59 Comments
Oct 4, 2022Liked by Ilana Wiles

Just here to say that your story sounds like a Hallmark movie! Busy city mom falls in love with a toy store and decides to buy it so that it doesn't go out of business. Cue snow fall, romance, and dreams coming true! As a side note, I love reading your family's stories and you asked the order for which we'd like updates. To be honest, as a mom with hectic work/life balance it's nice to see random updates in no particular order. I have a host of different parents I follow and each mom's story and journey makes me feel like a part of it all/helps normalize it all. Hope this helps and congratulations!!

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Not sure if you're willing to discuss, and it's very understandable if not, but what happened between you and the other party planner?

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I have been a reader since you were on baby sideburns a million years ago. I also have 2 kids a little younger then m&h. I would love to hear more about school applications for high school. And not to be nosey at all, but a friend break up is hard and I would hugely benefit hearing how to work through that. If you can even vaguely share. 🥰

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Sending hugs and a reminder to you, Mike, and Mazzy that you are interviewing the school just as much as they are interviewing you. We went through the whole high school application process last year (New England private/boarding schools instead of NYC schools, but I'm guessing similar vibe) and it is so easy to get caught up in the competitiveness of it all. Take a breath and look for the right fit and don't worry about which school is the hardest to get into/highest ranked/most prestigious/whatever.

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founding

My biggest "pearl" here is to remind Mazzy (and yourself and Mike, too) that even though teachers are asking a lot of her, you're asking a lot of her, schools are asking a lot of her, and she's asking a lot of herself that it's for a finite period of time and then she'll get to take a breath. Please try to enjoy the process, it's really interesting what you'll learn about Mazzy that you didn't know before. Especially when you're eavesdropping on her interviews (shhh, I didn't do that with Ava, wink wink)! Always here for any help if you need it, as is Ava. xx

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A good kind of busy! I’ve been busy but it’s all trying to be an advocate for my son at school. Our district in NJ is not great and so I think we are going to have to move. I’m looking forward to moving but it’s just a hassle and why do I have to move because these teachers don’t want to help my son? He has an IEP and they still don’t follow it. My anxiety is just getting debilitating about his school experience.

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Sending lots of love. It’s conference season at work, doing my MPH, kids have rugby training twice a week and a game once a week and husband is running a marathon and we have to go straight from there to the school fall festival and my parents are coming for thanksgiving so I need to clean out a room for them to sleep in and should I do that before or after my biostatistics midterm? Someone always needs antibiotics for something (strep! Pink eye! Some weird skin infection!) and every single thing any kid does has picture day this week. There’s sleepovers and birthday party planning and I think the dog needs vaccines and it never stops. Maybe it’s not cool to talk about how busy we are, but damn, we are all busy. I’m always relieved it’s not just me! Hearing how other people manage all of this would be so helpful.

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Wow! You are busy! Even with all of it being wonderful, I can appreciate the stress of it all.

I am definitely curious about how you are juggling your "day job", parenting, and now this new venture. My hubby and I are talking about my making a change and just the idea of it literally makes my anxiety go through the roof.

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Holy moly, Ilana, I’m sending all the good vibes and any good planning and stress managing abilities you need to have to you and yours.

1, 3, 5, 4, 2 for me! So excited for Mazzy and her Bat Mitzvah and this special, even if stressful, time in your lives. I’m also so excited for Mike’s birthday. I’m such a foodie so I’m super curious what his birthday dinner will be!

A toy store! I don’t know why but Harlow just seems to me like she might be an incredible toy store owner. She’s just got that magical quality that a toy store needs. You know how in Home Alone 2 the toy store there always has that special sound when the owner is around? She has that sound when I read about her. Like magic and fun!

I’ve been trying to convince my husband to move to New Zealand and so that’s down my list of interests because he’s not being swayed. He wants Texas and I want a whole new place. Insert upside down emoji here.

I grew up a midwesterner so I can not at all relate to the NYC high school applications. I hope Mazzy is able to get into the school that is right for her and that this becomes one of those- it actually wasn’t that bad looking back at it moments. :) Where I live there’s only one high school!

I’m super nosy, I read some of the comments regarding your friendship dissolving with someone. I think it may have been during my Instagram/Fb deleting timeframe that it happened because I know nothing. However, during the pandemic a friend and I, who I had known since high school had a gradual end of friendship. Actually I was the one who kind of made excuses every time she asked to get together until she just completely stopped. For a while I felt super guilty but I know I had to do it, she was really taking advantage of me and my time and became quite passive aggressive to my oldest Son. She actually was a helper for one of his classrooms and would consistently complain about him misbehaving and being a nuisance when we would get together, which was super out of character for my son, but I had no reason to not believe her. Long story short, I got worried about him misbehaving in class and made a meeting with his teacher where she let me know that all the things I was worried about were not happening and that kind of sealed the deal for me. So I’m betting I can empathize and sympathize with you over the end of a friendship. It stinks. I didn’t expect that at all and it’s kind of more sucky than a breakup with any ex boyfriends. So maybe a newsletter regarding ends of friendships? Not detailing yours specifically but how you’re healing? Or if any other people have stories about it. Im willing to bet it’s more common than we think.

Sheesh, pardon my small novella. All good wishes for the entire Wiles fam and all of their upcoming events!

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Planning for my kiddo's bar mitzvah in May - other than the montage, anything you wish you started thinking about earlier than we can knock out now?!

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Missed your life updates but saw how much fun you guys are having in New Zealand on IG (been wanting to try that Fernberger - is it a 10/10??)

Would love to read more from you and from the rest re ipad/iPhone use for kids 7yrs old. I need some consistency as I traverse between ultra strict no iPad days to “fine just let me finish my work” days.

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October takes me down every year despite my best efforts to prepare as a mom of 3 big kids/tweens. I seriously think the busy Fall season is what brought me to sobriety 3 years ago when my life seemed so unmanageable. Great updates!

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yes, life is very very hectically busy these days.

If u have time, just go through this dear.

https://substack.com/inbox/post/74869333

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I went through the high school application process with my daughter last school year. Thank goodness for me that she wants to major in art and the school that accepted her didn't ask for art samples from there students. She loves her school but every time I look at her I can't believe I have a high school teenager. We're in The Bronx and unfortunately I have to worry about school shootings after school and misdirected gang violence. But so far , she's happy and thriving. Now I need to figure out what to do with myself while she's at school and my fiancee is at work. Sure, my 3yo and my dog keep me busy, but I'm trying to find a "me thing, you know what I mean? Good luck with the Bat Mitvah and school applications!

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founding

Frankly, all of that sounds exhausting but especially the school application process.

My husband also turns 50 soon so I would actually love to hear more about Mike’s party. Unfortunately I’m not friends with a fancy chef but could do with some inspiration.

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I just have to say that I am so thankful that where I live we just send our kids to the public high school we are assigned to based on our address. There is a private Catholic high school that is an option, but most of us just send our kids to public school.

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