Barista Kids Has Triplets!

Wednesday, Jun 30, 2010 5:00pm  |  COMMENTS (0)

storktriplets.jpgWell, not really, but we are expanding to include Maplewood, South Orange and Millburn.
We’re really excited that Baristaville has grown and look forward to bringing our comprehensive event information, resources and parenting discussion to our new neighbors.

Montclair Kids Talk Russian Spies on Facebook

Wednesday, Jun 30, 2010 3:00pm  |  COMMENTS (0)

BlakeChapin.jpgResidents of Marquette Road have had their quiet street turned upside down since the FBI raided the home of Richard and Cynthia Murphy, alleged Russian spies. While the adults on Marquette Road were outside talking about Cynthia Murphy gardening and always smiling, the kids took their discussion where kids talk these days. They went on Facebook.
The social media network has been a place for Blake Lapin, 14, and Joelle Capone, 12, to report what it was like seeing the FBI, then camera crews and reporters, take over their block.
“My friends want to know what’s going on so we’ve been posting status updates,” Capone says. “People have been writing to tell me they saw me on the news.”

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Montclair Parents and Skateboarders Rally For Skatepark

Wednesday, Jun 30, 2010 1:00pm  |  COMMENTS (1)

800px-Skateboard.jpgSkatepark in Montclair, NJ! is a group working hard to finally bring a skatepark to Montclair. They currently have 390 members on their Facebook group page, have been collecting signatures in a petition and have drafted a proposal to present to the Town Council on July 6.
Angel Kenney, the group’s organizer, doesn’t have children who skateboard, but she explained, “I am very interested in finding ways for young people to have empowering experiences, opportunities to fight for things they care deeply about and to gain skills in community organizing and working through a democratic process.”
She, along with others, got the ball rolling and started organizing the effort by holding various meetings, talking to kids who skate, meeting with members of the town council who explained the process to them. They even met with people who were involved in the Bloomfield Skatepark, which some would say has failed, to learn how NOT to do it.

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Playset Season

BY  |  Wednesday, Jun 30, 2010 10:00am  |  COMMENTS (6)

playset.jpgIt’s that time of year again or maybe it was that time of year as soon as the thermometer hit 60. Either way, jungle gym companies are glad to see the return of warm weather and the parents it ushers into its stores and onto its websites.I successfully refused to succumb to this requirement of suburban family life for more than eight years. And, then, last year I cracked.

My kids didn’t badger me or complain. I’m not even sure they wanted one. I wanted one. Whenever we were outside in the backyard my kids wandered around aimlessly, invariably returning inside to the couch. I wanted to shoo them back outside and tell them to go play. But with what? We didn’t have a pool or swings or even a paved driveway to draw on. I decided for my sanity and their survival we needed a playset.

I actually had visions of summer days whiled away on the swingset or in the attached fort, children’s laughter floating by on a balmy breeze, as I worked uninterrupted nearby.

But I wanted one thing to be perfectly clear. If I was going to take out a second mortgage to finance a playset for my kids, they would have to live on it. I’m not being funny, and this isn’t hyperbole. I mean literally.

The playset we eyed up had a house-like enclosure and a picnic table and was practically as big as my house. It was certainly a suitable dwelling for two smallish people. They could come in for the winter but not until then. And if we ran some electric wire and plumbing to the fort, I might not ever have to see them again.

But as with all fantasies, once realized, the facts on the ground don’t quite match the vision. And so it was with my dream playset.

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U13 Montclair Bulldogs Capture Cerbo Elite Spring Championship

Wednesday, Jun 30, 2010 8:30am  |  COMMENTS (0)

U13 bulldogs.jpgThe U13 Montclair Bulldogs played their normal brand of solid defense and received a stellar pitching performance from Michael Hall, who carried a perfect game into the 5th inning before surrendering a run. The bulldog bats were also hot as they touched up the Blue Chip pitcher for 3 runs in the first and continued to tack on runs in the following innings. The win marks the 7th championship trophy in the last 6 years for this group (spring and summer leagues).
The U13 Bulldogs, most of which have been together since U8, have also notched 3 second place showings in that same time period. The team is currently 5-0 in summer league play and will hopefully go for title number 8 later this summer.
Have a kid who loves baseball? The Montclair Baseball and Softball Club is offering a week-long summer camp:

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A Waterside Vacation to Remember

Tuesday, Jun 29, 2010 2:00pm  |  COMMENTS (0)

brothers fishing.JPGWe spent an idyllic week recently, with kids and their grandparents in tow, at the waterside home of friends in Sarasota, Florida. The children, I hate to say, skipped the last couple of (abbreviated) days of the school year, but the big picture – the value of spending time with grandparents who live overseas and whom they don’t see often – assuaged parental guilt over that matter. As it turned out, a waterside break for a city-centric family can be plenty of education in itself!
In the blazing Florida heat averaging 95F° daily, we had access to the coolness of a swimming pool, as well as a private jetty, which came replete with two kayaks.
kayaking.JPGWhen the kids weren’t racing each other swimming, they were having a blast on that jetty, learning to fish for the first time. My 10-year-old was very attentive to the details of how and where to hook his shrimp bait (in the middle of the underbelly helps keep them alive), how to cast the line (underhand and against the current) and the exact moment at which to reel in his catch (when you get a hard nibble that makes the rod bend!).

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MHS’s Project Graduation: Location Revealed

Tuesday, Jun 29, 2010 1:00pm  |  COMMENTS (0)

MHS project graduation.JPGProject Graduation at Montclair High School is traditionally held in a secret location. Graduates pile on buses, loudly parade through town and arrive at a fun, all-night location. Anna Hess, one of the graduates, shared the story with us….

Montclair High School’s most recent graduates were greeted by
applause, cowbells and much support from Montclair residents on
Thursday evening after the graduation ceremony. After their
traditional parade around town, the seniors were bussed to Project
Graduation at Velocity 17 in Maywood, New Jersey.
Go Karting and Laser Tag were the main attractions at the event, but
the most popular activity was signing yearbooks. There was also a
hypnosis show, which wowed and amazed all that attended.
Early birds may have spotted the caravan of buses returning hundreds
of happy and exhausted students to the school very early Friday
morning.

Don’t Know Much About Current Events?

Tuesday, Jun 29, 2010 11:00am  |  COMMENTS (16)

news-basics.jpgDoes health care reform confuse you? Believe in global warming, but don’t really know why? Want to learn more about Russian espionage? (For that, you have to read all the breaking stories on Baristanet–News-Basics doesn’t plan to cover it.) Well a Montclair dad of two has created a website that explains those things and more in a clear and concise way. It’s sort of “cliff notes” for current events.
Michael Laser, published novelist and writer, admitted to feeling a little unknowledgeable when it came to certain current event topics. After overhearing his teenager talking to friends and realizing that young people don’t really know all the facts of current events, especially presented in an impartial way, he created News-Basics.
This summer, the website will start offering lesson plans and quizzes for teachers to use in the classroom. News-Basics aspires to be different from other sites, such as Wikipedia, by offering key facts in a clear, concise and impartial way. Students (and their parents) can use News-Basics as a starting point of their research to get a good, basic understanding of a topic and then, if needed, move on to sources with more detailed information, which are provided in the articles.
News-Basics will continue to be updated with topics and valuable teaching tools for use in the classroom. Want to suggest a topic for News-Basics to cover? Email here.

Did You Save Your Pregnancy Test?

Tuesday, Jun 29, 2010 9:00am  |  COMMENTS (1)

EPT Keepsake Case 2_1.jpge.p.t, the makers of home pregnancy tests have done some research and found that, “67 percent of expectant mothers saved their at-home pregnancy test.” They also found that the number would be higher if women had a pretty pouch to save it in.
Enter the e.p.t. Keepsake Case. A little purple pouch to save your at-home pregnancy test as a special memento.
I’ll admit it, I have both test sticks that revealed I was pregnant with my girls. I don’t have them in a special case though. I just keep them in a drawer of my dresser, underneath my underwear, which seems pretty appropriate since I once peed on them.
Are you part of the 67 percent?

When You’re Caught in the Act

BY  |  Monday, Jun 28, 2010 12:00pm  |  COMMENTS (15)

girlpeekingthroughdoor.jpgLet’s say the stars align and you and your significant other find a time where you both are not exhausted, you’re both in the mood and you’re finally alone. One thing leads to another and just when things are really heating up, you get caught–by your kid.

Maybe your little one heard you and wanted to know why you sounded like you were crying, or worse, maybe she walked in on you and actually saw you doing the deed. How do you handle it?
Not that this has happened to me, but I thought it was best to ask Evelyn Shalom who gave Barista Kids some sex education advice back in March.

Apparently telling your child that you stubbed your toe and were screaming is not the right thing to do according to Evelyn…

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