Happy Sunday everyone! It was a gorgeous morning for the 5-miler I ran in Cambridge (so fun to run the whole way with friends, btw!) and now I'm cozied up at home while Violet naps and Laurel is off at a playdate. If you're looking to catch up on some web reading, there was so much great content on the site last month. Enjoy this compilation of the best of January 2014:

At Home

- 30 things to do when school is cancelled

- 7 ways to celebrate the Lunar New Year with kids

Books & Entertainment

- Civil rights movement books for kids

- 14 awesome puzzles for babies, kids, and grownups

Critter Love

- For the love of penguins

- Groundhog Day trivia and celebration

Fashion

- The ridiculously awesome pants everyone keeps asking me about

Food & Fitness

- Meals made easy: warm winter salad

- Jeannie's apple crumble pie

- 16 sources of totally doable fitness and nutrition inspiration

Local

- A great spot for budding thespians

- Local Gems: Beacon Hill, Boston

- Local Gems: Medford

Personal/Professional

- Inspiration to help you be even more awesome in 2014

Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome

- Volume 1

- Volume 2

Image credit: blood orange loaf cake via Pinterest

Pursuant to my last post, I'm thrilled to kick off my first Friday Find! So, you know how every now and then you buy a piece of clothing that prompts people to ask, Where did you get those?? That would be my J. Crew Factory skinny utility pants. I scored a pair of the tuscan olive on super sale and love them so much I went back for the vintage pewter. They're comfortable, flattering, have awesome style lines and edgy little zipper pockets, and go with everything. I wear them constantly. And people keep asking me about them.

Image credits: J. Crew Factory

Thanks to yesterday's Weekly Blueprint, I learned that tomorrow (January 29) is National Puzzle Day. Yay for puzzles! Laurel has always loved puzzles (as have I) and Violet is following suit with freakish focus. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to share some of our favorite puzzles across stages. We love working on big puzzles as a family, but I admittedly still find it satisfying to snap together a 30-piecer! Here are 14 awesome options:

1. Melissa & Doug rules when it comes to chunky puzzles such as this farm animals puzzle. It's perfect for toddler paws that are just starting to strive for motor control greatness.

2. The little four-piece puzzles in this Mother Goose set were a favorite of Vi's. 

3. I love the illustrations in eeBoo products and this baby animals puzzle pairs set is no exception. Laurel loved it as a toddler, and so did Vi. The only thing Vi didn't like was the mismatched pairs (babies separated from their mamas), a function of us losing various pieces over the years.

4. This 12-piece Very Hungry Caterpillar puzzle is a great option for fans of the book (isn't that everyone?). Also, the sturdy pieces and carry pouch are perfect for (sometimes destructive) toddlers.

5. Jon bought this 30 piece barnyard floor puzzle for Violet last Christmas and it has received lots of action. The pieces are nice and sturdy, the animals are beautifully illustrated, and the unusual shape is a nice alternative.

6. On more than one occasion, Vi has sung the Animal Boogie song while working on this 36-piece Animal Boogie puzzle.

7. This multisided Melissa & Doug pets cube puzzle is a little trickier, but definitely offers a lot of bang for your buck (6 puzzles!) once your child is ready for it.

8. Laurel and I have done this Around the World 100-piece puzzle about a million times. I love it and can't wait for when Vi is ready for it!

9. Ravensburger makes great puzzles and this 200-piece castle fantasy puzzle includes a good mix of elements to hunt down.

10. Introduce your kids to fine art (and a family challenge) with this Starry Night 500-piece puzzle.

11. We have a different configuration of this 8-in-1 Disney puzzle assortment and Laurel and I did all 8 puzzle options many, many times. The multipack is nice in that you can choose puzzle size (150, 300, 500 pieces) depending on your mood and ambition.

12. When your family is ready to tackle 1,000 pieces, this balloon bonaza puzzle is a fun option. We've done it several times!

13. Not surprisingly, Laurel loves this candy galore puzzle. The unusually shaped pieces make for a fun challenge.

14. Aside from the fun of assembling this 1,000-piece cupcake puzzle, Laurel and Violet both like talking about the cupcakes. The mini-poster that comes with this puzzle became Violet's "menu."

Image credits: all images credited to linked sources above.

Holidays (national or somewhat arbitrary) offer fun inspiration for projects and lessons for kids. Yesterday was Penguin Awareness Day (though I'm happy to celebrate penguins any day of the year!) and I wanted to take this opportunity to shine a light on this fine bird with project, book, and design inspiration. If you have other ideas to share, feel free to do so in the comments below!

1. Adopt a penguin of your very own. My friend Sharon tells me that she and her husband have received several informative and fun letters from their adopted penguin, and that the adopt-a-penguin experience has provided a great learning opportunity for her grandkids.

2. If you’re looking for an adorable penguin-inspired picture book, try Penguin and Pinecone (one of Violet’s favorites).

3. This worldwide campaign to knit sweaters for penguins is old. But OMG.

4. Pudge Penguin. Adorable name. Also, Violet’s favorite little buddy right now.

5. Penguin duct tape. Great for DIY belts and other crafts.

6. Kitchen project alert: olive penguins.

7. Footprint penguins make for a messy but cute keepsake project.

8. I love the bright cheerfulness of this penguin scarf.

9. Pick up your needles for this knitted penguin.

10. And Purl Bee penguins for those who sew.

11. Felt penguin finger puppets make for an easy project with kids.

12. Make your own penguin family.

13. Get out the crayons for this plethora of penguin coloring pages.

14. Penguin activities for preschool parents and teachers.

Image credits: All images attributed to linked sources above.

Today, Paige (also of Mudroom Boston) recommends a game that actually lives up to its name:

When my oldest son expressed interest in chess after reading the first installment of the Harry Potter series, I was excited, but tentative. While he loves to learn new games, he gets pretty frustrated when he can't master a game quickly. Not being a chess player myself, I had a vague sense that learning chess, let alone mastering it, was not going to be an easy task.
Boy, was I wrong.

On a trip to Stellabella Toys, I came across No Stress Chess, a version promising that players aged 7 and up would "Play the World's Greatest Game Instantly!" For once, an advertising slogan turned out to be true! The secret, I learned, is the special deck of cards from which players draw, showing exactly which piece to move and how to move it. While the deck eliminates the need to remember how every piece works, we found ourselves learning very quickly and not needing to refer to the card's instructions every time we drew. After just a few days of playing, my son was challenging us to games without the cards. A year after getting the game, his interest hasn't waned. At least once a week he pulls it out before bed and beats us handily.

Even though the process can become messier and the results less perfect, I love baking with kids. It makes for a fun project (just this week we had a friend of Laurel's over for a baking play date -- so fun!), offers yummy rewards, and you can choose to work in some math teaching if you like. Laurel and I recently tried a new (to us) cookie recipe from Lori Longbotham's Luscious Lemon Desserts that was just delightful; a lovely twist on basic sugar cookies. Below I've edited the steps and added notes to offer some shortcuts and tips, as well as ideas for incorporating kids into the process. Enjoy!

+ + + + +

Old-Fashioned Lemon Sugar Cookies
Makes 4 dozen cookies

• 1 2/3 cups sugar (split)
• 2 teaspoons pure lemon oil (split)
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup finely grated lemon zest (approximately 6 lemons worth)
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter 2 large non-stick baking sheets. (I recommend using Silpat mats. You don't need to spray or butter the mat and the cookie bottoms always come out perfect.)
2. Stir together 2/3 cup sugar + 1 teaspoon lemon oil in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. (I never sift anything and it seems to work out fine. Laurel is old enough to measure out ingredients but with younger kids you can hand them the measured out ingredients to dump and mix in the bowl.)
4. Using a hand or standing mixer, beat the butter, remaining 1 cup of sugar, remaining 1 teaspoon of lemon oil, and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until well blended. Add the flour mixture and lemon juice and beat until just blended. (Experienced and steady-handed kids can be tasked to work the hand mixer or turn on the standing mixer and keep an eye on consistency. If you are using a standing mixer, make sure you lock the mixer in the down position before your kid turns it on. Just in case!
5. Form balls with tablespoonfuls of dough. Roll them in the sugar-lemon oil mixture (from step 2) to coat well and place about 3 inches apart on baking sheets. Flatten each ball with the bottom of a glass until about 2 inches round and 3/8 inch thick. Sprinkle each one with a pinch of the sugar-lemon oil mixture. (Laurel and I split the dough. I followed the steps here -- except that I forgot the final sprinkling step -- and she rolled out her dough on a floured surface and cut it with cookie cutters. This dough was much softer than traditional sugar cookie dough so it was harder to roll out and cut, but Laurel was determined! One thing that helped was to use shapes with simple patterns/edges. Both versions were delicious!)
6. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 8-10 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Remove from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack. (I popped the sheets in two at a time and kept an eye on them. It worked fine!)

Image credit: Suat Eman via FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Today, Lindsey (also of A Design So Vast) recommends a favorite family board game:

My family loves to play board games. I haven't had too much luck finding any beyond the old classics -- Sorry, Connect Four, Monopoly -- that everybody really gets into, but that changed when my daughter was given Spy Alley for her ninth birthday. Spy Alley is "a game of suspense and intrigue" and we have found ourselves playing it over and over again. Each player has a secret spy identity, and the goal is to complete your mission by obtaining code books, disguises, keys, and passwords while also hiding who you are from the other players. To do this you have to purchase the books, disguises, keys, and passwords of other spies, hoping to confuse your competitors as to your real identity.
At any time, a player can guess the identity of another, though doing so entails the risk of being eliminated from the game. The game is high-stakes and fun, and my children always enjoy thinking about the nuances of a spy's identity. The box says the game is for ages 8 to adult, but my 6 year old son has successfully played with us as well. Games take about 45 minutes, and anywhere from 2 to 6 players can play. It really is notable that none of us is bored of Spy Alley, even though we've been playing it for a month or more. I highly recommend it!

My life list includes writing a couple of books that have been percolating in my brain the last couple of years (I'm actually drafting outlines for a potential publisher!). Meanwhile, I have a few friends who published books this year and I'm utterly thrilled for them! These titles technically are no longer new releases (though a couple of them, er, were in fact so when the review copies were sent to me during my Violet babymoon), but I wanted to share them before more time elapsed. The first title would be an entertaining gift for a new mom; the second and third handy for aspiring mamapreneurs.
Let's Panic About Babies!

I was thrilled to see my delightful friend Alice Bradley and finally meet the lovely Eden Kennedy -- co-authors of Let's Panic About Babies! -- at Camp Mighty last month. With the exception that it reminded me that I received their book about 10 minutes after returning home from the hospital with Violet and it eventually disappeared into the vortex that currently is my office. Though I have, in fact, gazed into Violet's eyes with the laser sharp adoration portrayed on the book's cover, as a not so panicky second time mom I had many laughs while reading this book -- particularly while deciphering the tables, graphs, and diagrams. If you need a comical break from all the "should's" typically associated with parenting manuals, Let's Panic is a welcome respite. Also, start following Alice and Eden's blogs. They are such smart and funny writers.

The Digital Mom Handbook

Audrey McClelland and Colleen Padilla were among the first mom bloggers I connected with online when the mom blogging scene exploded five years ago. They both are truly bright and generous spirits in this space and this year they published The Digital Mom Handbook, a guide to helping moms figure out the nuts and bolts of creating a digital career. Imparting their advice, as well as that of many mom bloggers (I'm honored to be included in the book), Audrey and Colleen help readers through top down elements such as finding one's passion, to bottom up building blocks such as handling pitches and navigating social media platforms. This book is great for newbies, but I also found it fun to read what fellow bloggers had to say about their journeys into digital careers.

MOM, Incorporated

I only had a few minutes to thumb through MOM, Incorporated at Aliza Sherman and my lovely friend Danielle Smith's Boston book launch party this past fall, but at said party, the authors talked about something in their book that really resonated with me: the persistence with which women apologize for their actions (often when not justified), and how it's time to stop that behavior. Ever since that day, I've been trying to start less e-mails and conversations with "I'm sorry I didn't do ______" (try it -- it's both challenging and liberating!). Meanwhile, MOM, Incorporated drills down into the how to's of building a business (e.g, business plans, incorporating, finances, tech) while having a family.

I hope you enjoy these books. I'm so grateful to know these talented authors!

I'm trying to get back into the habit of reading before bedtime, as both a means to transport and unwind. I so enjoyed Katherine Center's book recommendations earlier this year so I decided to query on my social channels for literary inspiration. The responses were so fantastic that I wanted to post the recommendations here, both to share the wealth and archive for myself. I left the responses intact instead of simply listing the books because the comments definitely are helping guide my choosing. Print this list out for your library/used book tote or go crazy at your local bookstore or on Amazon (note: I included affiliate links below). Thanks to everyone who commented in, and enjoy! And if you have other books to recommend, feel welcome to add them to the comments.
Via Twitter:

@nancyholtzman: If you haven't read ROOM that gets my pick. Couldn't put it down. author Emma Donoghue.

@Misserikas: Chris bohjlian's new book is what I'm reading so far so good:)

@ummnuseebah: read God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy. it's a beautiful read, with gorgeous use of language.

@liasynthis: Let The Great World Spin. Really enjoying it.

@domnicella: Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet or Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Also, Cleopatra (nonfiction).

@RockcCT: invisible bridge is a big but compelling book - a must read!

@acbranger: fav book ever Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. Also loved Cutting for Stone

Via Facebook:

Carmen: Read Outlander. It's a bit slow for the first 100 pages or so, but rapidly picks up steam and will hold your interest like no other for the next 7 books. No, really - I promise.

Sarah: I don't generally read novels but when I do it's chick lit by Jane Green, Jennifer Weiner or Sophie Kinsella. Have you read Little Earthquakes?

Mara: Just finished Falling Together by Marissa de Los Santos - highly recommend.

Liz: The Hunger Games (if you haven't already)... Recently finished Minding Frankie (Maeve Binchy) and Nineteen Minutes (Jodi Picoult), and currently working on A Week in December, Sebastian Faulks.

Marie: I second Hunger Games. Or along those lines, The Maze Runner. Or I have a whole other list of teen sci-fi post-apocalyptic novels to choose from :)

Mark: The Art of Fielding has lived up to the hype.

Jennifer: If you go the Outlander route, let me know. Read the first five books and enjoyed them. Also just read S**t My Dad Says which was given to me as a gift. Not really a novel but totally hilarious!

Sharon: Cutting for Stone by Verghese or The Invisible Bridge by Orringer - both GREAT reads!

Sharon: This might sound really lame... I'm re-reading The Thorn Birds!

Marcy: Have you read Middlesex? I think it's actually the best novel I've ever read. So well written. The language is inspiring, and the characters are really well developed. It's insightful and funny. It took the author 9 years to write it, and you can tell. What did you just finish reading?

Liz: Reading Life, the Keith Richards autobio now. Great fun so far.

Candy: The Art of Racing in the Rain. Sweetest story ever and the ending will have you in tears of joy :).

Susan: Still Alice. Finished it today and really liked it.

Sharon: Still Alice is very good as is her next one which I read this summer and also liked, Left Neglected, both by Lisa Genova.

Katherine: Cutting for Stone! Just finished it and really enjoyed it :)

Paige: Just finished The Night Strangers byChris Bohjalian...highly recommend!

Greer: Invisible Bridge, History of Love, Secret Daughter

Cynthia: Have been reading Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie mysteries and enjoying them very much. Novels about a declining Britain with a bit of crime and dry humor thrown in.

Amy: Sarah's Key and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Both were fantastic stories - both are highly recommended.

Kerry: I have to second Sarah's Key, good read.

Dianne: I keep re-reading Daphne Du Maurier's House on the Strand - absolutely compulsive.

Susan: I read patti smith's memoir just kids - couldn't put it down!

Jenny: Blueprints for Better Girls. Vivid writing and interesting tie-ins across the short story characters.

Erin: Room by Emma Donoghue

Gwen: Cutting for Stone... outstanding!

Lisa: The Help and The Book Thief

Claire: The Hunger Games Trilogy

What a bunch of reading rock stars no? I cannot wait to get my hands on a stack of these recommendations! Thank you everyone!