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Community Corner

Time After Time: I Need a 28-Hour Day!

NJ Mom's Guide provides you with answers to your questions about parenting each week in Patch.

Being a mom is one of the most thankless jobs in the world. Maid, tutor, chef, chauffeur are just some of the duties in the job description that make even the most intrepid multi-taskers freak out a little bit on their first day.

But the hugs, the kisses, the unconditional love make it all worthwhile. But there are days – no matter how experienced you are in life in the Mother 'Hood – when you need someone to share the laughs, the tears, the drama, the doubts. So Patch, with the help of NJ Moms' Guide co-founders Kate Motz and Christina Castro, will provide a forum for questions and answers from your friends and peers in the front car of the emotional roller-coaster.

Mom In Need:  My 4-year-old goes to preschool in Westfield for only 2 and 1/2 hours each day.  How do I make the most out of that time? - Heather W. from Westfield

MomsGuide: Moms spend so much time rushing around — trying to get everything done and keep everyone happy — that we forget how important it can be to enjoy a little downtime ourselves. If you have to run a quick errand or two, fine. But overall, use that time to head to the gym, get a mani/pedi, sit down and read, grab a cup of coffee and catch up with another mom. If you’re refreshed and relaxed, you’ll be ready for anything and your children, your husband and your friends will catch the vibe.

Find out what's happening in Summitwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

MIN: What are some convenient delivery services in the area that can help me save time and get my weekly errands done? - Erika G. from Mountainside

MG:  Here are a few great nearby places that we’ve tried ourselves:

Find out what's happening in Summitwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Green Village Cleaners (http://www.greenvillagecleaners.com/) provides free pick-up and delivery dry cleaning and services the Summit, Chatham, Westfield, Madison & Short Hills area.

Fresh Direct (www.freshdirect.com) allows you to order your groceries from home and will deliver everything right to your door.

Frank’s Auto Repair & Auto Body (http://www.franksautorepair.net/) offers a convenient pick-up and delivery shuttle service or if you prefer to wait, coffee and a clean waiting area is available. In addition, every car that is serviced receives a complimentary wash, vacuum, and tire shine.

MIN: How do I handle kids with different schedules? - Donna W. from Mountainside.

Mom's Guide: The age-old debate: How can I be in two places at once? You can't, so relax. Make friends with the parents of kids in each of your children's classes and activities, when you see that they've got conflicts, just as you do, offer to help. Then don't be afraid to ask for help yourself. When soccer practice is at one end of town and the dance recital is in a church basement in the opposite direction, you'll work it out.

Kate Motz and Christina Castro are partners in www.njmomsguide.com, a statewide resource for moms. If you’ve got questions, answers, or ideas that you’d like to see covered in this column, contact njmomsguide.com or Patch Local Editor John Celock at johnc@patch.com

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