New England Mamas

Friday Family Fun Night

Some time ago I promised my children, ages 5 and 7, that my husband and I would try our best to keep Friday nights free of adult plans so we could institute Friday Family Fun Night. It would be a guaranteed night of the week when we would put down the laptops, blackberries and remote control and just do something silly or fun or creative as a FAMILY. It's crazy that we even had to pick a family night, but during the week between their school work, my husband and I working full time, and extracurricular activities that creep their way into our lives, I had to make this promise to them and to myself.

What do we do on Friday Family Fun Night? It totally varies on the weather and the mood. But here's an idea of what we've done this winter and maybe you can incorporate them into your family fun night, or use them to kick off your own weekly routine.

Safe outdoor skating rinks for the skittish mom

The Omen (II)  ruined me for ice skating on a pretty lake in the winter (no, I'm not linking to the scene; if you are too young to know it, consider yourself lucky).

Yes, that's my little guy standing on a frozen pond a couple of years ago, but it was after five days of sub-freezing weather  and seeing  250-pound ice fishermen walking on it before I could agree to let him out there.

It would figure I’d marry a guy who loves to ice skate and wants the kids to follow in his footsteps. And, while we could go to an indoor rink, I agree that there is something so quintessentially New England about skating out-of-doors. 

So instead of flashing the dreaded movie scene in my head every ten seconds, I've scouted out a few safe outdoor rinks that my kids and I can enjoy without me stopping every ten seconds to say, “did I just hear a crack?” We haven't tried them all, yet, but we will.  Feel free to add your favorites that are beyond my little corner of the world. 

How can we stomp out mean girls?

The other day, my five year old came home from preschool. As we talked about his day, he described three of his fellow classmates as "the mean girls".

"What?!", I asked him in surprise. Did I hear that right? Did he just call three girls, ages 4 and 5, the "mean girls"? 

"What do they do? And why do you call them that?"

Turns out, they are sort of a clique. They like to stick together and not really play with anyone else. 

Mind, you, this is the second clique I've heard of in his class of 20. The other is a small group of boys. 

Cliques. Mean girls. Boys who stick together like glue.

In preschool. A great preschool with caring teachers who are actively trying to do something to stop what they see happening before their eyes.

What's Happening this Weekend - Indoor and Outdoor fun!

The Friends of Ipswich Elementary Schools (FRIES) - Doyon Chapter and Boston's Chinese Folk Art Workshop are teaming up to welcome the Year 4708, the Year of the Tiger, with a performance of a variety of traditional Chinese folk arts such as Dragon Dance, Lion Dance, Taiwanese Drums, Chinese yoyo and Folk Dance at the Ipswich Performing Arts Center on Saturday, January 23, 2010.  Performance starts at 3:00 p.m.  Work out some of those winter blues and try out some of the dances, instruments, and folk arts with the performers at the conclusion of the event. 

Tickets are $8.00 each and will not be available at the door. Tickets can be purchased online.   

----

Feeling outdoorsy?  Snowshoeing for Families at Mass Audubon Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in Worcester, Sunday, January 24 from 1:30pm - 3:30pm.  They’ll teach you how to use snowshoes before heading out onto the trails and then teach you how to look for signs of wildlife as you enjoy the beauty of the sanctuary in winter! Registration is required.

----

More of the indoor type?  Visit the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art this weekend.  Spend the day  with the family and take in exhibits like “Golden Legacy: Original Art From 65 Years of Golden Books”. 

What's happening this weekend - Massachusetts

Our regular feature, What's Happening this Weekend, is highlighting Massachusetts events this week.  Enjoy!

Central Mass:
Whether you’re a full-fledged farmer, a wanna-be hobbyist organic gardener or somewhere in between you’ll want to check out NOFA*/Mass annual winter conference “Food from Farms to Families” at Worcester Technical High School in Worcester, MA this Saturday, January 16, from 9 am to 5:30 pm.   

Over 40 workshops (including ones specifically for teens) on organic farming, gardening, landscaping, and sustainable living, as well as exhibits to check out, and even a children’s program (for kids 3 and up) that runs during workshops times.  You won’t have to worry if there’s something for you at the NOFA/Mass annual winter conference, you’ll have to worry about narrowing down your choices!  A must attend for anyone interested in healthy eating, an organic lifestyle and supporting local farms.

Western Mass:
For fans of art and fans of children's book illustrations - The 20th Annual Children's Illustration Show at R. Michelson Galleries in Northhampton, MA (ongoing until Jan. 31, 2010).  Featuring the work of acclaimed artists such as Dr. Seuss, Mo Willems, Maurice Sendak, Eric Carle, and Tomie DePaola.  Open Monday through Saturday 10am-6pm and Sunday 12-5pm. And the best part about it is, it's free! 

Eastern Mass:
For the little ones who love to dance and sing and let's face it, the adults too - Ben Rudnick and Friends at the Center for Arts in Natick on Saturday, January 16 at 11am.  Adults are $9 and kids are $6.  Love to jam?  You'll love iParenting and Parent's Choice award-winner Ben Rudnick.  He's groovy.

[image credit - BenRudnick.com]

*Northeast Organic Farming Association

Ski Bunnies

I skied once.

I was 27 years old and we went to SugarLoaf or SugarBush or some Sugar Mountain. I hated it. I stood up, fell down, ran over some poor 5 year old holding onto the tow rope, fell again, swore, fell and tried to take a lesson. The instructor kept telling me to keep my knees apart. I don't think it was a pick up line. But I wanted to shout back, "Do you think I'd purposely cross my skis every 3 feet because I enjoy falling on my ass?" After that quick lesson I went straight to the lodge to call it a day. Sounds like a fabulous time, right?

So why on earth would I sign my kids up for skiing lessons?

Donuts are not your friends.

(By Christine)

Did you make a resolution to lose weight in the New Year? Yeah. Me, too. In my house, I employ the old Weight Watcher methodology of decades ago – set your target for 10% of your current weight and don’t put a date to it.  Slow, even progress works just fine.  No one says you need to drop 20 lbs in 4 weeks. But you do need to move. Can’t lose weight eating Lean Cuisine on the couch all day.  Sorry, it’s a fact.

Plus, in my world I need my own pace and goals. I can’t have a celebrity fitness instructor shouting at me from behind the flat screen TV. That doesn’t motivate me.  It makes me hide in the bathroom.

So, in my quest to lose the few extra pounds that snuck back on the last time I successfully lost some weight, I started hunting for fun and healthier recipes and ideas to keep peace in the house while Mama empties the cupboards of sugar, fat and sugar.

Winter Crafts that are for the birds

Winter can be a great time for bird watching. One way to entice them into your yard it to provide food. There is something beautiful about seeing a bright red cardinal against the snowy white ground.

The easiest way to draw birds into your yard is to provide plants that they can eat and hide in as well as fresh water to drink. Last year, I posted this craft I did with the kids.

Here are a few more that you can do.

Food fight - how do you get your kids to eat?

Do you know this old joke?

Q:  What do your kids eat?
A:  Nothing.

Bah dah bum.

I try to find the humor in it but trying to get your kids to eat a healthy meal when all they want is junk food is not very funny either. 

If you have little ones like I do, you know that most kids don’t want to eat what you put in front of them.  Even if they ate the darn meal the night before, even if you prepared a brand new meal and it wasn’t the dreaded leftovers, there’s a good chance they’ll turn their nose up at it.  Frustrating?  Just a little.

Starting the new year by homeschooling

The holiday break is almost over. Based on my Twitter feed, this is a source of great joy for many parents, but for some, this fact brings nothing but stress.

Maybe your child's teacher or school is making life miserable for your family. Maybe you are thinking your kindergartner isn't really ready for the daily schedule. Or maybe your child is a square peg trying to fit into a round hole, with little success.

Or, maybe you are like I was and are just intrigued by homeschooling but have no idea how to make the first step.

Here's your first step.