Voter Registration Drive, Second Saturday Jazz Highlight the Week Ahead

A look ahead at a few of the events happening in the Norristown area this week.

Wyde Bodi Auto Club Voter Registration Drive – One the Norristown Clubs United, Wyde Bodi Auto Club is holding a voter registration drive at the Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library on Monday, April 8, starting at 4:30 p.m. Guiding Good Choices Parenting Program – Bring the kids to Hancock Elementary School on Wednesday, April 10 at 6 p.m. and learn how to help your children make healthy choices by setting clear guidelines and following through with reasonable and consistent consequences. Dinner and childcare provided free. Second Saturday Jazz & Spoken Word at August Moon – Join the the George Weldon Quartet and many special guest performers this Saturday, April 13 at 8 p.m. at August Moon Restaurant.  Have an event you want to …

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Montco Mommy

Montco Mommy Returns to Patch

After some serious surgery, Montco Mommy wants to share her stories for more reasons than one.

That’s right. I’m back in the saddle again. It’s been a long time coming, but I’m happy to announce the return of Montco Mommy. During the summer of 2012, I decided to take a break to enjoy more time with my children. They were off. We had many planned trips to the beach, to see family, camping. It was a whirlwind of a summer. It was a smart decision. My time is spread so thinly and the column seemed to be something I did largely for my own enjoyment. It hadn’t occurred to me that it would be missed. I, of course, aim to help other parents by venting my frustrations, offering my two cents and minimally showing you that nobody’s perfect and crazy things do happen all the time, to all parents! As the children went back to school (pre-K and …

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Librarian Helps Woman Give Birth in Parking Lot of Norristown Hospital

Rachel Fecho, of Norristown, was on her way to see her son in the emergency room when she found herself thrust into an emergency midwife situation.

Many moms have a good story about the day their baby was born, but not many have as good a child birth story as Norristown's Rachel Fecho – and it wasn't even her baby. Fecho, a branch manager for the Conshohocken Free Library, had left work around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, July 10, after her father called to say he and Fecho's young son were in the emergency room. The younger Fecho had dropped a railroad tie on his foot and his grandfather didn't like the look of the swelling.  Fecho says she got to Montgomery Hospital at around 1:30 p.m. and was making her way to the emergency room entrance when she was thrust into what sounds like a scene from an action movie. "As I was walking into the front door of the emergency room, a car pulls up and the …

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Surviving the Shore

Lucy remembers family vacations at the shore.

It’s officially summer, and we’ve had a heat wave to prove it. Thoughts of vacation and going to the shore are on many peoples’ minds. Me? I’m not known for enjoying outdoor activities. In fact, I’ve always said that my favorite outdoor activity is coming back inside. Age has only deepened that sentiment. That being said, I just love the ocean. I’ll stand there, admiring it for several, long seconds, then go back to shopping on the boardwalk. As I’m sure you’ve gleaned, I don’t venture out on the beach all that often. The exception to that are random early morning walks on the shore collecting sea shells. And if I want to splash around in water, there’s always the condo’s pool. I visit that once every five years or so. I’ve even been known…

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Will You Let Your Children Use Facebook?

The social-networking site is considering opening up it's platform to children under 13.

  According to the Wall Street Journal, Facebook is developing technology that would allow children under 13 to access the social media giant's site under parental supervision. The move that could bring in a sea of new users and mean potential for more revenue, but it would also increase privacy concerns.  Currently Facebook bans those under the age of 13, but studies show that many kids use it despite the ban, often with their parents' consent. (A 2011 Consumer Reports survey discovered that 7.5 million people younger than 13 already use the site.) As a result, some argue that the ban should be removed so that adults could work more openly with their children on the issue of social networking. Facebook's plan would allow children's …

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Montco Mommy

Girls' Night Out for Mommy and Her Little Princess

Our Montco Mommy and her 4-year-old diva go for a little quality girl time.

My daughter is a diva. That isn’t news to anyone that knows her. At age 4, she is already far more "girly" than her mother. Somehow, this tomboy of a Montco Mommy birthed a princess of a little girl. As we often do, last week my husband and I decided to split the kids up for a little bit of one-on-one time. The boys decided they wanted to go see The Avengers. The two, comic- and video-game loving boys headed off to the Movie Tavern in Collegeville to enjoy dinner and the flick. We two girls were left to our own devices. I flat out asked what my little chick wanted to do for Girls’ Night Out, and she picked. In a completely stereotypical "girl" selection, she decided on a few things – the two of us were destined for the nail salon for a bit…

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Montco Mommy

Best Mother's Day Gift Ever

Our Montco Mommy talks about her son's recent gift – a self-written tome dedicated to her skills as a mom.

What do your children think of you? I don’t often think of what kind of “legacy” I’m leaving, but one of the most important things I know I leave behind in this world someday when I’m gone is what kind of people my children are. While I may not dwell on it daily, it is likely a motivating factor for much of the way I parent. What life skills do they need to have forever? What ways can I best benefit them? When I’m long gone, what will they remember me for? At ages 4 and 6, that is sometimes hard to gauge, but I have a fairly vocal and thoughtful son so I know what he thinks most of the time as he thinks it. I’m not sure my daughter is old enough to think of it at all, but on Mother’s Day I was given a great description of exactly what my …

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Montco Mommy

Nobody Likes a Whiner – Especially Mom

Our Montco Mommy is looking for tips on curbing her daughter's whine addiction.

Somewhere around my daughter’s second birthday, her voice changed. No, it wasn’t a super early puberty. It was the addition of “the whine.” Since age 2, it has barely changed. Instead of speaking to her father or me in her typical toddler voice, she began to ask for everything in a droning, ultra-sad, pleading whine. I suppose you could say we are allowing it to go on too long, but really we don’t. “Mooommmmmmyyyyyy,” she whines. “I wannnnnttt a juuuuuuiiiice.” I hear it. I’ve heard it most of the day. I make her fix it. She has to request things again in a normal tone of voice in order to get what she wants or needs. We try not to ever succumb to the whine. But, then of course, you go see grandparents for a weekend, and she is super …

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Montco Mommy

They Keep Going, and Going, and Going...

Our Montco Mommy wonders where her kids get all that energy.

I’m not sure who decided that children should have as much energy as they do. More accurately, I’m not sure why parents have so much less. Perhaps this is more a case of cause and effect. Whatever the reason, I can tell you I don’t think I’m the only one. Last night, sitting in a Chick-fil-A (because quite frankly I was too tired to think about cooking dinner), I was pondering this question. I watched while behind sound-proof glass (God bless Chick-fil-A), my 4- and 6-year-old proceeded to run, jump, climb and chase around Playland. The time was about 6:30 p.m. The kids had not only come off of a weekend in which we’d lost an hour of sleep, but had focused in one full day of school each. After school, we had quickly shuttled off to YMCA …

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Five Things for Thursday, October 6

Five things to know about life and Norristown today.

1. Yesterday was National Walk or Roll to School Day, encouraging students and their families to get out and get a little exercise. While none of the Norritown area schools held any official events to celebrate the day, the folks at Whitehall Elementary will be taking up the mantle today at 2:30pm. Students wil be ushered outside to walk the property and stop at stations along the way to pick up some fun facts about staying healthy. 2. Paul V. Fly Elementary is hosting Guiding Good Choices at 6pm tonight. The program is a free five-week parenting program being offered in both Spanish and English. Learn how to set clear guidelines and consequences, help children avoid trouble, mangage conflict and strengthen family bonds. Pizza, beverages …

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