For many parents, the most traumatic family battles are fought at the very place which should be a place of harmony and connection: the dinner table.
The bad news is that those dinnertime battles are often the result of food habits that parents have unconsciously established.
The good news, however, is that those habits can be reversed.
In her book French Kids Eat Everything, Karen Le Billon lays out 10 food practices her family discovered while living in France. The results were life-changing, and now Le Billon’s children are fans of everything from beets to mackerel. The 10 food rules are summarized below:
My wife and I are among the only 28% of parents today who make their children do chores. And, like many children when forced to do undesirable work, ours do their fair share of complaining and dawdling.
In these moments, the reminder we frequently give them is this: “It’s not your job to play.”
Perhaps to some this sounds harsh. After all, the idea that they have a special mandate for play and “free time” is exactly what our current society communicates to children. From the moment they first exit the womb, America’s youth are surrounded by a constantly updated slew of toys and devices for entertainment. They very quickly learn that adults primarily require that they play and do what they want, which these days usually means screen time. The average child now spends over six hours in front of a screen each day.
Even now in school—which most of history deemed a very “un-fun” place—it’s expected that teachers will make the curriculum appropriately engaging and that plenty of activities (read: useless assemblies and fairs) and time for socialization will be provided.
So many people hold their kids back that they are ready for all day K because they are six years old.
Can’t have it both ways, hold them back and then demand full day K.
Lets be honest about this. Too many parents hold their kids back because they are “young”, “small” or “not ready”. I do not want all day K because it rewards this type of behavior. Some delusional parents see their kids as geniuses when they are really 6 year olds in kindergarten. Not gifted just at a different developmental stage. It used to be over aged boys, but now the parents og girls are getting into it.
Stop letting parents hold their kids back. When they come for registeation place them in the grade according to their cut off birthdate. No more gaming the system.
Let the 5 year olds have developmentally appropriate half day kindergarten and put the 6 year olds in first grade where they belong.
Posted: 09/25/2013 12:29 pm EDT Updated: 11/25/2013 5:12 am EST
Does six hours of school a day instil a love of learning in four-year-olds?
Most people would probably scoff at a parent who forces their young child to practise piano or dance for six hours a day. Ditto when it comes to gymnastics or swimming or even Canada’s sentimental favourite, hockey. Thankfully, most moms and dads realize that for little kids, an hour or so is more than enough for most activities and any longer will only result in your child loathing the sport or hobby you hoped they would love.
So why the push for full-day kindergarten?
As a mother to three small children, one would think that I would be an ardent cheerleader for full-day kindergarten. In reality, I’m actually booing from the sidelines.
We are fooling ourselves if we think that full-day kindergarten is anything more than a glorified babysitting service. A four- or five-year-old child may benefit from a few hours of schooling each day, but six hours straight? Most kids that age have trouble staying focused more than 20 minutes. And this doesn’t even take into account the before and after school programs. Some of these kids are spending eight or 10 hours per day at school.
For many athletes who play on artificial turf, the tiny granules of rubber that pad the field are familiar and ubiquitous. The black specks often get trapped in folds of clothing, carried home in shoes or embedded in scrapes and under fingernails.
Crumb rubber infill — the most common material used in artificial turf fields across the country — is intended to improve safety and create a more accessible, easily maintained playing field. But after recent public concerns about possible health risks from exposure to crumb rubber, several local jurisdictions are searching for clearer answers about its potential dangers and considering alternatives.
Ridgewood NJ, The Ticket Office will resume operation in the Terminal on Saturday. Monday’s schedule will be available online after 10 p.m. on Saturday, October 15.
On Monday, October 17 at 4 a.m., NJ TRANSIT will open six more tracks at Hoboken Terminal restoring full train service into and out of Hoboken Terminal.
Customers should note that there also will be some reconfiguration of paths of travel to account for the change in access points.
For the morning peak period, Tracks 1 through 4 and Tracks 7 and 8 will re-open. Customers may access Tracks 1 through 4 through the external walkway near PATH and Tracks 7 and 8 via the Main Terminal.
Tracks 5 and 6 will remain closed as NJ TRANSIT advances ongoing repair and recovery work.
Customers may experience some delays as NJ TRANSIT personnel work with construction crews to clear the area. Congested conditions in certain locations may also be expected at the terminal with the loss of space around tracks 5 and 6.
View printable schedules HERE..
Please Note:
As repair work continues at the terminal, customers are advised to stay clear of all work areas.
The Hoboken Terminal waiting room, Customer Service office, and restrooms will be open.
Ticket Vending Machines located in the waiting room will be fully operational.
Customers can download the NJ TRANSIT App and sign up for MyTix to purchase their tickets.
Bus, Light Rail, and Additional Services
NJ TRANSIT bus, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, PATH and NY Waterway also continue to operate in and out of Hoboken on their regular routes and schedules.
NJ TRANSIT would like to thank its customers for their continued patience and support
Ridgewood NJ, Wayne Gretzky, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed “The Great One”, he has been called “the greatest hockey player ever” by many sportswriters, players, and the NHL itself. He is the leading scorer in NHL history, with more goals and assists than any other player. He scored more assists than any other player scored total points, and is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season – a feat he accomplished four times. In addition, he tallied over 100 points in 16 professional seasons, 14 of them consecutive. At the time of his retirement in 1999, he held 61 NHL records: 40 regular-season records, 15 playoff records, and six All-Star records. As of 2014, he still holds 60 NHL records.
UPDATE: We are NO longer accepting Pre-orders (Phone orders or Online Orders) for The Wayne Gretzky Book Signing on Wednesday October 19th at 6:30pm.
A limited quantity of Books will be available to purchase In Store at Bookends (only in person) beginning at 9:00am on Tuesday October 18th.
No Memorabilia
No Personalizations
No Posed Pictures
Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.
Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.
First In Line Certificate use is the the discretion of Bookends. Blackout dates may apply.
Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings.
Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.
While we try to ensure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed. We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.
Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
Location: Park West Loft, 30 Oak Street, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood YMCA will host a special Wine Tasting Event and Reception featuring award winning wine producer, Mollydooker Wines, on October 17th at 7:00pm at the Park West Loft in Ridgewood. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Ridgewood YMCA’s Good Works Programs.
The evening will include modern American fare presented by the Park West Loft.
Mollydooker Wines, based in McLaren Vale, South Australia, is owned and operated by the dedicated husband and wife team of Sarah and Sparky Marquis(both are lefties; Mollydooker is Aussie slang for being left-handed). Mollydooker Wines have garnered numerous accolades and honors in recent years, including winning Top 10 Wine of the Year awards from Wine Spectator. Mollydooker Wine’s Sparky Marquis and his son, Luke will be presenting at the October 17 event.
Gary Imhoff, Director of Marketing and Membership for the Ridgewood YMCA, said “We’re very honored to welcome Sparky and Luke Marquis to Ridgewood and are looking forward to a great event! We hope the community will come out and sample some terrific Mollydooker Wines and help to support the Ridgewood YMCA’s Good Works Programs”.
The Ridgewood YMCA’s Good Works Program touch the lives of thousands in the community each year and include Living Strong, Living Well, a 12-week strength and fitness program developed by Stanford University for cancer patients and survivors and Rainbows, a peer support group for children who have experienced a painful family transition such as divorce, separation death or abandonment.
Tickets for the event are $125 and available online at www.ridgewoodymca.org/mollydooker or by contacting Jen Batelli at 201.444.5600 x320 or via email at [email protected].
THE WOMAN’S CLUB OF RIDGEWOOD FALL HOUSE TOUR, OCTOBER 20, 2016
October 15,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The Woman’s Club of Ridgewood will hold its eighteenth House Tour on Thursday, October 20th from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The tour, which is a charity event, will feature unique homes located in Ridgewood and the surrounding communities, dressed up for autumn and its holidays.
The House Tour is the largest fundraiser hosted by the Woman’s Club of Ridgewood, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the community. The House Tour typically draws 400 – 800 attendees, and raises funds for charities serving women and children. Last year the Club awarded grants to 18 local charities including the Social Service Association of Ridgewood, SHARE, Camp Sunshine, Emmanuel Cancer Foundation, Sharing the Arts, and the YMCA Rainbows Program. This year’s Tour is sponsored by Janis Fuhrman of Terrie O’Connor Realtors.
House Tour tickets are $40 if bought in advance, and are available via the club’s website,www.ridgewoodwomansclub.com, in person at the Clubhouse, and at Mango Jam, Town & Country Apothecary and Backyard Living. Tickets are $45 the day of the tour at the Clubhouse. For further information please visit www.ridgewoodwomansclub.com, or call 201-444-5705.
October 1, 2016 A review of the venue at the Woman’s Club by a recent guest:
Tom and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary at the Ridgewood Woman’s Club. I have received wonderful comments from our guests, full of praise for the beautiful room. The venue was absolutely gorgeous. We will definitely rent again, because we cannot think of any where else we would like to be.
Ridgewood NJ, in his study on Full day vs Half day Kindergarten Philip DeCicca from the Department of Economics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. concludes ,”Academic gains for children who attend full-day kindergarten programs compared to those who attend half-day programs are so short-lived that policymakers should take a hard look at whether the additional cost of full-day programs is worthwhile,
DeCicca explained ,“My findings suggest that, on average, the academic returns associated with full-day kindergarten are quite low or non-existent,”
In the study, DeCicca analyzed kindergarten and 1st grade reading and math test scores for children from 714 schools who attended half-day or full day kindergarten programs.
While children in full-day programs did score higher in reading and math than their half-day counterparts at the end of kindergarten, those gains had evaporated by the end of 1st grade, the researcher reports. This was true for both girls and boys and black and Hispanic children. In fact, Hispanic children who attended full-day kindergarten programs performed worse at the end of 1st grade than children who attended half-day kindergarten.
“The estimated pattern of results suggests that full-day kindergarten substantially raises the math and reading achievement of children of all races,” DeCicca writes. “However, these gains are much smaller in magnitude when measured via similar tests just one year later. In other words, the short-run impact of full-day kindergarten has depreciated considerably by the end of first grade.”
Ridgewood NJ, according to a report on NorthJersey.com, Bergen Tech is dealing with too many injuries and was not able to compete in Thursday’s scheduled game against Ridgewood.
Sources say the Knights informed Ridgewood head coach Chuck Johnson on Tuesday afternoon that injuries against Cliffside Park and a player suspended had left the Knights short-handed to play the undefeated Ridgewood Maroons, ranked No. 2 in latest Bergen Record public rankings.
Bergen Tech is a member of the North Jersey Super Football Conference. The Knights were 0-5 before Thursday’s forfeiture to undefeated Ridgewood, who is also ranked No. 19 in the NJ.com Top 20.
Ridgewood NJ, this is the second article in a series from the staff of the Ridgewood on reducing yard waste . Composting is simple and easy . According to the College of Agriculture , Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois, a compost pile is a teeming microbial farm. The microbes in a compost pile go to work for you, breaking down leaves, grass clippings, fruit and vegetable waste, and other organic matter.
Mixing compost material into your yard or garden loosens heavy clay soils, allowing better root penetration and improving plant growth. It also improves the infiltration and percolation of water through the soil, improves a sandy soil’s capacity to hold water and nutrients, and may help add essential nutrients to any soil.
Plus, it improves the health of your plants by improving the soil; provides a natural, healthy way to dispose of organic-matter wastes; creates a healthy environment for earthworms; reduces the need to buy trash bags and soil conditioners; and reduces disposal costs in towns that charge for hauling yard waste.
To set up a compost pile, begin by removing the grass and sod cover from the area where you plan to put it. Place a layer of chopped brush or other coarse material on top of the soil surface to allow air circulation around the base of the heap.
Next, mix together moistened leaves, grass clippings or sawdust, and manure or fertilizer. Adding soil is optional, but it can speed up the composting process. Anything that grows in your yard will make good composting material. You can even add bread, coffee grounds, egg shells, fruit, shredded paper, tea leaves, vegetables, and wood chips to the pile.
Materials that should not be put in a compost pile include: bones, cat and dog manure, cheese, chicken, fat, fish scraps, milk, meat, noxious weeds, and oils.
The compost pile should be between 3 and 5 feet high. On top of the compost pile, scoop out a “basin” to catch rain water.
A properly made compost heap will reach a temperature of 140 degrees to 160 degrees F in one to two weeks. At this time, you will notice the pile settling–a good sign that the heap is working properly.
Five to six weeks later, transfer the materials into a new pile. When doing this, turn the outside of the old heap into the center of the new pile. Add water if necessary. You shouldn’t need to turn your heap a second time, unless additional aeration is needed to reduce odor.
The compost material should be ready to use in your yard or garden within three to four months after you first constructed the pile. A heap started in late spring can be ready for use in the autumn. Then you can start another heap in autumn for use in the spring.
Compost is ready to use when it is dark, brown, and crumbly, with an earthy odor. Let it stabilize a few extra days, and screen it through a ½-inch screen if you want the finest product. To use the compost, turn your soil, apply a 1- to 3-inch layer of compost, and work it in well.
RIDGEWOOD — A Superior Court judge will decide Wednesday the future of a lawsuit claiming several conflicts of interest tainted both the Planning Board’s and Village Council’s review and approval of several contentious master plan changes this year.
The suit, filed in May by attorney Kevin Mattessich on behalf of the grassroots group Ridgewood Citizens for Reasonable Development, seeks an order from Superior Court Judge William Meehan voiding four ordinances.
