We managed to catch a few moments with Jennifer Giattino as she caught some rays. As a resident of Hoboken for the past twelve years, stay-at-home mother Jennifer loves her life here! She moved from New York City across the Hudson to 7th Street with her husband. The decision was pretty simple: “I rented an apartment in the city, and my husband owned here in Hoboken; it just made sense.”

A stay-at-home mother is no easy task! Especially with three little boys running around: 4, 6, and 7 years old. Jennifer worked full time up until she was pregnant with her third son. She wanted to get more involved with her children’s activities, something taking a break from work could provide.

Jennifer’s favorite part about being home with the kids is the opportunity to actively participate in their daily lives, including volunteering with their three different schools. The only draw back, Jennifer said, is “no down time.”

A typical day for Jennifer starts off with leaving the house at 8am with all three children.  This begins their morning walk to school.  Each child attends a different school in Hoboken.  Not long after the three stops are complete, Jennifer must pick her youngest son up from preschool.  She typically takes him to his mid-afternoon activity, which can be anything from karate to soccer.  After his activity is over, it’s time to get the other boys.  They all trek together to the second round of activities.  After activities it’s back home for homework, dinner, baths and bed.  Did I mention that Jennifer manages to eagerly volunteer with their schools?  As a member of the parent team, Jennifer is always being asked to help out, an offer she happily accepts.

What’s one of Jennifer’s favorite things to do? Be in one of the many Hoboken parks! Church Square is her most frequented park, located between 4th and 5th, on Garden and Willow Streets. This park is somewhat centrally located in Mile Square City, and only two blocks from Jennifer’s house. “We always see friends, I love it!” said Jennifer. And lucky for her, both she and her boys always end up running into them at the park.

Jennifer’s favorite place in Hoboken is Surya Yoga. “Yoga time is MY time,” said Jennifer. She really gets to relax and forget about any stresses from her day. “I have an amazing teacher,” she went on, “Susan Steiner is great!”

What would she like to see less of in Hoboken? All the litter! Hoboken “is our community, and we want to keep it clean.” Cleaning the unkept sidewalks and dog waste are just a few small steps residents can take to making Hoboken a little better.

So what more could she want? One word, GREEN! And we’re not just taking about parks and playgrounds and swing sets; we’re talking about grass, green green grass. “Just some open space, somewhere,” said Jennifer.

When asked to describe her life in Hoboken, Jennifer put it simply as “I love it here!” The new addition of bike racks all over are definitely a big plus. “You see people you know everywhere you go,” she continued. From store owners to friends to restaurant owners to friendly familiar faces. “Even my kids will recognize people from (different) places,” she laughed.

Three words that describe Jennifer are energetic, busy, and happy. Just from the few moments I spent with her, this was abundantly apparent. Jennifer is always on the move, with a smile on her face.

Some of her favorite hobbies include biking, yoga and going out (day or night). “Mountain biking would be ideal,” said Jennifer. Unfortunately, Hoboken doesn’t really offer that terrain. A former hobby, and interesting fact, is that Jennifer used to be a semi-professional ballet dancer. She had been dancing ballet since she was four years old. When asked why she doesn’t continue with it, Jennifer went on to say that “once you are very serious about it, its hard to just do it for fun.” She tried a local place, but just didn’t get that same excitement as she one did.

Jennifer doesn’t really have any big plans or goals for the future. “I just like to live in the now, and do it!” Which is lucky for us that we were able to get an interview, right here, right now.

Every week hMAG posts Faces articles featuring someone from the community because, after all, hMAG is all about the community.

Do you know someone we should interview for an upcoming article? Pitch your idea to editorial@hmag.com and we might include you or someone you know on hmag.com or an upcoming issue of the magazine!

All candidates MUST live or work in Hoboken and agree to have their picture posted.