Westchester.

And Jersey.

And can you even believe we are considering leaving Manhattan?!

Here I am pretending to be some cool, hip urban mom while secretly scouting out wrap around porches and manicured lawns.

Are you disappointed in me?! Look it’s not a done deal.  We’re just looking around.  I may not even be funny in the suburbs. I just don’t know.

But let me thank my brilliant, longtime friend Margo who advised me not to name this blog, “The Manhattan Mama Diaries.” I told her I’d be in New York City FOREVER. She said, you never know. That girl is quite a visionary.

Our potential dash to the suburbs is being spurred on by several defining moments.

We have been turned off by the New York City private school application process. At one required “playdate,” the Director of Admissions was just grilling my shy girl Dylan in this really chipper, friendly, relentless way.

So do you have a dog? Did you eat breakfast today? What’s your favorite food? What’s your favorite color? Can you make a snow man out of playdough? Can you count these little plastic bears?

Man, even I was starting to have heart palpitations.

I finally turned to the Director of Admissions and said, “She’s only 4. This is too intense. We’re going to leave.”

Which is a polite way to say…. Get someone else to count your stupid, crappy plastic bears.

And then there was this recent bitter cold, rainy day where I could barely hang on to my umbrella in the crazy gusts of wind, as I tried to maneuver my double stroller through the narrow streets of the west village.

All freakin’ day long.

And then another afternoon, Rick took the girls to the Hudson River Park and both Dylan and Summer started scaling the most perfect, climbing tree.

Until Rick was notified that it’s a $1,000 fine for climbing trees.

Per child.

Kids should be able to climb trees, right?

So that’s how we ended up somewhere in Larchmont, NY on a Saturday morning.

The town was charming and lovely, with vibrant leaves falling so eloquently, so perfectly - that we started wondering if we’d somehow been transported to an elaborate movie set. But I think it was actually real because I never saw any craft service spreads.

And then another weekend, we found ourselves meandering around Montclair, NJ.

And Dylan, who has a real passion for New York City payphones, seemed to really like the Montclair ones too.

And they must have less germs, don’t you think?

But for now, the suburban payphones and the climbing trees will have to wait.

Dylan is still a city kid.

Enjoying a perfect, glorious fall day here in Manhattan.

mama bird notes:

Don’t forget to enter our Psychobaby giveaway this week. We are giving away the Ugly Dolls Babo’s Bird and the Hey Ugly Icebat Journal. To enter, just leave a comment on the mama bird diaries and mention the word UGLY. Good luck mama birds.


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