The chances are if you have school-age children, you’ve already done more than your fair share of bake sales.

Me? I love a good bake sale and after several tours of duty, now consider myself a veteran.

I’ve learned through experience that the golden oldies are the true crowd pleasers: usually anything with chocolate, brownies or chocolate covered pretzel sticks, all go down a storm. While I personally love an organic sea-salt and lavender cookie, I appreciate that they’re not guaranteed to make the top 10 list.

Anywho, here’s a great recipe that may not be the healthiest, but is still a good way to use up leftover Halloween candy you might have.

If you don’t have Snickers, then Twix or Almond Joy are good alternatives.

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Attention families with toddlers! St James Preschool in Montclair, which has been offering preschool classes for 25 years, is adding a new program designed just for toddlers ages 18-30 months old.

Director and owner  Sarah Eggleston tells us that:

A sunny, private space is being designed and furnished for the program. Children can enroll for a 2,3 or 4 day option with a maximum of 10 children per day.  A certified teacher and assistant teacher will create age appropriate hands-on experiences for the children, stressing their individual growth and developmental needs.  Daily playground and gym time will encourage development of the children’s large motor skills.  St James’ philosophy that “children learn through play” will also be stressed in the toddler program which will also incorporate music, literature and language opportunities.

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Back in April, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, together with Teen Ink, a national magazine written by teens and for teens, asked for essays about “bullying, being bullied, witnessing bullying or ideas about how to address this issue.”  His goal, in addition to awareness, was to allow the experts – teenagers – to explain the problem of bullying to adults through their own experiences.  He received over 1,200 essays, which were then narrowed down to 59 finalists.  Yesterday, Mr. Kristof announced the winning essays, and out of the four winners, Montclair High School junior, Lena Rawley came away with the grand prize-winning essay: Teenage Girls; the Cruel Super Humans from Outer Space.  

In her essay, Lena admits to having been a “teenage mean girl” and bystander to bullying herself. And, as those who watched Heathers in a previous generation will recognize, she was later targeted by the same girls as the “weakest link” or “the wounded gazelle.”

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Millburn siblings Chris and Julie Chiaramonte are not what you think of when the word orphan comes to mind. Chris, 16 years old and a junior at Millburn High School, plays football, roots for the Yankees, and stays up too late playing XBox and chatting on Facebook. His sister Julie, 12 years old and in the 7th grade at Millburn Middle School, loves (loves!!!) Justin Bieber, the Hunger Games trilogy and hanging downtown with her friends. They are funny, active, kind children – they just don’t have parents.  Their mother Mary passed away after a brief but fierce battle with cancer in December of 2002, leaving their father Jeffrey a widower and single dad.  Jeff moved his family from Randolph to Millburn, where he grew up, after her passing and ran the family landscaping business with his brother, Chris.  Sadly, on October 22, 2010, Jeff suffered a massive heart attack and died instantly.  Today, almost two years later, Chris and Julie live with their grandparents and next door to their uncle, constantly surrounded by a loving family.

The Chiaramonte Children’s Fund was established in memory of their beloved parents by the community to help support their current and future emotional, medical, educational, and financial needs.  This June 28, the CCF Golf Outing 2012 Flier at Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club in Bedminster, NJ will raise money to benefit the Chiarmonte Children’s Fund.

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Wow! We’ve had so many people banging down the virtual doors of Barista Kids wanting to come and see Jill Smokler, the original Scary Mommy, and buy her new book Confessions of a Scary Mommy at Trend Cafe.  We can’t blame anyone for wanting to get close to the woman who came up with The Confessional and has started the Scary Mommy Nation.  That’s why the book party is completely filled, and we’re very excited to welcome all the people who were lucky enough to RSVP in time.

For those who are disappointed about missing out on meeting Scary Mommy and getting your book signed, there is good news! The Barista Kids party will start closing up at 9:00 p.m., and Jill Smokler has graciously agreed to hang out in Trend Cafe to meet & greet fans who couldn’t get into the party.

So, put the kids to bed and hop on over to Trend Cafe between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. for a casual “post-bedtime” chat & chew with Jill Smokler. If you do come, please consider purchasing a drink and one of the magnificent pastries that Trend offers.  Go on! You deserve it!

This just in from the Montclair Board of Education:

“Dear Bullock Parents/Guardians/Caregivers:

It is my pleasure to announce that Ms. Nami Kuwabara has been appointed principal of the Charles H. Bullock School effective July 1.

Ms. Kuwabara is well known to the Montclair community. She has served as a teacher at Rand/Bullock for the past 10 years. During her time in the district, she has served as chair of the School Action Team (formerly School Review), participated in numerous curricular committees, contributed to several district-wide initiatives and assumed a leadership position with the Montclair Education Association.

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Around this time last year, during a typical day at pick-up after school, I ran into another mom from my child’s grade.  We commiserated about our cranky toddlers in tow and exchanged small talk about homework and teachers, your standard parent banter.

Yet during this perfectly benign conversation, I somehow blurted out to this woman that I was worried about my child’s progress in school. I went into a lengthy vent about how I didn’t know what to do, that the teacher was concerned as well, but no one was sure if a child study team evaluation was needed.

Instead of backing away in uncomfortable horror at my clear case of over-sharing, she asked me to come to a meeting at our school called the Parent Resource Group, a discussion/support group that shares resources and talks with professionals to learn about solutions in helping children with an IEP (Individualized Education Program) or a 504 (a civil rights act that ensures accommodations for students with disabilities.)  Unbeknownst to me, she had a child who received services at school.

I was hesitant at first, like I wouldn’t belong there because my child was not officially classified, but she assured me the group was open to everyone. So I went, armed with a notebook and hoping I would not cry. I came away with a heap of wonderful information and support.  I didn’t cry, but it would have been perfectly fine and exactly the place to do so.

A year has passed and my child now has the services and support she needs.  We were fortunate to have a wonderful teacher, principal and child study team help us arrive at a place where my child just recently said, “school is just so much easier now.”

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WINNER: Congratulations to cheesewhiz, the randomly chosen winner of the Mother’s Day geteaway at The Westminster Hotel!

Today is the last chance to enter the incredible giveaway (Oprah ain’t got nothin’ on us!) for Mother’s Day. Thanks to the generosity of The Westminster Hotel, one very lucky mama will win a complimentary weekend stay in a one bedroom suite and a 60 minute spa service of her choice (massage or facial).

Just tell us why you, or a special mom in your life, need(s) this Mother’s Day getaway in comments here before midnight tonight. Good luck!

Like many, I LOVE a good bolognese sauce (or ragù alla bolognese as it is called in Italia), but because it takes a loooooong time to let those rich flavors develop and mellow, its rarely something I will tackle mid-week. We’re all short of time when getting those weekday dinners on the table and I’m someone who doesn’t like cutting corners, so I often reserve bolognese for Saturday or Sunday, hence this recipe being called Weekend Rigatoni Bolognese!

In our house, a good bolognese dish is relished by all and is served with the kids’ favorite pasta shapes—something that seems to vary week by week: one week it is bow-ties, the next it’s wheels and then out of the blue comes a request for spirals or plain old spaghetti! I’m sure I’m not alone in the great pasta roulette wheel of life… This week, the pasta of choice was Rigatoni.

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This is another jam-packed family event weekend. That’s what happens when spring arrives. Things get busy! It’s going to be difficult to choose what to do. Of course, the Montclair Film Festival is happening and this weekend two films are family-friendly: First Position and Brooklyn Castle. Barista Kids is the proud co-presenter of these great films. There are still tickets available to First Position, but act fast!

We’ve also told you about:

• Old Cinema Night at @The Art Studio
• Montclair High’s SVPA production of Urinetown: The Musical
• Free Comic Book Day
• The Montclair Historical Society’s Family Day
• Celebration Walkathon for the Montclair Pre-K
• Fishing Derby

And yes, there’s even more!

Here are some other fun weekend events:

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