I’ve been celebrating Halloween with my kids for over a decade now, and as a result, I’ve got a few Halloween hacks for parents to share. 1. Go to the pumpkin patch early. Some might take this advice a step further and skip heading out to the over-crowded pumpkin-slash-apple-slash-pony-ride-slash-corn-maze extravaganza entirely, but not me. Those fall pumpkin photos with the kids are just too amazing to miss. But go early. Most farms are pretty empty the first few weekends in October, but not so much as ...

A 30 year study published in the British Medical Journal this week found an association between alcohol consumption, brain shrinkage in the area responsible for cognitive skills, and diminished “language fluency” ( a measure of memory and thinking skills). Regular, moderate drinkers (4-7 drinks a week) were 3 times more likely to have more brain shrinkage and less language fluency, (i.e. memory and thinking  skills), as compared to non-drinkers. Further, the greater amount of alcohol consumed, the faster the mental ...

Grab your family and friends and head to the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta this Saturday and Sunday, June 24th and 25th for great food, awesome music and a super laid-back crowd at Sussex County’s Rock, Ribs and Ridges Festival.  Get ready to rock as a slew of songsters take the stage over the weekend: Saturday, June 24 1:00 PM     Farmer Phil Band 2:15 PM     The Steppin’ Stones 3:30 PM     The Kentucky Headhunters 5:30 PM ...

Jenny’s Hope Rescue was founded in honor of Jenny, an adopted adult puppy mill rescue dog. As a puppy mill pup, bred over and over again, her health was precarious.  Her owners knew Jenny was very sick, but there was a great chance of survival and a very happy life filled with the love she never knew. With some care, dollars spent, and lots of love, Jenny lived a healthy, wonderful life. The founders of Jenny’s Hope Rescue hope to provide other dogs with the care and love that Jenny received. Through their work they hope ...

STAFFORD, NJ - This column is to recognize Southern Regional athletic accomplishments and college commitments. College Commitment Abigael Coughlin has recently committed to Ramapo College in Mahwah, NJ to continue her academic and swimming career. Coughlin is having a tremendous senior year on the Southern Regional Girls Swim Team.  She is pictured with her coaches Dan Dreher, Head Coach Bill Entrikin and parents, Cindy and Chris.            Athletic ...

My first and last visit to Nashville was about 15 or 16 years ago with my boyfriend (now husband), and I’ve been craving a return trip for a while, especially since I’m such a big fan of the Nashville TV show on ABC. Luckily, we were able to take the kids on a fun trip there recently, and we wound up flying into Nashville and turning our excursion into a mini-road trip with stops in Chattanooga and Atlanta. After landing at BNA and picking up our rental car (through Costco - always the best deal I can find), we took the 2-hour ...

STAFFORD, NJ - Creative Click Media has announced the start of “Lunch n Learns,” a series of monthly informational sessions designed to help small business owners stay on top of current digital marketing trends.  Each Lunch n Learn will be held on the first Thursday of the month from 12:00pm to 2:00pm at Creative Click Media’s office, located at 20 N. Main Street in Manahawkin, NJ. Lunch n Learns will combine networking, lunch, and business advice in a small group setting in order to give participants the opportunity ...

Back in the dark ages of the 1970s, preparing for college was a lot simpler.  I paid attention to which courses I would take, but for a soon-to-be liberal arts major, I didn’t have too much planning to do.  Most of us took our SATs once, perhaps an advanced placement test, and applied to five or six schools.  Then we went on with our lives while waiting for the letters to come, in the mail.  Yes, in an envelope, straight to the mailbox. Today, course selection begins in middle school, so your student can get into ...