I hope you've all had a fantastic first week of the New Year! It's been a tad crazy here, attempting to get caught up on things, but I feel grateful for all of the good stuff going on -- not the least of which is the incredible outpouring of applications in response to my call for writers. Please be patient while I sift through the responses over the coming weeks and thank you so much for your interest and kind words. Meanwhile, I hope you're gearing up for a fun and relaxing weekend -- below are 9 picks that caught my eye. Enjoy!
1. Family friendly activities and warm galette? Sign me up. (Boston)

2. Who doesn't love a magic show? (Arlington)

3. I love the idea of taking a parent/child knitting class with Laurel. (Jamaica Plain)

4. I always feel so inspired browsing at open studios. (Lowell)

5. Head to Amazing Things if you want to see Gustafer Yellowgold rocking the live music, animated illustrations, and storytelling. (Framingham)

6. Get green and crafty in the New Year. (Mattapan)

7. How pretty would a full moon hike be? (Topsfield)

8. Support local at the Cambridge and Dorchester winter farmer's markets opening this week! (For other winter farmer's markets in Massachusetts, visit the Mass Farmers Markets site -- scroll down and follow instructions on the site to search for winter markets.)

9. This or another upcoming cold weekend, it would be fun to hit up the MFA Family Art Cart (Boston).

Image credit: French Cultural Center of Boston

Hello folks! I'm currently digging out after a few days away on a press trip (more to come on that front in the next week or two) and hope you had a spectacular weekend! Meanwhile, here are some handy/fun ideas to consider in this week's Weekly Blueprint:

Now through January 1: Christmas Festival of Lights at Edaville.

December 20: Hanukkah party at Inside Playground.
December 20: Menorah lighting on Boston Common.

December 21: Winter Solstice Night at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

December 22: Hanukkah celebration at the Discovery Museums.

December 22: Winter solstice celebration at Stony Brook.

December 22: Two opportunities to study coyotes.

At your leisure: Chip away at wrapping gifts, or if you're time crunched, pick up a bunch of gift bags to make your life easier.

At your leisure: Outsource. Whether for wrapping or otherwise, right this second I'm considering hiring a rabbit for an hour or two to take a little off my plate. My office, especially, is a disaster and needs organizational help.

At your leisure: Take care of a little grooming before the holiday photo blitz. The other month I stopped in at Infinity Beauty Salon last minute and was shocked to pay a mere $15 for a lip and brow wax.

At your leisure: Hit the grocery store for holiday baking supplies. I'm excited to make cookies with Laurel this week!

At your leisure: Do some preventative care. Whether it's yoga, walking, drinking hot lemon water with honey, or other tricks, take care of yourself. This is prime time for pushing too hard and getting sick.

At your leisure: Pick up mason jars or other supplies for little holiday treats. I have a big batch of magic salt awaiting packaging. I always like to do up some extra jars for last minute gifting.

Image credit: Edaville

Hello everyone! I'm soon to depart for a press trip to explore a (potentially) family friendly travel destination (hopefully I'll have excellent things to share with you in the next week or so!) so I wanted to leave you with this roundup of 13 fun weekend picks to consider:

1. Urban Nutcracker at the Wheelock Family Theatre. (Boston)

2. The opening of the Charles Hotel skating rink. (Cambridge)

3. A holiday concert by the Boston Choral Ensemble and the Choirs of Marlborough High School. (Boston)

4. The Cultural Survival Bazaar's final event of the season. (Boston)

5. Family friendly Chanukah lights celebrations. (Arlington, Newton)

6. A gingerbread castle competition at the Higgins Armory Museum. (Worcester)

7. Children's choruses and orchestras at the NEC Prep Winter Festival Concert. (Boston)

8. A Christmas Celtic Sojourn. (Boston)

9. The Christmas Revels. (Cambridge)

10. Trains galore at the National Heritage Museum. (Lexington)

11. A gingerbread house workshop at Smolak Farms. (North Andover)

12. Santa (on Saturday) and Chanukah celebrations (on Sunday) at Barefoot Books. (Concord)

13. The final showings of The Velveteen Rabbit (see Lindsey's review!). (Boston)

Image credit: Urban Nutcracker

Hello everyone! I hope you have a fantastic weekend ahead of you. I'm excited to get the house in holiday mode (Laurel reminded me today I need to make Violet a stocking...) and, most notably, to celebrate my sister Jenn's wedding tomorrow. Yay for love! Meanwhile, here are 11 fun weekend picks for your consideration:

1. Hooray for the SoWa holiday market! (Boston)

2. The Boston Gay Men's Chorus kicks of the first performance of their holiday concert. (Boston)
3. Cambridge dwellers can get their crafty gifts at the Holly Fair. (Cambridge)

4. Fine crafts likely will abound at Craftboston. (Boston)

5. Celebrate the ICA's 75th birthday. (Boston)

6. If you love ceramics, head to this holiday show and sale. (Allston)

7. Charles Dickens fans should head here. (Waltham)

8. North shore peeps can shop in their own backyard. (Peabody)

9. Rock out with Ben Rudnick & Friends. (Arlington)

10. There's always something fun going on at Arts at the Armory -- this weekend it's Snow Mall. (Somerville)

11. Ah, the orchestra of my youth -- Boston Youth Symphony -- is performing a free family holiday concert! (Boston)

Image credit: SoWa Holiday Market

Happy Monday everyone! Here are some handy/fun ideas to consider in this week's Weekly Blueprint:

December 6: Bring a new, unwrapped toy (to be donated to the Home for Little Wanderers) to Frog Pond between 3-4pm and receive a free ticket voucher to Disney On Ice's Treasure Trove at TD Garden, December 26-29. *UPDATE: This event has been relocated to DCR Steriti Memorial Rink, 561 Commercial Street, Boston.
December 7: It's National Cotton Candy Day (who knew?) and these local restaurants will celebrate with complimentary post-meal confections: BOKX 109 American Prime at Hotel Indigo (Newton) is offering apple, strawberry, and blueberry flavors, Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar (Boston) is serving sour apple cotton candy laced with cherry pop rocks, and The MET Bar & Grill (Dedham) is offering watermelon and cherry flavored cotton candy to all parties with kids in tow. Also, Towne Stove and Spirits (Boston) is serving maple cotton candy as a compliment to some of their desserts.

December 8: Revel in a starry night in New Bedford.

December 8: Celebrate Bodhi Day at Barefoot Books.

December 8-11: Support indie crafters at the Brookline Arts Center's Artist Marketplace.

December 9-11: And you can do the same at the Craftboston Holiday Show.

By early this week Enter to win tickets to the Spirit of Boston Santa Lunch Cruise (by noon December 6) and/or the Radio City Christmas Spectacular (by noon December 8).

At your leisure: Consider seeing Peter Pan this month. I took Laurel yesterday and it was really impressive, particularly the 360 degree theatre set! You can look for half price tickets here.

At your leisure: Is your teen in a band? Perhaps they want to consider competing to rock out to help sick kids at Children's Hospital.

At your leisure: Start a fitness program. Here are 11 easy tips to get you going.

At your leisure: Chip away at procuring holiday items -- start by shopping local!

At your leisure: If you're sending holiday cards, pull together photos (I'm doing this right now!). I figure it's OK if they arrive anytime before next winter! (Also, stay tuned, I have a fantastic giveaway lined up to help you in this department!)

At your leisure: In advance of all of those holiday photos, book a hair appointment. I was psyched that I remembered to book a hair cut this past weekend with my friend (and fabulous cut and colorist) Honey Jo this past weekend given that the next couples of weeks are totally packed.

Image credit: Cotton candy necklace by FatallyFeminine via Etsy

I hope you all have a fantastic first weekend of December! Here are 12 fun weekend picks to consider:

1. Oh the craftasticness that awaits at the Bazaar Bizarre! (Boston)

2. Warm up those lungs...help break the world record for the most carolers in one place. (Boston)

3. If you're looking for fine art this holiday season, head to the Gorse Mill Studios Holiday Open Studios. (Needham)
4. Drop off donations at the Room to Grow Holiday Toy Drive then enjoy a stroll about downtown. (Boston)

5. You can visit with Santa and/or make a gingerbread house this weekend at Verrill Farm. (Concord)

6. Enchanted trolley tours await! (Boston)

7. Get your glow on. (Medford)

8. Celebrate native arts and culture. (Cambridge)

9. Enjoy a farm inspired open house. (Lexington)

10. Show your Bank of America card for free admission to six Massachusetts museums. (Boston, Cambridge, Dennis, Lincoln, North Adams, Worcester)

11. An island Christmas stroll sounds just lovely to me. (Nantucket)

12. Christmas in Salem kicks off this evening. (Salem)

Image credit: Bazaar Bizarre

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday long weekend! As I mentioned last week, we're in the midst of a lot of transition in my house right now so I decided to take time off and focus on the family. It was really lovely and I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things this week! I hope your re-entry back into the real world is smooth; meanwhile, here are some handy/fun ideas to consider in this week's Weekly Blueprint:
November 28: If you're a classical music lover and can swing a sitter (or mama sitting exchange!) last minute, enjoy tonight's free performance by the Borromeo String Quartet.

November 29 (also December 1 & 7): The Boston JCC is offering programming for interfaith couples and parents to explore how to honor Chanukah and Christmas.

November 30 (through January 1): Take in the pretty at Winter Lights IV in Lowell.

December 1: Celebrate local at Holiday in the Square in Lynn.

December 1-4: Or do the same via the Marblehead Christmas Walk.

December 1: Join the masses for Boston's Official Holiday Lighting.

December 2: Love performance spectacle? The Radio City Chistmas Spectacular kicks off in Boston. (And stay tuned, I'll be giving away tickets to this show soon!)

December 2: Learn how to give baby a rub down at this free infant massage class.

December 2: I love that the Lexington Symphony is offering two Pops shows; a Kids' Pops at 4pm and Holidays Pops at 8pm.

December 2-4: The unique and festive Holly Folly Weekend kicks off in Provincetown.

Now through January 1: This visual celebration of children's literature sounds so lovely.

At your leisure: Put aside some toys to donate to your school or community toy drive.

At your leisure: Check through your kids' outgrown winter gear; donate cold weather items to kids in need.

At your leisure: If you're interested, this is why I've been especially busy the last few months. I'm growing this wonderful company and just redesigned the website. I'm thrilled with how pretty it looks!

At your leisure: I wrote a guest post sharing 8 tips to healthier holidays if you need some ideas.

At your leisure: Schedule coffee or a night out with a girlfriend. (I am long overdue on this and am trying to get something in the books this week.)

At your leisure: Think of how to help out a mom friend with one small act. My act for the week will be delivering dinner to my friend who just had a baby.

At your leisure: Do something kind for yourself. Personally, I'm thinking it's time to book body work with Heather.

Image credit: Borromeo String Quartet via NEC

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is this week. I'm both looking forward to the connection and reflection that happens around this time of year, and admittedly am also a little overwhelmed by the details of life right this second, given that there's a lot of transition going on in our household (plus, poor Violet is suffering from a bizarre full body rash right now). Anyway, I hope you all enjoy lots of relaxing time this week; here are some handy/fun ideas to consider in this week's Weekly Blueprint:
November 21: Start the week out getting up close and personal with cows.

November 21-22: Get what you need at the grocery store before the pre-Thanksgiving freak out on Wednesday.

November 21-22: As you go through your pantry checking off supplies for Thanksgiving, pull out extras and donate to a food bank.

November 21-22: If you're traveling: squirrel away some travel surprises via books from the library, "what's old is new" toys from your own playroom/storage, toys swapped with friends, or items procured from a local toy or craft store.

November 22: If you're traveling: start setting aside a packing pile, or keep a piece of pen and paper handy to jot down items as you remember them. I pretty much always walk around with a piece of paper in my pocket to jot down to-do's since I can't seem to remember anything these days!

November 22: Plan your holiday tabletop; procure any last minute supplies.

November 23 (through December 10): Celebrate the festival of trees in Wellesley.

November 23: Need to occupy your kids while you prep pies? Have them help make place settings or other Thanksgiving inspired décor (think turkeys made from toilet paper rolls!). Or print up and have the kids color some of these free Thanksgiving coloring pages.

November 24: Reflect and be grateful.

November 24 (through January 1, 2012): Enjoy the kick off of ZooLights at the Stone Zoo.

November 25: Go for a run, brisk walk, or hike through the woods with your family.

November 25: The Nutcracker kicks off in Boston! (You can get half price tickets here.)

November 25 & 26: Celebrate native arts and culture in Cambridge.

November 26: Check out the Macy's Christmas Tree Lighting. **see comment from Sara below re: timing

Some time this week: Destress via acupuncture. My friend Roxanna swears by this place.

At your leisure: Tackle a small decluttering project. (I'm thinking about doing a year-long weekly decluttering project!)

Image credit: Appleton Farms

Ah, weekend, I'm so excited for you! Here are 10 fun picks for your consideration:

1. Grown up event alert: dust off your dancing shoes for this dance off. (Boston)

2. Explore how people used to measure the world pre-technology. (Cambridge)

3. Yay for more than 135 crafty exhibitors to peruse. (Wellesley)
4. Rock out with Ben Rudnick & Friends. (Brookline)

5. Get in the holiday spirit at this tree lighting. (Boston)

6. Talk turkey and make an eco-friendly Thanksgiving centerpiece. (Westport)

7. Meet some critters up close and personal. (Boston)

8. Cheer kids on (and, if you're like me, get a little nostalgic) while they rock the Rubik's Cube. (Boston)

9. Give props to this local mother/daughter book team. (Newburyport)

10. Enjoy a family-friendly musical brunch for brass instrument lovers. (Boston)

Image credit: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net