What a crazy week it's been -- I have some exciting news to share very, very soon! Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to a fun weekend and hope you are too. Here are 12 picks for your consideration:

1. This chocolate festival has my name all over it. (Cambridge)

2. What can I say -- I love a Chinese New Year parade. (Boston)

3. This artful snowshoe tour would probably still be beautiful, sans snow. (Lincoln)

Continue reading "12 Fun Weekend Picks" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 27 Jan 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Fun Indoors; Fun Outdoors; Local

Today, Lindsey (also of A Design So Vast) recommends a favorite family board game:

My family loves to play board games. I haven't had too much luck finding any beyond the old classics -- Sorry, Connect Four, Monopoly -- that everybody really gets into, but that changed when my daughter was given Spy Alley for her ninth birthday. Spy Alley is "a game of suspense and intrigue" and we have found ourselves playing it over and over again. Each player has a secret spy identity, and the goal is to complete your mission by obtaining code books, disguises, keys, and passwords while also hiding who you are from the other players. To do this you have to purchase the books, disguises, keys, and passwords of other spies, hoping to confuse your competitors as to your real identity.

Continue reading "Spy Alley" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 26 Jan 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Books & Entertainment; For Babies & Kids; For Grownups

Dan Zanes is one of our favorite also-awesome-for-adults kid's musicians. Nueva York! definitely gets the most play in my house, but across his spectrum of albums, Zanes and his collaborators are consistent with their energetic, multidimensional style across a range of cultural inspirations. I'm thrilled that Dan Zanes is coming to the Somerville Theatre February 5th (11am/3pm shows) and it's also fantastic that the kind folks at World Music/CRASHarts have offered me a pair of tickets to give away to one of you awesome readers. The show is sure to be a rockin' party; here's how to enter to win tickets:

Continue reading "Dan Zanes in Somerville" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 25 Jan 2012 | Permalink | Comments (1) | Filed in Fun Indoors; Local

Today, Jennifer (also of Hey Girl Momma Go) shares some local spots to get your groove on:

This week's warmer temperatures aside, we've had some really cold days. The winter blues are lurking in the corners of our house for sure, but thanks to my 6 1/2 year old daughter's new microphone and my husband's old amp, we are doing a lot of rockin' out these days. We dance, we sing, we whip our hair around, we even have a disco ball. So it got me thinking about cool options for dance classes. Things have certainly evolved from the traditional ballet, tap, and jazz of my youth. Here are a few local options to help kids and adults stave off the winter doldrums.

Continue reading "Shall We Dance?" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 24 Jan 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Fun Indoors; Local

I hope you all enjoyed this lovely weekend! In my opinion it was the perfect amount of snow -- plenty to be pretty and fun to play in (Laurel frolicked outside for two hours with her cousins yesterday!) but not too arduous to shovel. Oh, and also, congrats to the Patriots! Now, here are some handy/fun ideas to consider in this week's Weekly Blueprint:

January 23: Come glean the best ideas for getting organized.

January 23-29: Bread and Puppet Theater brings a carrot circus to Boston.

Continue reading "Weekly Blueprint" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 23 Jan 2012 | Permalink | Comments (1) | Filed in Fun Indoors; Fun Outdoors; Local

Because I'm all about reducing physical and emotional clutter in life (I'm even speaking about this topic at BlissDom next month), I'm thrilled to join Asha Dornfest of Parent Hacks and Meagan Francis of The Happiest Mom to host a conversation on The Best Ideas For Getting Organized at The Motherhood. Join us tomorrow -- Monday the 23rd -- from 1-1:30 pm EST to chat about simplifying and streamlining your home, schedule, and life. No complicated technical know-how is required to participate in the chat -- it's basically like commenting in on status updates. You will need a logon at The Motherhood to participate, so hop on over and register now. You can also submit questions in advance if you like.

Continue reading "The Best Ideas For Getting Organized" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 22 Jan 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Home; Solutions

Last year we opened a bank account for Laurel -- she's really proud of it. She saves up money to put in her account and is always game for rolling loose household change (we tell her if she's willing to roll it, she can deposit it into her account...she just deposited $21 in loose change this week, actually). And while normally I don't get excited about banking matters, I am really looking forward to ableBanking opening so we can transfer her savings. Normally I would not write about a bank opening, but stick with me -- helping out your favorite nonprofit is involved!

Continue reading "For Your Favorite Nonprofit" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 21 Jan 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Good Deeds

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you're gearing up for a wonderful weekend. Here are 12 picks that caught my eye:

1. Hail to The Monkey King! (Cambridge)

2. Hooray -- there's actually snow on the ground for this family snowshoe walk. (Mattapan)

Continue reading "12 Fun Weekend Picks" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 20 Jan 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Fun Indoors; Fun Outdoors; Local

Today, Paige (also of Mudroom Boston) shares a beloved book:

During a recent playground conversation with a fellow mom, we were recounting our childhoods. Although we grew up in different areas, our memories were the same -- hours and hours of unsupervised outside playtime with neighborhood friends, solo bike rides into town to buy candy, and walking to school by ourselves by the time we were in second grade. As we hovered over our four collective children, occasionally interrupting our own chatting with a "Don't run so fast!" or "Watch your head!", I reflected on how much life and "playtime" had changed for my own kids in just one generation.

Continue reading "A Reminder from Roxaboxen" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 18 Jan 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Books & Entertainment; For Babies & Kids

Happy snowy Tuesday everyone! I hope you all had a lovely and reflective long weekend. This morning I wanted to share one timely online event + some other fun updates. First, today at 1pm ET, I'll be co-hosting a live chat on The State of the Mom Blogosphere over at TheMotherhood. The chats are TheMotherhood are amazing, as are my co-hosts -- come join the conversation! (No complicated technical know-how required; it's basically like commenting in on status updates.) Second, I'm super honored to be featured in The Improper Bostonian's style section this month. The fashion shoot was insanely fun and I hope to share more of talented Adam DeTour's photos soon.

Continue reading "A Chat Today + Updates" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 17 Jan 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Travel; Web (Admin)

Today, Sheri offers ideas for celebrating and learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. at home (and if you're looking to get out of the house, there are several MLK activities included here):

Monday, January 16, is a holiday for our school-aged children. It's important for kids to understand why they have the day off and why we celebrate the birthday of one of America's most influential people. Kids can learn the history behind the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the event surrounding a man who changed history through a variety of activities that can be fun, inspiring, creative, and educational. Below is a sampling of ideas; if you have others, feel free to share in the comments!

Continue reading "Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr." »

Posted by Christine Koh on 14 Jan 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Holidays; Winter

Happy Friday! I hope you're looking forward to a lovely long weekend. Here are 12 picks that caught my eye. And stay tuned -- this weekend I'll post some ideas for fun, creative, and educational ways to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at home.

1. Dance, arts, crafts, and critters to celebrate Chinese New Year. (Dorchester)

2. A family friendly show at Club Passim. (Cambridge)

Continue reading "12 Fun Long Weekend Picks" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 13 Jan 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Fun Indoors; Fun Outdoors; Holidays; Local; Winter