August 2011

Living with Three Children in Hoboken

grade. However, we had to re-evaluate our budget with the second child starting school and the third one down the road. Paying tuition for three kids was the least of our favorable options. We discovered the public preschool program for 3s and 4s and loved it. The chal-lenge began when children start kindergarten. Many friends of ours left town. They were not convinced that the public school system was efficient. In our case, HoLa Dual Immersion Charter School opened right on time for our older daughter to start first grade.

Then, there is the space issue that comes with apartment living. Approximately 1300 sqft means privacy is unheard of. Do you want to call it comic or tragic when I came home and my daughter had found my secret photos from my honeymoon and had showed them to her play date including our babysitter? Finding large living space is rare when in this town most buildings are designed for 2-bedroom plus 2 baths apartments.

What is the solution? Moving to a suburb with a better school system and a spacious home with a backyard? Like many other families I do not deny it, when our third child was born, we gave it a try. However, after arriving in one of those popular towns out west, my husband had a severe allergic reaction. Now we laugh and call it the burb allergy. This, among other reasons, was the end of it.

With me working locally at The Hudson School as German teacher and founding German Language Autobahn, the full immer-sion German language program for children and adults, moving is now not an option. I cherish that I have the opportunity of pursuing my career and spending time with my children without leaving town.

The synopsis is, for us, Hoboken became our new home. It has two flips of a coin but I can still dream of an outdoor city pool, Trader Joes, more parks and foremost a fantastic public school system. This is what we tell our children: Pursue your dreams and do not give up upon them.

Julia Dohrmann is a German teacher at The Hudson School & founder of German Language Autobahn, full immersion classes for children and adults www.germanlanguageautobahn.com.

by Julia Dohrmann

Little did I know when I arrived in Hoboken in 2002 from Frankfurt, Germany that I would still be here in 2011, calling it my home town and truly feeling “at home”.

Life changing events unfolded in this mile-square town, which I had never heard of in 2002, let alone being able to pinpoint on a map.

While many families downsized, we, expanded from a married couple to being married with three children, now 7, 4 and 1 year old. Raising our three children in Hoboken means having to flip both sides of a coin on a daily basis:

• Nothing can beat Hoboken’s proximity to New York City. This means a short commute to work and access to the finest activities for kids and adults. • Hoboken’s venues offer a ton of things to do for children (dance, music, art, sports etc.). • Everything is easy to reach in walking distance. I think I have never walked so much in my entire life (high heels – good bye!). We still do not own a car but frequently rent one for weekends and trips. • We enjoy many short family trips from Hoboken, including visit-ing Snug Harbor, Children’s Museum and Fort Tompkins, Staten Island; Van Saun Park, Paramus; Bear Mountain, New York; Adventure Aquarium, Camden; Grounds for Sculpture, Trenton; and Storm King Art Center, New York.• Residents are a great mix of old and new, American and people from all over the world. • Parks are constantly busy and my kids always find a playmate, so I do not have to schedule official play dates all the time. In short, Hoboken offers a great lifestyle. So what is the other flip

of the coin? The ongoing dilemma, families, especially larger families, are

concerned about: finding a good affordable school and obtaining more living space.

To us, Hoboken was perfect until our first daughter reached school age. Then, we faced the decision whether to enroll her in a private or public school. She attended two private schools until first

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1st HFA Back to School Supplies Driveby Michele Hulsman

The Hoboken Family Alliance is hosting our first Annual Back to School Supplies Drive August 1-31, 2011 to benefit over 120 needy children in Hudson County. HFA is committed to helping children and youth succeed and ensuring every young person is ready to learn.

Beginning the school year with the right tools provides chil-dren in difficult family structures with real hope, motivation and encouragement for the educa-tional challenges ahead. We hope you will help us ease the financial burden for these fami-lies. Our donations will go to: 52 children from In Jesus’ Names Charities, 50 high school girls from the York Street Project

Kenmare High School, and 20 children from the NJ Division of Youth & Family Services (DYFS). All these organizations are 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations.

Items needed include: Backpacks (Unisex backpacks are preferred if possible), pencils, pens, pink erasers, two-pocket folders, binders, looseleaf paper (wide rule), notebooks (both spiral & composition), crayons, colored pencils, markers, calculators, rulers, pencil sharpeners with cover, pencil cases, glue sticks, scissors and index cards. Flash drives are also requested for the older children.

For your convenience, we will have drop boxes at downtown (Club H), midtown (Big Fun Toys), and uptown (NY Sports Club North) locations. Big Fun Toys will also be selling backpacks and some school supplies.

When: Monday, August 1 – Wednesday, August 31, 2011 Where: Downtown Location: Club H, 110 Sinatra Drive, Hoboken (7am-7 pm) Midtown Location: Big Fun Toys, 602 Washington Street, Hoboken (11-7pm). Be

sure to use your HFA CARD for a 10% discount off any purchase over $25. Also ask about the new Big Fun Toy Rewards Program!

Uptown Location: NY Sports Club, 210 14th Street, Hoboken 7am-7 pm) Cash donations: If you prefer to donate in cash, your donation of $25 will provide

one backpack for a child, stocked with essential supplies. Cash donations are encour-aged because HFA’s non-profit status allows it to purchase items without paying 7% sales tax and essentially allows your donations to go directly toward the supplies. If you wish to donate $25 toward a backpack, please visit our website hobokenfamily.com and pay using PayPal. Please note Backpack in the memo line.

We will once again provide tax receipts for items donated on an as-requested basis. If you are making a cash donation, your tax receipt will be automatically generated. If you are dropping off items, please leave a copy of your receipt with donation items highlighted, along with your name and address. Please keep a copy for your records.

We believe that by being prepared for the first day of school with a backpack and the right school supplies, many children will have the confidence to work towards hav-ing a successful school year. With your partnership, we will be able to accomplish this together so please join the Hoboken Family Alliance in our first Annual Back to School drive. For more information, please email Michele at hfaphilanthropy@yahoo.com

Image courtesy: “hinnamsaisuy”/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

HFA August 20113

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HFA Grant Update—Women Risingby Andrea C. Koenig-Feldman

On Thursday, May 12th, another ten women continued their journey to self-sufficien-cy for themselves and their families with their graduation from the Strong Foundations program. The graduation ceremony was held in the restored Jersey City Council Chambers and was well-attended by graduates’ families, Jersey City and Hudson County officials, as well as several community supporters. Attendees included Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, Assemblyman Charles Mainor, Hudson County Freeholder Jeffrey Dublin, Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano, and Sakeema James represent-ing State Senator Sandra Cunningham.

Guest speaker Daniela LaVala, Social Work Intern Coordinator at Community Education Centers, spoke of her experiences and encouraged students to continue striving for more for themselves and their families. Student speaker Katrina Powell spoke of her own struggles and triumphs and expressed her thankfulness for the pro-gram as well as the support of her classmates, each of whom had obstacles to over-come to get where they are today.

The Strong Foundations program is a four-month life skills and job readiness pro-gram including real work experience, individual assessments, goal setting and more. The first eight weeks of the program is spent learning various life management skills, such as interviews and conflict resolution. The women spend the second eight-week stretch working as interns in positions matched to their interests. Recent internship sites include: Community Education Services, Easter Seals, Eva’s Village, Fairmount Housing Corp, It Takes A Village, Jersey City Medical Center, the Office of Assemblyman Charles Mainor, and WomenRising.

Photo: Recent graduates pose with volunteers and supporters

To commemorate their graduation from the Strong Foundations program, each woman was presented with a diploma as well as certificates and proclamations from the NJ Senate and Assembly as well as the City of Jersey City.

WomenRising is the foremost community-based organization for women in Hudson County. For over 106 years we have been empowering women and their families to achieve self-sufficiency and live sage, fulfilling and productive lives through social ser-vices, economic development, advocacy services, and more.

HFA August 20114

Free Kids’ Movies and ConcertsFamily Fun Nights at the Shipyard: The City of Hoboken and The Applied

Companies will present a series of free outdoor performances and family fun events Tuesday evenings at 7 pm at Shipyard Park, located at 13th Street & McFeeley Drive.

August 2: Music Together — www.musictogether.comAugust 9: Big Jeff & the Bouncy People — www.bigjeffmusic.comAugust 16: Starfish — www.myspace.com/rockwithstarfishAugust 23: Americana Family Jamboree — www.facebook.com/americanafamily-

jamobreeKids Movies Under the Stars: Movies are shown open-air in Pier A Park on First

Street and Sinatra Drive. Movies in August start at 8-8:15 pm. Admission is free.

August 3: Wizard of Oz August 10: Despicable MeAugust 17: Tangled August 24: Toy Story 3

Clearview Cinema Free Movies for Kids: Free kids movies at Hoboken Cinema (14th and Grand Street) on Wednesday and Thursday, 10:30 am. For more information please visit: http://clearviewcinemas.com/Kids_Club/schedule.shtml

August 3 and 4: How to Train your DragonAugust 10 and 11: Alvin and the Chipmunks--The SqueakquelAugust 17 and 18: Alpha and OmegaAugust 24 and 25: Cats and Dogs 2

Summer Enrichment OptionsHere are just some of the local classes, enrichment programs and local camps that

are operational in August. Please call for availalility and updated pricing, if applicable. For more information, please visit the websites listed, or refer to HFA’s April newsletter.

Bricks 4 KidzMonroe Center, 720 Monroe Street, Studio E-505201-747-7070; www.bricks4kidz.com/newjersey-unioncity-hoboken

Garden Street School of the Performing Arts1018 Washington Street, 2nd Floor201-683-7078; www.gardenstreetmusic.com

Hudson Dance and Movement70 Hudson Street, 4th FloorHoboken, NJ 07030201-683-4350; www.hudsondanceandmovement.com

Super Soccer StarsDrop off camp at The Edge, Observer Highway and Adams StreetFlex pass outdoor soccer at Park Ave and 15th Street212-877-7171; www.supersoccerstars.com

Waterfront Montessori150 Warren Street, Suite 108, Jersey City, NJ 07302201-333-5600; summercamp@waterfrontmontessori.com

HFA August 20115

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Stay Cool and Healthy With Yogurtby Devika Kumar

During the hot days of summer it is good to have a tub or two of creamy, cool, and healthy plain yogurt in the refrigerator. Yogurt is rich in calcium and B-vitamins, and it is full of live bacterial cultures that aid digestion and boost the immune system.

Most children love yogurt, which is a staple food in many cultures. Superbaby Foods author Ruth Yaron recommends giving plain yogurt to babies older than six months of age, but check with a pediatrician before giving any dairy product to a baby who is less than a year old. Full fat dairy products are recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics for children who are under two years.

Local family farms such as Seven Stars and Hawthorne Valley make some of the most delicious and nourishing organic whole milk yogurts. Walk over to Basic Food or Sobsey’s Produce to see their interesting array of yogurts.

Yogurt is versatile. It can serve as a quick snack, add substance to a meal or serve as a meal in itself. I love waking up in the morning to a Greek inspired break-fast: a bowl of plain yogurt drizzled with honey and sprinkled with toasted

almonds or walnuts. My four year old enjoys morning smoothies: a half cup of yogurt blended with half a banana, some honey and mixed berries. His little brother likes pick-ing chopped ripe mango out of his small cup of yogurt.

For mealtimes, I choose the following preparations that have been inspired by dif-ferent cultures.

Greek Tzatziki: A trip to Greece left me with cravings for this garlicky cucumber and yogurt preparation that is served on small plates with crusty pita bread. Grate or finely chop one large peeled cucumber, and mince a clove of garlic. Stir in two cups of yogurt (Greek or otherwise) into the cucumber and garlic, with salt to taste. Tzatziki works well as a dip for grilled zucchini, eggplant and peppers.

Indian Raita: As a person of Indian origin, I cannot get enough of raita, a mildly spiced yogurt side. The simplest raita is flavored with a generous pinch of powdered cumin and salt, preferably pink rock salt called kala namak. It can be made with many things, but my favorite version uses chopped cucumber, chopped onions and a handful of chopped coriander leaves along with the cumin and black salt. Diced boiled potatoes also make a welcome addition to raita. For a special garnish, add a tempering of mus-tard seeds, curry leaves, and red and green chillies that have been sizzled in hot oil for a few seconds. Serve with rice or Indian style bread.

Persian Borani Esfanaj: This is an addictive spinach and yogurt dish that a Persian friend taught me to make. It’s also reminiscent of a yogurt dish called Spinach Pachadi from the south Indian state of Kerala. Wash 4 cups of loosely packed spinach leaves, and chop them roughly. Bring some water to boil. Blanch the spinach for a couple of minutes until the spinach wilts and becomes soft. Drain the spinach, and mix it into two cups of yogurt. Add a little salt to taste. Flavor with finely chopped garlic, dill or finely chopped chives. For the Indian version, add a tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves sizzled in hot oil instead of the garlic and herbs. Enjoy as is or with crisp pita chips.

And for dessert? Try a spoonful of maple syrup drizzled over yogurt.

Devika Kumar is passionate about food and cooking. Find more of her writing and recipes at calcuttachow.wordpress.com.

HFA August 20116

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HFA Member DiscountsOne of the valuable perks of your HFA membership card is discounts at various local

merchants. These include Bella Bellies Studio, BeLingual, Big Fun Toys, Camilee Cesari’s Loveprints, Kenneth Chen Photography, Ciao Belly, The Charthouse Restaurant, Creative Groove Studio, CTNP Orthodontics, David’s Cookies, Empire Coffee, Fast Frame, Full House Printing, Garden Street School of the Performing Arts, Giachiamo in Italiano, Greetings from Hoboken, Healthy for Life, HBK Travel, Hudson Dance and Movement, Hoboken Pet Care, HUMC Parent Education, Its Greek to Me, Kaplan Tutoring, Kiddie Designs, Lelia Marcus Personal Training, Liberty Science Center, Marie Papp Photography, The Melting Pot, Mimosa Digital, OrderPeriod, PrimeTime Early Learning Center, Rita’s Ice, Romparoo, Salon Caru, Sparkle Salon, Sweet, Via Mode Kids and Zen Touch. For a complete list of participating stores and restrictions, please visit: http://hobokenfamily.com/?page_id=1811. You must carry your HFA card to receive the discount.

If you use an iPhone, you can also download a new free app called Vidappe that reminds people in real-time of the discounts they can use with their HFA membership card as they get physically close to any participating retailer, e.g. “10% off at Ciao Belly a block away.” Vidappe for Android will be available shortly. For more information on Vidappe, please visit Vidappe.com.

Disclaimer: HFA is not recommending this App and does not financially or otherwise gain from its download. This is also not a solicitation from HFA to purchase any products or services. The above is for information only.

New Storytimes at the Hoboken LibraryBy Lois Gross

It is August, and the attendance at Stories in the Park on Tuesdays and Wednesdays tells us that you all know about this annual series that takes our storytelling to the great outdoors – if you count the gazebo in Church Park as the “great outdoors.” Did you know that we have also started two new monthly story times in the library? The first was started with the help of mom, Dena Russell, and is specifically intended to meet the needs of families whose children have disabilities. The next event is on August 3 at 3:15 pm. We’re developing the program as we go and would love input from parents as to how we can make this story time special for their child. Come and help us make the library an inclusive place for all children.

Also, on August 24 at 4 pm, we will have our second bi-lingual story time with librar-ian Brigid Cahalan from the New York Public Library system. We know that with the HoLa School’s success there is a demand from children to hear stories in Spanish. This program will be conducted like a regular story time, so attendance will be limited and a Hoboken library card is your child’s admission.

Hoboken Library website has an addition! If you click on “databases” in the side menu on the Hoboken Library page (www.hoboken.bccls.org) then scroll to the very bottom of the page, you will see a listing for the Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database. You can search books by title, author, specialized subject bibliogrpahy, and or even lexile, interest, and reading level. You can access the database with your library card number from your home computer. We hope that this will help you find the books you need for your child’s summer reading assignments.

Finally, and unrelated to the library, I have started a Facebook Group for people who love to read and just want to talk about books. I will be answering suggestions about children’s books, but also sharing what I am reading (adult and children) and look for-ward to hearing about your current reading preferences. “Like” me at Lois Storylady so that we can have a virtual book club, at any hour of the day.

HFA August 20117

Permanent Allergy Relief Is Possibleby Laura T. Brayton, D.C.

There actually exists a revolutionary treatment for all types of allergies that is safe, highly effective, and non-invasive. This treatment is called Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Technique (NAET) and has been in existence for over two decades. Dr. Nambudripad herself suffered horribly from multiple allergies her entire life and there-fore, began a quest to discover how to improve her health by eliminating allergies and to dramatically improve her quality of life. She discovered accidentally at an acupunc-ture session that by physically contacting an allergen (through a homeopathic vial) during a treatment that stimulates specific acupuncture meridian points, the necessary immune mediators are produced to neutralize the adverse reaction coming from the allergen held in the hand. This is possible because activation of appropriate points of the acupuncture meridians stimulate the central nervous system which in essence reprograms the brain.

Therefore, the body’s electromagnetic field is no longer negatively repelled to the allergen’s electro-magnetic field and therefore, does not need to produce an immune response in defense. By changing the body’s electrical charge through acu-pressure, the response to all items that once pro-duced a negative symptom is positively altered. After the energy molecule of the allergen has completed its path through the body’s twelve meridians and leaves the body, it has now reset the nervous system to have a neutral or positive response to that allergen. Therefore, immediately following a NAET session, it is required that the

patient comply with a 25 hour avoidance of the specific allergen being treated to allow it to complete its meridian journey. It is fascinating to observe the clear difference in allergy reaction even simply through kinesiology or manual muscle testing which is an integral part of the NAET process. Before an allergen is treated, it is important to muscle test the patient holding the allergen to confirm its presence as well as muscle test the allergen on the next visit to be confident that it actually cleared and therefore, will no longer be symptomatic.

Another amazing aspect of NAET is how far-reaching it affects multiple health condi-tions that may not be traditionally considered an allergic reaction. Patients suffering from depression, chronic back pain, headaches, and gastrointestinal complaints, for example, commonly are reacting to items in their environment but may not be consid-ered an allergy because they are not the “traditional” itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, and coughing reactions that are associated with an allergic response. Having been a NAET patient first and now practitioner, I am amazed daily at the positive impact NAET has in the life of my patients. I am thankful to Dr. Nambudripad for creating this vitally important technique that has transformed the health of thousands of patients world-wide. To find a local NAET practitioner, go to www.NAET.com and enter your zip code.

Dr. Laura Brayton is Hoboken-based holistic chiropractic physician who specializes in mater-nity and pediatrics. She incorporates multiple modalities to create individualized treatments, including manipulation, applied kinesiology, nutrition/supplements, NAET, and energetic medi-cine. For more information, go to www.HobokenChiro.com.

Image courtesy: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.netDisclaimer: The above article is for information purposes only and should not be viewed as

an endorsement. Opinions of the author may not reflect those of Hoboken Family Alliance.

NON PROFITORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE PAIDPERMIT NO. 5195

NEWARK, NJ 07102

HOBOKEN FAMILY ALLIANCEP.O. Box 1194Hoboken, NJ 07030

Address Service Requested

Hoboken Family Alliance Contacts

www.hobokenfamily.com

Newsletter Director and Editor

Dalia Tole, hfaeditor@gmail.com

Community Affairs Director

Francoise Vielot, hfacommunity@gmail.com

Director for Special Needs Children

Theresa Howard, thoward315@gmail.com

Finance Director

Rachel Matthai, hfafinance@gmail.com

Marketing Director

Shana Lee, hfaadvertising@gmail.com

Membership Director

Cindy Altberger, hfamembership@gmail.com

Philanthropy Director

Michele Hulsman, hfaphilanthropy@yahoo.com

Special Events Director

Lexi Coen, lexicoen@yahoo.com

Web site Director

Steve Walkowiak, swalk@hereiam.com

The purpose of the Hoboken Family Alliance is to improve the Hoboken Community and its way of life through the efforts of individual and family volunteers.

The HFA focuses its efforts on education and parenting issues, philanthropy, children’s resources and events.

HFA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. For membership, upcoming events, and parenting resources please visit

www.hobokenfamily.com.

If you have stories or story ideas for upcoming issues please email hfaeditor@gmail.com. Submissions become the property of HFA and are subject to copyright rules.

Stevens

Cooperative

School

A Leader in Progressive

Education since1949

www.stevenscoop.org

Hoboken Newport

2s - 8th grade K - 6th grade

and growing

Tours available by appointment.

Financial aid is available to qualified families.

For more information, please call or e-mail:

Hoboken 201.792.3688

Newport 201.626.4020

school@stevenscoop.org

Stevens Cooperative School is accredited by the

New Jersey Association of Independent Schools