As a child growing up, I cannot recall ever wearing a Halloween costume.  My mom’s line every Halloween was: “You don’t need to go and beg for candy! I can buy it for you!”  So there are my childhood Halloween memories–none.  Years later, as a mother, I have forged my own traditions.  Every year our local mall has an event where kids parade around the mall in their costumes and collect candy from the different store fronts.  I started going every year when my daughter was 10 months old (the cutest tinker bell you’ve ever seen– no bias at all, of course ).   Three years later, we’re still keeping... Read On

When I was growing up, Halloween was not celebrated.  Being the offspring of immigrant parents from Trinidad, my parents couldn’t understand this “strange” American tradition of dressing up in costumes and “begging” for candy.   At one point, my mom started buying my two siblings and me a bag of candy each to eat on Halloween to allay our overwhelming disappointment about not being allowed to dress up like every other kid we knew. When I turned 18, I was finally free to break from my parents’ traditions and start my own.  My first Halloween celebration was in the West Village in New York.  I attended the Halloween Parade and... Read On

Who doesn’t love Halloween?  Think about it: everyone gets dressed up in costumes and collects pounds of candy.  Can it get any better than this?  Well,  there are still other things to like about Halloween. Decorating our house is always a fun activity for my family.  We decorate both the interior and exterior of our house with lots of gory items.  The usual layout for our front yard is a cemetery scene.  We put up tombstones and ground-breaking zombies.  And,  of course, we always add spiderwebs both inside and outside to add to our creepy haunted house theme. Buying or designing a Halloween costume is something else that I... Read On

In recent years there have been so many disasters that have taken place, from earthquakes to hurricanes, tornadoes, and tsunamis.  Until recently, I luckily had never been personally affected by these events.  However, three weeks ago things changed with tropical storm Irene. Living in New England, I am usually more concerned about snow than anything else.  So when I planned a family getaway with my family, I  hadn’t anticipated anything going wrong.  Then, one day before our trip, Hurricane Irene hit Puerto Rico.  The island was devastated, including our resort.  We canceled our trip and decided to visit my sister Lisa and her family in New Jersey.  Just when... Read On

I have never taken anything in my life for granted.  I’m one of those rare people who has always embraced the idea of living life to the fullest, as if it’s my last day.  That doesn’t mean that I am indulgent; I just know how to live it up a bit.  I know that ideally we should be cautious with our spending, and, for the most part, I am.  But the reason we make money is to spend it.  Now I am by no means promoting that you squander all of your earnings, but I am saying to spoil yourself every now and then. One of my most treasured... Read On

Everyone has things that are very special to them.  You could call them treasures.  My treasures are deeply personal: they are the pictures and videos of me and my brothers when we were younger.  These images remind me of an interesting experience or someone that I am close to.  My family proudly displays pictures of us all over our home, and we have pictures and videos in several photo boxes.  I cherish all of my pictures and home videos for the memories they hold. Whenever I go on vacations, school trips, or attend a special celebration, I always take tons of pictures and record a million video clips.  I... Read On

Friends are so important in your life.  They are always there when you need help, cheering up, or someone to have fun with.  Relationships can affect your life in a positive way, and when a good friendship is severed, your life can change dramatically.  Imagine yourself without a friend that you can count on.  How would you feel?  Probably miserable and lonely.  But finding a great friendship is not as easy at it seems. You’ll know when you’ve found an amazing friend.  That friend will be there for you through thick and thin.  He or she will understand you.  You might have different likes and dislikes, but a good... Read On

My sister Lisa and I are just about a year apart.  Because we are so close in age, we were treated like twins during our childhood.  We wore the same outfits– just in different colors: Lisa always wore pink and I wore blue.  We played with our dolls and used my Holly Hobbie oven to bake little treats.  Through the years, through births, deaths, and illnesses, we have remained friends.  Perhaps it is this early friendship that has helped me build other friendships. I have been blessed to be able to forge treasured relationships.  I must confess it is not easy.  In order to develop great friendships it takes... Read On

I have always valued my close friends.  To be honest, our relationships have transcended friendship and expanded my family.  And even though I might be out of touch with some of my friends, when we get together it’s just like old times.  It is a testament to the depth of our friendships.  True friends do not need to talk to and see each other everyday.  The bonds are deep and do not need constant nurturing. Recently, I decided to reconnect with some friends from my old Staten Island neighborhood.  It was hard going back to visit, as I moved from my old house in part to escape from all... Read On

Domestic violence and abuse touches all communities.  Regardless of one’s socio-economic background, ANYONE can become a victim.  As parents, it is up to us to help steer ourselves and our children in the right path to avoid the vicious cycle of domestic abuse.  While it is usually easy to identify physical abuse, society needs to recognize and find sensible solutions to emotional abuse and psychological abuse, which can be just as damaging. As parents, we must be mindful of the conditions in our homes.  If you live in a home where your partner constantly says negative things to you, you must consider the emotional toll that it has on you... Read On