Issue link: http://hvparent.uberflip.com/i/718488
6 Hudson Valley Parent n September 2016 Publisher TERRIE GOLDSTEIN tgoldstein@excitingread.com Editor FELICIA HODGES fhodges@excitingread.com Executive Assistant to the Publisher BRITTANY L. MORGAN bmorgan@excitingread.com Media Advisors CHRISTY OLIVIER colivier@excitingread.com ROBIN HOFFMAN rhof fman@excitingread.com Community Liaison PAMELA PERRY pperry@excitingread.com Traf f ic Manager PAM SOSCIA psoscia@excitingread.com Intern JACQUELINE KAVANA Layout & Design ENGLE PRINTING also publishers of MY TripPlanner.com family MY TripPlanner.com family 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. W hen I opened my mailbox yes- terday, a slew of ads for the best spots to get all the notebooks, pens, and graph paper young scholars will need this school year waved at me - confirming that it is, in fact, that time of year. My first thought was "Man - I haven't even started yet! I'm so far be- hind!" Then it hit me like a ton of bricks that I don't actually have to run around to find marble notebooks or folders to fit three-ring binders this year because my child is not heading off to a first day of school. That realization literally stopped me in my tracks. Seriously, since I've run around for stationery and assorted school supplies every year about this time since 1998, it's hard to fight the must-get-out-and-find- enough-glue-sticks-to-last-until-the- end-of-the-decade urge, it truly is. Parenting, it seems, is filled with tons of beginnings. From first tooth to first steps and first success on the potty (my personal favorite, because, diapers were really expensive), moms and dads spend a ton of time celebrating and documenting chil- dren's early successes - and trying to save money. Of course, I'm no exception. A quick look back through my blog revealed that, even when my son was prepping to leave the nest, I was still documenting firsts. In May of my son's senior year in high school, I wrote about how his Facebook status announcing that graduation was only a month away almost made me cry. I wasn't choked up but overwhelmed - because there were still graduation photos to pur- chase, announcements to mail, a class yearbook to order, prom tickets to buy and a class ring to pay for. Cha-ching! On his last day of high school, I took a photo of him posing at the end of the driveway. It was warm and he was in shorts, but I had an instant panic attack when I saw it - because he'd soon need winter boots, and a new coat, and gloves, and a warmer com- forter, and... A few weeks later, I wrote about the mountain of stuff that was form- ing in the middle of his bedroom. By late August, the big pile of bags, boxes and plastic bins made his room look like a storage area - and I realized how totally expensive body wash, shampoo and lotion were when you buy enough of each to last an entire flipping semester. And there was still the issue of actually paying tuition. Yeah, raising kids ain't for the faint of heart - or the faint of wallet. But there are plenty of ways to lessen the crazy that is life with children. Check out our articles on saving money with area consignment stores (pg. 21), yummy lunchbox tips that won't break the bank (pg. 22), our enrichment guide of local after-school programs (pg. 10), and ideas to help get your young'uns to do chores (pg. 20). So hang in there! You survived summer break and will surely make it through back-to-school season too. The last first FELICIA HODGES Editor's Journal