It's that time of year, and April school break is almost upon us. If you're like a lot of families, you're probably up to your eyeballs in preparations for that much-needed family vacation. It's a great time to shake off the last of winter's chill, recharge, and get ready for the sprint to the end of school! But is spring break really a break at all? Planning, packing, arranging — there's a ton of stuff to do and not much help getting it done. And once you're away, a vacation can quickly become an exhausting non-stop blur of meals and activities that jacks up the stress. And, once you get …
Between coaching, parent organizations for schools and township clubs and any other number of organizations for Montville parents to get involved in, it can become hard to keep everything in balance while still trying to live a normal life. This week's Mom Talk Q&A asks: Where do you draw the line so that your commitments don't take away from quality time with your family? Do you try to limit the number of activites you get involved in? Do you feel guilty or left out if you aren't participating? Do volunteer events ever get in the way of family or personal time? Share your stories, thoughts …
Growing up, I know I was a chore for my parents, especially when it came to sitting down at the kitchen table and working on my math homework. My brother, on the other hand, had no problem sitting down and working on a page of problems. My parents tired a bunch of different tactics to get me to sit down (I remember being offerd an extra 30 minutes before bedtime if I finished my work before 7 p.m.), and now Montville Patch wants to know what works for you. This week's MomTalk Q & A wants to know: How do you motivate your child to do his/her homework?What works? What doesn't? Is your …
As I’ve mentioned before, I grew up going to private school so I never had to worry about what I was going to wear in the morning. I didn’t see much difference between the khaki pants with a red tie and the black slacks with the yellow tie (plus, as anyone who has seen me around town can confirm, I’m not much for current fashion). That being said, I can remember friends of mine getting in battles with their parents about what was and was not appropriate for an education setting. This week’s MomTalk question comes from that age old debate: What won’t you let your kids wear to school? Is it …
Even in big cities, with hundreds of places to go and meet people, making friends in a new place can be hard. It can be especially hard in a smaller town like Montville, where there is no real central square or Main Street that you can count on for daily interaction with potential associates. Sure, there are shops in town and on Route 46 and more metropolitan areas like Morristown and Summit aren’t too far a drive, but if you want to stay local and make new friends, it can be a challenge. This week’s MomTalk question is: How would you suggest someone new in town meet people? Where would you …
Madame Tooth Fairy has not felt the recession as much as the rest of us. At least her under-the-pillow-payments leave us to believe otherwise. While many of us remember getting a dime or a quarter from the Tooth Fairy when we were little, a quarter is nothing to today's toothless kids. Some parents,uhhh, I mean Tooth Fairies, think it is appropriate to give their kids $1 when they lose a tooth while others think $20 is the right amount. For this week's Moms Talk Q&A, we want to how much the tooth fairy is paying these days? Join the discussion by commenting below.
Parents always strive to give their children the best education possible. Sometimes, that means hounding a young one over math homework or suggesting your child focus on one area of study over another. Other times, its means choosing private school over public, or even home schooling. Parents of young children, what do you hope your kids are learning in their schools? What do you think they should know? Is there anything they should be learning but are not, or vice versa? How important is the social aspect of schooling to you? We want to know what you envision for your children. Parents of …
We are living in a time where text messaging has replaced face-to-face conversation, iPods are a staple at the dinner table and Facebook rules teens' worlds. Technology is moving so fast, it is hard to keep up, and even harder to deny your kids these devices when all of their peers are toting iPhones and Blackberrys. But as younger generations gain interest in these tools, we want to know how young is too young to give your kid a cell phone? Join the discussion by commenting below. Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share …
Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions. Moms, dads, grandparents and the diverse families who make up our community will have a new resource for questions about local neighborhood schools, the best pediatricians, 24-hour pharmacies and the thousands of other issues that arise while raising children. Moms Talk will also be the place to drop in for a talk about the latest parenting hot topic. Do you know of local moms raising their children in the Tiger Mother's way and is it the best way? Where can we get …
Thanks very much to all the moms in and around town who participated in our first MomTalk last week. We're back again, with a whole new question for the township's parents to weigh in on. For the uninitiated, each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions. Moms, dads, grandparents and the diverse families who make up our community will have a new resource for questions about local neighborhood schools, the best pediatricians, 24-hour pharmacies and the thousands of other issues that arise while raising children. Moms …
Moms Talk is a new feature on Montville Patch that is part of a new initiative on our Patch sites to reach out to moms and families. Montville Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in the township Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions. Moms, dads, grandparents and the diverse families who make up our community will have a new resource for questions about local neighborhood schools, the best pediatricians, 24-hour pharmacies …
