It’s that time of year again, and you’ve got a long list of things to do. Student forms, lunch accounts, after-school care and sports, not to mention school supplies! If this is the year you made a vow to get more organized, here are nine tips to make the struggle easier and the kids happier. 

HOMEWORK BATTLES 

Homework can ruin the evening for everyone. My best tips are to give your child as much choice as possible, like which subject to work on first. Serve a snack to avoid the hangries and build in plenty of breaks for every twenty minutes of homework. Mini dance party! If your child is really struggling, break their work and chores into smaller pieces. Bonus tip: Keep a homework station nearby. Whether it’s a rolling cart or a drawer, having a designated spot for supplies will make life easier for everyone. 

THE NEVERENDING LAUNDRY 

If you just sang that out loud, I think we need to be friends. Oh, the unending madness of washing, drying, sorting, folding and ironing. Who am I kidding? We only use the iron for melting craft beads. But I have eliminated all the sorting by […]

585mag.com/585-kids/ [Summer issue]

It’s a Friday night in Rochester and the ice has been covered at the Tim Hortons iceplex. The rink is packed with local vendors like Jon’tae Eats, JonJohns Bakery, and the Rochester Music Hall of Fame. Food and wine samples are being given out to the ticket holders who have donated to the Holy Childhood school.  

The Dawgs are on stage, playing “What I Like About You,” as an interpreter signs the lyrics. Dressed in matching hockey jerseys with their band nicknames on their backs, these musicians put the fun in fundraising. A crowd gathers, and people can’t help but dance as the band plays “Let’s Go Crazy” while Prince’s music video is projected up on the big screen.  

As Rochester’s premier fundraising party band, these bandmates don’t take themselves too seriously, except when it comes to the causes in their community. This is their third year performing at the Wegmans Wine at Center Ice event, and, just like every other concert they play, they do not accept any form of payment for their performance. […]

585mag.com [July/Aug Issue]

“It’s a beautiful place to work. It’s extraordinary.” 

Head chef Lou Ruscitto-Donato authors the dinner programs at Aurora Cooks!, a culinary experience nestled in a picturesque town at the Inns of Aurora Resort and Spa. During peak season, she offers a different experience for every night of the week, utilizing food and wine from the Finger Lakes area. 

From a panadería in Los Angeles to the shores of Cayuga Lake, her career has taken her from coast to coast. When the pandemic devastated the restaurant industry, Ruscitto-Donato was left wondering how she fit into that picture anymore. She saw an ad for Inns of Aurora and decided to throw her hat into the ring […]

585mag.com [May/June issue]

Do you know where you’ll be on April 8 at 3:20 p.m.? Many of us have made plans to gather with friends and don special eyewear. Schools will close as Rochester hosts a one-of-a-kind celebration. Thousands will travel to our area from far away just to be in the path of totality under Rochester’s first full solar eclipse in nearly 100 years! 

Our city is situated to provide a perfect view of the eclipse, and experts are estimating up to half a million out-of-towners will be visiting our area. The predicted height of totality will happen at 3:20 pm., when the sky gets cool and dark, and the sun, moon, and Earth form a perfectly straight line. This syzygy, or alignment, blocks the solar light from reaching the Earth. The entire eclipse will last from 2:07 p.m. to 4:33 p.m. in Rochester.

According to the Haudeosaunee, the world’s oldest confederacy began under a solar eclipse. With the nations at war with one another, a man named Hiawatha attempted to unify the chiefs of the Oneida, Cayuga, Mohawk, Seneca, and Onondaga into one grand council. It was ultimately the voice of Jigonhsaseh that brought them all together. […]

585mag.com [March/April issue]