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LIVING in LIVINGston and surrounding towns of New Jersey

Life in Livingston, Short Hills, Millburn, Summit, Madison, Chatham, East Hanover, West Orange and the surroundings of NJ/NY

 

The Little Gym "Anytime Summer Camp" in Livingston, NJ

Our little guy is back at The Little Gym camp.

While some kids go down the street to Diamond Gymnastics, you'll find that The Little Gym is a lot more "personal". If you want a crazy, busy factory type program for your child that needs LOUD, a little chaotic environments, then Diamond Gymnastics is the place.

If you have a child that would benefit from a smaller controlled environment with a LOT MORE personal "love and attention" approach in teaching, then The Little Gym is the place to be. Claudia - the owner gets to know many of the parents personally, she KNOWS your child. And the culture she has set with all the teachers is pretty impressive.

We like The Little Gym because the main gym is safely enclosed and used only by one group at a time. Parents are free to stay and watch through the ceiling to floor windows to the gym. Chairs are even provided around the glass for you stay and watch.

The staff-student-ratio is great (right now there are 3 teachers inside the gym for 15 kids plus one outside). Which means that one teacher can help corral, attend to, or coax that one or two kids that typically are challenged with joining groups or following directions in a group setting.

Mr. Paul leads the way most days and is very good. Trained in "The Little Gym way", he uses overdose of politeness and courtesy to manage the kids (and parents) into good behavior so that everyone follows the rules.

One of the most surprising programs is the Anytime Summer Camp during the summer weeks in July and August: For toddlers age 3 and up, they offer camp 9am-12pm mornings + lunch option and an afternoon session from 1pm-4pm as well.

The surprise is that you don't have to register for the week. You can select just one day if you want. (When was the last time a business offered something that was THAT convenient to you instead of trying to lock you into something that maximizes their own revenue?)

Of course, your kids will have more continuity in knowing other kids at the camp if he is there for more than 1 day at a time, but it's perfect for those weeks when you're returning from a family vacation and need something for your child for the remaining days of that week. Of if they are going to another program / VBS that lets out early on Fridays or doesn't have Friday sessions at all.

If you have a bunch of friends from school and are tired of rotating playdates this summer, just have them all sign-up for a single day to try it out together.

Typically they do circle time at the beginning to get to know everyone's names, rotate through 3-4 gymnastics stations, do some dancing/hide&go seek/free-play activities throughout, and there's always an arts & crafts time with snack too.

If you register for the lunch bunch, the menu changes throughout the week....one day bagels, another day chicken nuggets, pizza days are always popular, etc. You can always send your kids in with their own lunch bag if you want.

To keep things fresh for kids that register more than 1 week in a row, each week has a different theme. This week's theme is WIZARDS & MAGIC. Even the crafts that come home have that flavor.

Here's the number for The Little Gym, Livingston NJ (behind Circuit City/Linens & Things):
973-422-1722 or e-mail tlglivingstonnj@thelittlegym.com

Tell Claudia (the owner) that Kenny sent you their way!




Schedule of times is the same for each week of camp

Mon Tue Wed Thurs Fri
9:00 AM -
12:00 PM

1:00 PM -
4:00 PM
9:00 AM -
12:00 PM

1:00 PM -
4:00 PM
9:00 AM -
12:00 PM

1:00 PM -
4:00 PM
9:00 AM -
12:00 PM

1:00 PM -
4:00 PM
9:00 AM -
12:00 PM

1:00 PM -
4:00 PM

WeekTheme
___________________________
______________________
July 28 - August 1Harry's School of Magic
August 4 - August 8Coastal Cowabunga
August 11 - August 15Sports Spectacular
August 18 - August 22Adventures of T-Rex & Puff
August 25 - August 29Hip, Hip, Hooray!

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Thursday at 10:22 AM | | |

Slow Readers Penalized Big Time At The Library

Yes, it is true, slow readers are now going to be penalized big time at the Livingston Library.

Due to recent budget cuts, the Livingston library has decided to make up the budget short falls by fining delinquent patrons huge amounts.

Just last month it would cost you $0.05 (yes, a nickel) a day for a late overdue book each day.

Now if you are slow to return your book back to the library, each day is going to be worth 25 cents in late fees
per day.

That means that a week late on a single book will now cost you almost $2.00 every book!

Even though this is not levied against everyone, a FIVE FOLD INCREASE IN FINES is kind of big, no? It will be interesting to see if the revenue from late fines brings in an overflow of revenue or not this next year.



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Wednesday at 7:01 PM | | |

How to save 12% on anything...

Here's a tip on how to save 12% on anything at Staples in East Hanover on Route 10. . .

There is a 12% off printable coupon now at ValuPoint Deal Alerts

This might be the time to save on any supplies you might need for back to school or the office!

TIP: Print out multiple copies and use it every time you go back!
listen

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at 6:59 PM | | |

Local Amusement


It's summertime, but gas is way too expensive. So those treks to Great Adventure, Hershey Park or other amusement parks in the area doesn't excite Mom and Dad as much these days.

So here's an option for some fun this summer that doesn't require planning nor weekend trips.

In fact, if you want to have some fun during the week, it can be free...(for parents at least) at Bowcraft Amusement Park.

It's a small local amusement park that has most of the "standard" rides for the younger toddler / elementary school age children set.


MONDAYS after 4pm $10 Admissions for All TUESDAYS 25% Off all Admissions


WEDNESDAYS
Family Night
Parents are Free
after 4pm! One free parent's admission with the purchase of one child admission!


ALSO ON SELECT DAYS...


BOYS & GIRLS SCOUTS NIGHT
August 14th.
Come Join in on the fun, arrive in your scout uniform and receive 50%
off your regular admission price!

HERO NIGHT
Thursday July 24th & August 7th
To thank all the hard working teachers, police, fire department, postal and armed forces - all members of your family 25% off regular admission prices.
Simply show ID and receive this discount.


To be honest, the last time we brought our kids, they didn't know the difference because they got to do their favorite rides like the "Big Trucks", Fun Slide, Go Kart (on rail), etc.

If you have small ones, just make sure you check the height requirements for the rides to make sure it's worth paying the admission fee before going in.






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Tuesday at 6:33 PM | | |

A New Cheapo In Town

There is a new cheapo in town!

It looks like the next time you go to Costco in East Hanover on Route 10 to "save money" by buying things in higher quantities than you really need...you can save on something you really need like gasoline!

Right outside of the parking lot on Route 10 by the AMC Lowes Movie Theater, the Strauss Auto Gas Station currently currently has posted a price of $3.88 a gallon.

Just down the road less than 2 miles is $4.16/gal. So $3.88 is reallllly cheap rigth now.

Clearly, the winner for the label of cheap.

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Sunday at 7:06 PM | | |

AVOID THIS: P.F. Chang's Restaurant in West New York, NJ

It was one of those times where opening the front doors brought a refreshing splash of nice cool air onto your face. The apparent 20+ degrees difference in temperature with the 95 degree heat outdoors was welcoming when we first walked into the new P.F. Chang's Restuarant along the long stretch of new construction in the Edgewater, NJ / West New York, NJ / Weekhaken NJ area/

The restaurant was empty a little before noon and we sunk into a booth along the side of the spacious main room.

What a pleasant surprise! A lunch menu with "rice bowls" for a little under $10 each. Soup. rice, entree. I went for the crispy chicken dish and we also got the beef with broccoli.

The server quickly cautioned me as if I should know already, "You know that that dish comes with like, only 3 or 4 little pieces of chicken, right?" After guilting me into thinking about getting the lunch bowl and trying to "upselling me", I picked the main lunch entree version for $12.

Boy did we quickly find out why the restuarant was empty, even though there were tons of companies in the office buildings right down the road.

We literally got 4 tiny pieces of beef with our Beef & Broccoli dish. I can't even use the words "little" or "smallish"-- you could only use the word "tiny".

And they lacked in quantity, the chef made up for it in volume of salt put into all the dishes. It was the most salty lunch I've ever had period.

My $12 main dish wasn't any better. It came on a zen like serving dish that was approx 4"x7" -- a little bigger than a photograph. The dish was so small that I had to ask the food delivery guy (they have specialization of duties apparently) if this was in fact the lunch bowl or the main entree size dish. He confirmed the worst, that it was in fact a "full" entree sitting in front of me.

Good thing my 3 year old ordered one of the small lunch bowls for himself vs. planning to share one of our dishs. It was one meal where we didn't encourage our child to eat any more than he wanted to since we were so hungry ourselves (from the lack of it on our own plates).

Would we ever go back to P.F. Chang's in Weekhaken, NJ ever again? NO. NOT EVEN IF YOU PAID FOR MY MEAL.

Our time is precious, and this is one restaurant that is clearly a waste of anyone's time (and money).


To reiterate -- I RECOMMEND THAT YOU
DO NOT EVER GO TO THIS RESTUARANT unless you want sub-par service, crazy high prices, and SALTY, SALTY, SALTY food.

P.F. CHANG'S RESTUARANT
10 Port Imperial Blvd
West New York, NJ 07093

Saturday at 3:37 PM | | |

Traffic advisory for Short Hills, NJ



Traffic advisory for Short Hills for July 16 & 17th.




If you are going to try to cross Parsonage Hill Road today in Short Hills, New Jersey -- budget an extra 10 to 15 minutes for your local driving.




This is because of heavy duty construction work on the roads going on recently into this week.




They take you on extensive detours in local roads to get around it. Sometimes you wonder where you are going...






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Wednesday at 12:52 PM | | |

Contractor Recommendation: SubZero Repair Guy

Here's a contractor recommendation for your rolodex. . .

If your Sub Zero Refrigerator is on the blink for any reason, this is a great authorized + trained repair guy to help you out.

Bernie is very cordial, follows-up and helpful.

He also works with the factory to help get them to cover any parts and labor when possible. In fact, the service rep at Sub Zero knew Bernie directly when I called them to discuss warranty coverage about our issue.


United Appliance
Owner: Bernie
973-786-6660
http://www.unitedappliance.org

Tell him Kenny sent you his way. . .

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at 12:51 PM | | |

Success, pothole avoided....

Today I found out that the Livingston Township Public Works Department responded to my request to fill pothole on our street within 24 hours.
I called yesterday thinking that it might take a week or two for them to come out.
But guess what?!?!? Low and behold, the Department of Public Works trucks were out filling potholes on our street. Just one day after the call.
Thanks Livingston!

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at 12:48 PM | | |

The Best Panera Bread I've Visited So Far

WOW. I like Panera Bread before, but today I found one that is the nicest Panera Bread Cafe and Restaurant I've ever been to to date.

Located off Route 78 in Martinsville, NJ at 100 Marketplace, Martinsville, NJ, this Panera is one of the anchor stores in a brand new shopping center.

The Panera Bread is very spacious, has a fireplace and of course free WiFi. They even have internet terminals at the back of the store for you to use free if you don't have your laptop with you.

In the mornings, it was really quite, so I got a solid hour of work done with literally just 3 customers in the whole store. At about 11am, people start to file in for lunch. There's a bunch of corporate campus right around the shopping center, and it looked like a lot of those corporate workers coming in groups to work.

As usual, there were a bunch of pharmaceutical rep-type looking people that were in the store as well with their laptops set-up head to head as if they're playing battleship. I've noticed a lot of drug reps hanging out at various Panera Bread's I've been to. It's the free wifi + coffee or food + meeting place with other reps that draws them probably since they don't have their own offices and basically live out of their cars.

Most other Panera's I've been to in the morning have their own little groups of senior citizens or "moms" that hang out as part of their normal routine, but this location either is so new that it hasn't been found yet, or there aren't that many of these types in the area (probably the former vs. the latter reason).

Anyway, it sure was pleasant to sit down with coffee and log onto the net hassle-free (vs. Starbucks which is free too now, but makes you go through an extra steps of setting up an account, rewards account, and logging in each time).

Tuesday at 1:59 PM | | |