“At do good marketing we measure our success by our ability to use our marketing talents to do good marketing for our clients and use those skills to do good for others,” said Haviland. “What better way to do that in a coordinated effort than to get as many people as possible to do something nice for someone else on do good day?  Imagine what it would be like if everyone in the world decided to do something nice for someone else all on the same day?  Who knows, maybe the world would break out in peace?”

Last year’s response to the first annual do good day was overwhelming. Participants were not only located in New Jersey, but all over the nation.  “The stories were touching,” said Haviland.  “One woman donated her car to a needy family for six weeks and another paid the toll for a vehicle behind him on the Garden State Parkway!”

While the inaugural event generated nearly 1,500 participants with very little effort, for this year’s event, do good marketing has established an integrated communications plan to maximize participation.  In addition to traditional public relations strategies, do good marketing will be using social media platforms to disseminate information to participants before, during and after the event on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. A dedicated do good day page has been established on do good marketing’s Facebook page (search Facebook: Do Good Day 080410) where volunteers can register, post messages or photos; a Twitter hashtag has been created so all participants can monitor do good day activities prior to, during and after the event (#dgd0804); and Haviland will be posting video blogs or vloggings about do good day to the Facebook page and YouTube sites.  All participants are encouraged to join the conversation leading up to the annual event, post pictures, videos and encourage their friends to join in.

With more than 400 million active users on Facebook these days, Haviland wants to fully utilize the social media platform to increase participation in do good day, hoping that the message will go viral to friends of friends, colleagues, and families all over the world.

“To date, we have over 1,000 people registered for do good day,” said Haviland.  “The number one question I get is, ‘what if I’m not here on do good day?’ Anyone can participate and do something nice for someone else and it doesn’t matter where you are!”

The offices of the do good team marketing team will be closed on August 4^th to enable all to participate in various philanthropic activities.

Do good marketing, llc, established in 2008, is a virtual marketing/advertising firm.  While the do good world headquarters are in Glen Rock N.J., the virtual structure draws upon people and organizations located across the country. Do good clients receive top talent, but only pay for what they need.  Michael Haviland, 49, is the founder and managing partner and has over 25 years’ worth of advertising experience including some of the big firms in New York City and New Jersey. Current do good marketing clients include: Aurora Energy, Bergen Catholic High School, Children’s Aid and Family Services, Lenox Hill Hospital, Makai Events, Morris County Surgical Center, NAPA Auto Parts, Nutley Auto, Nyack Hospital, onebaddecision.com, Saint Dominic Academy, the Center for Alcohol and Drug Resources, Tuxedo Park Library and Tuxedo Park School. For more information, visit www.dogoodmarketing.com.

Thursday.

This Thursday.

Today.

April Fool’s Day.

The motivation for the decision is clear – take an opportunity to make up a day by reducing vacation. This seems to make sense except that it doesn’t.

The news of this decision came very close to the beginning of the vacation meaning anyone who had any plans to travel with their kids was not going to make it back to school on that Thursday. In addition, getting kids motivated to school only to lull them back into the arms of another 3-day weekend means the activities on this Thursday would be lost – no continuity, homework or follow-up for another 3 days.

Finally, this decision puts the burden of attendance back on the parents. It no longer becomes a vacation day that the kids had off anyway. The parent (us) now has to decide whether it’s worth altering vacation plans to make their kid go to school today or to miss it at which point the child is penalized for missing the day. The school needs to be open a certain number of days a year. That’s clear and understood however when making decisions to alter the vacation schedules (many of which have to align with other schools’ schedules, work schedules, sitter schedules, etc) it would be advisable for the city to present its plan significantly sooner to the parents.

Photo courtesy of northjersey.com

How did you fare? Did you lose power? Are you still without power?! That was some storm last weekend and Glen Rock certainly took a beating. From the comfort of our homes perhaps it didn’t seem as vicious as it was (unless of course something fell on to your house). The aftermath however proved to be disruptive to most Glen Rock residents. 80% of homes lost power in our town according to the town web site. That’s significant. In addition, all schools were closed for a couple of days. This of course made any kind of transition back into the work week, a bit more challenging.

There are still many trees down around the neighborhoods and it’s not clear whether everyone has power back. The outages, at least for the younger children can cause confusion and anxiety but once that wears off the fun of candles, flashlights and perhaps a trip to grandma’s for some heat, light and warm food brings on a small sense of adventure.

So, how did you make out? What accommodations did you have to make on Monday and Tuesday since the kids couldn’t go to school? Tell us in the comments.

Any parent (not just a Glen Rock parent) will tell you that a good babysitter is worth her weight in Lucky Charms. Babysitters are the great equalizers. They allow you, the parent, to shed that title, albeit for a fleeting set of moments and become, dare it be said? An adult!

Yes, an adult who can dress up a bit, get a drink, see a movie, watch a band, grab a late-night meal, cut a rug and generally put the (extremely rewarding) monotony of parenthood away for a bit. Babysitters make that happen. Yet finding the right one for your family is a challenge.

What is the best way to find a babysitter in Glen Rock? Ads? Word of mouth and referrals? Should we focus on high school kids for this? We all used to be high school kids. Would we trust our former selves to watch our current kids?

This is one of those resources that most parents won’t share with others. Availability has to be maximized and the more parents that have a babysitter’s number the lower the chance she will be available to help you out when you need her.

So what do you do? Who do you use? Can you make any recommendations? Tell us in the comments.

The intent here is not to ridicule the kids. They’re kids after all and likely have absolutely no desire to sell cookies! The point is to take a look at this tradition with new eyes and not just go through the motions “because you did it” or “we’ve done it every other year.”

Many folks’ experiences typically end up as follows:

-       hit up the neighbors

-       bring the order form to work and guilt trip your co-workers with cute pictures of your kids (along with promises of kid delivery when cookies arrive)

-       guilt trip your local family into ordering

-       and, when all else fails, buy a bunch of boxes yourself

What does this teach our girls? Some would argue this sets up an educational opportunity where goals can be set, achievement plans created and success measured and rewarded. In reality, this usually doesn’t happen.

Your scout will agree to a quota and make attempts to sell to neighbors which is limited to your immediate vicinity since it’s Winter in Glen Rock and walking around the neighborhood is not very much fun.

You can’t ask your friends to purchase because they are likely going through the same dance. You child’s “network” is not large enough to promote enough sales. That’s where the parents step in.

The race is on to be the first at work to bring in the order form and spam the inboxes of your colleagues. Even if you get to be the “cookie person” at work, your child has zero exposure to this (perhaps only on delivery of the cookies they may get to see their buyers). Ultimately, you end buying an unnecessary amount of cookie boxes that, after months of gorging and re-gifting, you end up throwing away.

Again, what does this teach our girls? It likely teaches them nothing.

Do you have tactics you’ve used in the Glen Rock area to get your girls to sell more cookies? Have you had different experiences?

We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

* The views expressed in this post are those of the author based on experience both as a seller of scout-related goods and a parent of goods-selling scouts. Your mileage may vary.

Depending on the age of your kids, the decision on which local restaurant to patronize can be a tedious one. In this post, there are some suggestions for where to go locally based on the editors’ experiences. However, the surprisingly large number of places to dine in Glen Rock (and surrounding towns) means that there is always room for more reviews. Here are 5 options:

• Jalapeno’s (930 Prospect St.)- what was once a Mexican restaurant, then a Greek place and now, back to Mexican is pretty much the only Mexican place around here. Given that fact, one could say it is the best Mexican restaurant in the area. The food here is fairly good. The kids like the tortilla chips and, as a bonus, those same kids eat free on Sunday.
• Mangia (918 Prospect St.) – Italian food with great variety is not hard to find in Northern New Jersey but Mangia adds a nice home-cooked feeling to their food. The strip mall location (a stone’s throw away from Jalapeno’s) takes a bit of the authenticity out of the experience but the quality of the pizza and the food make up for it. Service is typically very good though their recent 50% price hikes have made it a far more expensive night out than it used to be.
• The Glen Rock Inn (222 Rock Rd.) – A local institution, the Glen Rock Inn serves up classic American fare in a familial setting. Those who go there seem to continue to come back. Add in the Cheers-style “everybody knows your name” vibe when you step in, and this nets out to be a pretty good place for a family dinner.
• Rock Fuji Sushi (186 Rock Rd.) – Local, authentic and delicious – not to mention they cater to the little kiddies with spring-loaded chopsticks and other treats. The prices are reasonable and the proprietor, waitstaff and chefs are so friendly, it’s worth going just for that.
• Chicken Kebab (898 Prospect) – This mom and pop Mediterranean place focusing on Turkish foods is short on table space but long on flavor and value. The food is homemade and prepared in an open kitchen format. Again, a strip-mall location doesn’t help the atmosphere of the place but it does allow you to relax and let the little ones run around a bit should they get restless. The pita, hummus and, well, chicken kebabs are fantastic and the price is absolutely reasonable. Toss in the warmth of the owners and it’s an easy choice for a casual dinner out.

Who did we leave out? Put it in the comments.

Huh? You say. The Polar Bear Club may be a choice for the more adventurous folks out there but there’s no way you’re getting me out in any kind of water…you say. The truth is, this is prime time to take your kids in for swimming lessons. Swimming is not only a fun activity but it’s a survival skill. Every child should know how to swim and winter time is the best time to learn. Summertime will be here in no time at all and an extra ounce or two of stress could be removed if you felt comfortable with your child’s ability to navigate the public pool and all those other pool parties.

Yes, there are already a thousand and one extra-curricular activites going on but this one’s important.

The Ridgewood YMCA has swimming lessons. So does the Ramsey New York Sports Club. Where else?

Tell us in the comments.

You’re older. You’re not dead. It’s creeping up on New Year’s Eve. In the past you were all over planning, scheming and figuring out just how to ring in the new year with fun, friends and style (ok, not always style). But now, you’re a parent. Your kids are school-age and you live in suburbia. Again, you’re not dead!

What will you do New Year’s Eve?

Here in Glen Rock, the options are likely not that plentiful though if you stretch a bit, you can find a good night out.

First, there’s the fun run scheduled for 11:45pm on December 31st at “The Rock.” Why not eschew traditional activities, put on your Nike’s and get outside in the freezing cold to run a long distance? Ummm…..ok, next option.

I can only assume the Glen Rock Inn is planning some NYE activities and then there’s always the community, friends/family party idea. Get a bunch of your friends together, bring the kids, hire the older kids to watch the younger kids but keep them all under one roof and then spend time with other adults who, like you, would like to live it up but are constrained with the same responsibilities you have.

Finally, there’s the romantic night “in” with your special someone. The kids go to bed early (and even the elementary school ones who swear they’ll make it to midnight often crash by 10pm). As soon as that happens, break out the champagne, delicious cheese (from the Fairway – because that’s where the good cheese is “at”) and spend some time in front of the tube or, better yet, a roaring fire (if you’ve got that option) and enjoy quality, quiet one-on-one time with the person who’s made this year special for you.

So, what else is going on in Glen Rock this New Year’s Eve? What are you planning? Can we come? Tell us in the comments.

Do you carry a work smartphone? Does your company support telecommuting? Does your corporate culture frown on you leaving your desk before a certain time of day? How many parents actually work in your office?

The balance we have to manage here is being professionally successful while navigating the corporate politics and culture of our employer all on top of tryin to get home in time for dinner.

Have you had success in managing your boss’s expectations to the point where you get home consistently and spend real time with the kids? Have you had challenges.

Share your story in the comments.

Ideally, by the time you get in the front door, the kids have done their homework however dinner is something left to a preference. On one hand, your family can wait till you get in and all have dinner together. This works well in setting a routine and spending scheduled time together. However this eats into any downtime you may get with the kids before bedtime.

Other families have the kids fed by the time the working parent(s) get home. The nice part of this is that the entire time you’re home and the kids are awake is quality, focused time with no distractions. Traditionalists will argue for the structured family meal time but you can’t argue with increased face time.

How do you maximize the time you have with the kids during the week? Tell us in the comments.