Sandy Hook, Always In Our Thoughts

December 20, 2012 By 1 Comment
Sandy Hook Elementary School

Last Friday morning when I put my kids on the bus to go to school, we were rushing. No one was ready as the bus pulled down the block and there was a lot of yelling - "Get your jacket,", "Do you have your lunch?", "Stop hitting each other", "I don't want to wear a jacket, ", "You have to wear a jacket, it is freezing," - all of the things we go through every morning and last Friday morning was no different. Never in a million years did I think when I sent my kids to school that there was a … [Read more...]

Is there a day care stigma?

September 13, 2012 By 2 Comments
fallmomandson150

Many new parents on Long Island face the tough task of selecting childcare for their children. For most of us, our choices consist of three options: hire a nanny, enroll at a daycare center, or have a family member provide the care. All have their own benefits and drawbacks, and sometimes the decision simply comes down to what we can afford and what’s available. I went back to work as a teacher when my son was nine months old. My husband and I decided that with our schedules (and my … [Read more...]

First Day of School Traditions – What’s Yours?

September 4, 2012 By 2 Comments
first day of school picture 2008

Our family is not huge on traditions, but we do have a few. Our first day of school tradition is that we take a few pictures of the kids, and in at least one picture, each kid holds a sign that says what grade they are going into and the date. It's amazing to look back at these pictures and see how much they have grown up! The look on my daughter's face in the first picture cracks me up! And yes, I know that one year I forgot the sign and the next year we didn't get a picture of them … [Read more...]

Camp Talk: Go With A Friend?

August 15, 2012 By 1 Comment
FamilyBowling

When my son was little, he went to day camp with a bunch of his friends - they went in like a pack. As they got older and many made the transition to sleep-away camp, the decision making took a different turn - many parents want their kids to go to sleep-away camp and make new friends and so they happily base their decision more on their own kid than where the kids can go in a pack. Marla Leader, Director of the Long Island "The Camp Experts and Teen Summers", gave us some insight on this … [Read more...]

7 Summer Reading Programs That Will Make Your Kids Love Books

May 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
summer reading programs for kids 2012

In about a month, school will be out and kids will be all about the summer - playing outside, eating ice cream and no classes or homework.  Reading is something that kids should keep up all year and enjoy it, and as parents we should encourage them reading all year round so they do not only associate it with school. There are many summer reading programs around Long Island that will reward kids and give them incentives to read all summer long! Check with your local libraries in both Nassau … [Read more...]

New York State Tests…from a Mom’s point of view

May 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
New York State Assessment Exams for kids

Thanks to the New York State Assessment Exams, the past two weeks have been quite stressful for me as a parent of a 7th grader and a 3rd grader. Blame it on me being a nervous mother or flashbacks of my own test anxieties, but I found myself doing Pepto-Bismol shots each morning. I know that both of my kids were prepared well for the New York State tests - both the ELA's and Math Assessments. For awhile, it seemed like all they did was take practice tests. The morning of the tests (day 1 of … [Read more...]

I Learned About Healthy Eating From McDonald’s

April 6, 2012 By 1 Comment

On most afternoons around 4pm, I am able to momentarily come out of my work haze and realize that pretty soon, my family is going to need to eat dinner. I then panic because I also realize that although the last time I went to the supermarket I loaded up on all different kids of meats, these meats are sitting in my freezer, hard as a rock, because I forgot to plan ahead and defrost something. At this point, I usually opt to make something for the kids that doesn't need to be defrosted, like … [Read more...]

A 9 Year Old’s View: Why It’s Better To Be A Grown-Up Than A Kid

March 27, 2012 By 2 Comments
IMG_3306

My afternoon was probably not unlike yours - within 25 minutes, I dropped my son off at his guitar lesson, ran to pick my daughter up from a friend and ran back to pick up my son. When we were finally on our way home, we were talking about all of the things they needed to do before bed - finish homework, unpack backpacks, take showers - when my (almost) 6 year old daughter said, "I wish I was a baby again." My curiosity piqued, I had to ask why. Her reason was simple - because babies do not have … [Read more...]

Choosing a Dance Studio for Kids

March 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
dance schools on Long Island

by Mary Naftal, Artistic Director, Dance Connection There are many dance schools on Long Island that it's easy to get confused when making a choice. Most offer a qualified teaching staff and a year-end performance, so what makes one better than another? The question is, how do you know what to look for when choosing a dance studio for kids? In the end, does it really matter where you decide to enroll? The answer to that question is a big, giant YES! Not all dance schools for kids are equal. … [Read more...]

Mommy’s Going Back to Work

March 23, 2012 By 1 Comment

Before I gave birth to our son Nolan last April, my husband Matt and I planned and saved and determined that I could take maternity leave for nine months. At the start of my leave, nine months sounded like forever. I had the summer to look forward to, the back-to-school whirlwind I wouldn’t be a part of, the holidays – it seemed like so much time. And in many ways, it was so much time -  I’m well aware that some women return to work after a few short weeks! That being said, even after … [Read more...]

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