Happy Friday everyone, I hope you've been enjoying a great week and are staying warm. I find this weather so challenging personally (not being able to run) and as a parent (hello, cabin fever). If you're going somewhat crazy, these posts include lots of indoor activity ideas for your kids and indoor fitness ideas for you. And to fuel your weekend, here are 19 event ideas to consider:

1. Magic and Beyond, a one-man illusion show. (Arlington)

2. Try your hand at original origami. (Acton)

3. Join actors from BCA and act out your favorite fairy tales. (Boston)

4. Join the fight against extreme poverty. (Boston)

5. Homemade musical instruments with Adam Schutzman. (Boston)

6. Be a veterinarian. (Boston)

7. Pinkalicious the musical. (Boston)

8. Some of your fairy tale favorites really get into character. (Brookline)

9. The final weekend of Robin Hood. (Brookline)

10. The legendary Harvard Square Chocolate Festival. (Cambridge)

11. Step inside a story. (Concord)

12. Get into the spirit of Chinese New Year. (Concord)

13. Free admission to the Concord Museum. (Concord)

14. Your backyard is for the birds! (Milton)

15. Stacey Peasley concert and grand opening of jam time. (Natick)

16. Ben Rudnick and Friends. (Natick)

17. Final weekend of Future Beauty: Avant-Garde Japanese Fashion. (Salem)

18. A summer camp fair. (Sudbury)

19. It’s the perfect weekend to snowshoe with your family. (Worcester)

Image credit: HarvardSquare.com

Have an event you'd like to submit for editorial consideration? Please e-mail the event description + URL to Christine at editor{@}bostonmamas.com. For guaranteed event exposure, place an advertisement.

Today, Paige shares a beloved family pie recipe in honor of National Pie Day (yay, pie!). Pardon me while I run out and get some Macintosh apples:

I've been making this apple pie -- my mother's recipe -- for over 20 years. If it ain't broke (and gets devoured every time), why fix it...right? Enjoy this recipe today (National Pie Day!) or any day, really:

Jeannie's Apple Crumb Pie

A pastry cutter and apple wedger aren't essential but will quicken prep work.

• 1 9-inch unbaked frozen pie shell
• 5-7 Macintosh apples
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup cold butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Make crumb topping by mixing the flour and sugar in a bowl, then adding the cold butter in pieces. Combine with a pastry cutter or knife and fork. Resulting mixture should be crumbly, and butter should be well incorporated, but in small pieces. Set aside in refrigerator. Mix the sugar and cinnamon and set aside in a bowl.

2. Peel and core one apple at a time, dividing into eight sections. Cut each section again in thirds, creating thin apple slices. Arrange one layer of slices in the pie shell and sprinkle enough cinnamon sugar to cover the apples lightly. Continue peeling, coring, slicing, arranging, and layering the apples, then sprinkling with cinnamon sugar until you've reached the top of the shell. (You will likely have cinnamon sugar left over, so set it aside for morning toast!)

 

3. Take the crumb topping from the refrigerator and carefully sprinkle tablespoons of the mixture over the pie, trying to cover all the apples. 

 

4. Place pie on baking sheet (to catch any sugary drips) and set in preheated oven. Check the pie after 40 minutes. If the top and crust are not yet golden, bake for another 5-10 minutes. 

 

5. Remove from oven and set on cooling rack. Cool completely before serving. Excellent with or without ice cream. Can be stored on the counter for 2-3 days (if it lasts that long!).

 

Image credits: Paige Lewin

I'm so excited to kick off the Local Gems series this morning and am doing so with ten local gems in Medford. This town is fast on the rise given its strong community, lightning fast access to Boston, and various amenities (including commuter rail access and visions of Green Line expansion). If you have other favorite Medford gems, feel free to share in the comments below!

1. Bestsellers Café. This bookstore/café is a true indie gem. While it looks deceptively small from the storefront, the property opens up into a larger space in the back, including lovely café seating that overlooks the Mystic River.

2. Art in 2 Shades. I signed Laurel up for mini art camps for the first time last summer and she adores this place! The women who run this studio are quirky and friendly and Laurel created some wonderful work through the program.

3. Emiliano’Z. This Mexican restaurant is run by the sweetest family. I pretty much eat here every week. If ordering out, I usually get the primavera or Emiliano'Z favorite burrito. If dining in, the tilapia dinner plate. Also, the sangria.

4. Tenoch. In Medford Center proper, there's another great Mexican offering. If you go to Tenoch, get the chicken sandwich (torta). O.M.G. They're clearly doing well, with a North End location in the works.

5. Mystic Coffee Roaster. Fresh roasted coffee right in town. Doesn’t get better than that.

6. Chung Ki Wa. This is where my mom wants to go when I take her out to lunch (good sign, given that we're Korean!). Order the okdol bi bim bap. Also, the pajon (Korean pancakes) are delicious.

7. Bistro 5. Bistro 5 is a surprisingly fancy find right near the commuter rail stop in West Medford. Their gnocchi is insanely good or it’s a nice stop for a drink at the small bar. They recently installed windows along the front of the restaurant, making this spot even more appealing.

8. Blue Fuji. It's not hard for us to rack up a bill at this organic Asian restaurant. The sushi is great, as are basics such as the lo mein noodles and tofu with vegetables (one of my favorites!). Blue Fuji also has a gluten-free menu.

9. Danish Pastry House. Fine coffee. Killer kringle (and countless other treats). A sunny and bright corner location. You can't go wrong at DPH.

*10. Finally, Medford is remarkable not only for its quick access to the city, but also to nature. Pretty (and sometimes wooded) paths run along the Mystic River, and The Fells is a remarkable 3,400 acre reservation offering a welcome nature escape. Your kids will love exploring Panther's Cave.

*Updated and added 1/22/14

Do you want to share local gems for your town? Contact me for editorial openings!

Image credit: thumbnail via Tenoch; compilation graphic by Christine Koh, including images via featured websites

I have several editorial series that I've been planning on launching for oh, say, the last year (seriously!) and other things just keep getting in the way. But today I'm finally kicking off Local Gems, through which I'll feature awesome and sometimes lesser known gems in different communities in and around Boston. Putting a spotlight on local businesses feels even more important to me right now given the recent closing of Isis Parenting.

I have several of other towns and neighborhoods zipped up already, but feel free to contact me if you are interested in submitting picks for your town and I'll let you know if there's space. Otherwise, you can always share additional recommendations in the comments of a given post.

Now, let's do this thing! First stop: MEDFORD.

Image credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I used to see them, the slow runners. I used to think I could beat them up a hill. I used to think they were at the beginning of the run. So slow.

I've been training for a half marathon since last July. It began with me thinking I should just add a block each time. Then I realized to make it up some hills I needed to shorten my stride. A lot. An embarrassing lot. There were some days when I was working my way up a hill and understanding that I looked ridiculous but I was eleven miles in, and the short stride was the only way I was making it up the hill.

Sometimes we see people going slow and we think they're just starting, but really they are eleven miles in.

I've learned not to judge the short stride.

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.

I have uninstalled this program and can find no evidence of it in my Google Chrome. But every morning, there it is! Again! Like the cat that came back and couldn't stay away!

Also with the annoying text ads everywhere. What is this stupid thing and how do I get rid of it? Has this happened to any of you?

Happy Sunday everyone! I'm dropping the Weekly Blueprint early in case you're looking to shore up plans for the day off tomorrow. This roundup includes lots of wonderful events and service opportunities in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. (also, check out these civil rights movement books for kids for reading inspiration). Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

January 20: Celebrate the lives of MLK and Nelson Mandela through music and dance. (Boston)

January 20: Help create a community art mobile to commemorate the life and legacy of MLK Jr. (Easton)

January 20: Add your dreams to the MLK Dream Tree. (Acton)

January 20: Pay tribute to MLK by learning more about those who fought to abolish slavery in the 19th century. (Sturbridge)

January 20: 13 ways to make MLK Day a day ON by volunteering. (Various locations)

January 20: More MLK Day service opportunities at three MA Audubon locations. (Various locations)

January 20: Special guests from Disney on Ice celebrate the day off at the Frog Pond. (Boston)

January 20: Skate for a cause in Kendall Square. (Cambridge)

January 20: Live performances from the Mamadou West African Band. (Boston)

January 20: Be the Drumlin Farm caretaker for a day. (Lincoln)

January 20: You don’t even have to get out of your jammies for this SteveSongs concert. (Lexington)

January 20: Jason Bishop magic show. (Newton)

January 20: The final day of the world family film festival. (Belmont)

January 21: A nutty celebration for squirrel appreciation day. (Marshfield)

January 22: Artfull play. (Lincoln)

January 23: Old McDrumlin had a farm. (Lincoln)

January 24: The legendary Harvard Square Chocolate Festival kicks off. (Cambridge)

January 24: Storytime at the Curious George store. (Cambridge)

January 24: Family autism night at the museum. (Easton)

Image credit: Martin Luther King quote via Digital Things on Etsy 

Have an event you'd like to submit for editorial consideration? Please e-mail the event description + URL to Christine at editor{@}bostonmamas.com. For guaranteed event exposure, place an advertisement.