The kids have been home from school for a couple of weeks now and you’re running out of new and interesting things to do. There are only so many days you can spend swimming. Sometimes you need to mix it up. Think outside the box or pool and you won’t have to spend a lot of money or look very far for summertime fun. Here are some ideas to get you out of the house for a little while. Family Friendly FarmsVisit Johnson’s Corner Farm in Medford. Blueberry picking hayrides are reasonably priced and running until approximately Aug. 5. Little ones love digging in and pulling up a handful of juicy …

“The Warrior’s Watch Riders envision a day when every member of the United States Armed Forces, at home and abroad, and their families, feel appreciated, honored, respected and loved by the citizens they risk their lives to protect.” That is the vision of the Warrior's Watch Riders (warriorswatch.org), who recently visited one of our neighboring towns to honor a local hero. Tom Polino, of Riverside, returned home last week escorted by the Warrior’s Watch Riders. Family and friends waved flags and cheered while roaring motorcycles and police cars led his limo home. It was a fitting welcome for…

Road trips were never my thing. My husband proposed on a car trip to Atlanta so that was a good one, but other than that, I hated driving for more than an hour or so. You can imagine my dismay when he suggested we drive to Disney World a few years back. I was pleasantly surprised with the whole experience. A little planning made a world of difference especially with two kids in tow. I’ve learned the journey is a big part of the experience. Instead of standing in security lines and taking our shoes on and off at the airport, we’ve had some memorable adventures on the road. We saved money as …

Summer has always been one of my favorite times of year. I’m not a big fan of the heat but the lazy days of summer call to me. Today, while writing this, I’m sitting outside, the girls are splashing in the pool, birds are chirping and there is a refreshing breeze blowing my way. Ahhh! This is why we work hard all week. This is what life is about, actually enjoying it, not running from here to there and back again. Summer is a time to refresh and renew and we all need it after the snowy winter we had. Memorial Day weekend kicks off the summer season and as those of us who live in Cinnaminson …

I hibernated this cold and snowy winter and enjoyed too much comfort food. Summer’s quick approach found me scrambling to start a diet but I needed some motivation. Luckily, it found me. Substituting regularly at Eleanor Rush School gave me the opportunity to sign up for a workplace Biggest Loser Contest. Cinnaminson High School and Middle School faculty have had similar contests yielding huge weight loss success so the employees at Rush decided to give it a try. The first week of the contest, I needed a kick start. Someone recommended The Cinch Diet by Cynthia Sass. This diet includes a five…

There’s a unique kind of summer camp in town and it’s been around for six decades. One of our community’s best kept secrets is closer than you realize. A yacht club full of history and charm offers a great summer camp for kids and adults interested in learning to sail. “I lived in Cinnaminson all my life but never realized the amazing experience just over the railroad tracks,” said June Neuman, a Cinnaminson native who happens to be Riverton Yacht Club’s (RYC) Sail Camp administrator. She added that she wished her mom knew about the Sail Camp when she was a child. Her love of sailing began …

I lost my mom five years ago and my grandmother seven years before that. I grew up in a home with both of them, so in a sense it was like having two moms. I couldn’t imagine a day without them, especially since I watched the two of them together for so many years. I figured my mother would be around as long as my grandmother was. I never envisioned it any other way. My mom got sick shortly after my grandmother passed away and it was all so surreal. I sometimes still forget that she’s gone. If something interesting happens, I think, “Oh, I need to tell mom about that.” It’s odd when life in …

The school budget was defeated last week and the stress of the impending ASK Test looms at the intermediate and middle schools. This seems like a fitting time to lighten up and thank the teachers who influence our children’s lives every day, usually spending more time with our kids than we do. Teacher Appreciation Week starts today, May 2, and Teacher Appreciation Day is Tuesday. What an opportune time to recognize those who motivate and inspire our children to be the best they can be. Being a good teacher involves much more than preparing kids to take tests. A book or computer can teach …

As Patch’s Frugal Family contributor, I’ve become quite the frugalista lately. I’ve been on the lookout for deals, and a local mom brought something interesting to my attention. I was chatting with June, a Cinnaminson mom of three boys, while waiting to pick our kids up from their after-school programs. We were talking about kids' birthday parties and June told me about LivingSocial.com, a daily deal site geared toward local businesses. She saved a bundle booking a bowling party at Pinsetter in Maple Shade through LivingSocial.com. I have seen the ads for this site as well as Groupon.com and …

The kids are home from school, an entire week lies ahead, what do you have planned? I wish I could say I was jetting off to a tropical island this week but I will be spending most of my week catching up on cleaning and yard work. I'm actually looking forward to it. There's something cathartic about spring cleaning. I am also thrilled to be skipping the morning rush to the bus stop. I could use a little break from the hectic days of school, homework and activities. My girls want to plant a vegetable garden so this seems like the perfect week to get started on that, and I’m sure we will find …

Autism Speaks’ national campaign "Light It Up Blue" is working its way around the world to shine a light on autism. The light is shining in our community, too. Students at Eleanor Rush are selling puzzle pieces to raise money for Autism Speaks and a challenge was presented to our students there last week. Third-grade students in Cinnaminson were asked to be ambassadors for autism by spreading what they learned during an autism awareness presentation. Mrs. Kristine Foglia visited classrooms last week and shared personal experiences and a presentation designed to provide an understanding of …

Do you often wonder what goes on at your child’s school? I have twins in fourth grade. One tells me everything and the other tells me nothing. If you have one of those kids who keeps you in the dark, I thought it would be nice to fill you in on some positive things that happened at our elementary schools as the month of March came to an end, roaring like a lion. Literacy in Action at New Albany SchoolFaces lit up on Wednesday, March 30 as aspiring authors read their original works of art to captivated first graders at New Albany School. Project Challenge students in third, fourth and fifth …

Most moms I talk to agree that the morning rush is chaotic. Trying to get our little ones and big ones up, dressed, fed and out the door is sometimes impossible. Often, children skip breakfast. I’ve been working in the Cinnaminson schools on and off for several years and it surprises me how many children don’t eat before they come to school. I do not consider myself a nutritional expert or a super mom but I have tried to provide my kids with fun and healthy choices at breakfast. I’m a magazine junkie and have a huge collection of kid-friendly recipes and suggestions that I’ve gathered over …

I haven't always loved dogs. I was terrified of them as a child. I remember being chased by what I thought was a horse when I was around 4. I insisted it was a horse because it was huge. Looking back now, I’m pretty sure it was a Great Dane. My parents adopted a dog from the pound when I was around 8. We named her JayBee and she was more like a human than a dog. I was still scared of pooches, but having JayBee made me a little bit more comfortable with them. A few months before we were married, my husband and I bought a black lab puppy. I fell madly in love with the pup and my fear of dogs …

Does anyone know what happened to kick the can, flashlight tag and stick ball? Do kids even play outside anymore? That’s all I remember doing as a kid. I remember running around as the sun set. The sky had that pink and orange tint to it. We could smell dinner cooking somewhere but we would try to get those last few minutes of play in before we were called home for the night. In the summer, we played until the streetlights went on and then begged to play a little while longer. It was a different world when days seemed to last forever. Now, we are all running at top speed to get to the next …

Some of my earliest and most cherished memories are of my mom reading to me at bedtime. I had a Mother Goose Book of Nursery Rhymes I can still picture in my mind. I loved to listen to my mom read the rhymes in a sing-song way. She would get tired and try and cut the verses short, but I had them memorized. I knew when she skipped parts and I'd catch her when she tried to finish early. I'm sure it drove her nuts. My grandmother introduced me to Amelia Bedelia books and we'd giggle at all of Amelia's crazy antics. So began my love of books.    Reading has always been a big part of my life and I…

Students from Riverton's DeNogla School of Irish Dance filled the Genesis Health Care Center in Cinnaminson with youthful excitement on Saturday, Feb. 26.  Patients, residents and employees gathered to watch an early St. Patrick’s Day performance. My girls have been dancing with DeNogla for a couple of years and I thought this was a great opportunity for them to share their talents for a good reason. I want my kids to understand that it’s important to reach out to others who may be sick, disabled or alone. I want them to learn that everything isn’t always about them. Their DeNogla teacher, …

Planning a big birthday party and need some ideas? Over the past 10 years, I have planned what I think were some fun birthday parties for my twins.  My intent was to have simple parties at home with a personal touch. Somehow, many of the parties took on lives of their own. Here’s what happened.    Age 1: Their first birthday was a party for us, not for them. The girls had an Elmo cake and way too many gifts. All of our friends attended.  Age 2: We went simple and just had our families over, but each girl had a special cake made by their aunt. We had a nice dinner, sang "Happy Birthday" and …

Valentine’s Day is the biggest, most romantic date night of the year. What will you be doing tonight? My husband and I have exciting plans. We will be doing dishes, getting ready for the week and putting the kids to bed. After that, we will plop on the sofa to watch some TV, work on our computers and be asleep before the 11 o’clock news starts. Sound familiar? Hallmark stores are selling a Valentine’s Day card that reads, “You had me at Baby Sitter” on the front. All moms can relate to that funny statement and reference to the movie, Jerry Maguire. As much as we love being moms, we would all …

There is actually a website you can visit and calculate the monetary value of work that moms do. The website is MomSalaryWizard.com. The salary amounts are based on how many children you have and where you live. According to this website, the work that a stay-at-home mom with two kids in Cinnaminson performs would warrant a salary of $125,840 a year. A working Cinnaminson mom’s salary is calculated at $76,731 a year, in addition to whatever she makes outside the home. The national median calculated salary for stay-at-home moms is $117,850 per year and $71,859 per year for working moms.  …