Win a taste of Brooklyn–a great gift for any occasion!
May 8, 2012 Contest/Giveaway
This giveaway has closed. Congratulations to the winner, Jodi F.
I love it when someone I know starts something great! My friend Dara started a company called With Love from Brooklyn that curates items and collections from Brooklyn artisans, so that you can have the best our borough has to offer shipped right to you at an affordable price.
Or even better, this is an easy way to send someone a thoughtful gift! I just ordered these gorgeous tea towels as a hostess gift for a party I’m going to. And I love that I know the artist who designed these towels, too. But if you don’t have a Brooklyn connection, you can get to know the artisans.
I had the opportunity to curate one of the collections on the site, and it’s really beautiful (if I do say so myself). Just think of how happy the mom in your life would be to receive these goodies from Brooklyn – three tasty treats and a gorgeous tea towel.
Whether you’re buying for a relative, friend or a client, these gift collections are unique and charming. Plus, you get the added benefit of supporting local artisans who put love into all they do.
The Giveaway
Although this won’t get to the winner in time for Mother’s Day, the Treat Yo’ Mom collection is a great gift for any occasion. Or, just selfishly keep it all to yourself – you know I support that! To win simply tell me in the comments who in your life would appreciate a taste of Brooklyn. (You must leave a comment answering this question before you can take advantage of the second mode of entry below.)
For a second entry, you can tweet about the contest with a link back to this post. The tweet must contain “@SelfishMom” (but should not start with it). Or, you can just copy and paste this:
Want to win the Treat Yo’ Mom gift collection from @withlovefrombk? Stop by @SelfishMom’s site and enter! http://slf.sh/JblxN7
Make sure to leave a second comment with a link to your tweet, or it won’t count (instructions on how to find and post the url of your tweet can be found here).
That’s two entries per household, please. You must be at least 18 years of age to enter, and must live in the continental US.
This contest will close at noon-ish on Saturday, May 12th. The winner will be chosen by random.org. See my complete Giveaway Rules page for more information.
Good luck!
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 9. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
Tags: Brooklyn, gifts, Mother's Day
I sort-of can’t believe this is my house
Mar 9, 2012 What's Going On
When I last wrote about my house we had finally, after five years, started renovating the last unused floor, the second floor (or, in Brooklyn brownstone parlance, the parlour floor). And by “we” I mean “the people we hired,” lest you get the mistaken impression that we can do anything more complicated than hanging up pictures.
Well, it’s almost done. The three rooms themselves are pretty much done. There’s still a lot of work to come in the hallway, and a couple of minor things we’ll have to take care of at some point in the rooms, but for the purposes of arranging furniture and decorating, done-a-rooney!
continue reading: I sort-of can’t believe this is... Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Brooklyn, brownstone, renovation
The “face” of winter
Jan 21, 2012 Posted From My Phone
Originally posted on Selfish Mom, from Amy’s cell phone (so please excuse any weird formatting). All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 0. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
Halloween craziness
Oct 31, 2011 Around NYC
So to say my neighborhood gets into the Halloween spirit would be a bit of an understatement. It goes crazy. There are several streets that get closed down. There are live shows. There are insane numbers of people. It’s quite impressive.
We actually live on the outskirts of the neighborhood now, where there aren’t as many trick-or-treaters. So you get about three times as much candy per house. We set out with Jake and Fiona, whose lame mother obviously bought their costumes in a store. Which of course, to my kids, is a win.
I’m happy to say we weren’t the only ones using McDonald’s Happy Meal buckets to hold the candy. Although The Ass forbid me from pointing the other people out after the first one.
This guy scared the crap out of my neighbor. He sits there on his steps blending in with the decorations until you come close. He got my kids good a couple years ago.
Now, this house looks pretty normal, until you look in the window…
It’s not easy to see in a picture taken from the sidewalk, but the pictures in the living room look like something out of the Haunted Mansion at Disney World. I can only hope they did that for Halloween, and they’re not the kinds of weirdoes who sleep in caskets or something.
And, well, the less said about this window, the better.
Many houses went a more traditional, but still impressive, route:
This is our old building. It’s like it was built with Halloween in mind.
This house is nuts. The owners put on a huge production every year.
Heh.
I don’t know what this is.
This house had a boxing ring set up, with people in costumes dancing in it. I’m not really sure what was going on. And since they weren’t giving out candy, the kids didn’t want to stick around and find out.
And this band was actually good!
After the trick-or-treating comes the sorting…
And the trading…
And for Fiona, even more sorting.
Happy Halloween!
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 0. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
Do you need a car in NYC?
Oct 14, 2011 Around NYC
Another one of my posts just went up on the RealDirect website, about whether or not it’s practical and worth it to keep a car in Brooklyn. I still don’t know what I would have decided if we were moving to Brooklyn today, with HopStop and Zipcar and Fresh Direct and other conveniences here to help out the car-less. I do think that it’s a luxury in most parts of Brooklyn, but I like luxuries. :-)
I also just discovered RealDirect’s referral program, which is awesomely simple: you get your own link that you can share on twitter, facebook, your blog, etc. When someone uses your link to sign up for their monthly recurring owner managed service, you both get a $50 gift card. I like programs that are that simple.
Naturally, I generated my own referral link. Please use it if you sign up for the service, and we’ll both make a little money!
So check RealDirect out, especially if you’re looking to buy or sell in Manhattan or Brooklyn. You could same yourself some serious cash.
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has Compensation Levels of 8 & 15. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
Tags: Brooklyn, cars, real estate
Hurricane Irene, with the benefit of hindsight
Aug 29, 2011 Around NYC
I spent Saturday getting ready for Hurricane Irene’s impending arrival in NYC. I thought I was well-stocked, but then woke up to realize I was out of turtle food. Not wanting the turtles to escape their tank and try to eat the cat, I decided to go out before the weather got too bad.
It was a weird scene. My first stop was a little food shop specializing in local meat, cheese and bread. The line was long, the bread was gone, and it took a really long time to get some cheese (some three-year cheddar and a yummy blue, if you’re interested). These were not exactly essentials, but you know, since I was out I might as well. Besides, if they lost power I’d be doing them a service by reducing their inventory.
I was about to pay when I noticed one lone croissant in the display case, and snatched it up, promising myself I would have egg salad on Sunday whether I had power or not. I was still vacillating between taking this all very seriously, and treating it like an excuse to lay around and eat. After all, my family was out of town – hurricane or no, I wanted to relax.
Next was the grocery store, which was packed. Some people were buying things like canned soup and bottled water, others were looking for ingredients to make hurricanes. Most people seemed to be treating it as an excuse to hole up and spend time with friends. Nobody really seemed worried. Everyone was being very polite. But the fact that we were all there meant something. We were all getting ready, in our own ways.
Despite having a house full of food, I picked up some more snacks and desserts, along with more bottled water and the turtle food. I had driven the few blocks to the store because the skies looked scary, and sure enough, by the time I got out of the store the skies had opened up, and I got drenched just getting back to the car. It was starting.
My husband had already brought most of the furniture in from the backyard before he left for Florida with the kids early Saturday morning, but I went out and brought in a few small things he had missed. I went through the house and made sure all of the windows were closed. I checked my readiness list one more time, and stuck 
a few more snacks into my go bag. Things were looking good. I’d done all I could. Now there was just the waiting, and the Weather Channel. And a lot of snarky tweeting.
The rain came down hard, and it was windy, but I’d seen worse. Just last year a tornado touched down on our block – that had been the scariest thing I’d ever been through. So when the tornado warnings started for Brooklyn and Queens, that’s when I started to get anxious. I stayed up all night, ready to go to our gross basement if necessary. I was going to stay up until the warnings expired at 5am, but then they were extended until 11am and I gave up – I was exhausted.
At about 9am, I woke to sunshine! Was it over? Everything looked good. No flooding, no downed trees that I could see. The only damage I could find was to my tomato plants, which had taken a beating – the metal stakes holding them upright had bent completely over. But that was it. I breathed a sigh of relief. I’d seen real hurricane damage when I lived in North Carolina, and knew that we had gotten very lucky.
I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when people in NYC started complaining that all of the evacuations and shutdowns had been for nothing. We’re self-centered. If our block, our house, is OK, then why the hell were we all worried, right? Forget the dire projections from the various weather forecasting models. Forget about the deaths and destruction in the states to the south before the hurricane even got to us. We were inconvenienced, dammit!
My little corner of Brooklyn was spared serious damage. There are some downed trees in my neighborhood, that’s it. It’s something to be grateful for, but instead I sense disappointment from a lot of people. We went through all that trouble preparing, and we got cheated! Bloomberg overreacted! Irene was a dud.
Someone I know posted this and tweeted this:
And I read about the child who had died when a tree fell onto his apartment. And the teen who died when the car she was in hit another car, because the storm had knocked out the traffic light. And the dad who died after pushing his son out of the way of a falling tree. And the man who was electrocuted to death trying to help a boy who had gone into a flooded area with downed wires (the boy is in serious condition). And a bunch of others. And the death toll is sure to climb once Vermont can figure out how many people died there in massive flooding. Plus, about four million people have no electricity.
So yes, New York over-prepared. But we’re supposed to be glad that it turned out to be for nothing. There are a lot of people who would love to trade places with us right now.
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 0. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
Tags: #hurricaneageddon, Brooklyn, weather
NOW I’m stocked #hurricaneageddon
Aug 27, 2011 Posted From My Phone
Originally posted on Selfish Mom, from Amy’s cell phone (so please excuse any weird formatting). All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 0. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
Tags: #hurricaneageddon, Brooklyn, Shopping
Hurricane prep, Brooklyn style
Aug 26, 2011 Around NYC
So my family was supposed to leave tomorrow at 1:30pm for Florida. I need them out. I’ve been looking forward to having the house to myself for a little while. I want them gone. But for the first time since 1821 (according to my quick and not-at-all thorough research), a hurricane is on track to make a direct hit on NYC. There have been many that traveled near us, making for a huge rain storm and lots of damage, but a direct hit is something nobody has experienced here for almost two centuries. Making things a little worse, Hurricane Irene is slated to hit during high tide (the 1821 ‘cane hit during low tide).
I switched their flight to the first one of the day, 6am. We have to leave the house at 3:45am. It will be worth it.
I’ll be riding the storm out in my fragile old brownstone. As my neighbor keeps helpfully reminding me (as recently as a few days ago after the earthquake), our houses were built just a few years before modern brick mortar was invented. To hear him tell it, the house may just crumble in a strong wind. Lovely.
At first I thought there wasn’t much I needed to do, but then Mayor Bloomberg got on TV today and scared the shit out of everybody. He put into effect the very first mandatory evacuation order in NYC history, for places like The Rockaways, Coney Island, and Battery Park City (about 250,000 people in all). The entire MTA system – subways, buses, and commuter trains – are all shutting down at noon on Saturday. They’ve been working hard cleaning storm drains. They’re taking this very seriously.
Luckily I’m not in an evacuation zone (we’re nine or ten blocks from the East River), but I do need to do some things to prepare. (You can find out if you’re in an evacuation zone here.)
I asked my sister Cara for advice, since she lives on St. Thomas and deals with this kind of stuff all the time. But it turns out preparing for a hurricane in the Caribbean is not the same as in the Northeast. Down there, they have to make sure they have gas for the generator (I don’t know anyone in Brooklyn with a generator). Plus, they need to stockpile enough water for each person in the house to bathe and drink and flush the toilet for seven days! When the electricity goes out, so do the water pumps. That really sucks. Thank goodness I shouldn’t have to deal with that.
She did have some relevant advice though:
- Stay away from windows.
- Stay away from the ocean (“There are always a few idiots who try to go to the beach or even worse surf during the storms…they usually disappear without a trace.”)
- Track the storm on this site, which has great tracking maps and satellite pictures: http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/
So what will I be doing to prepare? I’m running on the assumption that I will lose power.
- I’m freezing large zipper bags of water. The more tightly-packed your freezer, the longer the items will stay frozen, so I’m filling all of the empty spaces with ice.
- I’m unplugging everything that I don’t need, including everything in the basement. If the power goes out, this will help avoid a surge when it comes back on. Plus, if the basement floods, better that things aren’t plugged in.
- I’m charging everything I own. Between all the laptops and cell phones I could probably go several days without losing computer and internet (assuming I can still use my phone-based portable Wi-Fi).
- I’m gathering batteries and flashlights and checking them. This sounds obvious, but honestly, I don’t know where they are right now. Better to find them and get them ready before the lights go out.
- I’m bringing in everything I can from outside. One of the biggest dangers during a hurricane is that everything not nailed down can become a dangerous projectile. Chairs, smaller tables, grill, garden tools, lawnmower, it’s all coming in.
- I’m asking my neighbor where my gas shut-off valve is. It’s embarrassing, but even though I’ve been in my house for five years, I have no idea how to shut off the gas. Patrick, expect a call.
- I’m making sure I have enough to drink. Between bottled water and Diet Dr Pepper, I’ll be OK for a while.
- I’m making sure I have some cash. I hate using cash, but if the power goes out the stores that are open won’t be able to use their credit card machines, and I won’t have access to ATMs.
- I’m gassing up the car. I’ve only been through one hurricane. I didn’t bother to get gas beforehand. I had to wait in line three hours a few days later to get some. It sucked ass.
- I’m closing and locking all of the shutters. If a window does break in the wind, hopefully the shutters will keep the glass from flying everywhere.
- I’m making sure all of the gutters and drains are clear. Oh how I hate going up on the roof. But I’ll hate it even more if water pools up there and the roof caves in.
- I’m washing all the clothes I can now. It would absolutely suck to lose power with the giant mounds of laundry I have all over.
- I’m making sure that all computers are backed up. In case they get damaged, at least my info and work will be safe.
- I’m filling the bathtub with water. I’ll do this before I go to bed on Saturday. If nothing else, I want to be able to flush my toilet.
- I’m changing the batteries in my smoke/CO alarms. They’re all hardwired, but if we lose power they can run for quite a while on batteries, as long as the batteries aren’t almost dead.
- I’m plugging in my corded phone. The kids don’t understand what it is. But if cell service and electricity go out, it will come in handy. Plus the curly cord makes me nostalgic.
- (UPDATE) I went to the basement and brought up the sump pump. I don’t care if the basement floods, but I am worried about the storm drains getting overwhelmed and water running into our ground floor, which is a couple feet below sidewalk level.
- I grabbed the cat carrier. If I have to leave suddenly, the turtles will probably be on their own, but I will try to grab the cat. And I don’t want to have to carry her with my stuff through the rain. She’d tear me to shreds.
And here are a few things to remember after the storm:
- DO NOT use portable stoves or generators inside. It seems like common sense, but every single snowstorm and power outage, somebody fires up a camping stove or something similar inside, and dies from carbon monoxide poisoning.
- DO NOT wander around outside taking pictures of the damage. Power lines could be down. Damaged trees could still fall. Just stay inside.
- DO NOT drive where there is any water present. It only takes a few inches of water to sweep a car away. A lot of people die driving through water they don’t think is deep enough to hurt them.
Good luck everybody!
UPDATE: Reader suggestions of things I missed! Have anything to add?
From @MathMarshall: Gather all your photos and put them in gallon zip-lock bags on the highest floor of your home.
From reader Marcy Brown: Turn your refrigerator on the coldest setting. Have a cooler and ice ready that you can keep a few perishables in for a few days; that way you don’t have to open the fridge at all. Duct tape the fridge shut to remind yourself not to open it and to also keep the kids out.
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 0. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
Tags: Brooklyn, brownstone, Hurricane Irene, weather
