Meet a Northeast Mom, Writer, Teacher Working For Healthy School Lunches

Introducing Jackie Mroz—and read on to find out where this writer, teacher, volunteer, and mother of three active boys had lunch last week!

SHE’S ALL THAT: Jackie Mroz

MOVED TO MONTCLAIR: 1997 from Hoboken

KIDS: Three boys at Northeast for that one great year when they’re all in the same school: 5th grade, 2nd grade, kindergarten

WHY SHE’S ALL THAT: In addition to taking care of three active sons and volunteering at Northeast Elementary in several capacities, Jackie also writes for several publications including New Jersey Monthly and the New York Times, teaches a journalism class at Rutgers, takes a class on screenwriting, is working on a screenplay, and is an avid baker and gourmet cook. Read on to find out where Jackie ate lunch last week; the answer may surprise you!

WORK: I’m a freelance writer, mostly for the New York Times and New Jersey Monthly, doing regular features and interviews. I used to do more for the Times when they still had the regional section. I just did a long article on Ron Galella, the paparazzo who photographed Jackie O and a lot of other famous people. I saw a film about him at Sundance last year called, "Smash His Camera" and found out he was from Montville so I went to his house and interviewed him and his wife. Sometimes they assign me a piece and sometimes I choose. I also did one on a doctor at the Montclair Breast Center who found out she had breast cancer from an early mammogram. I followed her for a few months going with her to treatments; I went to office, etc. I’m lucky because I basically get to do whatever interests me; I don’t really have a beat.  My sister is afraid to talk to me because she knows I can get a story idea from anywhere, often from talking to people or from reading something. I can be having a conversation with her and she’ll say “Oh no, is this going to be an article?”    

I also teach Multimedia Journalism at Rutgers two mornings/week. And I’m taking a screenwriting class in the city on Wednesday nights from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. It’s hard but I love it. I’m writing a screen play about chocolate. 

LIFE BEFORE KIDS: I was always a journalist. I was an editor and editorial writer at the Bergen Record, but after my 2nd child I became a freelance writer. 

WORK/LIFE BALANCE: It’s great. I can usually arrange to do my interviews while they’re in school. Once in a while I’ll have to do one in the afternoon, and the kids will come barging in and I get really embarrassed. Usually people are nice about it and they understand. Generally, when the kids are in school, if I’m not exercising, I’m working. 

THE SCHLEPPING: My sons do soccer and gymnastics. The driving isn’t so bad.    

VOLUNTEER: I’m Co-chair of Health & Wellness at Northeast. One of the big things we’re doing is working with the committees at other schools and the food service providers to try to make school lunches healthier. I actually had lunch at Northeast the other day. It was eye opening. I interviewed the kids. Even they knew it was unhealthy. I just couldn’t try the chicken patty, so I had a grilled cheese. One big thing is we finally got a salad bar at Northeast. But they don’t offer water with lunch! Just juice, milk, or chocolate milk. It’s an uphill battle, and it would really help if we could get more people involved. 

I’m also on the School Action Team (formerly school review) and was co-chair for the previous two years. We talk about school issues that affect children and parents; we act as liaison between parents and school officials. And I’m the class parent for the Kindergarten class, organizing the parties and events and gifts for teachers. Our teacher is retiring at the end of the year, after many, many years and all three of my kids had her so we’re planning something special for that.    

EXERCISE: I’m hooked on kick boxing. In a good week, I’ll go three times. I do it at Talium in Cedar Grove. I also go running with friends, maybe a couple of times a week depending on the weather.

WHAT GIVES: I used to be very neat about the house. I couldn’t stand clutter, it would drive me crazy. Now, I’m looking around my bedroom and I have piles of toys and papers everywhere and I just can’t let it bother me.  It’s too much to do. 

PET PEEVE: Rude or aggressive drivers. We seem to have a lot of them in New Jersey.    

BIGGEST CHALLENGE: I guess it would be unplugging from the computer and work and checking my email and instead, being fully present with the kids. It’s hard. 

INDULGENCE: Going out for coffee or breakfast with my friends. I love doing it but I always feel like I should be working or working out instead. 

WHAT YOU DO REALLY WELL: I’m a big baker. I make great chocolate chip cookies. I make banana bread, cookies, brownies, everything. My family loves it! 

BIGGEST HELPER: Definitely my husband. The two mornings a week when I teach I have to leave at 7:30. The kids don’t go to school until 8:00 so he packs the lunches and gets them off to school. They don’t do hot lunch—for a while I was pushing it because it would be easier, but then after I ate there I said forget it.    

BEST WEEKNIGHT DINNER: My husband and I both love to cook.  Lately my kids have been loving homemade pizza; I make the dough and everything. I got really into homemade bread. My husband’s staple dinner that he makes is probably Chinese dishes like chicken with black bean sauce. The kids are picky but we try to figure out things they’ll all eat. I hate making five different meals. The most we’ll make is three. 

BEST RESTAURANT TO ORDER IN FROM: Brookside Thai (we have to go get it; they don’t deliver), Dai Kichi, and Soho pizza. 

KIDS’ FAVORITE RESTAURANT: Star Tavern and Tinga. Tinga has a great kids’ special on Monday and Tuesday nights—kids eat for $5. 

FAVORITE NIGHT OUT W/ ADULTS: We like Corso 98 and Raymond’s.

FAMILY VACATIONS: My family has a place at Bradley Beach on the Jersey Shore so we go there a lot in the summer. And then my husband’s family is British so we get to meet them in Europe. Last summer we took the kids to Paris and they loved it so much they wanted to move there.  We’re really lucky we’re able to meet my husband’s family—we definitely wouldn’t be doing that type of trip otherwise. 

And I’ve gone to the Sundance Film Festival three years in a row now. I meet friends from college there and I do some work. I write from there. 

BEST PLACE TO PICK UP KIDS’ BDAY GIFT: Learning Express.

FAVORITE MTC CLOTHING STORE FOR YOU: Anthropologie for clothes and Tory Jane’s for shoes. 

FAVORITE MTC ACTIVITY: Taking walks to Brookdale Park and going sledding at Northeast. 

WHAT YOU LOVE ABOUT MONTCLAIR: I love the people. And I love that it’s a real town and that the people here really care about the town. It’s not just a bedroom community. 

BEST ADVICE: Let your friends and neighbors help. I’m lucky I have great neighbors and we’ll often watch each other’s kids if we have to run out. I also do Cooking with Friends with my friend Alison Bermack. We get together and cook a large batch of dinner food like chicken fingers or meatballs so we get to socialize and then we all get to freeze some so we always have homemade food in the freezer for dinner. That's a huge help.