My kids on the fairy trail

Fairy trail explorers/Jersey natives.

Fairy Trail in New Jersey

Despite a reputation for having a rough - perhaps even gruff - exterior, New Jersey has an impish side.

Just check out these photos from our very own Garden State Fairy Trail.

What We've Been Doing Lately: The Spring Edition

What have we been doing lately? A little of that, a little of this. But you know what we haven't been doing? Enjoying the weather. This has been one coooold spring.


Going to the eye doctor. From an injury gotten while blowing up a balloon. Heard (barely audible) while the pediatric eye doctor was examining Kay, "I hate balloons. I really, really hate them." Me too, doc. Me too.

Making stupid images on SnapChat. Oh to have the time management skills of a tween.

Baking Princess Leia cookies. Obviously. Because it was May 4th.

Spring cleaning. Did I enjoy finding this random pack of cards with my beloved home state of Virginia on them? Yes, yes I did. Did I keep them, since there were only 43 of them? No, no I did not.

Downsizing. This is Sharpie the pig's house. In the recent clean-up mentioned above Sharpie the pig got to stay. His home, however, was recycled.

All of this activity took place under the ever vigilant eye of the resident policeman.

I've never felt more safe. Except for when balloons are around.

Happy Spring!

Fun for Everyone at the Liberty Science Center and an Awesome Giveaway

A huge thank you to Andrea McDonald for this guest post about her family's visit to the Liberty Science Center, and also a huge thank you to Liberty Science Center for providing admission tickets, as well as tickets to giveaway.

This past President’s Day weekend, looking for something fun to do in the subzero temperatures, my family and my sister’s family decided to go to the Liberty Science Center with our four kids ranging in age from 4 to 9.  

We were excited for the Science, Sabers and Star Wars: The Force Awakens event that was taking place just for the weekend.  However, we arrived to find that what seemed like literally thousands of others were just as excited about that, and the Star Wars event was incredibly crowded with long lines.  So we quickly decided instead to check out some of the many other exhibits currently at the Science Center.  

We first found our way to the Sid the Science Kid: The Super-Duper Exhibit which runs through May 15, 2016 and is included with general admission tickets.  This exhibit allows young learners to explore STEM activities through a variety of activities like: Catapulting Sid’s toys into his toy box using a lever, testing inertia using toys on a skateboard, experimenting with friction and testing different surfaces and designing their own “Super-Duper-Ooper Big Idea. We knew our 4 year old would have fun, as he really likes Sid the Science Kid, but weren’t sure our 7 year olds or 9 year old would be engaged by it.  We didn’t need to worry.  All the kids loved it. 

Our 4 year old son could have spent all day playing with the ball machine (for lack of the technical term), using the pulleys to bring the balls up to his 9 year old cousin waiting on the top part of the structure and then catching them when they fell and trying to determine which ball would land first if two were thrown down at the same time. My daughter really enjoyed using the microscope to look at objects focused in different ways and at varying sizes.

After we managed to drag the kids out of the Side the Science Kid Exhibit, we went to Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition around the corner. Tickets are required for this exhibition - $27.75 for adults, $22.75 for children 2-12 and $24.75 for seniors.  The additional cost is well worth it for the history buffs among us.  In it, more than 130 legendary artifacts conserved from the ships debris field are showcased.  As we entered, we each received a replica boarding pass of an actual passenger aboard the Titanic.  And we moved through the life of the ship, from its construction, to life on board, to the ill-fated sinking and amazing artifact rescue efforts.  The adults really enjoyed seeing the many artifacts, while the kids especially liked seeing the re-created first and third class cabins and touching the iceberg. 

The “Memorial Gallery” where we could take our boarding passes to learn whether our passenger and traveling companions survived or died was interesting to adults and children alike.

In addition to the special exhibitions, we also visited more permanent exhibits such as Our Hudson Home, which explores our complex relationship with the distinct and special Hudson River ecosystem.  Our girls had a great time donning lab coats and conducting an experiment in ecology.

All in all, we spent a great day at the Liberty Science Center, and had so much fun at the many other exhibits that we didn’t even regret not making it to the Star Wars exhibit.  Especially after we ran into a storm trooper on our way out and managed to get our picture taken with him.

And now for the giveaway...

 WIN A FAMILY FOUR-PACK OF TICKETS TO THE LIBERTY SCIENCE CENTER!

Liberty Science Center is offering a family prize pack of four tickets to visit the museum!

Entry:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blizzard of 2016

There was a big snow storm this weekend in New Jersey, with record snowfall recorded at Newark Airport, as well as in Baltimore, and I think, Washington, DC, too.



An enterprising neighbor made this awesome time lapse video.

The photo you get...

... when you ask the kids to pose so you will have a keepsake of the super gigantic snowstorm, which was probably - but not definitely because we're still waiting for the official totals from the NWS - the biggest snowfall ever in your town in the history of ever, and while you are taking the photo one of the three kids gets bored and walks off so they aren't even in the photo, and the other two are actually posing with their arms around each other and smiling right when your husband decides to use his brand-new snowblower for the very first time which you probably don't need me to tell you this last part, but he does not even one little bit know how to use.

CLICK.

This post brought to you by dumb stuff my kids ask me to do

I used to make my kids a nice, hot breakfast every morning. Eggs, pancakes, waffles. They woke me up at 6 a.m. every single day, so what else was I going to do between then and when we left for school at 7:45?

Now, they sleep until about 7. And they eat cold cereal for breakfast. While I'm not entirely happy about this change of breakfast menu (the artificial ingredients! the sugar), I am entirely happy about sleeping an extra hour.

At breakfast today the first-grader was enamored by this extra-large flake in his bowl of frosted flakes.

I argued I wasn't even sure if this flake was particularly an outlier.

He begged me to take a photo.

So I did, because if there's one lesson parenthood has taught me it's to pick your battles.

And if there's a second lesson of parenthood, it certainly would be that what delights my child pretty much always delights me as well.

And if there's a third lesson, it would be that I won't feel guilty about the sugary cereal for breakfast when they're all grown-up.

I hope.

Magic Marbles

I've been on a bit of a cleaning and organizing kick lately. The youngest is six now, which means whole categories of baby, toddler and little kid stuff can be taken to the curb one and for all.

The amount of space this is clearing for giant Lego structures and lacrosse sticks is welcome, as older kids have as much crap as younger ones, it's just different crap.

Among the many things I found when cleaning up the kids' rooms, were these three marbles. If you're seeing this photo and asking, are those ordinary marbles? The answer is yes, yes they are.

But once upon a time, they were magic marbles. I forget the exact circumstances, but as soon as I saw them I remembered how these were the most prized possession in all the land. Now, I ask the kids, "anybody want these?"

And they answer, "Nah, We don't need any marbles."

And here I am again, providing one of my many mom services, to save and cherish the memories that even the kids have forgotten.

But don't get me wrong - I cherish the memories. The marbles are happily nestled in the giveaway box.

Kids and Cats

One of my kids favorite things to do is visit Green Meadow Farms in New Jersey. It's a petting zoo and a guide takes a group around to visit the animals one by one. It's only around for a month in the fall and a month in the spring. We are twice-a-year regulars.

At the end of the tour, there are kittens and puppies, always different breeds, and these are for sale. The kids of course really beg us to buy one, like there's a chance we might, which there is not.

But their look of pure delight with the kitties makes me wish there was a chance they might get to have one as a pet.

But my real reason for posting these is that when I was looking back at our Green Meadows pics, I saw this hilarious one.

I am not quite sure what's going on with the cat, but I am sure I love it.

More Christmas Lights and If that Dog Could Talk

A few towns over is an amazing Christmas light display that was donated by the Camuso family after the patriarch of the group passed away, who had decorated his house for many years.

We didn't leave in New Jersey to get to see the original Camuso family home in all it's splendiferous Christmas glory, but we've been regulars every year to the display in Livingston.

In part we go every year to visit him:

His story is a good one, and one definitely worth telling, but as the saying goes, it is a story for a other time. Also, despite the antlers, that is so a dog's face.

The Camuso decorations are incredibly intricate and handmade, and most of them are animontronic, the dog/reindeer above plays his violin; in another display there are skaters skating.

Several displays show Santa's Workshop, where toys are built and wrapped for delivery.

Not sure if this is an addition from the town of Livingston or part of the original display, but there's a nice spinning dreidel and a large menorah, right next to the Grinch peeking out of a chimney.

There's also a tall Christmas tree with a train running around the base. The tree spins making it by far and most definitely my favorite of all the trees I've seen this season.

The story of the dog reindeer coming soon, or at least, soon-ish.

On the first day of winter break...

... a policeman paid a visit:

... Sharpie the Pig's sty finally got evicted, ironically, when we finally got around to cleaning the owner's pig sty room:

... we found three marbles deeply hidden in the aforementioned sty, leftover from the days when these were the most prized possession in all the realm. Today? The tween declared with a sigh, "get rid of them."

... and last, a night time visit with friends to Zoo Lights, to see sea lions, sparkly creations, roast marshmallows and eat s'mores, before making a quick exit when an unexpected, and heavy, freezing rain began to fall. Pictured here, cute gibbons:

All in all, not a bad first day, especially for a Monday.

The Lights Shine Bright... Deep in the Heart of Jersey

The Best Christmas Cookies

We are a family that is always on the search for the best of... just about anything. Best socks. Best burger. Best pillows. You get the idea.

Last year at the holidays, it was a quest for the best stollen. We tried many - award-winning, classic, new-styled, fusion. The verdict was unanimous: we don't really care for stollen, no matter how good a version of it we get.

Two years ago, we vetted all the Italian Christmas cookies we could find.

A clear winning bakery emerged from all the ones we tried, but no consensus on which of these amazing cookies was the absolute best. If you're local in Jersey, the winner was Conca D'Oro Italian Pastry Shop in Union. Totes worth the trip.

Personally, I'm partial to the rainbow cookies. (Not pictured because I ate them all.)

This year, we're having an egg nog-off.

I'll be back with the winner after all the votes are in!

AC Lens Has Great Ski Googles for Teens and Tweens

My oldest, Magpie, started skiing last winter, and loves it. This year she plans to ski a lot -- that is if it ever becomes winter weather here on the East Coast.

One piece of equipment I wanted to make sure she had was a good pair of ski goggles. We were able to review a pair of ski goggles from AC Lens, which Magpie says are really comfortable, and we both agree look great. These goggles are designed for smaller faces, so they are a great choice for tweens and teens.

The Smith Optics Cadence Ski Goggles retail for $79.99 at AC Lens, and come with free shipping.

To see the goggles in action, check out this great video Mapgie made.

In addition to a wide variety of ski goggles, AC Lens also has eyeglasses, sunglasses, swimming goggles and a lot more. Check them out at ACLens.com.

Big G Cereal Celebrates 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' with Limited Edition Cereal Boxes

The Star Wars movies have a special meaning to just about everyone my age, I think because we remember seeing the originals in the movie theater when they first came out. And of course, back in those olden days movies meant something they just don't mean today in our world of media everything, everywhere all the time.

I personally have vivid memories of going to see the first Star Wars film. (Full disclosure: it is of being totally bored. In my defense, I was only five.) I also remember seeing the second and third films, in 1980 and 1983, when my older self had a greater appreciate for them.

And, I have a particularly happy memory of going with my mom to see The Phantom Menace, the fourth movie (really the first) on opening day when it was released in 1999. We didn't even go to see it in our local theater in suburban Virginia. Instead, I had us go see it on the giant screen at The Uptown Theater in Washington, DC.

There was a huge line to get in and I recall my mom chiding me "This is crazy! We can just go tomorrow!" And I remember saying back, "No, it's not the same, it has to be today! We'll always be able to say we saw it opening day!"

Sadly, I haven't been able to work this nugget of information into too many conversations over these years, but still, I believe I was on to something. The Star Wars movies are a thing, and it's great to be a part of the phenomenon.

Small children and other excuses meant I didn't see the Star Wars films that were released in 2002 and 2005 until recently when I watched them with my kids (ages 6, 10 and 12) in preparation for seeing the latest film, which we will go to see (symbolically, and memorably, of course) on Christmas Day.

Lots of people, us included, are celebrating the latest film's release with parties and treats and my friend's kids even celebrated Star Wars Day today at their school.

As for my kids, they got to enjoy Star Wars cereal, which was a huge, gigantic mega hit. But don't take my word for it, watch this amazing video by my daughter, Magpie that shows us unboxing the huge care package from General Mills Big G cereals. All of these cereals are special edition, and come with very cool droid viewers, so be sure to try them before it's  too late.

Now tell me, are you going to see The Force Awakens?

I rarely review products these days here at Random Handprints, so a special shout-out to the Public Relations people on this campaign who made it incredibly awesome to be a part of this, from the initial email addressed to "Jedi Anna" to the box filled with surprised that arrived at our doorstep. As Yoda would say, "Impressed am I. Well-done this is."

Sunday Mornings: Teaching to the Test

On Sunday mornings, the kids take swim lessons.

First, it was just the youngest, Ziggy, learning to swim. He was beginning at the beginning, so it was slow going for awhile but he is now a pretty good swimmer.

Now, the older two, Magpie and Kay take swimming lessons, too. They took lessons a few years ago, a splendidly splendiferous experience which is mainly now just remembered as the reason we now still call Kay "baby fish," because instead of trying to learn to swim she would pretend to be a baby fish. Ah, good times.

But last summer, at sleepaway camp, indignities of indignities, Kay was forced to take "instructional swim" while her friends splashed about carefree as well, baby fish, in "free swim."

Making the goal between now, and the time the camp bus pulls out of Times Square at the end of June, for the girls to swim just well enough to pass their test.

The instructor is aware, as the girls have told them in no uncertain tween speak, "we don't care AT ALL about swimming. Like, AT ALL. We just need to pass the camp swim test, so we need to make sure our breast stroke in in synch, that was what they said I failed for last time." "Yeah, and I have to learn something called... the sideways stroke."

So, Sunday mornings we swim. Not for safety. Not for exercise. Not for the joy of the moment.

That's right, it is entirely for the camp swim test.

I just hope they pass.

Back to Blogging: Holiday Edition

I've decided to start writing on my blog again. I know, it's like with these words your life has gone from black and white to color.

You're welcome.

This photo is from this time last year at Rockerfeller Center. I want to say we stopped here first and then went to see the world-famous tree, but it was so crowded this is as close to the festivities as we got.

Also, we were mostly sorta-kinda-totally only in the city in the first place because the kids had to go to the dentist.

This year I went to SantaCon. It's my favorite. This photo is from a few years ago when I first learned of SantaCon and said, this - this, I gotta be a part of.

SantaCon is, I will admit, better viewed in the big picture.

Tonight my husband Mike and I were at the mall and oh-my-gawd the line to see Santa was soooo long.

As we passed by the line we looked at each other and said, "I'm so glad we're Jewish."

And that my friends is how you celebrate the holiday season: almost seeing the tree in Rockerfeller Center, dental appointments, Santa Con, and Santa-line skipping.

Happy Holidays however and whatever you celebrate!

Looking to Get Organized? Ridgewood Closets is Giving Away a Custom Closet!

Enter for a chance to win a closet worth $5,000!

Are you looking to get organized? Then go visit the Ridgewood Closets Facebook page for ideas and inspiration, AND they're giving away a custom designed closet worth $5,000! Storage, organization, hectic morning issues solved!

Entering is easy. Leave a comment on this Facebook post telling why you need extra storage or a new closet.

On October 31, 2015, Ridgewood Closets will pick one lucky winner at random from all closet give-away comments.

For design inspiration, visit Ridgewood Closets on PINTEREST.

Conditions: The winning entrant must be based in the following New Jersey counties: Bergen, Essex, Union, Passaic and Morris or in New York City or Brooklyn.

For full promotional details plus terms and conditions, see www.ridgewoodclosets.com/fbpromo.

Six Essential Strategies for Gaining Clarity in Your Career from Certified Life Coach, Nadine Bernard

Thank you to Nadine Bernard for this guest post! Nadine is a Board Certified Life Coach, a published playwright and an acting teacher located in Montclair, NJ. You can learn more at her website, Personal Plays Life Coaching.

How is your job satisfaction? Are you frustrated, down in the dumps, or feeling stuck? You're not alone.

As time goes by, sometimes roles morph into something we didn't sign up for. For others, responsibilities don’t keep up with skill sets. When complacency, annoyance, or anger sets in, not only does it make the days drag on, but sometimes we change into a person we never wanted to be. If you’re feeling this way, you’re not alone. Women of all ages face situations like these throughout their careers.

Career or job confusion can be draining. It can distract you from other areas of your life. Women often talk to their friends about it and then they find they stop for fear of sounding like a broken record and pushing away their social support. With the ever-changing responsibilities and priorities in their lives, women are especially susceptible to becoming confused about their careers.

Some common causes of career confusion are:

1. You choose a career path based on what your parents or people in your life thought you “should” do or what gave you security, but you find that you aren’t really being true to the purpose or passion within you.
2. The career you have has been fulfilling, but you find yourself in your 30s questioning whether your situation will be fulfilling for the years to come. You may actually hear your “biological clock” ticking and wonder if your male colleagues are feeling the confusion and pressure you are experiencing.
3. You like what you do, but you find the politics of your work environment draining, and you’re not sure it makes your job worthwhile. Also, you might not be compensated fairly or given the job title you deserve, and this is making you doubt your line of work.
4. You are returning to work after time home with a baby or young children, and you don’t think your previous career will offer enough work/life balance for you to attend to your new priorities at home.
5. You are reentering the workforce as your kids leave for college, and you worry that your job skills won’t measure up in the current job market. You’re considering classes but you don’t know which direction to go.

When discussing these issues with clients, here are some things I urge them to consider:

1. Become very clear about what your mission is, what type of work gives you a sense of purpose. Write about it, talk to friends, or work with a coach or counselor. Don’t jump to a new path without first making sure that it fits you well. Once you become clear, it will help you evaluate your current job so you can see if it actually does fall under these parameters, or it will help direct you in a new way.
2. Look at your life holistically. It is okay to admit that what served you in the past no longer serves your needs. You may be called upon to take care of people in your life, so try to find work that energizes rather than exhausts you.
3. Before deciding on a new career, do your research and test the waters! This will reduce some of the fear associated with the new areas and possible dream jobs.
4. Don’t let the need for training scare you away. There are often ways to get the skills or training you need without going back to school full time.
5. Assert yourself! If it turns out you are in the right setting, but your needs just aren’t being met by your boss or colleagues, make sure your voice is heard. You won’t know if this is the right job for you until your needs or demands are clearly articulated.
6. If your current job isn’t offering the flexibility you need for the best work/life balance, consider looking for a new company with more flexibility or opportunities to work from home. Or consider working for yourself.

The most important thing I can emphasize to clients is to value yourself and the gifts you have to offer. If you find yourself confused about your career and you feel stuck or discouraged, this is an ideal time to work with a coach who can support you in defining and addressing the underlying issues.

As a Board Certified Coach, I help my clients steer their ship toward fulfillment. Together, we can determine the most rewarding career choices for your unique situation and devise a plan to reach goals.

Nadine Bernard is a Board Certified Life Coach, a published playwright, and acting teacher located in Montclair, NJ. She holds a BA in English and Psychology and an MA in Clinical Psychology. She meets with clients over the phone, on Skype, or in the Montclair area. You can reach her at Nadine@personalplays.com or visit her website, Personal Plays Life Coaching.

I love the Earth but I Don't Love Earth Day

This originally ran on In the Powder Room in 2013. I'm re-running it here because two years later and I'm still in favor of more tree-hugging, less green-washing.

While the origins of Earth Day are admirable and pure – a day dedicated to environmental awareness and education  – Earth Day in 2015 is no longer really about those founding values. I suggest we all do Mother Nature a favor and not celebrate Earth Day.

While hippies and wannabe hippies everywhere have been busy adjusting their solar panels and building rain barrels in an ongoing pursuit of an eco-fabulous lifestyle, it seems just about every big company has re-branded Earth Day as its own totally amazing marketing opportunity.

There are tons of Earth Day-themed children’s shows, because if encouraging kids to sit on the couch and waste electricity watching TV doesn’t honor the earth, I don’t know what does. Disney gives us a new episode of Handy Manny, The Earth Day Challenge, and PBS and Scholastic present the video WordGirl: Earth Day Girl ($14.99). Yay for sedentary indoor lifestyles! Totes eco-friendly!

Scholastic further earns my ire by having its Earth Day school unit sponsored by Keep America Beautiful, an organization that can appear as eco-friendly on the outside as it wants, but can’t change the fact that it’s funded largely by Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Nestle Waters. Oh, and by Altria – which despite the benign sounding name owns Philip Morris, and even the most skilled advertiser can't convince me cigarettes keep America even a little bit beautiful. These corporations are Mother Nature’s frenemies at best, and yet somehow they’re the ones throwing her party.

My earth-loving heart also holds a special place of scorn for Oriental Trading Company. While I do not begrudge their right to sell mass-produced items of questionable quality that have a pretty straight trajectory from birthday party goodie bag to landfill, I do condemn them for selling that same crap in the name of Earth Day.

A few items from Oriental Trading’s Earth Day offerings include “I love the earth” stickers ($2.50 per 100 sticker roll) and latex balloons ($4.50 per dozen), which are described as “a fun way to start your Earth Day activities.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t usually start save-the-earth activities by destroying the planet. But maybe that’s just me.  

Corporations aren’t the only ones dissing Mama Earth on her big day. Government agencies are getting in on the Earth Day “celebrating” too. In fact, the State of Utah’s Oil, Gas & Mining Agency is hosting an Earth Day poster contest that asks kids to answer this environmental conundrum: “Where would WE be without oil, gas & mining?” That’s right, an ode to the destruction of the planet was created not just for any holiday, but specifically in honor of EarthDay.

This year, let's celebrate Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22, the way the original Earth Day organizers intended -- by encouraging conservation through awareness and education, not consumption. Let’s tell the companies we’re literally not buying any of their Earth Day crap.

You won't find me in line at the Disney store’s Earth Day celebration waiting for a cast member to give me my 327th “eco-friendly” tote bag, but I will take a hike with my kids. And while we’re in the woods, we just might hug a tree and whisper, “Happy Earth Day.”