10 Ways to Keep the Kids Busy on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is all about family, but sometimes the kids get lost in the shuffle. Here are a few ways to keep the kids busy so you can get busy in the kitchen and later, sit and enjoy your meal. 1. Get them ready to dress the part. Have tables ready with construction paper, glue and scissors […]

10 Books You Should Read with Your Preschooler

Melissa Saunders, Director of West Side Nursery School, shares her favorite books for preschoolers. Reading to or with your child is a special part of the day. While the ritual can provide calm before bedtime, it is always an opportunity to ignite conversation, observation and imagination.  I have tried to include both classics and newer stories on this […]

15+ Things to Keep Your Little One Occupied on the Plane

Also Read: 20+ Festive Cocktails...trust us, you’ll need one after the trip. I’ve become a pro at packing for the plane and have a few unusual items (scotch tape, address labels, string) that have saved me. Before our first trip with kids, I got some advice from a friend: “Pack extra clothes–not just for the baby, but for you.” On […]

Shop ‘Til You Drop Thru Saturday at the Royal Boutique!

Thursday, November 14 to Saturday, November 16 Here’s your chance to get ahead  on your holiday shopping in November! Shop at Oak Knoll’s Annual Royal Boutique, which takes place November 14-16. You’ll be WOWED by over 50 exclusive vendors offering everything from clothing to toys! Shop for men’s, women’s, children’s, and babies’ clothing; popular toys and games, unique and elegant jewelry; […]

Can Stress Affect the Gender of Your Baby?

Read This Before You Decide to Get Pregnant Again A new study by American and British researchers reveals there may a link between a woman’s stress level and whether she has a boy or a girl. High stress, measured in this study by both subjective participant reports and serum cortisol levels, seemed to increase the […]

College, Anxiety, and Our Immediate Gratification Culture

My oldest daughter went to college this year. As her mom, I was hoping she would hit the ground running, call to tell me everything was great, and be having so much fun, meeting so many wonderful people and feeling so appropriately challenged academically, she would be too busy to call again. As a realist, I knew […]

6 Tips for Kids Who Are Scared of Halloween

My 18 year old doesn’t like Halloween. She is the kid who double checks all the doors are locked every night and scolds my husband and me when we are lax about safety. It follows she wouldn’t care for a macabre holiday. She doesn’t understand why I would want fake blood, headless figures and  scary […]

Calling All Lego Fans: The Lego Brick Fair is Coming

A thousand of the most dedicated adult Lego builders from across the world are coming to NJ. Explore their brilliantly built creations, meet the builders, learn new building techniques and building fantastic creations for lego fans! The fair will allow you to see, touch, experience, learn and be inspired by legos! Kids can play with Legos and try […]