Pavan's Tennis at Fox Chase Tennis Club Has A New Web Site!

Pavan's Tennis Academy at Fox Chase Tennis Club in Chester, NJ, just launched the Pavan's Tennis Academy Web Site to keep parents informed about their children's tennis program through out the year. Parents can also visit Pavan's site to see the latest information in the tennis world.

I just signed up both of my girls for another 8-week session at Pavan's Munchkin Tennis Academy at the Fox Chase Tennis Club. Phone: (908) 879-5231.

Pavan Patel is great with the kids and just introduced a new, European approach for developing high level junior tennis players (aged 10 and under) involving red, orange, and green balls that are different sizes and "speeds." Serve, rally, score is the slogan the ITF uses to explain how tennis can best be introduced to starter players. Pavan believes it is important that coaches make the first experience of the starter player positive. The ITF believes that getting starter players to play the game (serving, rallying and scoring) from the first lesson is vital in ensuring an enjoyable experience that they’ll want to continue.

Pavan is also running a tennis camp this summer at Fox Chase Tennis for 9 weeks starting June 23rd. It looks like kids can sign up for as many weeks as they want...we have signed up for one week of half-day Munchkins Tennis Camp in August. If you're interested in three or more weeks of tennis camp, click here to take advantage of a special offer to save up to 15% on Pavan's Tennis Academy Summer Camp if you sign up by May 30th, 2008.

The Somerset County 4-H Fair is Coming! August 13, 14, and 15, 2008

Looking for the Morris County 4-H Fair in Chubb Park, Chester, New Jersey?

Click Here!

My older daughter had a 4-H Prep Club meeting tonight, where ads were due for the 4-H Fair Directory. I actually placed an ad for my family-friendly spinoff of Roxiticus Desperate Housewives, Roxy's Best Of. More on that another time...this post is dedicated to the Somerset County, NJ 4-H Fair.

What began as a dairy show in a farm field has become one of the marquee events on the Somerset County cultural calendar and the premier free fair in New Jersey...

I have been going to the Somerset County 4-H Fair for over 35 years, since before I was even old enough to be a 4-H Prep Club member. Despite the fact that we live in Morris County, as soon as my older daughter was old enough to join last September, I started taking her over to the Prep Club meetings at the Ted Blum 4-H Center in Bridgewater, NJ (Somerset County, about five minutes from the house I grew up in). Somerset County 4-H is the best 4-H experience in the surrounding area. The Somerset County 4-H Fair, rather than going commercial with rides and games, focuses on the kids and their achievements. Our whole family loves to see the dogs, cows, sheep, rabbits, goats, horses and alpaca. In the chicken tent, there's always an incubator full of eggs with chicks being hatched before your eyes.

This year's Somerset County 4-H Fair promises to be bigger and better than ever, attracting tens of thousands of visitors with its wholesome mix of arts, entertainment, agriculture, animals, science, food, fellowship and just plain fun.

The 2008 Somerset County, NJ 4-H Fair runs Wednesday, August 13th through Friday, August 15th. 10am-10pm all days. Don't worry, we'll be reminding you here at Roxiticus Desperate Housewives many times in the upcoming weeks. And you can look for me in the 4-H Prep Club Cotton Candy Tent!

Mendham Township Elementary School Students Participate in St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital Math-A-Thon

The children of Mendham Township Elementary School are participating in a Math-A-Thon to raise money to help St. Jude Children's Research Hospital find new treatments for cancer, sickle cell and other diseases. At St. Jude, no family ever pays for treatments not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay. Thanks to millions of kids who help to raise money, St. Jude's is also able to pay for transportation for patients and their families and give them a place to live while they are at St Jude. Since opening in 1962, St. Jude has treated patients from all 50 states and more than 70 foreign countries. Your participation in Math-A-Thon makes you a part of a mission to find cures and save children.

By making an online donation, you too can help St. Jude continue its life-saving work against pediatric diseases with your donation. Thanks for helping the kids at Mendham Township Elementary School reach their goal for the kids of St. Jude!

Brookside Community Club

I just renewed my annual membership with the Brookside Community Club in Brookside, NJ (part of Mendham Township, near the Mendham Township Elementary School).

The Brookside Community Club puts on a number of annual events for Mendham Township families, including:

• Mendham Juniors Easter Egg Hunt in the Community Club Field, usually scheduled for the Saturday morning before Easter;
• Annual Brookside Fourth of July Parade;
• Family Clam Bake, usually scheduled around Labor Day. This year the Brookside Family Clam Bake will be held on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 1:00pm

The Brookside Community Club has been a gathering place for Mendham Township residents since 1923, which means that this year (2008) marks the 85th anniversary since the Community Club held Brookside's first Fourth of July Parade in 1923. The Community Club accomodates non-profit organizations and sports groups for their fundraisers and dinners. Local women and men have used the Brookside Community Club over the years to attend classes in Ballroom Dancing, Tango Dancing, Yoga and Aerobics.

There's a $35 minimum for membership. Members can reserve the Brookside Community Club for private events (birthday parties, bridal showers, weddings, etc.). Phone: (973) 543-5637.

Chester Riding Club

Today my younger daughter and I are off to a 6-year-old birthday party at Chester Riding Club in Chester, NJ. I've attended one other birthday party there, back in October with my older daughter, who has an unfortunate horse allergy....but we knew that going in and dosed her with Benadryl. The earlier party was a "girl party" (birthday girl invites the girls in her class as well as other gal pals) and I suspect this one will be as well. The girls had a blast....at least at this age, no serious riding takes place. Three or four of the girls at a time don helmets, mount mid-sized horses, and an instructor leads each one around the horse ring. Parents and the other party-goers can watch from behind the glass windows at ground level or up in the second floor party room.

Due to the horse allergies, we haven't signed up our girls for riding lessons, but Chester Riding Club offers them for all ages. Several of the other Roxiticus Desperate Housewives' children (from age 6 through high school age) do take lessons there. The moms, while warning that riding is an expensive habit, highly recommend the Chester Riding Club for its quality instruction.

According to their brochure:

Jamie Maillet, who founded the Chester Riding Club in 2005, was raised in a family with a long, established equestrian history (unlike mine). He continues the tradition by encouraging his students to reach the best of their riding abilities and aspirations. Chester Riding Club's instructors share a life-long passion for horses and are active in their students' success. The lesson program is personalized to each student's needs and accomodates a wide spectrum of skill levels from the true beginner to Grand Prix competition. Quality instruction offered for all skill levels in the hunter, jumper and equitation disciplines.

Chester Riding Club is a year-round equestrian facility on 30 acres in the heart of Morris County. Facilities include an outdoor arena with all-weather footing, turn-out paddocks, heated indoor ring with European-style lounge viewing area, and Grand Prix jumping field.

Chester Riding Club is located at 80 US Highway 206, Chester NJ 07930. Phone: (908) 879-0578.

Sammy's Ye Olde Cider Mill in Mendham, NJ

Every couple of months, Rex & I will be in the mood for a steak, and we'll round up some friends and/or take the girls to Sammy's in Mendham NJ. It's a funny place with no sign to announce itself, a white building on "old" Route 24 (353 Mendham Road West) in Mendham, near Westmont Montessori School.

From Sammy's web site: Established in 1933 and now run by third generation family members, Sam, Phil and MaryAnn Fornaro, Sammy's has outlived most other restaurants and the prohibition era to become a legend in these parts because it consistently serves its clientele the best.

You'll order your food as you walk in the door. The fun starts when they send you down to the bar in the basement, where the kids can play pinball and you can get a start on one of over 120 bottles of fine wine. Sammy's is where we discovered Darioush Cabernet with our friends Susan and Mike, Lynette and Tom, back when we all had kids over at Westmont Montessori and we'd all sneak off together after back-to-school night.

For about a month when they're in season in the summer, Sammy's has the most amazing, huge soft shell crabs that they serve in a lemon garlic butter sauce. The rest of the year, we'll order veal chops, steak, lobster, or a little of both. I like Sammy's surf & turf combo because they'll serve a New York strip steak with a lobster, instead of insisting that filet mignon is the only "turf" in the house. Rex and I always start with shrimp scampi Sammy's style and spaghetti with roasted garlic & oil.

If you need directions, you can reach Sammy's by phone: (973) 543-7675.

I'm getting hungry just thinking about it....why don't you call me up and invite us out to dinner at Sammy's tonight?