Last June, I shared the story with Patch readers about an amazing woman named Toni Donato Bolis who tragically lost her and her unborn baby's (RJ) life in a fatal motor vehicle accident on June 1, 2010. The accident was said to be caused by an act of distracted driving. Her family and friends have banded together to start their own campaign for distracted driving to raise awareness across the state. Angela Donato, one of Bolis's sisters talks about her sister's accident, "The happily married mother of a 2-year-old girl was headed east on Pitman Downer Road when a distracted driver coming the …
I'm in area schools every day. I've recently graduated with my teaching degree and have been substituting at schools in South Jersey. Throughout these experiences I have witnessed and learned about the different drills that are set into place and practiced in the schools. And, in light of the recent school shooting in Ohio, I'm realizing how important these drills are to our schools. On the other hand, I've seen the anxiety of kindergartners during a Tier 3 lockdown drill and wondered, are we doing these kids justice by these drills? Yes, I know these drills are necessary to reduce the …
This morning I happened to catch a morning news programs as I was getting ready for work. The headline seriously spoken from this highly distinguished news anchor went somewhere along the lines of, "Rihanna and Chris Brown back together again? Their tweets seem to be pointing to yes." Now, I am a social media-savvy mama that loves to see hash tags across the screen during my favorite shows and uses Facebook on a daily basis. But, I was shocked to hear that Rihanna and Chris Brown were supposedly back together, and that the national morning news programs was discussing it as one of their …
Ah! Love is in the air, and Valentine's Day is here. What does this mean in your household? We had many traditions growing up such as flowers from dad and candy from mom. But, now that I am a parent, I've noticed I haven't really started any traditions. It seems that every family handles the holiday differently. Some families seem to keep it to their sweetheart only and do not include their children in the festivities. Others fair to the side of equality and make it a family event. This is where I am reaching out to the Haddonfield Patch readers. How do you handle the holiday of love? Take …
Sunday is the big game. Although the Birds did not make the bowl this year, there will be plenty of people in the area celebrating the big game in their homes. There will be guests, football, games, families, and most importantly, food. Food is the focus of most Super Bowl parties, and I'm curious as to what's on your Super Bowl menu. Lately, I've been browsing Pinterest (a virtual pinboard that allows members to share recipes, style ideas, and DIY crafts) for ideas for my own menu for Sunday. And, in the process, I came across this awesome site for 14 fabulous game-day treat ideas. I also …
With the hustle and bustle of daily life, work, after-school activities, sports and such, I wonder how people make time for more than one child. I have one son, and I feel like I don't get to spend enough quality time or do the things I want to do with him. How do parents address multiple children? I read several blogs online about busy moms and how they allocate their time with their children. I've noticed a trend lately. It seems that more parents are making special "dates" for their children individually, so that all members of the family feel important. I can see this being a successful …
After last week's installment of Moms Talk on Sick Kids, and after reading several posts in various mom's groups this week, I have realized that every mama out there is looking to share home cold remedies for their little ones. This is mostly due to the fact that most "cold" medicines are suggested for children 6 years of age and older. Although, I've only been a mother for three and a half years, I have worked with children for more than 15 years. Throughout those years I have heard many remedies for colds, but I wanted to share the few that have worked the best for my little one. Note: You…
Ah! 'Tis the season of the stomach virus and runny nose. Every day I walk into my son's pre-school or through the halls of various elementary schools, I see them everywhere. Germs. I see kids sneezing and wiping their red little noses and cheeks on their shirts or in their hands. Then, they touch door handles and computers and desks and spread their little germs. Before you know it, the whole school is sick. But, as most working mamas know, you only have so many sick days! But, is it fair to make everyone else sick because your employer isn't that understanding? This seems to be a popular …
Another year, another resolution. Every New Year's day I contemplate what my resolution will be for the new year. Yet, every year I am disappointed that I do not follow through with a single one. Are we setting ourselves up for failure by choosing to make a resolution that is impossible to attain? Is anyone every really successful at choosing an appropriate resolution for the new year. What is the purpose for New Year's resolutions? When did they start and why? The tradition of New Year's resolutions date back to the early Babylonians. Their resolutions did not model the resolutions of …
The days of spending months making New Year's Eve plans, picking out a fancy outfit, and getting my hair done for a fabulous gala have gone to the wayside over the years. Now, we have an amazing son and a mortgage, so staying in seems to be the right decision for New Year's Eve. But, if we find a sitter, is it still okay to rock in the New Year at a "no kids allowed" bash? Are we bad parents if we go out on New Year's Eve? Will our son even make it to midnight? This is the question that has been boggling my brain over the past week, and I'm curious as to how other parents handle it. Our son …
Last week we moved into a new home. This has been a very exciting and exhausting process. Honestly, I have not even thought of the holidays even though they are right around the corner. As a mother of a three year old son, I feel guilty that I am not in the holiday spirit. But, the dust is beginning to settle, and I've been starting to talk more about the arrival of Santa. Yesterday, as we were driving to our "new" house, my son said (with a twinkle in his eye), "Mommy, how will Santa find our new house?" I tried to explain that because we had our tree up in the front window that Santa would…
In Moms Talk we often discuss the hectic lives of stay-at-home moms (SAHM) and working moms. But, rarely do I ever discuss work-at-home moms (WAHM). This term has become a more popular one over the past ten years or so. Many families cannot survive with just one income, but want to be able to provide their own childcare and support for their families. And, thanks to the Internet, this job title has become possible for many moms across the country. I'm a blogger, as many of you know. Through blogging I have met many fabulous women who either have monetized their blogs or have made a career …
The holidays are quickly approaching, which means that stress is on its way. Most parents, especially mothers, tend to especially stress out during this time of year. Moms are usually in charge of getting the gifts for everyone in their families and keeping track of what's in order for the holiday itself. Why is this the case? Whatever the reason may be, moms all over the world are usually in charge of planning the parties and meals, wrapping the presents, and making sure not to forget anyone on their list. So, how does a working mother or stay-at-home mom make sure to handle all that is on …
Many school districts in South Jersey, including Collingswood and Haddonfield, have adopted the Everyday Math program. The Everyday Math curriculum is spiral-based and deeply rooted in real life contexts. This sounds completely wonderful, but it is not the way that most parents learned how to do mathematics. It uses a variety of different strategies to attain the same answer. How does this affect the parents? I see several posts on Facebook from parents who are struggling with this program and other homework for that matter. Many parents I come in contact with are hesitant about approaching …
Politics are often a conversation faux pas among friends and family. It always said to keep politics and religion out of every conversation when humanly possible. It can cause adverse reactions between family members, colleagues, and friends. But, I've never heard anyone mention politics and parenting. Kids know that they usually have off for Election Day from school, but do they really understand the voting process and politics? Is this a discussion for parents to have with their children? I think back to my childhood days when I used to stay at my grandparents' house while my mom went to …
Recently, we have started the search for our first home. As a child, I dreamed of white picket fences, a pool, a dog and the perfect swingset for my own children. Now, as an educator and an adult, I am more concerned about school districts, taxes and neighborhoods. And, I still really want that white picket fence. How does one choose the place their family will live for the next 10 or so years? How does one choose where they will live happily ever after? This is an issue I have struggled with for years. My family has been successfully living the multi-family lifestyle, as many families have …
When I was a child, the most exciting time of the year for me was the day after Thanksgiving. As a family, we would pull out the Christmas tree and decorate it together while listening to holiday music on the radio. It was also when retailers, towns, and homes across the nation began to decorate for the most wonderful time of the year, the December holidays. That day was filled with excitement for many children and adults across the nation. In more recent years, this has not been the case. Retailers have been starting to decorate for the holidays as early as mid-October. And, radio stations …
Recently, I was perusing through the Facebook statuses of some fellow mamas, and I came across this one from a friend of mine. Her son just started first grade this year. She wrote, “OMG. I’m officially ‘That Mom’ who writes notes complaining to her child’s teacher about homework. When did this happen?” As an educator, I thought there is no way that a first-grader could possibly have that much homework! Then, I scrolled to her previous post, “2 pages of Math, 7 pages of English, 2 pages of Science, Spelling words three times each, and study for test.” Whoa. That is a lot of homework for …
Lately, I've noticed that many parents are distancing themselves from teaching their children good old fashioned manners. I don't know if it's because as a society, we are just constantly on the go between work, school, and activities that some find that manners are not important enough to be a top priority. To each his own, but I feel that manners are very important for children to learn and grow accustomed to, even at a very young age. Since my son was born, I've always said, "No thank you." This was my response in the redirection of negative behavior, or when he offered me something that …
As more and more friends in my inner circle welcome new babies into their lives and with my connection to the world of mom bloggers, I am exposed to new issues and concerns of new moms every day. Recently, I've noticed that more and more new mommies are straying from the normal immunization schedules that are set up for newborns. My initial reaction is always shock. I know that I shouldn't care what shots other people's kids receive, but what does this mean for my little man? If he is around children who are not immunized, will this affect him? From what I hear, it will not. This then brings …
