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RocklandParent AUGUST 2017

NYMETROPARENTS.COM

Organize

Your Home • 8 Hacks for Taming the Mess • What to Do With Kids’ Artwork

How to Turn After-School Activities Into College Scholarships!

Reasons to

Relax

Why Me Time Is Good for Your Health

HELPING PARENTS MAKE BETTER DECISIONS

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NYMetroParents Helping Parents Make Better Decisions

Contents

August 2017 ››

42

Features

10 Battling Burnout How me time benefits your physical and mental health, as well as your relationships 14 Easy Home Organization Hacks for Families One mom offers tips for taming the mess and getting your home in order.

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18 Hang, Store—or Toss?

Ideas for organizing and displaying kids’ artwork 20 DIY Your Home Three projects to make your decor uniquely you, plus an easy way to clean crayon and pencil marks off your walls 24 Where Fantasy Rules Travel back to medieval times at the New York Renaissance Faire 36 From Extracurricular to Extra Cash How to turn your kids’ after-school passion into a college scholarship

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40 Bonding Through Writing Why you should start journaling with your child 42 The Dangers of Dry & Secondary Drowning What to watch out for even after children leave the pool

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Family Activities CALENDAR ››

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44 Bring Shake Shack to Your Kitchen Rather than wait on line for what feels like hours, you can make the NYC chain’s customer favorites at home.

Connections

6 Editor’s Note 8 Quotables 9 NYMP Q&A: Lyss Stern, founder of Divalysscious Moms, talks reclaiming your identity after giving birth.

50 Voices: What Potty Training Taught Me

Fun & Activities

26 Outing: Wild West City 27 Family Activities Calendar 34 Where-To Guide: Pick Your Own Berries

Directories 46 47 48 49

Meet the Health Care Professional Party Central Party Planner Advertisers’ Index

ON THE COVER ›› Organize Your Home: 14 8 Hacks for Taming the Mess 18 What to Do With Kids’ Artwork 10 Reasons to Relax 36 How to Turn After-School Activities Into College Scholarships facebook.com/nymetroparents

@NYMetroParents

Visit NYMETROPARENTS.COM for family activities updated daily and more than 2,000 parenting articles!

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AUGUST 2017 • Vol.10 • No.10

NYMetroParents nymetroparents.com

EDITORIAL EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Michael Kress MANAGING EDITOR: Katelin Walling

EDITOR’S NOTE

DEPUTY EDITOR: Caitlin Berens SENIOR EDITOR: Bethany Braun-Silva ENGAGEMENT EDITOR: Samantha Neudorf

Hack Your Home Organization

P

erhaps you’re one of those people whose home seems immaculate and clutterfree every moment of every day, even as the kids run around being, well, kids.

I, most decidedly, am not. Despite our efforts to keep some semblance of order and to teach our kids to clean up after themselves and put stuff away when they’re done with it, our house seems consistently overrun with toys large and small, notes home from camp or school, books strewn about, and of course, artwork everywhere. If your house is anything like mine, read on as we bring you our first-ever Home Issue.

In these pages, find easy-to-do hacks for home organization (p. 14), tips for what to do with all that kids’ artwork (p. 18), and DIY projects to make your home feel more uniquely your own (p. 20).

I’ve always found late August to be a good time for home projects. Summer is winding down, and my mind is on my kids’ school year ahead—a time to take stock, literally and figuratively, and get organized. It’s also a time for figuring out the kids’ after-school activities and classes. In recent years, mine have participated in a mix of gymnastics, drama, academic enrichment, and chess programs. For younger kids like mine, these are fun activities that build skills and character. For older kids, though, they can be even more rewarding and lucrative, even life-changing, as high school seniors seek scholarships to help with college costs. If your August to-do list includes gearing up for college applications—and figuring out how to pay for it all—check out Samantha Neudorf ’s report on how to turn your child’s extracurricular activities into scholarship money (p. 36).

In the meantime, though, there’s plenty of time left to enjoy summer—safely, of course. I love swimming with my kids, but I must admit to feeling a bit of relief when it’s time to pack up and head home; there are so many potential dangers at the pool that I sometimes find it hard to relax. Recent headlines have reminded me, however, that the danger is not over just because a child is no longer in the water. Dry drowning and secondary drowning (related but different syndromes) happen in the hours or even days after a child has gulped water accidentally, and they can potentially be fatal. Learn more about these conditions, including how to prevent them, recognize the signs, and react if you suspect your child has them (p. 42).

For fun beyond the pool, find the best activities in the region with our calendar (p. 27), or check out our report on Wild West City in Stanhope, NJ (p. 26). And finally, don’t forget to take time for yourself. Katelin Walling explores the importance of me time to your health and well-being (p. 10)—so if you need an excuse to take a run or relax in a coffeeshop, now you have it!

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UOTABLES Be easy on yourself postpartum. Ask for help. Call upon your village. Allow yourself to process all the feelings that come up. There is no rulebook. Practicing gratitude every day will help you keep things in perspective. My dear friend always says, “It’s like a hurricane in a teacup.” This phase feels like 1000 years when you are in it but I promise you it will pass. It gets easier.

—Lindsey Bliss, in the “Honest Motherhood” series on theglow.com.

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“My son—he is exactly like me, we are kindred spirits and he drives me up the wall. We butt heads, we argue, we never see eye-to-eye which doesn’t make any sense because we are so damn alike. I guess you could say it literally does feel like we are two positive sides of a magnet trying to come to together yet repelling each other at the same time.”

—Katie Smith, in a post entitled “It’s Not Easy When Your Child is Just Like You,” on mom.me.

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August 2017 | nymetroparents.com

“My son has autism and, at age 13, recently saw a movie in a theater for the first time. It is not something I thought would work for him—until now.”

—Manhattan mom Dana Greenberg in an article entitled “Taking a Child with Autism to the Movies: 5 Tips From a Mom Who’s Been There.” Read the whole thing at nymetroparents.com/autism-movies.

MORE NYMetroParents.com HIGHLIGHTS: SAND & SURF: Find the best beaches near you at nymetroparents.com/beaches.

LUNCH TO GO: Discover the perfect picnic spot at nymetroparents.com/picnic.

SUMMER FUN: See 100 things to do in NYC this summer at nymetroparents.com/summer-fun.

KEEP ‘EM SAFE: Learn tips for keeping kids safe at amusement parks at nymetroparents.com/park-safety.

NYMP Q&A

Motherhood is Fabulyss ››

By Bethany Braun-Silva

Lyss Stern is the founder of Divalysscious Moms, a networking company for moms in New York City. Stern recently wrote the book Motherhood is a B#tch! 10 Steps to Regaining Your Sanity, Sexiness, and Inner Diva.

Why do you think it’s so important for moms to reclaim their identity after giving birth? Being a mom is wonderful but that’s only part of what defines me.

Motherhood should be added onto everything else a woman was before she became a mom. Of course, if you want to take a pause from work and you want to change careers or be a stay-at-home mom that’s 100-percent great with whatever you choose to do, but at the end of the day, moms, especially new moms, shouldn’t lose sight of who they were before they had a kid.

So what are some things moms can do to get their mojo back?

If you can get an hour of exercise a day or an hour to yourself a day, that’s ideal. Everyone can carve out five to 10 minutes a day whether it is going to your local coffee shop and having a cup of coffee with a girlfriend or locking yourself in the bathroom for 10 minutes and reading a magazine. For me, I take a bubble bath and I light some candles; that is my time. Go sit quietly for 10 minutes and meditate. Go for a long walk in the park, whatever it may be, do something just for you, and it doesn’t have to cost any money.

Just hit the pause button, just take a moment to breathe, and you will start to feel a little bit better every time you do that because we take on so much.

It’s great how you take ownership of the word b#tch. Can you tell our readers what being a b#tch means to you? In the book, we spell it out for you. “B” stands for, be the person you want to be. “I,” identify with that. “T,” take time out for yourself.

“C,” care for yourself. “H,” ask for the help. We spell the word b#tch for you by giving you ways to make yourself stronger: to empower yourself to be the best you can be, to learn to say the word “no,” to practice self-care, to ask for help. I talk about it in the book, but when I first started off 13 years ago, I thought I was Wonder Woman. I had black hair and blue eyes, and I thought I could have it all. I could have the career and have these kids and do it all by myself. But here I am, 13 years later, and it was a wakeup call for me because I can’t do this all by myself. I want ask for help, I want to delegate, I want to take time for myself, I want to be the woman I visualize myself as. And I think that if all moms took a moment to realize this, we will be much better off.

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FOCUS ON: ME TIME

Battling Burnout

››

Why spending 15-20 minutes every day doing something for yourself will benefit your physical and emotional health, as well as your relationships with your partner and children By Katelin Walling

Y

our kids left their shoes in the middle of the entryway, and your first reaction is to lose your cool and yell at them. You’re pulling away from your partner because you feel like he isn’t doing his fair share of household chores. Your mental, physical, and emotional health is crumbling because you consistently feel stressed out.

If any of these scenarios sound familiar to you but you’re not sure why you’re feeling this way, I have two words for you: caregiver burnout.

Yes, it’s a very real thing. And the antidote to caregiver burnout? Me time.

“The way I like to put it often is, if you don’t put on your oxygen mask first, you can’t really help anyone around you. So to some degree women often do feel responsible and even guilty and push themselves to be there for everybody else in their lives,” says Gail Saltz, M.D., a Manhattan-based psychiatrist and author of The Power of Different.

And to do so with maximal effort and without staying attuned to their own emotional or physical needs, they can become very depleted and unable to care for themselves and for others, she says.

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Health Benefits of Me Time

“Me time is recovery time, it’s recoup time, it’s regeneration time,” says Elizabeth Lombardo, Ph.D., author of Better Than Perfect: 7 Strategies to Crush Your Inner Critic and Create a Life You Love. “When you continually do something—even if it’s something you enjoy doing—if you keep doing it and pushing yourself without ever taking a step back, that’s like training for a marathon and running 100 miles a day. You can’t do that. Your body can’t handle it,” she says.

So how, exactly, does me time positively affect physical and mental health? Overall, it relieves stress, which can: Boost the immune system. Based on research in the field of psychoneuroimmunology (the study of the effect of the mind on health and resistance to disease), when we are stressed out, we’re more likely to get sick because our immune system doesn’t function as well, according to Dr. Lombardo.

Help prevent and relieve chronic pain. Constant stress is also likely to cause aches and pains, Dr. Lombardo says. When she first started her private practice in psychology (she also has a background in physical therapy), Dr. Lombardo worked exclusively with those who had chronic pain known as medically unexplained pain. “The majority of those people had something in common, which was they took care of a whole lot of other people and did not have a lot of me time. They didn’t allow their bodies to rest and recoup, and they pushed it to the limit until their bodies finally said, if you’re not going to listen to me, I’m going to make you listen to me, and they developed chronic problems,” she says.

Lead to better overall health. Moms who don’t take any time for themselves tend to forgo exercise and may skip doctors visits.

“Physically you don’t have cardiovascular health and all that goes with it, you don’t go to the doctor and do preventative health care, you don’t go to the doctor and catch things in early stages that maybe can be dealt with as opposed to waiting,” Dr. Saltz says.

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Prevent negative thinking. “When we are at heightened levels of stress without coming down, it affects our ability to think and we tend to use cognitive distortion. We tend to think in more negative ways,” Dr. Lombardo says. “We personalize that our kid doesn’t pick up their shoes and get more upset about it than we need to.”

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Cause more positive emotions and prevent unhealthy habits.

“I think for moms the biggest issue becomes depression or anxiety related to feeling that they have not done anything to meet their own emotional needs,” Dr. Saltz says. When we experience negative emotions, Dr. Lombardo says, we tend to turn to alcohol, retail therapy, and what she likes to call Ben & Jerry’s therapy to squelch those feelings.

All sessions will include indoor and outdoor free and organized play time, organic snacks, art, gardening, French, music and movement and more.

Lead to a better night’s sleep. Constant stress can lead to trouble sleeping, which affects mental and physical health, Dr. Lombardo says. “I don’t know about you, but when I don’t get enough sleep, I can’t think straight and I’m frankly not a very nice person, and that can affect our mental health,” she says.

Your Me Time Benefits Everyone in Your Life

Burning out affects more than just physical and mental health; it affects relationship health, too.

“When we have that time to ourselves, we can be close to our true self, and that true self is the person who has less stress, is compassionate and loving,” Dr. Lombardo says. “When you are your true self, you are a lot more fun to be with, you are a lot more forgiving.”

Mia Redrick, The Mom Strategist™ and author of Time for Mom-Me: 5 Essential Strategies for a Mother’s Self-Care and Time for Mom-Me: 365 Daily Strategies for a Mother’s Self-Care, adds that when you spend time “dating yourself” (something her mother made her promise to do every week as a mom), you become clear about what’s good for you—what you really want and need in life—and truly knowing yourself adds value to yourself. “I think that one of the greatest assets is being a parent that has added value to herself and therefore you can add value to that parent-child relationship. Imagine that because you are connected to who you are, your kids now know the things that make you happy and fulfilled,” Redrick says.

Another thing to consider is children constantly observe their

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parents. “If you think about how you want your children to be when they become parents, my guess is we all want our kids to be healthy, well-rounded parents. …So it’s really modeling positive behavior for them to be able to see that Mom gets time for herself,” Dr. Lombardo says. “And that’s a good thing.”

Plus, not taking me time is unhealthy for the parent-child relationship “in terms of being so enmeshed with your child and promoting the idea that your child can’t be okay without you,” according to Dr. Saltz. “You want a child to be able to separate and feel that they can be independent and they’re okay.”

As for how me time benefits relationships between partners?

For moms who don’t have me time, “their primary relationship may start to decline, their sexual relationship may start to decline. Particularly, moms can become so focused on children that spouses can feel like, hey, there’s nothing going on between us—anything from strain to feeling disconnected and feeling like, [she’s] not in love with me anymore, or even feeling like, [I’m] not in love with [her] anymore. So time must be taken to maintain a healthy primary relationship,” Dr. Saltz says.

Dr. Lombardo shares a story about one of her clients. He and his wife were having issues, and they had young children. For their anniversary, he got a hotel room for one night and had her stay there alone. “Honestly it’s the best thing he could have done for their marriage,” Dr. Lombardo says. “To realize that he understood she just needed some time to herself, and he was not only okay with it, he made sure it happened. I’m not saying it saved their marriage, but it did a lot.”

“Finding” Time for Me Time

“Before we even talk about finding time, we have to talk about giving yourself permission,” Dr. Lombardo says. “Because here’s the thing: We all have the same amount of time, we all know that.

So if something is so important to you, you’re going to do it. No one says, I haven’t brushed my teeth all month because I just couldn’t find the time. So the first thing is to realize why it’s important to you personally, but also to your kids.”

Once you’ve given yourself permission to take me time—and we’re only talking 15-20 minutes a day—a good next step is to figure out the best time, Dr. Saltz says. Is it when your partner is home to care for your young child, or if you want to do something with your spouse, can a grandparent or babysitter care for your child?

For Redrick, finding that time comes from implementing three techniques: Mirroring: When you’re doing something for yourself, have your kids do that same thing for themselves. For instance, tell your kids, Mommy is going to read a book to herself for two minutes, and you’re going to read a book to yourself for two minutes. “I did this with my kids when they were very young. As they got older, the time grew, but as a result of that, I could always read for myself, by myself every single day,” Redrick says.

Blending: When Redrick does something for her kids, she looks for an opportunity to do something for herself during that time.

“I do something for myself every day because it’s tied to me doing something for my kids. For example if I push them on the swing, I do a squat for myself. If I sign them up for an activity, I can write my book while they’re in their class or practice. I always look for opportunities to do things for me and advance me while I’m doing things for them and advancing them.”

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August 2017 | nymetroparents.com

DIPP: Delegate household chores or tasks to family members to create more time for yourself, even something as simple as “having the kids do the dishes so you can read a book,” Redrick says.

Incorporate others in your space. “Maybe, if you’ve got young children, you have a mother’s helper—a 13- to 15-year-old that comes over to your house so that you can make some calls if you’re trying to start a business while she reads to your kids for an hour, or something like that. Maybe its grandparents who ritualistically commit to coming over to get the kids so you can take a bath alone without the kids knocking on the door,” she says.

Plan time for yourself. It’s impossible to make time for you if you don’t plan it. You don’t get the support you need if you don’t plan it.

Purge your calendar and get rid of activities that no longer add value to your life. “I think so many moms are really good at addition and not great at subtraction. We just add and add and add. And then you try to figure out why you’re feeling overwhelmed, why there’s no room for me time—it’s because we’re connected to so many things,” Redrick says.

Suggestions for Me Time

Now that you know why taking me time is important and how you can find the time, the next step is to figure out what you want to do during your alone time.

“Once you identify [what you want to do], figure out how can you do it. So if someone says to me, oh, I just want to go to the beach and get away for five days. Okay, maybe you can’t do that, but maybe you can do part of that. So if you live near a beach, you can go for a walk down there. If it’s just sitting in the warmth, maybe it’s taking 20 minutes [to sit] in a hot tub or getting in the warm bath. So just looking at what do you want to do and looking at ways to do it,” Dr. Lombardo says.

If you’re stumped and need an idea to kick-start your me time, try: Indulging in self-care. Take a nap, meditate, or do guided visualization “where you can kind of go on a metal vacation,” Dr. Lombardo says (you can find free guided visualization videos on YouTube). Or splurge a little and get a massage or a mani/pedi.

Doing something small and inexpensive. “A lot of people think me time has to be expensive. It doesn’t have to be,” Redrick says. “I initially would just go to a coffee shop and enjoy a cup of coffee and read a book to myself, or I would go to the bookstore and spend some time alone, or I would go to a park with a picnic blanket and snack that I like and I could spend some time just to hear myself think.”

Reading a book or magazine. “I had one client who was talking about how she had a stack of magazines that built up over three years. She had three kids and she had the magazines, but hadn’t read any of them,” Dr. Lombardo says. “And just the thought of sitting down with her feet up without anyone asking her for anything for 10 minutes was all she wanted, and that’s so easy to do.”

Signing up for a class or activity. Just because you say you’ll take me time, it doesn’t mean you’ll always commit to yourself and actually take it—something inevitably will come up. “If you find you’re one of those people and you have all the support in the world, then what you do is you commit in advance with an activity,” Redrick says, “So I would book a concert series six weeks out, and I knew I would go because I paid in advance, or a cooking class, or a yoga class, or Zumba. Commit with your dollars to a class that has a date and that will get you out of the house.”

Engaging your creative side. Whether it’s music, journaling, painting, knitting, writing, or drawing, your creative talents can be utilized during me time. Dr. Lombardo has a client who, when they were talking about musical instruments, said she used to play the guitar and wished she had never stopped.

When Dr. Lombardo asked why she didn’t play now, “she looked at me like I was crazy and said, ‘I don’t have any time!’

And I said, ‘What if you took 15 minutes once a week to play the guitar. What would that be like for you?’ And she just became dreamy, just that thought to her was so wonderful,” Dr. Lombardo says.

Going to the gym or for a walk. “I think exercise is a biggie because it really helps with mood, it helps with mental health and physical health. So that’s an important thing to try to be doing,” Dr. Saltz says. “But if you don’t find exercise to be pleasurable, then it is important to have times when you’re picking something that you do enjoy.”

Overcoming the Mom Guilt

While the idea of taking me time is well and good, what about that ever-lingering feeling of mom guilt and the fear of being on the receiving end of mom shaming?

“When people are concerned about being judged by other people, what they really are is judging themselves. Because if you aren’t judging yourself, if you are one hundred-percent fine with it, then another mother could say some comment or remark like, oh, it must be nice to be able to do that, and it doesn’t hurt,” Dr. Lombardo says.

Moms feel guilty about spending time alone because they have a perfectionistic expectation of themselves and they shouldn’t need me time, according to Dr. Lombardo. “In psychology we talk about should-ing all over yourself. I shouldn’t do this.

I shouldn’t do that. That’s ridiculous, and it’s so harmful psychologically, it’s so harmful physically, it’s so harmful socially,” she adds. “We are such an all-or-nothing society—you’re either selfish or selfless, but there’s a lot in between. So realizing that it’s not being selfish, it’s practicing good self-care. You can’t consistently be a great mom if you’re so overwhelmed you’re not taking time for yourself. We have needs like rest, we have needs like having fun…and we really need to take care of those needs.

You can take care of yourself and that doesn’t make you selfish. It makes you human.”

On the other hand, “if you’re so overwhelmed with guilt that you can’t take 15 minutes to go take a bath or to read a book, I would be concerned that either you have separation anxiety from your child, or your child is having something going on that makes it feel like you can’t leave. Maybe they have an issue that needs attending to or you have an issue going on that needs attending to,” Dr. Saltz says. “It should be okay to take 15 minutes to do something relaxing or engaging that doesn’t include your child.”

And if that mom guilt does start to creep in when you’re doing something for yourself, just remember: “We’re human. Everyone needs time for themselves, it’s just part of they way we’re made up,” Dr. Lombardo says. “Remind yourself, I’m being a really good mom by taking this time for myself because I can be much more engaged with my children. I can be more present.”

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This is the first in a two-part series on me time. Next month: Why downtime is important for kids—and how to balance it with their busy after-school activities schedules.

RocklandParent 13

A pill organizer makes for great hair tie storage.

Use food containers to store craft supplies.

Easy Home Organization Hacks for Families

Recycle shoeboxes to organize messy drawers.

››

Clutter is a fact of life for most parents. One mom offers tips for taming the mess and getting your home in order.

Hack #1: Baskets

By Jennifer Garry

Let’s be honest: When you have kids, you accumulate an abundance of stuff. From products to soothe and comfort them as babies to itty bitty figures and the countless toy houses that go with them when they’re a little older, it can get really tough to tackle clutter. While I can be the queen of messes, sometimes I go on epic decluttering sprees that leave me feeling much more sane and in charge of my surroundings—even if neither of those things is actually true.

In the spirit of helping a mother out and making you feel more sane and in charge, I’m sharing eight super-simple organization tricks that my sister and I swear by.

In my house, there are baskets everywhere. We have shelves filled with them. They’re in our cabinets and under side tables.

They’re next to my girls’ desks and all over our basement. The reason? They offer an incredibly easy way to contain similar items and hide things that look messy.

Toys are sorted into different categories and the baskets are put onto our shelves. Things my daughters need to put away are in baskets next to their desks. Smaller baskets hold like food items to make it easier to grab and go. And I love the look of nice, cozy blankets stored in a basket instead of haphazardly strewn over chairs. Baskets can also be a great way to store puzzles and card games, which brings me to our next hack…

Hack #2: Storing Board Games I won’t lie to you—our board game situation was the bane of my existence for a while. I cringed any time one of the girls asked to play a game because I knew that getting a board game out was going to require some serious Tetris skills and would more likely than not end with me getting hit in the head with flying game pieces.

That is until I made the (brilliant) decision to store all of our board games sideways instead of lying them flat and on top of one another. This way, when someone wants to play a game, all you have to do is slide it out of its slot. There’s no delicate balancing act or cursing or crawling on the floor looking for tiny pieces.

Pro tip: You might want to secure boxes with a rubber band if you store them this way to make sure the tops don’t slide off.

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August 2017 | nymetroparents.com

Hack #4: Food Containers for Craft Supplies Like dress up, craft supplies are another area that gets unruly really quickly. For one, I’m kind of a craft supply hoarder. Aside from typical things such as crayons, markers, and glue, I keep an assortment of things that may otherwise have found their way into the garbage. I love seeing what creative ways my daughters find to use things such as bottle caps or a pair of jeans that got too tattered to wear anymore. (The jeans were turned into a pretty cool throw pillow by my tween.)

The problem? With so many random things on hand, it can be difficult to corral them and then store everything neatly—until my repurposed craft supplies inspired me to repurpose containers to hold them in.

Now I clean and save takeout containers or any other plastic containers our food comes in (hummus containers, for instance, are a great size for holding tiny beads) and store craft supplies in those. Not only is it cheap and eco-friendly, but it keeps things contained and makes it easier to stack them inside our craft closet.

Hack #5: Pill Organizer for Hair Ties Hack #3: Kids Dress Up Outfits I don’t know about you, but I’m a saver. If I think my kids will get use out of it, it stays. That means we have a ragtag collection of old Halloween costumes, party props, and dress up clothes exploding all over the place.

While I’ve yet to tackle our mess, I absolutely love how my sister organized my niece’s dress up.

With nothing more than a hanging rod and a shelf, not only does her dress up look nice, but it’s organized in a way that’s manageable for my niece and makes choosing things must less overwhelming than digging through an enormous mound (which is our current situation). The baskets up top keep all of the loose accessories together and out of view.

Another kids organization problem always making me crazy is hair ties—especially the teensy, tiny hair ties required for babies’ fine hair and for securing small braids and ponytails. They’re so small they’re hard to keep track of to begin with. Add in varying sizes and kids who get very specific about what color is allowed to grace their head each day and you have yourself a situation that can easily suck up more of your precious morning time than you’d like.

Pill organizers have completely changed that for me. The small compartments are the perfect size for sorting hair ties of different colors, sizes and materials. It makes it easier to find what you’re looking for and helps limit choices if your daughter has to pick them out herself.

It’s essential to note that, obviously, this is not a great idea if you regularly use pill organizers for actual medicine. I wouldn’t want my daughter feeling comfortable sorting through one for hair ties if there were organizers elsewhere in the house containing medicine that she might find and feel free to explore.

Hack #6: Shoeboxes for Storage This one is similar to baskets, but it’s a free, ecofriendly version for spots that don’t need to look pretty. You can, however, make them pretty if you need to with a coat of paint or some scrapbook paper.

My kids’ dressers always drive me crazy. They’re constantly digging and pulling things out of there so that it becomes impossible to find anything really quickly. To combat that, I’ve started using shoeboxes to keep smaller items together. I fill open shoeboxes with underwear, socks, tights, and bathing suits to make them easier to find. I can’t even tell you how much time this one little tip saves me.

I also use shoeboxes for crayons, markers, colored pencils, and stickers. It’s so much easier than trying to keep them in the boxes they typically come in. My girls generally destroy those pretty quickly. continued on page 17 ››

RocklandParent 15

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Hack #7: Toilet Paper Tubes for Cords I realize this one sounds a little insane at first, but hear me out.

We had tangled messes of power cords and wires for all of our technological devices spread all over the house. My husband solved the tangling problem with Velcro strips, which at least helped tame them into little circles. But there was still the problem of having cords all over the house and constantly being unsure of where to find the particular one we needed.

Enter toilet paper tube organization! Once the cords are wrapped into tight circles and secured with Velcro, they fit perfectly into toilet paper tubes—which fit nicely into shoeboxes. Now, we line up toilet paper tubes inside of a shoebox (which is so easy to tuck into cabinets and out of sight) and store a cord in each tube.

Pro tip: Use washi tape to make labels for each of your cords to make finding them even easier.

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Hack #8: Wine Crates for Storage Sometimes it’s nice to switch things up a bit. My sister scored a bunch of wine crates for free at a local liquor store. Like baskets and shoeboxes, they are a great way to contain things, but they add a different kind of visual feel. While baskets can almost melt into the background and go unnoticed, wine crates are a little unexpected and add a cool touch. They’re also nice and sturdy, which comes in handy if little people are going to be sorting through them.

If you have any hacks for organizing your home that you swear by, I’d love to hear them. I’m all for anything that makes life easier

Find everything you need, faster at

Jennifer Garry is a freelance writer and Westchester mom. She writes the blog CuddlesandChaos.com.

RocklandParent 17

Heather Bauer, thecaterpillaryears.com

Haeley Giambalvo of Design Improvised

Hang, Store—or Toss?

A simple kids’ art wall, using wire and clothespins

A child hangs her artwork in frames her parents have hung on the wall for this purpose.

Kids love to create, and create, and create some more. Here’s how to display and organize all that artwork—and when it’s okay to make it disappear. By Bethany Braun-Silva

L

et’s face it, there’s only so much room on the fridge, and hanging macaroni art or finger paintings on the living room wall might not be to your design taste. No judgment, it’s not mine either. So what do we do with the countless art projects our kids create in camp, in school, at after-school programs, at friends’ houses, and at home? Sure, we can toss some of it, but we naturally want to keep a lot of it, albeit without creating clutter. Luckily, there are some fun ways to display and store your kids’ artwork, all while getting them involved in the process, too.

Let Your Child Decide

Kids love to show off what they’ve learned and accomplished, and that’s why a DIY gallery wall is a great way to give them some ownership of their space and their artwork.

Hang several empty frames of various shapes, sizes, and colors in your child’s room. Then give her some blue tacky or scotch 18

August 2017 | nymetroparents.com

tape and let her decide which of her masterpieces to display.

The artwork can easily be swapped out, and older pieces can be moved to storage (or recycled!).

If you don’t have a ton of wall space, leave it to Target to sell the perfect solution. The Loft by Umbra Kids Art Display & Storage frame allows you to store artwork right in the frame: Your child can pick a piece of artwork to display while storing several other pieces behind it, and she can switch it out when ever she feels like it. It’s a space-saving lifesaver!

Another easy that way for kids to display their own art is by hanging a wire and attaching some clothespins to it. Haeley Giambalvo, a DIY expert and founder of the blog designimprovised.com writes, “The art wall has become a rotating display in the playroom. It is right by their table so the girls can hang up something on their own once they are done.” It’s a simple and fun way to display kids’ art.

New Yorkers know apartment space is sacred, simply because we don’t have a lot it. And even in the ‘burbs, plenty of us find extra wall space is at a premium. We turned to Sharon Lowenheim, a certified personal organizer and founder of Organizing Goddess, to give us some advice on how to display our kids’ art when we don’t have a lot of room to do so.

“First, you need to decide how much space you are willing to devote to storing your child’s art,” Lowenheim says. Once you decide if it’s a little or a lot, she suggests you “buy a portfolio or plastic bin of the appropriate size, and then make sure that you don’t exceed that space. This will require you to continually make decisions about what stays and what goes.”

they can be viewed at any time or put into a photo album that is easily accessible when you’re feeling nostalgic. Or, if you have a digital photo frame, you can display your child’s art on rotation.

• Make your own storage binder using clear sheet protectors.

Much like a photo album, you and your children can go through it together and see their progress through the years.

Courtesy makelifelovely.com

Solutions for Small Spaces

Don’t Be Afraid to Throw It Away

Throwing away your child’s art is usually harder on the parents than it is on the kids—cue the mom guilt! But unless it’s a particularly special or important project, your child will probably not be all that attached to it. After all, they create so much! Talk with your child about recycling his art instead of throwing it away.

This might make the conversation a little easier and also help to teach him about repurposing items and the process of recycling.

“We always involved our daughter in making the decision about what would be displayed and what would go directly into the recycle bin. Small children are very passionate about recycling and will understand that what doesn’t get kept should be recycled,” Lowenheim says. “It’s important for your child to learn that not everything can be saved, and that decision-making about what to keep is important at every stage of life,” she adds.

If throwing your kid’s art away just simply isn’t your style you always have the option of gifting it to friends or relatives.

Sending several pieces to Grandma and Grandpa is a great way free up space in your house, while at the same time deepening their relationship with their grandkids and reminding them just how important they are to your kids.

Turn to Tech

These days, there are tons of ways to store your kids’ art and schoolwork on the web. Apps like Keepy allow you to store, save, and even privately share your children’s artwork and schoolwork. All the photos you take of your child’s work is uploaded to the cloud, which is backed up on Keepy’s own server to insure your stuff is always safe.

Similarly, the app Art My Kid Made is like an Instagram for kids’ art. Parents take a photograph of the artwork, upload it, tag it, and share. You can also upload to other social networks through the app, and there is even an option to print.

Storage Ideas

After putting pieces on display for a certain period, it might be time to put them away to make room for newer pieces of artwork from the creation machines all children are. Here are some great ways to store your kids’ art: • S ouvenarte Books (souvenartebooks.com) will make a coffee table book of your child’s art. “It’s a great way to honor your child’s creations without having to save them all,” Lowenheim says.

• S nap a photo. Even without a dedicated app, photos of kids’ art can be uploaded to the family computer, where

A binder in which you can neatly store kids’ art

For larger artwork and projects, Bonnie Dewkett of The Joyful Organizer suggests, “For three-dimensional pieces of art, the easiest thing to do is take a photo of your child with the piece; keep it [the project] for a little while, and then dispose of it. I usually suggest moving it to another area of the house, such as the garage, after a period of time. If it’s not missed, you can easily get rid of it.”

As much as we want to honor our kids’ work by keeping and displaying it, it is also important for children to understand organization and tidiness, and how to know when to keep and when to throw away certain items. Letting your little Picasso curate her own bedroom gallery might have you well on your way to a more organized home.

RocklandParent 19

DIY CORNER

DIY Your Home

Make your decor uniquely you with these projects from “Make It Yours,” “Rag Rugs, Pillows, & More,” and “Sunshine Spaces.” Plus, an easy way to clean crayon and pencil marks off your walls.

Time: 1 hour Difficulty: • Learn: How to decoupage wood surfaces Remix: Use this decoupage technique for keepsake wooden boxes or recipe boxes Materials Wood panel, 18-by-24-inch with 2-inch cradle 400-grit sandpaper (optional) Rag Rubbing alcohol (optional) Base coat paint (optional) Foam brush, 4-inch (10cm) Laser printer

Message Board

As an anti-list maker and avid forgetter-of-all-things, I’ve had to change my ways now that I’ve got a toddler in tow. I wanted a message board that looked good whether it’s blank or packed with messages, so I worked up this project. These wood panels are available in many sizes in art stores and their depth allows you to rest a chalk marker on the top for writing. Remember that you must use photocopies from a laser printer. (An inkjet print will bleed when it hits the liquid Mod Podge.) You can just bring the book to the copy shop or lay the template directly on the copy glass. Because you don’t glue the graphics down until later, you can move them around until you get the composition you want.

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Graphics (visit nymetroparents. com/message-board to download) White paper (standard weight, not cardstock) Scissors Scrap paper Mod Podge Chalk marker

Directions 1. Prep the wood panel if it is rough by sanding with 400-grit sandpaper. Cleaning off wood with a wet cloth will raise the grain. Best to use a soft rag that is either dry or moistened with rubbing alcohol that evaporates quickly. Prime and paint the panel a solid color if you like, using a large foam brush.

2. Apply a coat of Mod Podge to the surface and sides of the wood panel with a foam brush and allow it to dry.

3. Photocopy the graphics provided or design your own. Use a laser printer to print the images on white paper and then cut out the graphics with scissors.

4. Position graphics in place to create a composition. I chose to space the graphics at least 2 inches inside the perimeter of the panel and then space them evenly from one another, but you could bunch them together as well. My composition means I will be writing my list over the graphics, but I chose this design so the board would still look interesting when there was no writing on it at all.

5. Place one of the graphics facedown on scrap paper and use foam brush to coat it with Mod Podge. Then quickly place graphic back in position. Use foam brush to coat the front of the graphic with Mod Podge, stroking from center to edges. This will adhere the graphic and ensure a smooth surface.

6. Repeat step 5 until all the graphics are adhered in position.

7. Paint several coats of Mod Podge over the entire surface and set it aside to dry for at least 24 hours.

8. Use a chalk marker to write your messages and wipe them off with a damp cloth when needed.

Reprinted from Yellow Owl Workshop’s Make It Yours. Copyright © 2017

by Christine Schmidt. Photographs copyright © 2017 by Aubrie Pick.

Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.

Hiding Space

How much do kids love a hiding space? For that matter, how much do adults love one, too? I love it when my kids create their own spaces to hide in, but I don’t love the mess left afterwards. I feel like I’m folding up sheets and putting away cushions for days.

This is a hiding spot you can make that is somewhat more permanent, and can be quickly collapsed and put away for another day. It can also be moved outdoors and lined with blankets and a few cushions, to provide a comfy, shaded reading / napping / tea-party spot for both kids and adults alike.

You Will Need: Scrap paper 4 10-foot lengths of white fabric, about 4 feet wide (I used varying weights but all lightweight fabrics, such as gauze or poplin) Acrylic paints: grey, mustard, pale pink, navy (or use fabric paints if you have them) Wide paintbrushes

Scissors Pins Sewing machine and thread Retractable knife 20 feet of ¾-inch wide flexible cream-colored irrigation tubing 3 irrigation tubing joiners Tape measure and pencil 26 feet of 1/8-inch rope or cord, cut into four equal lengths

Directions: 1. Cover the work area with some scrap paper, then place your first length of fabric on top. Have all your paints ready.

2. Using a wide paintbrush, paint large waves and swirls on the fabric. If you don’t have enough space to lay the whole fabric length on the table, paint sections and then, when it’s dry, move the fabric along to the next blank spot.

3. Use a variety of shapes and colors, keeping the pattern fairly simple.

Repeat the process with the remaining three lengths of fabric.

4. When the painted fabric lengths are completely dry, cut them in half lengthways so you end up with eight pieces, 10 feet long and 2 feet wide. At the top of each piece, fold over 2 inches of fabric to create a loop for the tubing. Pin and sew. If you like, hem the bottom of each length (I didn’t, but I’m lazy).

5. Cut the irrigation tubes into one 3-foot, 3-inch, one 6-foot, 8-inch, and one 9-foot, 10-inch lengths. Join the ends of the 6-foot, 8-inch length together with tubing joiners to form a hoop. Repeat for the 9-foot, 10-inch length.

6. Feed the 3-foot, 3-inch length of tube through the loops at the top of each fabric length, ensuring the painted side of the fabric is facing outwards. Fasten with a joiner.

7. Place the hoops in order of size, starting with the smallest in the center (the smallest hoop will have all the fabric attached). Using a tape measure, measure and mark eight equally distanced spaces around the hoops: 3-foot, 3-inch hoop = 5 inches; 6-foot, 6-inch hoop = 10 inches; 9-foot, 10-inch hoop = 15 inches.

8. Align the ends of the four lengths of rope, then fold them in half and tie in a knot at the folded end, leaving loops at the top for hanging. Tie the eight ends of rope at the marked spaces on the hoops, starting at the top hoop and moving down to the next marked line on the next hoop, so the rope stays in line.

Leave 8 inches of rope between the top knot and the smallest hoop, 10 inches between the small and medium hoop, and 12 inches between the medium and largest hoop. Trim any excess rope. Hang from the nearest shady spot using a lasso knot.

Excerpted with permission from Sunshine Spaces by Beci Orpin, published by Hardie Grant Books April 2017, RRP $24.99.

continued on next page ››

RocklandParent 21

‹‹ continued from previous page

each other. If any of the fabrics look out of place, choose a different color to replace them.

Braided Rug

Braided rag rugs have been popping up all over social media recently as a fun way to upcycle old T-shirts into something both beautiful and useful. One of the greatest draws is that you don’t need much specialist equipment. In fact, you probably have everything you need at home already! As long as you choose colors you love then it is very difficult to go wrong with the design and the only slightly tricky part is the sewing together of the braid. My main advice if you decide to give this project a go, is to take your time when sewing everything together to make sure that the rug lies perfectly flat in the end.

Materials Assorted fabrics (I used 14 T-shirts to make a rug 45-by33½ inches) Fabric scissors Bag clip or clothespin/peg

Ruler or tape measure Pins Needle and thread (I used button or extra-strong thread) Color Palette: Assorted colors

Tip: I like to use at least four “neutral” colors (here I’ve used two whites, light and dark gray, and navy) to ground the color scheme.

I mainly use solid colors (as opposed to patterned T-shirts) to create a bold palette. Before turning your T-shirts into fabric yarn, place them next to each other to make sure the colors complement

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Directions 1. Choose 14 plain T-shirts in various colors for your rug. Turn all the T-shirts into balls of fabric yarn (visit nymetroparents.com/ braided-rug for a step-by-step guide).

2. Choose the three colors you would like at the center of your rug. I recommend choosing at least one “neutral” color to start with. Tie the ends of the three yarns together to form a knot. Weigh down the knot with something heavy to make the braiding easier.

Tip: Before braiding, think through how you would like your rug to look. Braiding similar shades together creates a bold color band in the rug, while mixing different colors together creates a “speckled” look. Do not overanalyze your design—if you are happy with the colors you’ve chosen, then it is hard to go wrong. The colors naturally blend together as one braided color ends and the next yarn is added in.

3. Braid the three yarns together, making sure to keep the braid fairly loose. Secure the braid as you go using a clip or clothespin/ peg. As you braid, try to tuck in any seams so that they are on the underside of the braid—the tidier you can keep the top of the braid, the neater your rug will look. During braiding, the fabric strands will get tangled in a counter-braid further down the yarn, so untangle them from time to time. Wind the braid into a ball as you go.

4. When your first ball of yarn is coming to an end, attach the next ball. If you are unsure which color to choose next, unwind the ball of braid and lay it out on the floor in a loose coil to see how the rug is shaping up. Keep braiding until you are happy with the size of the rug, then cut the yarns and tie the end of the braid in a knot.

5. Carefully wind the braid into a large ball. The end of the braid that you would like on the outside of your rug should be at the center of the ball.

Before you start assembling the rug: The hardest part of this project is achieving a rag rug that lies perfectly flat. When sewing your braid together, make sure you leave enough excess braid around any curves in the rug. This will prevent your rug from curling up like a bowl.

6. Place the beginning of the braid upside down (you will be sewing on the slightly messier side) and measure 22 inches from the end of the braid. Bend the braid back on itself (all the time keeping the braid facing downward) and pin the bend in the braid together to make sewing easier.

7. Starting at the bend in the braid, sew the two inner edges of the braid together tightly so that the stitches are not visible from the neat side of the braid (fortunately it doesn’t matter what it looks like from the back!). When you reach the knotted end of the braid, cut off the knot and sew the loose edge on top of the bend in the braid (still on the underside) to secure it in place.

8. Continue sewing the braid together in a clockwise direction. It is extremely important that you feed the braid loosely around the corners (so that there is excess braid around any curves) or the rug will curl up. It helps to lay your rug on the floor every now and then to make sure that it is lying flat.

9. Continue sewing your braid in a clockwise direction until you are happy with the size of the rug. It is best to attach the end of

your braid to the curved corner of the rug rather than a long, straight edge so that it blends in. Trim the end of the braid and overlap it with the braid inside. Sew it on top to secure the rug.

Tip: If you find that your finished rug does not lie flat, stretching the rug out and attaching nonslip backing may fix the problem. Otherwise, lightly dampening the rug, then steaming it flat with an iron can help.

Images and text excerpted from Rag Rugs, Pillows, & More

by Elspeth Jackson ($19.95) with permission of CICO Books.

Photographs by Emma Mitchell.

HOW TO REMOVE CRAYON AND PENCIL MARKS FROM WALLS If you have little ones running around your house, it is a sure bet that one day you will be dealing with a crayoned or penciled masterpiece on a wall! Rest assured, there is a super-simple solution that will have you wiping it right off.

A Lavishly Illustrated Children’s Story of Friendship and Overcoming Obstacles

Tilly...

Yield: Varies Ingredients: Lemon essential oil Directions: On a damp cloth or sponge, add a few drops of lemon essential oil. Gently rub the crayon or pencil marks until they disappear. That’s it! Easy, right?

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Lemon oil can also be used as a safe and natural furniture polish.

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Tenafly • Clifton • Oakland • Fort Lee • Paramus • Park Ridge RocklandParent 23

The author’s daughter Brooklyn whispers in a fairy’s ear at the 2016 New York Renaissance Faire.

Knights on horseback jousting

At the Children’s Knighting Ceremony, the author’s daughter—now renamed Lady Brooklyn—receives her certificate of knighthood.

A fairy encounter at the New York Renaissance Faire in 2016

Where Fantasy Rules

Estée Pouleris

››

Travel back to medieval times at the New York Renaissance Faire in nearby Orange County, where fairies come to life, knights joust, and the queen herself makes an appearance. By Estée Pouleris

T

he New York Renaissance Faire is back in Tuxedo for its 40th season and runs Saturdays, Sundays, and Labor Day from Aug. 5-Oct. 1. Writer Estée Pouleris visited the Renaissance Faire last year and contributed the following article about the experience.

I hadn’t attended the Renaissance Faire before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. My 4-year-old daughter Brooklyn, her dad, and I made the scenic 45-minute drive from upper Manhattan to see what it is all about.

Once we arrived, it completely blew my mind. The faire is set up as a 65-acre Elizabethan village. It feels like being on a movie set. This celebration of the 16th century is filled with hundreds of costumed performers, jousting tournaments, music, festive foods, magicians, manually powered rides, and more than 100 shops selling mostly handmade wares. To add to the fun, most of the attendees dress up, too. The venue even offers rental costumes if you feel inspired to dress in period garb for the day.

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Knights & Fairies

We began our day around 3pm, and our first stop was at the Queen’s Glade, where Brooklyn participated in the Children’s Knighting Ceremony. Here we were able to spend some time with “her majesty” and her court. It was a cute ceremony led by costumed knights who taught the kids about knighthood and their job to protect the realm. Brooklyn received a certificate of knighthood for her extraordinary courage, honor, and truthfulness, and was renamed Lady Brooklyn.

Our next stop was The Enchanted Forest, where Brooklyn settled in and fell in love with the fairies. Fairies don’t talk, but Brooklyn quickly found a way to communicate with them: They made gestures back and forth and mimicked each other’s facial expressions. Some fairies even gave away treasures such as buttons and pixie dust.

Several times during the day, this area is also turned into Kidsquest, where kids can participate in a 30-minute adventure

in which they work together to help the fairies save their enchanted homes.

Rides & Food

Next we tried the rides. There are about a half dozen manually powered rides spread throughout the grounds. We rode the Dragon Swing, Bedlam Barrel, Crow’s Nest, and carousel.

These are all unique, hand crafted, and pushed or spun by hardworking faire employees, all dressed in character. As much fun as these were, I think the highlight was the games. Brooklyn and her dad played four rounds of archery, both eventually hitting the bullseye!

We refueled at Willow’s Fare food pavilion, a row of restaurant stalls that offer a smorgasbord of foods, including vegetarian and gluten-free options. We ended up with sausage on a stick, pizza, and dragon chips. All were deliciously greasy and perfect fair food.

While eating we watched performers dance and perform while many attendees joined in on the fun. It was a great break in our day and gave us a moment to take in the spirit of the festival and see how much fun everyone was having.

Catch a Show

Our next stop was Teatro Del Sol, where we caught an act by the famous Gypsy Geoff. He’s known for juggling, fire manipulation, and other circus acts. We’ll never forget this show because he ended up inviting Brooklyn onstage to do some tricks with him. She held sticks while she spun a plate on one and a metal bin on the other. Geoff then began playing them like the drums. To top it off, he poured a pitcher of water in the spinning metal bin, giving her a little shower. We all laughed about it, and since it was 90 degrees out, she was happy for the refreshing spray.

Our last planned stop for the day was the Royal Joust at the new Roselawn Tournament Field. This event is free and offers a lot of great seating, including a new VIP option. Jousting is intense, so I had to reassure Brooklyn that the competitors were unharmed. We all did enjoy it, though, and even got to meet the riders and horses afterward.

As the jousting tournament ended, the faire started closing down for the day. Brooklyn asked if she could be the leader to show us the way out when a performer by the name of Daniel Liberti stepped by her side and said, “I’ll lead!” He asked her name and if she likes to make wishes. He put a pebble in her hand, told her to squeeze her hands and eyes as tight as she could, and make a wish. She announced her wish for a unicorn. He then took his staff and touched her hands with it, then told her to open her eyes and hands—well, there was no unicorn, but there was a crystal marble. It was such a fun, spontaneous experience, so much in line with the vibe of a Renaissance Faire.

We made our way toward the exit around 7pm and noticed all the performers gathering along the hills and paths on our route.

A band started playing live Renaissance-style music, and everyone started dancing. Performers and attendees all danced together and celebrated a wonderful day of fantasy. My daughter found her favorite fairy up on the hill and they danced together until it was time to call it a day.

Pro Tips for Visiting the Faire

• T he faire is open Saturdays, Sundays, and on Labor Day until Oct. 1.

• T here is free parking about ¼ mile from the faire, and free

shuttle buses take visitors back and forth.

• T here is $10 parking closer to the faire, but the lot gets full quickly.

• The grounds are very stroller friendly.

• Wagons are available to rent if you didn’t bring a stroller but realize you need one.

• Pets are not allowed.

• You can get a stamp if you leave the park and intend to return later the same day.

• Outside food is not allowed, but you can return to your car for a picnic if you would prefer your own food.

• Many shows are not appropriate for kids. All of these are indicated on the schedule or online. However, overall, this is a very kid-friendly venue.

Rates: $25 for adults; $20 seniors (62 and older) and military personnel with identification; $12 ages 5-12; free for ages 4 and younger. Check website for discounts and promotions.

Nearly all activities, with few exceptions (such as the shows and performances), require additional fees, so be prepared to spend more than just the entrance fee. And the activities (as well as food stands) don’t accept credit cards. There are ATMs around the faire, but bringing cash is helpful.

For more information, visit renfair.com/ny.

It’s official: I am now a Renaissance Faire fan. And I will likely visit this one every year now.

Estée Pouleris blogs at familyroadtraveled.com. She lives in New York City with her boyfriend and their daughter.

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RocklandParent 25

OUTINGS: Wild West City

nymetroparents.com/outings

Get a Taste of the Wild West

Step back in time to the 1800s at this western-heritage theme park in Stanhope, NJ. ››

By Caitlin Berens

Joyce Bambach

2 Courtesy Wild West City

5 Regina Hartman

4 Courtesy Wild West City

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Courtesy Wild West City

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1 Wild West City’s Main Street is a bustling strip with shops, museum-quality exhibits, and live-action shows. 2 Guests best keep their wits about them when riding on the horse-drawn stagecoach—they might be stopped by bandits. 3 Guests of all ages can learn about life in the 1800s from living history stations including a mountain man, blacksmith, and school marm.

4 Some of Wild West City’s live-action shows and special events encourage child participation. 5 Guests can mine for gold like the real ’49ers at Egan’s Mine #1.

T

o be transported to the wild west one just needs to drive to New Jersey. Wild West City, located in Stanhope, NJ, features live-action shows, stagecoach rides, and family-friendly events. The western-heritage theme park is a recreation of life in the 1800s in Dodge City, KS. It opened in 1957 and has been family-owned and -operated by the Stabile family since 1963.

“For the cost of about a movie you can come and be entertained all day,” says Mary Stabile Benson, park manager of Wild West City.

Nonstop Action on Main Street

There are 22 daily live-action shows on Main Street, some of which encourage child participation—like when the sheriff needs help to capture the notorious Jesse James. Visitors can also catch a glimpse of competing cowboys, the Pony Express, cancan girls, and more.

Beyond the re-enactments, Main Street has reproductions of period buildings that include museum-quality exhibits with farming tools, a large collection of Native American art and artifacts, and more. Just be sure to behave, or you might find yourself in one of Wild West City’s circa-1890 jail cells.

Main Street also has an old-time candy store,

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spots for lunch and snacks, a photo center at which visitors can dress in western garb, and places to buy clothing and souvenirs.

Hop Aboard a Stagecoach

Step aboard a horse-drawn stagecoach for a ride around Wild West City—but keep an eye out for bandits. Along the route guests will get to see a one-room schoolhouse, a chapel, and may even meet a mountain man.

“We have a variety of living history stations,” Benson says. “You can go and watch the blacksmith make tools, and you can talk to the mountain man and learn about survival skills. You can talk to the school marm about lessons back in the 1800s or the chuck wagon [cook] about...how they made meals while they were out on the range.”

Train and pony rides are also available.

Hands-On Experiences

Try to strike it rich while panning for gold at Egan’s Mine #1. Swirl dirt in a gold pan like the real ’49ers and you just might find a nugget that glistens like real gold. For some fun in the shade, visitors can aim for a holein-one at the 18-hole miniature golf course.

A visit to the Barnyard Zoo will introduce

guests to the animals found on a typical pioneer farm including Billy the goat. The zoo also has a calf and sheep as well as egg-laying Rhode Island Reds (a breed of chicken).

Wild West Events

Wild West City has several entertaining and interactive events including band performances and Wild West Dress-Up Day. Visitors can learn about Chuck Wagon Camp Cooking Aug. 18-20, and Cowboy Larry’s Wild West Show, Aug. 5-6, will showcase rope spinning, bullwhip demonstrations, and trick riding.

The popular Native American Intertribal Dancers will return in September.

Want to Go?

Address: 50 Lackawanna Drive, Stanhope, NJ Directions: Approximately a 55-minute drive from New City Hours: Daily through Sept. 4, 10:30am6pm; weekends only Sept. 5-Oct. 9 Admission: $17.25; $15.25 children ages 2-11; $13.50 seniors ages 62 and older; $4 per person for select attractions (miniature golf, stagecoach, train, and pony rides); special rates for groups of 20 or more and school groups For more information: wildwestcity.com

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Turn the page for details on Slide The City (No. 2 on our list).

AUGUST

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CALENDAR

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Editor’s Hot Tickets

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Special Needs

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We Can’t Believe It’s FREE!, Must-Sees in NYC

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On Screen, Animal Lovers

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Smarty Pants, Show Time!

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Browse & Buy, Movers & Shakers

EDITOR’S HOT TICKETS Our calendar is full of great ideas. First, here are the seven events we consider can’t-miss—the ones we’re taking our own kids to. Consider it your cheat sheet to the best of what’s great this month!

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First Friday FREE

WHEN: Friday, Aug. 4, 5-8pm WHERE: Downtown Nyack, Main Street and Broadway, Nyack AGES: All WHAT: Downtown Nyack hosts its monthly art festival during which shops and businesses unite with local artists for an evening of art openings, music, and poetry. Shop, stroll, and support the local art and business communities.

WHY WE LOVE IT: What community is all about!

WANT TO GO? 201-666-1340. visitnyack.org.

Slide The City

WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 5, 10am WHERE: North Church Street, The Square to Golden Hill Avenue, Goshen AGES: 5 and older WHAT: Don’t forget the sunblock, a comfortable swimsuit, and sneakers, and come enjoy this recordbreaking water slide. There will be live music, and food and drinks for purchase. All sliders must be taller than 46 inches to slide.

WHY WE LOVE IT: Our slip-n-slide dreams come true!

WANT TO GO? $25 and up. slidethecity.com.

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Native American Heritage Celebration & PowWow

WHEN: Aug. 5-6, Saturday, 11am; Sunday, 7pm WHERE: Anthony Wayne Recreation Area, Harriman State Park, Palisades Interstate Parkway at Bear Mountain, Stony Point AGES: All WHAT: More than 500 Native American artists, educators, singers, dancers, and performing groups from across the Americas will be featured, along with more than 40 artist booths selling crafts, jewelry, food, and more.

WHY WE LOVE IT: A spectacular and unique experience!

WANT TO GO? $12; 10 seniors; $8 children ages 6-12; free for children 5 and younger; $8 parking. 718-686-9297. redhawkcouncil.org.

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Butterfly Weekend

WHEN: Aug. 12-13, Saturday-Sunday, 10am-2pm WHERE: Hudson Highlands Nature Museum, Outdoor Discovery Center, Muser Drive, Cornwall AGES: All WHAT: Flutter in this weekend to discover the beauty of butterflies, moths, and caterpillars. At 10:30am and 12:30pm, enjoy an illustrated presentation about common local butterflies, followed by a guided field butterfly walk at 11:30am and 1:30pm. Children can also participate in a fun, simple craft and the butterfly tent.

WHY WE LOVE IT: A rare treat to see these beautiful creatures up close!

WANT TO GO? $8; $6 children. 845-534-5506. hhnaturemuseum.org.

Open Cock-Pit Weekend

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WHEN: Aug. 19-20, Saturday-Sunday, 10am-4pm WHERE: The Aviation Hall of Fame, 400 Fred Wehran Road, Teterboro, NJ AGES: All WHAT: The unique family experience includes a very rare Lockheed Bushmaster, a Convair 880 circa 1958, a M*A*S*H Bell helicopter, a CoastGuard Helicopter, an OV-1 Mohawk observation plane, a Walter Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting Truck, and a Cobra Gunship Helicopter.

WHY WE LOVE IT: Perfect for those budding history buffs or little aircraft lovers!

WANT TO GO? $10; $8 seniors and children. 201-288-6344. njahof.org.

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Storytime

WHEN: Aug. 7-21, Mondays, 11am WHERE: Glaze Pottery Studio, 34 Orangetown Shopping Center, Orangeburg AGES: 3-8 WHAT: Come listen to a fun story, and then paint a piece of pottery related to the book.

WHY WE LOVE IT: The perfect way to combine kids’ favorite activities: art and books!

WANT TO GO? $15. 845-359-9020. glazeartstudio.com.

NY Renaissance Faire

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WHEN: Aug. 5-Oct. 1, Saturday-Sunday, 10am-7pm WHERE: Renaissance Faire, Tuxedo Park, 600 NY-17A, Tuxedo Park AGES: All WHAT: The faire is a rollicking romp through Elizabethan England complete with 16th-century games, rides, arts, crafts, food, music, and dance.

WHY WE LOVE IT: All-day fun at this annual favorite, especially for those young maidens and knights-in-training.

WANT TO GO? $25; $20 seniors and military; $12 children ages 5-12; free for children 4 and younger. 845-351-5174. renfaire.com/ny. ››

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CityBound

N Y C Michael Seto

Must-Sees in

WE CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S FREE

Think a freebie has to be ho-hum? Don’t let the price tag (or lack of one) fool you. Here are the five no-cost events we’re excited about now. You’re welcome.

SummerStage Family Day FREE

WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 12, 2-5pm WHERE: Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, Manhattan AGES: All WHAT: Notable alt-rock favorites They Might Be Giants and Bill Childs bring the family together with their contagious melodies.

WANT TO GO? cityparksfoundation.org.

Munchkin Mondays Summer Concert Series FREE

WHEN: Mondays, Aug. 7 and 21, 11am-12pm WHERE: Palisades Center, 1000 Palisades Center, West Nyack AGES: 3-5 WHAT: Bring your dancing shoes and celebrate the summer. Jam out with the Jungle Gym Jam on Aug. 7 and with Tommy and the Uncle Brothers on Aug. 21.

WANT TO GO? 845-348-1000. palisadescenter.com.

Family fun in Central Park at the Summerstage Family Day

Giant Family Fun This year’s Manhattan SummerStage Family Day is headlined by alt-rock legend They Might Be Giants, singing songs from one of its many hit albums for kids. The event will also feature Bill Childs, creator and host of Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child, a hit radio show for kids. Hear the best kindie rock from the last decade and take part in audience participation, singing, and dancing for all ages. Feel good fun on an August afternoon! Aug. 12, 2-5pm. Age: All. FREE. SummerStage: Rumsey Playfield, Mid-Park at 72nd Street, Central Park. summerstage.org.

Courtesy NYC DOT

Music Appreciation with Mr. Burr FREE

WHEN: Through Aug. 24: Thursdays, 9:30am, 10am, 10:30am, and 11am WHERE: Haverstraw King’s Daughters Public Library, Main Library, 10 W. Ramapo Road, Garnerville AGES: Newborn to 5 WHAT: Children’s perceptual motor and socialization skills are developed as they enjoy the magic of music. Designed to stimulate children and inspire them to reach out and learn with songs, instruments, and props. Registration required.

WANT TO GO? 845-786-3800. hkdpl.org.

Friday Fun FREE

WHEN: Aug. 4-25, Fridays, 4-5pm WHERE: Haverstraw King’s Daughters Public Library, Village Branch, 85 Main St., Haverstraw AGES: 5-12 WHAT: Children will enjoy a different program every week including Builder’s Club, games, 3-D fun with 3-D pens, PS4, Code Club, and Science Squad.

WANT TO GO? 845-429-3445. hkdpl.org.

Mad Science Summer Camp FREE

WHEN: Through Aug. 30: Wednesdays and Saturdays, 11am-12pm WHERE: Westfield Garden State Plaza, Level 2, 1 Garden State Plaza, Paramus, NJ AGES: All WHAT: A high-energy demonstration of fun, education, and spectacular science experiments. VIP packages are available for $10. See website for details and to make reservations.

WANT TO GO? 201-843-2121. westfield.com.

One, two, three, whee!

Slide Into Manhattan Part block party, part hike, part urban beach, and part bike tour, Citi Summer Streets 2017 is a summer highlight. For three Saturday mornings in a row, nearly 7 miles of Manhattan’s streets will be closed off to traffic, giving you the chance to explore and enjoy a ton of fun activities such as biking, a giant zip line, food and drink, music and dance performances, and more. One of the most popular activities is the giant water slide at the Foley Square rest stop. Aug. 5, 12, and 19: 7am-1pm. Age: All. FREE. Between Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park, along Park Avenue and connecting streets (starting at East 72nd Street). Registration is required for the Vita Coco Beachside Slide, see website for details. nyc.gov/summerstreets.

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Summer Science 101

WHEN: Through Aug. 24: Thursdays, 5:30pm WHERE: Education Center Theater at the Bergen County Zoo, Van Saun County Park, Paramus, NJ AGES: All WHAT: Come discuss the Earth and the amazing flora and fauna that inhabit it, at this basic science class. A different topic each week.

WANT TO GO? $8; $5 children; $2 seniors; free for children younger than 3. 201-262-3771. co.bergen.nj.us/parks.

Hop Into Art: Weekend Family Workshops

WHEN: Through Aug. 27: Saturday-Sunday, 1-3pm WHERE: Edward Hopper House, 82 N. Broadway, Nyack AGES: 9 and older WHAT: Enjoy ongoing workshop themes related to the artwork on display.

WANT TO GO? $5 suggested donation. 845-358-0774. edwardhopperhouse.org.

SMARTY PANTS

Millions: Migrants and Millionaires Aboard the Great Liners, 1900-1914 WHEN: Through Aug. 11: Wednesday-Sunday, 11am-5pm WHERE: South Street Seaport Museum, 12 Fulton St., South Street Seaport, Manhattan AGES: All WHAT: An exhibit exploring the different lives and experiences of the extraordinarily wealthy first-class traveling passengers and third-class immigrants sailing the seas to America in the early 20th century.

WANT TO GO? $12. 212-748-8600. southstreetseaportmuseum.org.

Public Planetarium Show

WHEN: Sunday, Aug. 13, 2-4pm WHERE: Town of Ramapo Challenger Center, 225 Route 59, Airmont AGES: 5 and older WHAT: See the night sky in a whole new light and discover the wonders of the universe. Following a 1-hour planetarium show, participants will take part in a hands-on astronomy-related project.

Reservations required.

WANT TO GO? $10; $5 seniors and for children younger than 9. 845357-3416. lhvcc.com.

Public Space Mission

WHEN: Sunday, Aug. 20, 2-5pm WHERE: Town of Ramapo Challenger Center, 225 Route 59, Airmont AGES: 5 and older WHAT: Learn about comets, mysterious objects made of rock, ice, and dust that are among the oldest, most primitive bodies in our Solar System. Just like the real astronauts, public crew members will attend a briefing session and then select tasks to perform on the mission. Tasks are detailed enough to feel real and challenging and simple enough for kids to do. Reservations required.

WANT TO GO? $10; $5 seniors and for children younger than 9. 845357-3416. lhvcc.com.

Science in Action FREE

WHEN: Through Aug. 21: Mondays, 5pm WHERE: Haverstraw King’s Daughters Public Library, Main Library, 10 W. Ramapo Road, Garnerville AGES: 5-12 WHAT: Children are invited to discover more about the world around them through science. Topics include Fun with Light, Fun with Flight, and Bubble Science. Registration required.

WANT TO GO? 845-786-3800. hkdpl.org.

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Children and Family Programs

WHEN: Aug. 6-27, Sundays, 1pm WHERE: Storm King Art Center, 1 Museum Road, New Windsor AGES: All WHAT: These hands-on experiences are created and led by artists, conservators, arts educators, and environmental educators.

WANT TO GO? $18; $15 seniors; $8 children ages 5-18; free for children younger than 4. 845-534-3115. stormkingartcenter.org.

Drones: Is the Sky the Limit?

WHEN: Through Sept. 1: Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm; Saturday-Sunday, 10am-6pm WHERE: Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Pier 86, West 46th Street and 12th Avenue, New York Harbor, Manhattan AGES: 5 and older WHAT: This large-scale exhibition will reveal the history of drone technology, from its modern-day origins in World War I to its current applications.

WANT TO GO? $33; $31 seniors; $24 children ages 2-12; free for children 4 and younger. 877-957-7447. intrepidmuseum.org.

SHOW TIME! Clifford Theater Workshop Presents: ‘Fame’

WHEN: Aug. 4-5, Friday-Saturday, 7pm WHERE: Village Auditorium, 61 Washington Ave., Suffern AGES: 9 and older WHAT: Students from the Ramapo Central School District will amaze you with their theatrical talent as they perform the popular show Fame.

WANT TO GO? Donations welcome. 845-357-7943. suffernvillage.com.

Family Music Festival FREE

WHEN: Through Aug. 8: Tuesday-Wednesday, 7:30pm WHERE: Town of Clarkstown, Germonds Road, West Nyack AGES: All WHAT: Check website for park locations, performers, and updates. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs.

WANT TO GO? 845-639-6200. town.clarkstown.ny.us.

Concert Series FREE

WHEN: Aug. 2-16, Wednesdays, 7pm WHERE: Oakes Park, Old Tappan Road and Central Avenue, Old Tappan, NJ AGES: 5 and older WHAT: Bring your family and friends and enjoy the music. In the event of rain, concerts will move to the Old Tappan Fire House.

WANT TO GO? 201-664-1849. oldtappan.net.

PCA Outdoor Summer Concert FREE

WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 17, 7:30pm WHERE: Flywheel Park, 10 Roundhouse Road, Piermont AGES: All WHAT: Bring a blanket or a chair to enjoy this summer concert.

WANT TO GO? piermontchamber.org.

Events at the Lake FREE

Planning an Activity or Event for Children or Families?

WHEN: Aug. 5-26, Saturday-Sunday, 7pm WHERE: Crestwood Lake, West Crescent Avenue, Allendale, NJ AGES: All WHAT: Enjoy live music at the lake, including One Fine Tapestry on Aug. 5 at 8pm, Mike Sinatra on Aug. 13, and The Brian Princing Quartet on Aug. 26. Snacks and drinks are available for purchase.

WANT TO GO? 201-818-4400. allendalenj.gov.

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Kasschau Memorial Shell Summer Concerts FREE

WHEN: Through Aug. 31: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:30pm WHERE: Band Shell Veteran’s Field, North Maple Avenue, between Franklin and Linwood avenues, Ridgewood, NJ AGES: All WHAT: Bring a chair or a blanket. See website for schedule and updates.

WANT TO GO? 201-670-5568. ridgewoodnj.net.

Summer Music at the Marina FREE

WHEN: Through Sept. 7: Thursdays, 7:30-9pm WHERE: Edgewater Marina, 989 River Road, Edgewater, NJ AGES: All WHAT: Bring a blanket, chair, and a picnic basket and enjoy music.

WANT TO GO? 201-943-9242. edgewaternj.org.

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Summer Concert Series FREE

WHEN: Through Sept. 7: Thursdays, 5-8pm WHERE: The Shops at Nanuet, 75 New York Route 59, Nanuet AGES: All WHAT: Featuring a line up of national and regional talent for three concerts throughout the summer. Family activities including face painting, balloon art by Making Faces Parties, and a bounce house will be available to enjoy. Bring lawn chairs to enjoy the entertainment. See website for performers.

WANT TO GO? 845-501-4272. simon.com.

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Sensory Sensitive Sundays

WHEN: Sunday, Aug. 6, Nanuet: 9-11am; Paramus: 8-10am WHERE: Chuck E. Cheese’s: 250 W. Route 59, Nanuet; 275 Route 4 W., Paramus, NJ AGES: 3-12 WHAT: A sensory-friendly experience on the first Sunday of every month. Includes less crowding and noise, dimmed lighting, music turned off or down, and limited appearances by Chuck E. Food and games are offered, however parents are permitted to bring snacks for their children if needed due to dietary restrictions.

WANT TO GO? Prices vary. chuckecheese.com.

Sensational Tuesdays

WHEN: Aug. 1-29, Tuesdays, 6pm WHERE: Bounce! Trampoline Sports, 612 Corporate Way, Valley Cottage AGES: 3-12 WHAT: Classes include decreased auditory and visual stimuli in a less crowded environment.

WANT TO GO? $12. 845-268-4000. bouncevalleycottage.com. ››

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ANIMAL LOVERS Bird Festival

WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 5, 11am-3pm WHERE: Trailside Museums and Zoo, Bear Mountain State Park, Bear Mountain AGES: All WHAT: Fly on over to celebrate the birds of New York state. Visit the bald eagle, owls, hawks, and vultures. Family-friendly activities include Bird Olympics, and Great Migration Challenge.

WANT TO GO? $1 per person suggested donation; $10 parking fee.

845-786-2701. trailsidezoo.org.

National Owl Day

ON SCREEN Family Movie Night FREE

WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 3, 7:30pm WHERE: Rockland County Courthouse Lawn, Main Street and New Hempstead Road, New City AGES: All WHAT: Bring lawn chairs or a blanket and enjoy the movie The Game Plan under the stars with free popcorn.

WANT TO GO? 845-638-3495. newcitychamber.com.

Summer Movies in the Park FREE

WHEN: Aug. 3-24, Thursdays, 8pm WHERE: Veteran’s Park, 98-44 Madison Ave., Westwood, NJ AGES: 5 and older WHAT: Enjoy a family movie night and popcorn for everyone throughout the month, including Finding Dory on Aug. 3, The Sandlot on Aug. 10, Hairspray on Aug. 17, and Pete’s Dragon on Aug. 24. Don’t forget chairs or blankets.

WANT TO GO? 201-664-7882. westwoodnj.gov.

Family Movie FREE

WHEN: Aug. 2-30, Wednesdays, 7-8pm WHERE: Haverstraw King’s Daughters Public Library, Main Library, 10 W. Ramapo Road, Garnerville AGES: All WHAT: Take break from the heat and enjoy a family movie.

WANT TO GO? 845-786-3800. hkdpl.org.

Movie Under the Stars: ‘Pete’s Dragon’ FREE

WHEN: Wednesday, Aug. 30, 7:30pm WHERE: Parsons Pond Park, Old Mill Road and Parsons Park Drive, Franklin Lakes, NJ AGES: 5 and older WHAT: Don’t forget your blankets, lawn chairs, coolers, and snacks to enjoy this film.

WANT TO GO? 201-891-4000. franklinlakes.org.

Kids’ Movie Night

WHEN: Through Dec. 17: Sundays, 5:30pm WHERE: Harry’s Burritos, 90 Main St., Nyack AGES: All WHAT: See animated films for kids every Sunday night at Harry’s Burritos. Parents receive happy hour pricing on meals and drinks.

WANT TO GO? Prices vary. 845-353-5220. harrysburritos.com.

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August 2017 | nymetroparents.com

WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 5, 11am-3pm WHERE: Bergen County Zoo, Van Saun County Park, Paramus, NJ AGES: All WHAT: Meet at the education center for a tour of the owl exhibits at the zoo. Attendees will visit the snowy owls, screech owls, and spectacled owls. This special event will include owl stories and owl crafts.

WANT TO GO? $8; $2 seniors; $5 children; free for children younger than 3. 201-262-3771. co.bergen.nj.us/parks.

World Elephant Day

WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 12, 11am-3pm WHERE: Bergen County Zoo, Van Saun County Park, Paramus, NJ AGES: All WHAT: Celebrate one of the world’s most beloved and most endangered animals and learn what you can do to help protect these fantastic beasts. Bring your favorite toy elephant to the zoo for a full day of elephant fun. Keeper chats, story time, and crafts will be a part of Elephant Day. WANT TO GO? $8; $2 seniors; $5 children; free for children younger than 3. 201-262-3771. co.bergen.nj.us/parks.

Cotton Top Tamarins

WHEN: Sunday, Aug. 20, 11am-3pm WHERE: Bergen County Zoo, Van Saun County Park, Paramus, NJ AGES: All WHAT: Come see these fun and fascinating tiny primates. Participants will enjoy Keeper chats, story time, animal artifact displays, and crafts during this fun-filled day.

WANT TO GO? $8; $2 seniors; $5 children; free for children younger than 3. 201-262-3771. co.bergen.nj.us/parks.

PAWS for Reading FREE

WHEN: Aug. 19-26, Saturdays, 10:30am-12pm WHERE: Haverstraw King’s Daughters Public Library, Main Library, 10 W. Ramapo Road, Garnerville AGES: 5-12 WHAT: Sign up for a 15-minute session to read to a dog.

Registration required.

WANT TO GO? 845-786-3800. hkdpl.org.

BROWSE & BUY Suffern Farmers’ Market

WHEN: Through Oct. 28: Saturdays, 8:30am-1pm WHERE: Lafayette Avenue, between Orange and Wayne avenues, Suffern AGES: All WHAT: A family-friendly market with food vendors, craft vendors, children’s activities, and live entertainment weekly. Provides fresh, locally grown, nutritious produce and fruit, prepared foods, grass-fed beef, farm fresh eggs, baked goods, body care products, handmade gift items, and more.

WANT TO GO? Prices vary. suffernchamber.org.

Clarkstown Farmers’ Market

WHEN: Through Oct. 28: Saturdays, 9am-1pm WHERE: Traphagen Park, 131 Germonds Road, West Nyack AGES: All WHAT: The newest market to open in Rockland County. Highlights include locally grown and sourced produce, flowers, jams, pickles, honey, and more.

WANT TO GO? Free admission. 845-323-3658. town.clarkstown.ny.us.

MOVERS & SHAKERS Tween and Teen Nights

WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 12, 8:30-11:30pm WHERE: High Exposure, 266 Union St., Northvale, NJ AGES: 9-12 WHAT: Come climb, dance, and hang the night away. Enjoy climbing games and outrageous dares to test and push skills. Snacks and drinks are available for purchase and all activities are supervised.

WANT TO GO? $29. 201-768-8600. highexposureclimbing.com.

Walk-in Climbing

WHEN: Aug. 1-31, Monday-Friday, 12-10pm; Saturday-Sunday, 9am-8pm WHERE: The Gravity Vault, 107 Pleasant Ave., Upper Saddle River, NJ AGES: 5 and older WHAT: Walk in anytime during normal business hours and receive the necessary equipment and an instructor for two climbs. See the website for other kids classes and events. Prices vary.

WANT TO GO? $20. 201-327-6257. gravityvault.com.

Kids Bowl Free

WHEN: Through Sept. 1: Monday-Friday, 3:30-6pm WHERE: New City Bowl & Batting Cages, 90 N. Main St., New City AGES: 3-17 WHAT: Free bowling on weekdays all summer long. Family passes are available to purchase for adults and older children.

WANT TO GO? Shoe rental fees apply. 845-634-4977. newcitybowlandbattingcages.com.

Piermont’s Down to Earth Farmers Market

WHEN: May 7-Nov. 19, Sundays, 9:30am-3pm WHERE: M&T Bank Parking Lot, Piermont Avenue and Ash Street, Piermont AGES: All WHAT: Down to Earth market brings together two kinds of vendors: local farmers and area food makers who source locally.

WANT TO GO? Prices vary. 914 923-4837. downtoearthmarkets.com.

Ramsey Farmers’ Market

WHEN: Through Nov. 26: Sundays, 9am-2pm WHERE: Erie Plaza, 2 W. Main St., Ramsey, NJ AGES: All WHAT: Featuring more than 50 local farmers and food purveyors, come stroll the market and enjoy extraordinary variety, local produce and products, music, children’s crafts, chef demos, and more.

WANT TO GO? Free admission. 201-675-6866. ramseyfarmersmarket.org.

Coming up next month: SEPT. 8: 24th Annual Car Show at East Ridgewood Avenue and Memorial Park, Ridgewood, NJ SEPT. 10: SeptemberFest Street Fair at North Broadway and Main Street, Nyack SEPT. 23: Biodiversity Celebration at Trailside Museums & Zoo, Bear Mountain

Nyack Farmers’ Market

WHEN: Through Nov. 30: Thursdays, 8am-2pm WHERE: Main Street Parking Lot, 119 Main St., Nyack AGES: All WHAT: Some of the greatest vendors come together in the center of Nyack to hold the weekly farmers’ market with produce, baked goods, sweets, and more.

WANT TO GO? Free admission. 845-353-2221. nyackchamber.com.

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RocklandParent 33

WHERE-TO GUIDE

Pick Your Own Berries

››

Research by Jaime Bonchick and Amanda Marrone

Enjoy the sweet fruits of summer by picking your own berries at a local farm! Kids will love plucking fresh strawberries, blackberries, and even cherries straight from the bush. Many of these farms also have farm stands at which you can purchase pre-picked fruits, baked goods, and fresh juices. Want even more farm fun? Lots of our picks offer hayrides and activities to keep kids busy after they’ve collected their basket of fruit.

Note: Dates and availability are projected. We recommend calling ahead before visiting these farms.

Friday, 10am-1pm, and Saturday-Sunday, 10am-4pm; plus Wednesday and Friday, 5-7pm (Wednesday and Friday evening hayrides mid-June through August are free). Farm market, bakery, and produce hours are 8am-7pm daily; ice cream window open until 9pm. Wednesday night is Family Fun Night from 5-8pm. Friday nights are Cruise Car Nights, when you can drive your classic car to the farm and receive a free ice cream.

Cape May County

Orange County Ochs Orchard 4 Ochs Lane (off Reservoir Road, Route 94), Warwick 845-986-1591; ochsorchard.net Open daily, 9am-5pm (subject to availability) Pick your own strawberries, peaches, apples, blueberries, blackberries, tomatoes, and raspberries daily through October.

Farm stand with pre-picked produce open daily, 9am-6pm.

Dutchess County Greig Farm 223 Pitcher Lane, Red Hook 845-758-1234; greigfarm.com Open daily, 8am-8pm Pick your own blueberries in July; blueberries and blackberries in August; and apples in September. Nursery and garden shop on-site. Kids can feed goats and visit the koi fish pond behind Grandiflora Nursery. The Hudson Valley Farmers Market at Grieg Farm is open every Saturday, 10am-3pm, offering

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August 2017 | nymetroparents.com

vegetables, fruits, eggs, cheeses, meats, fish, flowers, and more from local Hudson Valley Farms.

NEW JERSEY Bergen County Demarest Farms 244 Wierimus Road, Hillsdale 201-666-0472; demarestfarms.com Open daily, 8am-6:30pm Pick your own peaches starting at the end of July. Farm market with pre-picked seasonal fruits and vegetables for sale.

Petting zoo on-site.

Burlington County Johnson’s Corner Farm 133 Church Road, Medford 609-654-8643; johnsonsfarm.com Open daily, 8am-7pm Pick your own blueberries through midAugust; peaches through the end of August; sweet corn late June through end of August. Hayrides offered Monday-

The Allen Family Farm 26 Tarkiln Road, Woodbine 609-861-3778 facebook.com/theallenfamilyfarm Open daily from sunup to sundown; call ahead to verify hours Pick your own blueberries and check the Facebook page for updates. Produce is unsprayed.

Hunterdon County Califon Farm Stand & Orchard 472 County Road 513, Califon 908-832-2905; melickstownfarm.com Open daily, 9am-6pm Pick your own peaches and pears through September. On-site store with fresh produce, ice cream, and baked goods.

Melick’s Town Farm Apple Orchard: 19 King St., Oldwick Strawberry Patch: Farmers Market at 170 Oldwick Road Peaches: 472 County Road 513, Califon 908-439-2318; melickstownfarm.com Open daily, 9am-6pm Pick your own peaches July through September. Call about other seasonal pickings.

Phillips Farms 290 Church Road, Milford 908-995-0022 phillipsfarms.com

nymetroparents.com/where-to

Open daily, 8:30am-6pm (U-Pick closed on Tuesdays) Pick your own black and red raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, peaches, and apples (call for availability). Farm stand with a variety of fresh produce.

Schaefer Farms 1051 Flemington/Whitehouse Road (County Route 523), Flemington 908-782-2705 schaeferfarms.com Open Monday-Saturday, 9:30am-6pm; Sunday, 10am5pm (changes in the fall) Pick your own blackberries July-August and raspberries through August. Farm stand with homegrown sweet corn, a variety of vegetables, and Nutrena seeds. Farm-grown eggs, pork, chicken, duck, and beef also available.

Valley Crest Farm 14 Allerton Road, Lebanon 908-238-9696 valleycrestfarmnj.org Open weekends, 10am-3pm (through Nov. 1) Pick your own peaches through September and apples through late October. Call for availability. Farm stand with pre-picked vegetables and fruit; open 10am-2pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Mercer County Lee Turkey Farm 201 Hickory Corner Road, East Windsor 609-448-0629 leeturkeyfarm.com Open Monday-Saturday, 9am6pm; Sunday, 2-6pm; last admission at 5:15pm Pick your own raspberries, peaches, strawberries, cherries, apples, and nectarines (call for availability), along with lettuce and spinach. On-site market with sweet corn and homemade pies.

Terhune Orchards 330 Cold Soil Road, Princeton 609-924-2310 terhuneorchards.com Open daily, 9am-6pm, though hours may vary; picking fields close at 5pm Pick your own blackberries through August. Check website for other seasonal pickings. On-site store with pre-picked produce, certified organic veggies, and baked goods. Hosts different festivals during the year (check website for dates). Fresh seasonal flowers available. On-site winery and tasting room open Friday-Sunday, 12-5pm.

Middlesex County Stults Farm 146 Cranbury Neck Road, Plainsboro Township 609-799-2523; stultsfarm.com Open daily, 10am-6pm Sign up for email alerts on the website to be notified when pick your own blueberries become available. Farm stand on-site with a variety of fruits and vegetables for purchase.

Von Thun’s Country Farm Market 505 Ridge Road, Monmouth Junction 732-329-8656 vonthunfarms.com Open daily, 9am-6pm (U-pick ends at 5pm) Pick your own blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, vegetables, and more. Call for availability. On-site market with pre-picked vegetables and plants.

Monmouth County Battleview Orchards 91 Wemrock Road, Freehold 732-462-0756 battlevieworchards.com Open daily, 9am-6pm; picking fields close at 3pm Pick sour cherries from

June through mid-July; peaches from July through mid-September; nectarines from late July through August. All dates can change depending on supply and the weather. Country store and a bakery on-site with fresh local produce. Homemade apple cider in September and homegrown corn and tomatoes for purchase.

Earth Friendly Organic Farm and Bed & Breakfast 17 Olde Noah Hunt Road, Millstone Township 609-259-9744 earthfriendlyorganicfarm.com Open daily, 9am-5pm Pick your own blueberries and blackberries in August, and raspberries starting late August/early September.

Call ahead or email roz@ earthfriendlyorganicfarm.com to confirm availability.

Morris County Alstede Farms 1 Alstede Farm Lane, Chester 908-879-7189; alstedefarms.com Open daily, 9am-7pm in the summer; later closing hours in the fall Call or check website before going. Pick your own blackberries, gooseberries, and currants through the end of July; blueberries through mid-August; red and yellow raspberries from mid-August through October; and peaches mid-July through midSeptember. Cut-your-own flowers July-October. Veggies from July-October. Corn maze with giant hay pyramid, farm animals, hayrides, pony rides, homemade ice cream, and farmers’ market. Live bands play on weekends through the fall, 12-4pm. Mid-July Sunflower maze will be available.

Hillview Farms 223 Meyersville Road, Gillette 908-647-0957 Open daily, 9am-6pm Pick your own blueberries through the month of July, peaches and nectarines through August, and donut peaches in August.

Ocean County DeWolf’s Farm 58 W. Colliers Mill Road, New Egypt 609-758-6288 facebook.com/dewolfsupick dewolfsfarm@aol.com Open daily, 7am-6pm; pick your own available until 5pm; stand open until 6pm Pick your own blackberries in July and August. Pick your own vegetables AprilNovember.

Emery’s Organic Blueberry Farm 346 Long Swamp Road, New Egypt 609-758-8514; emerysfarm.com Open 9am-4pm when produce is available (call ahead or check Facebook to confirm) Pick your own blueberries.

Farmers’ market on-site open daily, 9am-6pm, with a variety of pastries and pre-picked blueberries.

Sussex County Valley View Farms 280 Route 206 S., Newton 973-579-7271 Open daily, 9:30am-7:30pm; call ahead as hours are subject to change due to weather Pick your own raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries mid-July through August.

Also offers pick your own vegetables starting in July and cut-your-own flowers (including sunflowers) in July.

Find the full guide at ›› nymetroparents.com/berries

Lilianne Gering will be attending Muhlenberg College this fall as a double major in business and dance.

From Extracurricular to Extra Cash ››

Whether your kid is committed to sports, the arts, or even community service, here’s how to turn that passion for after-school activities into a college scholarship By Samantha Neudorf

J

enna Turato, a rising junior at Molloy College in Rockville Centre, knew she wanted to go to college at a young age and knew she could use softball to get there.

Turato began playing softball when she was in third grade and watched her older sister play softball and receive a scholarship to college, so she seized the opportunity once it was her turn to apply. An accounting major who lives in her hometown of Garden City South, Turato currently is a pitcher for the Molloy Lions softball team and receives a $7,000 scholarship each year for athletics and academics.

“I realized how much softball could really make a difference in my college experience,” Turato says.

It’s no secret college is expensive—and, with tuition costs rising, continually getting more out of reach for many families, especially low-income ones. Overall college enrollment declined by 3 percent between 2008 and 2013, falling from 68.6 percent to 65.9 percent, according to an annual survey from the U.S. Census Bureau. The most dramatic decline happened among low-income families, dropping from 55.9 percent to 45.5 percent.

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Many families may not be able to afford college without assistance, and this is where scholarships for academics or afterschool activities can help to make it more attainable—and even, in some cases, tuition free. (These are separate from the need-based financial and student loans many families rely on to afford college.)

Alexandra Timoshenko graduated from Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville in June and will be attending Molloy College in the fall to study music therapy. She is enrolled in the dual-degree honors program and was awarded a full-tuition scholarship because of her committed involvement in afterschool activities. In fact, Timoshenko received full-tuition scholarships at all of the schools she applied to, including Belmont University, the State University of New York at Fredonia, and Seton Hill University.

In high school, Timoshenko was captain of the cross-country and track teams and participated in the jazz ensemble and band, along with a band program outside of school. On top of that, she took numerous Advanced Placement and honors courses and graduated as salutatorian of her class. She attributes her success in

obtaining the scholarship to her work ethic. “Everything I did I poured myself into one hundred percent, and all that hard work paid off,” Timoshenko says.

Lilianne Gering, a recent graduate from Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead, was awarded various scholarships to attend Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA, in the honors program as a double major in dance and business. Gering received merit scholarships, dance talent scholarships, and a scholarship from the Italian Genealogical Group for research on her Italian heritage.

In total, she was awarded $38,000. “I was very excited and also a little shocked because I figured I’d get [scholarships], but I was surprised at how much I got,” she says.

Gering started taking dance lessons when she was little and was a part of the Spotlight Dance Studio in Wantagh for 15 years, where she did ballet, pointe, tap, hip-hop, jazz, lyrical, and kickline.

Along with dancing there six days a week and teaching classes, she performed in her school’s production of The Nutcracker during each of her four years there. With two other girls, Gering was co-president of the production in her senior year, as well as the choreographer, director, and a lead role.

Gering advises students who are interested in applying for talent scholarships to become very involved with the activities about which they are passionate and to take on leadership positions in high school. “Colleges really want to see students who have leadership potential and the ability to lead and take on new roles within their school,” she says.

The Journey to a Scholarship

No one says it’s easy to earn these scholarships, as these successful teens’ stories attest. All require a strong commitment and passion—not just for the activities themselves but also for the sometimes-arduous college recruitment and scholarship application processes.

In order for Turato to have been recruited to play softball at Molloy, she played on a travel team and at recruiting tournaments, to which college coaches are invited in order to decide who will receive offers and scholarships. According to National Collegiate Athletic Association rules, only Division I and II schools offer athletic scholarships; Division III schools do not.

For fine arts areas such as dance, theater, music, and art, students must submit a sample of their work or audition in person. Gering attended an in-person audition to be considered for a dance scholarship at Muhlenberg. Dance scholarships range from $1,000 to $4,000 a year at Muhlenberg and vary at other schools.

When applying for merit-based scholarships, students must follow detailed instructions for submitting the required documents, such as a resume, essay, and transcript. Students should speak to their guidance counselor or teacher for recommendations on scholarships for which they should apply.

John Rodis, music department chair at Long Island Lutheran High School, teaches AP Music Theory and symphonic band and prepares students for college through his program. His students follow the New York State School Music Association track, which is the New York affiliate of the National Association for Music Education to evaluate student musicians from elementary through high school.

Rodis helps his students prepare for the final level of NYSSMA, which is to audition for the all-state level. Passing this level means that the student is able to read college-level music. When students go through this program with Rodis, they have more opportunities to apply for music scholarships.

“These NYSSMA pieces themselves are great vehicles for college auditions,” Rodis says. “If the opportunity [to apply for a scholarship] presents itself to you, you will be prepared.”

A College’s Decision

Colleges, of course, factor in grades and standardized test scores when making admissions decisions, but they also review an applicant’s resume to be considered for various scholarships the institution offers.

Marguerite Lane, the director of admissions at Molloy College, says an applicant’s activity involvement comes into consideration if a student did average on SAT or ACT scores.

“The reality is that the students who are the busiest are usually the ones that are the most successful, even in their academic subjects,” Lane says. “They learn very valuable time management skills at a young age that will be very transferable for when they come to college.”

And it’s not just sports and the arts that can win a committed high school student tuition relief for college. Many schools also offer community service-based scholarships. Molloy’s range from $2,000 to $5,000 per year and are awarded to students who have served their schools and communities. “We are a mission-based institution and we recognize that [community service is] that component that’s equally as important [as academics],” Lane says.

Manhattanville College in Purchase offers community service scholarships starting at $2,000 as well. Nikhil Kumar, vice president of undergraduate enrollment management at Manhattanville, says students with more extracurricular activities on their resumes are favored because national data proves those students are likely to be involved and engaged on campus. “Some would argue that you learn just as much outside of the classroom, if not more, just by having those kinds of experiences,” Kumar says. “It’s teaching you life lessons and humility to give back and get involved.”

Involvement in an extracurricular activity in high school does not just translate into potential scholarships; it may also help students transition into college life because they can make friends with people from that same group or team. “It helps them adapt to their new environment,” Kumar says.

Kumar suggests applicants research the college and engage with the admissions office or faculty in their area of interest.

For example, Turato kept in contact with Molloy coaches and made herself visible at recruiting tournaments while on her travel team.

An institution tends to be more interested in a student if that student shows an interest in that institution, Kumar says. “It shows what we call demonstrated interested, and that always weighs heavily in the admissions process.”

Other Scholarship Sources

When seeking scholarships, Lane advises students to find opportunities beyond the colleges, such as scholarships offered by nonprofit and community organizations. “Students don’t realize that if they sit down and take the time to write that five hundred- or one thousand-word essay, it can really help offset their college education costs,” Lane says. “It’s really wellworth applying for as many scholarships as they are qualified for because those independent scholarships can really help them, even if it’s with books for the semester or travel expenses.” continued on next page ››

RocklandParent 37

AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES MARKETPLACE Fall ion t stra Regi arts t s t . 21s Aug

Acting Workshops For Kids of All Ages!

• Learn acting fundamentals in a creative environment.

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‹‹ continued from previous page

Some of Lane’s suggestions include researching Awana clubs, Knights of Columbus, local churches and foundations, and opportunities from parents’ employers for scholarships.

When applying, she also says students should thoroughly explain how deeply they have been involved in outside activities. For example, if a student volunteered at a church, it is better to specify how many hours for however many months she did so, rather than just saying she did volunteer work generally. “Show the level of commitment and how it impacts your life and how that has made you ready for college and for life,” Lane says.

All that effort and passion for after-school activities just may pay off and make college more financially attainable.

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SCHOLARSHIP CHECKLIST There are many types of scholarships out there to apply for, if you do your research. Here are the requirements that are typically needed for any type of scholarship: • Essay • Letters of recommendation • Resume • Test scores • Transcript Performing arts scholarships, including dance, music, art, and theater, require all of the above, but also: • Audition video (if you cannot attend in-person) • Portfolio of work Athletic scholarships are different than the other types of scholarships because coaches recruit the students they want on their teams. Here is what a coach looks for in a student athlete, along with the requirements from above: • Highlight video • Communication with the coach via phone or email

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Bonding Through Writing

››

Why you should start journaling with your child today By Alexandra Eidens

O

ne of the most precious memories from my childhood is sitting down with my mom at the kitchen table, sipping tea with honey from our matching mugs, and talking about life.

That’s right, we talked about life ever since I could remember.

We would discuss events and ideas, share our opinions, and dream about what will happen in the future. I firmly believe that these conversations made a lasting impact on how I see the world and other people.

Looking back, my biggest wish is that we recorded even small bits of our conversations. I wish we wrote things down together so I could savor reading our conversations now. When my son gets older, I plan on journaling with him so we can create these memory capsules. I am sure he and I would enjoy re-reading our “talks” many years later.

Journaling with your child could be transformative for your relationship. There are three reasons why you should consider journaling together:

Connecting with your child becomes a regular habit.

Let’s face it, we all have a million things going on any given day. Connecting with your child is not an urgent activity and could be pushed aside by more pressing but less important things. If you, however, decide to keep a regular journal together, it becomes a habit. You both know this is what you do together every Sunday, for example.

It encourages meaningful discussions about life and the world.

If you want to know what’s going on in your child’s head, you need to discuss things beyond “How was school today?” When you journal 40

August 2017 | nymetroparents.com

together, you can write about things such as: “What is my biggest dream?” and “What was my recent mistake and what have I learned from it?” These are important conversational questions that are not typically asked at the dinner table.

It creates a special bond that allows for difficult conversations later when they are older.

The regular practice of discussing life events with my mom created a solid channel of communication between us. I never hesitated telling her things because I knew how she would react. When you build this foundation between you and your child, she will be much more likely to come to speak to you when things go awry.

So how do you get your child to journal with you when he is already overwhelmed with homework? Journaling should be a fun activity rather than a writing exercise. It should be something your child will look forward to each week. For example, write about your trips together, print photos, cut them out, and paste them into journals.

Another suggestion is to create space to draw in your journals. This could be especially good for a child who may not have a mastery of words to describe her thoughts and feelings yet. You can write down what she says and let her draw.

Take on journaling together with your child during this summer break. Make it fun for him and you! I bet you will thank yourself later.

Alexandra Eidens is the creator of the Big Life Journal (biglifejournal.com), a journal for kids. She lives in Stamford, CT, with her husband and their son Michael.

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The Dangers of Dry & Secondary Drowning

››

What to watch out for even after children leave the pool By Stacey Pfeffer

T

here’s nothing better than swimming in a cool pool during the scorching days of summer. But parents can be forgiven for being wary after reading recent headlines about children who’ve died from a condition called secondary drowning—including a Texas toddler, Frankie Delgado, who lost his life a full week after getting knocked over by a wave at the beach.

How can this happen? And more importantly, how can parents make sure their little ones are safe after exiting the water?

While secondary and dry drowning make up only 1-2 percent of all drowning deaths, it’s important for parents to know the symptoms, because they can be life-threatening. Secondary drowning and dry drowning are two similar but technically different conditions that can affect anyone, although children are especially vulnerable.

As the names imply, both affect their victims after they’ve left the pool, usually with no idea anything is wrong. Symptoms of dry drowning typically occur immediately after any incident in the water, while secondary drowning usually begins later, within one to 24 hours after exiting the water—but it can progress over one to two days, or, as in Frankie Delgado’s case, several days.

“Children are more prone to dry and secondary drowning because of their small size, stature, and immature gag reflex,” says Robert Glatter, M.D., an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in

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August 2017 | nymetroparents.com

Manhattan. Toddlers, especially, may be at heightened risk because they don’t know to keep their mouths closed or how to blow bubbles in the water.

Symptoms

Secondary drowning happens when someone inadvertently swallows too much water and it goes into his lungs. Patients suffering from secondary drowning may feel tired after a short period in the water, have a dry cough, and complain of chest pain. These symptoms can progress over a longer period of time as the child loses oxygen in his blood, a condition known as hypoxia, according to Dr. Glatter. While many pools post rules prohibiting horseplay and dunking other people in the water, parents should emphasize this safety lesson to all children because just a few mouthfuls of water accidentally swallowed can lead to water entering the lungs.

Symptoms of dry drowning are much more profound and develop suddenly, with a spasm of the vocal cords causing them to snap shut. The child cannot get any air in or out and her breathing will sound high-pitched. Wheezing often occurs due to a blockage in the airway and she may turn blue as well. “This child should be taken to the emergency room immediately so that he or she does not asphyxiate,” Dr. Glatter says.

Treatment

While there are no medications for secondary or dry drowning, the treatment is close observation. If necessary, a breathing tube may have to be inserted if oxygen levels drop. Parents should keep a close eye on their child for 24 hours after he may have swallowed water during swimming or had any difficulty breathing in the water. If symptoms do develop, bring your child to the emergency room immediately instead of a doctor’s office or urgent care facility. In the ER, she will have access to an immediate chest X-ray, IV placement, and advanced airway support such as a breathing tube or respirator.

PROVIDING KID APPROVED DENTAL CARE!

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Prevention

The vast majority of children recover from dry or secondary drowning, despite the terrifying headlines about toddler deaths.

However, the best way to avoid these conditions altogether is to teach kids water safety and to remain constantly vigilant as caregivers. Babies as young as 6 months can begin taking water safety classes. Children should never swim alone, and parents or caregivers should keep a close eye on them at all times.

Dr. Glatter also warns parents to not use their phones or any social media while your child is in or near the water. As tempting as it may be to take a video of your child enjoying pool time, he says, “it’s a diversion, and parents must remain cognizant of the risk of secondary and dry drowning. Take all of that attention and focus on your child and remember that drownings can even occur in shallow water—including bathtubs, sinks, toilet bowls, and small plastic pools.”

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RocklandParent 43

FOOD & NUTRITION

Bring Shake Shack to Your Kitchen ››

Rather than wait on line for what feels like hours, you can make the NYC chain’s customer favorites at home.

The ShackBurger

Okay, here’s our sacred cow!

Makes 4

Most likely the reason you have this book in your hands—our version of the great American cheeseburger. Like all deceptively simple things, it took us years to get it right, but now you can master burger perfection in five minutes.

4 hamburger potato buns 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 4 tablespoons ShackSauce (recipe on opposite page) 4 pieces green leaf lettuce

8 ¼-inch slices ripe plum tomato 1 pound very cold ground beef, divided into 4 pucks ½ teaspoon Our Salt & Pepper Mix (recipe on opposite page) 4 slices American cheese

1. H eat a cast-iron griddle over medium-low heat until warm.

Meanwhile, open the hamburger buns and brush the insides with the melted butter. A soft brush is helpful here. Place the buns buttered side down on the griddle and toast until golden

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August 2017 | nymetroparents.com

brown, 2-3 minutes. Transfer buns to a plate. Spoon the ShackSauce onto the top bun. Add a piece of the lettuce and two slices of tomato.

2. I ncrease the heat to medium and heat the griddle until hot, 2-3 minutes.

3. Evenly sprinkle a pinch of Our Salt & Pepper Mix on top of each puck of meat.

4. Place the pucks on the griddle, seasoned side down. Using a large, sturdy metal spatula, firmly smash each puck into a 1/ 3-inch-thick round patty. Pressing down on the spatula with another stiff spatula helps flatten the burger quickly. Evenly sprinkle another big pinch of Our Salt & Pepper Mix. 5. Cook the burgers, resisting the urge to move them, until the edges beneath are brown and crisp, and juices on the surface are bubbling hot, approximately 2½ minutes. Slide one of the spatulas beneath the burger to release it from the griddle and scrape up the caramelized browned crust. Use the other spatula to steady the burger and keep it from sliding. Flip the burgers.

Put the cheese on top and cook the burgers 1 minute longer for medium. Cook more or less depending on your preference.

6. Transfer the cheeseburgers to the prepared buns and enjoy.

Our Salt & Pepper Mix

‘Shroom Burger Makes 4

We knew that our idea of a community gathering place meant we wanted to offer our vegetarian guests more than just fries to munch on. We set out to create a vegetarian experience even meat eaters would crave. Hence the ’Shroom Burger’s crispy mushroom halves surrounding a creamy, cheesy filling. After it became so popular, we created the Shack Stack, piling a ’Shroom Burger atop a ShackBurger, so our meat-loving friends can get in on the ’Shroom action.

For the mushroom caps: 4 4-inch portabello mushroom caps ¼ cup canola oil ½ teaspoon kosher salt 1/ 8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1½ cups flour 3 eggs 2 cups panko breadcrumbs For the filling: 1½ cups grated muenster ½ cup grated cheddar ½ teaspoon minced onion

teaspoon minced garlic ¼ teaspoon flour 1 egg yolk 1 pinch cayenne 1/ 8

To cook and assemble the mushroom burgers: Canola oil for deep-frying Kosher salt 4 tablespoons ShackSauce (recipe at right) 4 hamburger potato buns, toasted 4 pieces green leaf lettuce 8 ¼-inch slices ripe plum tomato

1. For the mushroom caps, preheat the oven to 375°F. Put mushroom caps on a medium baking pan. Rub caps all over with the oil, then season both sides with the salt and pepper.

Arrange mushrooms gill side down in a single layer and roast until tender, 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Slice mushrooms in half horizontally.

2. Put the flour in a wide dish, beat the eggs in another wide dish, and put the panko in a third wide dish and set aside.

3. For the filling, mix together the muenster and cheddar cheeses, onion, garlic, flour, egg yolk, and cayenne in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.

4. Shape the filling into four equal disks, ½ inch smaller in diameter than the mushroom caps. Place cheese disks on gill side of each mushroom cap, cover with other half of cap, cut side down, and gently press together to secure the filling.

5. Dredge the stuffed mushroom caps in the flour, then dip in the beaten egg, coating them completely, then dredge in the panko. Set prepared mushrooms on a plate and refrigerate while heating the oil to deep-fry them.

6. To cook the mushroom burgers, pour the oil into a deep, wide pot to a depth of 3 inches. Heat over medium heat until the oil reaches a temperature of 350°F on a candy thermometer. Deep-fry the prepared mushrooms, one or two at a time, until golden brown and crisp all over, 3-4 minutes.

Transfer mushrooms with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels. Season with salt.

7. Spoon the ShackSauce onto the top bun. Add a piece of lettuce and two slices of tomato.

8. Transfer the mushroom burgers to the prepared buns. Enjoy!

We mix ½ cup kosher salt with ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper and use that mixture to season our burgers as they cook. You’ll see we call for a pinch or two of the mixture in every recipe.

ShackSauce

Makes approximately ½ cup Long ago we threw away the key to the secret recipe for ShackSauce; but we promise to get you really close with ingredients easily found in your kitchen. ½ cup Hellman’s mayonnaise 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard ¾ teaspoon Heinz ketchup

¼ teaspoon kosher dill pickling brine Pinch of cayenne pepper

Put all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Sauce will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Cheese Sauce

Makes approximately 6 cups 1 tablespoon canola oil ½ onion, peeled and sliced ½ inch thick 6 thin slices jalapeño 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

½ teaspoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 2 teaspoons white wine 2 cups heavy cream 2 cups grated American cheese 2 cups grated cheddar

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, jalapeños, peppercorns, and salt, and cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and wine, and cook until the liquid has almost completely evaporated, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in the cream. Remove the pan from the heat and let the cream steep for 30 minutes to build flavor.

2. Return the saucepan to the stove and heat over medium heat until very warm (don’t let it come to a boil).

3. Meanwhile, put the American and cheddar cheeses into a large heatproof bowl. Pour the hot cream through a strainer (to remove the solids) over the cheeses, stirring until the cheese melts and the sauce is smooth, approximately 3 minutes. Sauce will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to one week. You can easily reheat the sauce in a microwave or over a pot of gently simmering hot water.

Reprinted from Shake Shack. Copyright © 2017 by Shake Shack Enterprises, LLC. Principal photographs copyright © 2017 by Christopher Hirsheimer. Published

by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.

RocklandParent 45

Meet the Health Care

PROFESSIONAL

To be in this section, call 845-848-8021 or email nympads@davlermedia.com A&R Advanced Dental Group, Anna Alekseyeva, D.D.S., Roman Izmailov, D.D.S. 5C Medical Park Drive, Pomona 845-364-9400 aradvanceddental.com

Marita Smith, D.D.S. Smith’s Little Smiles Pediatric Dentistry 5C Medical Park Drive, Pomona 845-414-9626 smithslittlesmiles.com drsmith@smithslittlesmiles.com

At A&R Advanced Dental Group, patient satisfaction and comfort is our No. 1 priority. We are a cutting edge practice that delivers state-of-the-art dental care to our patients. Dr. Roman Izmailov and Dr. Anna Alekseyeva have more than 30 years of experience in all phases of dentistry, including high quality and affordable dental implants, zirconia crowns, porcelain veneers, fixed bridges, root canal treatments, teeth whitening, and composite fillings. Evening appointments are available and we accept most insurances.

Dr. Marita Smith is a board-certified pediatric dentist dedicated to providing excellent dental care for children from infancy through adolescence in a warm and friendly environment. As a mother of two, Dr. Smith knows how important it is for a child to be comfortable and stress-free during their dental visits. Dr. Smith places great focus on prevention and her goal is to keep your child’s smile healthy! Most insurances accepted. Evening and Saturday hours and 24-hour emergency service available. Se habla Español.

Kastin & Newman Orthodontics 6 Medical Park Drive, Pomona 845-354-7233 rocklandorthodontics.com info@kastin-newmanortho.com

Dental Wellness of Suffern Sherri Alpert, D.D.S. 2 Executive Blvd., Suite 307, Suffern 845-918-1801 dentalwellnessofsuffern.com dentalwellness@optonline.net

Drs. Brett Kastin and Warren Newman utilize state-of-the-art materials and customized treatment planning for every patient, ensuring the highest quality of care. Dr. Kastin is a certified Invisalign® provider, and has been president of the Rockland County Dental Society since 2006. Dr. Newman has more than 40 years of orthodontic experience. They have been a team for more than 10 years, and were voted Rockland’s Top Orthodontists by the dentists of Rockland County. Their practice offers an experienced staff and flexible appointment times. Initial exams are complimentary, as are children’s recall appointments.

Smile More Kidz Meet Your Smile Team 140 Oak Tree Road, Tappan 845-367–4866 smilemorekidz.com

At Smile More Kidz, we are part of a local tradition of providing your children with the very best that dentistry has to offer in a friendly, comfortable setting. Our entire team understands how children develop and learn and will make the extra effort to make sure nervous kids feel comfortable and respected. We offer 8am-7pm and Saturday appointments so our patients don’t have to miss school for their care, something our team feels strongly about. We believe in building a foundation for a lifetime of healthy smiles by making every visit to our office a fun and informative experience.

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August 2017 | nymetroparents.com

Dental Wellness of Suffern provides natural, effective, quality dental care for your family, making your visit enjoyable, comfortable, and relaxing. A parent herself, Dr. Alpert enjoys working with children who are apprehensive about the dentist, creating a fun environment with magic tricks, interactive Wii games, a wall mural, and a Find the Dental Helpers game. Author of two books, Cassandra Gets Her Smile Back and Attack of the Sugar Bugs, Dr. Alpert makes visiting the dentist fun. Dental Wellness of Suffern—let them create the smile you were born to have.

Tenafly Pediatrics 74 Pascack Road, Park Ridge, NJ 201-326-7120 Offices also in Tenafly, Fort Lee, Clifton, Paramus, and Oakland, NJ tenaflypediatrics.com

Dr. David Schaumberger is one of the pediatricians working out of our newly expanded Park Ridge office. As someone who lives nearby, he enjoys working in Northern Bergen and Rockland counties. Dr. Schaumberger completed his pediatric residency from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and has been working at Tenafly Pediatrics since 2001.

On a personal note, he enjoys ethnic cuisine and spending time with his three children. Tenafly Pediatrics is a recent Angie’s List Winner with offices conveniently located throughout Bergen County.

Bobby Crohn, D.D.S. Monroe Dental Office 400 State Route 17M, Suite 2, Monroe 845-782-0189 monroedentaloffice.com monroedental@optonline.net

Mitzvah Market magazine

Dr. Crohn graduated from SUNY Stony Brook with a degree in biology. He received his doctor of dental surgery from the University at Buffalo in 1992, and he completed his general practice residency at Danbury Hospital in 1993. Dr. Crohn has done extensive additional training in implant dentistry including training with Dr. Nick Elian at Vistara Institute, DentalXP Symposiums, and training at Zimmerman Institute.

Clemente Orthodontics 603 S. Route 304, New City 845-638-6646 60 W. Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood, NJ 201-447-2888 clementeorthodontics.com

At Clemente Orthodontics, our patients receive the benefit of experience, quality, and energy that comes with a multigenerational team. Dr. Michael Clemente and his daughters, Dr. Nicole Clemente and Dr. Marissa Clemente, work together seamlessly to care for your orthodontic needs. They run a state-of-the-art practice with digital X-rays, private treatment rooms, impression-free Invisalign, and a highly experienced staff. They are an Invisalign Super Elite Premier provider, offering Invisalign and Invisalign Teen as treatment options. Consultations are complimentary.

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Kreative Kids & Vicki’s Dance Studio........................... 39

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RocklandParent 49

Melissa Errico

VOICES What Potty Training Taught Me ›› Why the biggest lesson from potty training was for me, not my son By Emma Steven

E

ver since I got pregnant with my first child I’ve been a parenting book junkie. Books on pregnancy, birth, newborns, sleep, child development, baby-led weaning, traditional weaning, toddler behavior, gentle parenting, traditional discipline—you name it, I’ve read it.

My husband rolls his eyes when another Amazon box arrives.

“Another parenting book?” he’ll say, before I explain why I need this particular book and how it will change our lives. My friends laugh because whatever the parenting challenge, I’ve usually read a few books about it and can quote them. I can’t solve the particular problem, but boy do I know a few opinions on what we could do. Unfortunately this obsession has yet to turn me into the perfect parent.

So when it came to potty training—one of the most dreaded times in toddlerhood—everyone was expecting me to line up some good reading material.

“What do the books say?” my husband asked whenever the topic came up.

“I don’t know...” I said, for the first time in my parenting life.

Perhaps it was because I’d just had another baby, or perhaps it was because I just wasn’t ready for potty training myself. For the first time I didn’t deal with a parenting question by buying a book. I didn’t know what to do; there were so many books, not to mention blogs, videos, and storybooks for kids—how was I to choose? Why were there so many different methods?

Why do people need potty training consultants for something that should be so simple? It was overwhelming. My Amazon cart stayed empty.

Then my son turned 2. I half-heartedly read a couple of online articles about potty training readiness. But instead of researching the subject thoroughly I did nothing. I bought a potty seat and showed him how to use it. He got the hang of it but showed zero interest.

“He’ll do it when he’s ready,” I told my mom. “Eighteen-yearolds don’t wear diapers after all.” So we waited...and waited. I offered to buy him underwear: no interest. I offered a special treat if he potty trained: cue tantrums. I asked him if he wanted to be a big boy and say goodbye to diapers. He said no, he wanted to be a baby and wear diapers forever.

His third birthday came and went. His friends all potty trained one by one. The other moms discussed different methods and what worked for them. Still he wasn’t interested. I began to

despair. I knew that he could do it if he wanted, but he didn’t.

“What if he’s never ready?” I wept to my husband. “He’s nearly 4!” I shrugged off the disapproving comments in mom forums about the topic of “late” training. I ignored a potty training consultant who told me that kids have to potty train between the ages of 2-3 or face long-term problems. I refused to try and force him, as was suggested by some of these “experts.”

Everyone had a piece of advice to give me. “Read him potty stories,” his preschool teachers said at parent-teacher conferences.

We had a dozen.

“Go underwear shopping,” said other moms. We had drawers of unwanted underwear.

I realized that half of my anxiety stemmed from the fact he had always been the first of his friends to hit milestones. Was my competitiveness and anxiety causing his reluctance? He certainly couldn’t care less that he wasn’t potty trained. The mere discussion of it would result in tantrums and tears. So we waited some more. I decided to focus on what he wanted, rather than what he was “supposed” to be doing.

Then one day, when he was 3 years and 8 months old, I told him casually we were about to run out of diapers. “Okay,” he said. A few days later he came out of his room asking to sit on the potty. I cheered and did a special dance. Two more days passed and instead of peeing on the floor, he said, “I need to go potty” and ran back to the bathroom. Something had shifted. A week later I told him we’d run out of diapers, and within three days he was trained, day and night, with no fuss, and no need for big rewards. I can count the number of accidents he’s had since then on two hands. My gut instinct had been right all along.

When people ask me what method I used I shrug and say, “I didn’t. I just waited until he was ready and he did it.” It took me three years and nine months to realize that the parenting expert who has the most to teach me about my son is my son.

Emma Steven is a writer and NYMetroParents’ Manhattan calendar editor. She lives in Manhattan with her husband, two toddlers, and two cats.

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