New England Mamas

2010 First Night Events around New England

Say farewell to 2009 and hello to 2010!  Here's a round-up of First Night activities throughout New England.  All have family-friendly activities planned for kids of all ages. 

Massachusetts: 
Boston - First Night Boston
North Shore - Beverly's New Year
South Shore - First Night New Bedford
Cape Cod - First Night Chatham
Worcester - First Night Worcester (See one New England Mama's take on it here)
Western MA - First Night Northampton

Connecticut:  First Night Danbury;  First Night Westport;  First Night Hartford

Rhode Island: Bright Night Providence

Vermont:  First Night Montpelier;  First Night Burlington;  First Night St. Johnsbury

New Hampshire:  First Night Portsmouth;  First Night Wolfeboro

Maine:  First Night Bar Harbor;  First Night Old Orchard Beach

If I've missed any, please feel free to add them in the comments.  And as always, please celebrate safely and responsibly.

Harry Potter - the Exhibition at the Boston Museum of Science

I will go to great lengths for this blog, GREAT lengths, because I love this blog and its readers (that would be you, by the way). 

How great is my love?  Well I’ll tell you...

I went with my family to see the very popular Harry Potter exhibition at the Boston Museum of Science, during a holiday week, just so I could report back here.

Let me repeat that:  Harry Potter.  Boston Museum of Science.  During a busy holiday week.  With the rest of the inhabitants of the entire east coast of the United States of America and probably parts of Canada, too.

That’s how much I love you. 

Rocking New Years - Kids' Style

Two years ago, we were invited to a friends' house for "A New Year's Eve Kids' Bash."  This event was such a success, that this year will mark the third annual event.  Our friends' graciously open their doors and their home to an average of 11 kids and 10 adults.  They provide the bulk of the food and the activities.  Everyone provides the fun.

A mom's guide to Worcester First Night

New Year's Eve is almost here!

For many of us, gone are the days of fun parties, clubs and, quite frankly, just staying up to midnight. Why was it a good idea to have kids? I'm just kidding! Plus honestly, these days, staying up to midnight can be a feat and that has to do with getting older not having kids!

However, now that we do have kids, our New Year's Eve plans have definitely taken a different turn. I'm always keeping my ear out for fun New Year's Eve plans and recently have had a couple conversations about First Night.

A couple years ago we took our then four year old and 18 month old to First Night Worcester. I had been to First Night Evanston (IL) a couple times before having kids and enjoyed it. I suspected that it would be similar. Of course the key phrase was "before having kids and enjoyed it"!

So what exactly is it? 

To stay up or not to stay up

My kids have never rung in the New Year at its appointed time.

Heck, last year was one of the first in recent memories where I made it to midnight before conking out.

This year we'll attend a friend's party where the new year will be rung in at 7pm with more fanfare then most First Night celebrations. Then, after apologizing profusely for the mess left in her home, we'll leave, drive home and promptly tuck our rugrats into bed.

I don't think I'll make it much longer after them.

So what do you do?

Do you put on your game face and stay up until midnight? Do you get a sitter and go out? Do you let the kids stay up with the promise not to light the house on fire, and sneak off to bed?

I used to say the kids had to go to bed because they'd never make it to twelve. But now that they have way more energy than I, it won't be long before they are tucking me into bed first before heading out.

Just not this year.

Merry Christmas from the New England Mamas

 
Best wishes for a safe, happy and healthy holiday.  May it be filled with laughter and love, close family and good friends.

All I want for Christmas is. . .

All I Want for Christmas is... A Lifestyle Lift.  Yes, really. Okay maybe not. Well kinda, yeah. Oh, I don’t know.

All I want for Christmas. . .is my Two Front Teats

There was a time, however brief, that I possessed a chest. It may not have been bountiful, but it was not board-like, either. The first sign of increased cup size manifested itself shortly before the birth of my daughter and lasted through a single suckling year. The bounty returned with my second child. Twenty months later, it is beginning to recede again as my son cuts back to a 2- or 3-times-a-day nursing schedule. Of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my boobs the most.

All I want for Christmas. . .

Dear Santa,

I know it’s kind of late in the game (what can I say, I’m a procrastinator), but I’m hoping you get this letter in time for the BIG DAY.

My list is rather short this year. In fact, I don’t really need anything at all. I’ve got a pretty good thing going: healthy children, a loving husband, a roof over my head and bills that are paid.

So, just so we’re clear, this is not a complaint letter.

But there is one little thing I was hoping for this year (besides a complete kitchen renovation because who are we kidding?). I don’t even know if you have the ability to pull this one off, but here it goes…

All I want for Christmas. . .

Health, happiness, a good movie, and to take the kids to a Chinese restaurant for dinner!

For us non Christians, there isn't much else to do on Christmas but go to the movies and go out to eat Chinese afterwards. It's such a Jewish tradition that the restaurant we frequent is usually packed with people lining up out the door. The local theatres are overwhelmed with huge crowds and a lot of people who know each other and need to yell "hello" over crowds of people.

It's tradition!