Magazine Archive
Magazine Archive
40+ Years, 3 Generations: Meet the Ryczek Family
Since 1978, the Ryczek family has called Longmeadow home, and while much has changed in the last nearly half-century, for the Ryczek family, it’s always been about family.
Advantages Selling Real Estate During the Holidays
Six reasons to sell your home during the holiday season
The Best Tech Gift Ideas for a Frustration-Free Holiday Season
The holiday season is here, and with it, the challenge of gift buying. Technology and gadgets are popular choices, offering an enhanced lifestyle and, hopefully, fun! But gifting tech can bring unexpected challenges.
But fear not! Whether you're a tech-savvy shopper or someone just looking to impress a loved one with a nifty device, this guide will help you navigate some of the most common tech frustrations and introduce you to gadgets that will leave your loved ones smiling.
All Smiles: Meet the Reiff Family
As COVID-19 was upending life as we know it, the Reiff family decided to add to the chaos by moving to Longmeadow - and now that they are moved in and comfortable - they know they made the right choice.
An Attitude of Gratitude … or Whatever Works Best for You
Enjoy every moment. Stop and smell the roses. Count your blessings.
These wise words of wisdom are part of our vocabulary and ingrained in our culture, but when you’re carting kids around town, trying to make a living, and just generally caught up in daily life, the art of practicing mindfulness can quickly take a back seat.
As the mother of a toddler, I always hear “it goes by so fast, enjoy every second.” And trust me, I believe it…the last two years have flown by. But when I’m changing a diaper or chasing my son down the street, I don’t always have my appreciation hat on.
So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’d like to share a few tips we can use this time of year, and in our everyday lives, to slow things down just a bit. Full disclosure: these are brought to you via extensive research, err Googling. While I have not yet put all of these into practice, I do plan to give them a try.
The Rinaldis - Food, Fun, Family & (Un)Forgettable
The Rinaldi Family has deep roots in the Pioneer Valley and an interest in its future. For nearly 45 years, Rinaldi's Italian Specialties served customers on Longmeadow Street, and currently, the Rinaldi Capital Group, a real estate investment firm, helps to provide quality housing and keep businesses thriving in the Longmeadow area and beyond. Robert keeps busy managing various properties owned by the family in the area, and Kathleen assists with bookkeeping.
Let Halloween be the only time you’re spooked in October!
While the falling leaves, chilling air, and ghouls and goblins of Halloween may rule the month of October, there's another bone chilling, bubbling cauldron of potential disaster that often goes unnoticed—your HVAC system. In the spirit of the season, we unravel the spine-chilling HVAC nightmares that can turn your cozy home into a haunting house of discomfort. The folks at Berkshire Heating and Air Conditioning want to make sure you avoid these potentially spooky HVAC monsters this season - but call them if they rear their ugly heads!
Erase Your School Anxiety with InfinityEd
Varna Naik began math tutoring more than a decade ago, and realized how rampant “math anxiety” was in our society - she saw a need to create a space for students to ease themselves into Math - and from there, InfinityEd was born.
“Little ol’ me, at a wee age of 18, didn’t understand that these [Math Anxiety] struggles existed; it burst my bubble and forced me into the real world,” said Naik. “Further, it showed me why folks have so many life problems: poverty, debt, and other financial struggles. My experiences in community college solidified into a conclusion: mathematics, as a core foundational skill that teaches critical thinking and creative problems solving, is neither taught nor learned properly. As such, some people struggle their whole lives with no way of breaking free from their circumstances.”
Avoid Spooky Social Media Scams this Halloween with our Best Ghoul-Tools!
We at MorningBird Media know the digital graveyard is an easy web to find ourselves tangled in, especially for business owners. Lately, we have seen a surge in scams and bot accounts lurking around every corner of the Facebook ether and want to ensure you are properly equipped to spot the imposters!
Tech & Town: Just Two Passions of Nate Munic
It’s been a journey from Ely Road, to the Carolinas and back again, but for Nate Munic, he’s enjoyed every step of the journey - and it’s all helped to inform who he is and what he does today.
“I love the neighborhood that I live in and am fond of the neighbors and how walkable the various parts of town are. My fondness for the community is also apparent in the work that I do for the town forum on Facebook, Longmeadow Pride and in the work that I do to help people with their technology in and around town.”
The Mathnasing Number Maze!
Summer is all about fun in the sun, but all that time out of the classroom means that your child might have had a summer math set back. At Mathnasium, our tutors build a love and appreciation for math, and can help your students get back on track this fall! Keep your student sharp with the mind-boggling world of The Amazing Number Maze!
Meet CLOSE: Coalition of Longmeadow Organizing Substance Education
In an effort to combat the growing concern of youth substance use, the community of Longmeadow began rallying together in 2016 to implement comprehensive prevention measures. Recognizing the critical importance of safeguarding their young population, Longmeadow Public Schools helped to develop CLOSE Community, the Coalition of Longmeadow Organizing Substance Education for the Community—led by caring volunteers including parents, educators, health care providers, grandparents, students, police officers, clergy, business owners & civic volunteers.
Your Newest Selectman: Meet Vineeth and the Hemavathi Family
“Longmeadow is full of amazing, smart, and fun individuals. We also love Longmeadow’s green spaces, its walkability, and overall friendliness,” said Longmeadow resident Vineeth Hemavathi. “We often joke that we feel that Longmeadow is like Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls – the ideal town!”
Whether you liken Longmeadow to Stars Hollow, Mayfield, Mayberry, or Agrestic, it is certainly some version of paradise for the Hemavathi-Stevens family.
Catch The Tail End of this HOT Summer Market & Earn TOP DOLLAR on Your Home - How Can YOU Earn 5-20% Over The List Price Of Your Home?
The summer months are a prime time for real estate and provide valuable tips for both buyers and sellers looking to make a splash in this scorching market. While the summer real estate market is typically associated with high activity and fierce competition, the tail end of this season often presents a unique set of opportunities. As the summer draws to a close, savvy buyers and sellers can take advantage of several factors that make the tail end of the market an enticing time to engage in real estate transactions. In this blog post, we'll explore a big reason to consider jumping into the tail end of the summer real estate market… Earning 5-10% OVER the list price of your home.
Back to School Tips For Families
With the school year starting, we wanted to share a few tips to help you and your family handle the transition to another year at school. Jeff Londraville is the author of The Filter, and has worked for decades in education.
5 Important Values to Teach Your Kids
Meet the Verriden Family!
It seemed to be a morning like any other. The minivan containing the Verriden family had just parked at Springfield’s Academy Hill School. Zach Verriden looked at his children grinning and giggling in the back three rows like they always did. But on this day, Zach (also Academy Hill’s principal) saw another adorable face - the children had smuggled their puppy, Gus, into the van!
It’s hard to fluster Zach, the even-kneeled midwesterner who dedicates his life to working with children - but the dog abduction by his well-intentioned children almost broke Verriden. Luckily, he was able to turn the dilemma into delight as the students of Academy Hill had a new mascot for the day - although Zach’s gray hairs are forever.
Such hijinks are the norm in the Verriden household. Zach and Anya, and their four children Henry (9), Tommy (8), Katy (7) and Sam (4), and their three dogs, Rosy (12), Maggie (2), and Gus (4 months), are always up to something. Sports and dance, Cub Scouts and Daisy’s, art, swimming, music, enrichment activities, and more, the Verriden’s are on the move.
Cool Down With Mini-Splits!
Mini-split HVAC systems, also known as ductless HVAC systems, have gained popularity in recent years due to their energy efficiency, flexibility, and ease of installation - and at Berkshire Heating and Air Conditioning, we have everything you need to install (or repair) this relatively new product in your home.
The Truth Behind Fiction
I’ve often encountered people who question the point of including the reading of fiction in our educational system. In a typical English class, students read and write about poetry, short stories, and longer forms of fiction, usually without fully understanding why. In fact, ELA and the other arts are treated frequently as unimportant subjects, consistently placed behind math and science.
Saving Sight & Serving Community with Vision: Meet Andrew Lam
Surgeon, writer, family man, philanthropist and mansion saver are just some of the superlatives fitting of Dr. Andrew Lam. Over the past 15 years, Andrew, his wife Christina, and their children Alex (19), Audrey (17), Sophia (17), and Daniel (12), have left their mark on Longmeadow, creating a rich history while preserving some of the town’s past.