New England Mamas

Stay Cool!

(Didn't you just hate that pat expression written over and over again in our H.S. yearbooks? Or did you help perpetuate the phrase yourself?)

Ugh! It's been so dang hot lately! And guess what?! Neither my nor Hubby's car has working A/C! Yee haw!

Still - we drove an hour and a half this past weekend to a cousin's graduation party in Franklin, MA.

Today I drove for close to an hour up to a meeting in Concord, NH.

Luckily, Hubby's got a job not too far from our house this week. But in recent weeks, he's had to drive as much as an hour+ to get to the job.

And to think! Last year, late August, we three drove all the way to Hershey, PA! With no A/C! And there Sweetie was in the backseat, covering herself completely with a wool blanket, just to amuse herself during the long trip.

My memory may be tricking me some, but I really don't think it was as hot during that trip last year as it has been here these last few days.

Thank goodness that it seems tomorrow will be much cooler. About 15 degrees cooler, in fact! Still hot, mind you, but much more manageable.

Stay cool, everyone!

BlogHer Boston or Bust

BlogHer Boston is coming! Yee haw!

I've been waiting for registration to open on this for months! And finally - it is!

Too bad I don't currently have a job. Oh, I have a decent severance package. And I presume I'll be gainfully employed before my finances completely run dry. But there are no guarantees.

Not that the registration fee is all that much. Actually, I think it's rather reasonable. Especially because I don't need any overnight accommodations. I can just make one long day of it, then head on home.

I can do this! I've been planning to do this! I will register!

But,...uh....I'll just wait a bit longer. Let's see how that second interview I've got on Thursday goes before I spend all my severance pay on other things, m'kay?

Wish me luck! And hope to see you all at BlogHer Boston.

October 11th, girls! See you then!

Let Go

That's a funny saying, isn't it? "Let go". It could mean a variety of things. Some good, some bad, some indifferent.

(A couple weeks ago), for me, "let go" was a very bad thing.

I was let go from my job. With a company I've worked for for 11 years. Purely budgetary reasons, I'm assured - nothing at all personal against my performance. I'm not the only one to go.

Still - it sucks.

I spent (that day) with Hubby, my mom, and Sweetie. I networked via email with friends, family and blogging/writing associates. I made the most of my day.

I'm glad I did, as it all helped me realize something very important.

I'm good. Hubby, Sweetie and I are all good. This is an opportunity. This is the kick in the butt I needed. Now I can get on with my life, pursuing the sort of career I truly feel passionately about.

I'm actually excited. I'm optimistic. I'm setting off on a brand new path - eager to realize my dream career. Writing, editing, educating - these are my passions. These are the areas I'm skilled in and the career path I'm eager to finally - confidently - plant my feet on and march on down. I can do these things. I've been doing them. Now's my chance to actually make a career out of them.

I'm good now. Soon, I will be great!

Oh, and one more thing. I'm going to make the most of this extra time with Sweetie before she heads off to kindergarten in the fall. This, right now, is the last bit of time when Hubby and I can really decide how she'll spend her days. This time with her is truly a gift.

Here's to the future. Here's to pursuing one's passions.

Here's to letting go.

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Reprinted from Sweetie & Me: Spina Bifida Moms.

While The Mama's at Work...

This past Friday was a rather trying day for me, work-wise. Not that I wasn't able to keep myself together and my duties as orderly as possible, mind you. Nonetheless, it was - shall we say - a long, 12 hour work day with barely a moment to breath.

And while I toiled away in my office cube, where do you think my little Sweetie and darling Hubby were? If you guessed gallivanting around York Beach, ME with friends on a beautiful spring day, you'd be right.

Lucky guys.

Yes, that's right. Hubby had an unplanned day off from work, and his friend from Portland just "happened" to take a personal day too. So the two of them, plus Sweetie and the friend's 3-year old daughter, got to go play all day while the Mamas worked.

Yippee for them.

Honestly, though - I'm told a fabulous time was had by all. There was a Hubby-proclaimed awesome playground at the beach for the girls to play in and the beach itself was not too big nor too crowded on that particular day. And, of course, Hubby was thrilled to get some quality "Man Time" with his buddy he doesn't get to see as often as he'd like.

Fortunately, Hubby also reports that this beach is only about 1 hour, 15 minutes from our So. NH location - so he's very excited for the three of us to visit there as often as possible in the coming summer months.

Okay! You bet!

'Cuz actually participating in a fun beach day with you and Sweetie sure would be a lot more enjoyable than hearing about it after a long, stressful day at work.

What Do You Do To Feel Healthy, Free and Full of Life?

I don't know about you, but we go to our friendly neighborhood cemetery for some good ol' fashioned exercise.

Daddy runs laps, Sweetie scoots laps, and I simply lap up the fresh air and sunshine.

Oh, how I love the spring!

It's a Wonder-Full, Chipmunk-Filled Life

(Stay tuned at the bottom of this post for information on my wonderfully fun contest details!)

We just took Sweetie to The Boston Museum of Science this past weekend. For such a smart, curious, silly little girl, there was no greater place we could have taken her!

(While at the museum, Sweetie introduced herself to another mom and little girl, saying - My name is {Sweetie}. I'm really smart and a little curious. And extremely humble too, I might add. What's with this a little curious business? She's been saying that about herself for weeks! I mean, she is curious, but we've not made a habit of telling her she is at all.)

Anyway -

At the museum, Sweetie got electric...

And she boogie oogie oogied....

In fact, she had a fiercely good time with all the mirrors...

Then we viewed some wickedly deceptive artwork...

Before ending the day with a lighter activity - butterfly-making in the Discovery Center!

Yes, we all had a wonderful/wonder-filled day of learning, playing and laughing at the museum. Sweetie's already talking about our next trip there!

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And now for my All-Official-Actually-For-Real-Exciting-DVD-Give-Away Contest!!!

I have been given 3 copies of the brand new DVD Alvin and the Chipmunks. Sweetie actually got her own early copy from the Easter Bunny and has enjoyed both the wide screen and the full screen versions multiple times in the last week. But that's okay because this is one movie that's truly funny - entertaining parents and kids alike.

And now, I'm sharing with you! That's right - I have those 3 copies and I will give them away to 3 of my readers. Here's what you have to do:

If you'd like to be entered into my Alvin and the Chipmunks DVD Contest, please just leave a comment on this post. And if you'd like to tell me A) your most wonder-filled childhood memory, B) A wonder-full moment you experienced with your own child(ren), or C) your favorite Alvin and the Chipmunks related memory - well, that would be pretty dang awesome too.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to leave said comment on said post before the stroke of midnight (EST - or there abouts. I'm not that picky) on Friday, April 4th 2008. From those timely entrants, I will randomly choose 3 winners using a highly scientific names-from-a-hat method. I'll announce the winners in my next Sweetie Saturday post on April 5th.

That's it! May the best reader win!

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Cross-posted at Sweetie & Me - Spina Bifida Moms.

O'Baby! That's Good Food!

I have a cousin who lives in Beverly, MA. She was my matron of honor at my wedding. She one of my very good friends. But, we don't get to see each other too often.

A month ago, though, I was on vacation from work, so we arranged to meet up at our grandmother's house in Acton, MA. That is just about the half way point for both of us, plus it gives us the opportunity to visit with our loving family matriarch. Sounds great!

Hubby happened to be off from work that day as well, so he, Sweetie and I made the trip to MA. My cousin brought along her toddler daughter and newborn son. We had a wonderful visit!

Around noon, we said goodbye to our grandmother and headed to a new cafe to catch a bite to eat. We went to O'Naturals. And, oh baby, was it awesome!

My cousin is a strict vegetarian. Hubby, Sweetie and I do not eat red meat. Even with those restriction, O'Natural's was a great hit all around with plenty of options for everyone. In fact, they pride themselves on all natural, organic food offerings and are very community friendly.

Heck! Sweetie ate her entire grilled cheese sandwich which, if you know anything about Sweetie, that in itself is saying a lot!

Hubby seriously could not stop talking - All Day Long - about the fabulous bread. OMG! Seriously awesome, tasting, crisp-yet-moist sandwich bread. Perfect!

O'Naturals offers soups, sandwiches, a good childrens' menu, and lots of tasty beverages. They even have a play area, complete with a train set and play kitchen, for the kids to amuse themselves at while the adults finish up. The prices are great as well. Really, there's not a bad thing I can say about O'Naturals.

So if you find yourself near Acton and get a hankering for something yummy and wholesome to eat, head on in to O'Naturals. You won't regret it.

Bring Hope To New England

I've found something positively revolutionary.

It's a new site called Hope Revolution, started by Krystyn, one of the lovely ladies who established the now defunct Mama Says Om site.

Yes, MSO may not exist in cyberspace any longer, but Krystyn has found a truly remarkable way to continue her efforts of making a great change in the world.

This site was set up after Krystyn received several positive comments on her personal blog when she posted pictures of little Hope Notes she left all around her city - NYC. Because of this positive feedback, she figured several others may like to perform similar random acts of kindness and hope in their own communities.

She's right. Hope Revolution already seems to have a large, inspiring audience of hopeful individuals.

Currently, Krystyn is asking participants to create their own Hope Notes and anonymously distribute them throughout their own pieces of the world. After doing so, you can even post your pictures through the Hope Revolution Flickr account.

I've already created a large number of notes and have strategically placed them nearly everywhere I go - from my work to the grocery store to the local coffee shop. My notes have been left in both NH and MA. I even left one on a table at my daughter's pre-school.

Here are a few shots of my card-making progress:

 

I apologize that you're not able to clearly read all the messages I've written. And I'm especially sorry that I can't even transcribe them for you, as they're either distributed by now or sealed up in their envelopes in my purse. But you get the idea.

For me, I really like putting each card in an envelope, so I never know exactly which message I'm leaving behind where. I figure this way is best, as the "right" message will most certainly get to the "right" recipient this way.

Sweetie and Hubby have even helped out, designing and writing their own cards (see Sweetie's green BE GREAT card above). Sweetie especially is really getting "into" it, and, just this weekend, very sneakily left a card inside the front pages of a stack of newspapers on sale, instead of simply on top of the papers in plain sight.

That recipient is surely to get a happy surprise when he/she reads their morning news!

I would so love it if I could get several others interested in taking on this Hope Revolution challenge. Please do check out the site, start making your cards (you don't have to make many, and they don't have to be pretty - it's simply the message that matters most), and get to the hope-spreadin'!

And once that's done, keep going back to Hope Revolution for more updates, more inspiring stories and photos, and more Hope Challenges.

Krystyn and myself will be so grateful. And your world - our world - will start to feel just a wee bit more hopeful for your efforts, I promise.

Thank you.

Walkin' In A Summer Wonderland

Ugh. Yesterday's weather... just. ugh. Foggy, wet, rainy, slushy, yuck. I've had it. The best thing I can say about yesterday's New England weather was that at least it wasn't freezing cold. I'm hoping that's a sign for more regular spring-like weather making it's way to us soon.

As it stands, I'm finding my frozen, slushy brain trying to break free of the frozen, slushy weather by planning Sweetie's half birthday party. Why, yes - it will be June 21st. Why, yes - that's this summer - some five months away from now. But goodness gracious, it's so much more fun to think about this shindig than to wallow in the snow piles and icy precipitation.

See, Sweetie's actual birthday is December 20th. She just turned 5 and this is the first year she's expressed having a big birthday party for her pre-school friends. But given the hectic holiday schedules kept by most families, a kiddie celebration was just not in the cards. And so, we've promised her a half birthday party.

And I've chosen the theme: Alice in Wonderland - Happy UnBirthday Tea Party. Sweetie is most enthusiastically on board with this. As is Hubby. Yahoo!

I'm already making lists and taking notes. There will be dressing up. There will be croquet. There will be Pin The Smile On The Cheshire Cat. And, among other things, there will be a huge "magical" looking glass (frame) for the kids to walk through as they enter the Wonderland Party.

My biggest consideration right now - and admittedly, it's a big one - is: where are we going to have this thing?

We don't live near most of her schoolmates, so I feel asking them to travel out to our house is a bit much. Plus, our yard is not very big or kid friendly, for that matter.

I'd absolutely LOVE to have it at someplace like Davis Farmland in Sterling, MA. Yes, that too would be traveling. But my main interest in Davis' (or someplace like it) is their corn maze. I so want to have a maze for the kids to walk through - very Wonderland-esque. But, I'm pretty dang sure the corn maze feature of Davis' or elsewhere isn't even an option until the autumn. So, um.... yeah.

I'm going to look into our local parks. Perhaps Greeley Park in Nashua, NH? That certainly would be a agreeable location for all attendees, I'm sure. But I just don't know how parks feel about people coming with tables and props and Big Plans to set up on their turf. Can it be done? I don't know.

So - what are some of your options? I need a So. NH location for hosting Sweetie's Wonderland Happy UnBirthday Party. Any suggestions? For places OR party plans, actually - I'll take it all.

Thanks so much! Looking forward to all your thoughts. And, of course, looking forward to a change to a warmer, sunnier season!

Testing

Just to test the categories.