GottaLoveMom

At one of our family dinners, my husband asked the kids,    “Do you know why God gave you two ears and one mouth? He paused, looked at the kids' expression and said,  So that you’ll listen twice much more than you speak.” I guess if it was in one of Adam Sandler’s movie, my husband would have said,     “So that you’ll shut up and hear me speak!” This was the topic of our conversation that night because our youngest (9yo) does not seem to run out of things to say. We wanted him to learn the value of listening to others – not just his own voice. There are a few quotations or phrases that helped me growing up. Unlike my children, I went to school that taught Theology, Religion and Philosophy from Grammar School through College.  And unfortunately, I don’t currently belong to a church that engages the creative and inquisitive minds of the young – and the old. ( For me, anyway.) I question my religious affiliation, or is it religous affliction...

Emma Love is a gorgeous little 9yo girl who has piercing green eyes and a mop of sandy blonde hair. At 15 months, she was diagnosed with classic autism. She has never spoken a word, cannot dress herself and cannot even perform the most basic forms of personal hygiene. Her family has not given up hope. The Love family is looking to raise $25,000 for a stem cell treatment at an American clinic in Ecuador. The family will take a trip to the center on November 15th for the four days of treatment. There are various fundraisers that you can donate to. One of the fundraisers, “ Emma’s Road to Ecuador ” is featured in the local newspaper ( Click here to read the entire article - http://www.nj.com/cranford/index.ssf/2010/10/cranford_family_hopes_that_hel.html   ) Comedy for a Cause is on October 29th at Cranford Dramatic Club Theatre, 78 Winans Ave, Cranford. Doors open at 6:30pm. Admission $50 per person (includes wine, beer, horsd'oeuvres, live and silent auction. For ticke...

Have you ever done something totally new lately? Have you ever tasted something special that used to be an ordinary treat? Does absence really make one’s heart grow fonder? Staying over in a hotel – whether be in the city (NYC) or Princeton, used to be a regular weekend treat for us. But with the change in the economy, we have tightened our budget: no weekend getaways; very limited restaurant dining; no shopping just for the sake of it. Yesterday, with the help of my husband’s parental units (mom and dad), my husband and I had one relaxing day – a break from our crumbcatchers’ regular hectic schedule. Lucky for us, we have parents that love to break away from their regular routine and gift us with a “mini-vacation”. For our past birthdays, mom and dad gave my husband a spa gift card and dinner money for mine. Mom calls them the “ save-the-marriage” gifts! I think they are more like spreading “ tinker bell gold dusts” at a loving marriage. Yes, happy thoughts were ba...

Are you the kind of mom that worries too much about their children? Are you a helicopter mom (someone who’s micromanaging every little detail of her child’s life ) ? Are you someone who freaks out about a few changes in your child’s schedule? As a mother, I try to teach my children to be independent. My first two children are already in college but my two younger ones are in high school and grade school. All my four children have a hectic schedule, but my 15yo on the other hand is on a different level of “hectic”! As parents, we encourage our children to follow their dreams – emphasis on “their”. The only way for them to be happy is to live their day to day in accordance to what they want to accomplish. When the kids are younger, we tried to expose them to different aspects of life – music, arts, sports, community service. When your kid has multiple interests, where do you draw the line? My 15yo is one very busy teen! He already gave up a few activities because there is jus...

I’m not an early Saturday morning person. Friday nights are usually packed with crumbcatchers’ activities – plus last night, my husband and I did our usual "Friday date night", watched a movie OnDemand, sipped Margarita, munched on chips and salsa and ended the night with brownies ala mode. However, this morning around 7:30am, my friend text’d me and asked if we’re running the “Run for Mom 5K Run” (www.CancerCare.org). My reflexes replied, “no”, but then just a few nudge and I finally convinced myself that it would be nice to do it! It’s for a great cause, but mostly it’ll be my first ever race! Sometimes you need a friend to give you that push! And I was so glad, she did! My friend and I have been training to run for our 5 mile run in November (whether we will actually do it or not still remains to be seen!). In 30 minutes (more or less), along with our friends, my husband and I ran our first official 5K run (3.2 miles) – and we were not eve...