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Kathy Zucker

Award winning writer • startup founder • mom of 3

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Find Activities That Fit Your Entire Family – Liberty Science Center Summer Camp

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Did you sign me up for the special ‪‎summer‬ class? my ‪‎toddler‬ asks. I launch into a lengthy explanation about her ‪school‬ camp options. Stop when I realize what she is referring to. Oh, you mean the Liberty Science Center little ‪kid‬ camp, I say. Yes, you are all registered for that.

Each spring, I longingly read through the summer ‪camp‬ options at LSC. I count down the years until my eldest ‪child‬ is eligible to attend. This year, as she enters fifth grade, is the first that she is old enough to attend. And much to my surprise and delight? There are new camp offerings for younger ‪kids‬, so I registered all three of my children.

Several years ago, I set myself a challenge. Go to events open to the public and find a way to have special experiences similar to the ones I get when I attend private events. It was definitely a challenge, since public events tend to be extremely crowded plus have many fewer staff members in attendance.

I set myself several ground rules. Do not tell anyone in advance that I am coming. Show up armed only with what I normally carry with me, specifically my handbag and DLSR camera. And also? Bring my family with me.

The results? Were extraordinary. It turns out that when you are patient and friendly, people will go out of their way to help you. I learned in several instances that the absolute worst thing I can do is wave my press credentials around. Simply being a mom has gotten my entire family into places like Philadelphia Independence Hall, where there is a six month waitlist for tickets.

Why do I do this? Why don’t I simply accept the numerous invitations for private events that flood my email inbox? Because the best way for me to write about experiences is by behaving like a regular person. If I have a gold VIP star next to my name on a list then I find I cannot accurately answer questions about pricing and access.

One of the reasons why I chose to send my children to public school is because I want them to have experiences that anyone can have. And this summer will be more of the same since Liberty Science Center is making the program accessible to kids from a wide range of backgrounds.

Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.

Find New Adventures In Familiar Places – Liberty Science Center Summer Camp

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What are we doing with the ‪kids‬ this summer? my ‪husband‬ asks. Camp applications lie on the ‪dining‬ table, brought ‪home‬ in ‪school‬ backpacks. Can we decide tomorrow? I ask. I am racing between the bedroom and washing machine, carrying a load of ‪laundry‬. The ‪baby‬ just threw up and I am bracing for another night of waking up every thirty minutes to give her three sips of juice.

One week passes. Two. I check in with the mom ‪friend‬ who has hosted ‪swim‬ class every summer for the last five years. Yes, we are on for this ‎summer‬, she says. And then? An email arrives in my inbox from our favorite ‪museum‬. Is your ‪family‬ interested in attending ‪science‬ camp? the ‪marketing‬ representative asks. I cannot reply yes fast enough. Why? Because mykids have been begging to attend this ‪camp‬ for the last three years. And this year? For the first time ever, there are age categories that fit all three of my children.

Last weekend at fencing NCAA championships, people kept asking me the same question – do you make money at social media and blogging? And the answer? Is yes.

Do I make a lot of money? No. Do I have the opportunity to make a lot more money than I do? Yes. I turn down more than 90% of the paid opportunities that I am offered. Why? Because I am in this for the long haul. That means I think long and hard about every opportunity I am offered. Many of them are amazing, things that I would have been thrilled to accept in the past. But I know what I am doing and where I am headed. And that means I need to associate myself with places and events that fit my future, not my past.

One of those places? Is Liberty Science Center. Of all the places where I have been over the last ten years, that is one that keeps giving me everything my family and I need, and far more. LSC sponsors events that I host. They serve as a professional reference for work projects. They are a major part of the book I am publishing later this month. Every single experience I had had over the last decade with LSC has more than exceeded my expectations. So when the LSC staff invited my family to spend the month of July at their newly expanded science summer camp? The kids and I were thrilled to accept.

Every time I need something, LSC comes through. And the best part? Every experience is filled with joy. I only do things my children are excited about. And they have been talking for weeks about the fun they are going to have this summer.

Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.

Create Teams Everywhere You Go – Philadelphia Franklin Institute

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My ‪son‬ is an only child, the other mom says. He is not used to playing with other ‪kids‬. My ‪toddler‬ has just climbed onto a stool beside a stack of wooden blocks. The ‪goal‬? To ‪build‬ a pyramid.

The two kids carefully place block after block in the center of the diagram. The corners? Have them stumped. The other mom and I step in, pointing to shapes that match the outlined areas. My ‪daughter‬ defers to the older boy, letting him guide her in placing blocks. And by the end of the ‪play‬ session? He is protective of her right to build when another child arrives.

Every time I go places, I never know who my family is going to meet. Sometimes, I hear my name called in a checkout line. In front of the Liberty Bell. And other times? We make new friends. How do we do this? By sharing bonding experiences.

Whenever possible, I exchange email addresses. Connect with new friends on social media. And then? The next time we meet, we are old friends making another memory together.

Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.

Start Conversations That Last a Lifetime – Philadelphia Vacation

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Let’s go to Philadelphia for the kids’ spring break vacation, my husband says. We might be able to find the restaurant where we had our first date.

When my boyfriend and I were nineteen and twenty-one, we traveled together to the Temple Open, the first competition of the college fencing season. Our college team members begged him to go with me so they would not have to put up with three hours of nonstop fencing conversation. That train journey turned into a relationship that has lasted twenty-one years and generated three children. And also? Thousands of hours of fencing talk.

If you had asked me twenty years ago where I would wind up, I never in a million years would have said I would be where I am. Staying home was the last thing on my mind. And yet, when the moment came to make the decision to go back to work? I would have done anything on earth to stay home. Looking back, there were numerous clues. My desire to spend time with my dog. My tendency to work from home to avoid endless meetings that resulted in piles of work being heaped on my shoulders. Why did I inevitably wind up with lots of work after communal conversations? Because I get things done. And when you are someone who gets things done, everyone knows it and comes to you for help.

Over the years, my area of focus has simultaneously become much smaller and much larger. How is that possible? you ask. My focus has become narrower because there are five people at the center of it – me, my husband and our three children. But it has also grown much larger because the group of people who we interact with has become enormous. Fencers. Other families. Bloggers. Local friends. Every time a member of my family makes a deep connection with someone, we keep that person in our lives. We may only see each other once a year, but the threads of connection are present 365 days of the year.

And when we do see our friends in person? It is like no time at all has passed.

Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.

Girlfriend Road Trip – NCAA Fencing

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Three weeks ago, my husband and I bought a second car. Our plan? Was for me to take girlfriend road trips. This Thursday, March 24th, I will be heading to the NCAA fencing championships at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA. And? I am bringing a friend who I met at an alumni meet at my alma mater, Columbia University.

I will be live blogging my adventure by updating this post. If you want to watch the action unfold in real time, I will be posting updates on social media at @KathyZucker.

Here are some of the tools I used to plan my trip.

Map to Brandeis Gosman Athletic Center.

Brandeis alumni website listing local hotels.

Brandeis NCAA website – click here for event schedule.

Once you arrive, you will want to find the best place to view the action!
floorplan

Watching fencing makes me work up an appetite.

Table service is available at 99 Restaurant, Jake n JOES (click here for dinner menu), The Chateau, Margaritas and Not Your Average Joe’s.

Grab express deli at Prime Deli, Moe’s, Panera Bread, Subway, Starbucks and Wendy’s.

Snag a slice at Anna’s Pizza.

Fill a cart with international groceries at Market Basket and organic fruit at Hannaford Supermarket.

Add to your wardrobe at Watertown Mall and Arsenal Project.

See you in Waltham!

Update 3/22/16: I have a media plan for this weekend at NCAAs. And yes, that plan involves Periscope. Read more at Social Media Spotlight – 2016 NCAA Fencing Team Championship.

Update 3/24/16: Day One Recap – Ladies First

Update 3/25/16: The women’s event is over. The men begin tomorrow. More coverage on Storify.

Grateful to have been able to see this bout in person.

Update 3/27/16: The men are off to a strong start. Day 3 recap and team standings.

Update 3/28/16: Columbia has won the NCAA championships in team and individual men’s épée (Jake Hoyle) for the second time in a row.

Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.