A Lesson from Mr. Hatch
Today, Paige (also of Mudroom Boston) shares a beloved book, good for Valentine's Day or any day:
"Mr. Hatch was tall and thin and he did not smile." And so begins the story of Mr. Hatch, a lonesome man who leads a gray and dreary life. He leaves his house at precisely 6:30am for his job at the shoelace factory every day, sits alone and eats his cheese and mustard sandwich for lunch every day, and stops at the grocery store for a fresh turkey wing for dinner every day. And then one day, a day unlike every other day, the postman changes Mr. Hatch's world when he delivers a giant heart-shaped box of chocolates, complete with a special Valentine's note. "Somebody loves you," the note says. But who?









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My Canadian friend Leslie gifted Laurel with a copy of Anne of Green Gables a couple of years ago. Given that Laurel loves chapter books with female central characters, we've been looking forward to reading Anne together but the language is still a little too advanced (Amazon lists the series for ages 9 and up). I subsequently was thrilled to find an
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My
I'm trying to get back into the habit of reading before bedtime, as both a means to transport and unwind. I so enjoyed
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Probably due to my denial about the summer's end, I'm a little stunned that today is Laurel's first day of school (and other than some morning grumbling, it went off without a hitch...no tears at drop off!). I know many of you have already started the school year or are starting this week so I wanted to share a few of my favorite tips for making mornings easier, plus some excellent back posts to help with transitions. Because experience with Laurel has taught me that transition can be easy (last year) or challenging over many months (two years ago). Good luck everyone!
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Hello friends! Per usual, the web was replete with interesting tips and inspiration this week. Here are some links that I thought you'd find interesting -- enjoy!
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I love
Whether it's craft projects or food, I have always loved making things from scratch. And one thing I suspect the voracious Violet will appreciate in the coming year is homemade baby food. I was a pureeing fiend when Laurel was a baby, but this go around I'm even more excited about experimenting with baby food because I'll be able to draw inspiration from both the locally grown bounty of our CSA, and the remarkably good looking recipes in
I met
Simply put, I love having 
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I first met Alicia Ybarbo at
The thing about my friend Jenny (aka
Whether you're early or late in your pregnancy, read on for my thoughts on
What a fantastic episode of Life.Style this week! I chatted about
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What a fun episode of Life.Style this week! I chatted about
While I adore the community feel and eco-friendliness of public libraries, and the shiny newness and convenience of large bookstores, my current happy medium is the independent used bookstore. And
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One cool thing about raising a growing reader is that we're now hitting material that: a) I remember loving as a young girl; and b) still captivates after all these years. Before the holidays, Laurel decided that she wanted to read
It was so great to get back into the studio this week, and it was wonderful to kick off my 2011 programming talking about
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So fitting for the holiday season,
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Given that my parents used to subject their household visitors to impromptu recitals by me and my six siblings (at a point where none of us were exactly musically proficient), I tend to cringe a little when I think of family recitals. However, recently I was overwhelmed by the awesome that was Laurel's assembly of a family recital, thanks to these fantastic
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If you didn't have a chance to watch
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Laurel's reading took flight last year in kindergarten, and with it she developed a love for chapter books. And while the novelty of seeing her curled up reading independently on the sofa under a blanket has not worn off on me, we still love cuddling up and reading together. On the latter, though I appreciated the series' gentle age appropriateness, I admittedly was hugely relieved when Laurel got over her obsession with the formulaic (as in, I literally would fall asleep reading the books out loud) Rainbow Magic books, and moved on to something Jon and I also find entertaining: Ivy + Bean.
On
Wow, I truly cannot get over the awesomeness of
Thanks to
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We're big into books in my house, and though we'll reuse Laurel's well loved (read: residually slobbery) books when
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Since Laurel is academically oriented by nature, this summer I've been all about simply playing and getting her outside and active. However, she loves activity books and they are my go-to item to bring to restaurants and when we travel, and we also use them for quiet time at home. And whether you want to use activity books to warm your child up before the school year starts, or simply want to use them on the go or at home as we do, check out
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As I wrote in response to yesterday's Dear Boston Mamas question about
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Music is a powerful trigger, and for me, They Might Be Giants immediately conjures memories of rocking out to their quirky tunes in college. And whether you're a longtime fan, or want to widen your kid's palette of musical options, together you'll no doubt enjoy TMBG's foray into family friendly music. TMBG plays at the
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These days I don't often get out to see live music (other than, um, children's music) so it was really fantastic to host some friends this week at the
Before it gets too hot to turn on your oven, try these cookies from Sarah Magid, recommended by
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Spring has sprung! And today, 
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Are you looking for a compact, portable reference to help navigate the kid-friendly ins and outs of our fair city? Today I share my thoughts on Kim Foley MacKinnon's new book,
Despite leading an uber digital life, I remain loyal to the tactile joys of books and print magazines. And given my passion for simplicity and
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Stephanie Precourt projects remarkable light, positivity, and gratitude; qualities -- along with her lovely writing style and beautiful photography -- that make her blog
Despite being a digital mom, I’m that mom; the one who refused to have anything but natural wooden and soft toys around Laurel as a baby, the one who has steered clear of anything battery operated since. Until recently. And while I remain a proponent of the learn through play philosophy via basic tools -- you’ll always find a plentiful supply of books, paper, paint, colored pencils, sculpting clay, dry pasta and beans + measuring cups, etc. at our house -- I now feel that it’s possible to merge certain electronics into the mix with Laurel; as a supplement, with benefits, and without taking over.
Jennifer James is one of the first bloggers I met in real life, through the inaugural
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Are you on the (seemingly elusive) hunt for music that the whole family will enjoy? Today,
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Kids need to move, and never is that more evident than when our craft and book loving kiddo reaches the end of the day without enough climb time (envision Laurel leaping off of furniture). And if you’re looking for a way to combine literacy and exercise (particularly on a raw day like today), check out the
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I didn’t plan on this being sexual health education day, but it seemed only fitting to follow my
Back in our sleep deprived (and admittedly clueless) days of early parenting, Dr. Harvey Karp’s
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Laurel has been enamored with mermaids ever since spending time at "mermaid cove" with her friend Lucy during our summer vacation in Maine. Barbara Beery’s
The last week has been a tad crazy, what with family visits, Laurel’s 5th birthday, and yesterday’s (rocky) first day of kindergarten, but the generosity of Laurel’s loved ones has not escaped me. Over the next few days I’ll share some of her favorite birthday gifts; the first being
When I was a kid, I so wanted my mom to be involved in school activities. Not surprisingly though, what with raising seven kids and running a business with my dad she didn’t have time. So this week I felt both happiness and more than a bit of nostalgia when my mom helped me teach Laurel’s pre-K class about Korea (the class is studying countries around the world and Laurel asked if I would come in and teach about Korea). The following are notes on what I put together; the general format would work well for any country.
On mornings where Laurel resists waking up, one foolproof way to get her to roll over and open her eyes is to read aloud. She adores books and I love reading them to her, especially when they are as beautifully crafted as those by
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A couple of weeks ago I attended a
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For me, few things signal summer like lolling on the beach with a juicy book (which unfortunately means summer hasn’t quite arrived in my household…), and lucky for those looking to load up their beach bag with summer reads,
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You know you’re either terribly predictable or somewhat loved when folks write in asking if you’re trapped under something really heavy on a day (yesterday) with no posts or
Welcome to
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Today, Heather reviews Ben Rudnick & Friends’ new family music CD
Planning a homebirth? Today,
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Ever since realizing – with more than a modicum of embarrassment – that I
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In our house, books get an immense amount of love, and if you've also got avid bookworms at home, consider showing your love for scribes and artists during
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This post is a bit oddly juxtaposed to the
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Does your child have a tendency to look at life through somewhat darkened lenses? Today, Tracy offers a review of