Happy Monday everyone, I hope you had a great weekend! I enjoyed a wonderful one with Laurel and Vi (and, as it turned out, my sister Sharon's family and my friend Casey's family!) at the Sea Crest Beach Hotel -- I'll share more about the Sea Crest soon...my brain is definitely still with the sea and sand! But it's time to get back to things so here we go with an awesome roundup of weekday events via the Weekly Blueprint.

July 14: Two special donkeys have come to celebrate Bastille Day. (Boston)

July 14: Learn more about urban wildlife. (Boston)

July 15: Spend your lunch hour with Berklee College of Music. (Boston)

July 15: Downtown dancing with Greg Coles. (Ipswich)

July 15: Wade in and see if you can make the big catch. (South Wellfleet)

July 15 + 17: Performances by Berklee musicians. (Boston)

July 16: Landmarks Orchestra presents Carmina Burana. (Boston)

July 16: Family South Beach adventure. (Chatham)

July 16: Tractors and trucks at Smolak Farm. (North Andover)

July 16: Free concert - The Delta Generators & the Jim Libby Band. (Plymouth)

July 16 - 19: The Great Red Ball Rescue puppet show. (Brookline)

July 17: Wambura Mitaru performance on the waterfront. (Boston)

July 17: Water drumming,  ponchos provided. (Boston)

July 17: Talented musicians from Berklee’s Summer Day Musicians perform. (Boston)

July 17: Summer dock party on the Esplanade. (Boston)

July 17: Summer concert celebrating the anniversary of the moon landing. (Harvard)

July 17: Thursday night picnic concert with Digney Fignus. (Ipswich)

July 17: Nothing says summer like poets in the park. (Lincoln)

July 17: Fine art is going to extremes. (Salem)

July 17: A beautiful day to create some floral eco-art. (Topsfield)

July 17: Free Movies at the Mansion: The Goonies. (Waltham)

July 17 - 20: FAME JR. THE MUSICAL. (Boston)

July 18: Free Friday Flicks at the Hatch Shell: The Goonies. (Boston)

July 18: Free admission to the Discovery Museums. (Acton)

July 18: Free admission to Museum of Fine Arts. (Boston)

July 18: Free admission to Ocean Explorium. (New Bedford)

July 18: Free admission to The Eric Carle Museum. (Amherst)

July 18: Free admission to Larz Anderson Auto Museum. (Brookline)

July 18: Free admission to Springfield Museums. (Springfield)

July 18: Free admission to Mass Audubon’s Boston Nature Center. (Mattapan)

July 18: Free admission to Sandwich Glass Museum. (Sandwich)

July 18: Blankets and boxes become forts and rockets at FortNight. (Acton)

July 18: Stop by the pop up oyster bar. (Boston)

July 18: It’s a playspace pajama party. (Boston)

July 18: Summer concert with Autre Ne Veut. (Boston)

July 18: Buggy for bugs storytime. (Cambridge)

July 18 + 19: Circus Smirkus performs Anchors Away for Atlantis. (Great Barrington)

July 18 - 20: Chatham mid-summer craft show. (Chatham)

July 18 - 20: East End open studios art show. (Ipswich)

Image credit: Eric Carle Museum

Happy Friday everyone, I hope you're having a great week! It's been a busy week here so I'm super excited for the weekend, and the forecast looks divine (perfect for a little camping adventure with your kids or a run by yourself, if you're looking to get your mojo back)! Meanwhile, if you're looking for something to do around town, enjoy this mega roundup of 34 events, lovingly curated for your consideration. Have a fantastic weekend!

1. Free museum evening for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. (Acton)

2. Rock out at the Summer Arts Block Party. (Arlington)

3. Another ultimate block party. (Beverly)

4. A day of ice cream and music at the WGBH FunFest. (Boston)

5. Craft brews and food trucks. (Boston)

6. Water drumming, ponchos provided. (Boston)

7. Juggling workshop for kids and adults. (Boston)

8. Get back to nature and participate in making a shower of flowers. (Boston)

9. Evening museum access for children with special needs. (Boston)

10. Free family film festival presents Monsters University. (Boston)

11. Harbor exploration family day. (Boston)

12. Berklee Music Fest. (Boston)

13. Pinocchio the puppet show. (Brookline)

14. Enjoy some Sunday Parkland Games. (Cambridge)

15. Finish up the World Cup, then celebrate Bastille Day. (Cambridge)

16. The Bastille Day celebration continues for the grown ups. (Cambridge)

17. Regattabar Kids’ Summer Music Series presents Elizabeth Mitchell. (Cambridge)

18. Take your pirates to walk the plank. (Carver)

19. Music at the Manse. (Concord)

20. It’s mollusk madness on the beach. (Duxbury)

21. Green River Music Festival. (Greenfield)

22. Basket bomb the museum. (Harvard)

23. Greek festival and clambake. (Ipswich)

24. Boston Landmarks Orchestra family concert. (Jamaica Plain)

25. Get moving as a family; yoga for kids. (Lincoln)

26. Touch a truck event. (Needham)

27. Firefighters Kids Day carnival. (North Attleboro)

28. Harbor Roots & Folk Festival. (Plymouth)

29. Last Blast Carnival. (Revere)

30. Enjoy the Handmade Arts Market. (Somerville)

31. Art in the Park: the art of pastels. (Somerville)

32. Animal enrichment day at the zoo. (Stoneham)

33. Help the zoo by recycling your bottles and cans. (Stoneham)

34. A family campout along the river. (Topsfield)

Image credit: Zoo New England

Happy Monday -- I hope you and your families enjoyed a wonderful holiday weekend! Ours was so delightful; lots of relaxed time with friends and family + puttering around the house and our little garden. Meanwhile, enjoy this awesome Weekly Blueprint, packed with event leads for the week. And did you know it's National Chocolate Day? I started a new chocolate delights Pinterest board if you're looking for some inspiration! Enjoy!

July 7: Learn to fish program begins. (Boston)

July 7: Try your hand at sea kayaking. (Boston)

July 8: Spend your lunch hour with Berklee College of Music. (Boston)

July 8 + July 10: Tom Zmuda from Berklee performs. (Boston)

July 8: Free concert- Orville Giddings Big Band. (Ipswich)

July 8 + 9: For all the Minecraft lovers. (Wenham)

July 9: Pretend to be a paleontologist at Dinosaur Discoveries. (Acton)

July 9: It’s time to play in the park. (Lincoln)

July 9: Wacky water fun at Smolak farm. (North Andover)

July 9 - 12: Pinocchio the puppet show. (Brookline)

July 9: Family beach adventure. (Chatham)

July 9: Boston Landmarks Orchestra family concert. (Charlestown)

July 9: Free concert - The Kennedy’s with Charlie Farren. (Plymouth)

July 10: Free concert - Grey Season. (Boston)

July 10: Sunset clambake. (Boston)

July 10 + 11: Summer drop-in days at the museum. (Easton)

July 10: From Broadway to Hollywood Summer concert and picnic contest. (Harvard)

July 10: Free concert - Orange Crush. (Ipswich)

July 10: Children’s tour of the farm. (Lexington)

July 10: Free outdoor movie - Frozen. (Waltham)

July 11: Free admission to the Discovery Museums. (Acton)

July 11: Dean Wareham in concert with pop up oyster bar. (Boston)

July 11: Create your own opera with KOEK. (Boston)

July 11: Beach BBQ and island games. (Boston)

July 11: Free outdoor movie - Despicable Me 2. (Boston)

July 11: Teddy bear picnic storytime. (Cambridge)

July 11: Evening hayride and campfire. (Lincoln)

July 11: Try out the North Shore’s top restaurants at this seafood festival. (Salem)

July 11: Free admission to John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. (Boston)

July 11: Free admission to New England Historic Genealogical Society. (Boston)

July 11: Free admission to Fruitlands Museum. (Harvard)

July 11: Free admission to Cape Cod Children’s Museum. (Mashpee)

July 11: Free admission to Pilgrim Hall Museum. (Plymouth)

July 11: Free admission to Peabody Essex Museum. (Salem)

July 11: Free admission to Worcester Historical Museum. (Worcester)

Image credit: Mass Audubon

I'm totally feeling the itch of the holiday weekend so I'm going to drop this 28-event mega Weekend Roundup early and close down shop and enjoy a few days off the grid! Have a fantastic weekend, and if you're looking to catch up on backreading, check out the Best of June + these posts on how to book a camping trip with kids and pea recipes! And if you're looking for events today and tomorrow, check out Monday's Weekly Blueprint. Happy 4th!

1. Experience a robot’s eye view. (Acton)

2. Amazing fireworks in a glass. (Boston)

3. Making lanterns for Ramadan. (Boston)

4. Revel in hues of Indian ethnic styles. (Boston)

5. Pretty Things beer tasting and music fest. (Boston)

6. Berklee Jazz on beautiful Spectacle Island. (Boston)

7. Be witness to the trial of the century. (Boston)

8. Free family film festival presents Frozen.  (Boston)

9. Boston Tea Party scavenger hunt. (Boston)

10. Final weekend of the Brockton Fair. (Brockton)

11. Enjoy some Sunday Parkland Games. (Cambridge)

12. Happy birthday Nathaniel Hawthorne. (Concord)

13. Music at the Manse. (Concord)

14. Berkshire Arts Festival. (Great Barrington)

15. Open barnyard at Weir River Farm. (Hingham)

16. Final day of the Lion’s Club carnival. (Lexington)

17. Visit the MAKEmobile traveling creative and tactile experience cart. (Lincoln)

18. Celebrate the artist of the month at deCordova. (Lincoln)

19. Marblehead Festival of the Arts. (Marblehead)

20. Learn to camp. (Medfield)

21. 19th annual New Bedford Folk Festival. (New Bedford)

22. A family cruise on Nauset Marsh. (Orleans)

23. Revolutionary celebration and concert. (Sheffield)

24. Family Sunday canoe trip. (Sheffield)

25. Peruse the Handmade Arts Market. (Somerville)

26. Art in the Park: the art of pastels. (Somerville)

27. Get up close with some birds of prey. (Worcester)

28. Bass River Arts and Craft Festival. (Yarmouth)

Image credit: www.rgbstock.com

Happy Monday everyone, I hope you had a great weekend! I'm happy to report that we enjoyed a fun camping adventure with the girls, which I'll be sharing more about soon (particularly since many people have said either, "Really, you took a 3-year-old camping?!" or "I could never do that!"). It was shockingly doable! But before we get there, if you're off and looking for something to do this week, enjoy this roundup via the Weekly Blueprint:

July 1: Test your hockey skills with the Worcester Sharks. (Worcester)

July 2: Free concert - Soul City. (Plymouth)

July 2: Meet an astronaut. (Acton)

July 2 - 3: The Brewster annual oceanside summer arts and crafts festival. (Brewster)

July 2 - 6: Boston Harborfest. (Boston)

July 3: Children’s Discovery Day. (Stockbridge)

July 3 - 4: Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular. (Boston)

July 4: A fireworks roundup by town. (Multiple locations)

July 4: Bridgewater Arts and Music Festival. (Bridgewater)

July 4: A children’s bike parade. (Needham)

July 4: Learn about Ramadan. (Boston)

July 4: Free admission to Heritage Museum and Garden. (Sandwich)

July 4: Free admission to Edward Gorey House. (Yarmouth Port)

July 4: Free admission to Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. (Becket)

July 4: Free admission to Amelia Park Children’s Museum. (Westfield)

July 4: Free admission to Falmouth Museums on the Green. (Falmouth, Woods Hole)

July 4 - 6: Berkshires Arts Festival. (Great Barrington)

Image credit: Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular

Happy Friday everyone, how are you all doing with summer vacation? Yesterday was our first official day off and by about 10am, Laurel clearly was missing her friends already (it was a good thing she happened to have a midday birthday party to attend)! So commences play date scheduling before her camps start... Meanwhile, if you're in town this weekend, here are 16 events, lovingly curated for your consideration. Enjoy!

1. Meet the New England Aquarium without going into the city. (Acton) 

2. Art in the Village. (Barnstable)

3. The Boston Common Frog Pond opens for the season! (Boston)

4. Spice, fun, and food at the Boston JerkFest. (Boston)

5. Family play date at the ICA. (Boston)

6. Get messy for International Mud Day. (Boston)

7. Enjoy some Sunday Parkland Games. (Cambridge)

8. Dinoland grand opening. (Carver)

9. A grand opening festival. (Easton)

10. Let’s go ponding. (Framingham)

11. Wilson Farm strawberry festival. (Lexington)

12. Rolie Polie Guacamole at the Healthy Families Festival. (Natick)

13. Learn about butterflying in the backyard. (Newburyport)

14. A family fun day. (Somerville)

15. Spread your wings for this faery festival. (Wenham)

16. Family canoeing on the French River. (Worcester)

Image credit: Art in the Village

Happy Monday everyone, I hope you had a great weekend! We had a lovely one, enjoying lots of time outside, a solstice gathering with friends, World Cup, Maleficent (which I thought was quite good!) barcalounger style (!), and an incredible business launch party for a dear friend (which I will share more about soon!). Now, on to Monday! enjoy this roundup of fun for the week!

June 23 - 26: Learn to take smart photos. (Natick)

June 24: Explore Boston’s islands on free ferry day. (Boston)

June 24 + 26: Josu Ortiz Trio. (Boston)

June 25: Tree huggers at the Esplanade Playspace. (Boston)

June 25: It’s time to play in the park. (Lincoln)

June 25: A historical tea time. (Hanover)

June 25: Green art and earth tales. (Concord)

June 25: A lantern walk and lantern making workshop. (Easton)

June 25: Learn about the birds and the bees. (Lincoln)

June 25: Explore fireflies. (Belmont)

June 26: Fruitlands centennial celebration. (Harvard)

June 27: Space storytime. (Cambridge)

June 27: Learn about Ramadan. (Boston)

June 27: Free Friday night fun featuring the Maynard Community Band. (Acton)

June 27: Free admission to Franklin Park Zoo. (Dorchester)

June 27: Free admission to Worcester Art Museum. (Worcester)

June 27: Free admission to The Sports Museum. (Boston)

June 27: Free admission to MIT Museum. (Cambridge)

June 27: Free admission to Cape Cod Maritime Museum. (Hyannis Port)

June 27: Free admission to Tanglewood. (Lenox)

June 27: Free admission to Mass MOCA. (North Adams)

Image credit: Children's Museum, Easton

Happy Friday everyone -- are you ready to make some awesome weekend plans? I hope so, because I've got a mega-roundup for you today, including 35 events lovingly curated for your consideration! Also, as I mentioned earlier this week, strawberry festivals are here, so don't forget to check out these 8 easy strawberry recipes to make use of your local strawberry haul!

1. Dinosaur egg hunt with an awesome grand prize. (Acton)

2. Learn how to do the Indian folk dance Bhangra. (Acton)

3. Ben Rudnick show to benefit Cradles to Crayons. (Boston)

4. It’s world giraffe day! (Boston)

5. Critter day with therapy dogs. (Boston)

6. Celebrate Chinatown at the Main Street Festival. (Boston)

7. Live performance by The Friends of Broadway. (Boston)

8. Fun, jam packed skateboarding demo from one of Boston’s greatest. (Boston)

9. Scientists of the future show off their ingenuity at Eurekafest. (Boston)

10. It’s time to make music Boston. (Boston)

11. Spend your day celebrating the summer solstice at Fete de la Musique. (Boston)

12. Sunday games on the banks of the Charles. (Boston)

13. Verrill Farm strawberry festival, dessert contest and culinary yard sale. (Concord)

14. Music at the Manse summer concert. (Concord)

15. Connors Farm strawberry festival. (Danvers)

16. Watch the Sox on the big screen. (Dorchester)

17. Free admission to Fruitlands Museum to celebrate Centennial Saturday. (Harvard)

18. Summer solstice farm to dinner. (Harvard)

19. Open barnyard at Weir River Farm. (Hingham)

20. Swim, kayak, run or walk against the tide for breast cancer prevention. (Hopkinton)

21. Marini Farm strawberry festival. (Ipswich)

22. Russell Orchards strawberry festival. (Ipswich)

23. Summer solstice celebration on the longest day of the year. (Ipswich)

24. 18th annual Tufts Medical Center Cycle for Life. (Lincoln)

25. Visit the MAKEmobile traveling creative and tactile experience cart. (Lincoln)

26. Lanni Orchards strawberry festival. (Lunenburg)

27. Enjoy the traditional summer solstice bonfire. (Marshfield)

28. Discover beaver lodges and dams on this family beaver hike. (Princeton)

29. Field day gets extreme at Wachusett Mountain. (Princeton)

30. Find some treasures at The Vintage Bazaar. (Salisbury)

31. Real life Downton Abbey upstairs, downstairs tour. (Stockbridge)

32. A children’s garden adventure quest. (Stockbridge)

33. Support the Stone Zoo at this Wild Affair. (Stoneham)

34. Worcester Food Truck Festival at Elm Park. (Worcester)

35. MA Farmer’s Markets Strawberry Dessert Festival. (Various locations)

Image credit: Franklin Park Zoo

This post is sponsored by Bright Horizons; personal opinions about day care are -- of course -- my own.

Every spring when I (somewhat begrudgingly) tackle the challenge of sorting out Laurel's summer schedule, I'm reminded of what a shock it was to go from the year-round reliable awesomeness of day care to an elementary school schedule, particularly since Laurel wasn't exactly receptive to frequent changes and transitions (e.g., different camps on different weeks) after said reliable awesomeness.

I also still well recall the challenges of finding infant care in the Boston area. It's simple math; wait lists are longer since there are less infant care opportunities around. Subsequently, I'm always thrilled when I hear about new options opening up for parents, which leads me to the excellent news that Bright Horizons -- a supporter of this website and a provider of aforementioned year-round reliable awesome childcare for countless families -- is opening a new center in the Seaport District (Fan Pier) this July!

The new location will offer Infant – Kindergarten prep programs and is currently accepting enrollments in all programs. If you want to drop by and get a sneak peek of the facility, meet staff, and learn about their programs, you can attend one of the upcoming hard hat tours on June 19, 25, and 27, or call 617-737-1296.

Welcome, Bright Horizons at Fan Pier, and thanks for all you do for families!

Image credits: Bright Horizons