NYC Moms

The New and Improved Tooth Fairy

My daughter lost her first tooth today. This was particularly momentous for her because she was, as she put it, "the very, very last person in my whole class and the whole first grade to lose a tooth!"

This afternoon, as the tooth hung tenuously on, she explained to me what would happen tonight when the Tooth Fairy arrived. For those of you who last knew the Tooth Fairy in the 1970s and '80s, let me tell you she has changed a lot since those simpler times.

For instance, did you know that the Tooth Fairy is no longer an individual practitioner? That's right, the Tooth Fairy of today is a member of the Tooth Fairy Collective, and you never know which Tooth Fairy will visit you. For one tooth, you might get a quarter. For another, a book. And sometimes, you get the Tooth Fairy who leaves a piece of gum or candy, even though that doesn't really make sense since you'd think the Tooth Fairy would be all about dental health, working in the industry as she does.

It's Moving Day Again

Oh, my poor kids. We're moving again. And not for any good reason like a job transfer, or to be closer to family, or something exotic like going abroad or trying our luck in a new city. No, nothing that life changing.

This will be our third move in six years, all within twenty miles of New York City. Our initial move came a few months after the birth of our first child. We were living in a great apartment on 79th and Broadway, that had one minor problem - it was a fourth floor walk-up. Our neighbors upstairs on the fifth floor assured me that our fourth floor walk-up would be "something you won't ever think about, you won't even notice it."

Believe me, I noticed it. And it was all I ever thought about. As soon as we could, me moved to an elevator building on 92nd and Riverside. A year later, we had another baby and we were all as happy as could be in our new apartment. In addition to the elevator, we had fantastic neighbors, lots of storage, and perhaps most importantly for parents of small children, an eat-in kitchen. We also were right across the street from Riverside Park and the gem of a playground that is Hippo Park. It was all perfect.

And then... it was time for our oldest to start Kindergarten.

To Tweet or not to Tweet

Ah, the question of our age - to tweet or not to tweet? I am not a member of the Twitterverse, and had never planned to be one.  But recently, I am reconsidering.

I have good reasons for standing - firmly - in the "no" camp when it comes to Twitter. I work. I have kids. I have friends I like to phone and even occasionally go out with from time to time. I have a husband, and while I'll admit we have been know to IM each other even when we're in the same room, it would be nice if we spent some time talking and not pecking away at a keyboard.

Yes, I realize if I ever find myself stuck in a foreign jail Twitter will be really handy. And yes, I also realize I could use Twitter to enter nifty contests and win stuff, send my whereabouts at any given moment to all of my Facebook friends, and even find out the thoughts of celebrities in real time instead of waiting for Perez Hilton to post them to his site for me to read.  But all this aside, I can't help wondering, can't there be too much of a good (online) thing?