Today, Jennifer shares some great local theatres where you can get your musical fix on a budget:
The first time my parents took me to a musical, I was blown away. My dad surprised us with season tickets to a local theatre and we saw everything from Annie to South Pacific that year. I was in elementary school at the time and boy, nothing I'd seen up to that point compared to the glorious lights, music, costumes, and magic that is live theatre!Today, Jennifer shares some great local theatres where you can get your musical fix on a budget:
The first time my parents took me to a musical, I was blown away. My dad surprised us with season tickets to a local theatre and we saw everything from Annie to South Pacific that year. I was in elementary school at the time and boy, nothing I'd seen up to that point compared to the glorious lights, music, costumes, and magic that is live theatre!
Though Laurel has been more experimental with vegetables since we embarked on our CSA journey last year, green vegetables (save cucumbers) remain a sticking point. Until recently, when my sister Jenn brought over a spinach pie and Laurel shocked me by both offering to try it (usually I have to ask) and loving it. So of course I was eager to find an easy recipe to take advantage of this new love. And I found it in Nick Stellino's Mediterranean Flavors (notably also the source of this moussaka recipe Laurel loves).
Today, Kate shares a great local spot for sweet and savory treats, and a cookbook that will allow you to recreate tasty treats at home:
One of the many great things about living in the Boston area is getting to enjoy Joanne Chang's wonderful Flour Bakery + Cafe. Chang is a pastry chef and entrepreneur, and a devotee of all things baked and frosted and all-around yummy. Each of the three locations of Flour (Cambridge, Fort Point, the South End) is a happy haven in which to sit, relax, and enjoy a range of sandwiches, salads, and lots and lots of baked goods. Chang is committed to using real foods and fresh ingredients -- none of your pre-packaged, over-oily muffins and scones here -- and to helping people to learn how to bake well at home.
I love Katherine Center's writing, so it was such a treat to meet her last year at Mom 2.0 Summit. She is warm, welcoming, lovely, and creative, and probably the only person (aside from Laurel) who I have allowed to mark up my person (she painted the word "awesomeness" on my arm during our first meeting). For today's four favorites guest post (sadly, the last in the series!), I asked Katherine to share four favorite books -- books that are excellent in quality yet easy enough to absorb while in the trenches of nursing and sleep deprivation.
It was a momentous week, and one that left me -- and many others -- with complicated emotions and reactions regarding the death of Osama Bin Laden. This week Mindy Roberts, Susan Carraretto, and I discussed what kind of message we're sending to our children if we rejoice over Bin Laden's death, whether we feel safer now that he is gone, and how to talk about these issues with our kids. The video is embedded below and you can weigh in on the conversation here or over at Momversation. I'm curious to hear how you are processing these weighty issues with your kids.
It is with immense sadness that I share that yesterday, contributing writer Sarah Feather died following her spirited battle with cancer. Sarah not only offered fashion and lifestyle inspiration here at Boston Mamas and elsewhere, but for the last couple of years she has documented her journey with cancer at The Carcinista with impressive wit and candor. Sarah is survived by her husband Ed, sons Whit and Avery, and countless friends and family who undoubtedly will always remain in awe of her spirit, humor, and impeccable sense of style.
One of the experiences that helped me break out of my blogging "cave" was my first in real life blog event -- the Disney mom blog mixer. And among the lovely women in attendance was Jo-Lynne of Musings of a Housewife. Jo-Lynne and I share a number of passions -- design, fashion, food -- and given that she writes a lot about her journey with whole foods, for today's four favorites guest post, I asked Jo-Lynne if she could share four easy family meals. As in, easy enough to assemble while slinging a baby, because sadly, there does come a time when the visitors bearing casseroles and take out dries up.
In the weeks following Violet's birth, I have been utterly touched by the kindness and generosity of many people, and Jon has encouraged me time and again to not be too proud -- to take people up on their offers to help. Even so, shortly before the April break, I was hesitant to accept a dinner drop off offer from my friends Eli and Sheri of Magic Beans, given that they have three kids, four stores, and -- judging from the time stamps on e-mails I have exchanged with Sheri in the past -- apparently never sleep. But, well, I'm really glad I did.
Natalie Zee Drieu and I are virtual kindred spirits around all things stylish and crafty. In addition to sharing fabulous finds at her blogs Coquette and Coquette Maman, Natalie is the editor-in-chief at the fantastic website Craft, where I have had the honor of sharing some of my crafty tutorials. Natalie and I both have crafty daughters, and since I've been thinking of ways to keep Laurel happy while I'm busy tending to her new sister, for today's four favorites guest post, I asked Natalie to share four favorite crafts to entertain older siblings.
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 The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet.
I met Joslyn Taylor of Simple Lovely last year in New York City at an event to benefit the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, and was thrilled to reconnect with her awesomeness at Altitude Design Summit this year. Joslyn is so elegant and has wonderful (seemingly effortless!) style, so for today's four favorites guest post, I asked Joslyn to share four pretty and lovely things to help moms forget the giant mess that home has turned into (when I asked Joslyn to guest post I envisioned being surrounded by soiled burp cloths, breast pump supplies, and take out containers...).
I met Gretchen Rubin last year at Mom 2.0; I loved hearing her speak, reading The Happiness Project (which I highly recommend everyone read), and becoming friends with Gretchen over the course of the year. Gretchen is a gifted writer, deep thinker, and lovely friend, and given that I reflect on gratitude in life's big and small moments regularly, I particularly love that Gretchen's mission involves finding happiness in all corners and in tangible ways. For today's four favorites guest post, I asked Gretchen to share four ways to find happiness while in the trenches of parenting a newborn.
Simply put, I love having Sharon Couto of Mom Generations in my corner; she's smart, funny, inspiring, and deeply supportive of her family and friends. In the past I've joked about wanting to become an honorary member of her family (I also adore Sharon's daughters, Audrey and Jane). Sharon is a former English teacher and has undertaken the impressive project 365 Days of Literacy for Kids, so for today's four favorites guest post, I asked Sharon to recommend her four favorite books about siblings/family.
It's been fun to see the family and food dialogue that has transpired as part of Momversation and Ragú®'s Mom's the Word on Dinner Program. Today, my second video with the project just launched -- in it, Whitney Moss, Kim Tracy Prince, and I discuss what dinner means for families. I've embedded the video below (it's just over three minutes long) for your viewing pleasure. I hope you enjoy it, and feel free to hop over to the Ragú® Sauce Facebook page if you want to share your thoughts on mealtimes and family.
One of the most positive mojo business pairings I know is Cooper Munroe and Emily McKhann of TheMotherhood.com. Personally, I adore spending face time with both of these lovely ladies, and Emily and Cooper's work is all about fostering community and conversation around parenthood. It seemed only natural for today's four favorites guest post to ask them about four ways to include older siblings in the arrival of a new sibling. They actually go beyond the four tips and offer a plethora of community ideas drawn from some of their live web chats.
My friend Lindsay Ferrier not only is a fantastic, funny writer (her personal blog Suburban Turmoil makes me laugh and cry, and her style blog She's Still Got It has inspired more than a few shopping sprees), but she always looks fantastically put together while being totally approachable. I have adored Lindsay ever since meeting her at Blissdom, and for today's four favorites guest post, I asked Lindsay to recommend her four favorite postpartum fashion picks. She's such an overachiever that she gave me six.
Carole Arsenault of Boston Baby Nurses has been sharing her wisdom as a regular contributing here at Boston Mamas for over two years, so when she told me she was writing a book, I was thrilled. And Carole's book -- The Baby Nurse Bible -- does not disappoint. In fact, given the sea of information parents typically are overwhelmed by, this book is particularly refreshing in the tangibility of scope (it's just over 300 pages) while covering an impressive amount of information.
I adore Heather and Whitney of Rookie Moms. They're wonderful, funny friends, and through their website (and book The Rookie Mom's Handbook), Heather and Whitney offer countless practical ideas for breaking out of maternal hibernation. In February I was featured on Rookie Moms as a born again rookie (since it's been a long time since we've been in the diaper trenches) and it subsequently seemed fitting that for today's four favorites guest post I ask the Rookie Moms to share four fun outings that moms can enjoy with a new baby.