New Jersey Moms Blog

Mechanic's Wives have no Lights

On Thursday night as the sun was fading, I jumped into my car ready to head for home. In one swift motion, I placed the key in the ignition and switched on our Ford Ranger pickup.  I sighed with relief as the engine roared to life and reached to switch the lights on only to find I was unable to locate the knob.  My fingers groped around to no avail.  My eyes quickly darted to the dashboard and I quickly realized that the knob for the light switch was missing leaving the metal pole underneath.  I tried to grab and twist it but I just couldn't get enough traction to make it turn. With a frustrated sigh, I realized that Omar must have been tinkering with the trucks' lights and forgotten to reinstall the knob.  My beloved-mechanically-inclined husband had forgotten that I would not only be using the truck but would definitely need the lights. I wondered where the knob for the light switch was and what possessed him to remove it.

The fact that Omar can fix almost anything has saved us thousands of dollars over the years and is definitely a trait that we rely on.  However, it also means that we sometimes get into crazy situations like

Trashing my Apps

I admit to being an iPhone APP addict.  It all started innocently enough but then it began to spiral out of control. 

As soon as I got my iPhone, I loved its convenience.  I found that it came in handy all of the time.  When I needed the address for the Sunoco station that my husband was stranded at, I turned to my iPhone.  When I needed directions to pick him up, there was an APP for that.  When I needed to find a local auto parts store, my iPhone came to the rescue again.  I then found that I could use it for non-emergency situations as well.  If I needed to check my e-mail or my favorite blogs, it was all easily done by scrolling past a screen or two.  If I wanted to update my status on facebook, there was an APP for that as well. 

Next, I began to download fun games.  I started by downloading a cool scrabble game and a few Tetris-like games.  Then I downloaded Tap Fish. This is when the problems started. 

The Bulk Day Brigade

I woke up early this morning because I needed to get some work done prior to my official day starting.  As I sat in my darkened living room tapping at my computer, I could hear the unmistakable sounds of the Bulk Day Brigade driving by my house.

Prior to moving to Northern New Jersey, I was unfamiliar with the concept of bulk day. This is a day each month when the residents in my town put all of their large garbage items at the curb. Every bulk day eve or morning, I can drive around and see all sorts of interesting items perched in front of my neighbors' houses. Stained rugs, damaged bureaus and broken tricycles wait patiently to be collected by my local Department of Public Works.  As I drive by, I sometimes wonder about the value of the items. Hmm.. that armchair has an interesting shape.  I wonder if reupholstering it will salvage it? Or Wow, that's a lot of gardening tools- too bad, it is all

Holding My Breath Until April 20th

I am one of the many teachers who's job is on the line thanks to Governor Christie's budget cuts.   My school district lost over 80% of their funding which equals to millions of dollars.  In these tough economic times, it was money that my district was counting on because they did not want to unnecessarily add to the property taxes of their townspeople.  The same towns people who pay NJ State taxes.  Prior to Governor Christie's announcement, I attended emergency meetings in which my Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent explained they would be cutting any unnecessary programs and supplies.  After the announcement, I attended another emergency meeting to learn that it would be necessary to cut 50+ staff members including many teachers. 

Within twenty-four hours, many of the colleagues who I attended a 3-day new teacher orientation with had received pink  slips and had begun frantically sending out their resumes.  The problem is that I am

Living in Pothole City!!

One of the side effects of all the snow and rain in the past few weeks is potholes.  Huge, humongous, crater-sized potholes that could easily swallow a mini-van and a yellow-school bus without blinking.  They are everywhere you look and impossible to avoid! Driving the four miles from my work to home has become an obstacle course that I am continually failing.  I find myself weaving back and forth in an effort to avoid losing a wheel in one of these monstrous potholes and I cringe every time my car sinks into one of them.  So far, I have managed to keep my car and tires intact but I attribute that to sheer luck.

Instead of chatting about the weather or someone's day, I am finding myself trading pothole war stories.  "Did you see the one on Ridgewod Ave? A friend of mine bent her rim when she hit it.  She needed to replace her rim and her tire," I say as I walk into school with a colleague. 
"Oh yeah," my co-worker responds, "How about the one on Maple Ave? The tire of the car in front of me burst when it hit it. Incredible!" Each pothole tale feels more absurd than the next.

Lunchbox as Archaeological Dig

Since Becca has started preschool, one of the favorite parts of my day is packing her lunch. I tend to alternate between some type of sandwich (cut in quarters with the crust) or some hot food (heated up and placed in her "Hello Kitty" thermos).  I might put together a small fruit salad (whole strawberries, blueberries and melon) or some fresh cut vegetables.  I also usually include some goldfish crackers or wheat thins. I always include some juice and water.  As I zip up her bag each day, I say a silent prayer that she will enjoy it. 

At the end of each day, I eagerly search her "Hello Kitty" lunchbox looking for evidence of what she ate.  I will quickly unscrew her food thermos and try to determine how much is left.  Did she eat 3/4 of it or only 1/2? I then check the rest of her bag trying to determine how much of the fruit or vegetables she ate.  Ok, she ate all of the strawberries but none of the melon.  She only ate a few of the carrots.  Uh oh, it doesn't seem as if she drank any of her water.  I will then reflect on my findings to determine what I should include in tomorrow's lunch.  I also use this data to figure out how things went for Becca in preschool that day. Since Becca is three and tends to look at me blankly when I ask her any questions,  her lunch is tangible proof of at least one thing she did or didn't do while she was away from me. 

Raising the iGeneration

As I type this post, Becca is sitting in front of my playing games on my iPhone.  At 3 years old, she intuitively move from screen to screen and only occasionally gets stuck (Mama, help me! Please help me with this!). I have seen her successfully conduct an iTunes or Youtube search for music or videos that she enjoys (Yo Gabba Gabba and Dora are two current favorites).  Becca is definitely a digital native while I am definitely a digital immigrant.  She is comfortable moving from application to application and doesn't even question all that she can do with it. She doesn't find it strange that one minute she is tapping the different colored jewels on a screen, the next she is watching a video of Mickey Mouse and the next she is snapping pictures.  All with the same device.  I on the other hand am completely astonished by it.

I have distinct memories of my first interactions with many of the same technologies that Becca will take for granted.  I remember the blinking green dot of our family's Tandy 2000.  I remember the excitement

The Costco Effect

In our house, shopping at Costco is a family affair.  We tend to head there once every week or so to stock up on supplies.  Becca loves heading to Costco and especially loves their free samples.  Whenever she goes, she loves to try all of the different food samples and will often try food that she would not eat at home.  There is something about lentil soup in a small paper cup that looks really appealing to her. When we find a food that she really loves, we will often buy it and bring it home.  On our way home, we will discuss our excitement over our purchase.

    "Can you believe that Becca tried the Brussel sprouts? I don't think I even tried them until I was 20!" or

President Obama's Timing Isn't Great

My issue with President Obama speaking to our nation's school children isn't with why he feels the need or what he might say.  Instead, it is with when he wants to say it, on Tuesday, September 8th at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time.  This will be the middle of my students' first day back to school. 

The first day of school is filled with a lot of confusion and anxiety.  The students are trying to figure out their new teacher's rules and procedures while the teacher is trying to minimize the chaos wherever possible.  It is a day filled with new students and new routines.  It is not a day to throw in anything additional.  Trying to locate a television or figure out an internet feed is putting the chaos over the edge.  From a teacher's perspective, it just feels very overwhelming.

I understand President Obama's interest in speaking to students on the first day of school (for at least some of them).  But I don't think he realizes that his speech will be one of the many monologues the students will be listening to throughout the day. Instead of it being a momentous occasion, it will be jammed in after my morning speech, their principal's lunchroom speech and right before their first math lesson.

Does This Position Include Health Benefits?

The past few years for Omar and I has been like one of those good news/ bad news jokes.  It goes something like this:

Bad News: I unexpectedly lose my job as well as Becca and my health benefits.

Good News: Becca and I can get our health insurance through Omar's job.

Bad News: Our benefits are reduced and many of our current doctors don't accept Omar's insurance.

Good News: I get a new job with excellent health insurance benefits.

Bad News: Three weeks later, Omar loses his job and his health insurance benefits.