As long as my sons have been in day care, preschool and elementary, and coming next month—middle school!—my husband and I have been active in their school lives. That’s because we realize that, even though we both work full-time and have other activities to attend to, it’s important that we stay on top of things to make sure that both of them—and us—are scholastically on point.

I suppose that’s why many a weeknight, we’re attending PTA or school board meetings and many mornings, I’m dropping off flyers or other PTA-related paraphernalia.

It’s important—no matter what school district you’re in—to be an advocate for your child’s education. Imagine though, the difficulties you would face if you speak only Spanish and English is the dominant language in your child’s school. Thanks to a new book by Briarcliff Manor author Mariela Dabbah, “Ayude a su Hijo a Tener Éxito en la Escuelaâ€? (“Help Your Child Be Successful in Schoolâ€?), Spanish-speaking parents can make sure that they seeking out what’s best for their children, too.

In a story in Tuesday’s (Aug. 1) Life & Style section, reporter Linda Lombroso will introduce readers to this book and to some of the many suggestions parents—both Spanish- and English-speaking—can put into direct practice to assure that their children receive the best schooling. Check out the story in The Journal News or on LoHud.com.

Here’s proof that arbiters of women’s fashion don’t consider mommies: Embellished tops.

You’ve seen them in all the stores, from Target up to Nordstrom. Sequins, beads, pearls, glitter and shiny plastic baubles of all descriptions are embroidered or glued onto T-shirts, gauzy peasant tops and cotton skirts. They are lovely, flattering and hip.

So, when I updated my spring wardrobe this year, I bought several embellished garments. A few were embroidered with thread only, and these I still wear.

As for the others, well, their fate is less certain.

There’s a fuchsia knit top with beads that’s in my closet, where it’s likely to stay until Pumpkin reaches 3, the magic age when she supposedly will no longer want to put everything she encounters on the floor in her mouth. Of course, that will probably also coincide with the day these tops go out of style.

A gauzy orange shirt dotted with tiny shiny beads — the top that inspired this post — is in the garbage. That’s where I tossed it after I wore it on a recent weekend when we had friends over for dinner.

The next day, I started finding the little embellished pieces all over the carpet. Even after a hasty vacuuming, they kept turning up.

The death sentence for the shirt came after Pumpkin ate one of the beads. I saw it on the floor, and was about to pick it up when the phone rang. I turned my back for a minute and when I looked back down, the bead was gone. This was a few weeks ago, and she didn’t get sick, but the incident showed me that my participation in this particular trend is over.

What about you other moms? What changes in your wardrobe did you have to make once kids entered the picture?

With two perpetually busy 7- and 12-year-old sons, my husband and I don’t get time to ourselves very much anymore.

So imagine our delight when a dear friend — who has a 12-year-old son of her own — invited our boys to stay with them for four days! Four days free of making lunches for day camp, cooking healthy dinners or getting after them to do their daily reading? Woo hoo! We immediately made plans to see artsy movies, eat Greek and Japanese food (which the boys aren’t fond of) and delight in a general freedom from responsibility. For four days, at least. But on day two, our friend called: Our eldest son was having stomach issues.

Hopes dashed, we prepared to pick up both of them and return to our regularly scheduled life. Sayonara to restaurant dinners. Forget the artsy movies. My husband and I moped. “Give it a little longer,� our friend suggested, bless her heart, to see if his stomach issues would improve. Thankfully, he began to feel to better and off to the Greek restaurant we went! And the artsy film! And more dinners and fun nights out! And when the boys returned to us, we had actually all missed each other. And we were refreshed.

So that’s a peek into my family. Let’s hear about yours. No one parents alone, really. While I don’t quite believe in relying upon a “village� to raise my children, I know that we are all affected by those with whom we share parenting experiences. My colleague Julie Moran Alterio and I will share our experiences, but ideally, we want you to share your thoughts as well. How do you squirrel alone time for yourself? What are your parenting dilemmas? Tell us your triumphs. After all, we parents are all in this together.

One in four people in Westchester County is under the age of 18. In Rockland, the percentage is even higher, 28 percent. In Putnam, it’s 27 percent. For the adults in the homes where these children live, being a parent is a defining part of life that can’t help but affect every decision, experience and facet of existence.

Just as we explore news that affects our readers through the lens of religion, the environment and transportation, we hope this blog will be an opportunity to tap into the experience of being a parent.

Parenting starts before that second pink line shows up on the pregnancy test and rarely ends when a college grad throws the cap in the air.

I’ve been a mother for a little more than a year, and I am still amazed on a daily basis by how my life has been transformed.

When you learn you’re going to have a baby, you know things will be different, but just how different becomes apparent in increments.

I remember the weekend after we learned about Pumpkin, I was standing outside Kohl’s in Mount Kisco, looked over and saw The Little Gym, and I said to my husband, with dawning realization, and, I have to admit, glee, “Do you realize that we’ve entered a whole new world of consumerdom?”

I mean, there was a whole aisle in the grocery story we never even stepped foot in.

Maybe because my daughter was born three months early and I don’t take anything for granted, or maybe because I’m too analytical for my own good, but this experience of becoming a mom has reshaped my take on almost everything, including what’s news.

I’m hoping this blog will be a way to connect with other parents in the Lower Hudson Valley who are trying to cope with the overwhelming — and sometimes contradictory — fountain of information on parenting that’s out there.

I also hope we can share our tips for decisions as serious as choosing a godparent and figuring out how to pay for college to as whimsical as whether a T-shirt with rhinestones is outrageous for a 1-year-old.

I’m also hoping Parents’ Place will be a resource for parents in the Lower Hudson Valley, with everything from best places to get a coffee with a twin stroller to library story hours to playgrounds with toddler-size equipment to stores that cater to tweens to best neighborhoods to teach your teen to drive.

Thanks for your time. I can’t wait to talk to you all.