by Lionel Beehner
I love his view on being a “work at home dad” and the joy he gets from fatherhood.
I love his view on being a “work at home dad” and the joy he gets from fatherhood.
- Alison
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Stay-at-home fathers are a growing trend...
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Happy Father's Day
by Allison and Alison
Happy Father's Day to all our amazing apple seeds dads… especially these two.
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| Craig Schlanger and family |
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| Bobby Berna and family |
The ones that really run apple seeds.
Our kids' incredible fathers.
Our awesome husbands.
Our business partners.
And our best friends.
Just wanted to say thank you for everything you do – every single day.
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2014 Blackboard Awards
by Allison Schlanger
Last Monday we had the honor of attending the 2014 Blackboard Awards. The awards honor educators (teachers and guidance counselors - preschool through high school), celebrating excellence in education. We went to cheer on Lisa Schalk. Lisa was Sam and Ari’s preschool teacher 6 years ago and is Dov’s teacher this year.
From the moment we met Lisa we knew our boys were going to have a very special year. We watched as Lisa helped to develop our boys’ self-confidence in a classroom setting and pushed their creative thinking in incredible ways. Lisa is in awe of children and what they can contribute to their own learning. She listens to her students. She asks them what is on their minds and then creates her class curriculums based on what they dream up. My older sons told Lisa, and their class, about a visit we took to a cave. The other children had a lot of questions about the cave. Was it dark? Were there treasures inside? Did you need a flashlight? Who lives in there? The next day, Lisa’s class was off and building their own cave to come up with the answers to their questions. This year, in Dov’s class, they spent a month exploring spiders and creating webs based on the childrens’ fascination with the book “Be Nice to Spiders”. Lisa’s way of letting her students lead and creating the learning environment to fit them is one of the most special and impactful classroom experiences I have ever witnessed.
There are so many teachers to honor – but a finite amount of awards (that’s why there is always next year…).
Like these 2 other amazing ladies…
Suzanne is the one with blond hair in the picture with Lisa, Sam and Ari. She is sarcastic, hilarious and warm. She uses her humor and straightforward personality to reach each child and let them know she will protect them. Sara is the one with the brown hair in this picture with Dov.
She is eternally calm and has such positive energy. Sarah’s comfort with kids brings an air of zen to the classroom.
What I realized the night of the Blackboard Awards is that our family has been so fortunate to have had the most incredible teachers for all three of our children. So although I find the idea of awards a bit tricky -- who to honor when so many are deserving…I am very thankful to the Blackboard Awards for honoring educators.
It may sound cliché to say, that outside of family, there is no more important role in the lives of our children. These adults, who start out as strangers, spend anywhere from 3 – 8 hours a day with our kids. They teach them shapes, colors, taking turns, that you need to sit when eating, throw out your own garbage and how to treat your friends…and later on math, social studies, phys ed, science and art. They teach our kids right from wrong, ethics and compassion. They teach rules to live by, hold our kids accountable, inspire them to ask questions and encourage them to have answers (right or wrong). Great teachers get to know each child so that they can meet them where they are day to day. I have learned so much from Sam, Ari and Dov's teachers over the years. But what I have really learned is how special the people are that wake up every morning with the distinct goal of lighting up a child’s brain.
Rock stars have their Hall of Fame, actors have their Oscars…and teachers have their Blackboard Awards!
Congratulations to Lisa Schalk and the other 2014 Blackboard Award honorees.
We can't wait for next year when we are cheering on the other amazing teachers in our kids’ lives.If you want to nominate your school or your principal for the next round of awards click here
If you want to nominate your school or your principal for the next round of awards click here: Blackboardawards.com.
Last Monday we had the honor of attending the 2014 Blackboard Awards. The awards honor educators (teachers and guidance counselors - preschool through high school), celebrating excellence in education. We went to cheer on Lisa Schalk. Lisa was Sam and Ari’s preschool teacher 6 years ago and is Dov’s teacher this year.
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| Sam, Ari, Lisa and Suzanne |
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| Dov and Lisa |
There are so many teachers to honor – but a finite amount of awards (that’s why there is always next year…).
Like these 2 other amazing ladies…
Suzanne is the one with blond hair in the picture with Lisa, Sam and Ari. She is sarcastic, hilarious and warm. She uses her humor and straightforward personality to reach each child and let them know she will protect them. Sara is the one with the brown hair in this picture with Dov.
 |
| Sarah and Dov |
What I realized the night of the Blackboard Awards is that our family has been so fortunate to have had the most incredible teachers for all three of our children. So although I find the idea of awards a bit tricky -- who to honor when so many are deserving…I am very thankful to the Blackboard Awards for honoring educators.
It may sound cliché to say, that outside of family, there is no more important role in the lives of our children. These adults, who start out as strangers, spend anywhere from 3 – 8 hours a day with our kids. They teach them shapes, colors, taking turns, that you need to sit when eating, throw out your own garbage and how to treat your friends…and later on math, social studies, phys ed, science and art. They teach our kids right from wrong, ethics and compassion. They teach rules to live by, hold our kids accountable, inspire them to ask questions and encourage them to have answers (right or wrong). Great teachers get to know each child so that they can meet them where they are day to day. I have learned so much from Sam, Ari and Dov's teachers over the years. But what I have really learned is how special the people are that wake up every morning with the distinct goal of lighting up a child’s brain.
Rock stars have their Hall of Fame, actors have their Oscars…and teachers have their Blackboard Awards!
Congratulations to Lisa Schalk and the other 2014 Blackboard Award honorees.
We can't wait for next year when we are cheering on the other amazing teachers in our kids’ lives.If you want to nominate your school or your principal for the next round of awards click here
If you want to nominate your school or your principal for the next round of awards click here: Blackboardawards.com.
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A great night out with your kids to support kids who have nowhere to go tonight.
By Allison Schlanger
*Tonight, a record 23,000 children will sleep in homeless shelters. Roughly one in every 20 NYC public school kids have no home to return to at the end of the long school day. Although the trauma of homelessness can have terrible effects on children’s development, those tragic effects can be overcome with support from programs like Camp Homeward Bound and Bound for Success.
My favorite day of the year at Sam and Ari’s school (they are my 9 year olds) is called Service Day.
On Service Day we forgo the regular school routine and dedicate the entire day to community service. One of the organizations we work with is called Coalition for the Homeless. It is the nation's oldest advocacy/direct service organization that helps homeless men, women, and children. Coalition has two incredible programs for kids. The first is Camp Homeward Bound – the country’s first sleep-a-way away camp for homeless children. The other is Bound for Success – an after school program that gives 30 children a safe and stable place to do their homework and participate in after school activities. This year, the seventh graders at Sam and Ari’s school helped get Camp Homeward Bound ready for this summer’s campers. The students spent the day building the tents and assembling the beds that Camp Homeward Bound’s 300 campers will sleep in this summer.
Our friends at NY Family are hosting an event to benefit Coalition’s children’s programs - Camp Homeward Bound and Bound for Success. We know this is NYC and there are a lot of benefits, auctions and galas. This one may be of particular interest to you because you can bring your kids. In fact, you have to. They will be very upset if only you get to go to Victoria Gardens (NYC’s very own amusement park) and partake in the rides, games, face painting, magic show, Ga-Ga and book signings.
Have a great night out with your kids and help support the kids of our city that do not have a place to go tonight. Here is the invite:
*Tonight, a record 23,000 children will sleep in homeless shelters. Roughly one in every 20 NYC public school kids have no home to return to at the end of the long school day. Although the trauma of homelessness can have terrible effects on children’s development, those tragic effects can be overcome with support from programs like Camp Homeward Bound and Bound for Success.
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race for Cookies For Kids' Cancer
Our oldest four kids (Maddie, Sydney, Ari and Sam) ran their first race on Memorial Day Weekend.
A 5k to raise money and awareness for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.
We were not sure how it was going to go…4 nine year olds running 3 miles…but they were truly amazing!
They barely stopped to rest. It was so much fun, and motivating, running together.
And we had some pretty cute cheerleaders…
The kids kept plugging along, mile after mile, until the victorious feeling of crossing that finish line.
We spoke about all the people that donated to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer as we ran. It really gave the kids determination and kept them moving knowing that so many of their friends and family – even people they did not know - supported their effort. They would all like to say thank you personally…
Sam:
We just want to say thank you for donating. We were thinking about you the whole time we were running and we kept thinking about how we were doing this for charity - for Cookies for Kids' Cancer.
Maddie:
Thank you everybody! I care a lot this cause and I am so glad to be able to help other kids, especially kids who have cancer. It’s not fair. Thank you for your donation!
Sydney:
When I was running with my mom, I thought about all of the kids that we were helping and I felt really good to help them. Thank you for your donation and helping us raise so much money for Cookies for Kids Cancer!
Ari:
Thank you all for your generous donations. I was encouraged by all of you so much, that whenever I got tired, I kept reminding myself about what you all have done. Thank you so much.
Because of your support, the kids raised over $10,000 in one week! $10,000 that will go straight to Cookies for Kids Cancer…money that will go directly to research and help find a cure.
Cookies for Kids’ Cancer asked us to do a “check presentation” as a way to officially hand in their donation. As you can imagine – they are all very excited. We cannot thank you enough for your support of Sam, Ari, Maddie, Sydney (and of course, Jack and Dov) and Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.
If you didn’t have time to donate, every dollar makes a difference.
We deeply thank you for your time, your donation and your support.
Allison & Alison
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Missing Preschool
Welcome to this week's Wednesdays with Wendy!
by Wendy Bradford
by Wendy Bradford
These are the last days preschool for us, and I've resisted
writing about them, embedding them with meaning and sentiment with which I am
not sure I am in touch. And then today I took my oldest daughter back to her
own preschool classroom to say a hello and a goodbye to the retiring director.
It was as I stood in that room, where my daughter had once a cubby, and a rest
mat, and had memorized her own address, that I realized with a thud, there
would be no more preschool rooms for me. And I wish that weren't so.
These rooms are not so different from one
another—my five year olds attend a different school—the tables and chairs are
miniature; the blocks are wooden; art work fills the walls and hangs by wire
from the ceiling so low it grazes the tops of parents’ heads; the dress up
corner is the most popular. And there didn't seem to be all that much to miss
until now—now that there will be no child of mine in this gentle in-between
phase again. These preschool years have been filled with tantrums about
clothing, learning to legibly write their names, misunderstood song lyrics, and
questions about the exact origin and nature of everything from God to planets
to flowers to construction workers. I have watched unsure toddlers disappear
into bold and dauntless children. Every moment has tried and fed and defined my
soul. And I will never do exactly this again.
My children are looking forward to
kindergarten, what they understand of it—and they are ready and prepared in
their individual ways. The day will be longer, the class much larger, the
expectations worlds greater for them than those of preschool. They will decide
where to sit and eat their lunches, and next to which friend. They will decide
who is a friend. It is what happens now, and we’re melting with joy at the
possibilities ahead. I've waited for mothering three small children to “get
easier,” and this is when it does. But I am not ready for these young and
simple years to be over.
I bought a lady bug backpack and a Thomas
the Train backpack out of sweet, adoring irony two years ago, laughing as they
zipped toy cars and dolls and hair brushes in and carried them off. Sometimes
we put their snacks in there for the day. Next year, the school supplies for
kindergarten cost almost a hundred dollars. Each child knows exactly what kind
of backpack, lunch box and water bottle he or she wants. They tell me what to
order “on the computer.” And I do it. Because this stage too, is enormous;
their opinions are outstanding and always surprising us.
We will be out of town the day of their
“moving up” ceremony at preschool. They will miss that and the entire last week
of school for a family trip. I was feeling sad and very guilty about this—that
they and we wouldn't have these memories of the last official day of preschool,
the pictures of the ceremony, the special outfits for the day, the hugging of
other parents with wet eyes. And now at the end of the year, I think it may be
better to leave for vacation early, saying goodbye to their classroom, still
decorated with drawings and paintings, and their friends still seated around
the miniature tables, as if any of us could possibly return to this place
again.
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Sasha Jamieson - employee of the month!
Sasha,
your warm and enthusiastic personality has been a great addition to our
team. Your willingness to help your fellow employees in their times of
need and the personality you bring to Oval Kids has not gone unnoticed.
We love your positive energy and your sense of humor as well. Thank you
for being such a responsible and accountable employee!
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surviving a tantrum
Whether you said the triple chocolate cupcake the size of his head had to be eaten after, not before, lunch or you told him he was not allowed to stick a plastic bag over his head…we have all seen our share of tantrums. Sometimes it is hard being a kid. And…sometimes it is hard being a kid’s parent. The Successful Child NY has a word of advice on how to handle these meltdowns. Check it out...