Issue link: http://hvparent.uberflip.com/i/370696
6 Hudson Valley Parent ■ September 2014 Publisher TERRIE GOLDSTEIN tgoldstein@excitingread.com Editor KATY WEBER kweber@excitingread.com Media Advisor KIMBERLY MAYER kmayer@excitingread.com Executive Assistant to the Publisher MERLYN AKHTAR makhtar@excitingread.com Community Liaison PAMELA PERRY pperry@excitingread.com Web Ad Designer LESLIE CORTES Layout & Design ENGLE PRINTING also publishers of MY TripPlanner.com family MY TripPlanner.com family baby The HUDSON VALLEY G U I D E Hudson Valley Parent is published monthly by: The Professional Image Marketing & Public Relations Inc. 174 South Street • Newburgh, NY 12550 Phone: 845-562-3606 • Fax: 845-562-3681 hvparent.com This publication is copyrighted by the publisher. Reproduction without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Hudson Valley Parent welcomes submissions, although we cannot accept responsibility for work submitted nor guarantee publication. A MEMBER OF T here is no feeling quite like the fi rst time you send your little one off to school. I remember the giant pit in my stomach as I watched my daughter foist her tiny legs up those giant bus steps, then excitedly take her seat and wave wildly through the smudgy, rain-covered window. The door hissed to a close and the bus drove away. My husband and I stood there silently at the end of our driveway as the reality sank in — she was gone. Our daugh- ter was off to kindergarten. I waited by the phone all day (for what, I'm not quite sure), but it never rang. By the time the bus stopped in front of our house again, it had felt like an eternity. It was all I could do not to leap up those stairs and tackle her. As she jumped down into my arms, I knew we were both forever changed — and braver and happier for it. Back to school pics We love seeing your children's excited smiles and meticulously cho- sen outfi ts on the fi rst day of school. Share your back-to-school pics with us! Email me your photos at editor@ excitingread.com or post them on our Facebook page! Pumpkin patches! Speaking of pictures, we're looking for photos of your kids at your favorite pumpkin patches throughout the Hudson Valley. Sub- mit them via email or Facebook, and we may include them in our October issue! And the winners are… Your votes are in, and our Cover Kid winners have been chosen! We can't wait to see their adorable faces on our future magazine covers. Big congratulations to all the amazing children who participated. We'll see you again at next year's contest! The 'mommy wars' Place two smiling moms who have contrasting par- enting ideas side by side in a photo. Seems simple enough, right? And yet, the overall affect is anything but simple. The images provide a powerful message: Stop judging one another. Accept each other. We're all in this together and we're all doing the best we can. It's no wonder Hudson Valley Parent blogger Roxanne Ferber had so many fabulous local moms who were willing to pose for this project. I urge you to read Ferber's take on ending the 'mommy wars' in this month's issue. Pictures really are worth a thousand words. The bus stops here KATY WEBER Editor's Journal This is my favorite photo of my daughter and I after her fi rst day at kindergarten. It's hard to tell who is more excited!