BCM - How did your life change when you became a mom?:

Tobi - It changed in so many ways. Outside of the obvious sleeplessness and excitement about poop, it was like all of these things came alive in me that I didnt even know existed. The amount of patience especially that I didnt know I had and somehow exude on a daily basis.  I think it changed the most emotionally though.  I find myself overflowing with love and with pride at times, even at the tiniest moments.  I can be at a class with my 2 year old son and maybe they starting singing a song from my childhood and he is smiling, clapping and chiming in and I find myself overwhelmed with this incredible emotion and feeling of WOW, I am so lucky and proud to be here with my own little guy.

BCM - What has been your most memorable moment(s) as a mom?

Tobi - So many, almost too many to count! But most recently, my 5 month old daughter was sitting in her jumperoo in the living room, and I was in the kitchen. I walked into the other room to find my son standing over my daughter, hugging and kissing her saying "I love her!!! I love her!!" It was priceless.  I also get all warm and fuzzy every time my son approaches my daughter and her face lights up.  To see the love between them, it makes me want to burst! 

BCM - What has been the biggest challenge for you in motherhood?

Tobi -Balancing the rest of my life, letting things go, and delegating.  I am an extremely hands on person in all that I do, so one of the biggest challenges for me is accepting there aren't enough hours in the day sometimes and it's ok to delegate things to others, even taking care of your kids.  For a long time I always had to be the one who did everything with and for my kids and it had to be done a specific way.  It was really hard to let that go and accept that others doing things for you with the same results but different steps to get there is ok too.  Also, making time alone for just my husband as me has gone to nearly impossible.  It's so hard to find time as a couple and connect without the kids.  We try to get out alone once a week ideally, or at least twice a month.  We also try and not talk about the kids, which based on the hilarious things that come out of my son's mouth at times, is a challenge in itself.  It's so important to hold on to a piece of yourselves as a couple pre-babies, just as it's so important to hold on to a piece of yourself pre-couple!

BCM - What inspired you to start your company Tknits?

Tobi -- The second I learned how to knit I became an avid knitter. Hats, scarves, ponchos, you name it.  At the time I was an agent at a big modeling agency.  A bunch of the models started asking me where I got my hats.  Upon telling them I made them the orders started coming in. That is when I really first created t.knits and started selling them as custom orders.  As life so often gets in the way, jobs change, and then the family came along, it kind of got shelved.  Then, when my son was born, his first winter I began making hats for him and somehow was inspired to sew a patch on with his first initial.  A bunch of moms then started asking me where I got his hats.  From that moment t.knits was re-born and has been growing ever since. I love having a hobby that turned into a business.  I thrive on creativity and worked in the fashion industry for years.  It is fun being able to create fun fashions for my own kids and get to see other peoples kids wearing and enjoying them too! I actually am in the process of launching organic cotton ones for newborns and infants.

BCM - In addition to being a stay at home/work at home mom - you recently started a blog - can you tell us about it? 

Tobi - I recently was offered to write a weekly column in a local online paper, The Patch.  They were looking for something parent/child related.  I made the dreaded move out of the city to the suburbs of Westchester earlier this year and had really been struggling with adjusting, as well as the usual struggles of new moms, sleeplessness, tantrums, etc.  I felt so alone. After having been in the city for almost  2 decades,  all of my routines, core friends, kids activities were like second nature to me and so close to home.  I knew I wasn't the first or the last mom to leave the city (or any city) for a neighboring suburb so I used the column as an opportunity to talk about all the things I was going through, my struggles, my discoveries and adjustments.  The feedback that started pouring in from people who could relate, and appreciate all I was going thru was tremendous.  Plus, I had always had all of these ideas to one day start writing about that I constantly scribbled down here and there and put aside.  With this opportunity all of those ideas and dozens more just started pouring out of me.  It is really gratifying to be doing something you always knew and thought you could do and have people be interested, responsive and wanting to read more.  It is the best feeling and so incredibly rewarding.

There are so many amazing mom websites and blogs out there but I felt like this was a niche that was somewhat lacking. I am hoping to fill that void with The Urban Suburban Mom.  The Urban Suburban Mom is me, it's you, it's your neighbor.  There is Urban-ness and Suburban-ness in all of us.  It's all about having both, living both and being happy.  Plus there are a lot of misconceptions and debates about urban vs suburban and I hope to be abel to tap into a lot of that and show it doesn't have to be one versus the other.  I started the blog to expand on the column and do a few more fun things with it.  It's exciting when someone tells me they love it and read it weekly.  www.theurbansuburbanmom.blogspot.com

BCM - What types of activities do you like to do with your kids? 

Tobi -My son is an animal fanatic and before he even had actual words, he knew almost every single animal sound.  He would, moo, bark, meow, roar, he could even do a whale's sound.  So anything the involves animals for us is a hit. Petting Zoos, Farms, Nature Centers.  My husband and I actually took a drive earlier this summer to the Safari in NJ (yes, Safari in NJ...not a typo!) that is part of Six-Flags.  It is really incredible.  Rhinos walking right next to the car, giraffes, elephants, zebras, ostrich, lions, bears.  I thought his head was going to burst from so much excitement.  I have to be honest, almost anywhere we go on a daily basis is a blast.  My daughter is 5 months old and completely in that mezmerized by anything she sees stage, and my son is super verbal, so he is into talking like crazy and repeating anything and everything you say or explain to him.  A trip to the grocery store usually has other shoppers hysterical laughing as we make our way up and down the aisle talking excitedly about something as mundane as a jar of pickles.  A big staple for us since my son was born has been Rockin with Andy.  He loves singing and dancing, and of course Old MacDonald & We are the Dinosaurs.  I wrangled up a group out in the burbs and Andy comes out once a week. It's been amazing to see my daughters reaction too, the smiles are out of control. 

BCM - What is the best parenting advice that you have received?

Tobi -To trust my gut.  It is so easy to second guess yourself in general, let alone being a parent.  But they call it maternal instincts for a reason.  I feel so connected to both of my kids that it's easy to sometimes think I am overreacting or misreading a situation. But for the most part I have to say every time I have trusted my gut I have been right.  From illness setting in to behavioral stuff, I try to always go with what feels right.  My mom also always told me when my son was born, what worked for me and was right for me, would work for him and would be right for him. And so as the saying goes: Mother Knows Best! She was 100% right.  It's so easy to get wrapped up in what everyone else is doing as a parent and what their kids are doing.  You are you and your kid is on his own perfect track! Dont let other's early milestones or issues derail you!  It's so hard not to compare and contrast, but the more you do the more it throws a curve ball from what works best for you.

BCM - What has been your favorite Big City Moms event to date?

Tobi - I would have to say it's a tie between the Baby Shower and the expectant mom dinners. The Baby Shower is an event that reaches so many women and the energy you feel when you are there is incredible. Plus the constant arrival of new products to market and accessories is unbelievable.  I feel like I always want to be an expecting mom when I am there!  The expectant mom dinners were so great for me when I was pregnant with my son.

There is only so much you can get from your OB, birthing classes, and friends who already have kids.  It was amazing to be with so many women due within a few months of you.  Plus the what to expect and how to prepare at delivery was beyond invaluable as well as learning what to register for.  Was so helpful to hear about all these things, especially from so many experts, since that was what overwhelmed me the most.