The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Stacey Pfeffer

Looking for Love or Friendship: A Matchmaking Site Launches for Those with Special Needs

by

Many dating sites help those looking for their soul mate, from OKCupid to eHarmony to the cutely named LoxClub, but those with special needs are often left out of the mix. That’s why an intriguing post on a local mom’s social media page caught our eye. Started by a Long Island-based social worker for more than three decades, Jill Schieber launched Matchmaking for the Socially Challenged at Matchmakingforme.com earlier this year after hearing how many of her clients with special needs faced unique challenges on their search for a romantic partner or even platonic friendships.

“Many feel socially isolated. Many are neurodivergent or on the autism spectrum or have social delays. They can have trouble finding people like them, entering a relationship and then maintaining one. Many have tried other ways of finding a partner like speed dating without much success,” she added.

Schieber believes that an important first step for her clients is working on friendships. Everyone is connected with at least one individual for friendship first, primarily to teach skills. Before matching individuals, Schieber and her staff ask the clients questions to ascertain who would make a good match. “Typical questions are what do you like to do in your spare times, what are your hobbies, what is your religion and political beliefs and is it important to you to find someone with a similar background. We also ask questions about what they value and would like to see in people they would be connected with. Also, what traits they wouldn’t like a person they would be meeting to have,” she explains.

Many of her clients are in their 20s or 30s. Schieber describes a typical client from Westchester* – a man in his early 20s who was on the autism spectrum who came to her to make friends and learn how to keep them. Once he signed up, he met with Schieber who did an extensive interview to get to know him and what he’s looking for in a friendship. She also performed a background check to make sure there were no legal issues.

He then met with one of Schieber’s coaches who felt he needed another coaching session to continue to go over some of the basic skills. As a heterosexual man, she will next pair him with another young man with whom he will first spend some time connecting with the other phone either by talking or texting. Next, he with his family will set up a time and place to meet. They may decide to go to a restaurant to get something to eat or possibly to a movie together. This is something their parents/guardians will gauge. After they meet, the site’s coaches will get feedback from both participants and utilize that information to enhance their continued interactions.

Her company offers two tiers of membership- a basic membership which offers access to her database and premium membership with hand-picked matches and both types of clients may participate in relationship coaching for an additional fee.
Schieber says she has seen tremendous interest in her site particularly from moms who want their children to forge relationships. “It is the moms who seem to be the best connection for their kids,” and so far, Schieber has generated a lot of interest from moms all throughout Westchester including Bedford, Chappaqua, Mamaroneck, Rye and Scarsdale

As we went to press, Schieber was hoping to set up some Valentine’s Day meet ups for clients and expand her business into New Jersey because as her site says everyone deserves the opportunity to connect, form meaningful relationships, and find love and friendship, regardless of any obstacles they may face.

*client’s identity protected for privacy

Former Armonk Resident Lisa Salko Presented 13 Driver’s Licenses at the North Castle Public Library

by

PHOTOS BY MIA BROWN

Salko’s Talk Took Place on the 85th Anniversary of Kristallnacht

When she was growing up, former Armonk resident Lisa Salko knew very little about her family’s past during the Holocaust. But all that changed with a Facebook message from a German high school student named Victoria Thiel who was working on a history project.

In 2017, a small village in Germany’s Bavaria called Lichtenfels had found 13 licenses in a brown envelope in a back-room cupboard in the district office while digitizing town records. The licenses were confiscated from Jewish residents during Kristallnacht also known as the “Night of Broken Glass” in 1938 in which Nazis arrested 30,000 Jews, destroyed Jewish-owned businesses, homes and synagogues and murdered 91 Jews and injured hundreds, marking the beginning of the Holocaust.

The licenses had been there for almost 80 years. Instead of digitizing the licenses and archiving them in Bamberg as required by law because they are historical documents, the district administrator, Christian Meissner instead got in touch with history teacher Manfred Brösamle-Lambrecht who taught at the local high school.

Brösamle-Lambrecht, who is not Jewish, cared deeply about the fate of these former Jewish residents and thought it could serve as a teachable moment for his students in his History Seminar class to research what had happened to these 13 individuals, and also try to locate their descendants. And so, his students at Meranier-Gymnasium Lichtenfels embarked on a yearlong project that changed all their lives.

Salko’s grandfather, Sigmund Marx and two great uncles, Alfred Marx and Alfred Oppenheimer drivers’ licenses were among three of the 13 confiscated licenses. Salko and her two sisters happened to all be together at Lisa’s nephews’ wedding in Florida when Thiel first reached out. After months of communication back and forth, they were invited to Lichtenfels for a week to learn about the project. The trip coincided with the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht. “We went and it was extraordinary. We thought we would just hear the student’s presentation in a classroom, but it was a big deal. It was in the school’s auditorium and the entire community and press was invited to attend. The licenses were returned to us by the district administrator. “It was a life changing moment for my sisters and I.” Lisa and her sisters spent their time in Lichtenfels learning about their family history all while getting to know the students, their teacher and all the people involved in the project. Friendships were formed that continue to this day.

“It was an incredibly overwhelming and emotional week but also enlightening for my sisters and I.

On the eve of our departure, I made a promise to the German students and their teacher and said I don’t know how I am going to do this, but I am going to get this story out there and that’s what I pursued upon my return,” said Salko.

A Promise Turns into an Award-Winning Documentary

Salko got in touch with the White Plains-based Holocaust & Human Rights and Education Center (HHREC) and they put together a panel exhibit that was a replica of what the students in Lichtenfels had created. Since 2018, as a member of the HHREC’s speaker’s bureau, this journey has taken Salko to numerous synagogues, libraries, schools, Baruch College, The Museum of Jewish Heritage, the German Consulate in NY and most recently at Yad Vashem – The World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem, Israel.

“We’re very happy that Yad Vashem showcased the exhibit and talk, accompanied

by our Director of Education Steve Goldberg. Lisa Salko is a strong speaker who tells the story with passion and vigor and so 13 Drivers’ Licenses has become one of the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center’s most popular exhibits,” said Millie Jasper, the Executive Director of the HHREC.

In 2020, Brösamle-Lambrecht wrote a letter to the German Consulate in New York telling them about the project and Salko’s lecture and panel exhibit which would be presented at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in NYC. The Consulate co-sponsored Lisa’s event at the museum. They were so impressed by it that they asked Salko if she’d be willing to help create video content about the project for the consulate website. Although Salko is not a filmmaker, she was committed to getting this project off the ground. “After numerous zoom meetings with the Consulate, we thought it would be a short video, maybe a few minutes long,” recalls Salko. Salko’s determination along with her ability to maintain and pursue connections were crucial to helping to turn the story into an award-winning short documentary.

In 2019, Salko presented at Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale and an audience member, Elisabeth Gareis introduced herself. Gareis, who is not Jewish, grew up in Lichtenfels and is a professor of Intercultural Communications Studies at Baruch College. “She was fascinated by the story. I call her my groupie as she has seen me present so many times,” jokes Salko. At her presentation at Manhattanville College, Gareis introduced Salko to her husband, Ryoya Terao, a film technology professor at the New York City College of Technology.

Salko asked Tarrytown-based Terao if he’d be interested in working on the video content on behalf of the German Consulate. The story immediately appealed to him. “We wanted to tell a different kind of story from other Holocaust-related films – something that is hopeful for the future,” said Terao. Then the pandemic hit. As fate has it, Gareis and Terao were quarantining in Lichtenfels to stay with Gareis’ elderly mother who still lived there. With the help of Brösamle-Lambrecht, they were able to track down the students who were now in university and began filming them. Salko served as a consultant on the film.

Tarrytown-based Terao had never filmed a documentary about the Holocaust, but he has created many short films focused on human rights. At press time, the 27-minute long short documentary, 13 Drivers Licenses, has appeared in 37 film festivals in 17 countries (including the U.S.) and has won 28 awards. It was just selected to be a part of the United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAAF) in late October in San Francisco. Terao is working on a longer feature length documentary with many of the Holocaust survivors and their descendants who were interviewed.

Screening in Armonk

The short documentary 13 Drivers’ Licenses was also viewed while we were in press on November 9th at the North Castle Public Library’s Whippoorwill Hall. “Since it was in Armonk where I raised my family, I viewed this as a homecoming in a way,” explains Salko. It also coincided with the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht and the fifth anniversary of when Salko first traveled to Lichtenfels.

“You can’t hold today’s generation responsible for what their ancestors did,” said Salko. “I talk about reconciliation a lot – meeting these students and what they did for our family was a gift. They helped fill in our family’s puzzle.”

Prior to her trip, Salko did not consider herself an activist. But she believes the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, VA in 2017 and the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh 10 days before her trip to Germany propelled her to speak out against antisemitism. These events coupled with the fact that there is no nationwide mandate for Holocaust education were catalysts for her dedicating herself to Holocaust education.

“I will tell this story to whoever will listen to me. We live in a world where words of hatred have become commonplace and accepted. It was words of hatred that ignited the Holocaust. As we get further removed from it, as the survivor community continues to diminish in numbers and antisemitism, Holocaust denial and distortion is on the rise, we must stand up, speak out, and most importantly tell survivor stories so this never happens again.”

“This high school project from a small Bavarian town in Germany is now used by educators as a teaching tool worldwide,” she says proudly, thanks to her presentation at Yad Vashem and her unwavering commitment to sharing the 13 Driver’s Licenses story.

New Children’s Picture Book About Jackie O!

by

Author Ronni Diamondstein Photo by Donna Mueller

Chappaqua-based author Ronni Diamondstein has always had a special place in her heart for former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. As an eight-year-old child, Ronni Diamondstein watched as John F. Kennedy was inaugurated and during his presidency tuned in to many of his press conferences. She vividly remembers the White House restoration special on TV led by Jackie and then marveled at her grace when she led the country in mourning after her husband’s assassination.

Diamondstein’s home includes a vast collection of books on the Kennedys. Diamondstein has nearly 100 and has been reading books about them for decades. Diamondstein, a former school librarian and a past President of the Chappaqua Library Board, always wanted to write a book about Jackie. Initially, she started to write a novel, then a friend suggested a children’s book that ultimately became an engaging new picture book titled Jackie and the Books She Loved which launches in November.

Diamondstein has always been fascinated by Jackie’s lifelong love of books and her eventual role as an editor. “Introducing this inspirational First Lady to young readers is exciting. She did a lot to change the role of the First Lady. She brought in performers and writers to the White House and created the White House guidebook. But she also learned to read and write as a young girl. Reading and writing were common threads throughout her life,” explains Diamondstein.

Diamondstein’s book shows young readers how Jackie was a voracious reader and writer. In fact, she was reading Chekhov at age six. She also wrote many stories and poems for her family as a young child. One of her poems, titled “Sea Joy”, is included in Diamondstein’s book. To gain permission to publish “Sea Joy”, Diamondstein contacted Ambassador Caroline Kennedy and thought the response would take many weeks. Two days later, Diamondstein heard back. “I thought that it must make her happy that her mother’s poem would be introduced to a new generation. I actually teared up when I read that email,” remarks Diamondstein.

The book shows how Jackie continued writing beyond childhood. In college, she won a Vogue magazine writing contest. Upon graduation, she was a Washington Times-Herald reporter where she interviewed her future husband, Senator Kennedy. She encouraged JFK to write Profiles in Courage and wrote a weekly column “Campaign Wife” to help him win the election. Diamondstein notes that some people initially criticized Jackie when she became a book editor in 1978. However, many did not know about her past as a writer and lifelong bibliophile.

Diamondstein did extensive research to ensure all the illustrations were historically accurate. She collaborated with illustrator Bats Langley on many of the details included in the eye-catching illustrations and provided him with direction. For example, the cover picture includes a horse statue and a blue vase with peonies and cornflowers, two of Jackie’s favorite flowers, on it. After Jackie passed, Sotheby’s held an auction of items in her apartment and Diamondstein reviewed catalogue photos.

Fun events are in store to help with the book’s launch! Diamondstein will be showcasing her book at the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival on Saturday, September 30. Diamondstein explained that her connection to children greatly motivated her as well. “I always loved putting beautiful books into the hands of little children,” noted Diamondstein. “I feel like I was meant to write this book.”

She will also participate in an online book launch via Zoom co-sponsored by the Chappaqua Library Children’s Room, Friends of the Miller House and Skyhorse Publishing on Thursday, November 9 at 7 p.m.

A week later, Diamondstein will be featured in a First Ladies Library Legacy Lecture via Zoom on Thursday, November 16 at noon. To her delight, Diamondstein was contacted by the First Ladies Library in Canton, Ohio to include a program about Jackie and the Books She Loved that complements an exhibition about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis that’s running through next April.

Follow ronnidiamondstein.com to preorder and for more information about other events including a book signing at Susan Lawrence in Chappaqua on Saturday, November 25 from noon to 2 p.m. The book’s dedication page includes the following quote from Jackie – “If you produce one book, you will have done something wonderful in your life.” Luckily for young readers, Diamondstein followed through on her lifelong dream.

Two Time Champs Greeley Boys Swim & Dive Team Aim to Win a Third & Unprecedented State Championship Title

by

Greeley Swim & Dive Team Champs. Photo by Christina Schoonmaker

A leisurely swim is one of summer’s greatest pleasures enjoyed by many but for Horace Greeley’s Boys Swim and Dive Team, summer is the time for tough workouts in the pool to prep for next season. They are hoping to clinch the State Championship Title for a third year in a row.

This past spring, the 35-member team won that title at Ithaca College for a second year in a row, and were the first team in Greeley’s history to win back-to-back state titles. The boys practice year-round, including the summer, and swim for approximately 15 hours weekly plus two land workouts weekly consisting of strength training workouts and stretching. It is a grueling schedule with some students waking up prior to 5 a.m. for morning practice, but many of these students have been swimming since they were in elementary school and are truly dedicated to the sport.

The team is hoping for a three-peat this year despite graduating six talented swimmers. Swim coach Meg Kaplan notes that the “rising junior class is filled with state level swimmers who have two to three years of state swimming under their belt. They are determined to direct the team to win another championship one at a time – league, conference, sectional, New York State and Federation. It is a goal that has not been accomplished by any other team in NY state history.”

Harriet Engel, mother of senior swimmers Eric and Oliver, explains that the Greeley swim team or what many refer to as “G-swim” is run differently than a team sport. The boys swim under the Greeley banner but many practice under the tutelage of Zac Hojnacki, the Head Coach of the Marlins, a swim club based out of the Mount Kisco-based Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester.

Engels’ boys began swimming at age seven for the Willowbrook swim team and eventually landed at the Boys and Girls Club with the Marlins. Of the ten boys who qualified for States this past spring, nine swim with the Marlins and one for the Larchmont-based Badgers. “The G-swim legacy is due in large part to the Marlins’ success,” explains Engel.

“During COVID it became abundantly clear the boys need the G-swim team. They love the high school team.  It is a lot of fun for these boys and they bond as a group. You can see the smile on their faces on the deck. Swimming is a solitary sport. When they swim for their club, they are swimming for themselves but when they swim for G-swim they are swimming for team glory,” Engel says.

Hojnacki believes the team’s success is due to their values as a group. “They have a great culture and are passionate about the team. They embrace each individual’s success which propels them as a group,” he notes. Hojnacki who has been with the Marlins for the past five years has noticed that the G-swim team has progressively taken the sport of swimming more seriously and really bought into a culture of training excellence not just for the Marlins but also for their performance on G-swim. He works with several swimmers from various high schools throughout Westchester and has been impressed by the Greeley boys and offers a recent anecdote. “This morning after practice we were pulling lane lines which is basically grunt work. A few years ago maybe only a few kids would willingly do this. Now we have 20 or 30 kids helping each other and they treat one another with respect. The camaraderie, sportsmanship and teamwork play a role in their success and has them performing at a higher level.”

Meeting Goals & Striking a Balance

Hojnacki is also grateful for the ongoing dialogue that he has with Kaplan and the Greeley team. “We have the same goals, and it is about finding a balance between the G-swim and the club’s practice schedules, meets etc.,” says Hojnacki who is currently training some of the Greeley swimmers for nationals and even Olympic trials.

Hudson Chung, a former captain who just graduated Greeley will swim for the University of Chicago this fall. He believes the combination of coaches is crucial to their success. “Coach Meg who does the line-ups helps us achieve a win on every level from sectionals to divisionals to states while Coach Zac is amazing and helps push us to our limits,” he says.

So will the G-swim team be able to have a three-peat this year? Kaplan and Hojnacki both think it is possible to accomplish. “They need to remain focused, train to their maximum ability and stay off the injury list. It’s the character and trust in their brotherhood and drive and determination that fuels the swim team forward,” Kaplan adds.

These swimmers train seven days a week from before the sun rises to after the sun sets. Despite the fact that Greeley does not have a pool. “Where there is a will, there is a way. Come watch a meet at SUNY Purchase. We will for sure not disappoint,” she sums up.

The Joy of Being a Grandparent: Locals Share Stories from the Heart

by

It is said that grandparents are the perfect blend of love, laughter, and happy memories. We spoke to five local residents about the joy they experience being a grandparent whether their grandkids are newborns, nine or 19. It’s clear that this is a role they truly relish. Here is who we interviewed for the story: Jon Cobert, Adina Olan, Bea DeRose, Fran Falk-Ross and Carol Weston.

Jon Cobert: Rock and Roll Chappaqua-Based Grandfather

Longtime Chappaqua residents Jon and his wife Wendy welcomed two granddaughters, Chloe and Hannah, in the past three years. When they were first born, they resided in Washington DC. His granddaughters now moved closer to Ridgefield CT which Jon and Wendy are overjoyed about.

With Chloe who is almost three, Jon enjoys having tea parties, coloring, and playing with Legos. “Hannah just started eating solids so we gave her a piece of chicken wing during the Super Bowl which of course I took a picture of,” he laughs. My wife’s greatest joy is being a grandma- buying them clothes, playing dress up,” he adds.

One of Jon’s proudest moments was when he realized his granddaughter loves loud music. A longtime musician (and legend in his own right) who has played with legends such as John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen and Dionne Warwick, Jon took Chloe to his studio in the basement and plugged his guitar into the amplifier. “Chloe said, “more loud”, and I thought to myself, “thank goodness, I have a rock and roll granddaughter.”

Adina Olan: Chappaqua Business Owner and Enamored New Grandma

Former Chappaqua resident Adina Olan who owns Breathe Pilates and Yoga Studio on South Greeley Avenue eagerly took on her new role as a grandmother when her first grandchild Levi Joseph was born this past summer. Not only did Olan become a certified doula to become involved with her daughter Jordan’s pregnancy but she also stayed for a whole month post-partum to help her daughter and son-in-law, David with the baby.

“Levi is very playful and interactive. I babysit him and help with feedings. It’s very easy to spend a lot of time with him,” Olan says. And of course, being a Pilates instructor Levi gets “tummy time” to build a strong core when Olan comes for a visit.

Although Levi hasn’t turned one yet, Olan can’t wait for him to talk and to share giggles. She also is looking forward to doing activities with him such as taking long walks or trips to King Kone. She hopes to do many of the things that her and her husband Ross did with their three children, only this time with a bit of more patience.

Olan brings up a meme about being a grandparent that rings true for her. “With your own kids, you’ll make them a meal and say here, take it but this is what I have for you to eat. With your grandkids, you’ll ask them if they want their sandwich cut in hearts or stars,” she says with a chuckle.

Many of Olan’s clients were excited for her to become a grandma. “I wear my heart out on my sleeve to everyone in that studio. I’m involved in my clients lives and vice versa. They know everything about me.” Olan’s clients heard all about her daughter’s wedding, the pregnancy and when Levi was born.

Plus many knew Jordan well as she had moved back to Chappaqua during COVID and was often seen on Zoom mat Pilates classes taught by her mother. So, when Levi was born, Olan placed a photo of him in her weekly email which lists the class schedule at Breathe. Clients were overwhelmingly positive about it and now photos of him are featured frequently.

Olan is most impressed with how her kids have taken on their new role as parents. “Jordan and David are such good calm parents and it is showing up in Levi’s personality,” says Olan.

One of the things that you’ll notice about Olan is her sheer honesty. “When Levi was first born, he wasn’t doing much. I was very hands-on with him but my husband wasn’t. Now that Levi is a bit older, Ross is more interactive with him.” Olan was smitten right away with Levi but it took some time for her husband to realize just how great it is to be a grandparent. The last time Levi visited with them for an extended period, Ross finally realized “this kid is amazing. The baby bug had [officially] bit him,” Olan says happily.

Bea DeRose: Baking Grandma from Briarcliff Manor

Bea DeRose is a 30-year resident of Briarcliff Manor who raised two sons in town with her husband, Cesare. Today, the now retired DeRose has two sets of grandkids – Sabrina, 13 and Juliana, 8 who live in town and Esme, 4 and Max, a toddler who lives in Manhattan. Although their ages run the gamut, it is clear that Bea loves her role as “nana”, which is her preferred name.

Reminiscing on her role as nana, DeRose say that she got to spend a lot of time with Sabrina as a baby since she was her first grandchild. Although Sabrina is busy with school and sports, they still make time for each other and love going out for lunch together. With Juliana, DeRose loves to bake and cook. “She’s my baking partner. We make cookies and I taught her how to scramble eggs so I told her for Easter she has to make a dozen eggs for the family,” she laughs. “Juliana asks all types of questions like how does the digestive system work?’ she continues and DeRose who retired from the healthcare field, cherishes these types of conversations. “She really understands what I am telling her.”

With her younger Manhattan-based grandkids, DeRose loves watching them grow. “Esme is her own little person and changes costumes every 15 minutes so of course for Christmas, I bought her some princess costumes,” notes DeRose. Hearing the pride in her voice, DeRose delights in an anecdote about Esme this year in pre-K. “A new boy came to school in the middle of the year and Esme took him by the hand and introduced him to everyone and showed him the classroom. She is very kind and friendly.”

Being a boy mom herself, DeRose was over the moon when baby Max was born. “I waited for this guy for a while. He’s running around now trying to repeat what we are saying,” she says delightedly. “It is the best thing in the world being a nana. These kids are really a gift,” she sums up.

Fran Falk-Ross, A Fun-Loving and Active Pleasantville-Based Grandma

Dr. Fran Falk-Ross, chair of the department of education at Pace University in Manhattan loves spending time with both her city dwelling granddaughters as well as her suburban Maryland grandchildren along with her retired physician husband Stephen. With Maisie, 15 and Marlowe 13, she enjoys walking with them around the city to restaurants and Broadway shows as well as playing family favorites like Monopoly and cards.

With her younger suburban-based grandkids, six-year-old Jacob and four-year- old Sadie, they all pile into the car for family outings. She loves talking to them and their interaction. “I’m always surprised how much they learn and retain–you think they aren’t listening but they are.”

“Sadie told me that she learned about Martin Luther King and that he loves peas and so does she. I said he loves peace, not peas. There is always something to teach them,” Falk-Ross says with a chuckle and adds that they teach her things as well.

Even though Falk-Ross is in her 70s, she does a lot of sports with them especially the older grandkids including skiing, tennis, pickleball and ice skating. Once she even did the climb and zipline treetop adventure at the Bronx Zoo with Maisie and Marlowe.

She hopes her grandkids learn to take a chance whether it be pushing the little ones on the swings a bit higher or exploring new ideas and options. “I hope my grandkids can also learn to be purposeful and go for what they want and ask for what they want. I want them to feel good about their own ideas and ask questions with feeling accepted.

Carol Weston: An Armonk Author Who Loves Reading with Her Grandkids

Armonk resident Carol Weston, an author who appears frequently at the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival, has written more than a dozen books for children including such popular favorites as “Ava and Pip” and “Speed of Life.”

Although her books are written for an older audience, Weston always finds time to read to her two grandsons, Waylon, 3, and Frost,1. “I always have board books in my bag and there’s nothing like going to the library to get a stack of books that you and your grandchild like. “Some books you don’t mind reading a thousand times,” says the self-described “besotted” grandmother.

Although her grandchildren live in Montana and Maine, Weston and her husband Rob are happy to travel long distances to see them. “I was crying when Waylon was a baby and we had to say goodbye. Your heart is outside of your body in this whole other being. It is just this undiluted and unconditional love.”

Reflecting on her time as a parent, Weston said the hardest part of parenthood is trying to balance so many things. “As a grandparent, my job is all about enjoying them.”

And Weston surely does with trips to nearby Rochambeau Farm, the Central Park carousel, and ice cream outings. She and Rob tag team when watching the kids. “He’ll plop them in the wheelbarrow and take them around the yard and I’ll read to them. We help each other out and we realize this is a fleeting moment. So get in there and enjoy it,” she advises other grandparents.