Category Archives: Uncategorized

Pretty Princess Photos

Posted on by Posted in Photo Obsessed, Photography, Reviews, Uncategorized .

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post as we were invited to take photos with IC You Photography.

Anyone who knows (E) knows that she loves dress up, that she loves lace, and accessories, especially a tiara, oh AND shoes.  She is a horror loving girl, with a strong fashion sense (you should see her closet vs mine).  What they may not know, is that she also loves Lacrosse.  She plays soccer (yay, sort of) and swims well, but she loves Lacrosse.  Only people who know us are aware of that.  It’s no surprise then that when Isabella wanted to capture the two sides of several clients, to showcase some girl power she thought of (E).

The photos she envisioned were girls dressed up all fancy, with their favorite sports equipment.  Isabella’s goal was to break down barriers and show the different sides of today’s youth.

As a female athlete I can say that I have dealt with my fair share of assumptions and discrimination over the years.  It was not uncommon when I was in college for people to assume that because I was a female athlete that we must be gay or not be girly and  have no fashion sense (well some of that is true… but luckily my daughter helps me with the fashion).  Listen, I don’t care who you prefer nor have I ever, but assumptions hurt, no matter what they are.

 

Fast forward to NOW, to this new breed of girl.  I am loving it.  Our girls are not encouraged anymore to be tough or girly.  It is accepted and praised to be one, both or none.  In fact, more of my female students than ever participate in one sort of sport or another, and they are excelling at it.  That’s what this shoot was about. Showing who you are.

(E) chose a REALLY girly lace pink dress and her favorite tiara for the shoot, and then brought her mouth guard, cleats, goggles and stick, along with her game face.  The photos are simple, on a black backdrop so as not to detract from the subject.  They are stunning.  I love what they show about (E), and that it might just encourage other girls to be whoever they are as well..

 

 

CAMP SPOTLIGHT- Little Ivy Academy

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Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post.

Real Summer Discovery,
          Real Camp Fun Starts Here!

This Summer, Your Child Can. . .  have a camp experience like no other when they join us for our all-new, limited-enrollment 2020 summer camp programs. . .­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

To discover more, either click on one of the colored links just below, or read on.

Discover RealScience & Express Yourself!
for Your Campers Entering Grades 3-5 & 6-8

Your camper can actively engage in both the Real Discovery of awesome STEM/STEAM-based projects & the Real Fun of traditional day camp activities– all with a 21st-Century twist– when they. . .

  • Build, Program & Launch sensor-driven, mobile LEGO Robotic athletes that battle for Summer Olympics glory.
  • Develop & Code an amazing array of fruit stomping, space-blasting arcade Video Games.
  • Craft & Produce Digital Stop Animation Videos with modern action heroes, princes & princesses, or a mash-up of both.
  • Invent, Code & Fashion awesome, wearable electronic creations.
  • Create & Deploy high-tech, 21st Century Spy craft on missions to root out the chaos-causing F.O.E. syndicate.
  • Design & Code Mobile Apps with a purpose, whether it’s to Protect the Penguins, Fund their Team Trip or whatever else inspires them to inspire their friends.
  • Program & Promote their own online business, from marketing to creating & coding their own attention-grabbing e-commerce websites.
  • Teach Their Computer a Think or 2, play games with them, answer chatbot questions, & more with the basics of creating & coding artificial intelligence!

. . . all in one-week camp sessions that also include plenty of time for our campers’ favorite outdoor games & activities. . . and a mix of projects from beginner to advanced!

You can extend your child’s camp day, too with our CarePass program! Pre-camp mornings starting at 7:30 am & after-camp until 6 pm.

Throughout the summer, we’ll be conveniently located on our Rockland County/Pascack Valley Campus, our Ridgewood Campus and our Montclair Campus in NJ.

Summer Explorers: Freedom to Discover!
for Your Campers Entering Grades 1 & 2

Your campers will have eight new & unique, one-week Summer Explorers Adventures in store for the 2020 summer camp season where their imaginations will take them to see the sights and explore the cultures of destinations far and near. . .

. . . with opportunities to also engage in hands-on, STEAM-based (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math) and Arts-based enrichment projects where they’ll. . .

  • Invent, Construct & Play flashing, beeping electronic Boardwalk-style carnival amusements, building & coding with the littleBits electronic invention systems when We’re Down the Shore!
  • Build & Program sensor-driven LEGO Robots to field their very own team of Olympics athletes at Olympics Adventure: Game’s On! . . .  a zoo-full of mammals, reptiles & birds for Destination: Animal Planet . . . and a rugged space rover during our Mission to Mars!
  • Create & Code their own animated World Music Dance Party where they can make characters dance, jump and spin to dance music from around the world and an interactive Travel Diary as they explore Europe, all with the age-appropriate Scratch, Jr programming language.
  • Design & Build full-size outdoor shelters, create & cook with a solar oven and capture water from the summer air, too during Survivor: Lost in Africa!
  • Craft & Launch awesome digital Spy Gadgets, simple machines with pulleys, levers & wheels and mini-catapults, too, while on the trail of an international ring of pyramid raiders!

. . .  and more. . . with plenty of time for water play, crafts and other traditional summer day camp activities.

You can extend your child’s camp day, too with our CarePass program! Pre-camp mornings starting at 7:30 am & after-camp until 6 pm.

Throughout the summer, we’ll be conveniently located on our Rockland County/Pascack Valley Campus & Camp LIA in Ridgewood, NJ.

Contact & Registration Info

CAMP SPOTLIGHT 2020: Day Camp in the Park!

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Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post.
Its almost never too early to begin planning and looking around for the summer… We have a whole directory available for you to take a look at some great camp options… Here is our first spotlight of 2020!  This happens to also be the camp my kiddies attend and LOVE!!!
day-camp-in-the-park-logo
Day Camp In The Park is an ACA award winning day camp celebrating serving campers ages 4-15 for 40 years! Located on over 1000 acres on a protected nature site right on majestic Lake Tiorati in Rockland County. We’ve created every camper’s paradise for our children of every interest to learn skills, be safe, and have fun! With over 100 activities including Swimming, Archery, Dance, Arts & Crafts, Kickball, Skateboarding, Ceramics, Soccer, Music, Basketball, Climbing Wall, Woodworking, Softball, Batting Cages, Tennis, plus a fully certified Nature and Hiking program. Our campers play and make friends in our incredible forest setting featuring swimming twice every day in both our lakefront swimming dock and waterpark or in our massive in-ground heated pool, plus over 25 indoor cabins, and a boating center with over 50 boats! Certified teachers lead every group and we include door-to-door A/C transportation almost anywhere in Rockland, Bergen, Westchester, Orange, and Manhattan. Only 15 minutes from New City on the Palisades Parkway.
Day Camp In the Park Banner

Crayola Factory Adds Preschool Pass!!!

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This promotion is free admission for preschoolers (kids ages 3 & 4) and additional tickets may be purchased through our link (see the day trips page)! I’ve attached our promotion flyer and included the details below:

Enjoy a fun-filled day with your little one and discover the magic of color! Kids ages 3 & 4 will receive a FREE general admission ticket on weekdays, excluding holidays.
*Must redeem at admissions counter and present a copy of child’s birth certificate or passport to verify age. Not valid for groups, field trips, or previous purchases. Offer can only be redeemed Monday – Friday (excludes holidays) and free ticket is only valid for use the day it is received. Offer ends February, 28 2020.
Kids 2 and under are always free. Admission is required for all guests entering the attraction.

A Big Decision

Posted on by Posted in Classes, Reviews, Uncategorized .

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post.  All opinions expressed are my own.

When my kids started swimming with Condors, it was only (A) because he was the only one who was potty trained, so its been some time. (E) has been with them ever since she was.  They have both moved up the ranks in Learn to Swim under the guidance of Ms. Ashley Telesmanic for 5 years now.  (E) is on pre-team increasing her stamina while also working on fine tuning her strokes, she’s 6.  (A) moved from pre-team to future stars past year (at 8) and was just moved up to Bronze.

For those who are unaware what means, it means that he was moved to the REAL SWIM team. Big, HUGE deal for (A) who has always loved swimming for fun but has always been adamant that he doesn’t want to compete.  This move, it required a long honest conversation, that I wasn’t sure my little man (now 9) was capable of having.

The good news is that thanks to Ms. Ashley there is another option called Technique and Fitness, its for the kids who have surpassed Learn to Swim, who want to come and workout in the water, and work on skills but don’t have the desire to compete.  So when we had the discussion we talked about that option.  In fact, I was fairly certain that is the way he was going to want to go.

He surprised the heck out of me.  He wanted to push himself.  To the tune of 4 workouts a week for over an hour each, which is way more than the 1/2 hour he was doing on future stars.  Also, eventually he would have to compete, which he didn’t want.  Well he’s changed his mind and would like to do ONE event at the first event to get the nerves out (that’s MID-OCTOBER!!!).

We decided to go to practice the first week to be sure he could handle the increased time and demands of Bronze, before fully committing and purchasing the uniform.  He did the first day and asked to return two days later, then was upset that he couldn’t go that Friday due to a school conflict.  That was it, he was hooked.  We went to uniform night and ordered his jammers, shirts, and personalized swim cap.  He’s a swimmer.  I don’t know where this is leading, or if it will become anything, but he is enjoying it, and we are supporting it.  He wants to compete and we will be there to cheer him on every step of the way.  I am thankful for the opportunity and the advice that Ms. Ashley has given us to get to this point. The time she has taken to get to know my children to help them to continue to learn and grow within the program, and ever so sorry that we are almost complete with our time with her.

 

Here is a photo of him after his first full hour practice, he hasn’t stopped smiling, he loves it and its been weeks. He’s in love, and maybe he’s found his niche.  If so I am so excited that he has found his love, if not, im so super glad that he has tried it.  I just want him (them) to have something that they love, and to be happy and healthy.  Well, it looks like we are well on our way. :o)

 

 

Bob Fitzsimmons Scholarship for Theatre

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Congratulations are in order :o)

We love a good story about hard working kids, earning their place in this world.

This year’s recipient, of the Bob Fitzsimmons Scholarship is Peter Astriab, a senior at Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, NY.  It will be awarded to him on Stage at Westchester Broadway Theatre on Friday, August 16, 2019. 

Peter Astriab is from Yonkers, New York and attended Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains. He was a part of the National Honor Society and graduated with a special diploma recognizing him as a graduate of the Health Sciences Academy at Stepinac. Peter enjoys community service and always tries to lend a helping hand when he can. He is fluent in Polish and loves to travel to different countries to explore and embrace cultures around the world. Peter has been playing piano for 12 years, singing with choirs in places like St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and acting with the Stepinac Drama Club for four years, playing roles such as Peter in Peter and the Starcatcher, Race in Newsies, and most recently Mario in the National High School Premiere of A Bronx Tale for which he was nominated at the 2019 Metropolitan High School Theatre Awards. In a few weeks, he will be starting college at St. John’s University in Queens majoring in Biomedical Sciences, but he plans to keep acting and singing close to his heart and a part of his everyday life. He is excited to see what the future has in store for him as he takes this important step in his career. 

The Scholarship is given annually to a college-bound senior who has excelled in the theatre arts programs while attending Stepinac High School. The prestigious Arts Scholarship is named after Bob Fitzsimmons, a graduate of Stepinac High School, who died suddenly at the age of 37 in March of 1992. He was the Public Relations Director of the Westchester Broadway Theatre, as well as a gifted actor, producer, writer and a director of shows at WBT and at numerous theatres throughout the County.
The scholarship was established in his name by the owners of Westchester Broadway Theatre, Bill Stutler and Bob Funking, the entire employee staff of WBT, and the many friends and relatives of Bob Fitzsimmons.

Under the auspices of WBT, Allan Gruet, (former WBT Public Relations Director, who replaced Bobby Fitzsimmons) and George Puello spearheaded two fundraisers. The first & most successful fundraiser was held at WBT, the second was held at Stepinac High School.  Mr. Puello was responsible for directing & producing the entertainment portion of the events, while Mr. Gruet handled the ticketing for the fundraisers & the continuing administration of the self-sustaining scholarship. Over the years, along with the assistance of producer Bob Funking, Allan has continued to manage the scholarship, making it possible to present the award consistently each year. In recent years, Frank Portanova, Vice Principal of Stepinac High School, has been extremely helpful and cooperative, making some financial donations to the fund to help ensure the life of the scholarship. He also is responsible for selecting the student winner for this highly competitive award. Since its inception, $25,000.00 in scholarships have been awarded. Unfortunately, due to the current financial climate, the Scholarship is no longer self-sustaining and monies need to be raised to ensure the continuation of this award. The annual scholarship in Bob’s name is our collective way of keeping alive the memory of our dear friend, Bobby Fitzsimmons.

Why choose SOHN Real Estate?

Posted on by Posted in RNYM Savings!, RNYM's Picks, Services, Uncategorized .

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Selling your home is personal.  No matter what the reason you are leaving your special place (upgrade, downgrade, relocation, etc) you are allowing someone to speak for and sell your home.  THIS IS A BIG DECISION.  And let’s face it, there are so many choices that you can go with.  Many of the names you have seen for years, and seen EVERYWHERE!  Does that make them better?

https://sohnrealestate.com/

Let me introduce you to the owner/broker of SOHN Real Estate- Sheri.

She has 28 years of experience as a full time broker who is licensed in both New York and Florida.

She has closed over 55 transactions in the last 12 months.

Sheri also has a company that does pre-home inspections that can bring to you attention any issues that may arise during the process so that you are aware, and can either fix them or price your house accordingly.

Right now prices are going way up.  It’s truly a seller’s market, especially when you use a broker like Sheri who can price your house appropriately to entice buyers to come and see it, and make an offer.  There have recently been bidding wars.

Here are some of the additional benefits of booking with a boutique agency like SOHN.

  • Flexibility in making a deal work
  • One on one personal support
  • Family atmosphere
  • Flexibility in method of Advertising (video, social media, print, fliers, and more)

A glance at her testimonial page tells you just how personalized and dedicated Sheri is to her clients. https://sohnrealestate.com/testimonials/

“Sheri gets deals done and goes beyond the call of duty of a normal agent. She helped us make sure the property was ready for sale and as an absentee landlord she really made the difference. She is quite pleasant to work with and is deeply knowledgeable about the marketplace. Big Thumbs up!!” -Dean M. Fort Lauderdale

If you contact Sheri to list your home and mention RocklandNYMom you will receive a FREE pre-home inspection by a licensed home inspector.

To contact Sheri to list your home, receive a free valuation, or have her find your perfect home, you can message her through her facebook page, email: getitsoldwthsohn@aol.com or Phone: 845-639-HOME (4663).

Need an Extra Pair of helping hands?

Posted on by Posted in Childcare/Pre-School, Uncategorized .

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Rockland county parents – Are you seeking a fresh new child care routine? Want to give your kids a fun and exciting experience – without the pressure to find that balance? Check out our blog post here to find out how hosting an au pair provides you with an extra set of helping hands when you need them the most!

Already hosting an au pair with another agency? Switch to Au Pair in America and save $500!

Contact local area community counselor of 30 years, Kaija Caldera at 845-634-7103 or kcaldera@aupairinameria.com or visit our website www.aupairinamerica.com for more information!

 

Graduation Photo Shoot with IC You Photography

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Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post as IC You Photography is a directory member.  All opinions expressed are my own.

-by Cat the Intern

The time has finally come, and I could not be more excited! Since this is my college graduation year, I thought it would be really fun to do a photo shoot. I reached out to IC You Photography to help me out. Here is my experience!

 I usually am not one to do photo shoots I have only done one other one last year. But I thought to myself that this year is a big deal, and I want to make the most out of it. I had been talking with Isabella a few weeks before the photoshoot coming up with ideas to make this the best. We talked back and forth about different ideas, and what we would need to make this happen. I ended up bringing my friend to the shoot for moral support and to take some behind the scenes pictures.

 

I honestly have to say I never had so much fun before at a photo shoot. This was a shoot like no other, but enjoyed every minute! It took over 2 hours and turns out we got over 100 pictures which is so crazy but I’m happy (poor Isabella has to go through and edit those, I don’t envy her). During the shoot we would talk about ideas of what to do how to pose. But not only that we had conversations, and laughed. Isabella is an amazing human and so glad I had the opportunity to work with her. A lot of the shots we came up with on the spot but that’s what made the shoot so fun, and turned out some great pictures.

This photo shoot was really important to me because it it shows me that I did it! My college experience was not the most ideal, but I made it through. School isn’t my favorite thing to do.  It took a lot of grit and hard work to get to where I am.  These photos are a lot more than just graduation photos, they are memories for my family and I. A testimony to the fact that I was able to persevere and make it through despite great obstacles.

Thank you IC you Photography for making my photoshoot so much fun and making memories forever! This has been a great experience and I am so happy that I did it!

 

Camp Spot Light- Day Camp in the Park

Posted on by Posted in Camps, Reviews, Uncategorized .

Since their start in 1979 Day Camp in the Park has served campers from NYC, Rockland County, Westchester County, Bergen County and Orange County. Located on 500+ acres on Lake Tiorati in Rockland County NY. This camp has provided traditional and fun camp experiences for their campers.

They offer camp for kids ages 4-13 year olds and the groups are split into categories; boys, girls and nursery. Each group is tailored to the age group needs and small group numbers. They have a number of activities taught by professionals and some of the activities include, swimming, softball, basketball, boating karate and gymnastics. They also offer soccer, tennis, skateboarding, arts & crafts, ceramics, wood working, archery, drama, and music.

There is an 8 week camp this summer starting on 7/1 and runs through 8/23. Registration form can be found here: https://daycampinthepark.com/registration-forms/