Happy Friday everyone, I hope you're having a great week and are adjusted to the time change! It's been a crazy week here work-wise and I'm super excited to take things down a few notches this weekend! If you're looking for something to do, enjoy this roundup of 25 weekend events, lovingly curated for your consideration. And also, be sure to enter the $350 Minted giveaway!

1. FREE evening at the museum for families with children with Autism. (Acton)

2. Family fun with Karen K and the Jitterbugs. (Arlington)

3. The Three Little Pigs and Other Tales puppet show. (Arlington)

4. Join in an afternoon of environmental stewardship. (Belmont)

5. Laurie Berkner Rock ‘Til You Drop show. (Boston)

6. Noah’s Ark scavenger hunt. (Boston)

7. Celebrate your neighborhood toy store. (Boston)

8. The Boston Christmas Festival is in town. (Boston)

9. The New England Conservatory presents Hansel and Gretel. (Boston)

10. Shop this special pop up shop featuring 8 indie Boston stores. (Boston)

11. Boston comedy festival. (Boston)

12. Visiting artist workshop with Casey Weibust: Monster Hunt. (Boston)

13. A family viewing of The Parent Trap. (Brookline)

14. The story of Migration using puppets. (Brookline)

15. Exploring the science of plants. (Cambridge)

16. Welcome the winter season with a bonfire, drummers, light sticks, and s'mores. (Harvard)

17. The Crane Estate art show and sale. (Ipswich)

18. Light up the night of 10,000 lights. (Medford)

19. Kiniwe, Tufts African drumming and dance ensemble, performs. (Medford)

20. A safari right on Revere Beach. (Revere)

21. Dancing, artist-curated experiences, open bar and dessert at the gala DREAM dance party. (Salem)

22. Relax and listen as bold storytellers share revealing moments from their own lives. (Salem)

23. All things vintage for the holidays. (Salisbury)

24. An international film festival just for kids. (Somerville, Medford)

25. A beautiful evening of illumination. (Sturbridge)

Image credit: Vintage Bazaar

Though I love the convenience of online shopping, particularly around the holidays, I make an extra effort to shop local. And to that effect, how awesome is this? As part of Marriott Hotels' Travel Brilliantly campaign, American Express and Marriott have transformed Boston Marriott Long Wharf's Greatroom Lobby into a pop up store featuring 8 small local businesses. I’m thrilled to partner with American Express and Marriott today to share some of my favorite picks from these independent Boston vendors.

Note: The pop up shop is open now until Sunday, November 30 (Small Business Saturday is November 29!), from 10am - 8pm. And the Boston Marriott Long Wharf is perfectly positioned so you can browse the shop then enjoy some time on the Greenway, which is one of my favorite spots in the city these days! Now, here's who you can find at the pop up shop:

1. I simply love that Flock Boston is run by a mother-daughter pair! Offering a range of bohemian inspired clothing, accessories, and gifts, these lantern bracelets by Jenny Bird are so special. Made of gold-plated brass and resin stone (in a variety of colors), this bracelet makes a delicate statement on its own or would play well with your other arm candy.

2. Looking for your girlfriend’s next favorite gift? Gracie Finn offers an eclectic mix of gift items, such as books, paper goods, home items, and gifts for women and kids. I’m especially intrigued to know what’s inside their surprise balls; unwind the crepe paper to discover 12 little prizes inside!

3. If your aesthetic is modern and minimal, you'll love the offerings from Lekker Home. I love Lotta Jansdotter’s work, and I have my eye on this large serving bowl and set of smaller bowls. The patterns will cheer you out of your winter doldrums and are perfect for parents (read: unbreakable by little paws).

4. Lunarik Fashions specializes in bags and accessories handmade by local artists. They offer bags and accessories to suit a range of styles, but I’m especially drawn to the modern color blocking of this leather drawstring bag.

5. My go-to dressing prescription is to wear simple clothes and and amp up my outfits with interesting jewelry. Rebekah Brooks offers unique hand crafted items, many of a delicate or vintage persuasion. I found myself drawn to her animal motifs; specifically this snake ring (and especially so once I learned that two entwined snakes are a Victorian symbol of infinity and eternal love) and swallow necklace.

6. If you’ve struggled to find good man gifts, check out Sault New England. They offer fun, usable items (e.g., beer soap!) as well as pay it forward type gifts (e.g., notebooks whose proceeds benefit public school art programs). I love their sailormade bracelets, crafted in New England.

7. I’ve been on the hunt for a Boston map to incorporate into our gallery wall, and I think Ward Maps is the answer. They have a variety of affordable map and transit oriented gifts (e.g., coasters, mugs) and specialize in antique items, such as this antique map of Boston (1775) print. They also offer modern styled maps, if that's your preference.

8. Looking for modern and cheerful picks? Check out Xylem, which offers quirky gifts for home and the whole family. Xylem embraces geek chic, with items such as this pizza pi cutter, which I'm certain will cut pizza with mathematical precision thanks to its two wheels.

Amazing, right? Hop on down to the pop up shop and tell me what you find!

Image credits: All images via local businesses featured above.

Disclosure: This post reflects an editorial partnership with American Express and Marriott Hotels in support of the Shop Small® Pop Up initiative. Because, hey, YAY LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES! All thoughts and opinions are -- of course -- my own.

Happy Monday everyone, can you believe we got SNOW yesterday? Between the snow and the need to recover from a very full day Saturday I totally hibernated all day yesterday! Anyway, I hope you had a wonderful Halloween and are ready to gear up for the first full week of November. If you're looking for something to do, check out this great roundup via the Weekly Blueprint:

November 3: Learn how to use constellations to tell time. (Boston)

November 3: Family game night! (Dorchester)

November 3 - 7: Instead of eating all the candy, trade it in. (Newton)

November 4: ASD-friendly afternoon at Discovery Museums. (Acton)

November 4: Celebrate family reading on a story walk. (Boston)

November 4: We’re off to see the Wizard. (Easton)

November 4: Baby on board parent or caregiver walk. (Framingham)

November 5: Learn how to prepare Thanksgiving on the farm. (Ipswich)

November 5: Enjoy a holiday sip and shop. (Charlestown)

November 5: Explore deCordova for FREE. (Lincoln)

November 5: Take a walk around Gore Estate. (Waltham)

November 5: UNBORED Games: serious fun for everyone. (Wellesley)

November 6 - 9: American Journeys: Migration puppet show. (Brookline)

November 6 - 9: Salem Lit Fest: bringing readers and writers together. (Salem)

November 7: FREE admission to Discovery Museums. (Acton)

November 7: Spend the afternoon with Nathaniel Hawthorne. (Boston)

November 7: Learn to relax by being silly. (Boston)

November 7: Sing and dance with JeffJam live. (Boston)

November 7: Check out some super exciting new books. (Cambridge)

November 7: Preview the Crane Estate art show. (Ipswich)

November 7 - 9: The Boston Christmas Festival is in town. (Boston)

November 7 - 9: The Boston International Kids Film Festival. (Boston)

November 7 - 9: A holiday bazaar of all things vintage. (Salisbury)

Image credit: The Vintage Bazaar

Happy weekend and happy November (also, congratulations on surviving Halloween)! We have an uncharacteristically packed weekend (including heading to see the Boston Ballet's Swan Lake...exciting!) so I wanted to share this week's Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome before the day runs away from me. Enjoy, and don't forget to enter to win my $50 Amazon gift certificate giveaway this weekend!

- Rest in peace, Mayor Menino.

- The Bruins bring Frozen to life.

- The race to nowhere in youth sports.

- Turn your princess obsessed toddler into a feminist in 8 easy steps.

- The cheapest generation.

- Holy crap, Danielle Ratcliffe!

- Design disasters make me laugh.

- Who has been helped the most via the Affordable Care Act.

- Honored to be featured on Media Shower, talking about the power of authenticity.

- 50 best culturally diverse children’s books.

- Notes from the losing team.

Image credit: crack pie via Pinterest

Happy Friday and Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you and your kids enjoy the festivities today (and be sure to check out this post on how to handle the Halloween candy craze if things get out of hand!). Meanwhile, enjoy this roundup of 21 weekend events! And one last note, in honor of National Book Lovers Day tomorrow, I'm running a fun little contest on Instagram for a $50 Amazon gift card -- hop over to enter to win!

1. Halloween has one last hurrah. (Acton)

2. Magic show with Rupayan Neogy. (Acton)

3. Frank Zappa meets Pete Seeger! Billy Jonas CD release party. (Arlington)

4. Capitol Square’s Day of the Dead Festival. (Arlington)

5. Join in some artful scarecrow building. (Ashfield)

6. Waffles and wonderment fundraiser for Boston Marathon runners. (Beverly)

7. Happy birthday to Kambiri the gorilla. (Boston)

8. Spend the day watching classic cartoons. (Boston)

9. The Children’s Opera presents The Billy Goats Gruff. (Boston)

10. Infectious, engaging and interactive Tim of Tim and the Space Cadets. (Brookline)

11. The Hard Times of Woody Guthrie puppet show. (Brookline)

12. Create nature collages from all the park has to offer. (Chelsea)

13. Go letterboxing. (Framingham)

14. Learn how to create natural play spaces in small or large backyards. (Lincoln)

15. Wickedly funny day of post Halloween pumpkin disposal. (North Andover)

16. Finish the Fight against cancer 5K. (Somerville)

17. Celebrate Dia de Los Muertos at the chocolate factory. (Somerville)

18. Spend some time learning a historical craft. (Sturbridge)

19. Prepare and eat a meal as early New Englanders did. (Sturbridge)

20. Take a free tour of the ground-floor of the Gore mansion. (Waltham)

21. Ghost stories around the bonfire. (Westport)

Image credit: Smolak Farms

Hello everyone, I hope you had a wonderful weekend! My mind and heart are incredibly full after everything I learned and experienced at #AYASummit last week. I'll have more to share soon, but meanwhile, if you agree that girls and women around the world deserve equality and growth, please join the ONE Girls & Women community! And after you do that, check out this week's roundup of weekday events via the Weekly Blueprint. Enjoy!

October 28: Yo Gabba Gabba live. (Boston)

October 28 - 31: An entire week of Halloween activities. (Easton)

October 29: Use a little spooky science to create some strange substances. (Acton)

October 29: Paul Czajak hosts a Halloween party to introduce his new book, Monster Needs a Costume. (Wellesley)

October 30: Tech/fitness awesomeness at Microsoft at the Pru! (Boston)

October 30: Halloween story time and parade.  (Boston)

October 30: Live indie-rock music performance. (Boston)

October 30: Go trick or treating at Fenway. (Boston)

October 30: Kiddos can trick or treat and you can shop! (Cambridge)

October 30: Take home first prize at this kids costume contest. (Lexington)

October 31: It’s not too late for last minute costumes. (Acton)

October 31: An entire day of Halloween fun. (Boston)

October 31: Monster Mash KidsJam. (Boston)

October 31: Halloween storytime with Curious George. (Cambridge)

October 31: Trick or Treat at Fruitlands Museum. (Harvard)

October 31: Frightful Friday ghost stories at the mansion. (Waltham)

October 31: Take a stroll through this wicked scary haunted forest. (Wareham)

Image credit: Children’s Museum in Easton

Happy Friday everyone, I hope you're having a great week! I've been in Washington, DC the last couple of days soaking up incredible programming via the ONE Girls & Women #AYASummit. I urge you to follow the hashtag on Twitter to learn more; my mind has simply been swimming. Meanwhile, I did want to leave you with a wonderful roundup of 32 events for the weekend. Enjoy this weekend's curation and have a great one!

1. A Diwali celebration. (Boston)

2. All access pass to lots of wine. (Boston)

3. A food festival just for vegetarians! (Boston)

4. Trick or treat and hear the zoo howl. (Boston)

5. Celebrate the power of words at the Boston Book Festival. (Boston)

6. Even dogs love Halloween. Dress them up and let them strut their stuff. (Boston)

7. Mix and mingle with fellow owners and their pups...costumes and all. (Boston)

8. Halloween pet parade. (Boston)

9. A spooktacular day of Halloween fun at the Pru. (Boston)

10. Creative play date sculpting with fiber. (Boston)

11. Magic show with BJ Hickman. (Brookline)

12. Inside the Haunted House puppet show. (Brookline)

13. The pumpkins are all aglow. (Carver)

14. Monuments: fall concert from the Concord Band. (Concord)

15. Celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights. (Concord)

16. Pumpkins in the park carving contest. (East Walpole)

17. Guided walk along our Halloween trail. (Ipswich)

18. Pumpkin decorating at Wilson Farm. (Lexington)

19. Bring your family together to make a change in your community. (New Bedford)

20. Halloween family free for all. (Newburyport)

21. Ben Rudnick and Friends. (Newburyport)

22. Final weekend of The Farm Festival. (North Andover)

23. Halloween night hike and hayride. (Princeton)

24. BBQ fest at Wachusett Mountain. (Princeton)

25. Celebrate the season with a grand tasting of fine wine, mead and the best craft beer around! (Salem)

26. Fun and non-scary Halloween prowl. (Sharon)

27. No tricks, just treats around The Row. (Somerville)

28. Bring a canned good to J. Crew and receive 20% off. (Somerville)

29. Be enchanted and surprised by the wacky, magical characters you'll meet at The Haunting Gardens of Naumkeag. (Stockbridge)

30. Trunk or treat with Mr. Vic. (Sudbury)

31. Halloween hay rides. (Waltham)

32. It’s the great pumpkin fest. (Worcester)

Image credit: The Trustees of Reservations

Happy Monday everyone, I hope you had a lovely weekend! The girls and I enjoyed a fun trip to the zoo (where the adorable costumes were out in full force!) and cheered on a few of our friends plus lots of other amazing runners at the Bay State Marathon in Lowell. I'm excited to get back to work today, and will kick it up with this awesome roundup of weekday events via the Weekly Blueprint. Enjoy!

October 20: Family game night. (Dorchester)

October 21: Help us Read for the Record (ASL interpreted). (Boston)

October 21: Exercise your mind, body and soul. (Boston)

October 21: Another special Read for the Record storytime. (Boston)

October 21: Healthy kids summit, a free afternoon of fun and fitness. (Foxboro)

October 21, 22 + 24: Figure out the sweet side of chemistry by making candy! (Acton)

October 22: Fill your day with art and play. (Lincoln)

October 22: A spirited preschool storytime. (Waltham)

October 23: Meet a real live archaeologist. (Acton)

October 23: Boo! A Ghost in the House storytime. (Boston)

October 23: Create your very own haunted gingerbread house. (Lexington)

October 23: Live indie-rock music performances. (Boston)

October 23 + 24: Put on your favorite costume, grab a flashlight, for a silly, spooky Halloween tradition. (Lincoln)

October 23: Help us carve pumpkins into Jack-O-Lanterns for our annual Halloween Prowl. (Sharon)

October 23 - 25: Celebrate the power of words at the Boston Book Festival. (Boston)

October 24: Take a walk through an enchanted forest. (Barnstable)

October 24: Learn more about how and where to find local food in Boston. (Boston)

October 24: Punkin’ fest. (Boston)

October 24: Ghost stories story time. (Boston)

October 24: The pumpkins are all aglow. (Carver)

October 24: Frightful Friday ghost stories in the mansion. (Waltham)

October 24: Explore our “haunted” pine forest after dark. (Wellfleet)

October 24 - 25: Bring your family together to make a change in your community. (New Bedford)

October 24 - 25: All access pass to lots of wine. (Boston)

October 24 - 25: Guided walk along our Halloween trail. (Ipswich)

October 24 - 26: Fun and non-scary Halloween prowl. (Sharon)

Image credit: Mass Audubon

Happy Friday everyone, I hope you're enjoying a great short week! Are you ready for weekend? I have a busy day today and then I can't wait to dive into the weekend, which will include fun and games at the Stone Zoo (come join me!), marathon spectating, and Halloween costume making (I've got my mojo on thanks to this no-sew costume roundup!). Meanwhile, if you're looking for something to do, enjoy this roundup of 27 events!

1. Discover the wonders of chemistry and celebrate National Chemistry Week. (Acton)

2. BBQ, guided hikes, and a day of family fun. (Andover)

3. Arlington International Film Festival (Arlington)

4. Pumpkin lit stroll through the forest. (Attleboro)

5. Everything you wanted to know about sustainable seafood. (Boston)

6. Family day at Mass College of Art and Design. (Boston)

7. Free lecture by Raun K. Kaufman Author of Autism Breakthrough. (Boston)

8. The leaves are changing and fall has arrived at the Children’s Museum. (Boston)

9. Interactive storytime with visiting author Babs Bell Hajdusiewicz. (Boston)

10. Be part of the audience as a cappella groups battle for the win. (Boston)

11. Ben Rudnick and Friends. (Brookline)

12. Little Red Rosie and the Dragon of Duum puppet show. (Brookline)

13. The pumpkins are all aglow. (Carver)

14. It’s time again for the Head of the Charles. (Cambridge)

15. Have a ghoulish good time at the Halloween romp. (Easton)

16. A food and wine festival on the Vineyard. (Edgartown)

17. An animal safari right in Framingham. (Framingham)

18. Pumpkin fest, tractor parade and dedication hike. (Hadley)

19. Mass Audubon’s biggest celebration of the year! Daniel Webster Farm Day. (Marshfield)

20. Reading and book signing with Rosemary Wells in honor of Read for the Record. (Newton)

21. Rides, crafts, music and food. (Newton)

22. The Farm Festival. (North Andover)

23. So much fun packed into Applefest at Wachusett Mountain. (Princeton)

24. Halloween parade and costume party. (Salem)

25. Boo at the zoo. And come meet me at the Fidelity/MEFA tent! (Stoneham)

26. 14th annual Wellfleet OysterFest. (Wellfleet)

27. Westport Town Farm fall festival. (Westport)

Image credit: Stone Zoo