New England Mamas

Summer Fun

School’s out and summer is almost here.  Trying to find the summer camp to fit your kids can be difficult.  Especially if two of the camps they want to attend run the same week!  My girls are doing some sporadic summer camp and other daily activities.  Next week starts our first planned activity of the summer.

Monday, all three girls will be attending Vacation Bible School (VBS).  Ironically, this was their choice, not mine.  A friend runs the program and invited the girls last year.  They attended and have been asking all year when they can go again.  You’d think with going to Catholic school, they’d be sick of religion.  But they love it.  It doesn’t matter what religion you are, you’re more then welcome to attend.  A bonus – there is barely any cost.  Many just ask for a donation.  Check your local churches for some fun activities this summer!

Monday also starts soccer camp.  While the girls will not be attending due to them wanting to go to VBS, I will be there.  One of my responsibilities as soccer VP was acting as a liaison between our soccer league and Challenger Sports.  If your kids are into sports, I highly recommend checking out their website to see if they offer any soccer camps near you.   Our soccer league has used this British soccer company for the past few seasons.  The trainers are highly enthusiastic about the sport and engage the children by introducing the sport in a variety of child friendly ways.   Seriously, check them out!

Monday, I’ll also be hitting the library to sign the girls up for the summer reading program and some craft days.  Einey went once a week for four weeks last year to the library for 1 ½ - 2 hours to make crafts.  She loved it!  This year, I’m signing the girls up for a few craft days, as well as Einey up for some craft days lead by the local girl scouts.  The best part, it’s free!   

Next weekend, Einey is going to one day of Girl Scout camp, or Camporee.  Her troop is not doing an overnight, which is fine by me.  I could send her to a weeklong program at any one of the Girl Scout camps, but there really are not any that are close by.  Plus I’m trying not to do week long programs.  Just enough to give them something to do to break up the monotony of being at home.

The following week, the girls will attend summer camp at their school.  They encourage you to leave their bikes and have a HUGE water slide set up.  Plus there are games and activities and they get to see their friends.   And they are putting in a new playground this week.  They’ve never had one before. Unlike many parents though, I didn’t sign them up for full week sessions, just a few days spread out through out the summer.  There are field trip days as well, but I didn’t send the girls to those.

If your school doesn’t offer summer camp, check your local Rec. department.  They usually offer full day summer programs as well as field trips.  The downside is, at least around here, they are fairly expensive!

Another thing I need to sign them up for is swimming lessons.  We’ve done swimming lessons through the Re. Dept. for the past two years.  The girls have fun and I like that they are learning a life skill.  For us, I feel it’s important that they learn how to swim!  We’ve got our beach passes already and cannot wait for the lake to open for many lazy summer afternoons of swimming.

One program we haven’t checked out, although I know the girls would love, are the week long summer sessions offered by Mad Science.  We’ve been to birthday parties at Mad Science and the girls LOVED them.  Maybe next year!

Another place to look would be your local community college.  The one near our house offers a kid’s academy.  Each week has a theme such as animals, science, cooking, etc.  I’ve heard from friends who have sent their kids that they had a lot of fun.

If being outside is more your style, check out your local Audubon Society.  They offer a variety of activities from guided hikes to summer camps.  Last year, Einey went to their afterschool program once a week.  She really enjoyed learning about nature and   taking hikes.  They looked for frogs, found mice in the bird houses they were cleaning out for the end of winter and looked for salamanders in a stream.

If you can’t find anything through your local Rec. Department, check out your local zoos, aquariums or science centers.  They usually offer a wide variety of summer programs as well, from one day programs to week long summer camps.

So let’s recap, for us, it’s VBS, swim lessons, craft days and school summer camp.  While it may seem like we’re doing a lot, most of these are either only an hour or two a day, once or twice a week or at the end of June and beginning of July.  For most of the summer, it will be widely unscheduled.  The girls want to invade the Cape again this summer and Husband wants to travel to New York – something about exploring caves.  Right now, I don’t know where we’ll end up, except of course, at the playground* and lake.

Now, if I could just convince the local coffee shop to install a playground, we’d be all set!

*The new playground in town is super cool.  Today, we met some school friends (planned and unplanned) for three hours of fun.  This is, apparently, the popular place to be.  This particular playground opened Memorial Day weekend.  It’s a Boundless Playground for kids with and without handicaps.  It’s been four years in the making and was well worth the wait!  We’ve been a few times and at first, it seemed overwhelming.  There are so many more people there than we are used to.  Add into the fact that the play structure tripled in size blocks the line of sight you once had.  But it’s new.  And fun.  And there’s shade to rest in.

What's a Rolling Rally, you ask?

The rest of the country hates us when it comes to sports. I think they're jealous. Let's fact it, New England has been just a tad bit dominant in American sports recently. Heh.

I think this photo says it all.

Yup, I was at the Celtics rally this morning. This makes my 3rd rally since 2004. It's too cold out for the Patriots. And I'm not really a football fan. I love my Boston Red Sox with all my heart, but I'm a pretty happy Celtics fan these days. It's been 22 years since the Celts last won the finals, and it's been a tough time to be a fan of the NBA in general. All those thugs, all that bad press. And Kobe. Ugh. So not a star.

However, if you think I'm going to miss a rally on such a gorgeous day, you just don't know me very well. I live for the rally. I love to scream as loud as I can and cheer on my teams. I love to see the players up close and personal.

In Boston we know how to do a rally right. We line up the duck boats and load them with players, their family and friends, and we intersperse confetti machines.

We pack the streets 30 to 50 people deep, all wearing the green.

We set off the confetti as the duckboats roll through.

Music is blasting,

People are hanging out their office windows.

The players are having the time of their lives.

They're smoking cigars in honor of Red Auerbach.

And holding up the MVP trophy.

The fans are going nuts!

Kevin Garnett is wearing 10 carats of diamonds in those ears. They're HUGE.

Doc Rivers looks so psyched

Paul Pierce is having a really good day.

Ray Allen looking good despite his baby son's recent juvenile diabetes diagnosis.

House and son.

Yeah, we know how to celebrate in this city. And evidentially, we know how to know how to play sports.

Now it's time to turn back to baseball. Go Red Sox!

Ways to beat the heat

While replying to a blog post, I realized I had enough material to make my own post about ways to beat the heat. For those of us in New England, it comes the day the heat wave is supposed to break (I'm sorry, my brains were fried the last few days!). Days like the past few, it was even too hot to go to the lake to go swimming - especially since it was all out in the sun.

Give the kids paint brushes with the containers of water and let them "paint" the deck (and anything they want on it). My girls LOVE it! They paint the house, the deck, flower pots, furniture, the grill. Each other.

Or give them some different sized Tupperware containers and cups to fill.  Or use water droppers.

And freeze some small toys (animals, dinosaurs, plastic jewelry, etc) in plastic cups and let them dig them out with spoons.

Let them take their Polly Pockets, Barbies, My Little Pony's or Superheroes out and give them a swimming pool. Polly Pocket loves to swim too!

If you have a glass door (like to a deck) or windows in easy reach, give them some foam tub toys and let them stick them to the glass.

Take out the tub toys.

If they have a toy fishing rod, give them objects the fish out of a bucket.

Give them objects and let them conduct sink/float tests.  If you give them a piece of paper, they can write their results down.

Water Balloons - they just need to pick up after themselves!

Super soaker's.  Juts make sure they all have the same one/same size or you'll hear arguments.

Turn on a sprinkler.

And if all else fails, give them ice cream for dinner. Not that I know anything about that. cough, cough, Monday night. cough, cough

Cross-posted at Whirlwind.

Lets talk about gardening, shall we?

There are few people hardier than the New England gardener. Whether you grow vegetables, perennials, or just a few annuals, gardening here in the 6 New England states can be tantamount to an exercise in frustration.

We have poor soil. Ahem. Actually the soil is really rich and dark. Unfortunately, it's not overly abundant. What we do have in abundance are rocks. We're very lucky to have plenty of rocks. Granite, after all, is a New England resource.

We have cold weather. Most people want to get the garden in May 1st. In reality, most people can't get the entire garden in until June 1st. It rains a lot in May, and it seems that it rains on weekends  when we have more time to garden than any other days of the week.

We have really  hot weather in June. New England isn't known for it's gorgeous spring. Mostly because we really don't have spring. We have mud season. It goes from freezing cold to rainy and cold to hella hot. So gardening means working very early in the morning or in the late afternoon. The two times I have the least amount of energy possible.

We have a ridiculously short growing season. In North Carolina you can put in a bunch of tomatoes in February and watch them keep producing until December. That's a lot of tomatoes. But here in New England, that's just a pipe dream. We plant in June, in August we get tomatoes, by October the plants have been killed by frost. It's quite the ego bust to think you're going to get enough tomatoes to make pots of sauce. We all need greenhouses!

But even with the weather, the short growing season, and the crappy soil New Englanders take to gardening like a moth to a flame. I've been gardening for years, and the only place I've ever been successful is in New England. I don't know how to garden in clay soil or where it's hot for 8 months out of the year. I'm not used to the bugs that the midwest offers. Or the snakes in Florida.

I grow what is called a salad garden, consisting of lettuce, tomatoes, cukes, zucchini, yellow peppers, and a lot of herbs. I love fresh herbs and believe that herbs make a huge amount of difference in my cooking.

I also put pots of petunias and zinneas and other annuals around the patio. But my greatest love is my perennial garden. Every year I am suckered in to buying even more perennials. It's not that I don't have the room, because everyone should be as lucky as I am for large plots of sunny land. I could put in an acre of perennials if I wanted to. It's that perennials are expensive and you get no return for your investment other than flowers and beauty. I know that these are important, and nothing pleases me more than when the garden is in bloom, but it's hard to justify paying a lot of money for a flowering shrub when you could be spending that money on vegetable plants.

But I'm never going to stop buying and growing perennials because I'm an addict. I admit it. My name is Margalit and I'm a perennial addict. There! I've admitted it.

Now it's your turn. What does your garden grow?

My Ultimate: About a Girl

("My Ultimate" will run most Tuesdays (0k, it is almost Wednesday) and will feature any topic that hops into my head.  The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the other New England Mamas. . . although they should).

Every time we go, we talk about a little girl who died.

"How old was she, Mommy?"

"Why did she die?"

"What was her name?"

"Was this all hers?"

I tell them what I can: 

She was 9. 

She had a lot of things go wrong with her body, but, in many ways, she lived a life a lot like your own. 

Her name was Julia. 

She used to visit this park with her parents.  After she died, they wanted to do something to celebrate her life that other children could enjoy too.

It is such a sad story.

And yet, Julia's Garden, found in WWI Memorial Park in North Attleboro, Massachusetts is anything but sad as the sound of children laughing and shrieking fills the air. 

It is a place that has parents gazing around in awe at the artistic benches, life-size unicorn (well,  what I imagine 'life-size' would be), and the hundreds of flowering bushes.

It has us choking back tears as we read about the little girl for whom this garden is named. 

But, it is also a place where kids excitedly climb a rope ladder to slide down the longest slide I've ever seen.

Where they get squirted in the face with water.

Where they can run up a wooded hill and find a large playground with more slides, swings, cars and picnic tables.

It is a place any child would love.  And, while I am glad I am able to make such happy memories with my children there, I will always think of that little girl.   May she be able to see all that she has left behind.

It's Apartment Sale Season

One of the best things about living in the Boston area this time of year is that so many of the graduate students return to their native lands (like New Jersey!) and sell off all their stuff. They don't want to move it, so they either have apartment or yard sales, and the bargains are unreal. I look forward to this time of year mostly to replenish my supplies of kitchen tools and appliances, and to upgrade my furniture. But sometimes I just plain luck out and find something I've always wanted/needed but never had the money to spend for sale at a 10th the actual retail price!

The graduate students from Harvard and MIT appear to be the ones that have the best deals. Especially if they are foreign students returning to their home countries. They want to get rid of everything. Because it's late spring, nobody really needs their winter stuff, so snowboards and skis are often free for the asking. It's how we got three pairs of good ski in great condition absolutely free! Winter clothing is also priced to move. An LL Bean down jacket for $5 isn't out of the ordinary!

Furniture is also best bought right about now. I find bookshelves to be the cheapest, and because I'm one of those readers that can't seem to get rid of hardback books, my need for a large bookshelf every year isn't out of the question. Last year we got a wall-sized bookshelf AND a matching desk for $45. Now I'm in the market for yet another bookshelf.  Desks and chairs are a hot commodity, as are futon sofas. So many grad students buy futon sofas thinking they're a great investment, but actually they're hard to get rid of, so they go for a song. I think they're great in a playroom basement, or for a guest room, but in a living room, they're just not that comfy.

Rugs are also available for a lot less than you would pay in any store. Even Ikea. I got a real Afghanistani rug from a woman returning to Kabul for $25 that a rug deal would sell for several hundred. Sometimes people throw in a rug if you're buying a big piece of furniture. They just want to get the stuff out of their apartments.

If you're in the market for porch furniture, papasan chairs are a dime a dozen. I think they must be a requirement in graduate student housing because everyone is selling them. Televisions are also going for a song this year, especially since most aren't HDTV and won't be worth much come next year anyhow.

Living so close to so many universities does have its downside. Traffic, rowdy neighbors, lots of bars, etc. But when it's June and the students flee the city, the sales they hold to get rid of everything they own.... just fabulous!

10 things to do this summer in Rhode Island

With summer ("unofficially") upon us, it's time to start rolling out the summer plans.

Even in the tiny state of Rhode Island, there is plenty to do... either for a day trip, a weekend trip or a full-on vacation stay.

If you are planning on visiting our nation's tiniest state this summer, here are the top 10 must-dos:

1) Explore Newport. This seaside city has endless opportunities for summer fun, from the beaches (Easton's beach - or "First Beach" to the locals - is great for families with its carousel, children's playground and skateboard park) to the Cliff Walk (3.5 miles of architectural, coastal and wildlife beauty) to the  Newport Mansions (tour 11 of the historic properties that have helped define America's heritage, located on 80 acres of gardens and parks). Don't forget to stroll down Thames Street and stop for a bite to eat at The Red Parrot or  Salas'. A short walk from Thames St. will bring you to The Black Pearl for award-winning clam chowder and an elegant atmosphere. And for the best buffet in town, plus a fabulous theater/cabaret production, don't miss the Newport Playhouse.

2) Go to the Roger Williams Park Zoo. There are always fun events, exhibits and more going on at the zoo, located on the grounds of Roger Williams Park, which also offers a carousel, boat rides and greenhouses.

3) Watch a PawSox game. The Pawtucket Red Sox are the Triple-A Affiliate team of the Boston Red Sox, and their home turf, McCoy Stadium, is right here in Pawtucket, RI. Enjoy a family-friendly, wallet-friendly experience, watching the future household names of baseball fine tune their skills. Sometimes you'll even catch a current Boston Red Sox star playing at McCoy as he rehabs following an injury.

4) Experience WaterFire. This summertime tradition is an experience not to be missed. It lights the night with 100 sparkling bonfires along the three rivers of downtown Providence. Thousands gather to watch the beauty of WaterFire take in its musical and cultural accompaniments. Don't miss it! (Scroll down to the bottom of this page for the  2008 summer schedule.)

5) See the Narragansett Towers.  These much photographed historic Towers are located on a beautiful and scenic stretch of road along Narragansett Beach. Live music and dancing, and other public events, are held at the Towers throughout the summer.  But it's worth a visit, even  if only to take photographs of the architecture.

6) Ride your bike. Rhode Island has so much natural beauty, and one way to experience much of it is by riding on the state's many bike paths. The paths will take you along the riverways, through beautiful towns and into parks.

7) Visit Block Island. The laid-back atmosphere on Block Island is just perfect. Go for the music festival, unleash your adventurous side and go kiteboarding - or just spend the day traversing the island by bicycle.

8 ) Pick Blueberries. July and August are the best months to go blueberry picking around here. When you pick them right from the bush, blueberries are so ripe, fresh and delicious! My favorite place is Rocky Point Farm. You can find detailed information about where to pick other fruits and vegetables around Rhode Island here.

9) Spend the day at the park. For such a small state, there are plenty of wonderful parks in Rhode Island. My favorite two are Colt State Park in Bristol and Goddard Park in Warwick. Pack a picnic basket, a Frisbee and some Wiffle Ball equipment, and you're good to go. Both parks offer walking trails and small beach areas. And you can go on horseback rides at Goddard Park.

10) Kayak on the bay. You're never far from the water when you're in Rhode Island (we are the Ocean State, after all). Take a tour on kayak with The Kayak Centre in Wickford or Ocean State Adventures in Bristol.
 

Try To Set The Night On Fire

Last night, the kids got to stay up late enough to see a river lit on fire.  It was the first WaterFire of the '08 season, and we decided to ignore usual bedtimes in order to be there.

We started our evening at the Providence Place Mall, eating dinner at Dave & Buster's, where no one seemed to mind that Jilly spilled her lemonade, not once, but twice.  After a few video games in their arcade, we were ready to go outside and get positioned for the lighting of the fires. 

Having never been at the start of the event, I had no idea how the whole thing would begin.  The Mall is at one end of the fire's route, so we just started following the path of the river.  It was about 7p.m., about an hour before sunset when the fires would be lit.

In the river were floating buoys filled with wood, waiting for the start.  A beautiful gondola pushed a couple through the still waters.   Vendors sold glow-in-the dark light sabers and necklaces although we convinced the kids to wait until we found WaterFire volunteers selling their "Ribbons of Light" necklaces which double as a fund raiser.  Unfortunately, WaterFire is also feeling the economic pinch; with fewer corporate sponsors this year, they've had to cut back the number of fires that will be lit through October. 

With my kids' tired legs and my husband's broken toe, we did not venture far down the river's route.  We heard that at the other end, closer to the colleges, were more festivities, but we were content to find a spot to sit at  WaterPlace Basin, where the fires are set up in a large circle.  Outside one restaurant, there was beer and wine for sale.  We chose instead to fuel up on Del's Lemonade.

The area around us became crowded with people, and it was a true melting pot of ages, ethnicities and styles (my kids really liked the guy with rainbow-colored hair).  We saw several people walking dogs and pushing babies in strollers.  People ate and drank at the restaurants with outdoor seating along the river.  My kids rolled down a grassy hill as we waited for sunset.

Shortly after 8:00, music started to play through the loudspeakers---a slow, drumming beat.  A few songs played as we sat in the dark.  Finally, we saw a boat appear, followed by several others piled with wood and black-clad volunteers.  A torch was lit and the fire was passed from boat to boat.  Most of the boats then headed back upstream but two stayed in our circle.  After positioning the boats at opposite ends of the circle, they began to light the fires in front of us. 

The crowd cheered.   The atmosphere, though, was calm and soothing.  Many stood to walk up river, although we chose to sit a while and watch the flames grow higher.  The river seemed to glow as it reflected the light.   The ambient music continued to play as we slowly got up and began our walk back to the car with sleepy children in tow. 

The next WaterFire is Friday, May 30th (see a complete schedule here---scroll down page for dates).  Beginning in August, the lightings will occur before 8pm, so those with early bedtimes can attend without too much disruption to their schedule.  Don't miss it.

Gay Marriage in New England

As of today, Massachusetts is no longer the only state to allow the legal marriage of same sex partners. California's Supreme Court just struck down a ban on gay marriages, making it the second state in the union to allow same sex marriages. Tiny Massachusetts has allowed gay marriages for a few years now, and funny thing.... nothing in the state has really changed. Most couples that marry here in MA are your regular bride and groom couples. But not all. For that most of the state is thankful. But not all. There are always going to be people that speak of same sex marriages as an abomination, against the bible, and will fight to strike down the law. Thankfully, they remain in the minority. 

What interests me about our New England area is that every state save Rhode Island allows some sort of domestic partnerships. Same-sex marriage is recognized only in Massachusetts, but four states -- Vermont, New Jersey, Connecticut and New Hampshire -- have civil unions. California has been one of five states -- along with Hawaii, Maine, Washington and Oregon -- with domestic partnership or reciprocal benefits laws that provide some marriage-like rights to same-sex couples. Now, of course, California joins Massachusetts in providing full legal rights to same sex couples.

What is about New England that makes us so much more accepting of same sex unions? It isn't that we're more liberal. I think anyone who has set foot in New Hampshire realizes that it isn't the most liberal state in the union by any means. It has nothing to do with the weather, right? So what is it that makes our little corner of the country welcome same sex couples?

I love that my city in MA has performed almost 300 same sex marriages since the law changed in 2004. These are all families living in our small city, sending their kids to our schools, and voting in our town elections. They are our neighbors, our friends, our classmates, and our fellow congregants. We live in harmony, we see no differences between these families and another other family. In the almost 4 years since MA has legalized gay marriage, nothing untoward has happened. We haven't legalized bestiality, incest, or any other of the horrors predicted by opponents of this law. In fact, life has gone on and same sex marriages barely ever even pass our minds. It's just another fact of life here in MA. I would dare to say that this is the same in other parts of New England, were domestic partnership has removed so many of the fears and worries of gay families, especially with regards to medical proxies and legal decisions.

So congratulations to California. And hopefully the rest of the country will eventually follow suit.

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.