It’s that time of year when our kids come home with tons of artwork from school. What do we do with all that stuff? An old corner entertainment unit with doors has become home to over 10 years’ worth of my children's artwork and school papers. I’m afraid to open the doors as I believe I will be squished by thousands of pieces of construction paper, not to mention the dust mites and spiders that have accumulated. Sound familiar? It all started innocently for me when my girls were toddlers. I didn't have the heart to throw away any of their scribbling or coloring. Then they went to preschool …

So, moms, did you get what you really wanted this year? A cleaning lady? Dinner out? Jewelry? Time to sleep? I did. I slept in, which is one of my favorite things to do and then was greeted with a coffee from Dunkin' Donuts, another one of my favorite things; and a SpongeBob-inspired pineapple filled with fruit salad. SpongeBob is one of my daughter’s favorite things and she came up with the pineapple idea and prepared it all by herself and it was quite tasty. My husband and daughters, my favorite people of all time, also made me a spinach and cheese omelet with bacon and rye toast, more of …

It’s testing season in New Jersey's public schools. Pencils are sharpened, test booklets securely wait to be opened and guidelines are being reviewed as schools gear up for the NJ ASK test. The standardized test will be given to students in grades three through eight over the next couple of weeks if some didn’t already start last week. I’m sure if you have children in the above mentioned grades, you are aware that the ASK is upon us. If you would like additional information regarding testing, check out the State of New Jersey Department of Education website. You will find loads of information…

Not just a day off from school, this Thursday, April 26, is the 20th annual Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day. The event was initially created for girls in 1993 by the Ms. Foundation. The intent was to help increase self-esteem in young girls while exposing them to future career options. Boys joined in on the fun in 2003. For the past 19 years, children all over the country have whistled off to work with a parent or mentor for the day to learn the tricks of their trade. According to the website, Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work, the purpose of the day is to empower children to plan …

Do you ever wonder what it is you are meant to do with your life and if you are doing what it is you are supposed to be doing? I watched an episode of The Middle this week and Mrs. Frankie Heck, the sometimes cranky, often disorganized, and kind of nutty mother has a moment of realization while visiting a new church. A flamboyant preacher speaks about counseling a man on his death bed how he asked the dying man if he got his business done. He turns his attention to Frankie and asks if she is getting her business done. Frankie is so overwhelmed and inspired by the sermon that she becomes …

Spring break is days away. What are you planning? I’ve got some ideas that will keep the kids busy while school is out. Some ‘must dos’ on my family’s list include sleeping in, shopping, movies, and out to dinner! We’re easy to please. Here are some more interesting ideas you might enjoy. Local Holiday Jaunts Stay close and head to the Moorestown Mall for its 8th annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 7, sponsored by 98.1 WOGL. This free event starts at 11 a.m. in the Lord & Taylor Court. Go online for a Bunny Photo Fast Pass; you won’t have to stand in line and wait.  Johnson’s Farm …

I finally gave in last weekend after weeks of my daughter begging me to let her read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Have you heard of it? Or have you been living under a rock?  Maybe you saw the movie this weekend. I’m waiting for the crowds to die down and to finish all three books. Then I will head to the big screen to see the film. Initially, I thought the premise of the book was too violent for my daughter or me to read. I usually cannot stomach violence in movies or books, especially if children are involved. My daughter’s incessant pleading finally got to me, so, I downloaded the …

As a child of the '70s and '80s, I don’t remember many healthy snack options. Powdered iced tea mix, soda and prepackaged salty snacks were the fashionable treats. I had a pack of Dipsy Doodle corn chips and a Diet Coke every day for lunch in high school. Back then, it was rare to see someone munching on carrots, cucumbers or a piece of fruit. I guess salad bars didn’t exist in the “olden days” when I was a kid. If only I knew then what I know now about food. I wouldn't be the mindless potato chip popper I am now! Obviously, I’m not a health nut nor do I think kids should be restricted to …

I’ve been complaining all winter that I don’t have enough time for anything. It gets dark so early and I just want to curl up on the sofa and chill out. Well, it’s March and spring is on its way. Yeah! Daylight Saving Time (DST) gives us one more hour of sunlight in the evening. Who doesn't need that? I’m writing this on Sunday, the first day of DST, after a St. Patrick's Day parade in Philadelphia which was quite cold and lacking in any type of sunshine. I was chilled to the bone. After the chilly but fun parade, I enjoyed the first extra sunny hours of the season at a St. Patrick’s Day …

I was out with some girlfriends this past weekend and our conversation turned to cooking and planning meals and how stressful it can be. We commiserated over the dreaded, “What’s for dinner?” question. We work every day, outside and inside the home. We are tired by dinner time. We all agreed it’s difficult to plan a budget-friendly, healthy meal when we’re juggling 10 balls in the air. Who has a test? Who has basketball practice? Who needs to go to the store to get a birthday present? The juggling act goes on and on. We often drop the ball when it comes to dinner. The witching hour hits and …

Raising motivated readers may be as simple as picking books you and your child will enjoy. I don’t know about you, but books that sparked my interest and held my attention when I was a child are the books I remember today. The books I recall easily made me laugh, touched my heart in some way, or had a unique rhythm or rhyme that stuck with me over the years. Unfortunately, for so many children, reading doesn't come easy. Some kids refuse to read, others read but don’t comprehend, and subsequently struggle in school and on the dreaded standardized tests. All learning is based on reading so a …

A rumored attempted child abduction triggered discussions in school regarding safety this past week. I applaud teachers for discussing this with children as it keeps our kids on their toes and hopefully aware of their surroundings. One of these classroom discussions prompted my 10-year-old to ask me, “Why do people steal kids?” How do I answer that? I didn’t really know what to tell her. I said there are some people who are just not wired right, something bad may have happened to them and they take it out on others, or there may be some people who want kids of their own so they take them. …

Women today have so much on their plates. Life keeps us running ragged. With kids, husbands, work, parents, bills, cooking and cleaning; there is little time to take care of ourselves. Check out the video Elizabeth Banks starred in at Go Red for Women called A Little Heart Attack. It’s comical but quite frightening because it could be any one of us. On Valentine’s Day, we celebrate love and what a better way to show our love than by keeping our hearts healthy and being around longer for our families. I never worried about the health of my heart but now that I’m forty-something, I do feel the …

You’ve heard of Mahjong and Bunko and progressive dinner parties. Well, my husband and his brothers and sisters organized a Happy Hour Club for all of us. Luckily, we all get along, we’re all around the same age, and we all live quite close. Put everyone in a room together and it’s a party. Going out for drinks and appetizers can be very expensive. We have to arrange for a babysitter and someone has to be designated driver. My husband and his sister thought having our own happy hours might be better so my husband devised a plan. He proposed we meet at one house every other Friday or Saturday …

My 10-year-olds made dinner for me and my husband this weekend. They cooked and took our orders as if we were in a restaurant and then served us and cleaned up. Our meal choices included chicken, pasta primavera and spaghetti—with or without sauce. The chicken was a rotisserie chicken breast, warmed up in the oven. I did help them to take it out of the oven and watched in trepidation as my daughter painstakingly tried to carve it. I told her I would finish but she said, “I’ve got to learn, Mom.” So, I let her finish, admiring her determination. When dinner was over, both girls were proud of …

My husband’s cousin, Chrissy, gave a beautiful eulogy for her father that began with the following words, “My father taught me how to make soup.” She compared the making of a good soup to what makes a good life and how it's all about mixing a bunch of ingredients together until you get it right. The longer it cooks and combines, the better it is. A hearty bowl of soup, created by that perfect blend of ingredients, hits the spot on chilly winter nights and brings family together to cook and eat. My friend Mary, who lives in North Wales, PA, has a neighbor, Therese, who hosts an annual Soup-Off…

This time of year often finds me feeling a little weepy and lacking motivation to do anything. My jeans are a bit snug and I’m achy and tired all of the time. Dr. Jennifer Hartstein, a psychologist on CBS's Early Show says it’s normal to feel down when the holiday season is over. "You may feel more depressed or more irritable. You might get headaches. You're fatigued.” She says that the symptoms “mimic depression, but are usually shorter-term." Music, exercise and healthy eating are some of the top ways to chase away the post holiday depression that hits on Jan. 1. I must admit that belting …

I’ve been reading all of Patch’s Year in Review articles and it got me thinking about my year with Patch. My first Mom Around Town article posted last year on Jan. 3, 2011. I wrote about my family’s New Year’s Eve tradition of dinner at Maurizio’s in Cinnaminson. The article was about finding treasures in familiarity, close to home. *By the way, we had dinner at Maurizio's again this year. Maurice, as always,  was a charming host and the lobster ravioli was delicious. Ironically, writing the column was something entirely new and unfamiliar to me. I was super nervous. I wondered if anyone …

On this day after Christmas, here's a little ditty I put together to lighten my mood. If you're anything like me, the day after Christmas finds you feeling a bit melancholy. Here's my silly and simple poem (if you can call it that). Steal a few moments for yourself and read while enjoying a good cup of coffee or tea.   'Tis The Day After Christmas   ‘Tis the day after Christmas And all through the house Not a creature is stirring Not even a mouse (there better not be)   Stockings have been emptied And are lying on the ground Evidence That St. Nicholas has, in fact, been around   The kids are …

Sometimes called The Vigil or La Viglia di Natale, the Italian tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes involves preparing and consuming different types of fish on the eve of Christmas. The meal is prepared and eaten in anticipation and remembrance of the midnight birth of the baby Jesus. The significance of the fish is tied to the Roman Catholic tradition of abstaining from eating meat or dairy products on Fridays and holy days. In some households, fish was prepared on Christmas Eve as a meal to pass the time while waiting to attend midnight Mass. The actual origin of the feast is a …